My Youth as A Sorcerer Sucks, Chapter 46.

Chapter 46: Yumiko's Lamentation 4.

—OoOoO—

Saturday, 14 July 2018. Okutama, Tokyo Metropolis.

Several days had passed since her visit to the psychiatrist at Chiba Hospital. There has been no significant change since that day. However, that was mostly because she locked herself in her room. She cut off almost all the connections with the outside world. The only times she came out of her room were for dinner and bathing. The rest of the time, Yumiko turned herself into a hikikomori.

Seeing ghosts was something she was initially so afraid of. But that didn't mean she was used to it. There was still a deep-rooted fear within her whenever Yumiko saw those creatures. However, what worried her the most wasn’t them.

Yumiko didn't know if it had anything to do with seeing things, but she always felt her body was very energetic even though she was mentally exhausted. However, the scariest thing was that sometimes, the surrounding objects would be destroyed because something shocked her in her current unstable mental state.

However, those days of misery were about to end. At least, that was what Yumiko hoped after setting foot outside Okutama Station.

Yumikio closed her eyes as she sucked in as much of the fresh mountain air as she could into her lungs. As she looked left and right, the lush forests that covered the mountains were the sight that caught her eye.

'I already knew that Okutama is a small town in the mountains, but I didn't expect the difference to be this big compared to the 23 special wards even though they are both still in Tokyo.'

Yumiko wore a relatively simple outfit, a red shirt wrapped in a denim jacket and pants that made walking easy for her. Meanwhile, she wore a pair of sneakers specifically for outdoor activities, adjusting to the steep terrain in Okutama. Her long blonde hair was tied up and covered by a blue cap.

The journey from Chiba to Okutama was quite far, even further than she had expected. It took about three hours by train. Travelling that far and only being able to sit still made some of Yumiko's joints feel stiff, so the young girl did a little stretching for a while.

After doing her little activities, Yumiko sighed softly. She was pretty relieved because there were no ghosts around her. It’d be very troublesome if she started seeing scary things, and her mental stability would be disturbed. Moreover, she came alone without anyone accompanying her, as her parents didn’t believe in alternative methods that couldn’t be explained scientifically.

The blonde girl walked across the street towards the bus parking lot. Even though Yumiko had the address in her pocket, she had no idea which bus to take to get there. Even when she checked the place on maps, she only found that public transportation didn't serve it.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?” Yumiko said at the guard post.

The officer who was initially busy checking the documents raised his head so their eyes met.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” the man said from a room separated by a glass.

“I want to go to this place,” Yumiko replied as she handed over a piece of paper, “Is there a bus that can take me to this area?”

The man didn't answer right away. He accepted the paper and absorbed every character written on it. He seemed to frown, but not long after, Yumiko got the answer she was waiting for.

“Unfortunately, there are no buses that go that way, young miss. I suggest you take a taxi instead.”

“Eh? Is there really nothing? Should I take a taxi?”

Yumiko was a little reluctant to use this mode of transportation because it was much more expensive than other public transportation.

“Well, if you take the bus, the nearest stop from there is still about five kilometres away. If you don’t mind that.”

The reply made Yumiko feel hesitant. The girl bit the corner of her lip. Her eyebrows began to furrow without her realising it.

Walking five kilometres wasn’t something difficult. At least it only took about an hour. However, that only applied if walking on normal terrain. Meanwhile, Okutama was a small town in the mountains. Five kilometres here might take more time and effort.

Yumiko gave the man a smile and bowed her body to show her gratitude.

“Thank you for the advice, mister.”

—OoOoO—

In the end, Yumiko took a taxi after much consideration. However, she initially thought of ​​taking the bus to the nearest stop and then ordering a taxi online to continue the rest of her journey. That way, she thought it’d reduce her costs. However, after she reviewed the prices, she found that the taxi fare was a little cheaper, but when combined with the bus fare, the money she had to spend was a little more expensive.

Therefore, Yumiko hoped that walking to the bus stop after finishing all her business would keep her budget to a minimum, assuming it wasn't too late.

Yumiko rested her back on the back seat, occasionally looking out the window at the scenery, which would be a shame to miss. However, even though the green mountains were before her eyes, her thoughts drifted far away.

“Okutama, what do you think, young miss?” asked the driver.

The sudden question brought Yumiko back down to earth. The girl was slightly surprised because the driver opened the conversation without a preamble.

“The town is beautiful, very peaceful and calm. I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief even for a moment.”

The driver looked at Yumiko through the rearview mirror while concentrating on the road.

“A holiday in the countryside is really suitable for resting the tired souls from the harshness of life.”

Yumiko smiled faintly at the old man's enthusiastic answer.

