Chapter 241 - 203: The Ruins of the Abandoned Shrine_2

Words : 1352 Updated : Oct 10th, 2025

Chapter 241: Chapter 203: The Ruins of the Abandoned Shrine_2"Never mind, as long as little Hanabi stays cute, that’s enough." Continuing along the stream, Uesugi Sakura pushed aside branches, while looking around for any paths to go further. The summer cicadas were noisy, and the tranquil forest was filled with the calls of birds and insects. The deeper they went, the more desolate it became, with even the sunlight being mostly obscured by leaves, leaving large patches of green on the ground. "Sakura-kun." Seeing a large spider crawling at her feet, Hanamaru Hanabi quickly tugged at his sleeve. "Hmm." Uesugi Sakura responded by snapping a dry old tree branch. "Are there... any wolves or anything here?" "There are no wolves in Japan," Uesugi Sakura said as he moved forward, "Want to get a wolf or a big cat as a pet?" "What’s a big cat?" Hanamaru Hanabi hadn’t heard the term before, it sounded made-up. "A tiger." Hanamaru Hanabi shook her head following behind him, being a girl who’s even afraid of caterpillars. They continued walking and chatting, dry leaves and branches crackling underfoot, while the sound of the brook nearby provided a constant, soft ringing. Soon after, Uesugi Sakura suddenly stopped. While contemplating whether or not to eat more oranges in the evening for fear of getting fat, Hanamaru Hanabi bumped right into his back. "Oof..." "Are you okay?" Uesugi Sakura turned his head to ask. "I’m fine," Hanamaru Hanabi looked up and said, "Why did you stop, Sakura-kun?" "I’ve found the place." Uesugi Sakura looked ahead, stepping over a fallen, moss-covered log. Hanamaru Hanabi curiously peeked out from behind him, also stepping over the mossy log. Through the grass and leaves by the tree, she glimpsed a dilapidated dark red Torii. Calling it dark red might not be accurate, it resembled more the faded color of redwood washed by years of rain. The pillars were white and blackened, covered in moss, scattered in disarray. The ruined Torii lying on the ground was overgrown with unidentifiable dark spots and vines, and the Shimenawa on the ground had long lost its significance. Behind the Torii, even the sacred path, usually meticulously maintained, was overgrown in the stillness of the forest. Hanamaru Hanabi stood quietly beside Uesugi Sakura, gazing at the dilapidated and faded Torii, "I bet the deity here has been lonely for a long time..." Uesugi Sakura smiled faintly, finding little Hanabi’s comment exceptionally cute, and looked at the fragmented plaque on the Torii, saying: "Hachiman-sama is not lonely." "Why not?" Hanamaru Hanabi tilted her little face up to ask, "The shrine is clearly so lonely..." "Hachiman Shrine has over 400 locations nationwide, and when there’s no incense or popularity, the deity just moves to another place." "Sakura-kun... it’s not nice to talk about the deity like that..." "Just saying Hachiman-sama is well-loved, that’s all." Uesugi Sakura chuckled, he himself wasn’t a believer, but he held respect for the things that everyone else cherished. He just wasn’t as cautious as little Hanabi, who was raised on stories meant to scare children. Naturally kind and gentle, she feared anything supernatural. And why he knew this, because he was the one who used to scare her. She would often cry, clutching onto him in the past too. The peaceful, abandoned Hachiman Shrine seemed to have collected all distractions of the real world, presenting a view absent of humanity. The place was full of uneven, unnamed wild grasses, with the mottled pillars no longer so brightly red. Hanamaru Hanabi glanced around abruptly, lifting her head now and then with every chirp from the trees. "Why did Sakura-kun come to a place like this?" "Looking for someone." "Looking for someone?" Hanamaru Hanabi was very puzzled. Most of the shrine’s buildings had collapsed due to an earthquake, but because they were wooden structures, the shape of the buildings was still discernible. The ground on both sides was covered with cracks, but obscured by weeds, was hard to see clearly. And judging from the growth of weeds... this sacred path seemed to have been maintained by someone. Uesugi Sakura raised his head, spotting