Chapter 58: July Chronicle

After the wind chime festival, Minamoto Kiyomoto continued his usual early morning cultivation.

He sat in meditation on the terrace, with lush green grass before him.

The summer grass had grown very vigorously. The spring grasses, such as chickweed and daylilies, were submerged in the summer grass and could no longer be identified.

The rooster crowed from time to time, and the ducks waddled in groups towards the mountain stream.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun had already taken on the scorching heat of summer.

This was Minamoto Kiyomoto’s daily routine.

At eight o’clock, he and Kamibayashi Miko set off from the large banyan tree and took the train to school.

Himemiya Izayoi had sent Fuyuarashi to inform them that she didn’t want to move in the morning and would meet them at the cafeteria at noon.

“I only have a report for the dissection class today. I don’t have class in the afternoon,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“I have an exam in the morning and class in the afternoon,” Kamibayashi Miko also stated her schedule for the day.

She was reading the news on her phone. The sunlight passed through the glass window of the train and kissed her white sandals. Her gray plaid long skirt swayed slightly with the movement of the train, as if there were a gentle breeze.

“Have there been any abnormalities recently?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked in a low voice—there were other passengers around them.

Kamibayashi Miko directly handed him her phone.

“Abnormal activity of the rainy season front has caused localized heavy rain in the Kyushu region, leading to floods.”

“39 people dead, one missing, 69 seriously injured, 955 houses completely destroyed, 18,585 houses partially damaged, 60 rivers in 40 water systems have exceeded the warning line, and road traffic has been interrupted.”

“Why Kyushu again?” Minamoto Kiyomoto wondered. “Didn’t a ‘Four-Horned Green Ox’ appear at the end of May and almost overturn Kyushu?”

“Unfortunate things always come one after another, unlike jumping off a building. No matter how high it is, there will always be an end.”

“…What kind of analogy is that?”

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t pick up his topic and instead said, “When you’ve perfected that curse, we’ll participate in a ‘battle’ at least once a month.”

“What if I die?”

“I thought you weren’t afraid of death.”

“It’s not that I’m not afraid of death. I’m not afraid of dying with you. But I’m very happy now and don’t want to die.”

“…What are you looking at?”

“The news,” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t look up.

Kamibayashi Miko snatched her phone back, looked down, and it was the photo album.

She calmly put away her phone, then held out her hand to Minamoto Kiyomoto, her face showing a calm expression of ‘give it to me’.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at her face, then at her hand, and tentatively placed his hand on it.

Soft, slender, and a little cold.

“Slap!” Kamibayashi Miko slapped his hand away.

“Don’t make it difficult for me,” she held out her hand again.

“You can look, but you can’t touch,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a reluctant look, handing her his dissection class report.

Kamibayashi Miko smiled sweetly, her five fingers together, and placed them on his waist. Minamoto Kiyomoto handed over his phone.

Photo album, phone numbers, memos…
After getting off the train, Kamibayashi Miko was still checking the search history in her browser.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was really determined this time to take the lawyer qualification exam.

◇

“The lungs are black, and the cross-section of the lung tissue is a typical manifestation of long-term smoking.”

“There is an ulcer on the stomach wall. The deceased may have had frequent stomach pains before death.”

“The spleen is ruptured, multiple ribs are fractured, and a lot of blood clots were found in the abdominal cavity. This may be the direct cause of death.”

“There is an open fracture of the left calf, but no deformation of the calf was found. The medical staff should have used a splint to reset it for the deceased.”

After the report, Minamoto Kiyomoto successfully got an A.

At noon, Himemiya Izayoi came. The three of them had lunch at the Italian restaurant on the 13th floor of the teaching and research building. Outside the window was Tokyo’s new landmark, the Skytree.

The last time Itomi Yuki came for a school visit, Minamoto Kiyomoto had brought her here once.

Thinking of Itomi Yuki, Minamoto Kiyomoto remembered her sister, Itomi Sayaka. The other party had asked him to go to Chiba before returning to Shikoku for the summer vacation.

