I teach kendo in Tokyo

Kazuma breathed a sigh of relief in a deliberately exaggerated way: "Phew, you're finally here. If you don't come, I'm going to wet my pants."

Tamamo smiled: "Then I should come later and bring a camera to take pictures of your embarrassing state."

"Please forgive me. But humming this song can really bring you here... If you don't come, I can explain it as an illusion. If you come, I can only believe that this is a Shenyin incident. "

Shenyin, in layman's terms, means straying into a hidden place.

For example, the famous movie "Spirited Away" actually literally translates to "Spirited Away: The Hidden God" in Japanese.

There are also some horror games where a group of people are trapped in a school in a different time and space, which can be considered a kind of hidden spirit.

Tamamo looked at Kazuma and said with a smile: "This is an illusion."

"You ran away from me in a hallucination?"

"Maybe it's because you like me too much and want to meet me."

Kazuma: "Then the reason why I dream about you every night is because I like you too much?"

"No, that means thinking about it day by day and dreaming about it at night."

"Come on, be serious, what's going on? Don't talk about quantum entanglement!"

Tamamo didn't answer immediately, but turned around with a serious expression, holding Kazuma's hand and walking forward.

"Leave here first." Her voice floated from the front.

Only then did Kazuma realize that she was wearing the white kimono with ink patterns, so he teased: "You still have time to change into another set of clothes before coming back?"

"This is your hallucination. What you saw me wearing was just because you liked me wearing this outfit." Tamamo seemed to continue to insist on the argument that this was an hallucination.

Isn't it weird that a character who appears in a hallucination is so self-aware?

However, if Kazuma knew that he was complaining about this, Tamamo would immediately point out, "That means that in your impression, I am such a self-aware person."

Tamamo led Kazuma through a long passage composed of countless torii gates.

As they moved forward, the red-based scenery around them collapsed, gradually revealing blue water and blue sky.

Kazuma watched for a long time, but he didn't see the scenery around him.

Finally, the road formed by the torii came to an end. Jinguji Tamamo turned around and smiled at Kazuma: "See you in the real world then."

"Oh, but how should I leave? Although the surrounding scenery has changed, I am still hallucinating, right?"

Tamamo smiled and said nothing.

Then Kazuma's vision blurred.

The scenery was gradually swallowed up by white light.

When everything turned completely white, he opened his eyes and woke up.

He was sitting on the roadside, and large trucks roared past on the road in front of him.

Even though he was lying on the innermost side of the sidewalk with Ma, the gas from the exhaust pipe still hit his face, choking him and making him cough.

He was about to stand up when he saw a pair of feet wearing small sandals on his right, with bells tied with red ropes to their ankles.

Kazuma looked up from his ankles, and what he saw was a very familiar long skirt, a thin waist tightened with external straps, chest muscles that were so exaggerated that they almost blocked his face when viewed from below, and a smiling face.

Kazuma: "Is this also an illusion?"

Tamamo smiled and said, "No. I just happened to be passing by and saw you lying on the roadside."

What a liar, how could such a coincidence happen!

"Obviously it was me who summoned you here by singing!"

Tamamo tilted her head: "Song?"

Just pretend.

He wanted to stand up, because if he looked up at Tamamo like this, a certain part would steal the spotlight, and it would remind Kazuma of the scene he had often dreamed of recently.

But as soon as Hema tried his best, he realized that his legs and feet were a little unstable.

He subconsciously wanted to grab the nearby bulge as a point of application.

Fortunately, Tamamo moved quickly and grabbed his arms with both hands to hold him up.

Otherwise, Kazuma will become a bastard who attacks in public.

"This perspective is more normal." Kazuma looked down at Tamamo and said, "So what's going on?"

"It must be Shenyin." Tamamo responded.

You just said it was a hallucination!

As if sensing Kazuma's inner complaints, Tamamo continued: "Actually, most of the gods are illusions or lies. Some people spend their newly paid wages betting on horses, and when they go back, they will lie about being robbed. Some people If he goes to hang out with his mistress for a few days and doesn't come home, he will lie and claim that he has been hidden by the gods.

"Although the truth of most of these incidents is quickly discovered after the police are called, the lies they tell can still be spread.

"Because most people prefer mysterious events such as Shenyin, and are more willing to spread related rumors."

Kazuma looked at Tamamo and exclaimed: "As expected of you. If I fail to pass the exam for the Metropolitan Police Department, I will write a light novel, and the title will be "The big monster living in my house aspires to become a scientist and explain everything through science"."

