Hearing Fujimiya Konomi suddenly mention Honma Meiko, Miyauchi Hikage also sat down beside her.
"Yeah, when we rescued her back then, her condition had clearly stabilized by the time the ambulance arrived. Logically speaking, at most, she should have recovered after a month of rest in the hospital."
"But you've probably heard about her situation, right? Ever since the winter of the year she drowned, her health suddenly took a turn for the worse, and it's only recently that her condition has improved slightly."
Fujimiya Konomi had already learned about the spiritual resurgence when she signed those agreements this morning.
And Miyauchi Hikage also didn't hide the nature of his teleportation ability from her. In fact, she was probably the only one who knew that he had actually awakened this ability much earlier.
So, at this time, hearing Miyauchi Hikage's suspicious tone, she realized that he seemed to have discovered something about Honma Meiko when he met her the day before yesterday.
Fujimiya Konomi voiced her thoughts, and Miyauchi Hikage also nodded, at the same time pointing his hand towards the western mountain range: "I saw a strange thin thread on Menma's body. That thread has been connected in that direction."
"If I'm not mistaken, it's that thread that has been continuously drawing her life force over the past few years, making her body so weak."
"So, I'm wondering if there's something unclean on that mountain we went to back then, using this method to gain power."
Fujimiya Konomi frowned slightly, because recently there had been rumors of wild beasts on the mountain, to the point that the villagers didn't dare to go up the mountain alone to dig for wild vegetables.
This made her can't help but wonder if there was any connection between the two.
But Miyauchi Hikage shook his head at her. "I've also observed the situation in the mountains, but I can't make a judgment for now. So I'm just planning to make a trip to the mountain where Menma fell into the water. That place, like ours, is on the outer edge of the mountain range."
Miyauchi Hikage also pointed to himself. "Anyway, I'm just going to take a look. If I really run into any trouble, I'll just use teleportation to run away and then call for backup."
Fujimiya Konomi understood.
Miyauchi Hikage was not just doing this for Honma Meiko, but was actually worried that the "thing" over there would affect the stability of Asahigaoka.
After all, although the two places were separated by a mountain range, the straight-line distance was only about ten kilometers. A normal person could walk there in three or four hours, let alone those messy, strange beings.
If something unclean really appeared on the mountain over there, it would naturally pose a threat to Asahigaoka as well.
Therefore, Fujimiya Konomi nodded slightly. "I'll help cover for you then, but you have to be careful too. Don't try to be a hero."
Dealing with a smart and considerate person like Fujimiya Konomi was just that simple. She could understand the meaning in just a few sentences.
"I'm very afraid of death. Have you ever seen me do anything I wasn't sure of all these years?"
"Who knows," Fujimiya Konomi shrugged, and then suddenly reached out her hand and placed it on Miyauchi Hikage's cheek. "Anyway, I don't care what you've come into contact with or who you've met in Tokyo or other places, but you must remember that in Asahigaoka, here, there are still many people who need you."
Miyauchi Hikage knew that Fujimiya Konomi's heart had not yet fully adapted to the changes in this world.
So he held her hand in return, and the two sat by the bed and chatted casually for over an hour, easing her emotional stress.
After chatting, he went to the set and wandered around for a while before returning home.
It's good that Konomi's emotions are slowly being relieved.
In comparison, Itou Kaiji's side didn't require as much delicacy.
Miyauchi Hikage directly pulled Itou Kaiji into his room and then asked him if he dared to continue.
"Work hard for three years, and earn enough money for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime. This is my promise to you."
"With the support from the Jujutsu world, your personal safety is still somewhat guaranteed. Of course, if you feel that this kind of thing is too dangerous and you're scared, that's also normal. I can understand."
"As for your contract, I don't have to pursue the breach of contract penalty. As long as you don't participate in the filming of other videos within five years after leaving my side, that will be fine."