It was Itomi’s mother who had invited him.

“Have you seen the news?” Minamoto Kiyomoto sipped his coffee and said to Himemiya Izayoi, “Something happened in Kyushu again.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m so angry,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a look of annoyance, eating her pasta with a knife and fork.

“There’s nothing to be done about it. Unfortunate things always come one after another, unlike jumping off a building. No matter how high it is, there will always be an end.”

“What kind of analogy is that? If you can’t speak, don’t speak,” Lady Himemiya was in a very bad mood now.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was not angry. He glanced at Kamibayashi Miko, his eyes full of mockery.

Kamibayashi Miko focused on her food. Even if she looked up, she would look at the scenery outside the window, too lazy to bother with him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto asked Himemiya Izayoi again:

“The matter of the ‘Four-Horned Green Ox’ last time has already made the ‘Lord of Kyoto’ dissatisfied with that Kyushu Divine Lord. What will the punishment be this time?”

Himemiya Izayoi swallowed her food, took a sip of water, and said, “I received news this morning that the Divine Lord’s title has been stripped, and he has become a substitute Divine Lord.”

“I don’t think it’s all this Divine Lord’s fault.”

“It’s not a problem for a yokai to appear. The problem is that every time, the yokai destroys a large number of buildings and water systems. If he can’t do it well, then change him. If the next one can’t do it well, then change him again, until someone who can do it well comes up.”

“As expected of the miko of the number one shrine in the world,” Minamoto Kiyomoto clapped his hands and said. “What you say is extraordinary.”

After saying this, he placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and asked the two of them in a low voice:

“Are the ‘Lord of Kyoto’ and the ‘Ogosho’ hereditary?”

Himemiya Izayoi nodded.

“Then can Miss Kamibayashi also become the ‘Ogosho’ in the future?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked again.

“From the day I became a Divine Miko, I have already severed ties with my family,” Kamibayashi Miko replied in a calm tone.

“I will be your family in the future,” Minamoto Kiyomoto comforted her. Before Kamibayashi Miko could react, he looked at Himemiya Izayoi again.

He asked her, “I was born into the Minamoto clan and have royal blood. Do I have a chance to become the ‘Lord of Kyoto’?”

“You?” Himemiya Izayoi looked as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous, her face full of mockery and amusement.

“I can’t?” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat up straight. “My appearance is passable, and my talent is not the first in ancient and modern times, but at least it’s the first in the world today. If I can’t, who can?”

“Whether you can become the ‘Lord of Kyoto’ has nothing to do with these things.”

“Then what does it have to do with?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked with confusion.

“I’ve told you, ‘Heaven’s great mandate, the divine weapon chooses its master, all things have a spirit’,” Himemiya Izayoi’s pleasant and melodious voice was like a newborn fawn, scratching Minamoto Kiyomoto’s palm with its small head.

“It’s destined by heaven? No wonder there’s someone like me. It turns out it’s to let me overthrow this corrupt world,” Minamoto Kiyomoto suddenly realized.

“You’re suspicious of everything,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a smile, “except your own ability.”

“Wrong,” Minamoto Kiyomoto made a gesture of introducing Kamibayashi Miko. “Besides my own ability, I also trust this one.”

“It’s good to have such an idea,” Kamibayashi Miko finished eating and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “No one else can be trusted, nor should they be trusted. You just have to listen to me.”

“…”

Kamibayashi Miko was really a bit scary.

“How exactly is the ‘Lord of Kyoto’ determined by heaven? Is it like the reincarnation of a living Buddha in XZ?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked Himemiya Izayoi.

“Didn’t you say you only trust yourself and Miko? Why are you asking me?” Himemiya Izayoi’s face was expressionless as she continued to eat her pasta.

“I said I trust myself and Miss Kamibayashi, but I didn’t say I don’t trust you.”

“Don’t try to coax me with your sweet words. Go and coax your Miss Kamibayashi.”

“We’re friends. How can there be sweet words between friends? It’s all my heartfelt words.”