"A novel title with such a long title will be rejected by the publishing house." Tamamo smiled.

Oh, by the way, the concept of light novels has not been hyped yet, and "Hearing the Sound of the Waves", which many people regard as the origin of light novels, has not even been created yet.

Therefore, the titles of novels in this era are still focused on conciseness, and words are treated sparingly.

"So what's going on? Be serious." Counting the time in the dream, this was the third time Kazuma asked this question.

This time Tamamo didn’t interrupt again: “Tunnels and so on are all areas with high incidence of divine hidden events and supernatural events.

“Especially those tunnels that were built regardless of actual needs. Because they have very little traffic and are poorly maintained, they have a very atmospheric atmosphere and are very popular among paranormal enthusiasts.

“I have bought so many supernatural magazines, and almost every few issues there is a feature about a reporter visiting a certain tunnel.

“When I read supernatural magazines, I always lament that the government is wasting all its tax dollars on repairing these useless projects.”

Kazuma nodded: "I felt the same way when I saw the Hokkaido development plan. Are so many highways built just to give bears a walk?"

"Regarding this, in fact, the highway in Hokkaido is also intended to facilitate the armored divisions stationed in Hokkaido to counterattack the Soviet landing troops."

"Then I guess the ultimate purpose of these roads is to facilitate the Soviet armored group to advance into the hinterland of Hokkaido. Wait a minute, we are talking about Shenyin. What does the Soviet Union have to do with it? Talk about Shenyin, Komura!"

The last part of the lament, Kamla, is the English word for "comrade", and Hema imitates the Soviet accent.

Tamamo was amused and smiled happily.

After laughing, she continued: "Generally speaking, the more sparsely populated the place, the lower the power of science, so those remote tunnels, abandoned schools and hospitals, there may really be gaps leading to Chang An."

Kazuma: "The ones I just saw are called Chang An. I know, I know. This is an illusion. You don't need to emphasize it anymore."

Kazuma felt from Tamamo's expression that she was going to stress, and hurriedly stopped her.

"The old undersea tunnel in the Kanmon Strait has been built for so many years," Tamamo continued. "At night, when the traffic volume decreases, it is not unusual for it to become the entrance to Changan. After all, there is that guy in the Kanmon Strait..."

Kazuma: "Who? Is it a guy who looks like a pottery figurine?"

"Pottery figurines?" Tamamo tilted her head again, "What kind of pottery figurines?"

Kazuma thought for a while and named the most obvious external feature he could capture: "It's a pottery figurine with eyes like two horizontal walnuts."

Tamamo suddenly raised an eyebrow: "Pottery figurines from the Jomon period?"

Yes, it seems that everyone was deeply impressed after seeing the pottery figurines.

Tamamo looked thoughtful, so Kazuma stayed quiet and didn't disturb her, waiting for her to come to a conclusion.

Finally, she said: "I've never heard that that guy has a hobby of collecting pottery figurines. But because the pottery figurines look like the atmosphere of a horror movie, they are used in many horror works.

“He also appeared in Osamu Tezuka’s Three-eyed Child. After all, he looks very unique and easily impresses people.

"Where did you see that pottery figurine?"

Kazuma: "The trucks on Welfare Technology appear to be modern imitations. Each pottery figurine is almost the same. They are obviously cast from the same set of molds. This is not the case with things handmade by ancient people."

"Then those stains on your body...did you jump out of the car while driving?" Tamamo asked again.

"Yes, I rolled on the ground a few times for cushioning."

"Then you saw the pottery figurines?"

"Yes, I saw that pottery figurine..." Kazuma roughly pointed to the location where he saw the pottery figurine on the sidewalk, "It was standing there. There was no car on the road next to it, and the traffic lights at the intersection were flashing red. , is obviously no longer reality.”

Tamamo nodded: "What else?"

"There is also singing, it is the children's song "Caged Bird"."

Tamamo was speechless: "It's quite scary to hear someone singing "Caged Bird" in that situation. Many Japanese children's songs are very scary."

"Yes, if you change the melody, it can be used as background music in horror games."

"But she can sing "Caged Bird", which means that guy didn't run away. She likes that children's song very much, just like I like "The Song of Passage"." As he said this, Tamamo suddenly raised a hand and pointed at someone. Say hello, "Hey, long time no see."

Kazuma was stunned for a moment, then turned to follow Tamamo's gaze.

