Qiao Xi returned to the house without finding anything.
Mr. Sato came to visit again.
He enthusiastically held a bunch of unknown things. Qiao Xi glanced at them a few times. They seemed to be some food and a little money.
"Lord Qiao Xi, thank you for bringing Mako back. This is the thank you gift I prepared. Although it is not enough to express the gratitude of our Sato family, I still hope you can accept it."
Mr. Sato respectfully delivered the tray with the items to the shikigami maid who was kneeling in the corridor.
The maid looked at Qiao Xi and took the tray. When Mr. Sato saw it, he breathed a sigh of relief and showed a slight smile on his face. He sat there a little awkwardly and chatted with Qiao Xi.
He rambled on about what happened after Miss Mako returned, and it took a while before he mentioned Mr. Sato.
Qiao Xi thought he was here to ask about Mr. Sato. She felt a little embarrassed and said, "We haven't found any trace of Mr. Sato yet. It's really..."
After hearing this, Mr. Sato smiled and waved his hand, saying: "My family is so grateful for your kindness and willingness to help find Makoto, but you don't need to worry anymore. My father was sent back early this morning."
."
Qiao Xi raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Oh? The old gentleman has come back."
Mr. Sato paused for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice, with a strange smell on his face. He leaned slightly towards Qiao Xi's direction and said, "He was sent back by a monster... I heard that he was sent back by a monster..."
The monsters on the mountain over at Yahara..."
——There is no doubt that Mr. Sato, even though he felt very cramped at home with Qiao Xila, he was still strong enough to find nothing to say just because of the above sentence.
After finally saying what he cared about most, Mr. Sato had a subtle expression of relaxation and anxiety on his face. He then told Qiao Xi some legends about the monsters nearby, and his voice
It was so low that it was almost inaudible.
Qiao Xi had reason to suspect that if it weren't for her unusual hearing, she would have been able to hear only the first two words spoken by the other party.
The thing is like this -
Early this morning, as soon as Sato Ken opened the door, he found his old father sleeping soundly against the door. He was surprised and happy and quickly helped him back. When the old man woke up and asked about it, he got a lot of answers.
The story about Ishibashi and the monsters in Yahara.
After listening to Mr. Sato whisper a story about monsters as if telling a secret, Qiao Xi's eyes couldn't help but drift subtly for a moment.
Although but...youkai are not only found in Yahara. Not to mention the distance, there are several little monsters playing around under the cherry blossom trees in his yard.
If Mr. Sato knew that there was a monster kneeling behind him and playing with his hair quietly, but he just thought it was blown by the wind, he didn't know what his reaction would be.
Thinking of this, Qiao Xi coughed lightly.
"It turns out there are still such rumors... I have only settled here not long ago, so I haven't paid attention to these things yet."
——That’s weird.
The monsters in Yahara were considered to be under the protection of Fengyue God himself. How could he not know that?
When Mr. Sato heard what he said, his vigilant and sneaky expression just now because of the mention of monsters seemed to change slightly, turning into an expression of flinching mixed with self-satisfaction.
It was like hearing a noble young man in front of him admit that he knew more than ordinary people like himself, which made him feel very proud.
Qiao Xi: "..."
——You still have such little thoughts at this time. I have to say that Mr. Sato is also a talent.
Qiao Xi glanced at the expression on Mr. Sato's face and praised him kindly - for example, for being well-informed and so on. Mr. Sato couldn't help but enthusiastically talk about all the monster legends he knew in the area.
All over.
"In the west part of the town, it is said that every once in a while, unknown songs will sound late at night, and at the same time there will be weird laughter..."
——Oh, Qiao Xi knows that there are a few monsters over there who hold parties every once in a while, drinking, chatting and performing, which is very lively.
"I heard that there are monsters in the south. There are a few days a month that they come out to the village to hunt humans..."
——Well, Qiao Xi also had some impression of this, but this time when he came back, he bumped into the monster and destroyed it easily.
"On the way to Kyoto, there is a mountain that has always been shrouded in clouds and mist, and it has never been bright. I heard that it was also a bala bala conjured by monsters..."
——This is also true. By the way, your Miss Mako accidentally broke into Yunwu Mountain and was almost detained by Yan Ji...
"And the stone bridge. I heard that the pool of water was originally a small stream, and later turned into a deep pool. The small stream flowed from the other side of the sea, and monsters from the sea came here along the stream. I heard that they would live forever.
Mermaids haunt that pool..."
Qiao Xi held the tea cup with a smile and listened to Mr. Sato telling some anecdotes about monsters that were widely circulated in the human world. At the same time, she muttered a few words in her heart, until the other party mentioned the stone bridge over there, and Qiao Xi suddenly said rudely.
interrupted him:
"Is there really a mermaid in the pool under that stone bridge?"
Mr. Sato talked for a long time, and his mouth was dry as he spoke. This young man, who was so refined and had a noble aura in his every move, kept listening with a smile on his face, without any special expression.
Thinking that he was worthy of being a young master from a noble family, people like them would never learn this ability to remain calm.
At this moment, Qiao Xi finally had a look of surprise on her face and rarely asked a question. Takeru Sato immediately slapped his thigh excitedly:
"Of course!"
There is a mermaid in the pond, an immortal mermaid that floated from the sea - this is a legend that has been passed down in this town a long time ago.
The monsters in this era are no longer active compared to the Heian Kyo period. Occasionally, if a few appear in this world, they can easily cause a stir.
This is how the story of the mermaid under the stone bridge was spread.
…
It was about two hundred years ago, of course, maybe more than a hundred years ago, but it was a long time ago, and the deep pool where the story happened was not yet a deep pool.
There is a stream flowing far from the sea over several hills, feeding several villages nearby.
In order to make it easier to walk, people built a bridge over the stream. At first, they cut down tall trees and built it on both sides. It was a little unstable when walking, but it was better than without it.