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

"There should be." Kotegawa wasn't too sure either.

"...You'd better have some free time!"

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Non-Existent Person (Part Two)

After school in the afternoon, the group went to the shopping street to buy ingredients for dinner before going home. Jia even picked out a lot of lively shrimp. These days she is keen on feeding the cat and has been coming here frequently.

While Yuka and Kurumi were picking out seafood in the shop under the clear sky, Kurumi nudged Kotegawa with her shoulder, winked, and then leisurely went home with the little priest.

Kotegawa watched her leave, then turned and met Takanashi's strange yet disdainful gaze. He said calmly, "Her throat is a little sore, so this is the only way she can greet me."

Knowing everything all along, Takanashi sneered, "With everyone?"

Kotegawa patted his chest: "Exclusively for Komi."

"rua!"

……

After buying the ingredients for dinner, the four of them went home together. It seems that Takanashi has had a lot more free time lately, and he always goes to his house to see the big white cat before going home from school.

Kotegawa went back to the quiet room on the second floor to change into his outdoor clothes. He then went downstairs and said to the three girls who were playing with the cat in the living room, "I have an appointment with Ishikawa-san to visit someone. I'll be back by six o'clock tonight. Call me if you need anything."

Qingkong got up and saw him to the entrance, then asked in confusion, "What did that uncle want with you?"

Has he been contacting Kotegawa a little too frequently lately?

“I have something to do this time. I need to use his connections to meet the messenger of Inari-sama.” Kotegawa gently pinched her cheek. “It’s not an exorcism.”

Qingkong paused for a moment, nodded gently, and saw him out.

Yuka suddenly jogged after him, calling out to his retreating figure, "Furutegawa, remember to get us a few autographs from Lord Inari Misaki! No! We need autographed amulets!"

"It's not as good as the one I gave you!"

"Oh my! That's a rare treasure! Don't forget!"

Pretending not to hear, Kotegawa quickened his pace and disappeared in a flash, while Yuka was so angry that she jumped up and down.

Half an hour later, in a coffee shop near Shinjuku Station, Kotegawa and Ishikawa Yasuhiro sat by the window, drinking their beverages and looking out at the Red Romance Street just a few steps away.

It's still early, so there's no rush to go. Kotegawa also has some questions he'd like Ishikawa to answer.

"Ishikawa-san, is it really possible for humans and yokai to have children?"

"Generally, it's impossible. Humans are humans, and yokai are yokai. Their aesthetics don't even align, so how could they possibly get together? Of course, there are always exceptions. Some powerful yokai can transform into human form and will try to fall in love with humans. There have been many such examples throughout history, so there are always some bold ones..."

At this point, Ishikawa Yasuhiro's expression became enigmatic: "In ancient times, there were people who would specifically seek out fox spirits and cat women..."

Kotegawa coughed. "What will the child be like? Half-human, half-demon? Or leaning more towards one side or the other?"

“No, there’s almost no chance of them combining successfully!” Yasuhiro Ishikawa shook his head: “Otherwise, the world would have been in chaos long ago.”

"That's true, I've never heard of anything like that... So, does that mean Takanashi's father was probably human?"

"That's hard to say..." Ishikawa Yasuhiro said solemnly, "Take you for example, can you erase the traces of ten or twenty years of your life so cleanly? It's not something a human could do."

Kotegawa pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“Right?” Ishikawa Yasuhiro sighed. “It’s also possible that our knowledge is insufficient… In any case, even if Takanashi’s father is indeed human, he is definitely not an ordinary person. It’s too hasty for us to investigate him like this…”

That's true. The fact that they deliberately tried to erase the traces is suspicious enough. If it really involves something serious, he, an ordinary section chief, would still be a little worried.

Kotegawa comforted him, saying, "It's okay, at least he definitely can't beat me."

Ishikawa Yasuhiro dared to come over because of this. He lowered his voice and said, "But just to be on the safe side, I'll listen to the shamisen outside after we get there, so I won't go with you to see that person."

"also……"

Kotegawa looked at him and asked, "Do you know the whereabouts of the earliest version of the Kojiki?"

"The earliest version?" Ishikawa Yasuhiro asked with a strange expression. "It's said that the earliest version recorded the secrets of the gods, but it disappeared many years ago. However, there are some rumors about it..."

His expression became even stranger: "It is said that the book has turned into a monster... and has been hidden inside the belly of Tento-ji Temple. There are also rumors that it has become Tento-ji Temple itself."

"Tendoji?" Kotegawa paused, put down his coffee cup, and said thoughtfully, "What a coincidence. I was originally planning to let it go..."

Yasuhiro Ishikawa added, "Of course, this is just a rumor, and its authenticity is debatable... Moreover, that great monster is incredibly good at hiding; it has been so many years, and no one has yet discovered its whereabouts."

“It’s alright, at least we have a direction now…” Kotegawa glanced at the time, stood up and said, “It’s about time, let’s go.”

The two left the coffee shop and blended into the largest red romantic area in the area with the passing crowd.

"I've never quite understood why that divine messenger would open a shop in a place like this?" Kotekawa, wearing sunglasses, said softly, seemingly oblivious to the various shop advertisements on both sides.

"It's probably related to spiritual practice? This place is even more chaotic than Adachi!"

