I took granny's offer to intern under a healer, much to the disappointment of my other classmates. Sucks to be them but I'm the one who's decision matters when it comes to my internship.
And it was my decision that lead me to this place in the middle of nowhere.
Situated in a small town surrounded by forests and a mountain, some good minutes away from any major roads. This is a place where few would willingly live in if not for work.
And it is very important work.
Research and development of pharmaceuticals and diseases.
People aren't the only beings that gained a power-up over the years. Diseases have evolved exponentially when quirks were introduced to the world.
Modern medicine has already entered a long-drawn-out battle against diseases, and it was a losing battle. The common cold along was mutating so fast that it was catching up with it's newfound resistance. Adding superpowers into the mix was bound to make the war for health significantly more dangerous and equally more important.
Luckily, pharmaceuticals were one of the fields of study that developed like a rocket during the dawn of quirks. Because otherwise, humanity would have been wiped out from the pestilence.
That isn't to say that humanity completely won.
There were troublemakers from the Otherside who had connections with diseases and illnesses that decided it was good opportunity to expand their influence, worsening the situation and leaving a scar into history.
It's also the reason why the laboratories and the town is located in such an isolated area. In the case of a breach or a leak, the infection would not spread too far and can be easily contained. I'm sure that the government has plans of enforcing a partition over the restricted areas, judging by the military base I just happened to pass by on the way here.
Because apparently, the only path was either through a dangerous forest with 'quirked' animals, or through the mountain path that was diligently used by the porters that transverse it frequently to bring in supplies that aren't just airdropped.
A quick hike wasn't on the paper granny handed me, not was it listed anywhere on the NDA I had to sign before I was officially allowed entrance.
Why did I even bother doing any of this, you ask? We'll see here, even if my powers can heal physical injuries, it wouldn't really do much against diseases.
Not to mention, Heavun-sensei only taught me about the aspects of being a healer that was more in-need of my time. Meaning, I was trained more like an emergency frontline medic rather than a doctor.
And I figured that since I'm already halfway through that particular door, I might as well go all in and finish the set.
Regardless, what's done is done and I'm already at the doors of the lab so there's no backing down now.
After going inside, I was lead by the receptionist to a waiting room where I've sat for a few minutes. It was until someone entered that my internship felt like it truly began.
"Good. You're here." Said a short woman with a sickly complexion. The top half of her face was covered by her pale grey hair and the bottom half was covered by a black mask. "Follow me." She said.
I wasn't intimidated in the least by her frightening purple eyes, but I reckon that others who jumped out of her path felt differently. "I am Kimura Seiko. However, please call me Kimura-sensei while on the job." Her voice was soft yet jittery, as if she was expecting to be ambushed.
"Yes, sensei." I already felt some kind of kinship with this woman.
On one hand, my eyes made me seem like a dangerous delinquent of sorts and on the other hand, her eyes made her look like a deranged madwoman. Ironic that the both of us wouldn't make the best first impressions on people and yet we're both working on career paths that help save lives.
Kimura-sensei led me around the institute on a tour, showing me where the which lab are working on which projects, the cafeteria and break room, the storage and warehouses, and I'm guessing that she shared the same sense of kinship with me as she also showed me the places where we you can be completely alone on certain times, even showing me a schedule for it!
By the end of the tour, she lead me outside the institute, towards the employee residence building. It was here where I'll be resting in after my shifts. Kimura-sensei was even kind enough to escort me to my room!
This internship might be one of the best decisions I've ever made!
~~~
'This is one of the worst decisions I've ever made!' I couldn't help but scream in my mind.
A tide of bodies surge forward, threatening to engulf me. More figures in the distance, clothed like proper priest of the shrine murmur in hushed tones and the sounds are lost in the cancanophy voices in my immediate vicinity.
I couldn't forcefully shove them away or simply leave.
All these beings before me now are the lost and hopeless, the broken and deprived, the despairing and the hopeful.
All of them are here to see a god and hopefully to receive blessings in turn.
The other Kami of the Neo-Shintoists also do this occasionally, but it was mostly done by whomever was new.
In short, it was a divinely-ordained scutwork.
Well, at least one of the saving grace is that I can order some devout and fanatical believers to acts as a wall of bodyguards, holding back the bodies so I can deal with them one handful of a group at a time.
Honestly, I'm not even doing anything that big. All I've done is say some flippant words in an arrogant manner and wave my hand as I gave some energy. That's pretty much it.
I get it. I understand completely.
