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

"My family owns a shrine, after all. Otherwise, why do you think the bounty was issued in the underground black market in Heian-kyo?"

Kotegawa responded with an "oh." The composition of this world is not simple. Shrines, special departments, the Bureau of Yin and Yang, and temples are all behemoths, belonging to a privileged class with wealth, military power, and connections. The Shirakawa family is also one of them.

He pondered for a moment and said, "If it's because of this, I really can't introduce you to a job at the coffee shop. Not only the coffee shop, but you shouldn't be showing your face in public anymore, otherwise you might not only suffer yourself, but also harm innocent people."

There are far more outlaws in the world than you can imagine, and their cruelty will always exceed your imagination. Bloodshed and violence are not enough to describe them. So Kotegawa is not so naive as to think that assassination is a polite, elegant and principled thing.

The young priest looked at him and said, "That's why I came to find you."

Kotegawa paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "You want me to do this job? Not bad, bro! You've learned to seek fortune in danger."

He thought for a moment, then hesitated, "But it won't work. My aunt and uncle are here these days, and I don't have time to go to Heian-kyo with you."

If Uncle Kenji and Aunt Akiba were still living in Nagano, he would have gone there, but not now. He's a good kid who doesn't even go to his female classmates' bedrooms after school anymore.

"You should stay at the shrine and behave yourself for now. We'll go and earn the 50 million after the New Year."

The young priest nodded silently.

Kotegawa looked at him and asked, "Are you really sure who did it?"

“There’s a 70% chance.” The junior priest’s gaze was calm: “That bastard sent me the message.”

Kotegawa said "Oh," and then there was no escaping it.

"Stay home for now. If Uncle Shirakawa can't do anything, we'll go over there together after the New Year and talk to them."

The young priest nodded, then gave a slight bow to Yuka and Haruka, who were standing a little further away in the courtyard, before turning and walking towards the shrine.

Kotegawa watched him leave and returned to his courtyard.

Yu-Chi asked him curiously, "What are you whispering about? Is there something else planned for the God's Birthday?"

Kotegawa was pinching and kneading Haruka's warm, soft cheeks when he heard this, he said, "We just talked about part-time jobs. Besides, who would spend God's Birthday with a man?"

"Hmm... Shirakawa-kun isn't continuing his studies?"

"He's just taking a break from school; he'll be back in Heian-kyo soon."

"Oh……"

The three of them carried the jujube cakes into the house.

Kenji was sitting in the living room, intently watching the morning weather forecast. Kotegawa guessed that Kenji was waiting for the lucky divination that followed.

This has almost become a way of life for people all over the country.

Kotegawa couldn't say whether it was the host's fault or whether the unlucky guy was just destined to be unlucky and it was just predicted by the divination.

This thing is quite fantastical, hard to explain...

"Xiao Jian!" Aunt Qiuye suddenly said from inside the kitchen, "Where do you usually work? Kenji and I would like to go and see you, is that alright?"

Uncle Kenji, who was sitting on the sofa, slowly spoke up: "Your living expenses must be quite high, right? And you never ask your family for money, so we wanted to thank your boss who takes care of you."

Kotegawa, who was unpacking the jujube cake box, suddenly straightened his chest. Under the sidelong glances of Haruka and Yuka, he said thoughtfully, "My part-time job is not very stable and has been sporadic. However, I plan to apply for a job at the coffee shop where Haruka works. The owner there offered me 1500 yen per hour... As for living expenses, the three of us can live more than enough."

He looked at Qingkong and Youjia... mainly at Youjia, and asked with wide eyes, "Right?"

This girl eats his food and drinks his drinks; if she dares to mess things up now, he'll definitely deal with her later.

Yu Jia, who felt obligated to help someone who had eaten his food, nodded repeatedly.

She now has all her daily necessities, clothes, shoes, and so on, so she doesn't need to spend any other money. She's more comfortable than when she lived at home, and she even got a share of the gold. So why would she want to undermine Kotegawa? Anyway, he's not doing anything bad.

