You say this is a love game?

"Oh, so boring..."

There's an illusion.

Mizutani Makoto felt that the person in front of him was not a majestic god, but an old fox with an empty nest who was waiting for his children to return home.

The sense of déjà vu is so strong!

But it is impossible for Mizutani Makoto to stay here with Ootenzu, and it is impossible for Ootenzu to leave Inari Taisha where she is in charge.

Mizutani Makoto asked:

"Miozu, you can't leave Inari Taisha?"

"Why? Are there any rules in this world that can restrain gods?"

Yu Zhuanjin shook his head.

"This is a promise I made with a shrine maiden. I will protect Heian-kyō for her."

"Miko?"

Mizutani Cheng was startled.

Miojin added, "My miko."

This cheerful god sat in front of the shrine and bid farewell to Mizutani Makoto and Furuya Ruriko with tears in his eyes.

When leaving, Mizutani Makoto turned around to look at the gods who remained in the shrine, and then looked at Furuya Ruriko.

"What story is this about the shrine maiden that Yuzhongjin is talking about?"

Furuya Ruriko shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that."

Mizutani Makoto pondered: "Even you don't know? But hasn't Ootenzu always been protecting Inari Taisha?"

Furuya Ruriko still shook her head and said softly:

"Mizutani-sama, this is time."

"The story of the Goddess and that shrine maiden happened 1,100 years ago. Even we who are the inheritors of the shrine don't know anything about it."

"We can't even find the name of that witch."

"All we know is that the God had a pact with a miko, and that the God was willing to guard the Kyoto region for a thousand years to fulfill this pact."

In this world, almost nothing can interfere with the freedom of God, and "promise" is just one of the countless tiny possibilities.

In the infinite life of the gods, which seemed to have no end, she was willing to stay at a certain place for a promise, and this stay lasted for more than a thousand years.

Is this a blessing or a curse?

“…You didn’t even leave your name?”

Furuya Ruriko nodded slightly: "Perhaps... the gods are the only ones who still remember the name of that miko."

"Perhaps...that's why God is so lonely."

Mizutani Makoto nodded slightly.

He seemed to have something to say, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that there was no point in saying them... The story of a thousand years ago, the witch whose name had been forgotten, was no longer something that "descendants" like them could interfere with.

I can't take it away.

He was still wondering if he could get a buy-one-get-one-free deal and use Furuya Ruriko to take the Mizozu away...

"Well, let's go."

Walking down the spectacular torii slope, we completely left the sacred area of ​​​​Miozu.

By the time we arrived outside the shrine, it was already evening.

There were people from the shrine waiting outside, and Mizutani Makoto also saw the figure of Furuya Akiho among them. The little shrine maiden was looking at them curiously, and his face was indifferent, but it was this "coldness" and "cruelness" that seemed to frighten the girl so much that her cheeks turned red, and she avoided his sight calmly.

...So cool!

Girls of this age may even fall for the cool and handsome ghost-fire boy, and someone's configuration can be described as a top-notch cool and handsome guy, which is definitely the right fit in terms of aesthetics.

"..."

These kids born after 10 are so precocious.

Although, in this life, Brother Cheng is just a post-09 generation.

Furuya Ruriko took the initiative to step forward and negotiate with the shrine staff. Soon, the shrine staff all retreated. This scene made Mizutani Makoto slightly surprised by Furuya Ruriko's aura.

Alas, the sect’s pride and joy.

If you think about it carefully, Furuya Ruriko must have a very high status in Inari Taisha Shrine...it must be as high as seven or eight stories.

"Alright, Mizutani-sama."

"Is there any place you want to go? I can take you there..."

"Let's go have dinner first. After dinner, I plan to go to Fukui Prefecture."

"squeak--"

The tiger thrush's chest swelled slightly, and its clear, ethereal cry made its presence known.

When she heard about the delicious food, Satori Yoshiko came out without saying a word.

They are suffocated to death today.

In front of a true god, they all held their breath and concentrated. Even someone as proud as a chickadee could only suppress her pride and shrink like an ostrich in front of the god.

Only a girl like Yajima Mai has truly been a god. She herself is a blank soul, so she can face the divine aura of Yuzhong Jin without fear at all.

"Want me to recommend?"

"Isn't Kyoto Miss Furuya's home turf?"

"In that case... then let me make some recommendations."

Furuya Ruriko smiled slightly.

"There are many old shops in Kyoto worth visiting. Their heritage and history are very rich... Even after decades, those old shops should still be there. I'll take Master Mizutani to look for them."

