This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 491 - 321: Humanoid Substitute (4000 words)_2

Chapter 491: Chapter 321: Humanoid Substitute (4000 words)_2

"I feel like you don’t really need to be so guarded," Shenzhu Shihui, kneeling beside Beichuan Si, began, "If he said he won’t force you to do anything, he absolutely won’t. In fact, Kelian and I weren’t forced to follow him either."

Her speech was unexpectedly smooth this time, without any stammering.

Just as Shenzhu Shihui was about to speak further praise for Beichuan Si, he cast a casual glance at Sanseiyuan Tenzi and spoke first in an unchanging tone, "Actually, having such a Salty Egg follow me is quite pointless; her abilities are definitely limited. No matter how a Salty Egg changes, it’s still just a Salty Egg."

There were already enough Salty Eggs at home; Beichuan Si didn’t want his house to become a salting vat for preserving them.

"Aside from his personality," Shenzhu Shihui covered her face, feeling helpless.

Beichuan Si’s personality remained as always, candidly expressing his true feelings.

But couldn’t you be a little craftier at times like this? You’re making it impossible for anyone to smooth things over!

Shenzhu Shihui brooded with a mind full of complaints.

"I don’t need you to smooth things over," Beichuan Si said disdainfully, as if he had read Shenzhu Shihui’s thoughts.

"..." Shenzhu Shihui’s face turned red.

It was unclear why a Spiritual Body would blush, but blush she did.

"Now that the decision has been made, you will stay with the Hayakawa family from now on," Beichuan Si said, looking at those youngsters from the Hayakawa family and nodding to them before continuing, "However, in return, you must fulfill your duties."

If she was going to eat from the Hayakawa family’s offerings, of course she had to work.

This was something that Sanseiyuan Tenzi also agreed to with a nod.

Just when Sanseiyuan Tenzi and Shenzhu Shihui thought that was pretty much the end of it, Beichuan Si straightened up and calmly said, "Now that these trivial matters are settled, let’s discuss the main place of your spiritual residence."

"The main place of my spiritual residence?"

Sanseiyuan Tenzi was confused, "What are you talking about?"

Her question prompted Beichuan Si to raise an eyebrow, and he asked in an unusually unsure tone, "Have you become so Salty that you don’t even know what you’re residing in?"

Nishijou Kelian resided within a white spherical object and took on the form of a stuffed doll, which allowed her to exist in the current world for an extended period, while on the other hand, Shenzhu Shihui chose the Shinra Bell as her residence, resting in the bell without expending much goodwill.

They all had their own places to reside, which is what is commonly referred to as a spiritual residence.

But—

Sanseiyuan Tenzi didn’t even know her own spiritual residence?

This level of Salty was almost terrifyingly extreme, but at the same time, Beichuan Si felt a sense of relief.

Thank goodness he hadn’t let this Salty Egg join his ranks. With her kind of Salty Buddha-like nature, Beichuan Si would probably have to give her a stern lesson every other day.

Fortunately, this Salty Egg remained to plague the Hayakawa family instead.

He even felt somewhat relieved.

Sanseiyuan Tenzi’s saltiness was unprecedented.

To put it simply, she was so irreverently Salty that she didn’t even know where she lived.

Reaching such a state was somewhat astonishing.

Shenzhu Shihui also felt secretly shocked by Sanseiyuan Tenzi’s saltiness, and after swallowing hard, she said,"There must be something that serves as your spiritual residence; otherwise, you couldn’t possibly exist for so long without any offerings of goodwill."

"Spiritual residence...? I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about," Sanseiyuan Tenzi blinked.

"Use your brain to think."

The sight of Sanseiyuan Tenzi zoning out while trying to think caused Beichuan Si to frown involuntarily.

If it weren’t for the fact that the Hayakawa kids, like Xiuyi, were watching, Beichuan Si might have taken up a club shaped from Death Aura and beat her bottom by now.

