"Great Mother, she is Yotsuya Miko. You can also tell, can't you, the powerful energy she possesses!"
In front of the Great Mother Fortune-telling Shop, Yuria pulled Yotsuya Miko to Takeda Mie, her face flushed as she pointed at Miko and spoke.
Yotsuya Miko, the person in question, looked at Takeda Mie in front of her and gave an awkward smile: "Hello, I am Yotsuya Miko."
Takeda Mie looked at Yotsuya Miko, her eyes filled with solemnity. She first subtly glanced at the blurry black mist beside Miko, then spoke kindly.
"What a lovely guest. I didn't expect us to meet again. May I, an old woman, ask you a few questions?"
Hearing this, Miko was startled for a moment, then nodded.
Yuria, who was beside her, found it a bit strange that the Great Mother suddenly became so amiable, but she didn't interrupt. She still held Takeda Mie in high regard.
"Little girl, have you seen anything strange recently? Or encountered any strange events?" Takeda Mie asked kindly.
"Uh..."
Yotsuya Miko hesitated. She saw strange things every day. Strange events... did being taught how to exorcise spirits by a ghost count?
"This old woman can also see things," Xia Yu suddenly interjected. "It's just that she can only see harmless spirits. She can only see blurry traces of black mist when looking at me, and can't even hear my voice."
Hearing Xia Yu suddenly speak, Miko resisted the urge to ask questions. There were outsiders here, after all.
Xia Yu continued, "She probably saw my black mist outline and thought I was an evil spirit clinging to you. Well... that's not entirely wrong, but she probably wants to help you, so just answer truthfully."
Hearing Xia Yu say this, Yotsuya Miko blinked and nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Takeda Mie nodded and said, "Wait for me."
As her voice fell, she turned around and fumbled under the counter. Soon, a wooden box carved with talisman patterns was pulled out.
Looking at the wooden box, Takeda Mie's eyes were somewhat complex. The Buddhist Bead Bracelet inside contained the spiritual energy she had infused during her prime. She never expected to have to take it out one day.
In the recent exchange, she learned that the girl named Miko in front of her was also a seer, and was entangled with a ghost.
For her, perhaps self-preservation was the right thing to do, but she wasn't so rotten as to abandon a girl the same age as her granddaughter.
"Take it. This is a genuine, high-grade Buddhist bead that harbors powerful energy."
Takeda Mie opened the wooden box, showing Miko the Buddhist beads inside. Each bead of this Buddhist Bead Bracelet had a single incantation inscribed within it.
Seeing these extraordinary Buddhist beads, Yuria's eyes sparkled with envy. Miko also hesitated, wondering whether she should accept them.
"Don't worry, little girl, this string of Buddhist beads can help you. I won't charge you, just take it." Takeda Mie smiled kindly and offered the wooden box in her hand forward.
Xia Yu also took a step back, fearing that being too close would cause the Buddhist beads to break instantly.
Miko hesitantly took out the Buddhist beads from the wooden box. Takeda Mie smiled kindly, "Try them on."
"Okay," Miko replied, carefully placing the Buddhist Bead Bracelet on her wrist.
Xia Yu, meanwhile, glanced at the Buddhist beads on Miko's wrist, sensing the scarce but still present spiritual energy within them.
Then he said to Miko, "These Buddhist beads still have some spiritual energy, which is perfect for you to experience. I'll leave for a bit. Remember to buy this string of Buddhist beads."
With that, Xia Yu slowly moved away from Miko. In Takeda Mie's eyes, the blurry black mist moved away from Miko, as if driven away by the Buddhist beads.
Phew, it seems my old strength is still somewhat useful.
Takeda Mie smiled triumphantly in her heart. The third-rate charlatan's days were over; her "Downtown Great Mother" was resurrected!
"It's alright now, little girl, it's gone." After seeing the black mist completely depart, Takeda Mie spoke kindly to Miko.
Miko also turned her head to look, and seeing no other ghosts around, and realizing it was safe to say she could see, she thanked Takeda Mie.
"Thank you, but I can't take something for nothing. How much is this bracelet? Please let me pay you."
