"Divination can reach that far?" Toya asked, sounding skeptical. "Kyoto is a long way from here. You can actually sense Seimei's burial site at this distance?"
"Yes, and the reading is tied to you," Hanazono Yurine replied with a slight nod. "Going there will be to your benefit."
"If you're that certain, then let's go." Toya didn't have any pressing matters, and a trip to Kyoto sounded like a productive change of pace.
"Are we going to Kyoto?" Nyaruko, who had been feigning a mortal injury, sprang to her feet instantly. She looked entirely revitalized. "Let's raid Seimei's tomb! It's been a thousand years; think of the artifacts we could find!"
Nearby, Jashin-chan managed to pull herself up. Seeing Nyaruko so energetic, she gritted her teeth in frustration. It has to be that armor. I need to get one for myself.
Yurine glanced at Nyaruko, her brow furrowing. This girl is strange.
On the surface, Nyaruko appeared to be an ordinary human, but Yurine's instincts warned her to stay away. There was something about her that defied investigation.
Chaos... disorder? Yurine felt an uncontrollable urge to look closer, to uncover what Nyaruko was hiding. She felt herself slipping away, her consciousness drifting toward the cold edge of reality.
"Yurine, are you all right?" Toya's calm voice cut through the silence.
It acted like a tether, pulling Yurine's mind back from the void.
"What? Oh... I'm fine." Her gaze cleared after a brief moment of disorientation. "Let's get back to the matter of Abe no Seimei."
That was too close. Once Toya was sure she had recovered, he shot a warning glare at Nyaruko. "Try that again, and I won't care who you are."
As a shrine maiden, Yurine likely possessed the abilities of a medium. She had clearly tried to trace Nyaruko's origin. If Toya hadn't intervened, she might have lost herself in the attempt.
Nyaruko nodded obediently, though she felt slighted. I didn't actually do anything. Even Nyarlathotep was likely taken aback. This girl had glimpsed the essence of an Evil God and walked away with her sanity intact. It was the God who should have been shocked, yet Nyaruko was the one being reprimanded.
She's something else, Nyaruko thought, her eyes fixed on Yurine. Aside from Toya, she had never seen a human look into the abyss without going mad. To think a simple magician or shrine maiden possessed that kind of mental fortitude was remarkable.
After a brief discussion, Toya and Yurine finalized their plans.
"You're staying here to watch the agency," Toya said firmly.
"Darling, you're being cruel!" Nyaruko pouted. "It's too boring here. I want to go!"
Toya remained unmoved. Nyaruko was too unpredictable, and Abe no Seimei had once sacrificed his very soul to safeguard the world from entities like her. If the seal sensed her presence, things would turn volatile.
"Stay here. No trouble."
"But I can protect you!"
On the other side of the room, Yurine was giving Jashin-chan a similar lecture, ordering the snake to stay put and behave.
Soon after, the car Toya had called arrived. The two of them set off for Kyoto.
.....
Trash Fox Detective Agency
Nyaruko stood at the entrance, her Rider Belt secured. She shot a mocking look at Jashin-chan. "I'm heading out to find Darling. Have fun being stuck here, you stupid snake!"
"I am a high-ranking demon, not a snake!" Jashin-chan yelled. Her eyes then drifted to the display case where Toya's equipment was kept. "Wait... is that a second set?"
Watch me transform.
Moments later, Jashin-chan successfully armored up as Kamen Rider Kabuto. Using the suit's acceleration, she vanished in a blur to chase after Nyaruko.
Toya was currently unaware that his gear had been hijacked. Two "Kamen Riders" were now tearing through the city in high-speed pursuit, leaving a trail of confusion behind them.
.....
Inside the car, the atmosphere was heavy. Toya glanced at Yurine, unsure how to start a conversation. While he knew she was kind-hearted, her somber aura made her difficult to approach. She was the type to remain silent until spoken to.
Finally, Yurine spoke, her voice calm. "Toya, if you have something to say, just say it."
Toya laughed awkwardly. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Would you be interested in joining the Trash Fox Detective Agency as a regular investigator?"
He had been considering this for some time. Having someone with Yurine's abilities would make supernatural commissions much easier to manage. Her presence alone would deter most troublemakers.
That included Nyaruko. Tohru was strong, but she wasn't a specialist in dealing with the chaotic nature of an Evil God.
"An investigator?" Yurine murmured. Her visible eye turned toward him. "I don't know the first thing about detective work."
She's considering it. Toya smiled. "You don't need to do any actual deduction. I just need you to handle supernatural threats. The pay is excellent."
He held up a hand to indicate a starting rate in the millions of yen.
Yurine's eyes flickered. Though her face remained stoic, her mind was racing.
Millions of yen? If I join, I could renovate the shrine... and buy more dresses.
Toya sensed her resolve wavering and let a confident smile cross his face.
Suddenly, an anomaly with an unnaturally long neck stuck its head through the car window, screeching, "You can see me, can't you?!"
The creature had mistaken Yurine's internal excitement for fear.
Just as Toya was about to reach for his weapon, Yurine looked up. Her voice was cold enough to frost the glass. "Don't get in my way."
Feeling the dark, suffocating pressure radiating from her, the anomaly shrieked and fled instantly.