After these words were spoken, Mizutani Makoto and the tiger-thrush on his shoulder stared at each other in bewilderment.

“I didn’t see that…”

"Miss Furuya, you are quite respectful of the past."

I'm from Kyoto.

A true Kyoto native.

Makoto Mizutani laughed, and that funny expression made Ruriko Furuya feel a little embarrassed. She looked distressed, but she didn't understand what had hit Makoto Mizutani's funny bone.

"Goo~"

Still regional black!

"Aren't you smiling happily too?"

"Cuckoo~"

The man and the bird finally reached a consensus regarding their conversation this morning.

Furuya Ruriko was still thinking.

Is there anything funny?

I don't understand.

But seeing that Mizutani Makoto was smiling so happily, she just shook her head and continued to lead Mizutani Makoto.

……

……

After dinner, it was time for the mission.

Before rushing to Misawa Medical Center, Mizutani Makoto went to take a look at Yinli.

This is the convenience of the teleportation point.

The door to Yinli is set in the basement of his house, but that door is reserved for other people. Mizutani Makoto has his teleportation point in Yinli. As long as he closes his eyes and activates today's exploration, he can appear directly in Yinli even if he is thousands of miles away.

There hasn't been much change in my home in Yinli.

The spiritual flowers and herbs in the farmland have already sprouted. They are nourished by the richest spiritual energy and their growth rate is beyond imagination.

By taking root in a place with abundant spiritual energy, the Peach Blossom Demon's recovery speed became faster.

"After you left, new monsters were attracted by the spiritual energy, returned from the fields to the hidden place, and attacked this place."

The Peach Blossom Demon told the truth.

Mizutani Makoto frowned: "Monsters are attacking so soon..."

The branches of the peach blossom demon shook slightly, as if nodding.

"But you don't need to worry too much, Mizutani-sama. I have recalled some of the past events."

"The more powerful the monsters, the further they moved away from Yinli. When the spiritual energy faded, they followed it into the mountains and forests. The ones that remain in Yinli or in the fields today are just insignificant little monsters."

"And with the spiritual energy of this land right now, its aura won't spread into the mountains and forests..."

In other words, at this stage, it only attracts weak monsters.

The roots of the peach blossom demon slowly squirmed, revealing the corpse of an old rat underneath.

"The demon rats have a strong reproductive capacity. Their traces are everywhere in the fields. They are the most populous demon in this area."

Different from a crack.

Most of the small monsters in the cracks are aggregates of resentment, but the monsters hidden here are living beings. In the ecological chain constructed by countless monsters, they can reproduce, hunt, and kill each other... The environment is far more realistic than the cracks.

Mizutani Makoto nodded in understanding.

The monster hidden under the Peach Blossom Demon is the small group of soldiers who attacked the home while Mizutani Makoto was offline.

They were all old rats from the paper, living in the fields close to Yinli. Suddenly, they smelled the presence of spiritual energy and rushed towards Mizutani Makoto's home.

There is a peach blossom demon on paper guarding the gate, so the fate of these demon rats is of course to become fertilizer for the peach blossom demon.

At the same time, Peach Blossom Demon also offered some dropped items.

【Wood】*4.

【Stone】*3.

[Old Rat's Spiritual Core]*1.

"Fully automatic?"

Mizutani Makoto couldn't help but stand in awe.

Good security!

Now it seems that inviting the Peach Blossom Demon to my doorstep was definitely the right decision.

Mizutani Makoto doesn't have the energy to stay at his home 24 hours a day. His main job must be in the real world and soul travel. He can only protect his home by going online to harvest crops and taking a look at them in his spare time.

The existence of the Peach Blossom Demon makes up for the lack of defensive force in the home.

You can also get some materials from time to time. The only drawback is that you won't get any souls. It can only be said that it would be more useful to farm [Wood] and [Stone].

"Even without me, these demon rats would not be able to break through your defensive barrier, Master Mizutani."

The peach blossom demon shook her head.

It is too far-fetched to want to tear up the barrier with the help of these old rats. It is nothing more than that Mizutani Makoto returned to the hidden place and found a wave of monsters blocking the door, so he cleared them out.

"You don't have to say that. Your presence can really help me with many things."

Mizutani Makoto supported the peach blossom demon and patted the tree trunk gently.

The face on the tree trunk seemed to twist in embarrassment, and the enchanting peach blossoms bloomed even brighter and more charmingly.

...I was quite happy to be praised.

"You said before that you wanted to recover your strength. The spirit core should be helpful to you..."

"Then take this first and try to recover to a level 2 monster."