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

The sweet, sour, and spicy flavors instantly whet the appetite, making it irresistible.

The sound of slurping noodles filled the air. Kotekawa tasted the noodles, which were about 70% similar to the ones in his memory. He smacked his lips and thought that the taste of this first attempt was acceptable, but it didn't have the same quality as Mikazuki's. There was still a lot of room for improvement in the future.

Takanashi Hanamai ate two bowls in one go, still wanting more, but she couldn't eat anymore. Moreover, Kotekawa Kamimi wouldn't let her eat anymore. It was still very early before dawn, and danger could appear at any time, so she couldn't eat too much.

He restrained himself and only ate five bowls.

After everyone had eaten, he washed the pots and pans, and found her a clean toothbrush. They went to the bathroom to rinse their mouths and brush their teeth.

Takanashi Hanamai lay blissfully on the bed, her eyes closed, murmuring as if in a dream: "I wish I could live like this every day, Kotegawa, what about you?"

Kotegawa Kami looked at her with a loving expression: "Go to sleep, you can have anything in your dreams."

If it weren't for his reluctance to move, Little Bird would definitely stuff the pillow into his mouth.

After eating her fill, the little bird, enveloped in warmth, slept soundly, quickly becoming sleepy. Her cheeks puffed out slightly as she drifted off to sleep.

Kotekawa Kami sat on the sofa, holding his sword, glanced at the time, and lowered his eyelids slightly.

It'll be dawn in three hours, why isn't Deadpiao here yet? Did he get lost on the way? Haven't we found out where he's staying?

Or do you have other plans?

But in any case, he had been sitting there for almost a whole night.

This debt must be settled with them.

Time passed by, and the sky outside was already beginning to lighten. Kotekawa Kami remained motionless, still holding his sword, until it was fully light outside and his alarm clock rang at seven o'clock. Only then did he open his eyes, get up, and go to the bedside. He shook Kotori Hanako awake, watched her go home in a daze, tidied the bed a little, set a new alarm clock, and lay down on the sofa.

Was he too nervous? Or did he overestimate his opponent?

No, it can't be. It's definitely extraordinary that it could hide in a place like Shinjuku for so long without him finding it.

"Was I the one who was kited?" he pondered. "Could the mute girl's injury have also been deliberately arranged by the other party? Just to put me in a tense situation... Hmm, I can't rule out that possibility."

He rolled over, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"This ghost is different! It's intelligent. We must kill it immediately when we encounter it, and not give it a chance to escape..."

Just then, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from outside the entryway.

Mikazuki Seisakusho ran in and breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw him sleeping fully clothed on the sofa. She walked over to him and glanced at the bed behind the sofa: "Were you alright last night? Did you sleep in the living room?"

“I didn’t sleep much…” Kotekawa Kami shook his head and sighed slightly, “This opponent is a bit cunning. It looks like it will take some time.”

The young woman couldn't help him, so she could only silently hold his hand.

"You came back alone? Where's Walnut?"

“It’s already dawn, and there’s no danger. She was doing her morning exercise, so I came back.” Mikazuki Seisakusho took out a vermilion talisman from her bag: “This is an exorcism talisman that Kurumi gave me.”

Kotekawa Kami looked at it and sensed some unusual fluctuations on it, and was somewhat moved: "It's a good talisman, not comparable to Shirakawa Nozomi's mediocre skills."

“It was drawn by the head priest of Shirakawa Shrine himself…” Mikazuki Seisakusho stuffed the talisman into his hand: “Here you go.”

“No, you keep it.” He pointed and said, “I’m better than it.”

Mikazuki Seisakusho curled up her legs and sat on the carpet in front of the sofa, resting her head on his chest.

After a moment, he said, "Alright, it's my turn."

"What do you want in return?"

"It's my turn to use you as a pillow."

"...Where would you like to rest your head on?"

"Of course, I'll sleep wherever you sleep."

.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Letter

While eating breakfast, Kotekawa Kami counted on his fingers. There were still two days until Sunday. If he had to wait in vain for the next two nights, he might not be so tense after witnessing the power of the divine messenger.

As for what can be done now, it's to practice boxing.

By increasing punching power, the output of true qi can be enlarged and thickened.

After thinking it over, he went to school and asked Fujiwara-sensei for two days off. Fujiwara-sensei was very easy to talk to these days and agreed immediately.

He didn't go back; instead, he took his sword to the training ground in the bamboo forest behind the Exorcism Society and buried himself in rigorous training.

This is a good place; it's spacious, has soft soil, a great environment, and is secluded enough.

He practiced boxing all morning, making up for the time he missed last night and early this morning. Then, before the last class of the morning ended, he went to the cafeteria for lunch. Afterward, he returned to the exorcism club, set a timer, locked the door, and began to meditate.

The Shirakawa siblings came by, but only stood outside the window and watched quietly for a while before leaving.

On the way back, the younger brother seemed to suddenly understand something.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, he woke up, all fatigue gone, full of energy and spirit. He got up, picked up his sword, and went to the backyard again.

But this time, he hadn't practiced for long when Mr. Fujiwara called to tell him that the security department had a letter for him.