Looking at the hesitant Itou Kaiji, who had returned to his normal state after the adrenaline stopped pumping.
Miyauchi Hikage knew that he was probably still struggling in his heart.
So he directly took out several stacks of 10,000 yen bills and placed them in front of Itou Kaiji.
"I felt from the beginning that you were a rare talent, and indeed I was not wrong. Your heart is far tougher than the average person's."
"What happened yesterday, for you to be able to think of completing the final filming under those circumstances, this is your reward."
Itou Kaiji had, after all, worked in a convenience store. Although he was not as professional as a bank employee, he could still judge that the amount of cash in front of him was probably two or three million yen.
You know, when he was working at the convenience store, the most he earned in a month was just over one to two hundred thousand yen, and his annual salary was only a little over a million yen.
And now, after working on Miyauchi Hikage's side for half a month, he had already earned the money that would have taken him several years to earn before.
Thinking of his lavish life this past half month.
And this money now.
If he took this money and left, he could indeed live a few more years of a carefree life.
But after that, with no skills, he seemed to be able to only return to the boring life he had before, where he could see the end at a glance.
When Miyauchi Hikage pushed the stacks of money in front of him, Itou Kaiji couldn't help but recall his state of extra-clear-headedness at the critical moment last night. He even somewhat doubted if the him at that time was really him.
At least, the current him couldn't seem to figure out at all what kind of mentality he had to make that decision at that time.
Was his heart tougher than ordinary people's?
Since he was a child, in the eyes of his parents and teachers, he had always seemed to be a good-for-nothing.
Unwilling to live off his parents in his hometown for the rest of his life, Itou Kaiji came to Tokyo after graduating from high school with his last shred of dignity.
The result was that he was taught a harsh lesson by reality.
Facts had proven that he was just a good-for-nothing, incapable of doing anything right.
Being an ordinary cashier in a convenience store was the limit of his ability.
Until Miyauchi Hikage discovered his potential and showed him a world completely different from the past.
Itou Kaiji felt as if his world had suddenly turned from gray to color.
Although, after experiencing what happened last night, a rather heavy black was added to this color.
But recalling his exceptionally clear-headed state last night, and even when he was experiencing the illusion of that Kanoe Yuuko's hatred for everything before she died, he was able to regain consciousness immediately after the illusion ended, and was not immersed in that pain at all.
He felt that his talents seemed to have never been on the so-called "right path" from the very beginning.
Perhaps only this place, and Miyauchi Hikage, could bring out his talents and value.
Thinking of this, Itou Kaiji's gambling nature also flared up.
Right then, he put the money from the table into his pocket, and at the same time, showed a look of being ready to do anything.
"Boss, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be owing those loan shark companies a debt I could never repay by now."
"You were the one who pulled me up when I was at the lowest point in my life. Since you think so highly of me, I'll sell this life to you!"
Work hard for three years, and then retire to enjoy life!
At that time, no one will be able to say that I'm a good-for-nothing waste anymore.
However, after he accepted the money, he soon had some doubts again.
"My life is a worthless one. As long as the money is enough, I'd dare to do anything. But what about Sakakibara's side? He doesn't know about these things yet, does he?"
After collaborating with Sakakibara Kouichi on a few videos, Itou Kaiji was relatively clear about his little brother's situation.
Because his name was similar in pronunciation to the online handle used by a certain notorious juvenile serial killer, he had often been joked about because of the homophone of his name since he was a child. Although Sakakibara Kouichi was not happy about this, due to his personality, he would only suppress these things in his heart.
Under such circumstances, he began to like reading mystery novels and horror works. And because of that personality, which also seemed a bit unsociable, he naturally didn't have many friends around him.
It could be said that although Sakakibara Kouichi's appearance was much better than his, he also belonged to the gloomy-type characters in the class.