“Heartfelt words? Pfft!”

“We’re eating. Don’t spit.”

“You’re the only one who can breathe on me, but I can’t spit on you? I’ll spit, spit, spit, spit!”

“…”

“Yo, are you angry?” Himemiya Izayoi tilted her head and sized up his expression.

“No,” Minamoto Kiyomoto pondered. “I was just thinking, should I use a hundred, or a thousand ‘cute’ to describe you.”

“And the result?” Her lips curled slightly, as if she wanted to laugh.

“Even if I use a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand ‘cute,’ it’s not enough to describe your cuteness just now.”

Himemiya Izayoi covered her cheeks with both hands shyly, let out a dissatisfied “hmm~~,” and then said, “Hate!”

“…” Minamoto Kiyomoto felt that at least ten million ‘cute’ were needed.

After the lunch break, the three of them went to Kamibayashi Miko’s class together.

After a semester, Minamoto Kiyomoto was already very familiar with Proust, Maupassant, Flaubert, and others. He also had a slight understanding of Théophile Gautier and Barbey d’Aurevilly.

To be blunt, he was a student of French literature.

Although the three of them basically exchanged curse insights in their notebooks during class.

An interesting thing happened that day. After class, Minamoto Kiyomoto found that Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi had exchanged one of their sandals.

“What were you doing in class?” he asked with great confusion.

“We were bored, so we took off our shoes, and then we put on the wrong ones,” Himemiya Izayoi said. “Miko, our feet are the same size.”

“Yes.”

“Our waists seem to be about the same too,” Himemiya Izayoi wrapped her arms around Kamibayashi Miko’s waist from behind.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the two of them with envy, whether it was Kamibayashi Miko’s back that could feel Himemiya Izayoi’s chest, or Himemiya Izayoi’s hands that could feel Kamibayashi Miko’s slender waist.

“When are we going to buy swimsuits?” Himemiya Izayoi asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Kamibayashi Miko thought for a moment. “I don’t have class tomorrow afternoon.”

“No, I do,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“We’re going to buy swimsuits. What are you going for?” Kamibayashi Miko looked over.

Himemiya Izayoi was still hugging her waist from behind, her chin resting on her shoulder, looking at Minamoto Kiyomoto with a grin.

Kamibayashi Miko reacted and pushed her away.

“You’re going to buy swimsuits, and I’m going with you. Isn’t that what we agreed on?” Minamoto Kiyomoto said with a look of confusion.

“Whose agreement did you have?”

“…My own.”

Because of the above matter, the next day, that is, the afternoon of July 9th, Minamoto Kiyomoto was in class alone in the medical department.

At three o’clock, Minamoto Kiyomoto was in immunology class when his phone vibrated.

“Miss Kamibayashi and her two tenants”

“Photo.jpg” (Night)
Minamoto Kiyomoto glanced at it. It was Himemiya Izayoi’s slender, white neck, like a lotus stem, and the straps of her swimsuit, and her delicate collarbones.

A patch of white, making one want to take a bite.

Save.

“You saved it, didn’t you? Pervert~~@Minamoto Kiyomoto” (Night)
“No,” (Source)
“Look to your left,” (Night)
Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head and was so scared that he almost dropped his phone—a golden butterfly was like a person, by his head, looking at the screen with him.

“Kamibayashi Miko is really a bit scary,” this time, Minamoto Kiyomoto said his heartfelt words.

“Hahaha” (Night)
“Your behavior is very satisfying to this miko,” (Night)
“Hurry up and master the divine power transformation curse. In August, go to Kyoto. I’ll recommend you to be a Kosen~” (Night)
“Do Kosen get paid?” (Source)
“Of course. Ordinary cultivators get 500,000 yen a month. Kosen get 100 million yen a year. One ‘battle’ is also 100 million yen. You can also enter the ‘library’ and read a large number of curses,” (Night)
“100 million a year?!” (Source)
Minamoto Kiyomoto typed furiously.

Before he could finish typing, a message from Kamibayashi Miko popped up on the screen.

