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

Kotegawa embraced Kurumi's waist and pressed them together onto the bed. Looking at her delicate skin, which was as smooth as a peeled egg, he held his breath slightly and suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

Her skin was flawless, her eyes held a thousand charms, and every smile and frown captivated the heart.

She was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly.

Hu Tao held her hands protectively in front of her, slightly turned to the side, and said nervously, "Why aren't you taking them off?"

"No rush." ​​Kotegawa chuckled softly, kissing her lips as he moved downwards...

As if struck by lightning, Hu Tao instinctively squeezed her legs together, her eyes watery, and a wave of tingling sensation washed over her as she became uncontrollably shy.

"You, how could you..." [Note]

……

The young girl tasted candy for the first time, feeling shy but also very satisfied. Happiness lingered between her brows, and all her worries vanished.

That's life.

She wished time could stand still, yet she also longed to move forward quickly, eager to see the day she would wear a white kimono.

All my thoughts eventually turned into a lazy stretch.

……

At seven o'clock in the evening, Qingkong and Youjia, who had finished their part-time jobs at the coffee shop, walked home and chatted casually about tomorrow.

Tomorrow is their birthday.

So, should we buy a big birthday cake? What flavor should we get? Matcha chestnut or black pepper beef? Kotegawa would definitely love the beef one.

When they were almost home, they didn't go home, but went to Takanashi's house first to discuss what to do the next day.

Wearing thick pajamas, Takanashi looked at the two of them with some confusion: "Where are Kotegawa and Kurumi? Where did they go?"

Qingkong replied, "Yesterday, Kotegawa caused a scene somewhere, and today he and Kurumi are probably cleaning up the mess."

Yuka, standing beside her, looked on with fear: "When Kotegawa came back yesterday, Kurumi was unconscious. Maybe someone drugged her. It's really too dangerous outside."

A drug? Takanashi was startled, her face tense: "Every time I go out to negotiate a contract, my mom tells me not to drink any beverages or water that other people give me... It's really too dangerous!"

"Anyway, we have to be extremely careful and protect ourselves!" Yujia said with some relief, "Luckily, Kurumi was seen by an acquaintance yesterday, who promptly notified Kotegawa."

Qingkong silently watched the two of them, wanting to explain that there was no sleeping potion, but Jia and Huawu were not wrong either; there were indeed many bad people outside, and it was a good thing to be more vigilant.

She asked, "Hana-mai, where is Ms. Senko?"

"She went to the school's year-end party."

"That's perfect! Let's go eat together. We can chat while we eat. Kotegawa bought a whole warehouse full of ingredients for home today."

"Let's go, let's go!" Takanashi turned around and grabbed a jacket.

Youjia looked at her and casually said, "Why don't we stay there tonight?"

"No, my mom would be too scared to be home alone."

"Hmm, that's true."

The snow started falling again outside. After falling all night and all day, the ground finally had a little white layer, but it was only a very shallow layer. The snow was too light to pile up.

Takanashi locked the door and ran with Yuka Haruka. When they arrived at the door, Haruka took out the key and they suddenly noticed that the lights were on and the door was open.

"Huh? Kotegawa and Kurumi are back after finishing their business?" Yuka asked in surprise.

"It should be..."

The three girls entered the courtyard, walked around to the side, and looked into the living room through the French windows.

Inside the living room, Hu Tao sat cross-legged on the sofa, playing with two daggers engraved with intricate patterns, looking as if she really liked them.

Kotegawa was sitting on the other side, holding a sword, talking to Kurumi. Then his gaze suddenly shifted and he saw them.

Kotori and Yuuka looked at each other in bewilderment.

Good heavens, daggers and swords, is this all that martial arts practitioners have in common?

Only Qingkong seemed slightly suspicious.

Hu Tao looked very tired, but her eyes were bright and beautiful.

This look is so familiar to her...

Chapter Twenty-Three: Surprise (Part One)

After the winter solstice, there were only a few days left until the New Year, and most schools were about to enter exam week. Kotegawa received a text message from Fujiwara-sensei early in the morning, and dared not ask for leave again. He ate more than a dozen bowls of longevity noodles for breakfast, and then went straight to school with four girls.

Snow still clung to the eaves of the street corner, and the weather remained rather gloomy. The morning forecast predicted moderate to heavy snowfall around 1 p.m.

The four girls, excluding Kotegawa, were all looking forward to this. The God's Birthday was just two days away, and the snow would create a special atmosphere. They could have a God's Birthday party, exchange gifts, and have a lively festival.

Kotegawa has been in this world for over seven years and is no stranger to the God's Birthday. On that day, Uncle Kenji would personally cook a stewed goose, which was quite nice.

After arriving at school, the five of them agreed on a time for the birthday party and then went back to their respective classes.

When Kotegawa entered Class 2, many people looked at him with surprise. They hadn't seen him recently, and all sorts of rumors were flying around. Some said he'd been specially recruited by the Special Department, the Onmyoji Bureau, or some mysterious national department; others said he'd dropped out in anger because the school hadn't given him the proper reward after he won the exorcism competition; still others said he'd offended some powerful figure…

The prize for the exorcism contest was delivered directly to the school, and a handover ceremony was held. It caused quite a stir at the time, and reporters even came to interview them. However, Kotegawa was busy searching for elixirs in Hokkaido at the time, so he missed it.

