Becoming a god in a low-key way in the supernatural world

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Are there any popular ghost stories about evil spirits?"

If so, it means that there are still Piao Jiang (a type of fish) around in this area.

“It’s rare.” Honba Sorata said casually, “Even if it does appear, it will be dealt with quickly, so don’t worry. Every household here has amulets from the shrine to ward off evil spirits. Even if you do encounter one, just stay at home and the shrine and the Special Operations Division will come to deal with it as soon as possible.”

"I see..." Kotekawa Kami said with a hint of helplessness.

Goodness, is he really going to lose his job?

After finishing his sentence, Honba Sorata hesitated for a moment and then said, "However, I heard that recently some kind of split-up woman has appeared, and she has already harmed several people. The Special Division and the shrine staff have been loitering around the area every day, but they probably haven't found her yet."

"The Split Woman?" Kotekawa Kami was stunned for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

He pointed to the sides of his cheeks, a hint of anticipation in his eyes: "Is it the part where my mouth splits open to the sides?"

May you enjoy boundless longevity and happiness! I've found you again!

Last time I wasn't skilled enough and you got away, but I won't do it this time!

Oh right, my sword broke, and I haven't had time to get a new one yet...

Kotekawa Kami gritted his teeth, his excitement turning to frustration.

As for why there was such a sudden and intense emotional fluctuation, it all started with a past event.

Six months ago, he was a novice in the field, and soon after entering the mountains, he encountered a monster.

The monster was holding a large pair of scissors, wearing a blood-white long dress, and with her hair disheveled. She asked him if she was pretty.

He has always been an honest and good boy. Seeing that her mouth was split open to the back of her head, how could she be considered pretty?

Saying it's scary is actually quite a euphemism.

So he told the truth honestly.

To his surprise, the monster had no idea what was going on. When he saw him shake his head, it became furious, grabbed a pair of scissors, and rushed over, saying it would eat the blind brat bit by bit with salt.

This monster was lying through its teeth, so he immediately drew his sword and fought it.

Then, probably because it was his first time and he lacked experience, he severely injured the monster with several sword strikes, but it made a feint and escaped...

That monster was incredibly resilient, even more so than a wild boar; he managed to kill it instantly.

From then on, he kept this matter in his heart, and every night he went into the mountains, he hoped to run into the other person again.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and we haven't been able to meet again until now.

And now, unexpectedly, he heard rumors about the "crack," how could he not be excited?

……

Honba Sorata, completely bewildered, said, "You're talking about the Slit-Mouthed Woman, right? How could that be! The Slit-Opening Woman is the Slit-Opening Woman, and the Slit-Mouthed Woman is the Slit-Mouthed Woman; they can't be confused!"

The Slit-Mouthed Woman is a legendary monster; if she were to actually appear, it would be truly terrifying.

It is rumored that once it speaks to you, you will inevitably die, and those killed by it will never even become Buddhas.

When he was young, his grandfather would use the slit-mouthed woman to scare him if he misbehaved.

So if it really was the Slit-Mouthed Woman, he would definitely hide in a shrine or temple and not go out. But that's impossible, since the last time the Slit-Mouthed Woman appeared was decades ago. In such a long time, who knows who might have exorcised her.

"No..." Kotegawa Kami was somewhat disappointed.

Alright, it seems our time just hasn't come yet.

"Of course not!" Honba Sorata said with certainty, "I'm not entirely sure how the 'Splitter Woman' splits open,' but it's definitely not her mouth... Huh? Are you disappointed?"

Furukawa Kami nodded.

Sorata was speechless, looking puzzled: "You're interested in the Slit-Mouthed Woman?"

What's so good about the Slit-Mouthed Woman? She also wears... (The sentence is incomplete and lacks context, making a direct translation difficult. It appears to be a fragment of a longer text.)

"Yeah, a little bit... I've been looking for her."

"Huh?" Honba Sorata was utterly astonished; his glasses practically popped out of his head.

Seeing his reaction, Kami Kote was also puzzled and asked in confusion, "Is there a problem?"

"Is there a problem? This is absolutely suspicious! This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone being interested in the Slit-Mouthed Woman! You're so strange... could it be...?"

Sorata really wanted to complain, but after a long time, he could only manage to say, "So you're just like my older sister, interested in ghost stories. Maybe you two will get to know each other and have a good chat."

Low emotional intelligence: A strange XP (×)

High emotional intelligence: Interested in ghost stories (√)

"But anyway, the Slit-Mouthed Woman has been missing for decades, and she might have been killed long ago, so no matter how hard he searches, he won't be able to find her..." Sora thought to himself.

"Really? That's wonderful." Kotekawa Kami nodded, though he sensed that Kotekawa was being somewhat insincere, but he didn't say anything.

Anyway, it's just idle chatter, nothing serious.

Of course, if he knew what Sora was thinking right now, he would probably want to reason with him—look at my fist, doesn't it look like a clay pot?

As they were talking, someone at the street corner ahead suddenly caught the attention of Kamiko Kotegawa.

