Having served as a shrine maiden her entire life, the elder Miyamizu clearly still felt somewhat uncomfortable discussing such topics. After collecting her thoughts, she slowly began to explain.
"Beings referred to as deities generally possess their own domains - you could understand these as separate spaces."
"Oh, no need for understanding."
Contrary to the elder's expectations, Ye Xing showed no surprise at her words, merely smiling nonchalantly. "I've seen it with my own eyes. They do exist."
Seen it with his own eyes?
The elder Miyamizu felt shocked once more.
This person had witnessed a deity's domain?
And survived?
Fortunately, as a shrine maiden who knew this young man had received recognition from the deity her family had served for generations, she could accept this.
Otherwise, she would have thought him delusional.
"If you've seen it... Then this becomes much easier to explain."
The elder paused before continuing. "In every legend and story, such divine beings cannot excessively interfere with the present world - the world where we humans live."
"A deity's true form resides in a space completely different from our world. Generally speaking, humans cannot enter, nor can deities emerge."
"That's precisely why we need shrine maidens and Shinto Priests - people who can comprehend divine revelations - to convey the deities' will."
"And if, as you say, you want to kill a deity... setting aside whether humans can even kill a deity, to find a deity's true form, you must enter their domain."
"For this, you need a medium."
Hearing this, Mitsuha looked at her grandmother and asked curiously, "Like our Miyamizu family's kuchikamizake?"
The elder smiled and nodded. "Exactly, like our family's kuchikamizake, and those cords I usually have you and Yotsuha weave with red thread. What we call offerings serve as bridges connecting humans and deities."
"What about a Sunny Girl?"
"Sunny Girl?"
Upon hearing the word spoken by Hina Amano, Hitoha Miyamizu clearly recognised the legend of the Sunny Girl and immediately furrowed her brow, letting out a cold snort.
"Young lady, the one our Miyamizu family venerates is an ancient deity who has protected Itomori Town for centuries. It's entirely different from those beings that demand the ritual sacrifice of young girls through divine disappearance. Don't confuse the two."
As her words fell, Hina Amano saw red threads materialise in the air once more, forming a gesticulating human silhouette standing behind Hitoha Miyamizu, enthusiastically swaying about with evident delight.
Hina Amano and Mitsuha exchanged glances, both women wearing identical expressions of speechless exasperation.
Especially Mitsuha.
As the shrine maiden of the Miyamizu family in this generation, she felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.
It was like inviting a group of friends over during New Year celebrations, only to have your elderly grandmother announce she would perform her newly learned 'flower-hand dance' in front of everyone.
That was roughly the feeling.
"I beg you, that's quite enough."
At Mitsuha's words, the red threads finally stilled.
Hitoha Miyamizu turned to glance at the empty space behind her, initially appearing puzzled, before her expression shifted as if recalling something.
"Mitsuha... could it be... You can communicate directly with the deity!?"
"Um... yes..."
Mitsuha hesitated briefly before deciding against revealing the outrageous personality traits Itomori's guardian deity had been displaying recently to her grandmother.
The elderly woman was advanced in years.
She genuinely feared that upon learning the deity she had venerated for decades was actually an abstract being who behaved like a child - prone to smug self-satisfaction and fond of flattery - her grandmother might not withstand the shock and collapse on the spot.
Better to preserve the glorious, majestic image of the deity in her grandmother's heart.
"To think such a thing exists..."
Mid-sentence, Hitoha Miyamizu suddenly seemed to realise something, turning her gaze towards Ye Xing and Hina Amano seated opposite.
"That deity you mentioned wanting to kill... it wouldn't happen to be... the weather-controlling god from that Sunny Girl legend, would it?"
Ye Xing nodded.
"Correct."
"This..."
Hitoha Miyamizu knitted her brows tightly, appearing at a loss for how to respond.
Killing a deity that demanded human sacrifice?
If such a thing were truly possible, it would indeed be a righteous act.
But... was it actually achievable?
This had entered territory entirely unfamiliar to both Hitoha Miyamizu and her granddaughter Mitsuha.
Which made sense, of course.
The Miyamizu family were hereditary shrine maidens, not Magical Girls.
Engaging in combat with a deity had never been a conceivable option in their worldview until today, let alone contemplating the possibility of victory.
"Entering the divine realm is difficult, but not impossible."
Hitoha Miyamizu spoke slowly as she pondered.
"The first requirement is an object connected to the deity - what we call an offering."
Ye Xing gave a slight nod, smiling.
"We already have that."
Without needing explicit explanation, both Hitoha Miyamizu and Mitsuha had likely already guessed.
This young woman called Hina Amano...
So this is the so-called Sunny Girl.
The legend of the Sunny Girl was actually true.
That finally explained Japan's abnormal weather during this period.
Hitoha Miyamizu looked at Hina Amano and Ye Xing sitting before her with a complicated expression.
To defy the gods controlling Japan's entire weather system for the sake of one person's life?
This was too absurd.