“Usually, adults would lecture me if someone who is still a student such me complains about life.”

“Everyone has their own problems. And everyone deserves a full vacation. Of course, you have to change into a stronger person afterward,” the man replied.

The simple advice and concern without delving into her personal affairs made Yumiko smile again, which had been rarely seen on her beautiful face lately. However, it didn't last long after an idea suddenly crossed her mind.

“Excuse me, sir. Are you a local?”

“Yes, I am. I have been in this small town since I could first crawl.”

“Then, do you know anything about this place I am going to?” Yumiko asked.

The driver raised an eyebrow. He stared, puzzled, at Yumiko's reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Did you go to a strange place without checking it out first, young miss?”

Yumiko softly bit the corner of her lower lip, and her hands gripped her pants lightly. The girl was hesitant about the topic she was bringing up. However, the question had been asked, and it would seem very suspicious if she suddenly changed the subject.

“What I got from the internet is that it’s a place to learn about Shinto and Buddhist culture and religion. And yeah, I….”

Yumiko hung up her words. The words she thought she’d be able to say, in fact, seemed to be stuck in her throat.

“… I want to learn more about our culture. Is there anything else I can do in a place like that?”

Yumiko finally blurted out a lie accompanied by an awkward smile. While the driver just kept quiet while staring at the road, without any intention of correcting or digging deeper.

“To be honest, this place in question is some kind of large temple complex that is very old, at least it has been standing for much longer than I was born,” said the middle-aged man.

He deliberately paused his explanation for a moment to see Yumiko's reaction through the reflection of the rearview mirror. The man continued his words to ensure the girl listened to him with full reverence.

“I don’t know much about what the place is like. The crossroads that lead deeper into the mountain is an area owned by an agency that is said to be affiliated with the government.”

“What about the locals? Do you guys go there too?” Yumiko asked.

"Go there? Like, for what?”

Yumiko bit her tongue when she heard that answer. For a moment, the man seemed normal. However, she soon realised that her words might have become slightly harsh.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, quickly clarifying, “But indeed, for us, there’s no point in going all the way into the mountains just for nothing. If we want to pray, there’s Kannon-sama’s temple closer to the residential area.”

The man looked at Yumiko again for the umpteenth time and tried to find a change in expression on her beautiful face. Although the girl didn’t utter another word, it was clear that her face was dissatisfied.

“Well, after all, it’s called a place of learning, isn’t it? I’m sure it’s filled with people who just want to learn and deepen their religious knowledge further.”

"Just from the name, the place seems too segmented for certain groups," Yumiko replied without looking at the driver.

In fact, she still doubted whether going to the place suggested by the psychiatrist was the right thing to do. No, Yumiko wasn’t the same as her parents, who thought that the alternative method was useless. At this point, she felt the scientific method wouldn’t produce results for her case. However, the fact that she was mortgaging her fate in a suspicious place made the girl unable to feel at ease.

The taxi she was riding in slowed down. A signpost on the side of the road caught her eye. Yumiko clearly saw that it said they could get to Saitama by following that road. However, there was no indication of where they would go if they took the intersection into the mountains.

When they reached the intersection, the taxi turned left smoothly. When Yumiko turned to her right, she saw a prominent bus stop with the forest as its background.

“Is that the only bus stop that passes through this area?” Yumiko asked, recalling her conversation with the bus attendant a moment ago.

“Yes, it is. However, not many people use that.”

Yumiko raised an eyebrow when she heard that answer.

“Not many? So, that means there are still few people using it?”

The driver nodded without looking at the girl.

“My friends who work as bus drivers said that there are usually some teenagers your age who use that bus stop. It seems like they are regulars because my friend is quite familiar with their faces.”

Hearing that answer, Yumiko involuntarily let out a sigh of relief. If there were a group of teenagers who regularly went to that place, at least it wasn't a place that would kidnap children and sell them.

Yumiko closed her eyes and leaned her head on the bench, resting her mind, which was too contaminated by negative thoughts.

The girl turned her gaze back to the panorama outside. She intended to enjoy nature's beauty, but her eyes widened when she saw the unexpected sight presented. Yumiko spontaneously opened the car window and stuck her head out.

"Miss, please put your head back in the car. It's dangerous."

Yumiko ignored the driver's words. Her gaze remained fixed on the horrific sight before her.

The forest should offer a beautiful and natural view, with its green colour pleasing to the eye. However, she witnessed barren and blackened land, like something roasted by scorching embers. There were no signs of life at all in the area. Furthermore, Yumiko also saw an area with a giant crater, as if a bomb that flattened the ground had hit it.

“Miss?”

