Chapter 153: Leaving the Shrine
"What is the question?"
Shido asked softly.
He thought about a lot of possibilities: Maybe she wanted to test his wisdom, or ask him to help protect the world.
However, he did not expect that the other party actually asked ...
"Which one of us is cuter?"
Maki asked with a chuckle.
Shido couldn't help but be stunned, he didn't expect this to be the question at all!
"Come on, is it me, or Rio?"
She shook her legs excitedly. Somehow, Shido managed to hear the name of the other girl.
Rio…
He contemplated. He felt like he had heard of this name before, but when he tried to recall more, he suddenly felt a headache and stopped.
Shido rubbed his head. This painful feeling in the head wasn't pleasant at all. Anyway, the crucial task in front of him was to answer Maki's question.
Since it was to make the other party satisfied, should he praise the girl named Maki for being cuter? But in this case, the other girl named Rio would definitely be upset.
In fact, from Shido's point of view, both of them were quite cute...
After all, he was really a lolicon!
"Both of you are very cute..."
Shido responded tentatively, then sneaked a peek at Rio's reaction. To his relief, she seemed to be smiling happily, warming his heart inside.
"It's this answer again, nothing new at all."
Maki sighed, obviously not liking Shido's response.
"Well..."
Before Shido could say anything, Maki waved her hand, and a strong wind blew in his face, causing him to close his eyes for a second. When he reopened his eyes, he found that he had returned to the original place, in front of the sacred tree on the dry soil.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Shido felt that the Tree of Life looked even more haggard.
And he took a look at the spiritual power in his body: It did increase, but it only increased a little, far from the amount he wanted.
The girl named Maki said that the spiritual power of the Tree had been placed in different places by her. It seemed that he could start his investigation from this aspect. Maybe he would be lucky enough to find it?
With a firm nod, Shido returned to the shrine maiden. The shrine maiden breathed a sigh of relief, after all, a living person disappeared right in front of her. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.
But thinking that she was in front of the divine tree, she didn't panic too much, but she was somewhat frightened, so she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when Shido returned safely.
"Have you found the answer you were looking for?"
The shrine maiden asked softly.
"Yes, I did."
Shido nodded slightly without explaining much.
"That's good, then my mission is complete!"
The shrine maiden smiled slightly. She had always believed in her own tarot divination, so she attached great importance to the arrival of Shido.
Now, she had completed the instructions of the tarot cards, and the next thing was bidding farewell to the young man in front of her.
Back at the cabin, Yoshino seemed to be chatting with Yoshinon. Or rather, Yoshinon was teasing Yoshino, and Yoshino was blushing and lowering her head.
"Ara~Ara~ Shido-kun is back!"
Yoshinon said with a smile. For some reason, Shido felt that she was imitating Kurumi's tone.
"I'm back, nothing happened while I was gone, right?"
Shido looked at them and asked.
"Everything is okay."
Yoshino shook her head lightly. Other than being a little worried about Shido, nothing happened.
She had some understanding of what Shido was going to do, so she was a little worried, and when Shido came back in good condition, she was completely relieved.
"Then let's go!"
Shido smiled, then took Yoshino's little hand and walked out of the cabin.
"I'll walk you out..."
The shrine maiden chuckled lightly. Shido was qualified to be summoned by the divine tree. Therefore, he was considered a divine envoy, so she naturally had to take it seriously.
"Thank you for your hospitality."
Shido nodded. Although this shrine maiden was a bit mysterious, she was indeed a good person.
The trio returned to the outside of the shrine, and Shido said goodbye to the shrine maiden, then left the shrine and went to a nearby restaurant.
Asking for a private room, Shido and Yoshino ordered some lunch, and then stayed in it for a while.
"Shido, are things going well for you?"
Yoshino asked in a low voice.
"Yes, pretty good so far!"
Shido nodded lightly. Although he didn't get the best results, at least he didn't encounter any trouble. He also found some clues about the whereabouts of the power of the Tree of Life.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
Yoshino asked again. If it were other Spirits, they would definitely be more useful for him. She lamented her powerlessness in this situation, but she still wanted to help.
"Yes, if Yoshino goes on a date with me."
Shido said with a smile.
"Is that enough?"
Yoshino asked with a little blushing.
"Yes, as long as you date me, it will be a big help!"
Shido smiled softly, then stroked Yoshino's soft and silky hair.
"Yes."
Yoshino lowered her head with a blushing face. From her point of view, Shido wanted to date her to relax and have the energy to deal with the business of the Tree of Life.
Actually, there was a little bit of a factor in this. You know, dating Spirits would make Shido more motivated, but there was another reason.
That was to find the power of the Tree. Since he didn't know where it was located, he could only try to look around by dating Spirits in different places.
Of course, it would depend on his luck.
After a casual meal, the two left the restaurant and strolled around the nearby shopping mall casually.
At this time, the two passed by a video game center, but it was small, not as big as the one Shido went with Nanami before.
"Shido..."
Yoshino tugged at Shido's sleeve.
"What's up?"
Shido asked curiously.
"That!"
Yoshino looked at a claw machine in the store and said expectantly.
"Yoshino wants to play catch dolls?"
Shido asked.
"Can Shido help me catch..."
Yoshino asked softly.
"After Natsumi returned last time, she told Yoshino that Shido helped her catch a rabbit doll. It seems that Yoshino wants one too!"
Yoshinon shouted loudly.
"Is that so?"
Shido looked at Yoshino.
Yoshino nodded affirmatively.
"Alright then! For the sake of my little princess Yoshino, your wish is my command!"
Shido smiled confidently. Catching dolls was one of his best strengths, and even the doll-catching expert Umaru-chan had to admit his exceptional skills.
So, Shido held Yoshino's little hand, walked into the video game center, and put the coins in the claw machine…
