This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 97. How did you live to be so old?

Chapter 97: Chapter 97. How did you live to be so old?

Shen Gu Mirai felt her heart falter under Beichuan Si’s gaze but still clenched her teeth and puffed out her chest, her delicate face etched with determination.

She wanted to share Beichuan Si’s worries and solve his troubles.

Beichuan Si only looked at her for a moment before averting his gaze, his voice cold as he spoke,

"Please help by asking for money."

Pfft—

Shen Gu Mirai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. She couldn’t help panting, gritting her teeth as she emphasized, word by word,

"I don’t want Mr. Temple’s money!"

Did Beichuan Si really see her as someone so greedy?

Shen Gu Mirai was so angry she almost wanted to reach out and grab his expressionless face.

"I’m just joking," Beichuan Si said without changing his expression, catching Shen Gu Mirai’s inadvertently extended hand and deflecting it to the side. Then, lifting his black eyes, he spoke calmly,

"I just don’t want you to get involved in these matters."

"As you’ve guessed, I am indeed investigating supernatural and urban legend-related matters. But for a young girl like you with no power, meddling in these affairs without the ability to protect yourself is very unwise."

"Hmm—" Shen Gu Mirai blinked her large eyes, completely stunned for a while before coming back to her senses, her voice filled with disbelief, "Mr. Temple, are you concerned about me?"

Her cheeks turned red, revealing a shy expression.

Who would have thought—Beichuan Si really did have a side that cared about others?

"I’m afraid you’ll cause trouble," Beichuan Si replied expressionlessly.

"?????" Shen Gu Mirai.

Shen Gu Mirai’s mouth opened and closed, eventually turning her emotion into indignation, as she said very much annoyed,

"I don’t care! I want to help you with the investigation, Mr. Temple!"

"Okay, then I’ll leave it to you."

Yet another unexpected answer, Beichuan Si agreed without a change of expression.

Shen Gu Mirai was stunned again, her expression like flipping through a book of strange looks at him, "Mr. Temple, why have you again..."

Beichuan Si’s expression remained unchanged; while he changed into indoor shoes, he said, "After all, no matter what I say, you’re always going to investigate, aren’t you?"

"This... is also true." Shen Gu Mirai nodded her head.

"If that’s the case, then why should I insist on stopping you?" Beichuan Si countered.

Er, cough cough cough...

Shen Gu Mirai choked on his words, coughing out loud.

And as she coughed, Beichuan Si spoke again, "No matter how you investigate, I still have one piece of advice for you. Always prioritize your own safety, especially when it comes to Sanmu Doll Abandoned Factory. Don’t go there without me accompanying you, understand?"

"... Yeah." Shen Gu Mirai’s expression was odd, feeling as though everything she did was anticipated and tightly orchestrated by Beichuan Si.

But she did not actually dislike this control from Beichuan Si, and obediently agreed.

Similarly, a term mentioned by Beichuan Si vaguely caught her attention.

Sanmu Doll Abandoned Factory...

She had been present during Beichuan Si’s discussion with Tsukishima Risa, so she was not unfamiliar with the term.

Moreover, she had heard this urban legend in her class before.

It was said that leaving your name on the ’Wall of Names’ deep within the doll factory would make you good friends, never to betray each other—a romantic yet odd tale.

But if it was an urban legend that Mr. Temple was investigating, it definitely wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

Shen Gu Mirai, now parted from Beichuan Si at the entranceway, had a flickering gaze.

Her parents were scholars of folklore and human behavior, working long-term abroad for that reason.

Even if Shen Gu Mirai lacked a strong interest in their work, she had acquired quite a bit of knowledge about folklore just from being around it.

Sanmu Doll Abandoned Factory... It should be near Tokyo Ogakasa Mountain Area, right?

She remembered her father had once researched the shrine and temple culture around Ogao Mountain and had also collected some material on the Sanmu Doll Abandoned Factory at the time.

So, she would go through the material in the next few days; surely, she could help Mr. Temple.

Shen Gu Mirai clenched her fist slightly, cheering herself on.

...

Time skipped to the afternoon school dismissal.

"Magong," Beichuan Si turned his head to look at Magong Tong beside him.

"Um... let’s, let’s set off, Beichuan," Magong Tong nodded slightly.

She didn’t hold out hope for the kind of things that would happen in a ghost story, like seeing Grandma Dongzi again, but there was nothing wrong with setting off for a temple visit.

The two quickly left the school gate and headed for the other end of the main street.

This direction was where they had been to the cure café last time, and it was no wonder that Beichuan Si had run into Magong Tong right after leaving the Tsukishima house.

After following Magong Tong through several small streets, Beichuan Si finally arrived between a residential area.

When Beichuan Si looked up again to survey his surroundings, in front of him was a wall about three meters high that had seemingly appeared at some unknown point.

Looking straight on from where he was, he could see through the modestly-sized temple gate. There was an ancient pine tree planted within the temple grounds, which even in winter, exuded a lush and vibrant aura.

The overall temple architecture was simple and, while the grounds weren’t large, they actually conveyed a sense of exquisite charm.

Beichuan Si could feel Kelian, wrapped in his arms, trembling with joy.

As if this place held a tremendous attraction for the little creature.

"This way, Mr. Temple..." Magong Tong’s voice came from ahead.

Beichuan Si gave Nishijou Kelian a pat, urging her to calm down a bit, answered, and then followed.

But before they had gone two steps, the clumsy Magong Tong bumped into a monk.

"Ah... Abbot Yutian," Magong Tong hastily bowed deeply to the monk.

"Miss Magong, are you here today to pray for Ms. Dongzi?" the monk asked with a smile, not minding Magong Tong’s blunder.

It was then that Magong Tong let out a soft ’Ah,’ and extended her hand to introduce Beichuan Si to Abbot Yutian:

"This, this is Beichuan Si from my school I’ve mentioned to you before, Master Yutian."

"Oh?" Abbot Yutian was intrigued.

Abbot Yutian was someone with genuine abilities to attract fortune and repel disaster; he was well aware of the curse that lingered around Magong Tong.

However, he was unable to remove it for her, only occasionally joining with Magong Dongzi to slightly suppress it.

This suppression had gone on for nine years, and even though the amount of faith from his believers had grown over time, he was still unable to shake the increasingly fierce curse on Magong Tong.

Just as he was worrying about this matter, Magong Tong had mentioned she had a classmate who seemed completely unaffected by her curse. Therefore, Master Yutian was curious about how Beichuan Si managed to do it.

Perhaps the key to solving Magong Tong’s physical problem lay with this classmate Beichuan?

He turned his head, only to see Beichuan Si, with a calm and placid countenance.

Then—

The genteel monk’s face turned pale, and he blurted out almost uncontrollably:

"How have you managed to live so long?"

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