Chapter 205: Arrival at Itomori; The Miyamizu Family's Divine Revelation
"R-Round two?!"
Hina Amano knew exactly what Yoru meant by "continuing." Recalling the electric sensation from earlier, her instinct was to refuse out of pure embarrassment, but the words died in her throat. She wanted to say no, but her heart was secretly whispering yes.
"Not feeling it? Fine then. I could use the sleep anyway."
Seeing Yoru casually stretch and flop onto the futon, Hina opened her mouth to speak, but then remembered the small box the Innkeeper Granny had given her. She pulled it out and held it toward him.
"Do you know what this is? She gave it to me."
Yoru glanced at the box and let out a dry laugh. "Why does every 'pure' rom-com trope have to manifest right now? The 'Innocent Heroine doesn't know what a condom box is' cliché? Seriously, you don't know?"
Hina looked truly puzzled. "Is it medicine? What is it?"
"Just put it on the table and forget it," Yoru sighed. "I usually don't bother with the 'safety' features anyway."
"Oh... okay." Hina obediently set the box aside, not pushing the subject.
She started to walk toward a chair, intending to sleep sitting up to maintain her "maidenly' virtue," but Yoru patted the empty space on the futon next to him. His tone was as flat as a board.
"Sleep here."
Hina's face flushed. She fidgeted with her shirt. "T-That's... that's not a good idea, right?"
"Please. We've already had 'Negative Distance' contact tonight. You're worried about a little shared blanket space?"
Before Hina could process the "Negative Distance" innuendo, Yoru turned serious. "Look, I wiped out the God's hit squad and drained some of his mana, but he's still a 'Deity.' Who knows what other 'Abstract' cards he has up his sleeve? We need to be at 100% stamina before we hit Itomori tomorrow."
"But..."
Yoru played his favorite trump card: The Guilt Trip. "You wouldn't want me to get distracted trying to protect a sleep-deprived girl, leading to me getting hurt—or worse—during the boss fight, would you?"
For someone as kind-hearted as Hina, especially after seeing Yoru "lose" his fingers earlier, this was a critical hit. The mental image of Yoru's cold, lifeless body because she was too shy to share a bed made her heart tighten painfully. She couldn't even breathe.
I can't let that happen. My modesty isn't worth his life.
Besides... like he said, they'd already done the "important" stuff.
"If it's just sleeping..." Hina gingerly crawled onto the edge of the futon. She pulled half the blanket over herself and whispered in a voice so quiet it was almost a prayer: "I... I guess it's fine."
"Good. Lights out."
The click of the switch plunged the room into darkness. Silence descended, broken only by the chirping of crickets outside.
Hina lay there, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her body felt unnervingly hot. What do I do? What do I do?!
Her thoughts were spiraling out of control. It had been less than two hours since her "First Experience" with him. Being alone in the dark with him, the atmosphere thick with post-battle adrenaline and lingering heat... even the cool rain-scented breeze felt like it was teasing her.
How should I face him? Should I turn and look at him? If I do... I might want to kiss him again, and then...
Should I turn my back? But if he reaches out and touches me where he touched me before... will I even be able to stop him?
After agonizing for what felt like an hour, Hina realized something: It doesn't matter what I do. If Yoru decides to move, I'm basically a 'willing victim' anyway.
Strangely, that thought brought a sense of calm—and a tiny, hidden spark of anticipation.
But as the minutes ticked by and her anxiety turned into drowsiness, Yoru remained perfectly still. Hina summoned her courage and stole a glance over her shoulder.
Yoru was lying flat on his back, his eyes closed, breathing rhythmically in the deep, peaceful slumber of an infant.
"Wha—?"
Hina had imagined a dozen scenarios for how the night would go. "Professional Sleeper" wasn't one of them. She sat there, stunned.
Does he... actually have no interest in me?
She felt a pang of rejection. He said the intimate stuff was just a 'tactic' to lure the God. Now that the God has been lured... does that mean I'm no longer 'useful' to him?
Wait, if I had said 'Yes' when he asked 'Should we continue?'... would we be sleeping right now?
Hina fell into a deep, frustrated spiral of overthinking that lasted until dawn.
The Next Morning.
After checking out, Yoru and a very tired, dark-circle-eyed Hina walked out of the inn. Hina kept stealing glances at him, trying to figure out if he had been faking that sleep or if he was truly that "Abstract."
Yoru, of course, was wearing his "Expressionless Mask" of chaos. No one could read his mind.
As they crossed the border into the Itomori region, the Red Threads manifested again.
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "Ayo? Lord Yoru! I told you I'd arrange a car for you. Why are you walking like a commoner? My reputation is on the line!"
"Cut the crap," Yoru replied. "You asked Mitsuha, a high school girl, to find a car to pick up strangers outside of town. Who's she going to ask? Her dad, the Mayor? I'm telling you now: our deal is to save the town. I'm not here to play family therapist for the Miyamizu's daddy issues."
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "Hehe! You caught me."
The God of Itomori was nothing if not honest. He didn't know how Yoru knew about the massive rift between Mitsuha and her father, but he didn't care.
The God heard Mitsuha's prayers every day. She wanted to leave this "shack" of a town and go to Tokyo. She wanted her father and grandmother to stop obsessing over her late mother and just move on.
The God couldn't fix those things directly. But Yoru? Yoru was the ultimate "Chaos Variable."
