How to drown your priest: An expert's step by step guide written for shits and giggles

Ishikawa Yuuto (with An Nam Il)

"An Nam Il." Seeing said boy flinch made Ishikawa feel a little better about the situation. Only a little. He tossed the rod over to him, sighing inwardly as Nam Il fumbled for a moment before the thing was steady in his hand. "You can go and take care of that," Ishikawa ordered, with a meaningful glance towards the ashiarai yashiki. Frankly, it was beneath him to even bother with that thing. He would have considered it beneath Nam Il as well but Ishikawa had come to the simple conclusion that he hated the boy and thus did not care.

Obediently for once, Nam Il went to the dumpster, peering into with a grimace before beginning to weakly spear the spirit there. "Is this -is this for real?" He asked doubtfully, ducking as a massive, putrid-looking toe tried to whack him in the head.

"Do you want me to throw you in with it so you can tell?" Ignoring him for a moment to literally do anything else, he belatedly remembered the presence of that woman. Idly, Ishikawa wondered what her name was, his odd sort of personal hell. It probably something along the lines of Samsara, considering his luck.

He frowned at her, although for once, it was out of thoughtfulness. "We were having a conversation before - oh, right. You should really stop accusing random people of sexual harassment. It is counterproductive."

There was a yelp that made him briefly glance away and back. If Nam Il could not even handle a simple spirit that was completely harmless albeit repulsive, then Ishikawa was going to stop acknowledging his existence.

Ishikawa Yuuto (with An Nam Il)

He pressed his lips together but otherwise, Ishikawa accepted that was probably the most he would be getting from the woman. Recognizing the not-quite apology as something he himself might offer was disconcerting. Somehow, Nam Il screaming in the background made it all seem that much more grounded and normal.

"Ignore him," he said, quite calmly as Nam Il continued to struggle behind them. "If you give any attention to him at all, he will never learn common sense. The thing is mainly harmless in any case."

In the background, Nam Il was screaming about how gross it all was. It was pathetic, really.

Ishikawa Yuuto (with An Nam Il)

"That was finished about two seconds after we arrived," Ishikawa said. "Nam Il is being difficult and the fact has somehow escaped him. It would be best to leave him now. I am leaving him right now." He raised his voice specifically so that the boy would hear him and hurry up. But the declaration was no empty threat and Ishikawa had already turned away. The Ans would understand, the priest felt. Even if he tried, even Nam Il could not possibly be pathetic enough to be seriously harmed by such a minor spirit.

He did pause, however, to consider that woman's suggestion and unconsciously revisited his earlier assessment of Samsara. Rinne, it was called in Japanese. Oh, very well. Rinne it is, then. With her lack of a name in his head, the term fit well enough in its stead.

"No," he said immediately, before bluntness of it hit him and he sighed. "I do not eat. Good day."

Ishikawa Yuuto (with An Nam Il)

What was the problem with all of these Westerners anyways? Ishikawa thought furiously. Always having to get their way in everything. There was nothing wrong with not wanting to entertain some rude stranger he had no wish to know any better.

He let her go. Nam Il needed the help anyways. He loathed giving this sort of help for such small tasks. Maybe he deserved a recommendation to go back home. After all, his parents were perfectly good and un-squeamish about destroying demons. Why make the boy stay away so far?

The idea of getting this issue out of his daily workload relaxed Ishikawa a bit. He would go and sort that out immediately. With Nam Il out and that woman, Rinne gone, maybe he could actually make some progress on his investigation.