Perhaps sensing Beichuan Si’s hostility, Sanseiyuan Tenzi’s expression changed, and she muttered with a sense of grievance, "I’m thinking, I’m thinking, what’s with the hostility..."

Beichuan Si turned to look at Nishijou Kelian.

Snap!

Nishijou Kelian leaped up and smacked Sanseiyuan Tenzi on the head.

Sanseiyuan Tenzi’s lips twitched, she covered her head, and for a while didn’t dare to speak, only daring to bow her head and start thinking.

Seeing her finally start to seriously think, Beichuan Si also nodded slightly.

After a while,

Sanseiyuan Tenzi suddenly had a realization and exclaimed, "Does this mean that I don’t have to think about these things if I just go with you, Beichuan?"

Beichuan Si didn’t speak, his palm vacantly half-clasped, and a bloody, barbed black hammer wriggling with Death Aura promptly appeared in his hand.

He looked at Sanseiyuan Tenzi, already contemplating whether or not to actually send this Salty Egg to another world.

"...I’m joking! Don’t hit me!" Sanseiyuan Tenzi screamed, waving her hands frantically, "I actually remembered something; that ’spiritual residence’ you mentioned, I have an impression of it in my mind."

"Speak," Beichuan Si gestured, though the Death Aura Hammer didn’t dissipate.

Sanseiyuan Tenzi hesitantly looked up at Beichuan Si and then pointed downward.

"It’s right beneath this room, there is a Relic; I remember hearing from one of my aunts when I was alive that my mother crafted it for me... It’s supposed to have the effect of averting misfortune and attracting fortune. Whenever I felt exhausted, I would crawl inside to rest."

She spoke hurriedly and quickly, as if afraid of being severely hit by Beichuan Si for speaking a word too slowly.

A Relic? A village?

Beichuan Si dispelled the Death Aura Hammer.

The so-called Relic, according to Japanese customs, meant ’using a doll as a substitute,’ in other words, using the doll to take on the master’s misfortune, and similarly, there is also a connotation of using these Relics as substitutes for living people in rituals.

This was commonly used in Ancient Japan’s child sacrifice customs.

In other words, some of Japan’s modern Heian-era dolls are also partly derived from these ancient Relics.

In some more remote areas, the custom of making Relics still exists today.

What is required to make a Relic are things such as the owner’s teeth, hair, or even the umbilical cord, using these to replace the owner, and inserting them into the Relic. With this, the creation of the Relic is considered complete.

Using the Relic as a spiritual residence is indeed a viable option.

It must also be mentioned that Sanseiyuan Tenzi was quite fortunate. If it weren’t for this Relic that her mother had made for her, she might have completely dissipated by now.

But this was also somewhat strange.

Beichuan Si glanced at Sanseiyuan Tenzi.

Even with the existence of the Relic, Sanseiyuan Tenzi’s Spiritual Body should have been weaker than before.

But over the course of a year, there wasn’t the slightest sign of weakness in Sanseiyuan Tenzi; on the contrary, she seemed to be growing more spirited.

Is there something else on the Relic that demands attention?

Thinking this, Beichuan Si pointed to the ground and asked indifferently, "It’s right below here, right?"

"...Yeah. I remember it shouldn’t be buried too deep," Sanseiyuan Tenzi nodded repeatedly.

"I understand," Beichuan Si responded, before asking, "But before that, I would like to ask from which village in Ibaraki Prefecture did your mother come?"

"...Even if you ask me..." Sanseiyuan Tenzi grabbed her head.

Her nature was always more laid-back, and remembering that the Relic served as a spiritual residence was already a significant effort on her part.

And now Beichuan Si was asking her to recall where exactly in Ibaraki Prefecture her mother moved from...

This was a bit much to ask of her.

"The specific details... I’m not very clear on. But the only thing I can remember is..." Sanseiyuan Tenzi supported her face, tilting her head, "My mother... seemed to originally have the surname ’I’... What was it?"

She faltered again.

Seeing her stammer like that, Beichuan Si could only shake his head.

Indeed, she was just a Salty Egg.