The expert of Anomalies

Together

Sagen Takei didn't come to Amao Shingu's town just to listen to his story. The meeting place was chosen by Sagen Takei and he had a purpose.

Not to travel, of course, though he would use that excuse to ask Amao Shingu for help with a few errands.

“I'm thinking of going to Mount Uyeno. You know, the second highest mountain in the country. It would be meaningless if I came here without setting foot on that mountain. I want to find an inn up there to stay and visit for a few days.”

“Well, after hearing the story I told you, do you still have the guts to go up that mountain? If you're not afraid, I'll send you a good inn or two up there. But why don't you stay at the hotel? I know there is a hotel that is very nice but affordable.”

"Do not need. I think staying at an inn would be better to enjoy the space in the mountains.” Sagen Takei lied without blinking.

“This time, although not as crowded as a few months ago, but compared to previous years, there are still significantly more visitors. It would be a bit annoying. But if you've come to this town without going up the mountain, it's meaningless."

While Amao Shingu was babbling, a girl entered the restaurant and passed the table of the two of them. Because she was a very beautiful girl, Sagen Takei and Amao Shingu unconsciously glanced at the girl. Sagen Takei noticed that her backpack had a university logo on it.

“Is that the female student of your university?” Sagen Takei asked.

"I'm not sure. I already told you, I graduated from college a few years ago."

The two ended their conversation and focused on the food on the table. Amao Shingu didn't pay much attention to the conversation about the girl, but Sagen Takei didn't. Through his experience in the profession, he saw that she was no ordinary person. She has the power, the power he has learned over the past ten years.

Why did a person of power happen to be here?

Can't blame Sagen Takei for worrying, because this time he came here because he was assigned an important mission. Although he did not know how difficult the quest was, he had to complete it.

That is finding Yamaoka.

About half an hour later, the two of them said their goodbyes in front of the restaurant. Sagen Takei walked along the sidewalk, his mood a mess due to the fragmentary information he had gathered. Of course, all that information didn't come from Amao Shingu's stories, before coming here, he had somewhat grasped the rumors, but Amao Shingu also provided him with something more.

Sagen Takei thinks the progress of the investigation will skyrocket when he ascends Mount Uyeno tomorrow.

He stopped in front of a woodcarving shop, perhaps because he also worked in this profession, so he was surprised to see a woodcarving shop appear in a small town. Out of curiosity, Sagen Takei pushed open the glass door and entered the shop.

The shop's exterior looks like any other normal retail store, with decorations related to the store's main product: elaborate wooden figurines and sculpted household items.

Sagen Takei suddenly recalled the words Amao Shingu had told him not long ago: There isn't a woodcarving shop in my hometown, and so are many other cities. Perhaps they think this is a difficult business to develop. I never thought so. As society is increasingly developed and technology is more modern, wooden things become more and more valuable. Because it is the item of the future!

Although the above statement seems contradictory and it is unclear if it is just because Amao Shingu wants to comfort Sagen Takei, he is very curious that "there is no woodcarving shop", so where is he standing now?

Although the shop is quite small, the layout is very reasonable and eye-catching, in an artistic way. The owner of this shop must have a deep understanding. Sagen Takei studied the decorations, and his curiosity was rekindled.

Sagen Takei looked around, he saw the cashier counter but no one in this store. Is it because there are so few guests that there is no permanent staff?

While Sagen Takei was thinking, a guest entered. It was a girl, and coincidentally, it was the same girl he and Amao Shingu had seen at the hot pot restaurant.

Right now, there was no smoke and noisy atmosphere in the restaurant, only the sound of footsteps clattering on the floor, and just enough lighting in the shop, those factors accentuated the inherent beauty even more of the girl. Her eyes didn't turn to him even once, she had just entered the shop when her eyes wandered around the display shelves, and approached the statue area.

Sagen Takei raised his eyebrows, just feeling this was a rare coincidence. Other than that, he thought nothing of it. Because seeing such a wonderful woodcarving shop in a small town blew his mind. He walked around the store excitedly, taking out an item from time to time and touching it. He thinks the owner of this shop must be an old man, or at least a man in his fifties, to be able to carve such soulful and deep wooden statues, and household items as well full of minimalism and art.

Suddenly, Sagen Takei heard an item fall and hit the floor hard. He frowned and strode quickly toward the sound.

And then, he saw the girl just now standing in front of the wooden wreckage. It was all too obvious that she spilled it.

However, her expression was very calm, without the panic of someone who had just done the wrong thing, but even looked at him indifferently, then turned and walked away, as if she was about to leave the shop.

Sagen Takei thinks that she shirks responsibility and doesn't want to compensate the shop owner, even though it may not be the case, but he can't let her leave like that, so Sagen Takei called :

“Hey lady, wait!”

The girl stopped in her tracks, apparently out of guilt, Sagen Takei thought. He approached and said, "You should wait for the owner to return and discuss compensation with him."

The girl did not turn her back to look at him, for the first time, Sagen Takei heard the girl's voice: "Not for the time."

It was a voice like spring water gurgling in winter, cold and clear, making people want to hear more of her.

Sagen Takei was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?"

The girl didn't respond to his words but continued forward, and a moment later, she was already out of the shop.

Sagen Takei glanced at the CCTV mounted on the corner of the wall in the store, he thought that the girl was not wearing a mask or glasses, so finding her based on the CCTV was not difficult.

Thinking that Sagen Takei returned to the wooden statue that had been smashed to pieces. And this time, after taking a closer look, Sagen Takei was briefly surprised. Because he saw a faint white smoke, almost invisible to the naked eye, flying out of the wooden statue and dissolving into the air.

Did the girl discover the devil in the wooden statue?

Sagen Takei was hard to believe. Because the wooden statue is seen as an ideal container for a demon, and in order to contain a demon, the person making it has to do complicated steps over a long period of time. Therefore, the devil in the wooden statue is very difficult to detect. And according to his observations, the traces left by the demon after being broken the seal were not as clear as what he had witnessed in the past, proving that this demon had a very high rank, just now he also looked at this statue but didn't notice anything, yet that girl, who looked younger than him, did it.

Today is a very interesting day. He discovered a skilled woodcarving shop owner and a girl with high-class abilities. Maybe God thinks he's been complacent for too long and today, God wants him to open his eyes and learn to be humble. Though he had never bragged to anyone about his craft of sealing demons with wood carving before, in his mind, he thinks he won't meet someone whose level surpasses him at his age. That is quite a misconception.