I Was Reincarnated as a Nameless Combatant in a Japanese-style Fantasy Depressive Erotic Game, but the Women Around Me Are All Dangerous, and I Have a Bad Feeling about It

;s no help for it.
Let's adjourn for the time being.
We will discuss it again during the night.
Please come to your own conclusions by then.”

　The long discussion ended with Murasaki, who seemed unhappy, declaring it so.
We could not talk about this topic alone forever.
And thus, the discussion ended but Murasaki stayed behind to discuss the report to the Governor, the army leader and the county executive, warnings to the surrounding exorcists, and the security of the county capital, while the others left the room.

　”Hey, come with me for a minute.”

　It was at that very moment that the boy in the Suikan suit called out to me.

　…

　…

　…

　Unlike the previous world, the city lights were not present in this world, and as a result, the night sky was clear enough to see the stars.
Literally, it was a starry sky.

　It was past five o'clock in the evening, and because of the winter season, the sunlight had already set.
It was said that since the county capital located directly above the spiritual vein, the quality of the climate should have been good, and yes, the climate was better than that of the rest of the Northern region outside spiritual vein in the middle of winter.
Nevertheless, it could be said that we were lucky that the city streets were not buried by heavy snowfall.

　”Master ShirowakamaruShirowakamaru-dono, where are we going?” I asked, my voice laced with a hint of apprehension.

　”Well,” he drawled, a sly smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
“It doesn't matter, just follow me.” His tone was teasing, almost taunting, leaving me with a sense of unease.

　And so, through the forested fields on the outskirts of the county capital, I was escorting Shirowakamaru.
I had been commanded to accompany him with his luggage just half an hour ago, but it wasn't a commendable thing to travel through the forest at night without even a bonfire.
Nevertheless, since it was Shirowakamaru himself who had ordered it, I had no choice but to comply.
Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, since the night sky was bright, we were able to see the surroundings to some extent…

　(There are surely no youkai, are there…?)

　Most of the cities with spiritual veins have boundaries to ward off evil.
Even this area, which isn't far from the provincial capital, seems to benefit from these boundaries, and as far as my scouting goes, I couldn't confirm the existence of any youkai.

　(If Botan's shikigami were here, I would be able to be more vigilant.)

　Thinking about the hummingbird shikigami that had been missing for the past few days, I recall the settings from the original work.
Unlike her old man in the original scenario, she had already died before her appearance in the work.

　To be more precise, it should have been about half a year since the protagonist was taken in by the Onitsuki family.
Although it was called 'dying from illness,' in this world, it doesn't simply mean being sick…

　”Big broAniki, what are you thinking about?”

　”Huh?! Ouch!?”

　I was pulled out of my train of thought by the voice, and at the same time, noticed the figure of a beautiful boy looking up at me.
I noticed but reacted too late and unintentionally hit Shirowakamaru head-on.
I fell down, pushing him down as well.

　”…!?”

　”Big broAniki, you're hurting me…” Shirowakamaru said, wincing in pain.

　”P-please forgive me…!” I apologized.

　As I fell, I was facing Shirowakamaru's face with a scolding tone.
He looked like a little girl looking up at me from right under my nose.
And then, when I understood our positions, I hurriedly backed away and apologized.

　”…It's okay, no need to panic like that, Big broAniki.” Shirowakamaru said, his voice filled with a playful tone, as he pulled his slightly disheveled clothes into the right shape.

　”No.
Such impoliteness is not permissible when considering each other's positions,” I replied, my voice stern and serious, as I tried to regain my composure.

　Shirowakamaru giggled, his playful eyes shining mischievously.
He couldn't help but laugh, finding something amusing.
But the joke was not easy to dismiss.
First, as I said earlier, from our positions.
And secondly…

　(Seriously, he has too much sex appeal for a guy)

　With fleeting eye contact, white skin, a delicate frame, and a slender face, he looked like a girl, especially since he'd recently started growing out his hair.
Even my body reacted to him for a moment even though I had no intention to do so.

　”By the way, this is…”

　Trying to divert the topic to forget what had just happened, I took a look around.

　Where Shirowakamaru and I had stopped, there was a shallow lake.
A clear lake hidden in the forest.
A lake with fresh water trickling down from a small cliff…

　”Ah.
As part of my training, I periodically perform 禊祓 (Misogi-harae/purification)[1].
My master said it would be best to do it here since it's the county capital of Milia.”

　Shirowakamaru answered my question vividly.

　”Purification…
ah, I see.”

　Shirowakamaru's words convinced me after I observed my surroundings for a moment.
In Shinto, purification is meant to cleanse desires and evil thoughts.
This practice exists in this world as well.

　Especially in rivers and waterfalls with strong spiritual energy, it is meant to take in the spiritual energy of the earth and wash away the youkai, curses, and other negative energies that cling to one's body after encountering youkai beings.

　Exorcists of the shikigami art type, in particular, placed even greater importance on this practice because their bodies were not as strong as those of the other types of exorcists.
If Shirowakamaru is also an exorcist type that deals with boundaries, curses, and shikigami, it was natural that he would perform purification several times during the course of this mission.

　Anyway, it seems that this area is a hidden spot.
The area was small, but the spiritual energy was quite thick.
It is a good place for purification.
As long as one could put up with the cold.

　”So, during that time, should I be vigilant around here?”

　”Yeah.
I'm counting on you.”

　Saying that, the boy took off his Suikan clothes in front of me.
I hurriedly averted my gaze and turned my back.
It's a ridiculous story even though we're both men, but…
no, this guy's sex appeal is still ridiculous.

　(Well, I guess I'm trusted to a certain extent?)

　Considering his past experiences described in the story, it is not surprising that he distrusts men.
Unlike in the original story, he may be protected by that young-looking old hag, but he has become more rounded, bringing a male like me as an escort.

　…As I was lost in thought, I heard the sound of water behind me and I peeked.
In a thin white dress and with his hair untied, Shirowakamaru got into the lake and wet his whole body with cold water while showering from under the waterfall.

[1] Misogi-harae is a purification ritual in the Shinto religion, typically involving washing the body and/or immersing oneself in a body of water such as a river or waterfall.