8 My House Is Gone!

Baishi Shū could not rein his curiosity back anymore when he saw the camera. His mouth opened and closed several times before his question finally spilled out, "What's this? Are we going to exorcise the evil spirit with a video camera?"

'Why did the abbot never tell me that shrine priests and priestesses use such an advanced tool to combat evil spirits?'

Reimei Temple had its own tools when it came to exorcism as well. For example, there was a staff, prayer beads, an alms bowl, Vajra, and a bell, to name a few. All of them had been consecrated and they were usual ritual tools that would show up in religious rites. He had never seen a consecrated modern object such as an iPhone or a bicycle before! 

The next thing Asada Senna said confirmed his suspicion. "Nope. We aren't going to use this video camera. This is a blessed object that can record spirits."

The shrine had kept abreast of the times, and they even consecrated a video camera! When the realization hit him hard, he felt disappointed and ashamed with himself. 

As a man who came from the future, even though it had just been a few years ahead, why had he never thought of consecrating or injecting spiritual power into daily electronic appliances? 

Continuous learning was the process of life. That was the eternal iron law that everyone should keep in their minds all the time. 

Since Shinto priests and priestesses had become so up-to-date, Baishi Shū reckoned that they, the monks, should not fall behind as well. 

'I should try to consecrate my bicycle when I get back later.'

He was not hoping to use his bicycle to crush evil spirits. He just wanted to strengthen his timeworn bicycle so that it would not wobble so much when he was riding. 

"Baishi-san, could you come over, please? I need you to help me hold this video camera and record the process of me exorcising the evil spirit," Asada Senna said cheerfully as she handed Baishi Shū the video camera. 

After dinner came the reckoning. Baishi Shū was well aware of that, especially since Asada Senna had treated him to a bowl of ramen. As such, he did not reject her request for help and took over the consecrated video camera, which was the crystallization of combining both technology and religion. It felt hefty in his hand. 

After he helped Asada Senna set up the video camera, she then turned around and began to pull things out from her bag to begin her preparation. 

Just as he thought, there was something to learn from how the Shinto priestess did her job. 

To deal with an Onryō that usually roamed around freely, Asada Senna took out a backflow incense that was made from cherry blossom powder as the auxiliary material and sawdust as the main material. She put the incense on the ground. 

Unlike the traditional incense, a backflow incense would not send a stream of smoke skyward but downward. In ancient times, they called this the incense of the dead. 

Under the circumstances whereby they knew nothing about the Onryō, Asada Senna decided to use the backflow incense to lure the evil spirit out. She also put several amulets around as a way to counter when Onryō decided to show up. 

Baishi Shū knew the ingredients and the way to use the amulets very well. 

He did not gain the knowledge from the book but from Asada Senna's mouth, as she was now explaining to her "friends" in front of the camera. 

It was only now that Baishi Shū saw the light why she wanted to bring a camera along. Apparently, this miko, who did not attend to her proper duties, wanted to shoot the video of her exorcising an Onryō to post online. Baishi Shū was speechless when he found out about her true objective. 

'So, is this how a modern miko does their job?' Be that as it may, Baishi Shū was quite relieved to find that she was just videotaping. Otherwise, he would not know how to respond if she was on a live broadcast. 

Just before Baishi Shū could come around to his senses, Asada Senna finished her preparation. She clapped her hands and grinned at the camera. 

"OK, all done! It's midnight now, and although it isn't the most perfect moment, it's the time the evil spirits prefer the most. Our purpose here is to exorcise the spirit, so we can start luring it out now. First off, let's light up the backflow incense."

As she was lighting up the backflow incense, Asada Senna's countenance turned serious. It seemed that she was trying to recreate the dense atmosphere similar to when several girls played the pen fairy game in the dark. 

However, it did not seem so scary at all from Baishi Shū's perspective. Right now, he wished to have a packet of sunflower seeds by his side so that he could nibble on them while watching Asada Senna perform her show. 

Just when Baishi Shū's mind was flooded with the thought of nibbling some sunflower seeds, he suddenly had a tingle. He jerked his head to the side and peered down into the street where the light could not reach. Through the dark, he vaguely registered the sight of a silhouette that was gradually materializing at the end of the street.

