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

"A small matter?"

Kenji's voice came through the receiver.

Just as he was about to speak, Kotekawa's heart skipped a beat. He noticed the weariness in the voice and asked, "How is everything at home?"

"Well, nothing serious at home." Uncle Jian yawned. "It's just that Qiuye has caught a cold and has to go to the hospital frequently, which is a bit of a hassle."

Is Aunt Qiuye sitting on the rooftop looking at the mountains again in the middle of the night? It's not even spring yet... He pondered for a moment and asked, "Is Aunt Qiuye feeling better now?"

"It's nothing, just a cold, I'll be fine after some rest... By the way, isn't it almost time for the meeting?"

Before students move from the first year of high school to the second year, the school needs to have a three-way conversation with the parents and students to determine their path in the second year: whether to continue studying regular subjects, enter some vocational subjects to prepare for employment after high school graduation, or enter the top class. In such matters, the school cannot simply ask the students for their opinions.

He nodded and said, "The teacher hasn't said yet, but it should be at the end of the month."

"The end of February?" Uncle Jian pondered for a moment. "Xiao Jian, things might not be able to handle things at home by then. Could you talk to the teacher and arrange a conference call?"

“No problem, Fujiwara-sensei is a very nice person.” He quickly said, “I’ll go back to work then, since it will be spring break by then.”

"You should still talk to the teacher properly." Uncle Kenji instructed, "There's no need to come back to work. Just stay there and have a good time with Haruka-chan. Also, don't come back for spring break. There was a very serious incident in Gifu recently, and we don't know if there will be any more trouble in the future."

"That shouldn't happen..." Kotegawa said somewhat guiltily, "Was the family... was the family affected?"

"...It's nothing."

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but Uncle Kenji seemed a little hesitant.

He remembered the news he had just seen and asked, "Uncle Jian, I saw on the news that there's a new ghost story about the dead coming back to life in our area. Is it a new monster?"

"The dead are coming back to life... No, that's not true!" For some reason, Uncle Kenji's tone suddenly carried a hint of anger: "It's just some people spreading rumors!"

"I understand..." he replied, then thought for a moment and asked, "Aunt Qiuye, is she sleeping now?"

"Her..." Uncle Jian suddenly fell silent, and after a long while, he said in a dazed tone, "Yes, she's asleep."

Kotegawa paused, a strange flutter stirring in his heart.

Kenji's answer was so strange...

At that moment, a very faint but crisp static sound suddenly came from the receiver, like an iron chain hitting the floor.

Uncle Jian suddenly said, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. Take good care of yourself over there."

Before Kotegawa could speak, Kenji hung up the phone.

Kotegawa remained in the position of listening to the phone, speechless.

Just before Uncle Jian hung up the phone, he clearly heard Aunt Qiuye's faint voice...

"Is it Xiao Jian?"

……

He came to his senses, and an indescribable chill rushed to the top of his head, bringing a strong tingling sensation. For the first time, he felt an inexplicable panic in his heart.

"Why would Uncle Kenji lie to me? Aunt Akiha is clearly awake! And that sound of chains... Has something happened at home?"

He suddenly stood up, his gaze instantly sharp, and his almost out-of-control aura nearly ripped the roof off.

Regardless of whether I want to or not, I have to go back and see...

Chapter 109 Aunt Qiuye is Sick

As night fell outside the window, Kotegawa put down his bowl at the dining table, let out a soft sigh, stopped Haruka, who was about to serve him rice, and said, "I'm full. I need to go back to my hometown now."

Qingkong and Youjia both looked at him with surprised expressions.

"What's the emergency?"

"Aunt Akiba seems to be sick," Kotegawa replied. "I won't feel at ease until I go back and see her. Lock the door after I leave."

He stood up and went into the bedroom to change his clothes.

Qingkong put down her chopsticks, wiped her hands on her apron, and followed me over. Standing outside the door, she said, "Shall I come too?"

“It’s probably just a common cold…” Kotegawa’s voice was calm from inside the door: “I’m just a little concerned, I’ll take a quick look and come back without disturbing them.”

"Since we're going back, it would be better to meet up, wouldn't it? After all, tomorrow is the weekend."

"That would probably scare them."

While chatting with Haruka, Kotegawa changed his clothes. He put on his coat, opened the door, looked at Haruka standing in the doorway, leaned down and kissed her lips, and said softly, "Don't worry, it's just a trip back to my hometown."

"I'm not worried about you." Qingkong tilted her head. "Anyway, if we really encounter monsters, they should be the ones worried about their own safety."

He chuckled, held her in his arms for a full half minute before separating, went straight out the door, and drove off under Qingkong's watchful gaze.

As night fell, there were significantly fewer vehicles and pedestrians on the streets. Kotegawa left Tokyo almost without any obstacles, driving his car, which had just been filled up with gas, straight into Yamanashi Prefecture. On the deserted highway, strange roars gradually increased, and occasionally, one could even encounter a long-haired ghost standing by the roadside, reaching out to block the way.

Kotegawa, expressionless, simply ran over the monster. Some foolish monsters jumped into the middle of the road, intending to force themselves to have a good meal, but several bolts of lightning struck down from the sky in an instant, turning them into charred remains.

The car continued its journey without slowing down, disappearing into the deeper darkness amidst a shower of sparks.

