After hanging up the phone, Kael stepped out of the shrine. In the front courtyard, a girl in a JK uniform was waiting. It was none other than Mai.
She had already changed out of her conspicuous bunny girl outfit and into her school uniform. Seeing Kael emerge, she let out a long sigh of relief and hurried forward. "I heard sounds from inside the shrine. You really woke up."
Kael was surprised. "You've been waiting here all this time?"
Mai said seriously: "You killed that god for me. How could I leave?"
Kael was taken aback. In truth, he hadn't killed the fox god for her, but to devour its soul.
"No, it wasn't for you," Kael said, waving his hand.
Mai shook her head, not believing him. "Don't lie. Yato already told me—the fox god refused to return my presence, so you killed it."
Wait… was that how it looked? Kael was dumbfounded. He hadn't done it for her. But from her perspective, without knowing about his Soul-Devouring Art, it really did seem like he had killed the fox god for her.
Seeing Kael silent, Mai thought she had exposed his hidden feelings and grew embarrassed.
She said softly: "You didn't have to go that far for me. We're just strangers. I don't even know how to repay you."
Kael quickly waved his hand. "Don't feel pressured. I truly didn't do it for you."
Mai thought he was just being stubborn, trying to ease her burden. That moved her deeply. In her darkest moment, a stranger had saved her, risking the hatred of all gods. And afterward, he downplayed it so she wouldn't feel guilty.
At that moment, she felt Kael shone with light. How could she not love someone like that? A man willing to sacrifice himself to save her—she might never meet another. Compared to her controlling mother, Kael was the complete opposite. Heaven and earth.
Mai gathered her courage, looked into his eyes, and said: "I've already decided these past few days."
Kael blinked. "Decided what?"
Mai said: "From now on, we're lovers. I know it's fast, but we can start dating, get to know each other, and then…"
"Wait, wait, wait…" Kael quickly interrupted. "Are you crazy? Why would we date? I already have a girlfriend."
Mai froze. "You have a girlfriend?"
"Yes," Kael nodded calmly.
Mai felt she had misunderstood. She had thought Kael killed the fox god for her, risking divine hatred, because he liked her. Otherwise, why would a stranger take such a risk? She was a famous actress, after all—surely attractive.
She had spent days wondering how to respond to him. Finally, she concluded he was worth loving. They could start dating, learn about each other, and eventually marry.
But now she learned he already had a girlfriend. Her assumption was completely wrong.
Still, why would he risk so much to save her? Just because she asked for help? Were people really that kindhearted?
Confused, she asked him directly.
Kael laughed. "I see. It's because we view things differently, which caused this misunderstanding."
Mai frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kael explained: "Simply put, you think being hated by all gods is a huge deal, right?"
"Isn't it?" Mai asked.
Kael shook his head. "To you, it's serious. To me, it's ordinary. So I killed the fox god.
"It's like someone spending a few hundred yen on a meal, while another spends millions. To the first, the second seems extravagant. But to the second, it's normal.
"Japan claims to have eight million gods. Every day, many are born and many die. To Takamagahara, one god's death means nothing. To me, even less. Besides, that fox god wasn't good. He deserved to die."
This wasn't just talk. By devouring the fox god's soul, Kael had gained not only power but also its memories.
From those memories, he learned why the shrine had declined. In ancient Japan, people relied on the heavens for food, so they prayed. Inari represented harvests. But the locals couldn't build an Inari shrine, so they built a small one, naming it Harvest Shrine, and worshipped daily.
Over time, faith gave birth to the Harvest God. Because Inari was known as the Three Fox Gods, the shrine's deity was also a fox god.
At first, the fox god diligently managed the harvest, and worship flourished. But he wasn't satisfied, though he didn't know how to gain more faith.
Until one day, he met a noble. And that noble demonstrated a very special technique—The Art of Subjugation.