I loaded the geek game

Tzu-Chih Hospital, Special Testing Room.

Under the cold, incandescent light, Suzuhiko lay quietly on the testing table, like a lifeless sculpture, not even her eyelashes trembling. Her skin was almost transparent under the cold light of the medical equipment, and thin metal probes were attached to her temples and chest, connected to the [Ling Shu Analysis Instrument - Eight-Symbol Type 1] in the next room, which shimmered with a ghostly blue light.

Now that it has been confirmed that Suzuhiko-hime harbors a deep-seated obsession with Ashiya Dōman, "listening" to this goddess's innermost thoughts might uncover more secrets about the first ruler of all demons and gods. This is undoubtedly crucial intelligence for the Kamiya Group, which is about to face Dōman in a decisive battle.

As for how to find out about this obsession—

"I'm all ready on my end."

Satoru's voice rang directly in Kamiyagawa's mind.

Thanks to the connection between the shikigami, the two communicated smoothly despite being separated by a wall.

Meanwhile, in the next room, the Ling Shu Analyzer, which Xiao Wu proudly named "Eight Meanings Combined Type 1," was running at full power, with complex data streams jumping on the holographic projection screen.

"Let's begin." Kamiya nodded slightly.

Inside the testing room, besides Kamiya, there were also Takamagahara craftsmen standing ready.

The old woman selling feet and Satoru were monitoring Suzuhiko Hime herself, as well as the Kagura Bell on which Suzuhiko Hime depended; the medicine seller also finally cheered up a little from his depression.

Mary and Hannya stood guard on either side of Kamiya, ready to deal with any emergencies. As for the other gods and shikigami, they had already surrounded the entire Jiji Hospital.

“What we need to do next is simple,” Satoru said, his voice tinged with eagerness. “I will monitor Suzuhiko’s spiritual energy fluctuations in real time, and you—”

She deliberately dragged out her tone, and the feeling of being in control clearly pleased the guy.

"—Use your power to control emotions to inflict the 'seven emotions' on her in turn. I'll analyze which emotion will affect her and how her inner obsessions will react..."

The solution proposed by Wu is indeed direct and effective.

Obsessions arise from emotions and desires. By trying to use emotions to influence obsessions, one may find the "key" to unlocking the secrets in Suzuhiko's heart.

“Understood.” Kamiya raised his hand, and a faint divine light began to gather at his fingertips. “Then let’s start with ‘joy’.”

The soft crimson light, symbolizing joy, shimmered with golden light and fell like petals, causing Suzuhiko's chest to rise and fall slightly.

The Ling Shu analyzer in the next room emitted a slight hum, and on the projection screen, the golden light representing her obsession flickered slightly, but quickly dimmed.

"There's a response, but it's very weak," Satoru's voice echoed in Kamiya's mind. "Next one."

The latter is the power to regulate emotions.

This time, a bright orange light, like lava, surged from his palm. The orange light gradually turned black and quickly materialized into shattered sword afterimages, with sparks flying from the edges.

A violent rage pierced Suzuhiko's chest like a blade, and her fingers twitched slightly. However, her expression remained empty, as if her beautiful body was devoid of anything.

“No, anger can be ruled out.” Wu clicked his tongue. “Continue, try ‘sadness’ and ‘grief’.”

A deep blue emotion, symbolizing "sorrow," washed over Suzuhiko's body like waves. The pale blue halo was interspersed with tiny, illusory pearly bubbles, leaving patterns like the receding tide on her pale skin.

The screen of the analyzer on the other side flickered wildly, and the obsessive light was as bright as stars, but it still could not be fully activated.

There was a noticeable reaction... but it wasn't enough.

……

Time passed by minute by minute.

According to previous tests, Suzuhiko-hime's obsessions reacted to the emotions of "joy" and "sorrow".

Next, we might try to combine these two emotions and make some further adjustments.

"Let the sadness grow a little stronger, and let the joy be restrained a bit..."

Xiao Wu's voice kept echoing in his mind. Kamiya's fingertips hovered above Suzuhiko's heart, as if playing with an ancient lock, carefully controlling the outpouring of his emotional power.

"Try to concretize the feeling of joy... and try focusing more on the direction of 'expectation'... The fluctuation of spiritual energy has increased quite a bit again..."