“That’s great. I finally see hope of paying off my loan. Go for it, student Minamoto!” (God)
Minamoto Kiyomoto deleted the long paragraph he had typed—where to travel, what big meals to eat every day.

“…” He honestly reflected his mood, speechless.

That Kamibayashi Miko.

It was getting closer and closer to the holidays. On the last weekend, Minamoto Kiyomoto and Itomi Sayaka went to Chiba.

“I have something to tell you,” Itomi Sayaka said from the passenger seat as the car was driving on the highway.

“What is it?”

“I’m pregnant.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head and glanced at her. Itomi Sayaka smiled charmingly.

“Are you kidding?” He looked forward again.

“Of course I’m kidding. I haven’t done it with you. How could I be pregnant? It’s just that the next thing is very serious, so I wanted to lighten the mood.”

“Thank you. I think the atmosphere is even more serious now.”

Itomi Sayaka took out a lollipop, carefully unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth.

Noticing Minamoto Kiyomoto’s gaze, she explained, “If I don’t smoke, I always want to have something in my mouth.”

If it were Himemiya Izayoi who said this, Minamoto Kiyomoto would definitely make some dirty jokes.

“What’s the matter? What is it?” he asked.

“Shintoism has a competition once a year for the nine groups. Do you know about this?”

“I just found out recently.”

The nine-group competition was divided into two arenas: one for the new members who had joined after the last competition, and one for the members from previous years.

“For you, everything about the cultivation world is something you just found out recently,” Itomi Sayaka took the lollipop out of her mouth, making a ‘pop’ sound.

“With Yanagi Michiko, is there still a problem with the competition?”

“Precisely because she is Yanagi Michiko, with the strength of a group leader, the other group leaders have jointly requested that she not be allowed to participate.”

“And then?” Minamoto Kiyomoto stepped on the gas and overtook a large 7-Eleven truck, only to find a Lawson convenience store truck in front.

There was competition everywhere.

“The nine groups of Shintoism, only the ninth group has no new members this year, and they even lost an old member,” Itomi Sayaka looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto, hoping that he would reflect on himself.

“It seems you’re not a qualified group leader,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

Itomi Sayaka withdrew her gaze and crossed her legs.

Her fair, tender thighs were revealed from under her yellow skirt.

“You help me,” she said.

“I help you?”

“The new group, you’re up.”

“I’m not going,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied.

“Shouldn’t the members of ‘Takamagahara’ help each other? The higher my status in Shintoism, the more beneficial it is for you.”

“You haven’t helped me with anything, and you’ve already taken the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’ from me. You’re even making me compete in front of a bunch of group-leader-level cultivators?”

“As far as I know, you’re very good at disguising yourself?”

“What about the competition time?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked.

“The end of July,” Itomi Sayaka replied.

“Then I’m not free. I have to go back to my hometown.”

“This is the second serious thing I wanted to talk about.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head to look at her and said, “The competition venue is in Shikoku?”

“In order not to attract the attention of the officials, the venue for each competition is chosen at sea,” Itomi Sayaka said. “This time, it’s near Shikoku.”

“Shikoku has a Divine Lord, and it’s right next to Kyushu. You guys actually dare to choose it there?”

“Should we choose Honshu? Honshu currently has no Divine Lord, but it’s full of experts, which is even more dangerous.

“We chose Shikoku because the Kyushu Divine Lord is in a mess right now. The ‘Lord of Kyoto’ has already revoked his Divine Lord title, and the Shikoku Divine Lord goes to Kyoto in advance every year in mid-July to prepare for the Kyoto Summer Festival in August.”

“Summer Festival?”

“I’ve never been, but it’s said to be the grandest festival in Japan. The four Divine Lords (including Kyushu, there are only three now), the twelve miko, the thirty-six Kosen, and the heads of the major families, as long as they’re not fighting yokai at that time, all of them will participate. Even the ‘Ogosho’ and the ‘Taiko’ will show up.”

After the introduction, Itomi Sayaka asked him, “Will you help me?”

