pdf-ebookys Chapter 320 The Crow's Filial Piety (Please Rate!)
Chapter 320 The Crow's Filial Piety (Please Rate!)
Facing the abbot, Kuromon Haruya disdainfully pulled his hand away and resolutely refused, saying, "Sorry, I'm a materialist and have no interest in this."
Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; there's no smoke without fire. If I have any connection with Izumo Taisha, what does it matter that I was turned away more than twenty years ago?
Although Koizumi Akako did not mention any taboos, considering that she was busy with some ceremony in seclusion, it was best to minimize any unnecessary influence.
Seeing that he had turned around and was about to leave, the abbot couldn't help but play coy and quickly circled around to his side: "Hey, hey, don't be in such a hurry to refuse! I am a spirit official serving the Great Lord, how could I lie to anyone? I can prove it if you don't believe me!"
"Thanks, but we're really not interested."
Fanze Zhenren stepped forward to separate him.
"This, this, Miss Kuromonji, please speak up for me!"
"Um, Mr. Hanzawa..."
"Fan Ze?" Abbot Mo looked closely at Master Fan Ze and immediately understood. He reached out and shouted to them, "Regarding the matter of the disappearance of the spirit, although I don't know much, I still have some clues!"
The two stopped and slowly turned around to look.
Seeing their cold resistance begin to crack, the abbot raised his eyebrows triumphantly: "I noticed you haven't drawn lots yet, have you? Why don't you do me the honor of drawing lots and praying, then we few who are destined to meet can sit down and have a good chat. Perhaps we can help you resolve your doubts." As he spoke, he stretched out his arms towards the courtyard of the shrine.
Kuromon Haruya and Hanze exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement: "Then we shall respectfully comply."
The main deity enshrined at Izumo Taisha Shrine is "Ōkuninushi-Ōkami," and the shrine is renowned for its efficacy as a "sacred site for matchmaking and marriage," attracting devout men and women from all over Japan throughout the year. Unfortunately, the two people invited by the head priest to worship in front of the shrine had no desire for a romantic relationship, let alone any piety.
After performing the unique "two bows, four claps, and one bow" ritual of Izumo Taisha, Kuromon Haruya, under the bright gaze of the head priest, casually drew a fortune slip without much thought, and the result was "very bad luck".
"...Huh?"
[26th Oracle - Auspicious]
[The general made a strange sound,]
Advancing ten thousand miles;
How can one know where to face the enemy?
The Way triumphs over empty fame.
It's all very mysterious and I can't understand what it's saying.
What does this fortune teller mean?
“Once the general issues an order, the soldiers are willing to embark on a journey of thousands of miles. However, if they are eager for quick success and work hard in vain, they will probably end up with nothing. Even if they achieve their goal, it may be a meaningless waste of time.”
The abbot stroked his beard and chuckled, "Hehe, a good omen! It seems you and our sect are destined to meet."
“Futility is hardly a good outcome.” Kuromon Haruya folded up the fortune slip and put it away indifferently. “Now, can you tell me about the clues?” He looked at Hanze, who was standing there in a daze.
"...Mr. Fanzawa?"
[Forty-sixth Oracle - Ominous]
Thunder roared and the sky darkened.
The beautiful woman closed the door alone;
On the documents,
Even when nothing is wrong, misfortune strikes.
"Thunder roared and the sky darkened. The beautiful woman shut herself in her room, shutting herself out from the outside world. All sorts of documents and lawsuits came in one after another. Even if she was innocent, she might be dragged into trouble."
"It seems this benefactor should be careful of unexpected disasters recently. Remember to tie the fortune slip on before leaving to ward off bad luck."
The wrinkled old face sighed politely for a moment, then turned to Kuromon Haruya and smiled again: "How have you decided?"
His gaze shifted, and Kuromon Haruya hesitated before revealing a devout and respectful expression: "It corresponds somewhat to the current situation, so it seems your divination slip is indeed accurate." He nudged Fanze with his elbow, reminding him, "...However, I am more concerned about my friend's affairs right now, and I'm afraid I have no heart to study Shinto."
"Understandable."
Recalling the recent gossip among the temple's gatekeepers, the abbot raised his head: "Then, would you be willing to leave your contact information so that I can keep in touch with you..." He then looked at the Kuromonji siblings, who were eyeing him menacingly with their pen and notebook, "and to provide any clues."