Yumiko jumped when she heard the driver raise his voice a little. Feeling guilty, she put her head back inside the car.

“Didn’t you see the destroyed forest earlier, sir?” Yumiko asked.

The driver raised his eyebrows.

“Destroyed forest? What do you mean, young miss?”

The girl was stunned to hear the reaction. However, she immediately fixed her expression and turned her face away.

“No, nevermind. I think I was hallucinating since I’ve been so tired lately.”

Based on what she had been through, Yumiko knew very well that even explaining until her mouth was bleeding wouldn’t change the situation if the person she was talking to didn’t see the same reality as her eyes.

'But, what was that? It looked like a battlefield. Besides, why couldn't he see it? I thought only ghosts were things that other people couldn't see.'

Something Yumiko didn't know that the destroyed land was the former battlefield of Hachiman against Jogo, which had yet to be revitalised. In fact, the fierce battle between the monsters also affected the road she was currently riding on. However, road repaired were more accessible to do as long as the resources were available, while reforestation and re-fertilisation of the forest would take a long time.

Because of that, in order to disguise the damage from the eyes of outsiders, the association hired Hiratsuka Shizuka to build a giant barrier surrounding the mountain area to deceive the normal human sense of sight about the damage and also to find out if there was unregistered curse users who infiltrated the mountain area.

The atmosphere became awkward after Yumiko abruptly cut off the conversation. In fact, the driver seemed doubtful about the mental health of the passenger he was carrying. At first, the man tried to think positively about why the young girl had travelled to such an isolated place. However, after Yumiko started saying off-base things, he considered limiting himself to her.

Meanwhile, Yumiko had grown accustomed to these stares. Even at home, her parents were starting to think she was utterly insane.

The rest of the journey was entirely peaceful. Only the sound of the car's engine being driven at average speed was the accompanying music. Yumiko closed her eyes again and rested her head. Although the view she saw was astonishing, strangely, since she set foot in this small town, her thoughts had become so about.

'This feeling is familiar. It feels like when I was in school,'

Unconsciously, the girl let out a winning smile. The burden on her mind felt lighter than usual. In fact, her eyelids felt heavier, making her want to sleep for a while after she had been experiencing insomnia for the past few days.

Just as she felt like she was about to fall into a deep sleep, her taxi had stopped completely.

“Miss, we have arrived,” said the driver.

Yumiko slowly opened her eyes. She blinked her eyelids several times to adjust to the light entering her eyes. After a few moments of regaining her consciousness, the girl finally straightened her body.

Yumiko took her wallet from the backpack to take out some bills matching the taxi meter's value.

“Thank you,”

Yumiko said as she handed over the money to complete the transaction. Without bothering to wait for a reply from the driver, she immediately opened the door and got out of the car. Meanwhile, the man immediately sped off without wanting to make small talk or just a formality.

The blonde girl didn't mind the treatment. Although she was a little offended, it was better than continuing to be in an awkward situation.

Yumiko took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The building before her wasn’t what she had imagined. It was like a wall at the mouth of a cave that had formed naturally, with a wooden door that hid whatever was behind it. The appearance made her a little doubtful because it didn’t look like some of the photos displayed on the official website. However, seeing a woman in a miko outfit sweeping the entrance slightly cleared her mind.

After collecting her resolve, Yumiko approached the woman.

"Excuse me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Miura," Yumiko said. "Is this really the Tokyo Cultural and Religious Preservation Centre?”

The woman stopped what she was doing and looked at Yumiko. She was silent for a moment before nodding.

“Yes, it is. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Yumiko swallowed her saliva roughly. Even though she tried to be calm, it was hard for her not to be nervous in front of something completely new.

“I heard I can consult about… supernatural things here?” Yumiko asked.

Again, the woman didn’t give a direct answer. She stared at Yumiko intensely, increasing the girl's nervousness.

“Yes, you can.”

The woman turned around and walked towards the gate. Before she opened it, she turned to Yumiko.

“Please, follow me.”

—OoOoO—

Tokyo Cultural and Religious Preservation Centre. If you look on the internet, it was located in very remote mountains. Although it was an official institution registered with the Ministry of Culture of Japan, its page didn’t provide much information. In fact, the photos uploaded seem to be old photos that weren’t updated regularly.

When Yumiko saw the photos of the core staff, she doubted whether they were the newest staff or the original staff, considering the page's inactivity.

Because of that, the first impression that crossed her mind when she imagined the place was so suspicious, very closed, and gloomy. Yumiko knew that some religious places were often anti-technological developments. That was what made Yumiko prepare herself if what she’d meet later was a group of old-fashioned, rigid people.

However, putting aside her prejudices against these people, Yumiko had to admit that the place she visited differed significantly from what she had imagined.