But it's still sad how these people would go so mad over it like a bunch of junkies trying to get their fix. Especially since most of them are human as far as I can tell.
Humans make up most of the lower grunts and workers, the average and new believers basically. On the other hand, even if there are non-humans in the same level as them, most of the guards and priests mainly consists other beings, even the incredibly weak or obscure ones.
There are special circumstances like when they needed cannon fodder for one reason or another and are hesitant to use the more important assets, then humans can be promoted to honorary high ranks that don't actually have much authority.
Unless a human is significantly better or unique, you wouldn't be able to see them rise much in ranks, but when they do, they're a force to be reckoned with.
Just like the Naishoten from before. Just her alone would have been incredibly devastating if she was ordered to kill rather than to hurt.
However, those of her ranks are are, so far and few between that I haven't actually encountered any of them myself yet.
Since I'm new here, I not actually trusted with much of the inner workings, even so, from what I did managed to gather, those of similar strengths and rank answer only and directly to their respective Kami.
Inefficient when it comes to communications but it enforces minimal sabotage.
This tells me of inter-faction rivalry of sort. Meaning that the cult is more of an alliance coalition rather than a uniform organisation.
The only Kami I have met so far is Ishimaru, someone who I can best describe as a toad acting like a snake. Ishimaru --if that even is his real name-- seemed like the type that couldn't be trusted with money, people, negotiations- he's the type that shouldn't be trusted in general.
One constant that I can gleam from him is the greed in his eyes. Something that can be manipulated but can also act as a double-edged blade in the end.
Another thing to note is that I was able to tour some of the shrine as well. However, due to the sheer size of the entire thing, I'm afraid that surveying the entire infrastructure and the surrounding grounds would take a significant time constraints. This is not including the fact that I would also either have to due so stealthily without the use of extra heads, or I have to make up some believable excuse that won't out me as a spy.
Seriously, what kind of shrine needs to be two whole kilometres wide?! That's not a building, that's basically a small town! Thankfully, it's only two kilometres wide and not two kilometres squared. If that was the case, then it's going to be even more excessively larger than it already is.
In fact, most of the shrine primarily consists of free space and that echoing in the empty corridors are a common occurrence.
Thus place has a lack of manpower that kept them from becoming a complete dominating powerhouse. They couldn't spare much men into cleaning the halls because the Kami could hardly care less about the miscellaneous affairs of mortals.
To them, knowing and worrying about such things are beneath them which lead to a mostly apathetic attitude of most people here. The ones that do care about such things are a minority even among the higher ranks.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that the ones that do clean up are the relatively new additions to the cult that still held on to their routine before being converted. And even then, those people would also adopt a careless and apathetic attitude towards hygiene in a matter of weeks.
Most of the other areas are still tolerable to varying degrees but no one, and I mean no one, can ever force me to set foot in the orgy hall. Ever.
I couldn't help but feel frustrated about that particular area. Nevertheless, I had no authority over there so the only thing I could do was let out a defeated sigh about the most likely place to get an STD simply by being in the same room.
Small mercies for the blessings that the Kami give out. Even if it isn't a cure or prevention, they at least have the power to mitigate the symptoms...
The inside of the shrine was a complete opposite of the outside.
The first time I came here, I saw meticulous arrangements that could have only been done by some obsessive neurotic madman. But now that I had the opportunity to explore within, I found only sloth and disregard.
This only cemented my hypothesis of there being an inter-faction rivalry among the Kami and I can't decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Anyway, I had to end my investigations here for the night.
One of the good things about being a Kami here is that I can say some of the most random things and more often than not, the believers would take my word and roll with.
I didn't need to give them a half-baked excuse as to why I'm going out or when I'll come back. I can literally just say "I'm going." And no will even think of asking where or whether I should bring a bodyguard or prepare a procession or something.
As soon as I passed through the Torii Gate and made my way back into Mirrored Tokyo, I went on a stealthy blitz on the rooftops to lose any potential tails before abruptly diving into one of the buildings fire escape platforms at the side and throwing my card.
Instantly, the corridor collapsed into a bracelet on wrist and I made a beeline towards the stalls with privacy curtains where I can change my clothes.
After that, I look around the stalls for anything to eat as a late-night meal to kill some time before leaving the Inkfall Society and making my way to the train station as usual.
After all, I have no plans to stay up way too late as my internship doesn't cover any espionage activities, meaning that the rat can't cover for me if I couldn't clock in on time.
That, and I still needed some sleep.