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

“Okay…” Hu Tao paused for a moment, then moved two stools and followed her out the door.

The melodious sound of a guitar soon filled the air, and Kotegawa, the only one who stayed in the house, moved a chair to the yard.

The sun is quite warm on sunny winter days.

Qingkong and Youjia, who hadn't gone inside yet, were already sitting next to Takanashi, sunbathing and quietly listening to the piano music.

The piano music was gentle and flowing, somewhat like a summer morning breeze, relaxing and enchanting.

With her head bowed, Xiao Tingyou quietly played her zither. Strands of her hair hung lightly over her forehead, sunlight filtering through the tips, creating a beautiful interplay of light and shadow.

Kotegawa felt a slight pang of unease again. He listened quietly, watched silently, and remained silent.

Time passed by unnoticed.

After lunch, when Aunt Akiba learned that Takanashi and Ms. Chiko were going back to Tokyo that afternoon, she put a lot of freshly picked fruits and vegetables in the car. She was thinking that the journey back to Tokyo was long and it would be difficult to carry a lot of things. Otherwise, Aunt Akiba would have just put them in the suitcase.

At 1 p.m., Kotegawa drove Senko-sensei and Takanashi away from home, heading straight for Okaya Station.

This time, it was Takanashi sitting in the passenger seat.

When they arrived at their destination, Ms. Senko said she wanted to go to the nearby station to buy some souvenirs to take back. Kotegawa wanted to lead the way, but Ms. Senko waved her hand and went by herself.

He and Takanashi stayed in the car, looking at each other in silence.

"Teacher Qianzi went to buy souvenirs, is it to give us time to talk?" he joked. "Have you thought about that matter?"

Takanashi looked at him for a long time before nodding, but then quickly shook her head.

Kotegawa's mood instantly took him on a rollercoaster ride.

He asked cautiously, "Have you thought it through, or haven't you?"

Takanashi said quietly, "There are some things I haven't figured out yet."

The car fell silent again.

Takanashi Hanamai casually brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "Furugawa... why do you have so many girlfriends? What's your reason?"

Kotekawa, who was hesitating whether to ask more questions, was taken aback and blurted out, "Because I can't bear to part with any of you!"

The little bird, playing amidst the flowers, blinked slightly and looked at him.

Kotegawa slapped his mouth, paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm actually not good at all... I'm greedy and selfish. I want to keep Qingkong, Hutao, and... and you all by my side."

"Huh?" Takanashi turned her head and looked out the window, trying to remain calm. "But is this really okay? A man wanting to marry three women, haven't you thought about other things? What will the people around you think of you? What will society think of you... Being together seems simple, but the consequences aren't so simple, are they? Or maybe you just want to play around?"

"Of course not," Kotegawa replied earnestly. "I have the ability to make money, and I also have the ability to take responsibility! Although I am greedy and selfish, I would never do something like starting something and then abandoning it!"

"Really?" Takanashi frowned inexplicably. "Then let me ask you, how many girlfriends do you have now?"

"Hu Tao is also my girlfriend."

Takanashi raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly unpleasant: "Is this something only the three of you know? You... don't dare tell Uncle Kenji and Aunt Akiha, do you?"

"No, I told Uncle Kenji that Qingkong and Hutao both know about this... This year, the red envelopes that Uncle Kenji gave included the same amount for both Qingkong and Hutao."

Takanashi was taken aback, quite surprised: "Then Uncle Kenji didn't react at all?"

"He beat me up," Kotegawa said exactly as he said it, "telling me that I absolutely must not be unfaithful and must not betray Qingkong."

"Although I don't really want to say it, Uncle Kenji is much better than you in this regard!" Takanashi wrinkled his nose: "Uncle Kenji is completely devoted to Aunt Akiha!"

"I am devoted to all of you too," Kotegawa tentatively said, uttering a shameless statement.

Takanashi immediately looked disdainful, feeling embarrassed by what she heard. However, she quickly realized what she had said and asked suspiciously, "Wait! You didn't tell Uncle Kenji something about me, did you?"

After a slight hesitation, Kotegawa nodded.

The girl clenched her fists involuntarily: "What did you say?"

Kotegawa sighed, "I wanted to chase after him, but I couldn't catch up."

Just as Takanashi was about to throw a punch, he paused, snorted, turned his head, and smiled slightly.

Chapter Sixty-Five: Yagyu Junichiro of Heian-kyo (Part 1)

After watching the train carrying Ms. Chiko and Takanashi depart into the distance, Kotegawa returned home. No one was home; the girls had gone to the orchard together.

Although it's still New Year's Day, in the village, while celebrating the New Year is certainly joyful, the work that needs to be done still cannot be neglected.

He rummaged through the wardrobe, changed into the same coarse cloth Wu clothes that Uncle Jian usually wore, put on gloves, locked the door, and walked towards his orchard.

The orchard was bustling with activity today. Not only were Uncle Kenji, Aunt Akiba, and three girls there, but Mrs. Ishikawa from the house diagonally across the street, and Mrs. Ino from a further house, were also helping out in the orchard.

Kotegawa politely greeted the two elders. Helping each other out was not uncommon in the village; whenever someone needed help, those who had time would lend a hand.

The fruit to be sold tomorrow is a batch of strawberries. This fruit is delicate, so we have to be careful when picking and planting them, carefully packing them into baskets, and carefully moving them into the cold storage, and then wait for them to be shipped out tomorrow.

Yujia and Qingkong squatted together, wearing masks and gloves, carefully picking and planting each seed.

Hu Tao seemed to be in a good mood, a glint of cold light flashing in her hand as large strawberries silently and safely landed in her palm.

After all, she was an expert with knives.

Kotegawa also mastered the art of wielding a short dagger, doing the work of ten men all by himself.

