20.The First Summoning
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So that evening, Kaito accompanied Miss Yūrei on a hard night's tour of the demon night market, offering a full-service experience of carrying bags, paying bills, dining, drinking, and chatting.
The topic of the demon night market is actually a sad one. Due to the decline of Oeyama, this so-called night market is just one street with a few shops, and the customers are the same familiar faces coming and going.
This is still because most demons aren't adept at cooking and have to eat out, which is why the market could be opened in the first place.
Actually, many of them don't need to eat at all.
In short, this so-called demon night market now feels like demons playing house.
However, these are not the main points.
The point is, Miss Yūrei, as one of the oldest surviving demons in Oeyama from ancient times, has been strolling this night market for hundreds of thousands of years.
It's unclear why she still has the interest.
I've only been here for ten years and am already fed up with it, Kaito thought while eating takoyaki.
"Ah, what's with that face, Kaito?" Yūrei looked back at Kaito's glazed eyes and asked with a smile, "Are you so reluctant to date me?"
"How could that be? It's absolutely my honor," Kaito replied decisively.
"Hmm, okay, I'm satisfied for now. You can go," Yūrei seemed to be mercifully letting Kaito off the hook.
Kaito's spirits lifted, and a sparkle returned to his dead-fish eyes.
"So, about the thing we agreed on earlier?" Kaito rubbed his hands together.
Yūrei gave Kaito a sidelong glance, turned around, and instantly disappeared from his sight.
Then, her gentle voice floated on the wind, "Of course, I always keep my word."
"Hey, hey, then I'll trouble you, Miss Yūrei! I'll be waiting at home for you!" Kaito waved.
At this moment, Yūrei, who had left Kaito's side, had several veins popping on her forehead.
That idiot, that jerk!
Does Miss Yūrei really want to stroll down this broken street?
Could it be... he's playing dumb?
Is he complaining about Miss Yūrei's age?
Suddenly, Yūrei's expression looked like that of a demon, and her immense demonic energy faintly erupted, frightening the small demons passing by into trembling.
Impossible, impossible.
Yūrei stretched out her hands to pat her face, regaining her composure.
Miss Yūrei is only three hundred years old, still very young.
Compared to twenty-two-year-old Kaito, it's almost the same, after all, we both just came of age not long ago.
Hmm, so Kaito is just a simple idiot.
There's no helping it.
A shallow smile appeared on Yūrei's face.
When Kaito, carrying takeout food, returned to his home, he found that only the study was lit, clearly indicating Sasuke was still struggling with a pile of complex and obscure books.
"Sasuke," Kaito knocked on the door, "Take a break. I've brought you some late-night snacks."
With a swish, the door opened, and Sasuke walked out, looking drained.
Who knows what he went through all day!
What the heck was that stuff? Was that even meant for humans to learn?
Why did I ever boast that I could learn it?
Whenever such thoughts popped into his head, he had to rely on his last bit of stubbornness to endure.
For the Mangekyo Sharingan!
He chanted this slogan eight hundred times today!
Seeing Sasuke's state, Kaito couldn't help but chuckle internally. Sasuke was in the exact same state as him back in the day.
Patting Sasuke on the shoulder, Kaito comforted him, "Hang in there, Sasuke! You're much luckier than I was. Back then, I had to figure it all out on my own, but now you can ask your uncle for help."
"Hmph!"
Sasuke grabbed the food from Kaito's hand and started eating silently.
He ate with a vengeance.
Kaito just smiled and watched him eat.
Seeing Sasuke like this, Kaito decided to give him some motivation.
"Sasuke, your uncle happens to be the world's last Onmyoji."
"Uh-huh."
"You might not know what being an Onmyoji signifies."
So what? Sasuke gave Kaito a look and continued focusing on his food.
"In ancient times, Onmyoji communicated with the natural elements, divined the stars, created calendars, drove away harmful demons, and protected the people. And now, I can do all that and more."
This time, Sasuke didn't even bother to give him a glance.
Unfazed, Kaito continued, "I've developed a new technique today that can even open the gateway between this world and the afterlife, allowing the summoning of the souls of the deceased."
Sasuke stopped eating.
"Would you like to see Mikoto again, Sasuke?"
As food fell to the ground, Sasuke lowered his head, hiding his expression with his hair.
"I... " his voice was hoarse as he reached out and grasped Kaito's robe tightly, "I want to see Mom again..."
Kaito stroked Sasuke's hair softly and said, "The technique can be performed anytime, but you'd want Mikoto to see you at your best, right? Otherwise, she'll worry about you."
"I'll go take a bath."
Sasuke immediately stood up and rushed to the bathroom.
After a quick shower and a change into clean clothes, Sasuke started to tidy his hair in front of the mirror.
Cheer up!
After one last look in the mirror to check his appearance and confirm his state, Sasuke hurried back to Kaito's side.
"Are you ready?"
Hearing footsteps, Kaito looked away from the night sky and turned to see Sasuke, refreshed from head to toe.
"Ready. What do we need to do?"
Sasuke was eager yet hesitant.
"Just a drop of your blood on this will do," Kaito said, taking out a paper doll inscribed with symbols and holding it out to Sasuke.
Without hesitation, Sasuke bit his finger and dabbed blood on the paper doll.
"Then, let's get started," Kaito said, holding up the paper doll between two fingers.
"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"
As he chanted, his aura surged, and a blue glow appeared around him. The five-pointed star in his eyes cast a strange light, forming two circles on the ground.
He then threw the paper doll into the center of the right circle.
With a series of hand seals, the two circles began spinning rapidly, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise.
Then, a dark portal opened in the center of the left circle.
As the portal opened, a cold and desolate air spread rapidly.
It's coming.
Kaito's eyes brightened, and his hand seals shifted again.
"Urgently as if by a strict order!"
Following his incantation, the paper doll in the right circle began vibrating and emitting a blood-red glow.
The two circles seemed to be connected.
Soon, a translucent figure slowly rose from the left portal, turning into a beam of light that entered the paper doll in the center of the right circle.
Then, the paper doll began to enlarge and slowly form detailed features of hair, face, and clothes.
Seeing the figure with closed eyes, Sasuke couldn't help but murmur.
"Mom..."