Of course, roughly speaking, it was a place with a touch of ancient Japanese style. However, Yumiko didn’t expect it to be such a large building complex. When she thought she’d be faced with the main building, she found a neatly paved path and shady trees blocking sunlight from touching the land as soon as she passed through the gate. In fact, after walking for several minutes, she still didn’t find any signs of a single building.

'Is it possible that this place is as big as LaLaport? No. since the main building isn’t visible yet, it could be even bigger.'

Yumiko became restless because they had been walking for so long but hadn’t found anything. She began to doubt whether this place was real or just a vast expanse of trees. However, her restlessness began to fade when she finally found a building, which was not too big but looked like a residence rather than a temple or anything she had imagined.

“Are we going there?” Yumiko asked spontaneously.

“It’s just a dormitory where our students live,” the woman replied without looking at Yumiko, “I will take you to the main building because you said you want to consult something.”

The short conversation ended after neither party had the intention of maintaining it. Walking behind the woman, Yumiko kept looking left and right, ensuring she didn't miss any sight.

'Huh? They even have a vending machine? I guess people here aren't that old-fashioned about technology.'

As if her patience was beginning to pay off, Yumiko's eyes caught sight of a pagoda towering high into the sky that the dense trees couldn’t hide.

'At first glance, it looks quite close, but I'm sure the actual distance could be much further,' Yumiko thought.

The two women walked longer, passing several buildings whose function Yumiko didn't know. Eventually, they arrived in front of a building connected to the main pagoda that had caught Yumiko's attention.

"We are here."

The woman said without giving any further explanation. She climbed the stairs, with Yumiko still following her from behind. She slid the door open when they arrived in front of the building, making a distinctive creaking sound.

“Let's go inside,” the woman invited as she entered the building.

However, Yumiko didn’t immediately respond to her invitation. She stared at the building with her head tilted upwards. She spent a few seconds to strengthen her resolve. Only then did she follow her guide into the building.

“Excuse me.”

While inside the building, the woman prepared a pair of indoor shoes.

“Thank you,” the girl said.

Yumiko took off her shoes and put them on the shoe rack provided. Her eyes darted around, glancing here and there, looking at the interior of the building.

"This part is an annexe built about 400 years ago in the Edo period," the woman explained, "This side is mostly used for personal reception and the workspace of some of the staff. As for you, we will go to the shrine you can see from the outside."

“Eh? Why do we have to go to that big shrine? Can’t we just have a consultation session here?”

Yumiko patiently waited for the woman to answer her question. However, instead of giving the girl any clarity, she turned around and stared blankly. At this point, Yumiko didn't even know if her guide was just following procedure or if she was an arrogant person. Realising she wouldn't get the answer she hoped for, Yumiko could only sigh softly, making sure no one could hear it, and continued following the woman with shuffling steps.

Maybe about ten steps had been taken, and two doors on the right and left sides opened simultaneously. Two men from the right and one from the left came out of the room. However, they just stood in the doorway. The three men followed behind only after Yumiko and her guide passed them.

"Er... you can pass first if you want," Yumiko said awkwardly.

“Don't mind us. We're not in a hurry.”

The short rejection automatically shut Yumiko down. The girl tried to steal a glance at the three people who followed her from behind. They had relatively the same appearance, bald men with stiff expressions. They also wore the same clothes, white yukata with black hakama at the bottom.

Yumiko wished her guide had been a little more aware of her situation and had stopped momentarily to let the men pass first. After all, walking in a closed space with three scary-looking people behind her was really uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the woman leading the way seemed indifferent and blind to her concerns.

However, at some point, the woman took a deep breath. She understood that her job was to take her guest to a particular room without making any noise to avoid suspicion from the people who were absent because they were on vacation. After all, the men who followed them were just insurance in case Yumiko went berserk and attacked blindly.

However, it'd be complicated if the girl decided to leave because her trust was gone.

“You said you had complaints about supernatural things, right?” said the guide.

Hearing the question, Yumiko widened her eyes. She lifted her head forward, watching the woman look back and stare at her without stopping her steps. Yumiko didn't expect the topic to be suddenly brought up after being silent for so long. Without saying a word, she just gave a slow nod.

“Did you suddenly see supernatural beings? Or maybe your body felt more energetic than usual? Or… did you feel like there was a strange information suddenly coming into your head, like, you suddenly felt like you could do something beyond reason?”

Bull's eye, that was what Yumiko thought instantly. Her steps stopped, causing the woman to stop and look back at her. The blonde girl's mouth was agape, and she could not provide any words of reply, as if her brain and tongue had lost cognitive harmony.