That person, he must be a boy, right? Although he's very handsome, his front is unremarkable... Hmm, he really is a boy, I can see his Adam's apple.

But his handsome face wasn't the main point; the main point was his attire:

He wore a black hat, a linen hunting robe with wide cuffs, and a light blue hunting hakama.

This outfit suggests he's either a priest at a shrine, an onmyoji (yin-yang master) from the Special Operations Division, or a spy who enjoys this kind of thing—after all, he's good-looking.

Honba Sorata glanced over and explained from the side, "They're priests from the nearby Shirakawa Shrine; they're probably here on patrol."

Then, unable to hide his envy, he said, "Don't underestimate him just because he's young. He's already a full-fledged priest and receives a fixed salary every month."

After all, they bear the heavy responsibility of exorcising demons and spirits. In this world, official priests, just like the staff of the Special Operations Division, can enjoy quite good benefits.

No wonder Sora is envious, because this is a really good and stable job. She doesn't have to work 007 and enjoy the good life, nor does she have to be scolded or bullied by her boss and seniors. On the contrary, she is highly respected and liked by girls...

"That's really good." Kotekawa Kami also looked envious.

He went into the mountains every night, enduring the cold and rain, risking his life, just to barely earn a meager wage to make ends meet. He had to carefully budget his money to buy a sword.

The contrast is so stark, it's almost heartbreaking.

The two looked at each other and sighed in unison.

Honba Sorata immediately laughed and comforted him, saying, "But it's okay. We're only in high school now. As long as we study hard, the jobs we find in the future may not be worse than his."

Kotekawa Kami nodded, agreeing with what he said.

No matter what era you live in, studying hard is always a stepping stone and a shortcut to changing your life.

It can't determine your upper limit, but it can definitely raise your lower limit.

Perhaps it was the shared experience of being in the same boat that made Sorata feel a greater sense of closeness to Sorata, so he really wanted to take Furudeawa Kamimi to see the movie again.

However, before he could say it, Kotekawa Kami asked, "Isn't it about time?"

Sorata glanced down at the time; it was indeed time.

He could only suppress his thoughts and say with slight regret, "Alright, we'll go see the arc another time!"

Kamiko Kotekawa was somewhat confused.

That's strange, did he promise to go?

Chapter Five: The Family of This Place (Part One)

At 5:15 in the evening, Kotegawa Kami met Kenji's old friend, Honba Takama, Honba Sorata's father, in front of a wagashi shop in the shopping district.

The man had a towel wrapped around his head, wore a baggy work uniform, and was shouting "Heave-ho, heave-ho!" while tossing a white porcelain basin into the air with both hands.

Throw with left hand, catch with right hand, throw again with left hand, catch again with left hand... fancy pot-throwing!

Kamiko Kotekawa watched with great interest. To tossing such a large basin around like that for fun wasn't something that could be done with just strength.

This ability to handle heavy tasks with such ease is truly admirable.

Standing to the side, Honba Sorata felt incredibly embarrassed and wanted to cover his face.

"How could I forget about Dad's strange hobby? Now my image is completely ruined! I might even be laughed at..."

He glanced furtively at Kotekawa Kami, only to see the young man's bright eyes wide open, seemingly secretly pleased with himself.

The shame and indignation in Sorata's heart immediately overflowed.

"It's over, it's over. I guess I'll never be able to hold my head up in front of him again..."

He was utterly despondent, feeling that he had completely disgraced his family.

His gaze fell on the doorway, and in a moment of impulsiveness, without any apparent reason, he covered his face with one hand and, with a suicidal determination, rushed towards his own shop, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Stop!"

When Gui Ma suddenly heard that roar, he shuddered and was startled.

And with that slight tremor, he made a mistake.

The basin hit him squarely on the forehead with a loud thud, then rolled away.

In this chaotic scene, Gui Ma, despite his headache, tried to grab the washbasin, but just then, he was suddenly bumped into by his unlucky son!

He stumbled back a few steps, feeling a tightness in his chest, partly from the impact and partly from the anger he felt!

You bastard, are you trying to murder your own father?

At this moment, there was no chance that the basin would be intact. Just as it was about to shatter into pieces, another figure suddenly darted over, moving so fast that it was a blur.

After everyone realized what was happening, they discovered that it was a tall, strong boy who, with a sideways step and leaning forward, had reached out with one arm and caught the white porcelain basin that was about to fall to the ground.

Kotekawa Kami retracted his single whip stance, straightened up while gripping the rim of the basin, and looked at the dumbfounded father and son in front of him. He handed them the basin and said, "It's been a long time since I've greeted you, Uncle Honba."

……

Half an hour later, in the living room behind the wagashi shop.

With a large bruise on his forehead, Kijima sat cross-legged with his arms crossed, his posture upright.

He looked at Kotegawa Kamimi in front of him with admiration in his eyes: "How's Kenji doing lately, that bastard?"

Kotekawa Kami was very sensible. He didn't look up at his elder's head and pushed the gift he brought from home in front of him, saying, "It's fine. I just plant some fruit and grow some flowers every day."