A few hours later, after the last box of strawberries was sealed and put into the cold storage, Aunt Qiuye stretched and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work! Xiaojian, take everyone home first. Kenji and I will stay a little longer to confirm the time with them."

Kotegawa sighed, picked up the two boxes of strawberries from the ground, and took the walnuts home with him.

These two boxes of strawberries are all defective, either not very good-looking or with accidentally broken skin, so they can't be sold as commodities, but they're fine for our own consumption.

After returning home, the three girls went to the bathroom to wash up. Kotekawa washed the strawberries first, and then went upstairs to change his clothes.

"Hana-mai is back in Tokyo. Will she be singing live tonight?"

"Probably, but it could also be that she's going to her maternal grandmother's house..."

Footsteps came from the stairwell, and Qingkong and Youjia, who had finished washing up, came upstairs.

The three met at the door.

When Youjia saw him in the room, she quickly ran in, discreetly folding her pajamas that she had taken off on the bed while muttering, "You rascal! This room is mine now!"

"I just came upstairs to change my clothes," Kotegawa said casually. "Besides, I'm used to you not folding your clothes. I usually fold them for you after you do the laundry at home."

Having her secret exposed in one sentence, Youjia's face fell slightly, and she looked a little embarrassed and annoyed: "I already said I would fold it properly in a bit!"

You always say the same thing... Kotekawa was too lazy to argue with her, and turned to Haruka and said, "I'm a little concerned about what happened yesterday evening. If Uncle Kenji and Aunt Akiba come back and ask me about it, I'll say I went to practice boxing."

"When are you coming back?" Qingkong asked in return.

Kotegawa pinched her soft, tender cheek: "Don't worry, I'll only be gone for half an hour."

"Half an hour... Be careful."

"rest assured."

Kotegawa slung his sword bag over his shoulder and stepped downstairs.

In the living room on the first floor, Hu Tao, who was wiping her hands with a handkerchief, hopped over and said, "Shall we go together?"

Kotegawa hesitated for a moment, then said, "That monster is very fast, and I might not be able to keep an eye on you... Just stay home."

Hu Tao was taken aback, then rolled her eyes: "Then you should be more careful."

Kotekawa pinched her cheek, stepped out the door, and after walking a distance, he transformed into clouds and mist, drifting into the mountains.

He went straight to the place where he had sensed the monster the previous evening, activated his [Hunting Instinct], and explored the area inch by inch, searching all the way until he finally found a mountain hollow.

He looked around the empty corner and muttered to himself, "They ran away..."

……

In Tokyo, at Takanashi's house, Takanashi Hanamai, who had just arrived home, sat in her chair and rested for a while before taking out a gift box from the drawer. The colorful ribbon on the box was still tied neatly.

She ran her hand over the box lid, pulled open the small bow on it, and opened the box.

The box was lined with a layer of light-colored gravel, and in the middle of the gravel was a milky-white monster statue about the size of a thumb. There was a small hole at the top, through which a red rope passed.

She held the statue in her hands, but it felt incredibly light, as if it were lighter than a feather.

A corner of a cardboard card peeked out from under the gravel.

She put down the statue and pulled out the card buried under the gravel.

It reads: "Wear it close to your body, it will protect you."

Takanashi watched silently for a long time before whispering, "A farewell gift..."

Teacher Qianzi knocked on the door: "Huawu, are you ready? Your grandfather wants to take you to visit his friends, let's go there as soon as possible."

Little Bird, snapping out of her daze, turned around and asked in surprise, "Grandpa's friend? Why?"

“I heard from your grandfather that his friend’s grandson is also preparing to study abroad. If you exchange ideas, you might be able to learn some experience.”

"Mom, I haven't decided whether I want to go or not!" Takanashi said helplessly, "Let's just forget about it!"

“Your grandfather meant well, it’s not a big deal to see him.” Teacher Qianzi opened the door and walked in, looking at her and saying, “You should also get to know more people your age and expand your social circle.”

“I know plenty of people my age, and I have neither the interest nor the energy to meet new ones.” Takanashi then closed the box, but thinking of the contents of the card, she took out the yokai statue from the box, hung it around her neck, and wore it close to her body.

She patted her chest, feeling no discomfort whatsoever, but couldn't help looking down at her chest, feeling instantly depressed.

It's so flat, it's unbelievable!

"Well, your grandfather's friend doesn't live far away. We're going to his house for dinner anyway, so let's go early and get to know him. Hurry up and get ready, it's getting late." Ms. Chiko turned and went downstairs.

Takanashi watched her leave, then muttered under his breath, "Grandpa must be trying to set you up on a blind date, right? Honestly, he had to use me as a shield..."

She pressed her chest again, her thoughts drifting back to Nagano. She couldn't help but recall what Qingkong had said that morning, and her cheeks inexplicably flushed red. She felt inexplicably ashamed and anxious.

……

In Nagano Prefecture, after wandering in the mountains for almost half an hour along the Furude River, I glanced at the twilight on the distant horizon, then my figure transformed into mist and headed down the mountain.

The protective iron chains at the foot of the mountain have been repaired and reinforced, and several more shrines have been added. The protective measures have been improved considerably, but whether they will actually work remains to be seen.

This was the first time Kotegawa had encountered a yokai that was so fast. If he didn't deal with it before returning to Tokyo, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat properly.

However, judging from today's investigation, the monster has clearly escaped.

"If you're so cowardly, why did you even go down the mountain?" Kotekawa asked, puzzled. He thought for a moment, then took out the spirits of the "Demon King" and the "Phantom King." These were the strongest spirits he had at the moment. If he still couldn't find the demon before leaving, he would leave these two spirits behind. That way, even if some demon tried to cause trouble after he left, it would definitely be in deep trouble.