Three hours later, Kotegawa parked his car outside the village, locked the doors, and stood at the familiar village entrance. He closed his eyes and maximized his perception. The village remained peaceful, without a trace of monsters or ghosts.

Further away in the back mountains, there were fluctuations of a demonic aura, the aura of that giant tortoise.

Not noticing anything amiss, Kotegawa opened his eyes, transformed into a cloud of mist, and headed west towards his home.

He appeared silently on the rooftop, bowing his head slightly.

It was already late at night, but the lights were still on inside, and there were occasional faint footsteps. Judging from his familiarity with the house, it was somewhere between the living room and the bedroom.

"Uncle Kenji is still awake; he should be sitting on the sofa in the living room..."

He silently sensed the surroundings, then turned his gaze to the bedroom on the first floor. After a moment's thought, he silently moved to the backyard.

The bedroom window was completely covered by thick curtains.

He didn't move; he just stood there like a statue.

"Wow..."

The crisp sound of chains came from the bedroom.

Kotegawa, standing outside the window, felt a sudden jolt in his heart and almost couldn't resist rushing into the house.

Soon, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the house.

Kenji's deep voice followed: "Would you like some water?"

Aunt Qiuye did not reply.

Kotegawa, standing outside the window, almost held his breath.

There was no response from inside the room.

After a long while, the footsteps in the bedroom left, much heavier than when they came in.

Kotegawa silently clutched his chest, then transformed into wisps of mist and drifted away, landing at his front door. After a brief pause, he raised his hand and knocked forcefully on the door.

Soon there was movement inside the house, and Uncle Jian's calm voice rang out from the yard: "Who is it so late?"

"It's me, Uncle Kenji!" Kotegawa shouted. "I just came from Tokyo!"

"Xiao Jian?" Uncle Jian's voice was taken aback, but it quickly fell silent again. Then, after a while, his cell phone rang.

He pressed the answer button and said into the phone, "Uncle Jian, I'm really at my doorstep."

"You... why did you come back in the middle of the night? That's so dangerous!" Uncle Jian almost roared.

Hurried footsteps sounded in the courtyard, the gate opened, revealing Uncle Jian's dark face.

Kotegawa put down his phone, about to explain, but then paused for a moment, looking at him, his lips moving slightly: "It's been a while, how come you're here..."

Uncle Jian looked almost ten years older than he had appeared. His temples were gray, his eyes were sunken, and his face was haggard. He was almost unrecognizable from the one he had during the New Year.

Uncle Jian didn't speak, clearly enduring something. Finally, he shook his head, turned around, and said weakly, "Let's go inside."

Kotegawa silently locked the door and followed Kenji into the house.

A strong smell of disinfectant, the kind you only smell when you're getting an IV drip in a hospital, wafted over, and Kotegawa was taken aback again when he looked at the slightly messy living room.

It seems like it hasn't been cleaned in a while.

"I've been too busy lately and haven't had time for some other things..." Uncle Jian bent down to tidy up the plastic bags and instant noodle boxes on the coffee table.

Looking at the blanket on the sofa, Kotegawa blurted out, "What happened to Aunt Akiba?"

Uncle Jian's hand paused, and before he could speak, Aunt Qiuye's faint voice came from the direction of the bedroom: "Xiao Jian?"

"It's me!" Kotegawa didn't stop, strode over, and pushed open the bedroom door.

In the bedroom, Aunt Qiuye, who was lying on her side on the bed, propped herself up. Half of the quilt had slipped to the floor, and under the dim bedside lamp, there was a face that looked extremely haggard.

Aunt Qiuye has also lost a lot of weight.

Various medicine bottles were placed on the bedside table, emitting a strong smell of disinfectant.

Kotegawa looked down and saw a thin iron chain wrapped around the headboard, extending from one end into the blanket.

Instinctively, he lifted the corner of the blanket.

A circular iron ring was locked around Aunt Akiba's ankle. Although there was cotton padding inside, the sight still stung Kotegawa's heart.

He instinctively grabbed the chain and yanked it in two with brute force. With a stern face, he slowly removed the iron ring from his ankle.

"Why?" he asked, his head bowed.

Inside the living room, Uncle Jian, who was still clearing the dining table, didn't look up; his back was noticeably hunched under the light.

"Sigh..." A deep sigh escaped his lips as he sat down on the sofa, supporting his forehead with his hand, speechless for a moment.

Aunt Akiha, propping herself up on her arms, stared blankly at the chains. Suddenly, she began to sob, almost as if possessed, and cried out in a hoarse voice, "Yosuke, Yosuke is still alive! I must find him!"

"Yosuke is still alive?" Kotegawa, who was holding half a chain, was stunned again. He looked at Aunt Akiba, who was desperately getting off the bed and trying to rush out. He subconsciously opened his hand to stop her and unconsciously used the soothing power of [Nightmare].

"Don't worry... You must not have had a proper rest in a long time, right? Get some sleep first..."

Aunt Qiuye slowly loosened her grip on his clothes, and her breathing gradually became steady.

He helped Aunt Qiuye back to bed, covered her with a blanket, turned off the bedside lamp, and silently left the bedroom.

After closing the door, he moved a stool and sat down in front of Uncle Jian, asking earnestly, "What exactly happened?"