Chapter 47: The Evil Spirit's Urban Legend!
On the streets of Chiba, cars lined both sides.
At this hour, only sparse vehicles sped past.
But if someone stood nearby and looked closely... they would notice the dust on the road suddenly swirl up, as if a car had just driven by.
Inside the taxi.
The ghost driver continued speaking to Miura Yumiko, "Although I don't know what you've been through, I can only say: your situation is already very serious. That guy probably hasn't noticed yet."
"What?"
"Basically, you've become a blazing fire attracting moths in the spirit world... If this continues, even if he cuts down all the evil spirits around you, you'll still get closer and closer to the spirit world," the ghost driver continued driving without stopping.
"In that case, you might become sensitive, able to see what shouldn't be seen, hear what shouldn't be heard, touch... Don't pick at the seat cushion, it's fragile."
"Oh oh, sorry," Miura Yumiko, gradually relaxing, quickly apologized, retracting her fingers that had sunk into the soft seat.
The ghost driver glanced through the pitch-black window at the evil spirits swarming towards them like hungry wolves outside and slammed on the accelerator.
She retracted her gaze.
"Anyway, let him figure something out."
As the ghost driver spoke, Miura Yumiko fell silent.
Going to trouble him again...
Miura Yumiko fiddled with a loose strand of her hair.
This feeling isn't bad, but maybe I should pay some fees, or give some gifts... as a friend.
Seeing the silent Miura Yumiko, the ghost driver, unable to keep her mouth shut, spoke again, "You don't need to worry too much. As long as your soul is still in your body, you won't cross the line into the spirit world. The simplest way is to avoid seeing any evil spirits for a period of time; then you'll slowly recover."
Miura Yumiko asked puzzledly, "The spirit world you keep mentioning... does it mean what the name suggests?"
"Mm, the world where evil spirits reside is the spirit world," the ghost driver replied without hesitation.
"It exists in a superposition with reality... Do you know quantum mechanics?"
Miura Yumiko shook her head.
The ghost driver glanced in the rearview mirror, turned the car, and explained to her:
"You can simply understand it as an invisible line separating reality and the spirit world."
"Evil spirits with strong enough resentment can cross this line and appear in the real world, but at this point, they cannot affect reality..."
"But because evil spirits are embodiments of obsession and malice, they can affect people's emotions, making them feel anxious and fearful, thus allowing them to observe or perceive the evil spirit."
"With human perception, the boundary between the spirit world and reality becomes blurred. So, only when it's certain you have perceived it will it make a move..."
"Therefore, generally, the best method for ordinary people is to pretend they don't see the evil spirit."
"Besides that, is finding an object that can connect the two places, which exorcists call a spiritual vessel."
"And right now, we are driving on this line, because my car is a spiritual vessel, and also because you yourself are getting closer and closer to this line."
Miura Yumiko recalled her previous experiences and nodded lightly.
Hesitating for a moment, she regained her usual composure.
Seeing the driver seemed to bear her no ill will, she boldly asked, "Then how much do you know about him?"
"Hmm?" The driver reacted.
"Oh, you mean that exorcist."
For some reason, speaking of this, the ghost driver suddenly became excited, her tone slowly changing to resemble a radio host's: "Let's put it this way, have you heard the urban legend among evil spirits about the terrifying Nighttime Blade-Wielder?"
...
"The vision of ordinary human eyes is equivalent to looking from reality towards the spirit world; it gets blocked by the existence of reality. Under normal circumstances, one can only see powerful evil spirits capable of affecting reality."
"And Yin-Yang Eyes are equivalent to eyes looking from the spirit world towards reality; powerful or weak evil spirits can all be seen."
Luke finished dinner, curled up in the 'useless bum sofa', massaging Mikasa's calf, watching TV, and listening to Kasumizuki talk on the phone.
He only had some understanding of Yin-Yang Eyes before.
Now that Kasumizuki had finished educating him, he nodded lightly.
"So, after Miko observes an evil spirit, regardless of its strength, the boundary between the spirit world and reality will blur, thus allowing it to attack her, right?"
Kasumizuki replied, "Yes. And because people who awaken this ability are different from childhood, they often suffer exclusion, which is why it's also called the cursed eye."
"I know, like those naturally evil Uchiha brats in anime..."
"..." Kasumizuki was speechless on the other end for a moment, then continued, "But Yin-Yang Eyes generated later in life like Miko's..."
"Wait, something's coming outside," Luke said to Kasumizuki.
His spiritual sense detected something strange approaching outside.
"I'll go out for a sec."
Luke pushed aside Mikasa's legs draped over him, slid out of the soft sofa, tightened his bathrobe, and walked outside.
"We're here," the ghost driver stopped the taxi in front of Luke's residence.
"Then what happened?" Miura Yumiko asked urgently, clutching a few potato chips.
Just now, the ghost driver had told her the urban legend about him: how, due to too many evil spirit incidents in Chiba City back then, he worked overtime at night wielding a large exorcism blade, cutting down evil spirits across the city.
The ghost driver pulled the handbrake.
"Later?... Later he was sanctioned by the authorities and could no longer use that polearm."
Miura Yumiko's fingers holding the chips tightened unconsciously.
She quickly pressed, "Didn't you say he was like a tanky assassin from a game, high armor, high magic resistance? How could he be harmed by the authorities?"
"Yeah... Attacks affecting reality are useless against his body, and magical attacks affecting the mind are blocked by his powerful soul and firm spirit... Plus he always wore those stupid glasses, sneaking up behind you, then shouting 'I'm right behind you!'. You turn around and see him grinning with a big polearm ready to chop you. Just thinking about it..."
As she spoke, the driver shuddered with lingering fear.
"Scares the ghost out of you."
"Then the sanction?" Miura Yumiko asked, not getting the answer.
"...Oh, it was sanction by the public security authorities," the driver explained.
"..."
After thinking silently for a moment, Miura Yumiko couldn't help but let out a confused sound, "...Ah?"
The driver continued, "A scared benign spirit asked its relative in a dream, paid a money-lacking gambling addict. After the gambler was possessed by an evil spirit, guided by both the evil and benign spirits, they found him and reported him to the police under the Swords and Firearms Control Law."
"Since then, this urban legend disappeared."
Miura Yumiko put the potato chips back in the bag, recalling the evil spirit she encountered before who wanted to call the police under Luke's heavy fists.
How absurd.
"Aren't the police on their side?"
"Yes and no!... Did he tell you not to tell others about the evil spirits?"
Miura Yumiko nodded lightly.
"Mm."
The driver explained simply:
"That's it. Too many people knowing the truth about evil spirits isn't allowed. Most people are afraid rather than truly believing in their existence, including the police."
"And the more people who acknowledge the existence of evil spirits, the easier the boundary blurs."
"So the police, who encounter more vicious incidents, must especially not be allowed to acknowledge this matter..."
"Unless there's a situation where their power must be borrowed, only then will someone give them definite orders."
...
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