Having secured airspace clearance, the armed helicopter travelled at maximum speed from Tokyo to Itō City in Shizuoka Prefecture, landing directly at a prearranged temporary airfield.
Luo Shu leapt down from the helicopter immediately upon landing and was greeted by a local liaison officer from the Metropolitan Police Department.
"Director Luo, I am Chikichi Ogiwara from Shizuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters, assigned as the liaison officer between the SDS and Bujin-shū for this operation. Your guidance is much appreciated."
The official with light brown cropped hair and an imposing height nearing two metres bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.
Observing this, Luo Shu gave a slight nod before saying:
"At ease. Let's proceed directly to the destination."
"Understood. This way, please. The vehicle is ready."
Ogiwara gestured towards an eight-seater minibus parked nearby.
Seeing the vehicle, Luo Shu nodded and turned to signal Chisato Nishikigi and the others to follow.
At this moment, Chisato Nishikigi, carrying a silver case, groaned internally:
'Not another confined space...'
Beside her, Takina Inoue also looked uncomfortable but steeled herself as she said:
"Bear with it a little longer. We've arrived in Itō City now, and judging by the distance, we'll reach our destination in about fifteen minutes despite the cold."
Upon hearing this, Chisato Nishikigi pulled a long face, clutching the silver metal case as she quickened her pace to catch up with Luo Shu:
"Whatever, this time I'm definitely sitting in the front, and the window absolutely must be open."
"Couldn't agree more," Takina Inoue sighed.
Meanwhile, Fumonshichi, who had just disembarked from the helicopter, scratched his cheek in puzzlement. Recalling the sour expressions Chisato and Takina had worn throughout the journey, he remarked with some surprise:
"Elite members of the SDS actually get airsick? That can't be right?"
At this, Maya Natsume's face twitched as she couldn't help but retort:
"Idiot, it's because their physical conditioning is too good – they can smell your body odour!!"
The moment these words were spoken, Fumonshichi froze in embarrassment.
Though he suspected this might indeed be the truth, he couldn't help turning to Shin Natsume beside him to ask:
"How can that be? Shin's been working with me all this time and never mentioned any body odour. Little Maya, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
At this, Shin Natsume icily stated: "My Turtle Breath Technique has reached mastery."
These words left Fumonshichi utterly dumbfounded.
"Let's go, Shin. Don't bother with this guy." Maya pulled Shin along while adding, "And you-you'd better ride on the roof of the car from now on, got it? Stinky Fumonshichi!"
Though she said this, Maya knew perfectly well that Fumonshichi's sweat odour was actually very faint – only those with exceptionally keen senses could detect it.
Moreover, this particular scent resembled the distinctive sweat smell that only martial artists emit when training their entire musculature to its limits.
Even Shin only produced this kind of odour when practising the secret techniques the Natsume family had obtained through exchanges with a renowned judo master.
Yet now, this man Fumonshichi seemed permanently steeped in such sweat.
Just how intense were his daily training sessions? Could this guy really be just a regular expert?
Her mind filled with wariness, Maya quickly ushered Shin onto the minibus.
Left behind, Fumonshichi scratched his head and sighed helplessly before swiftly climbing onto the vehicle's roof after they boarded.
Though somewhat conspicuous, considering there were three women inside, Fumonshichi decided it was best to stay up here – his skills would prevent him from being thrown off while the vehicle was moving anyway.
But once settled on the roof, Fumonshichi suddenly realised something.
If everyone else could smell it, why had Luo Shu made no comment?
Surely the SDS Director couldn't be anosmic?
With this faint puzzlement lingering, the minibus started under Chikichi Ogiwara's control, heading towards Higurashi Shrine.
...
At the foot of Higurashi Shrine's stone steps.
Luo Shu's face appeared in the lowered window of the minibus.
"Higurashi Shrine?"
Luo Shu looked up at the enormous sacred tree visible from the shrine grounds – its massive trunk partially and its full canopy clearly seen – then down at the stone marker bearing the shrine's name, his expression growing somewhat peculiar.
'Higurashi Shrine in Itō City, Shizuoka Prefecture?'
The name Inuyasha surfaced unbidden in Luo Shu's mind, making his expression grow even more peculiar.
At this moment, the area around Higurashi Shrine had been temporarily cordoned off by local authorities under the pretext of the shrine's dilapidated state requiring demolition and surrounding pipelines needing reconstruction.
To make the act convincing, they had even arranged for construction teams in the know to come and renovate public facilities.
Chikichi Ogiwara, who had already been briefed, was currently handing over duties with his colleagues from the police headquarters responsible for sealing off the scene.
Once the handover was complete, Luo Shu asked:
"Is the ownership of this Higurashi Shrine held by a family named Higurashi?"
"Eh? The Higurashi family?"
Chikichi Ogiwara turned his head in surprise at the question, then scratched his head and said:
"I haven't heard of that. But I did hear that Higurashi Shrine is directly managed by the local Onmyou Agency, which assigns Shinto Priests. At most, there are some part-time Shrine Maidens, but no direct managing family."
"None?" Hearing this, Luo Shu stopped asking but couldn't help muttering to himself.
Higurashi Shrine, which was separated by stone steps and stood twenty metres above the road, and a massive sacred tree that seemed to have existed for a thousand years.
If there were also a Bone-Eating Well, then all the elements of Inuyasha would truly be complete.
Thinking this, Luo Shu closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his vision had shifted to that of Spirit Sight.
He looked up at the sacred tree, entwined with dark energy, and observed it for a while before switching to the Misfortune Perspective.
This time, Luo Shu not only saw the black currents coiling around the sacred tree but also caught a glimpse of an ancient well faintly emitting a pale glow:
'So it really is the sacred tree and the Bone-Eating Well. Then where is the Higurashi family? Could they be inside the abyss?'
Just as Luo Shu was puzzling over this, Chikichi Ogiwara suddenly heard a familiar phone ringtone.
He answered the call, paused for a moment, then froze:
"Director, what did you say? We also have to receive people from the Ministry of Environment?"
"Ah, this..."
Chikichi Ogiwara slowly turned his head to look at the clearly intimidating group behind him, his face twitching slightly.