Chapter 177: Other People’s Children Are Always More Excellent
“So, you came here following that kid Shinichi to investigate the existence of the Underworld?”
In the living room of the Sato family residence, a thin old man with white hair sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, gently picked up the steaming cup of tea in front of him, took a sip, and casually asked the strait-laced long-haired girl in front of him.
“Mm, Grandpa Hamano, I followed Shinichi Sato here after receiving a divine revelation from the Great God Sangfu, but I don’t know how he’s related to you…”
Afraid, Mai Shinomiyai raised her head. At this moment, the girl felt a surge of regret. This was probably the outcome she least wanted to face: the divine revelation intersecting with these annoying heroes.
Or perhaps, this was the direction the Great God Sangfu had guided her to?
Looking at the old man calmly drinking tea, Mai Shinomiyai did not let down her guard despite him being a well-known figure. Numerous thoughts flashed through her mind, even the most unlikely and insane thought.
Although on the surface, the old man’s status as a bridge between the Heroes Association and the psychic world of Kyoto, as well as the violent and surging thunder snakes she saw coiled around him in her spiritual vision, proved that he couldn’t be like the worst-case scenario Mai Shinomiyai imagined.
But Tsukasa Hamano was old.
Just like how Mai Shinomiyai had seen countless elderly people in shrines, this once unparalleled first hero, although the thunder behind him was still as wild as ever, the decaying aura emanating from him was more striking than the thunder.
Yes, people grow old. Even a man as powerful as this, who could summon lightning to slay evil gods, could not escape the baptism of time and was treading the path everyone had to take.
Mai Shinomiyai was always very calm, perhaps due to the precognitive maturity brought by her powerful talent, or perhaps from the insight gained from seeing the true appearances of many people. Regarding many matters, the young girl had insights far beyond her current age.
Tsukasa Hamano was powerful, just, and did not hesitate to kill. This summoner of thunder, who possessed the power to shake gods, had once brought a very short period of peace to all of Neon by himself, even if only superficially.
But the more such a person is, the easier it is for them to stray into the wrong path as their power wanes.
Time remembered the honor the old man had forged, and at the same time, it slowly took away the life-giving energy from him. And those who had always stood at the pinnacle, like Tsukasa Hamano, how could they be willing to watch themselves lose what they had always been proud of?
Mai Shinomiyai had seen too many similar experiences in the ancient texts left by her ancestors. Longevity had always been an insurmountable problem for humans, who were short-lived species.
And the [Underworld], which was said to govern the land of death, was precisely what these ambitious individuals could most easily access and fall into. According to ancient texts, there had been at least two crises involving the [Underworld], and the fuse had been these so-called heroes. Back then, they were still called ability users. This was another reason why Mai Shinomiyai did not have a good impression of these individuals who only possessed power but had weak minds.
Of course, hero education had gradually formed a system, and the moral education of heroes had gradually received attention from the higher-ups. The importance of the inner strength of ability users had also increased. Basically, heroes who could currently be active in the workplace would rarely lose themselves for power like in the ancient texts a hundred years ago.
But Mai Shinomiyai was still very wary of this. She dared not gamble, because the price of failure was indeed too heavy.
It might not matter if she died here, but she couldn’t gamble with the fate of the Kyoto psychic circle, or even the safety of all of Neon, especially given that Tsukasa Hamano was the person in charge of investigating and handling the [Underworld]. If he truly turned to the other side, then everything would be over.
Therefore, what she needed to confirm was the relationship between this former strongest hero and the news about the Underworld predicted by the Great God Sangfu!
Just as Mai Shinomiyai maintained her usual expression, thinking in her mind how to extract more information from the old man, a warm large hand was placed on the girl’s head, just like the hand that was placed on her head the year her parents’ bodies were returned.
“Stop thinking about those useless things all day. I remember you didn’t have so many thoughts when you were biting me back then!”
“I wouldn’t do something like that just to survive. Come on, tell Grandpa what your deity’s revelation was, and I’ll give you some advice.”
Relying on his abilities and experience, Tsukasa Hamano immediately sensed the worry in the hesitant girl’s heart. He couldn’t help but chuckle. He was not one of those short-sighted madmen, and he wouldn’t do such a thing for illusory life.
Moreover, with Tsukasa Hamano’s own pride, weren’t the so-called Underworld deities ultimately turned into ashes by his lightning?