“Is it possible that I was wrong, Miura-san?” asked the woman, who still didn’t get a response from her guest.

Yumiko snapped out of her shock and immediately shook her head at the question.

“No, you are right. However, there are other things I am also worried about.”

Speaking of the foreign information that suddenly burst into her brain, Yumiko was once again reminded of the nightmare when she saw a man being burned alive right before her eyes. Due to her mental block that blocked all memories related to the event, Yumiko unconsciously forgot everything that caused her trauma.

However, when it was mentioned again, the mental block that had been protecting her seemed to be broken down, and the sealed information flooded back into her head.

“Would you mind giving me further explanation?” asked the woman.

Instead of answering the question, Yumiko turned her face to the side, eyebrows pointing down. She was prepared for her head to suddenly hurt and her stomach to feel nauseous when she was forced to dig up the traumatic memory. However, the blonde girl opened her eyes wide and blinked a few times when the things she feared did not happen.

'It's so strange. The last time I remembered that incident, my mind was immediately in a mess. But now I'm completely calm.'

Because of that little daydream, Yumiko began to realise something.

'Come to think of it, when I came out of Okutama Station, I felt like my mind was much more relaxed as if I was at school.'

Despite the things she thought about, the girl couldn't come to a conclusion. Thinking she didn't want to leave her interlocutor's questions idle for too long, Yumiko took a deep breath slowly while searching for the right words to spit out.

“I feel like I can do something, something that can’t be reasoned with. I feel like the strange things that happen to me are mostly because of me. However, at the same time, I also don’t know. It’s like the information in my mind is scattered like a book that is not in order, making it difficult for me to interpret it.”

The woman nodded at the ambiguous explanation.

“Very well. I can get the gist of your complaint, Miura-san.”

“Then do you know what happened to me?” Yumiko asked hopefully.

The woman shook her head slowly and her expression still unchanged.

“We need to do some research before we come to a conclusion,” the woman asserted, “But you have come to the right place because we will help you solve your problem. If you would like, let us go see the head monk. The sooner the better.”

Those words sounded so convincing to Yumiko's ears. Not only was the woman able to pinpoint all her anxieties, but the sweet promises she uttered also gave her long-lost hope. The despair hypnotised her and made her think that she had found her salvation in the cult.

“Okay, I understand,” Yumiko replied.

The response made the woman nod in satisfaction. Wasting no time, she returned to the front to continue their business. However, just as they were about to take the first step, a woman from the opposite direction appeared through the corridor's intersection.

She was a young woman of average height for a Japanese woman. Her pale, flawless skin and shoulder-length white hair made her look like a work of art. Her golden irises contrasted with the colour of her body. To emphasise her theme, the woman wore a sleeveless white one-piece dress.

The people narrowed their eyes at the woman who was walking closer. However, it was different with Yumiko. The girl widened her eyes, looking at the figure with disbelief. Her mind was blank, unable to process anything that entered her brain. Even in her wildest imagination, Yumiko never imagined seeing a face that had often appeared on the big screens and filled many billboards on the streets.

Yes, she was Momoshiro Chiyoko, a young actress touted as an angel who only appeared once in a thousand years. Her charm, which often symbolises a cheerful young lady, didn’t necessarily make her a one-dimensional actor. Various behaviours in movies and stage plays prove that she was like a chameleon who could change colour freely. In fact, her performance in the Princess Iron Fan stage play as the cruel and wild main character confirmed that she was a veteran at such a young age.

“Come on, Miura-san.”

The woman's words seemed to pull her soul back to the earth. Yumiko nodded, trying to push away all the questions flooding her mind. They continued walking. However, since they and Momoshiro came from opposite directions, they’d eventually run into each other.

Yumiko lowered her head as the famous actress passed her. Her heart was beating fast due to the nervousness that gripped her. Walking down the same corridor as Momoshiro Chiyoko was like a dream. She often joked about how many things she’d do if she were at her meet-and-greet events. However, she could only remain silent like a coward when she met her in person.

'I never got a ticket to Momoshiro-san's MnG, and here I’m meeting her in such a place?' Yumiko thought, 'Is Momoshiro-san also a follower of some cult? No, it doesn't matter. Are you going to just keep quiet and waste this opportunity, Yumiko? At least say a word or two and ask to take a picture with her.'

As if her anxiety had just disappeared, the blonde girl suddenly became a hysterical fangirl as Momoshiro passed beside her. She clenched her fists tightly, her body shaking slightly. After gathering her courage, Yumiko stopped and turned to look at her idol, who was only a few steps away.

“Excuse me! Are you Momoshiro Chiyoko-san?” asked Yumiko, still in disbelief.

