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

Just as the forecaster performed his daily divination and predicted that today would be unlucky (crossed out), and that the lucky person for the day would be a middle-aged man wearing a red plaid scarf and red socks, Kotekawa suddenly received a phone call. The voice on the other end of the line sounded a little heavy: "Kotekawa, there's something you might be interested in. Is it convenient? I'll pick you up in ten minutes."

Kotegawa paused for a moment, then replied, "Convenient? What is that?"

"The altar of the evil god... is in Wenjing!"

Chapter Six: Speculation

The altar of the evil god was discovered in a short-term college. The story goes that a pair of lovers, eager to find a place to meet, secretly pried open the door of an abandoned sports warehouse. As soon as the door opened, the scene inside almost scared the lovers to death on the spot.

The warehouse is now surrounded by the Special Branch, and a man who attempted to damage the altar has been arrested.

Holding a long sword and wearing a trench coat and mask, Furudewa and Ishikawa Yasuhiro walked around the evil god's altar in the warehouse.

The altar was round, and on it was placed a statue of the evil god of the Evil Spirit Society. Around the statue were layers of rotting heads of different sizes, some of which were even stained with blood. Further out were rotten chunks of flesh, and white candles were stuck all around.

The warehouse windows had long been sealed shut. Although it had been disinfected many times and ventilated for half the night, the lingering smell inside was still extremely disgusting, making it hard to breathe.

After inspecting the warehouse, Kotegawa stepped out. His nose was particularly sensitive, and he couldn't stand the stench of decay.

Outside the warehouse, Ishikawa Yasuhiro, who had been covering his nose, took a deep breath and said quickly, "The altar is newly built, and the remains are all new... It should be no more than three months old."

Kotegawa asked, puzzled, "So many people have disappeared in just three months, how come there's been no news at all?"

Yasuhiro Ishikawa chuckled coldly a few times: "There must be something wrong with someone in the Metropolitan Police Department, otherwise they wouldn't have kept suppressing the matter without notifying the Special Division or the media! But now, whoever suppressed this matter in the first place will have to be dealt with!"

Having worked in this system for so many years, he naturally knew a lot about the shady dealings.

Kotegawa nodded, glanced at the warehouse, and said, "The altar poses no other danger; we can just dismantle it."

"Okay, I'm relieved to hear that." Ishikawa Yasuhiro waved to his subordinates who were waiting in the side, signaling to begin the demolition by explosives.

He was worried that something else might go wrong during the demolition process, so he called for Kotegawa. With Kotegawa standing by his side, he wouldn't be afraid even if something unexpected happened.

The two stepped back slightly, standing in front of the cordon, watching the specialists dismantle the evil god's altar.

Ishikawa Yasuhiro lowered his voice and said, "But three months ago, all the executives of the Evil Spirit Society were already dead... So who set up this altar? It couldn't have been that evil god, could it?"

“The gods of Tokyo aren’t pushovers; that guy won’t dare come.” Kotegawa shook his head. “The breakthrough should be that warehouse manager… By the way, when was this altar discovered?”

Ishikawa Yasuhiro said with a hint of speechlessness, "Ten o'clock at night... These young people these days are really brave. In the middle of the night, even if they're not afraid of monsters, aren't they afraid of the cold? Going to a hotel wouldn't cost much, would it?"

It was 10 p.m.... Kotegawa Kami thought for a moment: "Was the altar discovered in the early hours of yesterday morning?"

The middle-aged man, who was still complaining, paused for a moment: "Indeed, another one was discovered early yesterday morning, but it was in the North District, and that altar had been there for a much longer."

"Really!" Kotegawa's eyes lit up, and it matched something that had been on his mind.

"How was that discovered?"

Ishikawa Yasuhiro looked around and whispered, "We discovered it by accident. Our people are watching a monster over there."

It seemed there was some unspeakable secret at play, so Kotegawa nodded without pressing for details.

The warehouse, just a few meters away, had been disinfected more than once, and many people were coming and going, handling the altar in an orderly manner.

They're quite experienced at this kind of work.

After the demolition was almost complete, a small bomb was detonated, and the evil god statue was blown to pieces.

Faintly, Kotegawa seemed to hear an angry roar.

He said thoughtfully, "Would dismantling this altar weaken its power?"

Otherwise, why would it be so furious?

Well... whether it weakens it or not, it will definitely affect it!

He smiled and turned to look at Ishikawa Yasuhiro.

The latter was stunned, looking suspicious, and felt inexplicably uneasy.

Kotegawa coughed: "Don't be afraid, I suddenly have an idea..."

Yasuhiro Ishikawa exhaled a smoke ring, looking at the sky with a weary expression: "I'm not really afraid of anything, after all, I'm quite old... but Kotekawa, drooling over an old man... isn't that a bit strange?"

"...

Three hours later, with a solemn expression, Yasuhiro Ishikawa submitted a report to higher authorities: "Investigation into a Major Conspiracy of the Evil Spirit Society." The report covered everything from events planned by the Evil Spirit Society over the years to the recent unusual movements of the evil gods, as well as reasonable speculations and testimonies. It was over thirty pages long and more detailed than a college thesis.

Especially since the person who handed it over was a "cult expert" who had made numerous contributions.

On the third day after the report was submitted, the Special Division Headquarters issued an order to all Special Divisions nationwide to eliminate the "evil god altars" and thwart the evil god's conspiracy.

All the special departments were mobilized.

A week later, Yasuhiro Ishikawa looked at the cleanup reports sent from all over the country and was quite shocked.