"Hehe, no need, little girl. Didn't I say it was a free gift to you?"
Yuria watched from the side, completely bewildered. She had no idea what Takeda Mie and Yotsuya Miko were talking about, nor did she understand their charades.
"Um... what are you two talking about?" Yuria asked timidly.
Yuria's sudden interruption broke the humble exchange between Takeda Mie and Yotsuya Miko. Seeing Yuria still there, Takeda Mie sighed and explained.
"Little Miko was just entangled with a powerful evil spirit, but it has now been driven away by the Buddhist beads. And little Miko has no spiritual abilities; she's just an ordinary girl who can see."
"What?!"
Yuria exclaimed, looking incredulously at Yotsuya Miko. Under such scrutiny, Miko gave an awkward smile and said.
"Grandma Great Mother is right, I'm really not a Spirit Medium; I just see things."
"Then you were at school earlier..."
Yuria recalled the scene at school earlier, where the other person easily pointed a finger, and an evil spirit was eliminated!
Reminded of this, Miko also remembered and immediately felt helpless. Such a subtle movement had been noticed, but she certainly couldn't admit it, and it really wasn't her who eliminated it.
"Maybe you saw wrong, I really am just an ordinary person."
Hearing this, Yuria fell into shock, then even greater shock, so much so that she lost herself.
When she came back to her senses, Yotsuya Miko was gone, leaving only Takeda Mie tidying up the fortune-telling shop alone.
"Great Mother, where is Yotsuya Miko?"
Scanning around and not finding Yotsuya Miko, Yuria anxiously asked Takeda Mie.
"That little girl has already left," Takeda Mie said, pointing into the distance. "She's truly a good child. Even though I said it was free, she still insisted on giving me money."
Hearing that Yotsuya Miko had left, Yuria felt somewhat aggrieved. She immediately looked at Takeda Mie and pleaded again: "Great Mother, please accept me! I also want to become a powerful Spirit Medium like you!"
"Sigh..." Takeda Mie felt a bit numb. Why wouldn't this short girl listen? "I've already told you, I don't take disciples. Give up."
Yuria, rejected sternly once again, left the fortune-telling shop with disappointment in her eyes, but she had already secretly resolved that she would not give up. As long as her heart was sincere, the Great Mother would definitely accept her!
Although she left, she didn't go straight home, but walked in the direction Miko had left. She simply didn't believe that Yotsuya Miko was just an ordinary person.
Being able to defeat her so easily, she must have been hiding her strength. Therefore, she chased after her without a second thought... On the other side, the street.
Yotsuya Miko walked home alone, carrying a large bag of snacks, while Xia Yu, who had left, returned and chattered beside her.
"Although this string of Buddhist beads is stronger than ordinary ones, its strength is limited. The main thing is the spiritual energy stored within it."
"Weak spirits can be defeated with yin energy, but if you want to deal with powerful evil spirits, you can only use spiritual energy. After all, you are not a spirit, so you can't fight like I can."
At this point, Xia Yu spoke with some embarrassment: "Logically speaking, a Spirit Medium should need various tools for exorcism, such as talismans, holy water, amulets, paper charms, and so on. However, since I am a spirit, I naturally don't have such things."
"I can only teach you to fight with various energies, like yin energy or spiritual energy, etc. When you encounter a spirit core, you can then use spirit techniques."
Hearing this, Miko also smiled: "It's alright. If it weren't for Mr. Xia, I would still be pretending not to see anything. So I am very grateful to Mr. Xia for allowing me to no longer be afraid of those ghosts."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yu was about to continue saying something, but then suddenly changed the topic: "A little tail has caught up."
"A little tail?"
"It's that child named Yuria." Xia Yu turned his head and pointed to a utility pole not far away, where a figure was hiding.
"I'll go scare her. Doesn't she want to be a Spirit Medium? How can she become a Spirit Medium if she can't even see the true face of the world?"
As his voice fell, Xia Yu walked over with an ill-intentioned smile.
Seeing this, Miko sighed, silently wishing in her heart that Yuria could accept the real world and stop being immersed in her own.