Facing the cold wind, Soya approached slowly, but Akane Kirino had already cast a look for help.

"Soya, can I also become a miko?"

"Can't."

He answered simply and decisively without any hesitation, but she was a little hesitant.

"Hey, why?"

"Tirino still needs to take the entrance exam."

"Ah...that's right..."

Akane Kirino opened her mouth and asked: "What about after the exam?"

Zonggu still shook his head.

"As you can see, the main job of witches like them who have a certain amount of spiritual awareness is not to save lives, but to exorcise evil spirits, that is, to remove spirits."

He looked at the two mikos in front of him, one tall and one short. He didn't care about the cold gaze of the former. His eyes fell on the face of the little miko who looked up at him.

"But there are very few people who meet the requirements for spiritual strength. As a result, such young children have to participate in exterminating spirits... It will be very hard."

Combined with what she had just seen and heard, the turbulent yearning in Kirino Akane's heart immediately cooled down a lot. She almost forgot that she came here to stop the other party from embarrassing the children.

She recalled Soya's words just now, "The death of spiritual bodies is unstoppable." However, she was really not interested in getting rid of spirits, and she even had some resistance because of what just happened.

"I see."

Kirino Akane nodded, and then bowed slightly to the tall miko who had never spoken.

"Sorry, forgive me for refusing."

And the latter saw her eagerness to try just now.

"I am Sugawara Kyoko from Fuun Shrine." The miko introduced her identity to Soya, who had just arrived, with a cold face, "Who are you?"

She couldn't feel a trace of spiritual fluctuations in Zong Gu. He seemed to be just an ordinary person, but he knew people like them very well, which surprised her.

"I'm just an ordinary person, don't worry about it."

Sugawara Kyoko was dubious and stared at him for a while.

"But she's not."

Soya's expression remained unchanged, "She has no obligation to become a miko."

"Being a spirit-removing miko is not voluntary labor. If you participate in spirit-removing operations, the shrine will pay you accordingly."

Sugawara Kyoko said, turning her eyes to Kirino Akane next to her, "In addition to money, Fuyun Shrine also has recommendation quotas for some prestigious schools in the Kinki area - you are a junior high school student, which high school do you want to go to?"

"..."

Akane Kirino was stunned, "Amanhai High School."

Kyoko Sugawara was also startled for a moment, then nodded quickly, "No problem."

"As long as you agree to become a spirit-killing miko, the shrine will immediately arrange for you to be recommended to Danhai High School. The condition is that you cannot withdraw from the shrine during the three years of high school."

"Eh..."

Faced with this sudden temptation, Kirino Akane was obviously at a loss.

She looked at Sogu again.

Zonggu looked at the street lamp above his head in ecstasy, and after a long time he exhaled a puff of white air without commenting.

"Sogu..."

"Everything I said is true, and what she said is also true. Kirino can weigh it himself."

"..."

Because of his change in attitude, Sugawara Kyoko glanced at him one more time, and then looked at Kirino Akane who was hesitating:

"As he said, there are very few spiritual beings, and even fewer are willing to join the shrine, while the number of spiritual beings is increasing day by day. You should also feel that since more than a month ago, the number of spiritual beings wandering around Kinki has increased dramatically.

rise……"

Zonggu's eyes moved.

“…The clergy of the nearby shrines are exhausted and have reached the point where they are overwhelmed.

Fuyun Shrine, where I am, sent ten priests and shrine maidens to protect Kyoto, but no one was available, so it allowed a child like Tamako to follow along."

The little miko named Yuzi stood aside, holding her sleeve.

"elder sister……"

Breaking free from her little hand, Sugawara Kyoko waved her long sleeves and saluted solemnly.

"For the sake of peace in the Kinki area, please."

"..."

The witch leaned down, her long hair scattered on both sides, exposing her smooth back neck in the cold night air.

She maintained this posture until Kirino Akane expressed her stance again.

...

Walking along the stone steps to the Kirino family's villa, Soya waited for a while at the entrance before Kirino Akane came out dragging a pink backpack.

"Be careful...it's a bit heavy."

"fine."

Taking the heavy backpack, Soya looked at the tight zipper and asked, "Would it affect Kirino's own preparation for the exam if you lend me so many books?"

"Don't worry, these are books and notes that I no longer need, just take them."

"Yes, thank you."

"The remaining ones will be given to Sogu after I finish the exam. Can you carry them?"

Zonggu tried, "No problem."

"Yeah, be careful on the road."

"Good night."

Before he could get out of the light from the room, Kirino Akane stopped him.

"Soya."

He turned around and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Just now..." She looked at him for a while, "Why did Zonggu change his attitude?"

Zong Gu turned around and listened to her continue:

"At the beginning, Soya didn't want me to agree to Miss Sugawara, right?

Why did she let me make my own decision after she put forward the conditions...Ah, do you think I can't get into Danhai University!"

"..."

Zonggu laughed and shook his head.

"No, I just think this is Kirino's own business and I shouldn't interfere too much."

Kirino Akane frowned and reluctantly accepted his statement.

"Is the reason for Soya's objection also because it is very hard to be an exorcist miko?"

"That's one thing."

Zonggu paused for a moment. After all, his shoulders were still a little heavy, so he put down his backpack. "The more important reason is that I don't want to have too much involvement with that world."

"My natural spiritual sense has only brought me trouble, and it is not an exaggeration to say that I have suffered greatly from it.

Although there are many things that cannot be changed, the amulet Kirino lent me now can at least temporarily calm me down... Since I can escape, I choose to stay away."

After two years of sinking in the underworld, Soya just wants to be an ordinary person again.

Akane Kirino seemed to understand, "Sorry..."

"No need to apologize to me."

He shook his head, "And didn't Kirino reject her?"

"I rejected Miss Sugawara not for the reason Soya just said."

She is still very curious about that world.

"I just feel that Miss Sugawara is too... too..." She struggled with her choice of words, "Just... no, serious... yes, too serious!"

"If you say that you become that cold and cold because you often kill evil spirits, I can understand it, but to suddenly ask me to become a miko or something in order to protect the peace of Kinki is really too serious and serious..."

Kirino Akane paused, "I don't want to take on such a responsibility for no reason."

"--It's fine."

"Eh?"
To be continued...