Yet for some reason, though Hitoha hadn't known Ye Xing for long, she felt that what would seem outrageous coming from others appeared perfectly reasonable when he did it.
For normal people, it was a choice between Hina Amano and the weather.
But Ye Xing was different.
He chose to eliminate the god who presented this dilemma in the first place.
Could he actually be a genius?
"Now that we have the connecting object, what remains is..." Hitoha Miyamizu began thoughtfully.
"A person with powerful spiritual power who can observe traces of the gods, and someone whose soul resonates with the connecting object itself, capable of opening a 'path' to the divine realm."
"Let me give an example."
Worried her explanation was too complex, Hitoha elaborated.
"For instance, our Miyamizu family's kuchikamizake serves as the connecting object, while the person connected to and spiritually aligned with the kuchikamizake would be the contemporary shrine maiden who produced it."
Hearing this, Hina Amano couldn't help but ponder silently.
Someone connected to her, spiritually aligned...
The moment this thought emerged, she instinctively glanced at Ye Xing beside her, then immediately realised her mistake.
No matter what...
Their relationship hadn't reached that level yet, had it?
She was being wishful and presumptuous again.
"Are these three points sufficient?"
In response to Ye Xing's question, Hitoha Miyamizu nodded and added.
"Gathering these three elements, plus a location with some spiritual power like an ancient shrine, should be enough to accomplish it. Of course, I can't guarantee it, since I've never seen anyone attempt to directly intrude into a divine realm without a god's permission. Those supernatural tales in ancient texts probably can't be relied upon either."
"I see."
Ye Xing nodded, thinking to himself.
Three elements.
The offering: Hina Amano.
The ability user with powerful spiritual power who can observe traces of divine power: Miko Yotsuya.
The only thing missing was someone closely connected to the linking object - Hina Amano herself.
"Thank you very much."
"Don't mention it. After all, the gods have already given a revelation that we should assist you."
Just then, the phone in Ye Xing's pocket suddenly rang.
He nodded to the Miyamizu grandmother and granddaughter, stepped aside, took out his phone and saw that Mai Sakurajima was calling.
"Hello, what's up?"
Mai Sakurajima's voice held no particular urgency but carried a somewhat resigned tone.
"When are you returning to Kyoto?"
"Hmm..."
Ye Xing glanced at Hina Amano, who was conversing with the Miyamizu pair, and casually replied.
"Probably returning today. Why, has danger appeared in Kyoto?"
"Danger... not exactly."
Mai Sakurajima's tone carried a certain complexity. After letting out a slight sigh, she finally spoke with evident frustration.
"Anyway, you started this, so you should be the one to finish it. You need to come back and solve this problem immediately."
"Eh?"
This completely baffled Ye Xing.
"Don't tell me Haruno's pregnant? But wait, if that were the case, she or Yukino should be calling me, not you. What's the meaning of this call? Are you pregnant?"
"What... what are you talking about!"
On the other end of the phone, Mai Sakurajima sounded both embarrassed and angry.
"It has nothing to do with pregnancy! Just come back as soon as possible!"
With that, she hung up the phone.
Ye Xing shook his head and chuckled softly to himself.
"What was that all about? Such a riddle."
Meanwhile, Hina Amano, having noticed Ye Xing step aside to take the call, wore a conflicted expression. Eventually, she turned to Hitoha Miyamizu and cautiously spoke up.
"Grandmother, may I ask you a question?"
Hitoha Miyamizu smiled kindly.
"Go ahead."
Hina Amano took a deep breath and asked the question she was most curious about, yet most reluctant to face - the one she had kept buried in her heart.
"If... if that weather-controlling deity really gets killed, will my ability as the Sunny Girl..."
"Will disappear."
Hitoha Miyamizu answered without the slightest hesitation.
"The Sunny Girl's ability isn't actually to clear the weather, but to pray to the deity, using your own gradual disappearance as the price in exchange for temporarily clear weather."
"In other words, the Sunny Girl's true ability is merely to communicate with the deity, not to control the weather itself."
"If, and I mean if, that weather deity were truly killed or disappeared, losing the object of prayer, the Sunny Girl would naturally lose the ability to influence the weather."
"You would probably return to being an ordinary person."
Hina Amano had likely already guessed this answer.
Watching her expression, Hitoha seemed to understand something, yet found it hard to believe.
Hina Amano looked...
Somewhat hesitant?
Moreover, her hesitation wasn't about the connection between human sacrifice and weather, nor about whether Japan's weather would spiral out of control after the death of the weather deity.
But rather about whether her own ability would disappear?
This was highly unusual.
Did Hina Amano need this ability that much?
Hitoha noticed something else.
Hina Amano hadn't asked her question while Ye Xing was present, only voicing her doubts after he had left.
Why was that?
Are all city high school students like this?
...
After a brief conversation and recording all the information, Ye Xing and Hina Amano bid farewell to the Miyamizu family and began their journey back to Kyoto.
With the intelligence obtained, there was no need to stay any longer.
After all, this wouldn't be his last visit to Itomori Town.
Next time he came...
He would be dealing with the meteor.
