Original God: Using a vest knife to make players and game characters cry

One of the biggest joys for Paimon in participating in this test of courage is the food. The food sponsored by Yunling for the test of courage was clearly made with great care and attention, and it tasted absolutely amazing.

Paimon ate all the braised meat from yesterday in bites.

And now... the flying dwarf melon-shaped radar is no longer working.

When Ying heard about fried tofu, she immediately thought of the shrine maiden. The winning item for the third round was chosen by Narukami Taisha, and the food item should also be chosen by Narukami Taisha.

Perhaps the divine child has already taken this food away.

Ignoring the food, the group went to the place where they first met the woman and began to carefully survey the site.

Finally, it was found on a tree not far away. The branches seemed to have bent because some heavy objects had been hanging from them. In addition, there were some burn marks in some places.

However, this did not prove anything, and the group continued to search the surrounding area.

Just then, three little demons—a one-eyed monk, a fox demon, and a kappa—arrived and joined the search team.

They received the news from Araki Ichito, because this matter concerned Akitsu Entertainment on the other side of the beach, and according to the description, those who could do these things were either very powerful vengeful spirits or very powerful great monsters.

Neither of them are easy to deal with.

The three of them split up and went to different places to investigate. They found fragments of blackout cloth, used firework balls, and... powdery residue that made them dizzy just from smelling it.

Heizo: "I think I know what you've encountered. She didn't use any powerful abilities; what you saw were just some small props."

Heizo shared his guess.

"First of all, the test of courage already adds a terrifying atmosphere to this place."

"At that time, you first encountered three little monsters and were startled by them. Then you met a mysterious woman, so it was natural to feel nervous."

"Due to nervousness, she overbreathed and inhaled a large amount of the sleeping pollen she had previously sprinkled, and began to feel dizzy. At this point, she pulled down the blackout curtain, lit the so-called will-o'-the-wisp, creating an unknown and terrifying scene—that's roughly how it happened."

Fox Demon: "So, she was just bluffing?"

Paimon was furious: "Damn it, how dare you lie to me!"

Heizo: "But there's actually another problem. The person who commissioned me to investigate this matter is indeed trapped on the beach by some unusual force."

"This isn't something that can be done with just a few props... but if she really has that kind of power, why would she need to prepare so many props?"

Heizo pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up:

“I know who the woman you’re talking about is. Let’s go to the beach and take a look.”

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance, not understanding what Pingzang meant.

However, thinking that Heizo wouldn't lie to them and that they could find out the truth by going to the beach, the group quickly headed there.

The three little monsters wanted to go too, but Heizo stopped them.

“I hope you will go back and tell the others not to be afraid, and not to bother investigating in the forest. The truth has come to light, and it’s time to end the unnecessary panic and wait for the test of courage to end.”

……

Beach side.

Yunling held a plate of fried tofu, her little mouth bulging as she ate.

"Sister Gongsi, isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate?"

After finishing a piece of fried tofu, the Divine Child squinted her eyes in satisfaction: "Everyone in the Forest of Guardians is in a state of panic because of Chizuru's situation. It would be a waste to hide these delicious fried tofu pieces away."

The shrine maiden next to the shrine maiden was the same one who had presided over the test of courage earlier; she was also holding a plate of fried tofu.

As she ate, the goddess said, "Chizuru's inner conflict needs to be resolved. The traveler is the most crucial link in this process, hehe. Of course, the little one's food is also very important~"

The goddess ate elegantly, but at a remarkable pace.

Yunling and the priestess each ate a portion, and the rest went into the god's mouth.

After finishing his meal, the divine child stood up and stretched: "Let's go, little one, it's time to reveal the answer."

……

Beside Akizu Amusement Park.

Heizo had already revealed the woman's identity.

The woman is a "monogatari," also called a "tsukumogami," a small yokai born from a real object. Her true form is the "Hagoitata" that the third round of the test of courage is looking for.

Long ago, during the Sanchuan Flower Festival, a samurai and a great demon forged a deep friendship. They agreed to meet once every ten years to fight, drink, and play.

Unfortunately, a mortal's life is too short, and when they met for the last time, the mortal was already very old.

The woman, also known as Hanyu Chizuru, was a small yokai transformed from the hagoita (a type of wooden board) used by the samurai and the great yokai when they played the Akitsu Hagoki.

Chizuru sighed after telling the story:

"From [anticipation] to [regret], only a few decades have passed. Lord Kamai's appearance remains unchanged, but the old friend before him has grown old. The joy of meeting will eventually be boiled into the poison of regret."

"They say bystanders see things more clearly, but after witnessing all of this, I realized a cruel truth: all the regrettable things were actually destined to happen from the very beginning—"

"We have different lifespans and different natures than humans, yet we live on the same land, come into contact with each other, are attracted to each other, and eventually part ways in haste."

When the dream ends, only eternal longing and unbearable pain remain…

"If even mature and powerful demons are like this, how much more heartbroken must the innocent and kind little demons be when they part ways?"

Heizo fell into deep thought, while Ying's expression faltered slightly.

She... understands Chizuru's thoughts...

P.S.: I wonder if any of you are taking the college entrance exam? Best of luck to you all!!!

Chapter 244 Sanchuan Flower Festival

Paimon: "So, you mean..."

Chizuru: "I was hiding on this beach, waiting for my day to come. But they happened to build Akitsu Amusement Park here, which awakened me from my slumber."

"I don't want them to approach humans with boundless enthusiasm just because they've heard the legends of Mr. Kamai and the human samurai; that would only lead to a repeat of the same mistakes..."

