Chapter 126: Sachiko Ever After Game

Fireworks erupted across Tokyo High School, accompanied by a constant, roaring clamor. Students surged through the grounds like a vast, winding dragon. It was the season of cherry blossoms, a defining feature of the city, and as the petals danced through the air, Tokyo seemed to exist entirely within a sea of flowers.

Fang You and Abe Haruya walked into the school, absorbing the atmosphere.

"Big brother!"

In the distance, a young girl caught sight of Abe Haruya and ran over, joyfully throwing her arms around him.

"You’ve finally graduated from high school, Yuriko!" Abe Haruya said, stroking the girl’s hair with a look of deep affection.

"Oh, right! The graduation ceremony is about to start. Come, sit over here!" Yuriko pulled Abe Haruya along. Abe Haruya glanced at Fang You and added, "Come along!"

The two men took their seats in the family section. On the stage before them, a series of exquisite graduation performances unfolded, and after a while, Yuriko herself performed a dance.

Fang You accompanied Abe Haruya through the long day, soaking in the high school atmosphere, though in his heart, he longed to return to the Eastern Lands and be by Zhang Shengnan’s side.

When the ceremony finally concluded, the crowds began to disperse. Eventually, Yuriko led Fang You and Abe Haruya to her classroom.

"Tomorrow, I’ll be assigned to a higher institution elsewhere in Tokyo to continue my studies. Before that, my friends and I decided to have one last gathering. I’m sure they’d love to meet you."

Abe Haruya looked at Fang You. "Thank you for taking the time to accompany me to my sister’s graduation. Don’t worry, I’ll cover your airfare back to the Eastern Lands."

Fang You offered a bitter smile. "Sometimes I truly don’t know if you’re a good man or a bad one. You’re impossible to figure out."

Abe Haruya replied, "Good and bad are merely matters of perspective, depending on whose eyes you use to look."

Just then, several students walked in, laughing.

"Yuriko, sorry we’re late!"

There were two boys and two girls, all wearing bright smiles.

"Hisae!" Upon seeing one of the girls, Yuriko hugged her excitedly.

"I can’t believe we’re about to go our separate ways. It feels like the time went by so fast," Hisae said, hugging her back.

"Hisae is my best friend," Yuriko explained.

"Is this your brother? I heard he’s an incredibly powerful Onmyoji!" one of the boys asked.

"Right! Let me introduce you to my brother, Abe Haruya. He’s a super-talented Onmyoji and the best brother in the world—he’s been supporting me through Tokyo High School this whole time," Yuriko said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Having such a wonderful brother is truly enviable," Hisae said with a smile.

"By the way, is that gentleman next to him a foreigner?" she asked, pointing at Fang You.

Fang You greeted them, "I come from the East. I am also an Onmyoji."

"He’s a good friend of my brother’s," Abe Haruya said, resting a hand on Fang You’s shoulder. Fang You felt a subtle sense of repulsion.

"Let me introduce you to my brother as well," Yuriko continued. "Hisae you’ve already met. These three are our class athlete, Takagi Ken; Hanako, who loves ghost stories; and our mascot, Fujita."

"Nice to meet you all," Abe Haruya greeted them.

"Hello, big brother! I’m Takagi Ken."

"I’m Fujita."

"I’m Hanako."

Fang You stood to the side, offering an awkward smile.

Suddenly, a woman walked into the room. "I heard you were having a little party in here. Your teacher would love to join!"

"It’s Ms. Chiyo Michi!" Yuriko said happily.

"I hope you don’t mind. Since my dear students are about to leave, I wanted to come and see them off," Chiyo Michi said, appearing very kind.

"This is my brother, Abe Haruya," Yuriko introduced him.

"Nice to meet you. I hear you’ve been supporting Yuriko through Tokyo High School all on your own—that’s no small feat," Chiyo Michi said, bowing in respect.

"It’s nothing worth mentioning. She is my sister, after all," Abe Haruya replied, bowing politely in return.

"Oh, I found a very interesting ritual online!" Hanako chimed in. "It’s called the 'Sachiko Ever After' game. They say it brings good luck to those who are parting ways."

"Sachiko Ever After? That doesn’t sound like another one of those strange rituals, does it?" Yuriko asked, sounding worried. "We shouldn't play around with those kinds of things if we don't understand them."

"It doesn't really matter, does it? We have an Onmyoji right here with us!" Takagi Ken interjected.

"Exactly! We’re all leaving anyway, let’s bring each other some good luck," Fujita added.

Yuriko looked toward Ms. Chiyo Michi, who nodded. "I’d love to see it, too."

"It seems to be a ritual circulating on the internet," Abe Haruya noted. "A 'ritual' is simply a method of using incantations, talismans, or spiritual power to communicate with spirits and gods, or even to harness the forces of heaven and earth to assist oneself."

"However, rituals are always dangerous. Some can lead to a backlash. If you don't have a legitimate Onmyoji to guide you, you shouldn't easily attempt these so-called 'mystical arts' found online—though, to be fair, it’s usually quite difficult for ordinary people to succeed."

"But since my brother and this Onmyoji from the East are here to watch over us, go ahead and perform the ritual—but let this be the only time!"

Abe Haruya spoke with extreme gentleness, mindful of his sister and her friends. Fang You watched him, reflecting on the things Abe Haruya had done to establish his Onmyo Academy in the Eastern Lands. Perhaps his only goal was to build his own sect and spread Tokyo’s Onmyodo. But the Eastern Lands were unlikely to tolerate an outsider expanding a foreign school of magic on their soil.

Hanako took out a small paper doll. "The ritual circulating online says that once upon a time, there was a place called Heavenly Host Elementary School, where a girl named Sachiko became a spirit."

"The main part of the ritual is to prepare a small paper doll. Then, all the friends hold onto a corner of the doll and recite silently, 'Sachiko-san, we beg of you.' You repeat this three times."

"Then, everyone tears off a piece of the doll together. As long as you keep your piece safe, you can summon the spirit of Sachiko to pass on happiness to everyone!"