He saw a guy in a striking red kimono standing next to the tunnel entrance in the distance. Even with his "eagle eyes", he couldn't see the guy's face clearly, as if only his face was shrouded in mist.

However, the sound still penetrated Kazuma's ear. I don't know whether it was because Kazuma had excellent hearing or because the other party used some magical power such as transmitting sounds into secrets.

"Tamamo-mae, I don't have any virgins for you to eat."

He Ma was shocked. Did he say this as soon as he came up? He glanced at Tamamo beside him and found that Tamamo was smiling, as if the other person was talking about ordinary housework.

The voice continued to drift in: "She hasn't told you, has she? Tamamo Mae is a ferocious monster, whether human or monster, she eats it without hesitation."

Tamamo spoke: "Kazuma, I have never eaten anyone."

At this time, Kazuma suddenly lost his temper as a crosstalk actor and replied: "Who said that? Didn't you eat me up and wipe me clean?"

"But I didn't stew you."

"Then I thank you."

At this time, the voice of "that guy" came again: "Is this your lover this time?"

"No, I've never fallen in love with a human before, and I've never had sex with a human. But this time, I'm in love."

"No wonder, you have become weaker."

"Each other."

Tamamo said as he handed the parasol in his hand to Kazuma: "But if I want to fight you now, the consumption of demon power is too serious, and the replenishment of demon power is too slow in modern times. Therefore, if you want to attack, you can only rely on my command." Come to uproot you.”

Kazuma took the parasol and used it as a wooden sword.

Suddenly, Kazuma discovered that there was a mystery in the handle of the parasol. He grabbed the middle part of the umbrella rib, pulled out the umbrella head with one force, and pulled out the Western rapier hidden in the umbrella rib.

Wow, cool.

Tamamo whispered: "The guitar sword of He Qingliu is the product of a craftsman."

Kazuma nodded. To be honest, he is worthy of any demons and ghosts with the knife in his hand.

There was a laugh of "hehehe": "Tamamo-mae, you are still the same as before. In this case, let humans deal with human affairs. Anyway, it won't be long before you have something to check." Coming to the door."

Kazuma sneered: "You still want to use a blind trick? I already know that you are going to cause trouble at the Thousand Lantern Festival."

"That's not what I want to do, that's what humans want to do to "artificially induce kitsch with a preset scenario" experiment. I don't even know what kitsch is. See you later, Tamamo-mae."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kazuma saw the thing moving backwards towards the tunnel.

No, it looks more like drifting.

Kazuma asked Tamamo in a low voice: "What kind of monster is she? Can she be found in Mizuki Shigeru's illustrated monster encyclopedia?"

"I should be able to find it. But I don't know if he is Umibozu or some other sea monster. I have never been directly hostile to her, and I have never seen her true form."

"So when you monsters fight, do you always show your true colors and bite each other?"

"Yes, it's very bloody. So many female monsters are pacifists, because everyone wants to look beautiful and doesn't want to show their true colors."

Kazuma: "I think your prototype is also very beautiful. That furry feeling is great."

Tamamo smiled and said nothing.

Kazuma: "So Welfare Technology is not only the dream-eating tapir, but also teamed up with other monsters."

"It's not necessarily a joint effort. It might just be that the transport truck was going through the undersea tunnel, and then she noticed the scent of perfume I left on you and came out."

I still smell of perfume?

Kazuma lowered his head and sniffed in confusion.

"You don't think that you only have the fragrance of white plums, do you?" Tamamo asked with a smile.

Kazuma suddenly remembered that Tamamo had given him a gift made of wheat ears before, and he kept wearing it. It probably smelled like that.

So that's what happened.

Tamamo asked again: "What happened to the dream-eating tapir and Welfare Technology joining forces?"

"The news I heard is that Welfare Technology has newly established a fourth development department related to dreams. Don't you think it's a coincidence?"

"Indeed." Tamamo suddenly raised her eyebrows, "Well, Kazuma, I have a very important question to ask you. Where did Mikako go?"

Kazuma didn't react for a moment: "Mikako...fuck, I forgot."

He grabbed Tamamo's hand and glanced at her watch: "Fuck, it's been so long since the scheduled round time with her. Did I pass out on the roadside for three hours? Let's leave quickly. Where is your somersault cloud?"

Tamamo burst into laughter and raised her hand to snap her fingers.

An unpretentious car drove over and parked on the side of the road.

"Here comes the somersault cloud," she said, "Please."