“Okay,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded. “I just need some practical experience.”

“Remember to change your way of speaking and your habits. Don’t let my group members recognize you.”

“Then should I be a little lecherous?”

“It’s best to be the complete opposite of your usual self.”

“Ah? What do you mean? Am I usually lecherous?”

“You’re staring at my lips. You’re not thinking of eating a lollipop, are you?”

“A woman who is almost twenty-seven is still eating a lollipop. Can’t I look at it out of curiosity?”

“Then what’s with you looking at my legs?”

“I don’t like to cross my legs. It’s not civilized. But this is your car. I can’t say anything, so I can only express my dissatisfaction with my eyes.”

“Don’t be so glib at that time.”

“Okay,” after a pause, Minamoto Kiyomoto said again, “Can you put your legs down? This will cause varicose veins, arterial thrombosis, and a herniated disc.”

“No.”

“Are you a child? Big sister, you’re already twenty-seven.”

Itomi Sayaka pulled the lollipop out of her mouth, looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto, and said, “Say ‘almost twenty-seven’ again.”

“Your sister is ten years younger than you. She’s almost seventeen, right?”

Itomi Yuki returned home and saw her brother and father discussing medical matters. Her sister and mother were in the kitchen making dinner.

During dinner, her mother gave the two of them an order. As soon as her brother graduated from university, they would immediately get married and have children.

The medical department was six years. Her brother still had three years to graduate. At that time, her sister could have a child on the tail end of her thirties.

Minamoto Kiyomoto still did not stay in Chiba and took the train back to Tokyo at night.

Late at night, under her sister’s surprise attack, Itomi Yuki had to take a bath with her.

The bathroom in the Itomi house was very large. The two sisters could lie in it without any problem.

“Yuki-chan, why are your breasts still the same? You’re almost seventeen. You’re not even a B-cup, are you?”

“Sister, can you please not pay attention to these boring things?”

“When you have a child in the future, the baby won’t even be able to find a place to drink milk.”

“I’m done washing!” With a splash, Itomi Yuki’s fair, girlish body came out of the bathtub.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say it anymore.”

Itomi Yuki sat back down, but this time she closed her eyes and made up her mind not to answer any of her sister’s questions.

“You seem to be participating in club activities a lot recently?”

“…”

“Your relationship with those two club members is getting better and better. You’ve become friends, right? Big sister is very relieved.”

“…”

After asking this question, her sister didn’t say a word for a long time.

Itomi Yuki opened her eyes and saw her sister closing her eyes, leaning tiredly against the edge of the bathtub.

She really wanted to know what her sister was doing in Tokyo all day, not going back to Chiba to work, and why she was so tired.

“Yuki-chan,” her sister still didn’t open her eyes.

“What is it?” Itomi Yuki replied coldly.

“What kind of person do you think Minamoto Kiyomoto is?”

Did she have pre-wedding jitters after being ordered to get married today?
“He’s a pervert,” Itomi Yuki remembered the few times Minamoto Kiyomoto had said he preferred her, his sister.

Her sister laughed a few times.

“But,” Itomi Yuki said again, “I don’t know why, but when I’m standing next to him, I have the illusion of a gentle breeze blowing through the treetops, standing in the shade of a towering ancient tree.”

Itomi Sayaka opened her eyes and looked at her sister.

She couldn’t tell her that it was the external manifestation of cultivating the second turning of the “Mahavairocana Sutra.”

“He’s not a good person. You have to be careful of him,” she said.

“Shouldn’t you be the one who should be careful?”

“Oh my, is Yuki-chan worried about her big sister? That’s so touching. Let big sister give you a hug.”

“Who’s worried about you? Can’t you even hear the sarcasm? I’m really starting to worry, worrying about your IQ… ah, don’t come over!”

“Aren’t you going to study medicine? Big sister will teach you some medical positions in advance. This is the milk duct…”

“Ah!”

“Below the milk duct is the lactiferous duct…”

The water in the pool overflowed like a sea wave due to the two sisters’ roughhousing.

(End of Chapter)