Chapter 56: Kisaragi Station, Unlocked!

Both side doors slid open.

Uesugi澈 looked outside first, ensuring there were no specters or urban legends lurking about before allowing Kitano Runa to stand up and leave.

That high schooler, Miyamoto Ryo, bolted out of the train first as usual, entirely reckless and having learned nothing from his brush with death moments ago. If there had been a demon waiting outside, he would undoubtedly have already let out a pathetic cry.

Ayako Hattori was different. After observing for a good while to confirm this was indeed the Nippuri Station of reality, she approached Uesugi澈 and handed him a slip of paper with a phone number written on it, using both hands.

This action, however, caused Kujo Tsubaki, who had also prepared a note behind them, to pause and tap her cane with displeasure. Since someone had already offered her phone number, doing the same now would put her at a disadvantage; the Hannya might well forget about her by the time he turned around.

With no other choice, she had to change her approach.

Ayako Hattori said with utmost sincerity, "If Hannya-sensei ever faces any difficulties in the future, I will do everything in my power to help!"

Uesugi澈 silently accepted the slip.

After bowing to him once more, Ayako Hattori woke up the drunk middle-aged man who had slept through the entire journey, dragging him forcibly outside.

Next, she hurried back inside to physically pull and haul Miko Miyake out as well, sparking a brief argument between the two.

Finally came Kujo Tsubaki.

Tapping her white cane, she walked gracefully up to Uesugi澈's side and said lightly, "Lord Hannya, I boarded this train after accepting a two-star investigation commission from the Kyoto Onmyoryo. From here on, the Onmyoryo will likely designate this train as a high-priority target."

Uesugi澈 was slightly startled, realizing she was reminding him out of goodwill.

So he replied, "Thank you."

"Then, farewell, Hannya-sensei."

Kujo Tsubaki curved her lips into a faint smile, then slowly stepped off the train that had nearly claimed her life multiple times over the past week.

The train started up again, but the remainder of the journey was free from any interrupting mishaps.

Everything went unexpectedly smoothly.

Yet, through the opportunity afforded by this train, Uesugi澈 truly grasped the weight of that phrase from Tokoyo: *"A bagful of different eras falling together."*

The headmaster hesitated repeatedly before stepping off at a silent village named Inunaki; the demonic general laughed heartily, walking alone into the bustling and immensely prosperous Heian-kyo.

During the trip, a masked woman of breathtaking beauty and a bizarre-looking earth spider also boarded the train, yet both quietly took their seats like ordinary passengers—if one ignored the fact that the earth spider took up an entire row of seats all by itself.

"Next stop, Kisaragi Station..."

"Next stop, Kisaragi Station..."

Uesugi澈 stood up.

This time, he was the one getting off.

After confirming that no troublesome specters were following him out, Uesugi澈 led the Tall Woman across the threshold, setting foot onto the platform of Kisaragi Station.

Instantly, a bone-chilling cold permeated Uesugi澈's entire body.

The Tall Woman sneezed. "Slurp—Lord Che, something is wrong here."

"It would only be wrong if nothing were wrong."

Uesugi澈 circulated his Qi-gathering technique, dispelling the eerie chill before looking around.

Forest and railway tracks—as far as the eye could see, aside from the Kisaragi Station building itself which inexplicably featured a small convenience store, there was nothing left except these two monotonous landscapes.

The seemingly endless railway tracks extended toward both sides, eventually vanishing into a faint mist, while a rustling sound echoed from within the forest.

However, that was not something Uesugi澈 needed to worry about right now.

The new shrine was already located within Kisaragi Station; by lighting it, the regional unlock quest should be completed.

"Tall Woman, let's look for the shrine together."

"Po!"

The two searched back and forth through Kisaragi Station several times, finally discovering that the shrine was hanging right above the railing where Uesugi澈 had first stepped off the train.

The dust-covered little wooden cage contained nothing at all, instead draped in thick spiderwebs like a discarded, forgotten prop.

Truly, the darkest place is under the lighthouse.

Uesugi澈 clicked his tongue and reached out to touch the shrine.

The Tall Woman stared curiously from the side, wanting to touch it yet not daring to.

In an instant, the shrine emitted a faint glow, and a notification popped up.

[You have lit the shrine of Kisaragi Station.]

[Your regional unlock quest has been completed!]

[You have obtained: Special Transfer Count x1, Intelligence on Tokoyo Train x1.]