The clear sky nodded silently, a wife following her husband's lead, a wife following her husband wherever he goes.

"Really?" Aunt Qiuye's voice was tinged with doubt: "But only Qingkong and Youjia have been working these past few days... Xiaojian, have you been slacking off lately?"

Kotegawa quickly said, "I was doing other work before, and I had just started my break the day you and Uncle Kenji came."

“That’s right, Aunt Akiba! Kotegawa-kun only just got back that day… and only then did he have some free time! I can testify to that!” Yuka broke out in a cold sweat, almost letting something slip.

Kotegawa was also terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Qingkong said very seriously, "Auntie, Kotekawa has never been lazy. He has always been the one to cover a large part of the family's expenses, really."

"Hmm... Since Jia and Qingkong have both said so," Aunt Qiuye nodded, then added, "But if this brat becomes lazy and gluttonous, you must tell Auntie! This is for his own good; we can't let him grow up to be a spineless coward."

Qingkong and Youjia nodded quickly.

Kotegawa looked embarrassed... It seems he really might have to find a part-time job or something.

After a while, the family had a lively breakfast together. After finishing their meal, the three students tidied up a bit and went to school.

After meeting up with Takanashi, Yuka, somewhat puzzled, whispered to Kotegawa, "Why didn't you tell your uncle and aunt the truth? They don't seem like the kind of elders who would restrain you."

Kotegawa looked at her and said, "Has Uncle Kima told you anything about our family?"

In which aspect?

"It's about Yosuke."

Yuka thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I remember now! My dad was just lamenting the other day that if Yosuke were still alive, he would be all grown up by now."

"Who is Yosuke?" Takanashi asked, slightly puzzled.

"He's Uncle Jian and Aunt Qiuye's biological child," Qingkong whispered, knowing some of the inside story.

Kotegawa said softly, "When Yosuke was six years old, he was tricked into going into the mountains by a monster..."

Yuka and Takanashi were caught off guard and made a slip of the tongue. Although Kotegawa didn't say anything more, the outcome was already obvious.

"That's why my uncle and aunt have always strictly forbidden me from going into the mountains and from coming into contact with monsters." Kotegawa looked at them: "Do you think monsters are scary?"

The three girls nodded subconsciously.

If you encounter a monster without protection, you're basically doomed.

The safety education class they attended recently helped them understand this point more deeply.

“Right? Monsters are scary…” Kotegawa said seriously, “In their eyes, no matter how powerful I am, I’m just a child, a child who can only cause trouble. If I tell them the truth, wouldn’t that just make them upset and angry?”

They nodded subconsciously, especially Qingkong, who could understand that feeling very well. She was even willing to share this guy so that he could stay in Tokyo in peace and not have to deal with monsters anymore.

Protecting the world is a matter for the Special Science Department, not for Furutekawa.

Youjia tilted her head and asked him gently, "Then why don't you listen?"

Kotegawa casually said, "The bounty missions issued by the Special Division have very high rewards, and I have a big appetite. The swords are also very expensive to make. If I didn't do this job, I wouldn't be able to support myself."

The three girls didn't quite grasp how expensive a sword was, but when it came to their appetites, they all nodded subconsciously.

That's not just a little bit, it's an entire sea!

Yuka looked at his stomach, touched it with her hand. It was flat, but she could still feel the muscle. Meeting Kotegawa's sidelong gaze, she muttered enviously, "I really suspect your stomach is in another dimension."

"He's so flat-chested. You'd never guess he could eat so much normally..." Takanashi and Yuka muttered to each other as they also started eating.

Qingkong stood behind them, watching them quietly.

After making a fuss for a while, the four of them walked through the commercial street and saw Hu Tao again.

The topic of the minor priest having a bounty on his head wasn't appropriate to discuss at this time, so neither of them brought it up.

