112. The Shrine Maiden of the Hanayama Family

Page 1/3

[Thank you for using "Little Train Express." Courier No. 010 is at your service! Your package will be delivered within one day. Download the app to track your delivery >>>]

Seeing the sudden notification pop up on his phone, Chen Shang let out a sigh of relief.

This time, the catastrophic core had finally chosen a relatively normal courier company for him.

Soon, he would find out what this so-called "Dice Glove" was used for.

...

After school, Yashuang Yichiyo, as usual, waited for him at the café next to the school.

"I'm taking you somewhere today," Chiyo said, uncrossing her legs and looking at Chen Shang. "It's a shrine run by an old acquaintance of mine."

"A shrine? You believe in that stuff too?" Chen Shang asked curiously with a smile. "Aren't you guys Buddhists?"

He still remembered when he took Chiyo to scout a Buddhist temple last time, she mentioned that her family visited Buddhist temples annually.

"It won’t cost much anyway. Is it so bad to believe a little more?" Chiyo looked up and asked in return.

"Of course not~" Chen Shang grinned, shrugging lazily, not bothering to argue.

The two drove to a shrine in the heart of Arakawa Ward. Their sports car stopped beside the torii gate at the entrance.

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the wind chimes and prayer papers hanging from the torii to sway, producing an ethereal chime.

They entered a shrine constructed from metal plates. A brown-haired young woman dressed in a white top and red shrine maiden hakama sat by a low table, sipping an oddly colored green tea slowly.

"Chiyo, I've been waiting for you a long time," the shrine maiden said, looking up. Her clear eyes scanned Chen Shang up and down. "And who is this young man with you?"

"My junior from school. Seems like he's got into some trouble," Chiyo said casually, brushing her hair aside.

"Oh~" The shrine maiden suddenly smiled meaningfully, covering her mouth with her fingers painted red. "Then do you want me to perform an exorcism for him?"

"Please, Momiji," Chiyo nodded, unusually gentle in tone. "Help him check it out."

"After so many years of friendship, no need to be so formal~" The shrine maiden named Momiji Hayama stood up and bowed to Chen Shang, introducing herself:

"My name is Momiji Hayama, the shrine maiden of this Tenkei Shrine. Please follow me."

Page 2/3

Chen Shang hesitated briefly, then said politely, "Nice to meet you, Miss Hayama."

He recognized this young shrine maiden.

The Hayama family managed the largest religious faction in Arakawa Ward and maintained a cooperative relationship with the Yashuang Yichiyo Group.

Momiji Hayama was the heiress of the Hayama family, groomed from childhood to become a shrine maiden, destined to inherit and manage the family’s shrine enterprise.

The Hayama family did indeed offer "exorcism services," but they were not as mystical as religious texts suggested.

Their "exorcism" was specifically designed for mentally disturbed individuals who believed they were seeing ghosts. The so-called exorcism was actually a series of treatments to cure these customers' hallucinations so they would no longer see phantoms.

If you searched on the "Yashuken City Reviews" app, you would find their exorcism services consistently receiving five-star ratings, with surviving clients all speaking highly of them.

In a way, Chiyo’s materialistic belief that "people who see ghosts are just delusional" was influenced by her close friendship with Momiji.

By the way, Momiji Hayama was actually a romanceable character, commonly appearing as the "shrine maiden" archetype in dating simulators.

However...

Momiji sent Chen Shang into a room to wait, then started chatting with Yashuang Yichiyo.

"Never thought you’d like such a loser," Momiji said casually, handing a cup of black tea to Chiyo. "He looks decent enough, but in the end, he’s just a poor commoner."

"I... I don’t like him," Chiyo took a small sip and denied firmly.

"Eh~? Has Chiyo finally reached the age where she lies for men~?" Momiji abandoned her earlier serene elegance, flashing a gossipy smile: "You should fix that habit of denial. Otherwise, that man will soon get tired of you~ Though, no man dares to refuse your confession anyway~"

"He quite enjoys it," Chiyo recalled their verbal sparring moments and sipped her tea again.

"By the way, you’ve seen the news, haven’t you?"

"Yeah... The young master Xu Qing actually impersonated someone to enter that competition," Momiji sighed, rubbing her temple. "I heard he was investigated by the Financial Consortium afterward... Really feel sorry for him."

Just as the wealthy second-generation wished, Momiji Hayama had also been rewritten as a fangirl of the male second lead, Xu Qing.

Page 3/3

In the new backstory, Momiji and Xu Qing had met at financial elite gatherings since childhood, with a one-sided love at first sight.

No matter how much the player flattered this shrine maiden, she would always act indifferent or even disdainful toward the player.

"So what about you? You used to be interested in Xu Qing too, right?" Momiji leaned in with a mischievous expression. "I was worried we’d become rivals."

"No... I’m not interested in Xu Qing," Chiyo denied without batting an eye. "Rather than keep talking about this, why don’t you go help him with the exorcism?"

"Oh, oh! Sorry about that!" Momiji slapped her forehead and suddenly stood up. "I’ll go check on him now. If there’s anything, I’ll let you know."

"Okay, go ahead." Chiyo nodded and continued sipping her tea at the table.

Chiyo believed Chen Shang’s so-called "possession by an evil spirit" was merely a simple case of delusion, so she brought him here for a checkup. After all, her close friend was very professional in "curing delusions."

After waiting alone in a dark room for some time, the wooden door finally opened.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Chen!" Momiji Hayama smiled apologetically and sat beside him. "Let’s begin the exorcism ceremony now~"

"I’m looking forward to it~ Will you be waving a gohei and doing a shaman dance?" Chen Shang asked, curious.

"Haha~ You’re quite the funny little guy~" Momiji covered her mouth, looking lady-like. "But that’s the old-fashioned shrine maiden way—just a big charade."

"Then what’s your exorcism ceremony like?" Chen Shang feigned curiosity.

Momiji pulled out a portable electric shock device from under her skirt and smiled. "Something like this~ Now, let’s start, Mr. Chen~"

Chen Shang gasped inwardly, unsure how to respond.

"I heard from Chiyo that you’re possessed by an evil spirit~" Momiji smiled innocently, bringing the metal prongs of the device close to Chen Shang’s head.

"After you try my exorcism ceremony, you definitely won’t see any weird things again~"