Kotegawa raised his hand and greeted a few familiar-looking boys.

The boys all sprang to attention, straightened up, and loudly replied in polite language, "Yes! Good morning!"

Kotegawa paused for a moment, then returned to his seat.

There was complete silence behind me.

After that, every student who entered the class was startled when they saw him. Then, with some fear, they lowered their heads and hurriedly returned to their seats. Some of the more timid girls even picked up their bags to cover their faces and moved step by step toward their seats.

Like a crab, it's both funny and infuriating.

Kotegawa was speechless. He turned his head and glanced at it.

The students behind me were all sitting up straight, their posture impeccably neat.

He paused for a moment, then turned around, took his phone out of his pocket, and opened the video of Takanashi.

Why does everyone seem a little afraid of me lately?

After a while, Takanashi replied to him: [I don't understand either, but I heard some classmates talking about you before, saying that the champion of the exorcism competition is too far removed from their world, and why would someone like that waste their time at school...]

Kotegawa was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately.

Takanashi sent another message: [When I was little, I won first prize in an international piano competition and even appeared on TV. But when I went back to school, many classmates started treating me like this... I don't really understand. It's like everyone suddenly didn't know how to get along anymore, and we could only drift apart little by little, as if we existed in two different worlds.]

Kotegawa looked at the message, thought for a while, and then typed: [It's okay, I've always lived like this since I was a child... I used to think it was just because I was a kid and didn't know any better, but now it's back to this, it seems like it can't be changed.]

[It's okay, maybe it will get better after a while. You can also try to interact with others more.]

Kotegawa chuckled: [No, it's not like I did anything wrong. Let them be. I don't care if they give me the cold shoulder.]

Birdsong: [...]

After a moment's thought, Kotegawa added: "[But if it's Hanamai's butt, I'd still be happy to stick it on.]"

A flurry of activity ensued. Takanashi Hana almost dropped her phone, but her face flushed red, and without thinking, she kicked Kotegawa in the butt.

[You idiot!]

Kotegawa patted the little footprint on his bottom and thought to himself, "You have long legs."

The students sitting in the back saw what was happening and guessed what the two were doing. Many of them looked a little gloomy, but no one said anything.

Anyway, we're not on the same wavelength, and we'll never become friends...

This was the sentiment of most people. They watched the backs of the two people in front of them for a while, then turned their gaze away.

Not long after, Mr. Fujiwara, whom we hadn't seen for a long time, slowly arrived. He was holding a stack of papers in his hand. He glanced at Kotegawa first, and only when he saw that he was there did the wrinkles on his old face soften a little.

Today is not the final exam, just a quiz for all subjects.

Kotegawa's mental abilities are extraordinary. Despite not having attended school for almost a semester, the exam questions were no challenge for him, and he didn't feel any strain at all during the day.

After school in the afternoon, he took Hu Tao to visit the exorcism club, which they hadn't done in a long time.

A few months ago, Shizuka Ichijo officially became the instructor of the exorcism club and began recruiting members. After Shizuka Ichijo selected members, it has now grown into a large club with dozens of members.

Yachiyo Shizuya and Fujiwara Kaori also joined the club, becoming second-generation members.

The first generation of members (three people), including Kotegawa, don't come to the club much anymore.

The two went inside discreetly, took a look at the smaller replica of the exorcism tournament champion trophy, glanced at Yachiyo Shizuya and Fujiwara Kaori who were diligently swinging their swords, and Ichijo Shizuka who was scolding a few boys who were slacking off, and then turned and left.

I joined the exorcism club because of the school's ridiculous rules, and participating in the competition was the duty of the club members, as well as a way to repay the preferential treatment given to me by Mr. Fujiwara.

Now that he has achieved it, it no longer matters whether he comes here again or not; at most, he will go and win the championship in the annual exorcism competition.

After seeing the changed state of the club, he and Hu Tao left, shrouded in [Nightmare] from beginning to end, without disturbing anyone.

Yu Jiaqingkong had specifically asked Amamiya for leave today, so she wasn't in a hurry to go back. She waited for them to return with Takanashi in the courtyard outside the teaching building.

Just like when they arrived in the morning, the five of them went home together.

Kotegawa asked Yuka about Glasses-kun's recent situation, since he hadn't seen him for a long time.

It was fine if I hadn't asked, but I was shocked when I did.

Youjia's expression was a bit strange as she voiced her guess.

Uh... Last week, Glasses-kun was cornered in Ogasawara-senpai's room by Ogasawara-senpai's father... It was one of those super awkward situations.

Ogasawara's father took nitroglycerin pills on the spot... Now her younger brother is busy going to the hospital every day to take care of Ogasawara's father, trying to gain his forgiveness and recognition.

Kotegawa was stunned when he heard this, thinking to himself, "No wonder Glasses-kun seems to be busier than me lately... He really is busier."

"Glasses-kun is pretty good! He's quite responsible," Takanashi Hanamai praised, unlike her cheap, irresponsible father.

Yuka sighed, "My dad said he understands and sympathizes with Ogasawara's father, even though it was his son who did this."

Several people burst out laughing. Uncle Gui Ma had both a son and a daughter, so he naturally understood this feeling.

Kotegawa asked her, "What did Uncle Kima say to you?"

“Yes!” Youjia nodded: “He said that if he ever catches a bastard in my room, he’ll definitely cut him in half.”