After all, it’d be very embarrassing if it turned out to be just an illusion, considering that it was said that every person in this world had seven people with similar faces.

Feeling her name being called, the short-haired woman stopped and turned to the person who called her.

“Yes, I am,” she replied in confirmation, “And you?”

“I…. I am Miura Yumiko, a big fan of you! That's…, can I take a photo with you?”

Yumiko blurted out all those words in one breath without giving her idol any time to respond. After all, she was not a naive girl and believed that her idol's cheerful image, which was always shown on screen, matched her real personality behind the screen. After all, Yumiko had read many articles about how celebrities weren’t as friendly as they were shown on TV.

If only the girl had paused in her speech, she was afraid the actress would try to end their meeting after a short exchange of pleasantries. However, since Yumiko had expressed her desire, it’d at least make Momoshiro consider it. The rest, she’d leave it to luck.

Because of that, Yumiko didn't want her delusions to be destroyed by seeing her idol's true colour. Even so, there were people who seemed unhappy to see the sight.

“Miura-san,” the guide called, “If we don't hurry, we'll—.”

“Sure, but don’t share it on social media, okay?” Momoshiro cut the woman off by agreeing to Yumiko’s request.

Hearing her words interrupted so suddenly, the woman glared at the white-haired girl. She wanted to spit the words at the actress, but Momoshiro beat her to it once again.

“Also, can you tell me where Principal Yaga is now?”

They were stunned. The lackeys of the higher-ups had been caught off guard. No one expected that Momoshiro would throw a question related to the jujutsu school at Yumiko. Because, if the girl answered even with a few words, it could invite suspicion.

Trying to control the situation, the woman in charge of being the guide immediately took over the conversation.

“If you are looking for Principal Yaga, he’s busy doing fieldwork."

Momoshiro raised an eyebrow, confused as to why the woman was answering her question. Furthermore, her choice of words seemed odd and unusual. She should have just said that the person in question was unavailable due to a mission. However, instead of saying simple terms, her long-winded manner made it seem like she was being meticulous about limiting the information.

“I don’t ask you, though? And I know Principal Yaga is out on a mission,” Momoshiro replied, not wanting to get caught up in wordplay. "That's why I asked, where is he? Moreover, if the upper echelon staff is going on the mission directly, then there's a serious matter, and a first grader like me should know about it, right?"

Something that sometimes confused some people. Yaga Masamichi was the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. His position regarding organisational structure was lower than that of the Tokyo Headquarters boards. He had the authority to order anyone, even Gojo Satoru himself, to do various jobs. In other words, he didn’t need to step in unless the organisation was short of people or there was a significant chaos that required them to deploy many personnel, like in the Hyakki Yakou tragedy last year.

However, no information about the great chaos, and even Momoshiro, who was sure that the association wasn’t short of manpower, made her wonder about the current situation.

The guide woman clicked her tongue, feeling cornered by the logic that the actress had presented.

“Miura-san, let’s go. Don’t you still have some business to attend to?” she said, ignoring the argument.

The woman grabbed Miura's wrist and pulled her away immediately. However, Momoshiro didn't let that happen and stopped her by holding the other one.

“Hey, I also have some unfinished business here, you know?” Momoshiro said.

Although the white-haired girl showed a smile, there was no sign of friendliness in it. If anything, the smile looked stiff and aggressive.

Meanwhile, Yumiko stared at both sides. Her eyes moved left and right, and her brows furrowed, suggesting she had difficulty digesting the surrounding situation.

At first, Yumiko thought that Momoshiro's presence in such a place also had more or less the same reason as her seeking inner peace. However, seeing someone, whom she assumed was a staff, daring to argue with a famous actress was unusual. After all, ordinary people tend to feel nervous and even intimidated in front of a top celebrity. However, the woman seemed to have guts she couldn't find anywhere else.

On the other hand, what Yumiko thought was seeking peace in a vast shrine complex in the middle of the mountains showed that Momoshiro seemed to understand the ins and outs of the place very well, to the point of knowing a high-ranking staff. However, more than all that, there was one thing that really stuck with her that distracted her from the debate at hand.

'First grade sorcerer? Is she discussing her role in her next movie?'

Yumiko couldn't follow anything they were talking about, but she knew there was one misunderstanding she had to clear up.

“I'm sorry, but I don't know who Principal Yaga is,” Yumiko said.

The brief confession was like a bolt of lightning in broad daylight that struck the people in traditional Japanese clothing. They were immediately frozen in silence because they didn’t expect the girl to say something that could blow their cover. Momoshiro herself was in a similar condition but for a different reason.

However, due to her experience of controlling her emotions during her acting career, Momoshiro could eliminate those feelings in less than a second.

