21st Century Necromancer

Upon learning that the place where Nanami encountered the ghost was none other than the Kawakami Cemetery where he had once lived, Chen Yu's concern for the matter naturally escalated a level.

Initially, he was merely intrigued after hearing people talk about supernatural events at Kawakami Cemetery in the little shop and wanted to investigate for himself, but now that someone had encountered a ghost there, the significance of the incident had taken on an entirely different meaning.

It had gone from an ordinary urban legend to a dangerous incident.

Chen Yu did not tell Nanami and the others that he also intended to investigate; after all, his investigation and that of these young girls were entirely different. Moreover, he did not want to drag Nanami and her friends back into this matter, as, after all, they were just three ordinary girls who lacked the ability and qualifications to be involved in such transcendent events.

After saying goodbye to Nanami and the others who had finished their kendo practice, Chen Yu did not go straight home. Instead, he took the subway alone, heading for the familiar Kawakami Cemetery.

Jounouchi Hiromi had also been interested in the matter, and Chen Yu had arranged to explore it with her, but she had surgery to attend to today and no free time. With the sudden change in circumstances, Chen Yu had no choice but to explore what exactly had happened at Kawakami Cemetery on his own, what the strange ringing of the bell was all about, and who exactly was the ghostly figure that Nanami and the others saw.

By the time Chen Yu arrived at Kawakami Cemetery, it was nearing dusk, which is also known as The Witching Hour.

Dusk and dawn, the times of day when night and day mingle, are periods of chaos caused by the transition between yin and yang. This is why ancient Onmyoji referred to this time as The Witching Hour.

If there truly were demonic creatures stirring trouble in Kawakami Cemetery, then this time was precisely when one was most likely to encounter them.

As he strolled uphill, passing one gravestone after another and feeling the pervasive yin energy within the Cemetery, Chen Yu's brows subconsciously furrowed slightly.

This was not because the Yin Energy in Kawakami Cemetery was heavy or filled with malevolent energies; rather, the opposite was true. Today's Kawakami Cemetery was much more peaceful and serene than before. Although the Negative Energy was still intense, the resentment, unwillingness, and other negative emotions infused within it had faded significantly, as if someone had cleansed the place.

"This doesn't seem like the site of a haunting," Chen Yu murmured in slight surprise, his mind filling with doubts as his desire to understand what exactly had occurred here grew even stronger.

And to know what had happened here, asking someone was clearly a more convenient way than conducting his own investigation. Chen Yu believed that as the divine protector stationed here, the Little Rice Princess could not possibly be unaware of what was happening within her jurisdiction.

Arriving in front of the Little Rice Princess's shrine, Chen Yu sensed the presence briefly, only to find it increasingly strange, as he detected two similar auras here. One naturally belonged to the Little Rice Princess, but the other seemed like that of a deity as well—yet it appeared purer, more powerful, and... complex.

Sensing the presence of another aura, Chen Yu suddenly had some understanding of what might have transpired. However, to confirm his thoughts, he still needed to inquire from the Little Rice Princess.

Thinking of this, Chen Yu looked around and, finding no other aura present, walked directly in front of Little Rice Princess's shrine and, just as before, shouted at the shrine, "Excuse me, is anyone home?"

Upon hearing Chen Yu's voice, among the two auras in the shrine, the one belonging to Little Rice Princess trembled slightly before floating out of the shrine, materializing in front of Chen Yu into the likeness of a four-year-old girl deity.

"Why is it you again! That spirit you sent over last time was so annoying! Not only did her three days of kneeling here scare off worshippers, but she also demanded help in finding some ghost that had been dead for decades! How could you possibly find something like that!" As soon as Little Rice Princess saw Chen Yu, she began to complain to him, clearly dissatisfied.

Although she had been frightened by Chen Yu during their first encounter, she came to view Chen Yu as someone she could trust and get close to, because the two waves of necromantic divine power he had given her brought great benefits to her, and Little Rice Princess, being inherently naive, regarded him as such.

It was only because of the trouble that the spirit Chen Yu had referred to her had caused that Little Rice Princess complained to him upon his arrival.

Hearing Little Rice Princess's complaints, Chen Yu paused, and in a moment, remembered the middle-aged drinker he met at the small shop who wanted to see a female college student who had been dead for decades. Chen Yu had told him he could ask Little Rice Princess for help, then promptly forgot about the matter himself—it seemed that the middle-aged drinker had indeed caused a lot of trouble for Little Rice Princess.

At that thought, Chen Yu felt somewhat embarrassed and said, "I'm really sorry about that, I sent him to you because I thought it wouldn't be good to let a spirit wander around freely, without considering that it would trouble you. I'm truly sorry!"

As he spoke, Chen Yu reached into his pocket and pulled out a black Death Palace Rose, offering it to Little Rice Princess: "Take this flower as an apology. I hope the deity will be magnanimous and forgive my oversight!"

Looking at the flower Chen Yu handed over, Little Rice Princess momentarily forgot her anger. However, before she could reach for it, a hand stretched out from beside her and stopped her.

"A flower from the Netherworld that has absorbed yin energy is not something ordinary humans should possess, nor is it something to soothe children with." The one who had stopped Little Rice Princess was an adult woman, dressed in a Tang garment similar to Little Rice Princess's, but in a light blue color, veiled at the head, and with a bell as large as an ordinary person's fist hanging from her waist.

"Suzuhime!" Little Rice Princess immediately looked displeased at the woman and pouted, floating up to be eye to eye with her, resentfully saying, "Who are you calling a child!"

Despite the unhappy expression on Little Rice Princess's face, the woman seemed unfazed and turned to Chen Yu, speaking sternly, "And since when can a mere mortal make such direct contact with deities? Even if you're offering a tribute, should you not be more humble?"

"A god? Heh, quite arrogant, aren't we?" Chen Yu's previously good mood was spoiled upon hearing the woman's remark. With a hardening gaze, he released the previously restrained aura of his, pressing it toward the woman.

However, the woman's expression changed only slightly, withstanding Chen Yu's intimidating presence, she then regarded him with a new sense of seriousness, "I am Suzuhime, may I ask who you are, sir?"

"Chen Yu, merely a simple mortal, just a doctor," Chen Yu chuckled lightly, amused by the woman's shifting attitude from haughtiness to respect, and after handing the Death Palace Rose to Little Rice Princess, he questioned her, "Suzuhime? So the recent urban legends, the strange bell sounds in Kawakami Cemetery, and the sightings of ghosts—it's all your doing then?"