Special Transfer Count, as the name implied, allowed his physical body to transfer to the reality corresponding to the shrine's location—for instance, transferring to the Edo Castle shrine meant returning directly home.

Rewards of this nature were within Uesugi澈's expectations.

The intelligence regarding the train, however, piqued Uesugi澈's interest. He clicked on the so-called intelligence to browse it.

[1. The running route of each train is not entirely fixed.]

[2. Terrifying events will occur when the carriage is full or experiences a power outage. Please disembark immediately.]

The intelligence consisted of only two points, yet the information contained within was substantial.

First, the phrasing "not entirely" was rather subtle; Uesugi澈 guessed that the train probably passed through popular locations like Heian-kyo and Sengoku ruins every trip, whereas abandoned stations like Kisaragi Station were visited only once in a blue moon.

Next was the information Kujo Tsubaki had previously shared with him, with the addition of the "power outage" condition.

Uesugi澈 stroked his chin, pondering—if one managed to acquire the train's timetable, could the Tokoyo Train become a new type of regular, safe transportation?

After some thought, he temporarily abandoned the idea.

For no other reason than the travel time being too long.

In the time it took to ride the train for a few hours, Uesugi澈 could have died twice.

Pushing the train-related information to the back of his mind for now, Uesugi澈 checked the regional introduction for Kisaragi Station.

[Current Region Unlocked: Kisaragi Station (Two-Star)]

[Main Quest 1: Explore at least 80% of Kisaragi Station. Current Exploration: 0%]

[Main Quest 2: Save Hanyuu.]

[Main Quest 3: Purify the urban legends: Baku-baku Bayashi, Taiko Bell, and Speed Grandpa.]

[Side Quest 1: The Tunnel Leading to Tokoyo—Rumor has it that no matter the vehicle, passing through this tunnel transports one to the flip side of the world.]

[Side Quest 2: Mountain Inn—A hotel is rumored to be located near Kisaragi Station. If you have no fixed residence, you might as well stay a night.]

Still the classic routine of map exploration, purifying urban legends, plus two side quests... or so it seemed?

Uesugi澈 focused his gaze on Main Quest 2.

Hanyuu.

He naturally had a deep impression of this name, because in one version of the Kisaragi Station urban legend, the protagonist Hasumi's real name was indeed Hanyuu.

Yet he remembered that the Kisaragi Station legend began circulating around 2004.

And now, it was 2024.

Yet the main quest was telling him to save Hanyuu.

Which meant—Hanyuu, the protagonist of the Kisaragi Station urban legend, an ordinary person, had survived in this two-star map for twenty years without any external help?

Uesugi澈 found it somewhat difficult to imagine.

Not to mention anything else, just the annual colds and fevers alone would have made life miserable for Hanyuu.

Let alone everything else.

Unless Hanyuu had encountered some sort of opportunity and evolved into a three-star or four-star urban legend herself, she might have lived this long.

But in that case, it could hardly be called a rescue.

Unable to make sense of the main quest's premise for the moment, coupled with the fact that the urban legends in Main Quest 3 lacked star ratings, Uesugi澈 couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Is this map exploration or playing a puzzle-solving game...

"Tall Woman, you can go back into the Jizo statue now." Uesugi澈 patted the girl's head, looking at her slightly drowsy eyes. "Thank you for your hard work during this time."

"It wasn't hard work at all, Lord Che."

The Tall Woman grabbed the brim of her hat with both hands and smiled. "Actually, being able to stay with Lord Che is my greatest relaxation and reward."

Her smile was so genuine that Uesugi澈 had trouble telling whether it was a joke or the truth.

Still, he took out the Jizo statue and said, "Alright, hurry back."

"Popo~"

The Tall Woman blew him a flying kiss and vanished into the mini Jizo statue.

Having settled the Tall Woman, Uesugi澈 initiated his transfer.

Destination—the shrine in the Ghost Village of Arakawa, located in the school playground.

After all, Uesugi澈 didn't want to startle the Ghost Father with a sudden appearance and trigger any unpredictable situations.

The transfer fluctuations came and went quickly. When Uesugi澈 opened his eyes again, he was greeted by the bright sun in the sky.

Wait, it's morning?

Uesugi澈 was startled.

He clearly remembered spending only three or four hours inside the train.

Given the time, it should still be the dead of night.