“You’re not a student of Jujutsu School?” asked the actress.

'I don't remember seeing her face in Hakari-kun or Okkotsu-kun's year, so I thought she might be a new student,' Momoshiro added inwardly.

The white-haired girl still couldn't grasp the situation completely. However, she was sure something was off involving the blonde girl, who didn't even know what she was dealing with.

“Jujutsu… school?”

Although she didn't fully understand the situation, Yumiko's confused mumble was enough for Momoshiro to decide. The girl pulled Yumiko's wrist hard, jerking her away from the woman's grip that was guiding her. She took advantage of the momentum when the woman panicked because Yumiko's answer messed up their plan. Right after that, Momoshiro immediately put her body to hide the blonde girl behind her.

Yumiko flinched as her hand was suddenly pulled. However, she could only stare at her idol's back as, in the next second, she was already behind her. The sudden action invited hundreds of questions and made her heart beat much faster, with adrenaline soaring.

“When I heard from those old farts that Principal Yaga was unavailable, it was quite surprising why it coincided with Gojo-san and Ieiri-san being on vacation. I wonder why?”

Momoshiro ended her words with a broad, provocative smile. However, the people before her didn’t take the bait she threw. Thinking that her efforts were in vain, the girl chose a more direct opinion.

“Miura-san, right?” the girl said, looking at Yumiko over her shoulder, “Are you really not a student here? Or are you perhaps a new student scouted by the association?”

“Miura-san, don’t listen to her and come here immediately!” the woman shouted, trying to influence the girl.

Yumiko was increasingly confused. The tension between the people was so high that her breath felt like it was being choked, and her heart raced faster. Her mind was tangled, and she couldn't digest the situation properly. She didn't know which side to believe anymore. However, Yumiko ultimately followed her heart and told it like it was.

“I… I don’t understand what you mean,” Yumiko said in a trembling voice, “I’m not a student from a jujutsu school or something. If anything, I’m from Sobu High of Chiba Prefecture.”

The answer made the people's eyes widen. They simultaneously looked at Yumiko with a variety of mixed expressions. However, despite being suddenly bombarded with such shocking information, Momoshiro was the most enthusiastic about the new discovery.

“Sobu High?” the actress asked for confirmation.

Yumiko nodded in response, which made Momoshiro even more fired up.

“Then, do you know Hiratsuka Shizuka and a student named Hikigaya Hachiman? That goy should be a new transfer student who just joined this year.”

Momoshiro went to Tokyo Jujutsu Tech to find Yaga because she wanted him to connect her with Hiratsuka. In the first place, Hiratsuka was so strict about drawing a line in her personal life that Momoshiro couldn't just reach out to her without a good reason.

Moreover, Momoshiro's goal in finding Hiratsuka was purely her interest. This made the woman, who was the main pillar of Chiba, feel that there was no need for her to serve the actress.

Yumiko stared straight into Momoshiro's golden irises, still confused about how her idol knew her teacher and classmate. She directed her gaze to the people in traditional clothing, who were sweating profusely from their pores.

“Hiratsuka-sensei is my homeroom teacher. While Hikio… I mean, Hikigaya-kun is my friend.”

What Yumiko said about Hachiman wasn't a lie. Maybe the boy didn't think so, but the blonde girl interpreted friendship as simpler than Hachiman. However, that wasn't Momoshiro’s primary concern.

“W- wait, no one said that the person we have to bring is Hiratsuka-san’s student,” said the Guide.

Yumiko's ears also caught the woman's trembling voice, which widened the girl's eyes. Of all the things that could have happened, it never crossed her mind that everyone in the corridor knew her homeroom teacher. Yumiko glanced at Momoshiro to see how the girl would respond. However, unlike the other four, she seemed to be showing a broad smile that she couldn't hide.

“I think everyone here would agree not to mess with the two strongest people in Chiba, right?”

“The two strongest people… in Chiba?” Yumiko squeaked, repeating Momoshiro's question hesitantly.

“Oh, so you really came here without knowing anything, huh? I assume you don’t even know about the jujutsu sorcery?” the silver-haired girl asked with a concerned expression.

Yumiko shook her head with a face full of confusion. Actually, Momoshiro also had many questions. However, she delayed bombarding the girl with them. Therefore, the white-haired girl reaffirmed her eyes on the four sorcerers.

"I hope you're not so naïve as to not think that the higher-ups didn't investigate this girl's background first, are you?” Momoshiro asked while holding the top of Yumiko’s head, “But I wouldn’t blame anyone if you didn’t question it either. After all, I understand that sorcerers who can’t even break through to the first grade have to suck up to those old fogeys to gain recognition in the association.”

