Editing Internet Shrine Maiden Tsugumi-chan:Volume1 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 18===

Once the core of the broken and twisted soul was burned away with a firecracker, it was really and truly over.

“S-so what was all that?”

The straitlaced sister was tearful and trembling, but there was no need to explain it to her. The black-haired shrine maiden sighed.

“I’m going to be busy now.”

“Why? One of those things where this was the weakest of the bosses or something? But we came close enough to dying this time!!”

“No, I have to prepare to transfer schools.”

“You’re leaving!? But why!?”

“''My secret is far greater than Chatty’s''.”

Everyone had acted as if they were above reproach, but social media had had been aflood with burner accounts making irresponsible comments. That gyaru sister had to know all too well how cruel the society of a school could be.

“The existence of a specialist in defeating Malign Spirits can be seen as proof that Malign Spirits exist. Being presented with something that unpleasant will make people uneasy. With my identity known, I had planned to change schools to avoid all of that. …Actually, is it even worth attending another school? If I’m only battling Malign Spirits, I could just quit altogether.”

“N-no, you can’t do that!! It has to be everyone!”

“Um, what?” reflexively replied Tsumugi.

Maybe she shouldn’t have responded at all. If her intention was to fully part ways here.

“I decided to risk my life to return Chatty’s life to normal! All of it!! After coming this far, I’m not accepting almost perfect. And that’s what it’ll be without you there!! I’m good at keeping secrets and there’s no problem if I don’t tell anyone!!”

She could say this after everything she had seen?

“I am the survivor of a shrine burned down, killing everyone inside, I run a strange online shrine, and I use an oil lighter to battle Malign Spirits as an online shrine maiden.”

“So what? ''Sounds like an ordinary high school girl to me''.”

The gyaru sister frowned, but she made her retort. Without a moment’s hesitation.

Maybe this was a type of talent. Probably a type you couldn’t get through hard work.

(Well, maybe I can stay with the status quo for a while longer.)

“No transferring schools, okay? Transfer bad! And don’t underestimate the information network of a gyaru who knows the birthdays of everyone in class. If you disappear one day, I won’t rest until I’ve tracked you down! Grr, grr!!”

“Yes, yes.”

The three of them left Mincemeat Drawbridge and began walking back to the shopping district.

“Now that I’ve calmed down, the exhaustion is hitting me… Ugh, my life points are down to 0. I’ll be taking my sister home, but what about you, Mugikko?”

“What do you mean? We have class tomorrow, so I’ll be taking a shower and going to bed like normal.”

Looking weirdly delighted, the gyaru sister slapped her on the back.

It kind of hurt.

“Hwa ha ha! I know you’re worn out, but don’t forget we were assigned math homework, Miss Shrine Maiden!”

“Why do you sound so happy? The same disaster is going to hit you too.”

“…Hey, Mugikko? We’re friends, right? Then let’s link up on social media. Right this instant!!!”

“You had better not send me questions about the homework all night long.”

Rainy really made Tsumugi friend her. At least that proved the effects of the Groan were gone.

When no one was looking, Tsumugi gave in to the urge to yawn.

From here, her ''nap room'' was closer than her home. After saying goodbye to the sisters, the shrine maiden walked to a row of multi-tenant buildings while swaying unsteadily from exhaustion and drowsiness. She gave one of the buildings a puzzled look.

Light was coming from the windows displaying the name Hisame Detective Agency.

“Oh, you’re back. You should have just spent the night in Tokyo.”

“Taking the linear, 500km is only an hour’s trip. Besides, I was worried about you.”

“Eh?”

“I had a feeling you would try something on your own if I wasn’t around. And that feeling was right.”

“…Is that so?”

Tsumugi tossed the ''borrowed'' oil lighter to the blond young man in a suit, the owner of the detective agency, and then walked to the nap room in the back of the office.

That room was effectively her private room.

Only she had a key to the door and it was full of her personal possessions. She used a futon at home, so she had a bed here just for a change of pace.

Once she collapsed into bed, she would be out like a light, so she had to take care of some things first.

In the lockable room, she pulled out a further key and unlocked the desk drawer. From there, she pulled a simple remote with a single button and aimed it toward the window.

The electric curtain slowly closed.

The inside of the curtain was covered with handwritten notes, photos, newspaper clippings, and more. The connections between them were visualized with colorful masking tape.



Burning of the Kagebarai Tanebi Shrine

:5 Years Ago

::::149 Killed

:::Religious Corporation Status Revoked – How to Recover?

:::::Detective – Cooperator

::::New Sea City

:Group of Megafloats – Drones – Testing Ground

Fire Malign Spirit – Who Benefits? – Interests

::Hibashi-sama – Someone Unleashed Her – Revenge – Special Ritual



Of course, it was all tentative. She didn’t have all the pieces and, despite drawing out the diagram herself, she wasn’t certain she was even approaching an accurate view.

The Forbidden Hands. The Ghastly Crusher.

Both notes had a large X drawn over them with black permanent marker, but she was uncertain where to place them. Eventually, the online shrine maiden withdrew them to the very edge of the electric curtain. And she attached another note next to them.



:::Unusual Appearances



New Sea City was was a group of megafloats located more than 500km south of Tokyo which acted as a testing ground for new technologies.

But she had a feeling that wasn’t all.

There was something more.

The online shrine maiden prepared another two notes. She jotted down a name on each in permanent marker: the gyaru older sister Betsuzaki Rainy and the straitlaced-seeming younger sister Betsuzaki Yuhi.

Battle assistance? Requires attention? She wasn’t sure what category to place them under. ''I just see them as another tool?'' she thought in self-deprecation.

“An ordinary high school girl, hm?”

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