Chapter 178: “Set in Stone”
What does it feel like to be hit by multiple blazing white lightning snakes? In Mai Shinomiyai’s opinion, there isn’t a single member of any villain organization who would want to try out this ability that was once the pride of the number one hero.
The energy condensed to its peak, forming twisted white lightning snakes that shot out towards the door as if they were free. The immense energy sent the young man, who hadn’t made it inside the door yet, flying back along with the door. He crashed directly into the metal-lined wall of the courtyard, making a chilling sound that made one’s teeth ache.
“…”
With somewhat dazed eyes, Mai Shinomiyai stared blankly at her classmate, whose life was uncertain, not far away. She stiffly turned her head and saw the old man casually stroking the beard on his chin as if he had just done something insignificant. He took a sip of tea, clearly in a good mood.
[Is this the educational method of the strongest hero?! People would definitely die from this!!]
Although the young girl appeared calm on the surface, her mind was already going crazy. Shinichi Sato’s address to Tsukasa Hamano indicated a close relationship between them. However, this peculiar teaching method of the strongest hero left Mai Shinomiyai, who was facing such terrifying power for the first time, in a state of shock and difficulty in digesting it. While feeling a sense of lingering fear, she also had a big question in her heart.
Shinichi Sato, after enduring such an attack, was he still alive…
As if to answer Mai Shinomiyai’s question, the debris from the huge crater moved unnaturally. Then, a slender yet strong arm emerged from the fragments, followed by the sound of falling rocks. Shinichi Sato, covered in dirt and dust, slowly climbed out of the pile of rocks.
“Hey, old man, are you trying to kill me? What, did you lose at chess to Principal Hetuan again?”
The blond young man showed no signs of having been heavily struck. Other than being a bit disheveled due to the dirt and dust on his body, he looked full of life. He stretched his shoulders and shouted towards Hamano Tsukasa, who was sitting in the room.
The young man’s words seemed to hit a sore spot for the old man. Under Mai Shinomiyai’s fearful gaze, the veins on the old man’s forehead twitched a few more times. With a calm expression, he placed the teacup in his hand on the table, walked to the door, and pulled the curtain shut. Then, he turned his head and smiled at Mai Shinomiyai, who was sitting inside, to inform her.
“Mai, please excuse me for a moment.”
“Okay…”
Mai Shinomiyai replied with a slightly trembling voice, unsure of what expression to use to respond to this senior.
The blue curtains slowly fell, blocking out the light from outside. The brightly lit room suddenly became dim.
But the next moment, dazzling white electricity and surging air currents pierced through from the outside. Even the faint electric light leaking from the gaps in the swaying curtains made it difficult to open one’s eyes.
“Sizzle sizzle—” “Boom boom—”
The chilling sound of electricity and explosions came through the curtains, interspersed with a few hearty cries of pain.
The terrifying thunderous sound lasted only a few minutes. With the young man’s pleas, the old man finally seemed to let him go. An impatient voice came from the doorway.
“Go find Mieko to fix the door, and then change your clothes before coming back. We have guests today.”
The pale blue curtains were slowly drawn open, and the thin, short old man walked in, casually pulling open the curtains. The warm sunlight of early evening shone in from outside, dispelling the dimness in the room.
And then, the sight that met the young girl’s eyes again was the old man’s incredibly comfortable expression, and the courtyard outside the room, which seemed to have been tossed around by some terrifying entity.
…
The reception room of the Sato residence (doorless)
The young girl in uniform sat perfectly at one end of the table. At the other end sat the short old man in a kimono and the blond young man, who had already changed into casual clothes.
“Cough, cough, cough. Although you are already classmates, I should still introduce you to each other.”
After Shinichi Sato changed and took his seat, Hamano Tsukasa put down his teacup, coughed a couple of times, and began the introductions.
“You brat, this is Mai Shinomiyai, the niece of the head priest of Shinomiyai Shrine, Masatsugu Shinomiyai, and the future head of the shrine. She’s here this time for matters concerning the spiritual energy world.”
“Little Mai, this brat is Shinichi Sato. He’s the adopted son of an old friend of mine and also, in a way, my half-disciple. Due to his abilities, he can only enroll in the Regular Department for now.”
“Matters of the spiritual energy world? Is that what you mentioned before, Master?”
Hearing Hamano Tsukasa’s introduction, Shinichi Sato’s confusion deepened. Although Hamano Tsukasa had told him before that someone from the spiritual energy world would come to his class to investigate matters, why had the investigation now reached his home?
“Yes, for the specific details, ask Little Mai. She came with you.”
Hearing Shinichi Sato’s address to him in front of others, Hamano Tsukasa’s expression improved slightly. He looked at Mai Shinomiyai opposite him and said.
“Phew— Yes, Shinichi-kun, I came to Shikoku Gakuin to investigate matters related to the [Underworld]. And the divine revelation given by Lord Sanfu, whom our shrine enshrines, indicated that the clue related to the [Underworld], or a person, is within Shikoku Gakuin.”
Taking a deep breath, Mai Shinomiyai managed to stabilize her shocked emotions stemming from the previous scene. After all, she had a very important matter to attend to here.
“Clues to the [Underworld] are in the school? So your true purpose for contacting Kiyomizu-san before was also for me? But why me?”
Upon hearing the information provided by Mai Shinomiyai, Shinichi Sato nodded but still asked with some confusion.
“Yes, I didn’t know about your relationship with Master Hamano before, so I planned to approach you through your girlfriend. But now it seems unnecessary.”
“As for why it’s you? Because in my spiritual vision, your aura is completely different from ordinary people.”
Mai Shinomiyai was quite candid. Given the current situation, she judged that the two in front of her were on the same side as her, so she frankly revealed her previous plan.
“Different? Are you referring to Shinichi having the aura of the [Underworld]?”
Mai Shinomiyai’s statement made Hamano Tsukasa frown. After all, he didn’t understand much about their spiritual energy realm, but if Shinichi was tainted by those things, it would be troublesome.
“No, no, Shinichi-kun’s aura is normal. There’s no dark scent. It’s just that the aura hidden behind him is very different from ordinary people, and it perfectly matches the information in Lord Sanfu’s divine revelation about ‘a person who hides a great secret.’ Although he’s not from the [Underworld], he must have had contact with them or possess related clues.”
Regarding Shinichi Sato’s safety, even Hamano Tsukasa’s words carried a hint of seriousness. This unintentional pressure frightened Mai Shinomiyai into quickly denying it.
“Teacher…”
After hearing Mai Shinomiyai’s words, Shinichi Sato looked at Hamano Tsukasa beside him with a troubled expression. Since she had already seen through it, he didn’t know if his teacher would reveal the secret of his abilities.
“Yes, Little Mai, what you see is not wrong. Young Shinichi is indeed hiding his abilities and studying in the Regular Department. This is also why my old friend entrusted him to me for guidance. However, I cannot tell you the specifics.”
“But I can guarantee you one thing under my name, [Thundery]: Young Shinichi and those around him have undergone strict observation and screening by us. It’s impossible for them to be involved with people from the [Underworld]!”
Looking at the young girl frowning before him, Hamano Tsukasa knew that she had seen some things through her abilities. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up and stared intently at Mai Shinomiyai, stating resolutely.