If it weren't for the incident involving Fujiwara Kaori, no one would have known that a huge monster's lair was hidden here!

They chatted as they walked through a narrow alley and arrived at the shop they had visited before, which was now concealed by a protective barrier.

A young woman dressed in a brightly colored kimono was sweeping the floor, yawning. When a customer suddenly entered, she instinctively spoke in a high-pitched, flirtatious voice: "I'm sorry, sir, it's still daylight, we're not open for business! But if you insist on making a request, you'll have to pay extra."

Kotegawa glanced at her, but after a while, he still couldn't recognize who she was.

Ishikawa Yasuhiro didn't recognize the woman either, but he still said, "We have an appointment with the head of the gang."

"An appointment with the barbarian?" The young woman was surprised and called into the house, leaning on her broom, "Grandma, we have guests!"

An old woman with her hair styled in a bun and her face covered in white powder walked out quickly with light steps.

This time it was a familiar face – the same haggling woman from last time.

The old woman's expression changed slightly when she saw Kotegawa, then she broke into a warm smile, her voice as high-pitched as ever: "Welcome, distinguished guest!"

Ishikawa Yasuhiro was already acquainted with her, and as he entered, he casually asked, "Are you new here?"

"Yes, I just came from my hometown and I'm not very polite yet." The old woman led the way quickly, whether intentionally or unintentionally, as if she wanted to stay away from Furudegawa.

She led the two to the screened room where they had stayed before, and quickly brought them fruit and snacks. However, something unexpected happened when she asked the mute girl to play the shamisen.

At the entrance, the mute girl kept shaking her head after seeing Kotegawa, refusing to play the instrument.

The old woman immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Ishikawa Yasuhiro looked back and forth, and finally turned his questioning gaze to Kotegawa.

Kotegawa could roughly guess what had happened. Last time, he almost forced his way in, and this mute girl was the angriest at the time. Moreover, this mute girl had quite a temper and wasn't afraid of Oni-hime coming to her door, even though she ended up being seriously injured.

He thought for a moment and said, "There's no need for the shamisen. Has your master arrived yet?"

The woman quickly put on a smile: "My master is already making preparations."

The mute girl glanced at him, bowed slightly, turned and left with her shamisen.

The old woman bowed repeatedly in apology, then closed the door and chased after her.

Kotegawa and Ishikawa Yasuhiro looked at each other and clinked their glasses together.

Just as the cup of tea was finished, a pleasant bell rang out from the corridor.

Ishikawa Yasuhiro quickly put down his teacup, frowning slightly.

Surely the leader won't still try to fob them off with just two cats? Things have changed now, though. It was one thing before.

A gentle, ethereal voice sounded from outside the door: "Excuse me..."

A flawless white hand pushed open the door.

Yasuhiro Ishikawa was suddenly stunned.

Outside the door, a young girl wearing a light blue kimono with an inari motif and long, flowing sleeves bowed slightly. Her long, glossy black hair fell smoothly down, and a gold hairpin swayed gently, shimmering with light.

Beneath two clever and adorable white fox ears was a stunningly beautiful little face that seemed to be both happy and reproachful.

The fox spirit is naturally alluring.

She is the owner of this shop, and a few months ago she claimed to be Mizuki Tayu, an apprentice divine messenger.

He quickly stood up, not even paying attention to Kotegawa beside him, and straightened up, bowing deeply: "Lord Zenko!"

Kotegawa looked at her thoughtfully and said, "Please come in."

Unlike Ishikawa Yasuhiro, he saw strands of golden light surrounding Mizuki Tayu, which was quite sacred and also exuded a dangerous aura. As expected of the Inari god who loved foxes, he took great care of his subordinates.

Of course, in the eyes of this fox woman who refused to look up at him, he looked even more terrifying.

This is why they could never hide their identities.

Mizuki Tayu walked in with her head down, and raised her hand to indicate that Ishikawa, the little guy, didn't need to be so polite.

Ishikawa Yasuhiro, however, did not hesitate and turned to walk out.

What we were about to talk about was quite remarkable. Although he was also eager to know, after so many years of navigating the complexities of society, his greatest strength was still the importance of stability.

Neither the man nor the fox paid him any attention.

After he left, she spoke: "In just a few months, I no longer dare to look directly at your majesty."

“It’s only temporary,” Kotegawa said briefly, then continued, “I’ve come to visit you today to ask you two questions.”

Mizuki Tayu lowered her eyes and said, "Please speak first."

"The first thing I want to know is information about a person."

The little fox turned its head, took out paper and pen from somewhere, placed them on the table, and gently pushed them over.

Kotegawa wrote down the name, thought for a moment, and then added "pianist".

"Xia Mushuren..." She paused for a moment upon seeing the name, then asked solemnly, "What do you intend to exchange it for?"

Seeing her reaction, Kotegawa had a sudden thought: this little fox seems to know Natsuki Shuto.

He leaned forward and solemnly replied, "You can name your terms."

The little fox fell silent again, her eyes thoughtful, before finally saying, "Then let me first tell you the price I must pay..."

"First, I might be resented."

"Secondly, I might be hunted down."

"Third, I will consume a lot of my magic power and may fall into a long period of weakness, making me powerless to resist if I am hunted down."

"fourth……"