In the evening, the sunset painted the sky red, soaking all of Tokyo in warm hues of red clouds.
While waiting for the train to Chitose Valley at Shibuya Station platform, Fujiwara Reya opened the Onmyo-ryo app on his phone to check nearby exorcism commissions.
After swiping a few tis, he found that in the 23 wards of Tokyo, there were only three E-level commissions at this ti, with rewards ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 yen.
Sigh...
Exorcism used to be profitable, but ever since exorcists started competing, it slowly turned into a public service.
Just as Fujiwara was about to take an E-level commission in Shibuya, his account suddenly received a private ssage.
[Shimada: Master Fujiwara, I have a friend who needs to issue a commission. The reward will be based on performance, up to 5 million yen. Are you interested?]
A private ssage from a repeat client.
Fujiwara Reya thought for a mont and responded with two questions.
[Fujiwara: What exactly is the requirent, and what is the difficulty rating of the commission?]
[Shimada: I'm not quite sure about the specifics, but the commission rating is C. I have her contact number here; Master Fujiwara can contact her directly for details.]
It needs to be noted.
The most direct reference data for evaluating an exorcism commission is its rating.
The lowest E-level commissions deal with minor demons or newly ford ghosts.
These small beings can't kill anyone; even a grown man with strong vitality can scare them away. At worst, if the weak, elderly, or won are confronted, they might just fall seriously ill. Thus, the risk is low, and so is the compensation.
When it cos to D-level, the danger level reaches a life-threatening degree. You usually face mid-level demons or newly transford vengeful spirits, requiring mid-level cultivators to complete with confidence.
C-level commissions require higher-level cultivators to face alone. These often involve upper-level demons, fiercely vengeful spirits, or even more terrifying urban legends, making them extrely tricky and dangerous. A slight mistake could result in death and possibly cause massive casualties.
Facing a C-level commission, Fujiwara Reya would need to use demonic power, risking exposure of his identity.
Weighing the pros and cons, considering he found a bead that could neutralize demonic power, he couldn't resist the financial temptation and directly called the contact number to gather more details first.
"Hello, this is Asakusa Shrine at your service..."
"I'm not in a position to discuss over the phone right now. Please et to discuss the specifics of the commission on the 30th of this month. The eting address will be sent later via text. Beep—"
A very cool female voice, like a mountain stream in the chill of early spring.
After hanging up, he returned to the commission page he was browsing earlier, only to find all three commissions had been snapped up.
Sigh...
If this continues, exorcism will beco as cheap as cabbage!
"The train is approaching the station."
"Please step back to beyond the yellow line and adhere to the principle of letting passengers off first before boarding..."
Before the station announcent was over, the Central Line train, painted in yellow, stopped with a high-pitched screech, causing the crowd to stir. The stirred air currents ruffled Fujiwara Reya's bangs.
Under the fluttering ends of his hair, his eyebrows and eyes appeared slightly frivolous, exuding a sense of cynicism.
Fujiwara Reya pressed down his bangs, regaining a poised elegance, then mingled with the regular passengers, disappearing into the platform.
A few minutes later, his phone received an address, which turned out to be a bar located in Asakusa where he had perford before.
The sunset slowly descended.
A flock of crows flew in from the western sky, sweeping past the Odakyu Departnt Store, a few feathers falling gently swirling in the wind.
Arriving at the station, he got off.
Facing the direction out from Chitose Valley Station platform, the silver roof of the Tokyo Arena, like a turtle shell, sparkled in the sunset, much like the glossy, transparent nails violating school rules of an unnad junior nad Asuka...
With so inexplicable thoughts, Fujiwara Reya wrapped his school uniform tightly around himself and walked alone into the shadowy exit tunnel.
iji Park is located just opposite Chitose Valley Station and is a large national park. This area is one of Tokyo's most lush regions, with parks like Yoyogi Park and Shinjuku Gyoen all situated here.
After exiting the station, he bought two sandwiches at the convenience store at the station front for dinner. Fujiwara Reya arrived at the park entrance and paid 200 yen for an entrance ticket.
On Fridays, the park had many visitors, mostly couples or families.
He followed behind a couple.
This couple walked arm in arm, closely side by side, occasionally whispering secrets into each other's ears.
Following for a while, Fujiwara Reya felt a bit tired of it and uncomfortable.
Luckily, there was a vending machine by the roadside; he stopped and spent 150 yen on a bottle of matcha drink.
He opened the bottle and drank a few sips. The bitterness unique to tea hit first, followed by a hint of sweetness. The taste was not bad.
Checking the ti, it was only five o'clock, with half an hour still to et the person selling the second-hand Honda Cub.
Not in a rush to join the crowd, Fujiwara Reya simply sat down on a bench by the road, slowly eating the sandwich he had bought earlier.
Next to the Priest Stadium across the way, a small baseball field enclosed with wire sh housed a group of youths in a baseball ga. Outside the sh, a middle-aged man held a cara taking pictures, and a few crows perched above, their shiny black eyes following the trajectory of the flying baseball.
Fujiwara Reya had neither interest nor understanding of baseball, nor did he find the crows overrunning Tokyo amusing.
He rely ate and watched a few things at random to pass the boring ti.
Next to him, two other onlookers were discussing the ga, occasionally spouting professional terms like strikeout, bases-loaded, horun, and catch, leaving him baffled.
After watching for a while, having finished his sandwich, Fujiwara Reya stretched out his legs and began to gaze at the clear sky.
It was a clear spring evening, with the air filled with the aroma of twilight; the western sky was like a slice of translucent salmon, with vibrant, gorgeous sun-bleached clouds passing overhead.
"The sunset is too beautiful!"
Among a group of students passing by, a cute short-haired girl exclaid.
Indeed, it was quite stunning.
Fujiwara Reya pulled out his phone and took a picture of the fiery clouds.
There was a slight urge to share it with soone.
Holding the phone, staring blankly at the screen for a long ti, he found there were only two contacts in the email...
One was Ikeda Aoshu.
The other was Natsuki Kuri, a black-stockinged matriarch, and the sole heir to the Natsuki Consortium, his honorary aunt.
Sending it to the little monk— not worth it!
Sending it to his aunt— he feared she'd misunderstand that he had given up on trying.
Forget it.
Checking the Line friend interface again...
Uh, only Kasahara Asuka appeared here.
He had even less desire to speak!
Fujiwara Reya shook his head, cleaned up the sandwich wrapper, and prepared to get up and leave.
"Bang~!"
A baseball flew over the wire sh and rolled to his feet.
"Hey, buddy~!"
Fujiwara Reya looked up.
"Could you please throw the ball back to us?" soone inside shouted.
Bending down, he picked up the ball and tossed it back over the wire sh, receiving a hat tip of thanks from the youths.
Parting with the baseball youths, Fujiwara Reya entered the iji Park flea market, the chilly spring breeze of April ruffling his hair, with crows once again sweeping overhead.
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