Suzuhiko's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if the mechanism inside the lock was being gently turned, but it was still not fully engaged.

“Just one last bit more… the sorrow needs to be made more specific…” “No… wait… wait? This time there’s a reaction. What specific emotions did you try to add?”

"……apology."

"That's the idea!"

"..."

Kamiya's pupils narrowed slightly as he gently stroked the void with his fingertips, trying to balance the emotions of "joy" and "sorrow." Crimson starlight flickered within the pale blue halo, swirling around Suzuhiko's chest, sometimes merging and sometimes separating.

At a delicate juncture, Kamiya once again attempted to exert his strength—

"Joy" is like a needle being precisely pulled, while "sorrow" is like a key being gently turned.

At the moment the two forces perfectly converged, a barely audible "click" sound seemed to come from Suzuhiko's heart.

This heart lock, sealed for a thousand years, finally opened in response.

Suzuhiko's eyelids slowly lifted.

Her eyes were no longer empty as before, but filled with a sorrow that transcended time. When her gaze fixed on Kamiya, it seemed to penetrate him, looking towards a more distant, unreachable figure.

Almost without warning, Suzuhiko-hime spoke.

"Have you ever really thought about..." Her lips trembled slightly, her voice echoing with a cool, ethereal quality, like the sound of a Kagura bell, "...why did you ultimately choose to ascend to the throne of Takamagahara?"

After speaking, Suzuhiko-hime completely fainted.

The Kamiya group was left looking at each other in bewilderment in the special testing room.

……

Kamiya stood quietly by the window, the twilight of the night casting a dark golden halo over his silhouette.

Through the glass, one can see the hunched old woman selling her feet walking side by side with the sturdy golden bear downstairs, as well as Hoshiguma-dōji carrying Suzuhiko-hime in his arms.

The group was walking slowly toward the sarcophagus.

After the craftsmen checked Suzuhiko-hime's condition again and confirmed that she was alright, Kamiya instructed his men to take her back to Tsukumo-go to recuperate.

"So, that's all?"

Wu sat in front of the faintly glowing instrument, resting his chin on his hand: "Yes, those words are the deepest echo in her heart."

[Have you ever really thought about why you wanted to ascend to the throne of Takamagahara?]
“These words… don’t sound like they were meant for me.” Kamiya paused, “but we can’t completely rule out that possibility.”

After all, if it weren't for the intervention of the Red Thread of Widow, Suzuhiko-hime would most likely have become Kamiyagawa's "shaman." Furthermore, considering that Suzuhiko-hime's "special dialogue" is triggered whenever Kamiyagawa reaches a certain stage of growth…

Perhaps this was Suzuhiko-hime's "last line"?
The scenario is applicable when Kamiya is about to ascend to the throne of Takamagahara. If Suzuhiko-hime happens to be Kamiya's "shrine maiden" at that time, asking this question might be a way of signaling the supreme deity to examine his own heart one last time.

"I think this was said to Ashiya Dōman."

Satoru slid his swivel chair closer to Kamiya, his swaying hair brushing against Kamiya's hand.

According to the old laws of Izanagi, the ruler of all spirits and demons was merely a sacrifice to ascend the throne of the gods, so there seemed to be no need to examine one's own heart again at the last moment.

Moreover, a deep, apologetic sadness mixed with a hint of expectant joy... Normally, the relationship between Kamiya and Suzuhiko-hime wouldn't trigger such complex emotions in her heart.

"Hey, you noob." Satoru suddenly tugged at Kamiya's sleeve, but his voice softened. "Ashiya Doman and the original Suzuhiko-hime... might have been lovers."

She drew a crooked heart shape in the air with her finger, then quickly covered it up with gibberish.

"My love... um..."

Let's just assume it's like this for now.

But Kamiya still couldn't understand—

Since the current Suzuhiko-hime was left behind in Takamagahara by Ashiya Dōman, her obsession arose because of Dōman... But why did Ashiya Dōman leave such a sentence in Suzuhiko-hime's heart?
Why is it through Suzuhiko-hime's words that she is speaking to me now?

The existing problems are solved, but more problems arise in their place.

"You've worked hard." Having come up with no immediate solution, Kamiya patted Kosuke's head, gesturing for her to return to his side and rest, before turning and leaving the room. "That's all for today." (End of Chapter)