161 Invited To Be A Companion (1/2)

”Thank you.”

Kimura Kazuki faintly expressed his gratitude for their suggestion and continued his journey.

Mei pursed her lips when Kimura Kazuki was no longer in their sight, ”What? I told him that Sword Saint Takeda is not around... Why is he still going up?”

”Yeah.” It was rare to see Asuka not bickering with her.

”Hehe...” Sei Shigeru smiled gently and said, ”As the saying goes, believe what you see, not what you hear. We are just strangers to him, why would he believe the words of strangers? This teenager did just right, and he had thanked you for your reminders. On the other hand, it's not good for both of you to criticize him after he left.”

Mei and Asuka exchanged glances and remained silent. Grandfather would give them a lesson if they talked back to him right now. After all, they could never outtalk their grandfather.

They decided to keep silent in the end, but they heard their grandfather mumbling, ”This young man has the kind of strength that should not be underestimated. Since Sword Saint Takeda is not around, perhaps I will have to ask for his help about the incident in Kyoto.”

Both of them stood gazing at one another with astonishment in their eyes. But there was no suspicion in their eyes about what their grandfather said just now.

Meanwhile, Kimura Kazuki went up the hill and came to the gate of a courtyard house with its gate tightly closed. There were trees and barks all around the place, and the scenery was beautiful. It seemed that Takeda did have an aesthetic mood to choose to settle down in such a place.

He knocked on the door, and soon, the live-in maid came to open the door.

When Kimura Kazuki asserted that he wanted to pay a visit to Sword Saint Takeda, he was told that Takeda had gone traveling, exactly as what the two people said. He would not be coming back for a short while. Kimura Kazuki would have to come over again at the end of the year if he wants to see him in person.

He did not believe the maid until he used his consciousness to sense around. He finally believed the maid's words when he found that there were no other people in the house. Although all this was in vain, he kept his chin up. It was the weekend, after all, he could just take it as a distraction.

Thinking so, he was about to go home after going downhill. If Furuhashi Sakurakyu had known this, she would most probably be speechless. He had spent three hours on a high-speed train to Yamagata Prefecture, he could tour around the place for a while, even though he did not get to see the person. What was the rush?

But apparently, such a thought had never occurred to Kimura Kazuki.

Kimura Kazuki looked at him with a frown, wondering why he would know his name.

”Your fans called out your name in the tram just now, so I remembered it,” Sei Shigeru put up a benevolent and kind countenance. He explained as he saw the frown on Kimura Kazuki's brows.

Both Mei and Asuka were staring at Kimura Kazuki, looking up and down curiously with their round, black eyes.

”What's the matter?” Kimura Kazuki knew that since he had called out his name, it would not be a simple greeting.

Sei Shigeru gestured Kimura Kazuki to take a seat and introduced himself with a smile, ”My name is Sei Shigeru, these two people sitting beside me are my grandson and granddaughter, Asuka Shigeru and Mei Shigeru.” He made a slight pause before continuing, ”The reason I greeted you is that I would like to ask you a favor.”

”The seal at the former site of a shrine in Kyoto was destroyed, ghosts and demons were haunting the place, and they had caused a lot of trouble. I had accepted the request from Deity Rising Palace to handle this case. I came to Mount Tobiuo to ask for help from Sword Saint Takeda. It is such a regret that the Sword Saint had gone traveling. But life turns around, and we have encountered Mr. Kimura. It must be fate. I realize that you have great strength, can you please come along with us? Of course, we can discuss the relative remuneration.”

If it were not because of him knowing that Sei Shigeru really had reiki and was quite a strong Onmyoji, Kimura Kazuki would have misunderstood him as a charlatan.

He was absorbed in his thoughts upon hearing the name of Sei Shigeru.