If Mitsuha falls for Lord Yoru, she'll leave the town to go to school in Kyoto or Tokyo anyway. And Lord Yoru will protect his girlfriend's hometown with everything he's got. Two birds, one stone!
The Red Threads wove into a celebratory wiggle. I am such a God-tier wingman.
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "I'll be waiting for you at the Shrine then! Don't keep me waiting!~"
The Miyamizu Residence.
"Mitsuha."
"Mitsuha!"
Her grandmother, Hitoha, called her name twice before Mitsuha snapped out of her trance. "Yes, Grandma?"
Her little sister, Yotsuba, sat nearby, shaking her head. She pointed at Mitsuha's bowl. "Your miso soup is ice cold. What's with the 'spaced-out' look? You hit puberty too hard or something?"
"I am NOT in 'puberty mode,' you brat!"
"Then you're just dumb."
"You're the dumb one!"
Hitoha watched her granddaughters bicker, but her eyes—behind her thick glasses—were focused on Mitsuha with a look of deep insight.
Suddenly, the wind chimes at the entrance began to ring, despite there being no breeze.
Tinkle... Tinkle...
Hitoha's expression changed. She looked at the Kumihimo loom she had been working on. Several red threads had floated upward for a split second before settling back down.
To anyone else, it was a glitch in the air. To a High Priestess, it was a Divine Oracle.
The God is speaking... something is happening.
Just then, a voice came from outside the door. "Excuse me? Is anyone home?"
Mitsuha stood up faster than her grandmother, almost as if she'd been waiting for this exact moment. "I've got it!"
She ran to the door and swung it open. Standing there were the two people from her "dreams."
There was the "Sunshine Girl" with the short pigtails—Hina Amano. And standing next to her, wearing casual black clothes, was Yoru.
Mitsuha stared. Seeing them in spirit form was one thing—everything felt blurry and dream-like. But seeing them in the flesh?
"Wow... he really is handsome..." Mitsuha whispered.
Hina froze. Wait, what? Another rival?
This was the first time they'd officially met, and the local girl's first words were about Yoru's looks? Hina felt a surge of protectiveness. What are you playing at, Mitsuha-chan?!
Mitsuha realized she'd spoken out loud and clamped her hands over her mouth, blushing furiously. "N-No! I didn't mean it like that! I mean... you look like people from the big city! Very stylish! Very... Tokyo!"
Yoru offered a polite smile. "Actually, we're from Kyoto."
"Eh?" Mitsuha's brain stalled. She felt like a total country bumpkin. If they're from Kyoto, why was he in a Tokyo hotel in my dream? Why do I keep getting the details wrong?! How embarrassing!
"Mitsuha."
Hitoha walked slowly to the door, leaning on her cane. She bowed her head slightly. "I am Miyamizu Hitoha, the head of this Shrine."
"The God has sent an omen of your arrival. Welcome, honored guests. Please, come in."
Hitoha sensed the faint, undulating spiritual pressure coming from these two. They weren't normal teenagers. And based on Mitsuha's reaction... they had "met" before in the realm of dreams.
They entered the house and sat down. Before Hitoha could even offer tea, Yoru spoke up.
"We were referred to you by Godmother Granny."
"The Godmother?" Hitoha smiled. After Mitsuha poured the tea, Hitoha nodded. "I haven't heard that name in a long time. How is she?"
"She's doing great," Yoru said. "Actually, she's 'sprouting new buds on an old tree.' The sun is setting, but she's found a new glow—basically, she's in a late-blooming romance."
Pfft—!
Hitoha nearly choked on her tea. The content was fine, but Yoru's choice of "Abstract" metaphors was enough to kill a Victorian child.
Once she caught her breath, Hitoha composed herself. "I see. And what brings two such gifted youths to our remote corner of the world?"
Hina tried to stop Yoru before he could speak, but it was too late. He was already leaning forward, his tone as blunt as a hammer.
"We're here to kill a God."
Clink.
Hitoha slowly set her tea cup down. She looked at Mitsuha, her face a mask of confusion. "Did I... hear that correctly?"
Mitsuha nodded grimly. "You heard him, Grandma. He... he really wants to kill a God."
Hitoha was speechless. She had spent eighty years as a priestess. She'd seen spirit-swapping, ancient rituals, and mountain demons. But this? This was new.
"Kill a God? Are you serious? Do you understand that a God is a conceptual existence that—"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Yoru interrupted, waving a hand. "My friend Saki already gave me the 'shocked reaction' routine. Can we skip the 'impossible' lecture and move straight to 'how do we find his true body'? OK?"
Hitoha sighed, looking hesitant. "I would have to consult the Great Deity before I could even consider—"
"Grandma," Mitsuha interrupted, pulling on her sleeve. "Actually... the Great Deity of our Shrine? He's already agreed to help him."
"WHAT? How could you possibly—"
Hitoha stared at her granddaughter. Then, she looked at Yoru. A realization dawned on her.
"I see... so that's why the threads were dancing. You are the 'Chaos Variable' the God mentioned." She looked at Mitsuha with a complicated gaze. "And you, Mitsuha... it seems you truly are the most gifted Priestess our family has ever produced."
Yoru noticed that Mitsuha didn't look happy at the compliment. She looked trapped.
"So," Yoru turned back to Hitoha. "Do we have a way to track down a rogue Weather God's physical core?"
Hitoha went silent for a long time. She looked into Yoru's eyes, searching for a joke, but found only a predatory focus.
"Yes," she whispered. "There is a way."