"it is good."
Kuromon Haruya promptly provided his business card and phone number, and after confirming that the abbot had sent a text message, he pulled Hanzawa Masato out of the shrine.
Several years ago, a man who had been released from prison came to the town to make offerings and pray for blessings. Seeing that he seemed dazed, I asked him a few more questions and learned the reason he wanted to pray for blessings:
He and a fellow villager who had committed murder were once imprisoned in the same cell. For several years, the two supported each other and called each other brothers. However, during a mudslide, he was busy escaping to survive, leaving his fellow villager behind, which led to his death.
For many years afterward, this benefactor frequently dreamt of the mudslide, and thus, haunted by it, he sought a pardon. If memory serves, after his release from prison, he apparently remained uneducated, staying at his family's small shop (address below).
"Sung-sil has already arranged leave for us."
Walking down the tree-lined path, Heimen Yaoye patted Fanze on the shoulder: "Let's go, at least you've found the clues from back then."
Faced with his words of comfort, Fanze Zhenren responded with a pale face, his forced smile looking more like a grimace.
Seeing this, Kuromon Haruya, who was also preoccupied, said nothing more. He took off his non-prescription glasses, which he used to conceal his condition, put in the few cigarettes he had casually picked up while picking up cigarettes, took out the lighter from the inner pocket of his waist bag, and lit one with a "hiss".
It seems the ceremony a few days ago wasn't as simple as the message suggested, Kuromon Haruya concluded.
For the past forty years, without relying on clairvoyance or fortune-telling, he could draw an "inauspicious" fortune 100% of the time. Today, however, he was completely different. He didn't feel unwell at the shrine, drew a lucky fortune, and was even being courted by the local priest.
It's like a guest who was unpopular and blacklisted suddenly having their label removed one day.
'Accepting a portion of the malice—does that refer to the malice that the divine way has attached to me?'
My gaze lingered on the rice-like bamboo flowers swaying on the bamboo branches, on the forest birds spreading their wings to build their nests, and then unconsciously drifted to the back of Fanze Zhenren, who was walking ahead with his head down.
"A child who left his hometown thousands of miles away to avenge his father lived on a different timeline. And, luckily, he met me."
The aura emanating from that figure was so familiar that Kuromon Haruya couldn't help but compare him to himself.
The methods used to commit the crime were too clumsy; all they knew was how to kill, but they didn't know how to conceal their whereabouts or clues, nor did they know how to pretend to know nothing about the case.
However, what helps Fanze is that this place is not the motherland of later generations, nor is it even a reality.
In Beika Town, the threshold for murder is low; the difficulty lies in finding a way to escape punishment. Cyanide and homemade explosives circulate in hidden pubs throughout the city, and people secretly pass the murder weapon to every corner of the city while toasting. Due to the principle of protecting citizens' privacy, there is almost no need to worry about being tracked by CCTV cameras, and Japanese police often handle cases perfunctorily, requiring only attention from detectives.
The burning heat reached his lips. After finishing one cigarette, Heimen Yaoye stubbed it out and stuffed it into the plastic bag of his waist pack before lighting another one.
Strangely enough, "Kuromon Haruya," who was innocently implicated by the organization, doesn't smoke, nor did the "Kuromon" of his previous life. Yet, as the organization's boss, he finds himself smoking heavily without realizing it.
Then he remembered his criteria for recruiting candidates for the beer team.
As a backdrop to "Kuromon Haruya," and to prevent candidates from refusing after seeking revenge, the selection of the beer team will not be limited to a single person.
Besides Asagi Minoru, the list also prominently features: "Haga Kyosuke", "Shimabukuro Kimie", "Hanai Akiko" (declined), "Hinata Yuki" (crossed out), "Takasugi Toshihiko" (crossed out), "Morofushi Kagemitsu" (crossed out), "Tadokoro Toshiya" (declined)...
They are all young murderers from the original work who stained their hands with blood and ruined their lives in order to avenge their parents and relatives.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; the cause and effect of revenge are endless, and there is never a question of right or wrong.
Looking back now, the memories of my past life seem as distant as watching an anime series through a computer screen.
But as a character who was once deeply trapped in this tragic pattern and ultimately perished because of it, Haruya Kuromon can at least do one thing:
"At least, I'm enough as long as I'm the only young person who suffers a terrible death for revenge."