Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 21 The Power of Faith

"What is 'momentum'?"

Upon hearing what Myojin Kiyone said, Maishiro Kyosuke tilted his head, puzzled by her words.

Seeing that Maishiro Kyosuke looked puzzled, Myojin Kiyone began to explain to him as she walked up the stairs:

"Sir, the so-called 'momentum' can be summed up in a small sense as a person's temperament, character, demeanor, and charm."

"On a grander scale, it's power, energy, and even the more unpredictable force of fate!"

"Although your suit doesn't fit well, sir, and your hair hasn't been cut in a long time, making you look like a character from 'Urusei Yatsura'."

"But you radiate an energy that others don't have."

"That energy that can be felt but cannot be concretely represented is your 'momentum'!"

"And having 'momentum' is equivalent to having charisma, charm, and even good fortune."

Myojin Kiyone's explanation only left Maijo Kyosuke more confused, and he could only shake his head with a wry smile:

"This kind of thing really sounds very mysterious."

"I feel that no matter how Ms. Myojin explains it, I probably won't understand it very well."

During the conversation, Maijo Kyosuke followed Myojin Seine to the second floor of the "Longevity Bath".

Myojin Seiin swiftly opened the door to the room near the stairs, stood inside, and welcomed Maishiro Kyosuke in.

Only after Maijo Kyosuke entered the room did they hear Myojin Kiyone speak with a laugh:

It doesn't matter if the gentleman doesn't understand the meaning of "momentum".

"Sir, all you need to know is people who exude 'power' from their bodies and eyes."

"No matter what you do, you will be blessed by the gods, and everything you do will go smoothly."

"Of course, this doesn't include bad things, after all, the gods are always watching over us from heaven."

Myojin Seiin clasped her hands together, adopting the posture of a shrine maiden in prayer.

This left Maijo Kyosuke completely bewildered.

After all, in the hot spring resort, a girl he had only met for less than ten minutes and who didn't even know his name was praising him so enthusiastically.

This gave Maijo Kyosuke the feeling that she was about to pull out some strange thing and force him to buy it.

"If I'm not mistaken, sir, you're a writer, aren't you?"

Ming Shen Qingyin knelt down beside the table, took out a bag of tea leaves from her sleeve, and began to brew tea using the tea table, looking every bit the prophet.

Seeing Myojin Kiyone's confident demeanor, Maishiro Kyosuke's curiosity was piqued. He sat down opposite her and asked:

"Did the gods tell you this too?"

"Could the shrine maiden really be a superhuman with the ability to foresee the future?"

Myojin Kiyone washed the tea leaves and placed the cup filled with tea in front of Maijo Kyosuke, a very cute smile on her face:

"That's not true at all. Superpowers are just a bunch of hoaxes."

"Our job as priestesses is simply to convey the words of the gods."

"Rather than a superpowered person, he's more like a medium."

Intrigued by the enigmatic girl before him, Maijo Kyosuke took a sip of his tea and pressed for an answer:

"Aren't superpowered individuals just mediums? What's the difference between the two?"

Ming Shen Qingyin also took a sip of tea, and as she knelt upright, her expression became somewhat solemn:

"Sir, those with superpowers and those who are mediums are of course different."

"So-called superpowered individuals are those who claim to have abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and use this to deceive others."

"Our job as priestesses is to redeem believers through the power of faith in the gods."

For some reason, Maijo Kyosuke became engrossed in discussing these mysterious and esoteric matters with Myojin Seine:

"There's really no difference, is there?"

"In any case, it's all about using methods that ordinary people can't understand to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune."

"But I'm not interested in those things, I'm just curious."

"How did you know my profession? How did you know I'm a writer?"

Myojin Seine looked at Maijo Kyosuke and slowly extended her hands, which were as white as jade:

"Sir, please extend your hands like I do."

Myojin Seiin's tone was gentle, as if it possessed a kind of magic, making Maishiro Kyosuke feel an unusual allure.

But his hands still involuntarily rose up.

"and then?"

"Is it about casting a spell or something?"

Maishiro Kyosuke's words caused Myojin Kiyone to let out a silvery laugh. As she laughed, her chest began to rise and fall, drawing Maishiro Kyosuke's attention to her.

"Sir, didn't I already tell you? Shrine maidens don't have superpowers."

"We are simply people chosen by the gods."

"The reason I was able to guess your profession is entirely because of your hands."

Ming Shen Qingyin's index finger danced in the air, each fingertip shimmering with an elegant light.

"So-called psychic abilities, telepathy, or prophecy are all over-mythologized abilities."

"If we had to explain it in the simplest terms, it would be that we have keen observation skills and special ways of gathering intelligence."

"If you go to the shrine, sir, you will find that the people there can easily know your name and your occupation, but this is not because they have any magical abilities."

"It's simply because they can use special methods to investigate your background."

"And what I saw was the callus on your right middle finger."

Myojin Kiyone reached out and grasped Maishiro Kyosuke's right hand, gently pressing the callus on Maishiro Kyosuke's middle finger with her fingertip:

"In this day and age, apart from students, most people don't have many opportunities to use a pen after they enter the workforce."

"The callus on your right hand tells you that you are someone who uses a pen frequently."

"He exudes an aura of authority, frequently uses a pen, and doesn't speak in a crude manner—he can only be a writer, right?"

Looking at his right hand, which was being held, Maishiro Kyosuke couldn't help but find Akane Myojin quite interesting, and jokingly asked:

"Ms. Myojin, your speculation is interesting, but what if I said I'm not a writer?"

"Wouldn't that tarnish your reputation as a priestess?"

Ming Shen Qingyin shook her head slightly, a smile appearing on her face:

"No, I didn't make any promises to you, so even if I'm wrong, it won't matter."

"In fact, what we shrine maidens do is not to use prophecy to make money, but to use the power of faith to give people something to look forward to in their future lives."

"That's why there's the saying of seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. In reality, the so-called prayers for blessings, exorcisms, and divination are not much different from what psychologists do."

"Treat the head when it hurts, and the foot when it hurts. In ancient times, before psychology existed, faith was the best medicine to cheer people up and embrace life again."