Chizuru refuses to meet others because she is afraid of parting; this is the reason why she does everything.

Paimon asked about the incident where someone was stranded on the beach. There were quite a few people visiting Akitsu Amusement Park, but Chizuru seemed to have only dealt a heavy blow to that one person.

“My strength is already very weak. Most of the time I use the props I've accumulated to scare people. It's inconvenient to show my face when there are many people. But that bastard is insatiably greedy. He wants to steal the decorations displayed at Akitsu Amusement Park and sell them at a high price back home.”

"That's why I used my demonic power to punish him and teach him a lesson."

Paimon crossed his arms: "So that's how it is. I didn't expect you to be so righteous."

This is recognition from Paimon.

Heizo took out the yukoban he had just found nearby and said:

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be your true form, and also the yuko-kata used by the yokai Kamai and the human samurai at Akitsu-hagi hundreds of years ago."

"You were influenced by powerful demonic energy and gradually developed a mind. You are the closest witness to their story."

"Hundreds of years have passed. Even with the protection of demonic power, the feather board itself is almost rotten. You can't even maintain your own existence, so naturally you can only rely on small props to scare people."

"At the same time, this pair of yukoba is also the target of the third round of the courage test."

As soon as Heizo finished speaking, Yae no Miko, accompanied by the shrine maiden and Yunling, approached. At the same time, Miko's voice rang out:

"Absolutely correct, that's interesting reasoning."

"Divine Child? And Yunling is here too, and the Priestess is here as well! Weren't you missing?!" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.

Divine Child: "Congratulations on passing the third test of courage, little ones."

The shrine maiden smiled helplessly: "I'm sorry, but this was actually arranged by Lord Yaejiro..."

The divine child covered her mouth and chuckled: "Hmm, how was it? Did I startle you?"

"Since fear stems from the unknown, the more chaotic the situation, the better. Ideally, the staff would also mysteriously disappear, so that it can be called a 'test of courage'!"

"You were just trying to scare us!"

Ying and Paimon stood with their hands on their hips. Ying's expression was a mix of disdain, anger, and helplessness.

Paimon: "It's one thing for the Divine Child and the Priestess to be here, but Yunling, what are you doing here?"

Yunling: "Actually, I was originally delivering fried tofu, but I was stopped halfway there..."

"Cough cough..."

Yunling was stopped by a cough from the Divine Child before she could finish speaking. She gave Paimon a knowing look.

Paimon immediately understood and glared angrily at the divine child.

She said, if there really were fried tofu in the Forest of Guardians, how could Paimon have searched for so many times and not found a single one?

So you intercepted them all halfway through, God!

The priestess instructed the shrine maiden to inform the participants of the test of courage that the winner had been chosen, and then she spoke with Chizuru.

The goddess discovered Chizuru when she first gained consciousness. At that time, the goddess was a little pink fox who was perched on the shoulder of the fox spirit during the Mikawa Flower Festival.

“I heard you whispering to yourself that you must be patient and not have contact with humans.”

Shinko: "Actually, you've been blaming yourself, haven't you? In your heart, the fact that Kamai and the samurai met through Akitsu Hagi is inextricably linked to you."

At that time, Chizuru's consciousness was still very vague, and she could not appear in her current form.

She had many feelings about Mr. Kamai's interactions with the human samurai, and of course, one big question remained:

"Lord Yaejiro, you are a renowned great demon, you must know many things I do not. I would like to ask you... Time and again we meet, time and again we part. Fleeting moments pass by, leaving only regret and sorrow. Is our encounter with humans truly meaningful?"

……

The world of players.

Players who have reached this point are offering their answers to Chizuru.

Yes, definitely! History progresses precisely because of these countless ordinary people, with life passed down from generation to generation, one after another…

There's a saying: Just touch it, even if it's just a fleeting glimmer of light.

Life is only exciting through interaction; if Kamai and the samurai hadn't met, this story wouldn't have happened.

Regret is a lesson we must all learn in life, whether you are a god or a mortal...

【…】

……

On the beach, the goddess gave the same answer.

"Why not? You've played at Akitsu Amusement Park with the traveler, what did you think of it?"

"I'm very happy, but..."

"But reason tells you that this is wrong, doesn't it?"

The goddess told Chizuru about the later part of the story concerning Kamai and humans:

"The samurai's name is Takuto Yanahashi. He also has another identity: the founder of the Azure Isshin-ryu school of swordsmanship. It is said that the samurai comprehended this swordsmanship during a sparring match with Kamai. His third-generation head of the family, Masashi Tominaga, was also on good terms with Kamai. The two fought side by side to the last moment five hundred years ago."

"The sword that Tominaga used was passed down from the samurai, and for Kamai, the regret he once had has now been resolved."

“Is that so…” Chizuru fell into deep thought.

The divine child continued, “We yokai are indeed different from humans. For us, human lifespan is too short, and one day we will all become passersby. However, the ‘fate’ formed by our encounter will not be severed, but will be passed on in a new way.”

"Don't be bothered by this. Time flies, life is fleeting, that's why we should enjoy ourselves while we can. You should understand what I mean now."

……

Life goes on endlessly, generation after generation; the river moon shines the same year after year.

[If we consider things from the perspective of change, then even heaven and earth cannot exist for a single instant. If we consider them from the perspective of permanence, then both things and I are without end, so what is there to envy?]

[Fighting side by side, is this a war between demons?]

So, did all the great demons at the Sanchuan Flower Festival die five hundred years ago?

……

Beach side.

Ichidou appeared, accompanied by three little monsters, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Hey—Xiaoyun—my dearest friend—!"