"Is there a letter for me? Do such ancient communication methods still exist?"

He went to the security department and successfully obtained the letter addressed to him.

A white envelope, faintly scented with tea, had only his name and class written on it.

Who sent it?

Back at the exorcism guild, he stroked his chin and thought for a moment, going through all the people he could think of before finally shaking his head and tearing open the envelope.

Inside the envelope was a folded piece of paper with only one line of text and an address written on it.

"At midnight tonight, I will wait for Mr. Kotegawa to settle his grudge. Please come alone, or you will not be waited for."

"Settle the score? Who has a grudge against me?" he asked, somewhat puzzled.

He doesn't hold grudges; after all, he resolves any issues on the spot.

He pondered for a moment, then leaned closer to the paper, concentrated his mind, took a deep breath, and then, after smelling it for a while, exhaled.

The paper, which smelled of tea, was stained with a familiar, foul odor.

"It's the Demon Princess!" A startling light flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down, wondering if this was a ploy to lure him away from the mountain and then target the people around him.

He re-examined the letter, unsure whether it was written by a human or a ghost.

But she still had to go! The Demon Princess never imagined that he possessed [Nightmare].

The question now is whether this is another conspiracy or a trap.

"There might be more than just two ghosts, it could be a group of ghosts, or they might be watching me from the shadows, just like last night, with that subtle but palpable malice..."

He sat cross-legged, pondering all possibilities, and also wondering how much the other party knew about him, whether they dared to extend such an invitation after understanding his strength, or whether they still knew nothing about him.

If it's the former, he can't understand why the other party didn't make a move last night.

If it's the latter, he still can't understand it.

Or what would the other party have to do if the fight were to take place in a busy city?

He looked at the words "Come alone, or you will not be served" on the envelope and a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes.

Is it possible that this monster cannot be seen by humans? Or perhaps the person who wrote the letter is not a monster at all?

However, this possibility is very small. Demonesses like Onihime, who feed on humans, are people everyone should kill.

"Could it be a more powerful, hidden monster? The kind that's comparable to an evil god?" This thought startled him, but he quickly shook his head, thinking it was unlikely.

If he were truly comparable to an evil god, he would have made his move last night.

His expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. He couldn't understand why the other party hadn't made a move last night, but was now writing a letter, "openly and honestly" inviting him to settle their score.

It's a blatant conspiracy.

"Go! Why wouldn't I go!" His eyes gleamed with a sharp light, like swords. His skill and courage were one aspect; as a swordsman, he should naturally forge ahead without hesitation!

He composed himself, stopped practicing his boxing, closed his eyes, sat quietly, and focused on calming his mind and restoring his strength.

After the afternoon classes ended, Takanashi Hanamai, the Shirakawa siblings, and Mikazuki Haruka all arrived.

Kotekawa Kami acted as if nothing had happened, greeted the others, and spent an hour together in club activities before heading home.

"It's relatively safe during the day, no need to be so nervous," Shirakawa Kurumi said softly, turning her head to look at him.

Kotegawa was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "No, I'm not nervous."

"If you're not nervous, why are you carrying a sword the whole time?" Shirakawa Kurumi sighed. "Look at yourself, look around you. You're full of murderous intent, which scares everyone away."

"..."

Kotegawa silently slung his sword pouch over his shoulder, lowered his head slightly to avert his gaze, and said, "I was distracted just now, but I'm fine now."

“I did some research last night, but I didn’t find much information about Oni-hime. She shouldn’t be a yokai from Tokyo, right?” Shirakawa Kurumi continued.

She wasn't idle last night either. After going through the shrine's information, she went to the Special Affairs Department to look through it again, and even asked someone she knew to help her check on the Oni Princess, but unfortunately, she found nothing.

“I’m not quite sure…” Kotekawa Kami shook his head: “I just heard others call it that, maybe that’s not its real name.”

"This is troublesome. Let's leave it to the Special Division to handle. You and Mikazuki can come to my house together and come back after this is over."

"It's alright, I might be able to handle it soon." Kotekawa Kami said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Besides, I'm a swordsman, and the word 'escape' doesn't exist in a swordsman's dictionary."

"Swordsman..." The people beside him remained silent.

After returning home, the group parted ways. After watching Mikazuki Haruka leave with Shirakawa Kurumi, who kept turning back to look at him, Kotekawa Kami went to the coffee shop, bought dinner for the night, and asked why he hadn't seen the new waiter, Kuroda.

Speaking of this, Sachiko Amamiya was also puzzled, saying that Kuroda seemed to have encountered a ghost and was currently being treated in the hospital.

Kotekawa Kami said "oh" and left with the takeout. As she did so, she noticed that the "Hiring" ad had been posted on her door again.

"I hope you don't attract any idiots this time, otherwise she'll still encounter ghosts." He muttered to himself as he left. After returning home, he ate his fill first, and then instead of practicing his skills in the yard, he sat cross-legged on the second floor, carefully wiping the sword with a cloth.

He now has four swords; even if a hundred enemies come, he can chop them all into potato chips.

.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Unexpected People (5000)