Chapter 606
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Chapter 606: Ghost Catching Game
The elderly woman and the young girl slowly walked to the entrance of the shrine, bowing deeply before the vermilion torii gate in respect.
Afterward, they stood up, passed through the torii, and approached a water basin called “temizuya.” They used the wooden ladles inside to scoop water, wash their hands, and rinse their mouths before finally walking towards the statue of Daikokuten, the chief of the Seven Lucky Gods.
In front of the statue, a long line had already formed.
The clear sound of the hanging bells echoed throughout the shrine as the two moved forward with the queue, eventually arriving before the statue of Daikokuten.
Yurina and Grandma Tsuru stood side by side, first bowing lightly before the statue. Then, Yurina reached up to grasp the hanging bell and gave it a gentle shake.
Ding—!
The bell rang, and she took a five-yen coin from her pocket, placing it into the offering box, symbolizing her connection with the deity.
They looked up at the statue of Daikokuten, then bent down, bowing deeply twice. They extended their hands and clapped twice in front of them before bowing deeply once more.
“Kind and powerful God of Fortune Daikokuten, please accept our prayers.
You are the warrior from the other shore, the nemesis of all evil, bringing peace and happiness to the world, dispelling all misfortune and ill omens… Please keep us away from calamity and misfortune, grant us happiness and hope,
May your blessings shine upon the earth.”
After finishing her prayer, Yurina slowly straightened up.
Beside her, Grandma Tsuru remained bent over, her silver hair cascading beside her aged cheeks. She whispered in a voice only she could hear:
“I hope little Yurina can have a happy and beautiful future…”
Yurina didn’t catch what Grandma Tsuru was saying; she gently tugged at Grandma Tsuru’s sleeve and said softly, “Grandma Tsuru, we should go now; there are others waiting in line.”
Grandma Tsuru stood up and smiled at her, then walked back with her.
As they reached the entrance of the shrine, Yurina noticed four or five figures across the street, huddled together, lighting cigarettes, talking, and scanning the surroundings as if searching for something.
Yurina’s heart suddenly raced when she saw them!
Grandma Tsuru looked at her in confusion and asked, “Yurina, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
“No… I’m fine.” Yurina’s face turned a bit pale.
After a moment of silence, she looked up at Grandma Tsuru seriously and said, “Grandma Tsuru, I want to buy something from a nearby shop. Can you go back by yourself?”
Grandma Tsuru was taken aback.
“Can you go back first, please?” Yurina repeated, her expression growing anxious.
“Okay…”
Grandma Tsuru didn’t understand what was happening but nodded.
Yurina forced a smile, waved goodbye to Grandma Tsuru, and quickly ran towards the small shop next to the shrine, her figure gradually disappearing from Grandma Tsuru’s sight.
Though Grandma Tsuru felt puzzled, she shook her head and stepped forward, walking out of the shrine.
She passed through the vermilion torii and walked onto the street, slowly and unsteadily heading towards the direction of the containers.
At that moment, the men across the street turned their gaze towards Grandma Tsuru, then quickly shifted their focus back to the entrance, taking a deep drag from their cigarettes and cursing:
“Weren’t we told that girl went into the shrine? Why hasn’t she come out yet?”
“One of the guys saw her; she went in with an old lady, so it should be right.”
“This shrine has only one exit, and the walls are high all around. She can only come out this way; there’s no other route.”
“Just wait a bit longer; she should be out soon.”
“…”
At the shrine.
Yurina cautiously peeked out from the small shop, seeing the figures across the street, her face immediately falling.
“Why are they still there…” she murmured to herself.
Yurina scanned her surroundings; the shrine was surrounded by white walls. Not to mention a little girl like her, even two adult men standing on each other’s shoulders might not be able to climb over. There were no trees around, making it impossible to escape by climbing over the wall.
So, I can only go out the front door…
She frowned at the figures, her eyes flickering as if deep in thought.
“Hey, little girl, what are you standing there for? Are you buying something? If not, don’t block the way for others!”
The shopkeeper, noticing Yurina lurking at the entrance without buying anything and blocking other customers, was immediately annoyed.
Yurina turned around and made a “shh” gesture to him, her gaze sweeping across the shop. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded firmly.
“I’ll buy something!”
…
“Tsk, how long has it been since they went in? Why are they still not out?” The fierce man sitting across the street stood up impatiently. “Let’s just rush in and find her!”
“Bro, you can’t go crazy; causing a scene in a shrine is a serious crime!”
“We’re gangsters; our heads are on the line, and we’re afraid of getting caught by the police?”
“Bro, this is different!”
Just as the leading fierce man was about to say more, a young man suddenly stood up:
“Look! She seems to be coming out!”
Everyone turned to look, and they saw a small figure in a black raincoat rushing down the steps quickly, running towards the other side of the street.
The fierce man was taken aback.
“She must have spotted us and is trying to confuse us with this trick. What a… child’s play.” He sneered, “Chase after her!”
As soon as he finished speaking, three more small figures in black raincoats rushed down the steps, laughing and playing as they ran in the opposite direction.
The four figures in black raincoats looked identical, and they were running so fast that it was hard to see their faces. This sudden turn of events left the men frozen in place.
“Bro, which one should we catch?” the young man asked in confusion.
“Damn it, split up and chase!” The fierce man took off towards the three children, then seemed to think of something and stopped. “No, you guys split up and chase; I’ll stay here and keep watch.”
“Okay!”
The other thugs scattered, chasing along both sides of the street. The fierce man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and strode into the shrine to search.
There shouldn’t be any conflict in the shrine; if he just took a look around, it should be fine, right?
After thoroughly searching the shrine, he still couldn’t find Yurina. Frustrated, he scratched his head and cursed a few times.
Just then, his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Bro, I caught the kid who came out alone at first; it’s a boy, not that girl!”
“Idiot! What the hell is going on?”
“This little boy said that just now, a girl about his age wanted to play ghost-catching with them and even gave each of them two lollipops, saying it would be more fun to play in raincoats…”