What kind of god is a god that can be killed by a mortal? And the [Underworld], known for possessing the power of life and death, was merely a special manifestation of power in his opinion.
The broad but slightly dry palm caressed the girl’s head twice. Tsukasa Hamano did not feel displeased by the girl’s unfounded suspicion. Instead, his evaluation of the girl in his heart increased a bit. After a slight teasing, Tsukasa Hamano continued to ask.
“Ah, no, Grandpa Hamano, I just…”
Mai Shinomiyai, whose thoughts were exposed, showed a hint of panic and quickly opened her mouth to explain, but her usually agile mind seemed to have lost its effect under Tsukasa Hamano’s all-knowing smile. In the end, she could only lower her head in silence.
“The part of the Great God Sangfu’s revelation that I could interpret was that the person is ‘the one who hides a great secret.’ The direction was within Shikoku Gakuin. Coupled with the unusual aspects of Sato-kun that I saw in my spiritual vision, that’s why I came here.”
Sighing, Mai Shinomiyai also told the old man what she knew. After all, being able to discuss these matters openly with her was enough to show that he probably didn’t have any improper thoughts about the Underworld.
“‘The one who hides a great secret’?”
Stroking his chin, Tsukasa Hamano repeated the information given by the girl. Although he generally did not believe in those superstitious things, when dealing with such matters, he often had to listen to their intelligence, as this was their domain.
“Little Mai, your direction of investigation should not be wrong. There are definitely problems within Shikoku. The attack that occurred before is most likely related to [Shadow]. I have already asked the Association to assist in the investigation.”
“The clue your god pointed out should be fine. It seems that their involvement in this matter cannot be escaped!”
Putting down the teacup in his hand, Tsukasa Hamano patiently explained to Mai Shinomiyai in front of him, a glint flashing in his eyes.
He had originally thought that [Shadow]’s attack on the school this time was just to cover up their activities in the north, and also to make him hesitate to act due to their threat.
Now that Dragonji had gone to the northern region, coupled with the power of the local police force, even [Shadow] couldn’t act recklessly.
But he didn’t expect that [Shadow]’s real purpose was not the north at all, or at least not the main purpose. At least two executives attacked Shikoku Gakuin, coupled with the connection they mysteriously made with the psychic side, or even with that [Underworld], [Shadow] seemed to be planning something big this time!
The furrowed brows slowly relaxed. After briefly analyzing the situation in his mind, Tsukasa Hamano raised his head and looked at the girl in front of him, his eyes showing unreserved admiration and satisfaction.
This little girl, who had once fiercely bitten his arm like an abandoned puppy, had now grown into a psychic who could stand on her own.
In terms of talent, from the news from Masatsugu Shinomiyai, it could be seen that the girl’s abilities were basically top-notch among the younger generation, perfectly inheriting her parents’ talents, and even showing signs of surpassing them.
Her adaptability and thinking were fully displayed in front of Tsukasa Hamano. Just daring to consider the possibility of herself being lost in the power of the [Underworld] made Tsukasa Hamano truly admire her.
Although her actions and style were slightly immature, this kind of thinking and response was already close to the standard of a professional hero. It could be said that for a girl of this age, she truly deserved the title of genius.
Thinking about his own stupid disciple, who knew nothing but training and eating, Tsukasa Hamano’s old face immediately darkened. That damned brat was even showing signs of being swayed by his little girlfriend recently. Recalling the boy’s disobedient and argumentative manner, the veins on Tsukasa Hamano’s forehead twitched unnaturally.
It really is human nature to die from comparing oneself to others…
He let out a long sigh, looking at the long-haired girl sitting upright, impeccable in both demeanor and etiquette. Tsukasa Hamano took a moment to exhale the gloomy emotion that had accumulated in his chest due to his disciple’s lack of ambition.
He gently reached for the cup, intending to explain his relationship with Shinichi Sato to Mai Shinomiyai and to allay her concerns a bit. At the same time, he wanted to see if Shinichi Sato at the school could help him.
Before the old man could speak, the door of the room was directly opened from the outside. The boy in a tank top was covered in sweat from training. His azure blue eyes were filled with an emotion called anxiety, seemingly searching for something. Without even fully opening the door, his urgent voice reached the room from outside.
“Old man, have you seen my mobile phone?!”
