Crossover anime, a daily life that begins with hunting supernatural beings.

Then...

When she arrived at the final stop, she watched helplessly as the boy, carrying a dagger, stepped into the old wooden house that looked ominous.

Then...

The wooden house, already weathered by the passage of time, collapsed.

The boy emerged from inside, carrying a grotesque monster that looked neither human nor animal and was barely alive. After several rounds of fighting, he crushed the villager in his hand with a single punch.

As the villagers turned into black mist and disappeared, the boy threw a strange object emanating from the black mist into her hand.

This happened more than ten times in a row.

From initial shock and bewilderment to eventual numbness that it was all just another word.

Fumino Furuhashi felt...

I must be going crazy.

In Fumino Furukawa's mind, the normal storyline should be that she and the boy struggle to survive in a dangerous village, search for clues, and finally meet the mastermind behind the scenes after going through all sorts of hardships.

Using the clues gathered along the way, they finally defeated the mastermind at the last minute by employing the seal set up by their predecessors.

Alternatively, with her help, the young exorcist found the mastermind's weakness and managed to defeat him in the final battle.

She should have ended up crying and throwing herself into the arms of the young exorcist.

Or perhaps it ends with her losing her life to seal away the mastermind, while the boy she was with survives a tragic fate.

Or perhaps she and the boy both perished here in the end.

Such an expansion is correct.

As a girl who loves classical literature, Fumino Furukawa had already imagined a whole series of scenarios when Sakurai tossed her the shoulder bag.

Unfortunately, the person accompanying her this time was not some spirited young exorcist, but an "outcast" who feeds on the supernatural.

His art style, from the very beginning, had absolutely no resemblance to other exorcists in the underworld.

The result is...

The boy acted like a bandit entering a village, easily dismantling all the wooden houses he encountered.

They dragged out all the residents and killed them.

She was an accomplice who accompanied him, cleaning up the stolen goods for the boy.

This is too strange.

The difference between the ideal and the reality of the art style is too great, leaving Fumino Furukawa bewildered.

Either something's wrong with her, or something's wrong with the world.

Sure enough, I must be crazy.

I'm definitely not thinking straight. Am I scared out of my wits?

Fumino Furuhashi pinched her thigh hard, wincing in pain and tears welling up in her eyes.

Completely ignoring Furukawa Fumino's disbelief at her worldview being turned upside down, she had just done a good job as a mere accessory, and now all she had to do was continue to play that role well.

There's no need to worry about anything else.

Spit out the clod of dirt that you accidentally swallowed.

Sakurai stuffed the plaque-like remnant in his hand into his mouth like chocolate to replenish his strength, his gaze fixed on the unbearable darkness ahead.

There...

With his superhuman eyesight, Sakurai vaguely saw an ancient shrine sitting there.

This is the final meal.

To dare to pull this stunt in an area controlled by unscrupulous merchants, I wonder if it's tough enough, or if it can knock their teeth out.

It would be even better if we could beat him to a pulp.

That way, his special trip won't be in vain.

Behind him lay the village he had violently demolished, leaving it in ruins. Sakurai grinned, looking ahead expectantly, and casually brushed the dust off his shoulder with his right hand.

66. Disappearance

Sakurai closed his eyes, inhaling the scent in the air, and murmured...

Aside from the overly strong smell from the ancestral hall, Sakurai was certain that apart from inconspicuous supernatural beings like the little old man, there were no other creatures present.

very safe.

It's safe to say it's too safe.

Those who posed a threat have all been killed.

As long as this guy doesn't do anything reckless, he should be safe.

Sakurai glanced at Fumino Furuhashi, who was cautiously looking around with a look of complete reassurance on her face, and felt relatively at ease.

This guy's will to survive is almost as strong as Yotsuya Miko's; she should be fine on her own.

"Next, only the final instigator remains. If a fight breaks out then, I might not be able to take care of you."

"I've already dealt with all the supernatural beings in the village. You should be fine on your own. Understand and wait for me to come back."

"Remember, for me, the biggest help you can give is to stay put and behave yourself."

"Understand?"

After giving a brief explanation, Sakurai prepared to leave.

Watching Sakurai walk away, Fumino Furuhashi opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, her mind filled with the thought, "I'm sorry, I'm just a useless piece of trash."

Fumino Furuhashi, who ultimately refrained from making the brainless attempt to persuade the female lead in a melodramatic drama to stay, tightened her grip on her shoulder bag.

This shoulder bag from Sakurai's side was her only remaining source of security.

It could be said to be her only psychological comfort.

Looking around, he found a slightly undulating earthen slope that he thought was secluded, squatted down, huddled up, and shivered as he waited for Sakurai's return.

If ghosts and monsters exist, then gods must also exist in the world.

As an ordinary person who has stumbled into a mysterious world, all she can do now is to avoid causing trouble for her savior and silently pray to the gods for his safe return.

Aside from this, it seems like there's nothing else she can do.

......

In the course of human civilization, there was a primitive and bloody period when the worship of nature and the fear of the unknown eventually evolved into rituals called sacrifices.

For a considerable period of time, human beings have continued to worship and venerate gods and ghosts.

What followed was a bloody and brutal ritual.

It is quite normal for folk customs passed down from distant times to contain elements of barbarity and terror.

Those "wild gods" who cannot receive sacrifices will use other means to obtain offerings.

However, with the development of civilization, this ritual of killing, known as "sacrifice," also disappeared.

Especially after the Historical Compilation Bureau planned the two worlds of this country, everything that could break the dividing line between the human world and the supernatural world was erased and disappeared one by one.

The loss of offerings and sacrifices led to a counterattack.

Its name is——[ka mi ka ku shi]

"Divine concealment" refers to the phenomenon where humans are hidden away by gods or monsters.

Being haunted, disappearing, or so-called "divine disappearance" are simply the current state of disappearance and vanishing due to supernatural factors.

In folklore, disappearance is a helpless explanation for the disappearance of children.

In ancient times, it was common for children to go missing before they even knew what was happening. Due to a lack of scientific and social understanding, very few of these children were ever found.

Out of their blessings for the children who went missing at sea, the older people could only tell themselves that life loved its children.

However, for this world...

His disappearance was not without reason.

It doesn't happen casually.

To see, hear, and touch.

Only when the people of this world have an intersection with or come into contact with a certain being in that world, and only humans are perceived as such.

Only then will the phenomenon of disappearing from sight occur.

In this context, with the development and changes of modern society, electronic devices have emerged.

Interpersonal communication relies on a medium called the internet, connecting people on various virtual platforms.

Online rumors known as "strange tales" that exist in various forums are the best carriers of such rumors.

Discussion, pursuit, and ultimately, the satisfaction of certain emotions.

In this process, even if there is only one ten-thousandth of truth, the "existence" that exists behind the ghost stories is connected with the "people" who discuss the ghost stories.

Ultimately, those who meet the criteria will be "disappeared" from the crowd one day.

Disappear from this world.

The existence of another world, enabling the living to see their deceased loved ones, and even bringing the dead back to life—such rumors undoubtedly constitute a medium.

A medium through which an existence in another world seeks sacrifices.

Every year, on the second Friday of the fourth month, at midnight, a young girl who misses her deceased lover disappears.

This time...

The person being targeted is named [Fumino Furuhashi].

The longing for her deceased mother and relatives, coupled with her identity as a pure young girl who is especially favored by such people.

Having met all the conditions, she became connected with a being deep within the village after "seeing" this strange tale.

Finally, at midnight, she boarded the bus and disappeared from the world.