Momoshiro paused to catch her breath and observe their reactions. Then, she continued to say the rest, ensuring no one replied.

“However, in this case, you should be aware that the higher-ups are only using you as scapegoats if Hiratsuka-san finds out about this, right?”

The cruel fact uttered by the white-haired girl hurt the feelings of those people. Their jaws clenched tightly until the veins on their temples were visible on the surface. However, the sorcerers could only remain silent and accept all the insults. Nothing was more embarrassing than being caught talking about being used without realising it.

“I don’t want to hear that kind of nonsense from someone who has been kicked out of the association,” said one of the men, still trying to save face.

“Whether you accept it or not, you have to understand that just by touching this girl, you'll come face to face with Hiratsuka-san,” Momoshiro replied with a confident smile. Besides, this girl is Kun's friend, and as you must know, the Hikigaya family has a close relationship with Gojo-san.”

Of course, Momoshiro knew very well that Gojo Satoru wouldn't bother doing something, even if it was Hachiman's friend. In fact, he was the type of person who fed his students trivial jobs in the name of helping them grow. If anything, what would probably happen was that Satoru would tell Hachiman to finish it himself.

However, no matter what the outcome, using the name of the world's strongest being to threaten someone and following logical reasoning always gives a perfect success rate.

Seeing the people who didn't show any reaction and could only remain silent, Momoshiro turned her attention back to Yumiko.

“Miura-san, do you have Hiratsuka-san’s contact number?”

Yumiko nodded slowly.

“I do.”

“Then, call her. I’ll explain the situation.”

Still faithfully hiding behind Momoshiro, Yumiko looked around at the tense people. She bit the corner of her lip, trying to gather her thoughts. However, her right hand, tightly gripping her left wrist, showed that the girl seemed hesitant about Momoshiro's proposal.

However, just sitting around doing nothing wouldn’t bring her to enlightenment. In the end, Yumiko took her phone from her jacket pocket, and her fingers danced across the screen to find her homeroom teacher's contact.

The expressions of the woman who was her guide and the people following her turned even paler as Yumiko handed the smartphone to Momoshiro.

There was no need to wait for a long time. The ringing tone indicating that the call hadn’t been answered suddenly stopped, and a female voice was heard from the other side.

“Miura? Why did you call me all of a sudden? Do you need something? And… is your condition getting better?”

Momoshiro widened her eyes. She recognised the voice and could confirm that it was the woman she had been trying to contact through Yaga Masamichi.

“Hiratsuka-san, it’s me, Momoshrio Chiyoko. Listen, your student, Miura Yumiko, is at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech for some reason and it just so happens that no one’s around right now, not even Principal Yaga.”

There was a moment before the girl heard Hiratsuka's answer. It was as if the woman was trying to digest the information suddenly crammed into her.

“Please wait there and take care of Miura for me. I’ll come as soon as possible.”

The phone was hung up without waiting for an answer, indicating that the woman was in a hurry.

Momoshiro returned the smartphone to its owner. However, her gaze remained fixed on the people who looked so nervous.

“I’ll make you an offer,” Momoshiro said, “For now, Miura-san and I will leave the main building, but we’ll still be around the jujutsu tech area. If you can make sure no one disturbs us, I won’t say anything to Hiratsuka-san about your involvement and will blame everything on to the higher-ups.”

It wasn't like Momoshiro didn't have confidence in facing them. After all, she was a first-grade sorcerer. However, if Momoshiro's memories didn't betray her, those four should have been semi-first-grade. Facing them all at once would be a pain in the ass. Moreover, she had to protect Yumiko to get Hiratsuka's favour.

“I’ll be happy to play with you guys if you insist,” Momoshiro said as she took out a trumpet from her sling bag, “But you must also be prepared to face Hiratsuka-san’s wrath.”

—To Be Continued—

Author Note: Hello everyone, I’m back.

Well, this will be the last chapter about Yumiko's inner conflict, although I'm a little unsatisfied about it. The next chapter will be a conclusion, and then the focus will return to the Oregairu verse. However, I have plans to write a flashback about Hiratsuka, but I'm not sure how many chapters I'll spend on it. But I can do it next time because this flashback is quite flexible.

So, it's up to you whether you want to see the Hiratsuka flashback ASAP or wait even longer.

For Momoshiro, she was mentioned when Hachiman and Haruno visited Kyoto. If you've trouble visualising it, you can just look at the image online. I added her because she's my favourite character in the Act-Age manga. Why she is in Tokyo and looking for Hiratsuka will be explained briefly in the next chapter and periodically in the upcoming chapters.

It’s all from me. I hope you can enjoy this chapter. Last but not least, stay safe and see you when I see you again.