In just one week, they found more than a hundred altars!

He didn't know whether to say that his colleagues were too lazy or that the evil spirits were too ruthless.

However, one thing is certain: the report submitted will be without any problems—with so many altars, even a fool could see that there's definitely something wrong with it!

He sent the compiled intelligence to headquarters, and after thinking for a moment, sent it to Kotegawa.

Kotegawa had been waiting for this for a long time.

At school, Kotekawa, engrossed in writing, ignored his phone that vibrated twice. Only after the bell rang and he handed in his paper did he breathe a sigh of relief, take out his phone, and glance at it. He was secretly surprised, but then his eyes lit up.

That evil god will definitely be greatly affected by losing so many altars all at once!

So... it's time to set off!

He was a little agitated for a moment, but when he caught a glimpse of a few lines of text on the blackboard out of the corner of his eye, he had to force himself to calm down.

Skipping class is fine anytime, but not today! Today is the day of the big exam!

"We can only set off tonight... If it recovers in the next few days, all our efforts will have been in vain."

He took out his phone, looked at the evening flights, hesitated for a moment, and then booked a flight at midnight.

Getting from Tokyo to Hokkaido and then into the mountains takes a lot of time, especially during this season when the mountain roads are even more difficult to navigate, so there's no point in rushing.

Let things take their course.

He cleared his mind of all distractions, his aura as deep and unfathomable as he quietly awaited the school bell to ring.

The second subject is mathematics.

Chapter Seven: More Lively Than the Lunar New Year (Part 1)

At 10:30 p.m., Kotegawa, wearing a winter hiking suit, changed his shoes in the entrance hall, picked up his bag and sword pouch, glanced back, and left home quietly.

On the street, Hu Tao seemed to be waiting for him. When she saw him, she said in a lighthearted voice, "I'll go with you this time!"

She hadn't seen Kotegawa for the past few months, so she could guess what he was busy with.

Kotegawa was a little surprised and looked her over: "No, that place is too cold, and your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You'll probably collapse before you even get there."

"Nonsense, my injury has healed!"

“At least this time it’s really not going to work.” Kotekawa shook his head. On his advice, more than a hundred evil god altars were demolished. Even if it hasn’t gone mad yet, it’s probably not far from it. How could he take Kurumi with him on an adventure at this time?

"Really not working?"

"Just stay home obediently... or you can stay at my house for a while and help take care of Yuka and Haruka." Kotekawa patted her head and said casually, "I'm still not sure I can find them this time, so there's no need to go and freeze."

Hu Tao rubbed her nose and whispered, "How about we just get plastic surgery? Let's not take the risk."

“Girl, have some ambition! Also, have a little more confidence…” Kotekawa pinched her cheek, glanced at the time and said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you home first, I need to catch my flight.”

"I'll take you to the airport..."

After Hu Tao finished speaking, she turned around and pushed a motorcycle out of the shadows. The motorcycle was covered with alloy plates and looked quite imposing.

"You bought a car?" Kotegawa was slightly surprised. "Why not just buy a car? It's too cold to ride a motorcycle in this weather."

Hu Tao handed him the helmet, saying irritably, "I don't have a driver's license! And I can't drive!"

"Actually, driving isn't that difficult..."

Kotegawa put on his helmet, sat in the back seat, leaned down slightly, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

Hu Tao started the car and drove slowly on the deserted road. When she arrived near the airport, it was still early before her flight took off.

The two went to a nearby coffee shop and ordered a coffee.

Special agents patrol the area around the airport 24 hours a day, so some shops in the vicinity will remain open.

After finishing her not-so-delicious coffee, Hu Tao wasn't in a hurry to go home. She stretched and took a walk nearby with Furudegawa.

Anyway, she wasn't afraid of walking at night.

On a chilly winter night, the stars in the sky were not very bright. Hu Tao exhaled a puff of white breath and said with her head down, "Everyone has been worried about you lately... Kotegawa, am I being too selfish?"

"No, it's not like you asked me to. I went to find it myself." Kotegawa said softly, "Even if it were Haruka or Takanashi, I would still do what I should do. It's within my capabilities, so don't overthink it."

Hu Tao glanced at him, her gaze deep and unsettling.

Kotegawa suddenly thought of something and said, "I don't care what kind of person your master is, but if she dares to ask you to complete Special Division missions again, I'll really have to go to her house and talk to her about it."

"To avoid this situation, I will definitely refuse decisively when the time comes," Hu Tao said, shrugging.

Kotegawa hummed in agreement.

After a moment of silence, Hu Tao suggested, "If we have the chance in the future, let's go to Kansai together."

"Missing the little priest?"

"Miss him? No, no, no." Hu Tao shook her head and said with a smile, "The pufferfish hot pot, fried skewers, and takoyaki there are all delicious foods. I used to eat them all the time when I was there. I haven't had them for almost a year now, and sometimes I really miss them."

Kotegawa's Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "Then let's go to Kansai together after the New Year, and we can also visit Fukuoka on the way."

"Hmm, there are indeed less than four weeks until the New Year." Hu Tao slapped her forehead, her smile slightly complicated: "Time flies! This year is almost over."

"Hmm? A little regrettable?"

“No! It’s just that Jiyao is another year older…” Hu Tao blinked: “Oh right, I remember that the 12th of this month is Kotegawa and Haruka’s birthday… five days from now.”

“Well, I’ll try my best to get back before then.” Kotegawa thought for a moment, then said, “No, I will definitely get back by then.”