Upon arriving at school, Kotegawa, the class monitor for physical education, inquired about the class schedule with the PE teacher and then led the boys in his class to the warehouse to retrieve some volleyballs and basketballs.

Today was another basketball game, but since he was banned from playing, he went to play volleyball with the girls instead.

The first physical education class in the morning is still a long class, with all five classes (classes one through five) participating together.

Today, the girls are also playing volleyball, and Kotegawa, having nothing else to do, can only sit on the sidelines and watch.

Takanashi's physical condition is a bit poor, and he has always been a marginal player.

Over there in Class One, Qingkong and Youjia were still testing their vault.

Meanwhile, in Class 5, Hu Tao finished her test and, under the expectant gazes of the boys in Class 5, jogged over to Kotekawa and plopped down next to him.

In an instant, gazes from all directions rained down like arrows from the sky.

Walnut still had a cotton ball stuck to her cheek, pretending that she was still injured. Even so, her profile alone was enough to be captivating, after all, it was a cheek that had been personally treated by the gods...

She and Kotegawa were arm in arm, their bodies pressed together, the distance between them practically zero.

She chuckled softly, "Tell me, what would happen if I kissed you right now?"

"Why don't you give it a try?" Kotegawa asked curiously.

Hu Tao immediately stood up, squatted down, stretched out her long, fair neck, and actually kissed him. After kissing him, she didn't stop. With her hands behind her back, she licked her lips with her tongue in full view of everyone. Her eyes were seductive and beautiful, like autumn water, with a very fiery and charming look.

The indoor stadium, which was incredibly noisy just a moment ago, suddenly became quiet.

From all directions, heavy breathing sounds, like a vacuum pump, filled the air, without the slightest exaggeration.

Kotegawa felt the gazes directed at him growing increasingly intense...

Yuka and Takanashi, who happened to witness this scene, were both dumbfounded. Even the bespectacled guy kept adjusting his glasses, unconsciously muttering, "I'm not envious, I'm not envious at all. I have Ogasawara-senpai..."

Only Qingkong watched quietly, then quietly withdrew his gaze. While everyone else was still like stone statues, he pushed off with both hands and leaped over the wooden horse.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Year-End Part-Time Jobs (Part Three)

After PE class, Kotegawa picked up the balls by himself and took them back to the sports equipment storage room.

This is probably the consequence of incurring public wrath, even though no one dared to rush up and beat him up.

In ancient times, people liked to describe beautiful women as "femme fatales," which was actually a compliment, describing a woman's beauty as something everyone admired, beautiful enough to cause disaster. [Note]

As for Miss Hu Tao, she had a bit of the look of a femme fatale. It was only because she didn't tear off the cotton pads on her face at school that she might have really stirred up a riot... a riot in which Kotegawa beat up a group of people all by himself.

Even so, after Kotegawa received a sweet kiss from Miss Kurumi in front of everyone, the boys in Class 2 all left in perfect unison, without offering to help him clean up. In the end, even the PE teacher had an indescribable complex look in his eyes.

After he finished packing up the equipment and returned to the classroom, the atmosphere was even more somber than usual.

In just one morning, countless people felt their hearts were breaking, and every second felt like an eternity.

None of this concerned Kotegawa. He had been a good student all morning, and during break he even wanted to hold hands with Takanashi to go to the restroom, if he wasn't worried that Takanashi would mistake him for a pervert...

During the lunch break, Class 2, which had been suppressed for what seemed like an eternity, finally erupted. Many students rushed out of the classroom and ran to the old school building at the back of the school, shouting things like "Go to hell!" and "Explode!" into the air.

Kotegawa naturally didn't know this, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. He didn't mention Kotegawa's name or surname, so why bother making trouble for himself?

He and Hu Tao went to the cafeteria for lunch. After they finished eating, they found a quiet place to have a long conversation. It was only after a long time that they remembered the little priest.