It was not long before the silhouette finally became clear in his vision. It was a man. He walked with an unsteady gait, and he appeared lost. His uniform was mottled with dirt and he had lost one of his leather shoes. At first glance, he looked just like a tramp that had no home to return to. 

However, the more he looked at the man, the more he felt something amiss about him. He was not a human being. 

Only with his Divine Eye could Baishi Shū see the man's real form. At the same time, he could register the subtle mind-contaminating ululation and sense the strikingly high resentment that was emanating from the man, or he should call it, the Onryō. 

"Why, why, why, why… Why do you all have a lover, kids, friends, family, a place to call home?

"I've lost everything, I've lost everything, I've lost everything… It has always been this way, always. It has never changed. I was abandoned, I wasn't trusted, I wasn't respected, and I wasn't needed...

"Hehe, hehe, hehe, hahaha…"

'Here it comes.' Baishi Shū's brows were deeply furrowed. Judging from the appearance of the Onryō and the thing it said, he already knew why it targeted Mr. Nishimura. 

Home. 

It was because Mr. Nishimura had a place to call home. He had everything the Onryō did not, so the Onryō killed him out of jealousy. 

The reason was simple, so simple that it was unbelievable. Had Mr. Nishimura died because of such a ridiculous reason? 

This particular incident showed how dangerous an Onryō was. If they did not deal with the Onryō in time, there might be another victim. 

Apparently, the Onryō was attracted by the smell of the backflow incense. Step by step, it trudged towards the incense.

Looking at its sluggish movements, Baishi Shū was anxious like a cat on a hot tin roof. 

'Why are you walking so slow? Can't you walk a little faster?' 

If it weren't for Asada Senna, he would have gone forward and sent the Onryō in front of Buddha to atone for its sins. 

On the other hand, Asada Senna put her game face on. She watched intently as the Onryō walked towards the backflow incense. When the Onryō reached a certain spot, she waved her arm and shouted, "Bind!" 

At that moment, several charms that she had placed on the ground earlier radiated a soft kaleidoscopic light. They all entwined together to form a net and trap the Onryō in the center. 

Baishi Shū's eyes shone. 

'This is so cool. It's a thousand times cooler than my skill! Why did the abbot never teach me something flashy like that?'

However, when Baishi Shū thought about it, he realized that the old abbot had never taught him anything. Probably because he was a monk, he would usually just give several metaphorical words and leave him aside to comprehend the words by himself. 

Baishi Shū sighed inwardly, then adjusted the camera. 

Asada Senna had already begun beating the Onryō. While the Onryō was restricted by her spell, she seized the chance to throw several charms at it consecutively. The charms glowed brightly, unleashing the power they contained before hitting it, causing it to cover its head and crouch down in pain. 

Just when Asada Senna had the absolute upper hand in the situation, an ear-grating voice as if somebody was scratching a blackboard rang out. "Miko, do you have a home?"

"Home? Of course, I have a home," Asada Senna replied. 

As a cub miko, it was obvious that Asada Senna was inexperienced. Besides, she also confirmed in the camera that this was her first solo exorcism task. 

Even Baishi Shū knew that it was considered a taboo to respond to an evil spirit. Once it received a response, there was a high chance that it would go berserk.

Just like the fire ghost last night, if Baishi Shū had responded and had not exorcised it on the spot, things would have become extremely difficult for him. 

"Hehehe… Hahaha… But I don't…" the Onryō replied. Its half-crying and half-laughing. 

It was at this moment that Asada Senna realized something was amiss. She quickly reacted by raining more charms on the Onryō. 

Baishi Shū's heart ached when he saw Asada Senna throw the charms as if they were useless paper. Those charms were blessed with spells, not to mention that they were the charms from a large shrine, so they were valuable. If he could get his hands on those charms, he would certainly sell them for money. 

Unfortunately, Asada Senna's approach was futile. The Onryō was getting up from the ground. The light that the binding spell emanated grew weak, and soon enough, it shattered. 

Concurrently, the Onryō's body swelled up and bent out of its normal shape as it roared, "My house is gone!"