...
The following evening, at Mai Sakurajima's home.
"You're finally back."
After opening the door, Mai Sakurajima - wearing a loose house dress - looked at Ye Xing standing outside and waved him in with a resigned expression.
"Come in quickly. This is all trouble you caused."
When Ye Xing stepped inside, he discovered a golden-haired girl sitting on Mai Sakurajima's sofa.
At first, he thought it was the other party's half-sister, Nodoka Toyohama, who had also suffered from Adolescence Syndrome.
But upon closer inspection, he realised it wasn't her.
It was an acquaintance.
Ai Hayasaka.
Seeing Ye Xing enter, Ai Hayasaka proactively stood up from the sofa, walked up to him, and examined him carefully while murmuring.
"So it really is you, the Director of this Supernatural Society."
Without wasting any words, Ai Hayasaka immediately got straight to the point.
"I made some inquiries through connections, and they said the most capable person in Kyoto for resolving abnormal incidents is that exorcist, Oda Noto. After finding him, he recommended your group to me."
"Abnormal incidents?"
Ye Xing sat down on the sofa and smiled indifferently.
"What, is the Shinomiya family residence haunted?"
Ai Hayasaka nodded very seriously.
"As expected of you, you guessed it right away."
Ye Xing showed no surprise at all and spoke bluntly.
"With the kind of oppressive atmosphere in the place where Kaguya Shinomiya lives, it's practically about to explode. It would be strange if it weren't haunted."
"I won't comment on that."
Ai Hayasaka, fully aware of her role as a maid, didn't respond to Ye Xing's remark and said calmly.
"I'll be brief."
"Lady Kaguya has developed a strange illness."
"During the day, she's fine, but every night when she falls asleep, it's as if she suddenly becomes a different person. She gets up from bed, sits at her desk, and reads books all night long without even blinking."
Here, Ai Hayasaka paused briefly before continuing.
"I've tentatively asked about it, and Lady Kaguya seems completely unaware that she gets up at night. Moreover, she just had her annual routine physical examination recently, and her health condition is fine with no illnesses."
"From my observations, she gets less than five minutes of sleep each day, yet she shows no signs of drowsiness or lethargy during the daytime. It's almost as if her nighttime self and daytime self share the same appearance but are completely different people."
"Wouldn't you consider this an abnormal phenomenon?"
Mai Sakurajima and Ye Xing exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing.
This doesn't sound like a haunting...
This kind of sudden change...
Adolescence Syndrome?
Ye Xing looked thoughtful as he asked Ai Hayasaka.
"When did this situation begin?"
"From the evening after the joint examination between Shuchi'in Academy and Sobu High School ended that day."
Hearing this, Ye Xing had a rough guess in his mind.
There was a high probability that Kaguya Shinomiya was indeed suffering from Adolescence Syndrome.
As for the specific symptoms and solutions, they would only know after sending out the Supernatural Society's top brain, Rio Futaba - when in doubt, apply quantum mechanics - to investigate.
'Would Futaba Rio feel happy upon learning this news?' Ye Xing wondered.
After all, this could be considered a rare case of genuine professional alignment since she joined the Supernatural Society.
At this moment, Ye Xing noticed Ai Hayasaka examining him with a rather strange gaze, and couldn't help but chuckle teasingly.
"What do you mean by looking at me like that?"
Without waiting for Ai Hayasaka's response, he turned to Mai Sakurajima with a deliberately provocative tone.
"Mai-senpai, she wants to NTR you."
Mai Sakurajima smiled wryly and patted Ye Xing's shoulder.
"Don't talk nonsense. Hayasaka-san is being serious here, stop saying weird things."
Watching the bantering pair of Mai Sakurajima and Ye Xing, Ai Hayasaka suddenly spoke up.
"Mai Sakurajima-senpai, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
Mai Sakurajima looked somewhat puzzled but maintained a polite smile.
"Please go ahead, Hayasaka-san."
Ai Hayasaka's gaze shifted to Ye Xing as she said softly,
"Being around this person... don't you sometimes feel a sense of defeat, or even pain? After all, his academic results are so outstanding that there's a gap in talent between him and all students at your Sobu High School, even at our Shuchi'in Academy. Even when dealing with abnormal incidents, you have to wait for him to return before making decisions."
"Hmm..."
Mai Sakurajima thought for a moment, first glancing at Ye Xing beside her before looking back at Ai Hayasaka with a slight smile.
"Not at all."
"Really? Never?"
"That's right."
Mai Sakurajima said with a soft laugh,
"I actually think he needs to have me... us around him. Otherwise, he can't manage alone."
"I see... I understand."
Ai Hayasaka nodded noncommittally and stood up, walking to the door.
"If you decide to accept the commission, contact me again. I'll provide you with the detailed circumstances."
Just as she was about to leave, she heard Ye Xing utter a meaningful statement.
"Hayasaka-san."
"The reason why hedgehogs grow sharp spines on their exterior, hurting anyone who dares to approach, ultimately stems from them being inherently vulnerable creatures."