Training

Noticing the expression of the white-clothed boy behind Ai, Miko couldn't help but feel her heart tighten. However, drawing on her extensive experience in high-pressure situations, she quickly regained her composure.

'This feels so eerie! That white spirit!'

Miko screamed inwardly, suppressing the urge to draw her gun. She looked at Shindai Ai, who had just steadied herself and was patting the dust off her clothes, and asked with a hint of concern, "Shindai-san, you didn't hurt yourself anywhere, did you?"

"Hurt? Ah! No, no! Not at all! I'm used to falling all the time; this little stumble is nothing!" Hearing Miko's words, Shindai Ai blinked in surprise before immediately standing up straight. She placed a finger against her cheek and continued energetically, "My state of mind hasn't been great lately, so I've been distracted and falling a lot, but I've adjusted now! Don't worry, Miko-san!"

'I'm pretty sure you fall every day even when you're in a good state... You've always been a magnet for bad luck...' Miko thought to herself, her expression unchanging as she mentally critiqued Ai's words. At the same time, she suddenly remembered some rumors about this famously unlucky classmate.

'Come to think of it... Shindai Ai took a long leave of absence not long ago. She was definitely depressed for a while after she came back. Does that have something to do with those two spirits behind her?'

Pondering this question, Miko hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking Ai, "Speaking of which... I did notice you seemed a bit down for a while. You're usually so lively and active. Did you run into some kind of trouble?"

Hearing Miko's words, Ai's expression faltered. Then, the brightness in her eyes dimmed slightly, and she spoke in a lower voice.

"That... well, it wasn't really trouble. Not long ago... my older brother passed away in an accident... I took some time off to attend his funeral, and I wasn't really myself for a while after that."

Her brother passed away... Hearing Shindai Ai's words, Miko felt a jolt in her heart. She immediately thought of the male youth's spirit behind Ai; his features were about sixty percent similar to Ai's.

'Could this be the spirit of Ai's brother? Did he become his sister's guardian spirit after death?'

"Is that so... I'm sorry for asking such a question," Miko replied while her mind raced. Ai simply shook her head.

"It's okay. It's been a while, and I've recovered. My brother always cared about me very much. He definitely wouldn't want me to stay depressed from his place in heaven."

'He's not in heaven; he's right behind you!'

Miko screamed again deep inside, though her outward expression remained calm and steady.

"I see... I suppose you're right. I'm sure Shindai-san's brother will always look over his sister."

"Mhm! Exactly! My brother always cared for me the most! Even in heaven, he'll definitely do his best to bless me!" Shindai Ai nodded vigorously. Then, she looked at Miko and spoke happily, "Oh, right! Thank you for earlier, Yotsuya-san. Here, have some candy!"

As she spoke, Shindai Ai took out a piece of candy wrapped in colorful paper and handed it to Miko. Miko accepted it with a dry smile.

'She's a bit of an airhead, but Shindai-san is actually a really nice person.'

Soon, the morning classes were over. After finishing lunch, Miko went to the playground below the school building for a walk. Her mind was filled with thoughts about Shindai Ai, especially those two spirits behind her.

'If the youth behind her is Shindai-san's brother, then who is that creepy white-clothed boy? He gives off such an uncomfortable feeling... even though he doesn't look like a distorted aberration...'

Walking across the playground, Miko looked up casually while lost in thought. By chance, she saw Shindai Ai leaning against a window on one of the upper floors of the school building, looking at the scenery. Behind her, the spirit of the young man was faintly visible.

'It really does look like a guardian spirit protecting his sister...'

Just as Miko was thinking that, the expression of the youth behind Ai suddenly turned dark. He abruptly reached out and pushed forward, appearing as if he wanted to shove Ai directly out the window.

"What..." Seeing this, Miko was shocked. Her hand instinctively reached into her bag for her gun, but before she could pull it out, the spirit behind Ai suddenly stopped. His hands froze just inches away from Ai's back.

"He... he stopped..." From a distance, Miko watched in bewilderment. Even from so far away, she could seemingly see a conflicted and pained expression on the youth's face.

On the other side, the spirit of the pale boy remained floating behind Ai, watching the scene with a bizarre smile.

'Was... was he stopped by that white spirit? Or did he stop himself?'

Miko thought silently. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, the pale boy behind Ai suddenly turned his head toward Miko's direction. The darkness within his eye sockets met Miko's gaze, causing her heart to seize. She quickly looked away, pretending to be natural.

'That's terrifying... He looks more normal than those other distorted ghosts, but why is he so unsettling to look at...'

...

After a while, Miko returned to the classroom. Seeing that Ai was safe and sound, she felt a slight relief. However, due to the scene she had witnessed at noon, she couldn't focus on her afternoon classes at all.

'At that moment... Ai's brother really seemed like he wanted to attack her. Why... didn't Ai say they had a great relationship? And he stopped at the last second—was he stopped by that creepy white spirit, or did he stop himself?'

Throughout the lessons, Miko's mind was preoccupied with these questions. Eventually, she decided to find Ai after school and ask some indirect questions to see if she could learn more.

Time flew by, and the day's classes ended. Shortly after school let out, Miko prepared to approach Ai to talk further, but to her surprise, Ai said she had other plans.

"What? Shindai-san, you're going to tutoring?"