In this regard, Itou Kaiji wasn't worried that Sakakibara Kouichi wouldn't be able to accept the situation of the inner world. Instead, he was worried that after knowing the truth, he would be too immersed in "that world," which might make it easier for people to feel a sense of disparity.
That is, an ordinary person who deals with those vengeful spirits and supernatural beings every day might also subconsciously regard himself as a member of that world.
But the fact that he was an ordinary person would not change. If this went on for a long time, it might also cause considerable psychological pressure.
"You're quite concerned about Sakakibara. But you don't need to worry about this," Miyauchi Hikage waved his hand.
"Sakakibara Kouichi's adaptability is also much better than yours. And you just signed that confidentiality agreement this morning. You should know that we are now in an era of spiritual resurgence, right?"
But Itou Kaiji looked confused. "Was that in the agreement?"
He had slept until past ten this morning before getting up, and as soon as he got up, he was called over by Miyauchi Hikage to sign a confidentiality agreement. Out of trust for him, he thought that he would just ask him later if there was anything he didn't understand.
Therefore, he hadn't carefully observed what was in the agreement, which was several pages long, and had just signed his name directly.
Miyauchi Hikage could only explain the situation of the spiritual resurgence to him again.
"That's about it. Because we're in a period of spiritual resurgence, the number of people awakening supernatural powers is also increasing. And you, in my eyes, are people who might awaken."
Under the Eye of Destiny, Itou Kaiji did indeed have the fate of "extreme misfortune turning into good fortune." If it really came to the most dangerous moment, he might really awaken some special ability.
He hadn't seen Sakakibara Kouichi's side yet, but he had also done a brief card divination.
His fate was not as extreme as Itou Kaiji's, but it was also the kind of fate where he had to fall to the lowest point in his life before he could make a comeback.
More importantly, Miyauchi Hikage really did have some ways to let people gain special powers now.
Yesterday, after he had resolved Kanoe Yuuko's safety issue and sealed the shadow Yuuko in the diary, after the self-selection reward progress bar was directly filled to half, he had obtained an additional non-designated lottery draw.
Although this lottery draw could not be in a designated direction, it was decided based on the content of the commissions he had handled for the diary holders during this time.
In the end, Miyauchi Hikage drew a somewhat subtle reward.
A navigator app that could go to the "Metaverse," which was formed by the collective unconscious of humanity.
From Persona 5, which was the story Miyauchi Hikage had first confirmed should not exist in this world after he went to Tokyo.
After all, this world did not have any mental shutdown cases. Apart from the shrunken Kudo Shinichi and the currently decadent Kindaichi, there was also no high school detective named Akechi Goro.
Unexpectedly, because of Kanoe Yuuko, the mission had rewarded him with this.
Was it because the shadow Yuuko was another personality that Kanoe Yuuko was unwilling to acknowledge?
In the setting of Persona 5, there was a "Stand"-like power called a Persona.
And the condition for its awakening was to recognize one's own heart. Whether it was negative emotions or pessimistic emotions, one had to admit that it was one's inner self.
After recognizing one's true heart, it was possible to awaken a Persona in the Metaverse, modeled after various historical and mythological figures, and even gods, and gain the ability to fight against the Shadows formed from human negative emotions.
In the story of Persona 5, the protagonist team formed the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, using this method to eliminate Shadows, steal the distorted hearts of the wicked in reality, and thus achieve the matter of changing their hearts.
However, on Miyauchi Hikage's side, after obtaining this app, what he thought of was not just changing hearts.
The Shadows in the Metaverse were born from human negative emotions.
And the vengeful spirits and Cursed Spirits in this world were also beings produced under specific circumstances due to human negative emotions.
Negative emotions were their source of power.
So, would it be possible to find the corresponding Shadows in the Metaverse and achieve the effect of exorcising vengeful spirits in reality by eliminating them?
And this method was also hidden enough. He didn't need to worry about his actions being discovered by people in the real world, and he could also use those Shadows in the Metaverse as practice targets.