wisps of smoke rising from a higher place ahead, and grabbed little Hanabi’s hand to step onto the moss-covered stairs. They walked past rows of leaning stone lanterns on either side of the path, continuing to step on the cracked blue stone walk. The further they went, the more Hanamaru Hanabi felt small nervous jitters inside: "Sakura-kun... there won’t be... any bad people, right..." "Don’t worry, Sakura-kun is here." With Accuracy Lv10 and the spirit of Miyamoto Musashi within him, even if Sasaki Koichiro showed up, he wouldn’t be afraid. He had even brought two wooden swords with him. Don’t underestimate wooden swords; some are special, with a harder texture. The effect is solid; more than sufficient. Furthermore, if Uesugi Sakura wanted to, he could hit someone’s eye with a casually thrown rock. Keeping three to five people at bay was no exaggeration. As for opponents with guns... Uesugi Sakura hadn’t ignored this possibility, but the system gave no danger alerts, suggesting the other party might be helpful. So it’s likely there would be no problems. And with his 99% accuracy, he might even be able to slice bullets? Uesugi Sakura suddenly thought of himself as a phenomenon, surely the type to be invited to the FBI. Hanamaru Hanabi: "Sakura-kun, are you sure it’s alright..." Uesugi Sakura: "When has Sakura-kun ever lied to little Hanabi?" Hanamaru Hanabi recalled moments where he tricked her, like saying he was putting on shoes while touching her feet, rubbing stomachs while it wasn’t, or calling massages while it was something else. As she reminisced, her ears blushed bright red. As the girl was led by him, burying her head, and in a small voice said: "Sakura-kun... H..." H meant something naughty. Of course, Uesugi Sakura heard what she said, "Hanabi watches naughty little videos, H." "Hanabi does not watch." Hanamaru Hanabi blushed her pretty little face and said. "Hanabi, H." Uesugi just kept speaking on his own accord. "No." The girl’s little face blushed even deeper. "Little Hanabi, H." "No." "Little Hanabi, H." "No!" ... All the way through the once-existent, long-ruined office, Old Token House, subsidiary shrine, and the familiars of Hachiman Shrine, the two kept repeating this dialogue. Uesugi Sakura remained calm, while Hanamaru Hanabi’s face puffed up in red embarrassment. The Hachiman Shrine hall they were there to visit had already collapsed, with dried grass, broken tiles, and blackened wood testifying past times. On the other side, they could still see the Ema for making wishes, with faint traces lingering above. Presumably, these were the past people’s wishes, likely prayers for children and protection of unborn babies, as befits Hachiman’s duties. The Hachiman deity statue was no longer in its original place, clearly moved to another shrine. This made Uesugi Sakura think of a saying—a place even forgotten by the gods. Little Hanabi continued to earnestly insist she hadn’t watched any naughty videos. Uesugi Sakura turned around, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Sakura-kun...?" The entirely red-faced Hanamaru Hanabi found his eyes now staring intently at her. The girl’s sparkling purple gemstone-like eyes were radiating a captivating light in this lush forest. As their eyes met, Uesugi Sakura spoke: "Hanabi says Sakura-kun is H, Sakura-kun says Hanabi is H, for fairness’s sake, why don’t we watch a naughty little video together?" Naughty... little videos... Not understanding these completely and only having a vague notion, Hanamaru Hanabi felt an overwhelming shyness like a typical girl, hurriedly pushing him away. Then she curled her small hands on her chest, turned her face, closed her eyes, and said: "No, we can’t!" "Hmm...?" Uesugi Sakura teased deliberately, "Little Hanabi... expecting it?" "Nothing, nothing like that!!" Hanamaru Hanabi, with her ears turning bright red, backed away several steps, countering his suggestion with all her might. —though still sounding much the same as an ordinary person’s voice. "Little Hanabi is a girl who likes to watch naughty videos." "No, I’m not!" "Then let’s watch with Sakura-kun." "Sakura-kun, you’re mean!!"

Chapter 241 - 203: The Ruins of the Abandoned Shrine_2

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