"Yes! Yotsuya-san, you know my grades aren't great, so I hired a private tutor. We agreed to meet at a cafe for a session. I have to head out now. Let's talk tomorrow!" Waving her hand, Ai ran off into the distance, leaving Miko standing there in a daze.

"Sigh... I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow then. I hope nothing happens..."

Murmuring softly, Miko also walked out of the classroom.

"Now, it's time to head to the Lord Deity's shrine... Next is the special training as a miko! Do your best, Miko!" Talking to herself, Miko began to jog forward.

Since yesterday, she had taken on the new identity of a "miko." According to the Lord Deity's instructions, she had to go to the shrine every day starting today for special training to become a qualified Inari miko as soon as possible.

"Oh right, I have to remember to bring an offering for the Lord Deity..."

...

As the sun began to set, in a small cafe near a park somewhere in the city, a college student named Gentoga Keitaro sat in a small booth, looking at a workbook with a speechless expression.

"How is it? How is it, Keitaro-sensei? How did I do?" Opposite Keitaro, the girl named Shindai Ai looked at him with an expectant gaze. The young man sighed, turned the graded workbook around, and showed it to her.

The workbook was covered in red ink; almost every answer was circled as wrong.

"Well... you didn't get many right. You still need to work hard, Ai..."

"Eh..." Looking at the workbook, Shindai Ai's expression froze. After a long moment, she let out a cry.

"Aaaah! Why?! I clearly tried so hard! Why is it still like this? Keitaro-sensei, your questions are too hard!"

Shindai Ai shouted indignantly from her seat. Keitaro, sitting opposite her, couldn't help but facepalm.

'I don't think they're that hard... Even Yayoi can do these, so a high schooler should be able to handle them... Is Yayoi just too much of a genius?'

Keitaro scratched his head. Just then, a waitress passed by their aisle. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she accidentally spilled the drink she was carrying, splashing most of it onto Shindai Ai.

"Ah! I am so sorry, guest!"

"I really am... so unlucky..."

Watching the waitress wipe down Ai's clothes, Keitaro didn't know what to say for a moment. He took a sip of his own drink and looked at Ai again, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

'This feeling is...' Keitaro's eyes widened slightly. In his vision, he could vaguely see a blurry phantom behind Ai.

Immediately, Keitaro, who possessed the gift of spiritual vision, turned serious.

"Say... Ai, have you been feeling any chest tightness, shortness of breath, or heavy shoulders lately?" Once the waitress went to get a mop, Keitaro asked Ai. Ai blinked, looking surprised.

"Eh... yes... Keitaro-sensei, how did you know?" With a curious look, Ai asked him. Keitaro gently pointed to the floor beside her.

"Look there..."

Ai followed his finger and saw the drink that had been spilled on the floor. On the surface of the liquid that should have been flat, there were clearly a pair of blurry footprints that appeared for a fleeting second before vanishing.

Seeing this eerie sight, Ai shrank back in fear. Keitaro spoke to her with a solemn expression.

"You... I'm afraid you've been haunted by spirits..."

"S-Spirits?"

Looking at his panicked student, Keitaro took out his phone, preparing to call Yayoi over immediately.

...

As the sun dipped lower, on the lush Mount Kagami-oboro, Miketsu, dressed in her miko outfit, sat atop the shrine's torii gate. She was admiring the distant scenery while taking a sip of cola.

"Hah~ This is much more comfortable than drinking wine while watching the view in the old days..." After sighing in contentment, Miketsu scanned the vast city from her high vantage point and continued, "Though the drink is better than wine... the scenery is a bit lacking. For a city, it's better to look at the night view..."

As she spoke, Miketsu looked down at the sando and called out loudly to the girl running rapidly along it.

"Keep it up, Miko! Seven more round trips to go!"

On the sando, Miko was currently wearing gym clothes, running up and down the path. She was panting heavily, her body drenched in sweat, clearly having been exercising for quite a while.

"Yes... Inaba-sama..."

Miko replied between gasps... while her heart started screaming.

'Why... why did it turn out like this... Is this the so-called miko training? This is completely different from what I imagined!'

Originally, Miko thought that miko training would mainly involve Kagura dances, etiquette, rituals, drawing talismans, and making omamori... the kind of activities often seen on TV. But who knew that after coming here, none of those expected items appeared? The first thing she was hit with was... physical training.

"Listen closely, Miko. There are many types of Inari miko, and the requirements for an exorcist miko are very high. Although your spiritual vision talent is exceptional, you're still lacking in other areas, especially physical fitness. While my blessing can bring you up to standard in various aspects, you can't always rely on it. You must build up your stamina properly now. With a solid body, you'll be able to handle any situation... So, start exercising!"

'So can I choose not to be an exorcist miko... Is there a desk-job miko position?!'

Recalling how the Lord Deity on the torii gate had handed her a set of gym clothes and told her to start training after saying those words, Miko couldn't help but complain inwardly. However, facing the Lord Deity who had saved her life, she ultimately had no choice but to comply.

According to Miketsu's brief overview, after physical training, there would be weapon mastery, marksmanship, and other projects. Traditional miko skills like Kagura and rituals would also be covered... In short, Miko needed to reach a point where she could dominate the battlefield like she did in the tunnel that day, even without Miketsu's buffs...

'Am I really becoming a miko?'

Dragging her increasingly exhausted body, the girl shed her sweat on the sando under the watchful gaze of the deity.