Chapter Thirty-Five: The Divine Wooden Pendant

"You must be quite fond of fields related to the occult, aren’t you?" Sigaya asked with a calm, unruffled tone. Manami Mizuhara answered without the slightest hesitation, "Of course!"

Her eyes shimmered with longing.

"Oh? And why do you like them?" Sigaya smiled, continuing his inquiry.

"Because… whether it’s the occult, supernatural phenomena, the existence of ghosts, or legends of deities, they all carry a sense of detachment, as if gazing from this shore toward the other.

"Human beings, though endowed with vast imagination and the mental freedom to roam the four seas and dream of infinite universes, are still bound tightly to the earth by the limits of their lifespan and biology. They hurry through their hundred years, no matter what they accomplish, always destined toward the same end, like cherry blossoms that must inevitably fall…

"…When I think about such things, I feel terribly sad.

"To realize that no matter how beautiful a girl may be, or how delicate a thing, everything gradually decays.

"There are so many colors in the world, yet our eyes can only see a tiny fraction; so many sounds, yet our ears hear only a narrow range.

"We cannot fly freely, cannot live long, are so easily felled by sickness and pain. Even the greatest sages are but small waves, swelling and subsiding again in the tides of time—just thinking about it, I’m overcome by loneliness.

"The more exquisite the stories humans create, the more starkly life’s fragility is revealed; the grander our imagination, the more it highlights the glass-like brittleness of existence.

"…But the supernatural, the occult—they’re different. They possess infinite possibilities, embodying the boundless potential of the human spirit manifest in the material world.

"At least, in that realm, human life and existence aren’t doomed to end in predetermined tragedy. No matter how cruel reality may be, there is always a chance to overturn fate…

"…So whenever I think about the occult and everything supernatural, I feel, ‘Ah, the world isn’t always monotonously repeating itself, and that’s truly wonderful!’"

The girl stood before Sigaya, hands clasped to her chest, her eyes ablaze with excitement.

It was as if she were displaying her most treasured possession to a guest, pouring out her heart in long, unbroken sentences, finally letting loose feelings and fantasies she’d harbored for so long.

Such a fluent, impassioned monologue—most ordinary Tokyoites might not catch every nuance.

But with Sigaya’s intellect and hearing, he absorbed every word.

He gazed at the girl. "The infinite expansion of possibility for humanity’s fragile existence… An intriguing thought."

"Ah…" Flustered by his praise, Manami Mizuhara stammered, "S-sorry… Did I talk too much?"

"Not at all. I thought it was just right. In fact, there’s something very special, very interesting about the tone of your words."

Sigaya replied casually, his smile sincere.

The girl’s face reddened, her brows and eyes brightening with happiness, though she struggled to restrain her smile.

She carefully cradled the Hermetic Writings in her hands and asked Sigaya timidly, "Um… Manager Sigaya, may I browse through this for a while?"

Sigaya spread his hands. "Be my guest. You can even take it home—no deposit required, just a rental fee of one hundred yen per day."

Manami Mizuhara shook her head. "This book is one of the rarest in the history of the occult—far too valuable. If I took it home and anything happened, I could never pay for it. Deposit or not, it’s simply not possible."

She gave an embarrassed smile. "…My family is just an ordinary household, after all."

"Oh, I see," Sigaya nodded, making no effort to persuade her further. "Understood. Feel free to read within the shop. By the way, there’s more than just the Hermetic Writings on that shelf—you might find other things of interest."

With that, he listened to her hurried steps toward the shelves, her barely contained exclamations of wonder. Sigaya returned to his seat behind the counter, brewed himself another cup of green tea, and wore a faint, meaningful smile.

His gaze drifted to the locked glass door. The evening sun cast a gentle warmth; with no other customers, there was no opportunity today to seek a new extraordinary subject for his experiments. Yet Sigaya felt no disappointment.

Because…

"Perhaps I’ve already found a suitable candidate."

…

The sun sank slowly; dusk faded into true night.

Sugu Bookshop’s lights shone brightly, illuminating every shelf. As the clock struck half past nine, Manami Mizuhara rubbed her eyes, reluctantly put down her book, and glanced at her smartphone.

"Even though I told my parents I was going to a café and an amusement park with classmates, it’s so late now—if I don’t head home soon, they’ll start to worry…"

Thinking this, Manami returned the few occult books to their places, came before Sigaya, and bid the enigmatic manager farewell.

"Oh, you’re leaving? No worries, I’ll keep these books for you. Hardly anyone borrows them anyway."

At his assurance, Manami’s smile bloomed with genuine gratitude.

"…Thank you, Manager!"

Though happy, another question occurred to her at that moment.

"Um… Manager, why do you have so many works related to the occult here? And not just the occult—religion, astrology, folklore… Even some legendary rare volumes that only circulate online?"

She asked with caution.

"That? The answer’s simple—I’m a collector, so I’ve acquired many works that aren’t available on the open market," Sigaya replied evenly.

"I see," she nodded earnestly. So he’s a collector—that explains it!

It’s said that top collectors buy everything in triplicate—one for safekeeping, one for display, and one for regular use. Since Sigaya was one of them, it was no wonder he had so many treasures.

Fully convinced, the girl pushed open the shop door, ready to leave. But just as she was about to depart, Sigaya called her back.

"—Wait a moment."

Hm?

She turned, puzzled.

She saw Sigaya handing her a wooden pendant.

"This is an item from my collection, said to have some connection to the occult… Since you’re so fond of such things, please accept it."

Manami took the pendant curiously. Its contours resembled a miniature, gnarled tree. Its surface glowed with a faint, mysterious luster, but it felt pleasantly warm to the touch. Yet, inexplicably, as she gazed at it, she sensed—though it had long since parted from the tree’s trunk—it still seemed alive, even…

"…Almost as if it were a living thing, still breathing."

The thought startled her.

How could that be!

She let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.

Still, she couldn’t deny her fascination with the pendant. The moment it touched her palm, she began to caress it idly, reluctant to let it go.

"Isn’t this… rather expensive?" she asked, hesitant.

"No worries—I bought a whole batch of these back then. See?" Sigaya waved his hand, displaying a handful of similar pendants.

Relieved, Manami smiled and carefully secured the pendant close to her. She bowed deeply to Sigaya.

"Thank you, Manager—I’ll be sure to return the favor!"

…

Manami Mizuhara departed.

Watching her retreating figure, Sigaya’s smile was full of satisfaction.

"The first ‘stimulus’ has been delivered—this is a classic creation, fusing my evolutionary blood and the qualities of the sacred wood clone: the ‘Perception Pendant.’

"Compared to before, the process of modification with the evolutionary blood is much slower now—perhaps even taking dozens of days. But it’s far more stable.

"Moreover, through the Perception Pendant, I can monitor the target’s condition at any time, even play the role of a ‘guiding old master’ in critical moments…

"So then, how will the story unfold next? I’m truly looking forward to it."