“Oh! It’s a demon! Kirie! A demon, a demon! This is a different kind of demon from the ones in the West! I’ve never seen one before!”
Mimamori, the girl who called herself a Land God, bounced around Evia as if she couldn’t contain her excitement. Her leaps and bounds, so energetic they seemed to have sound effects attached, were surprisingly silent and weightless, as if proving she wasn’t human.
With her eyes shining brightly, Mimamori observed Evia. Although Evia appeared unconcerned on the surface, she looked troubled from my perspective. While her gaze could be considered rude, it was filled with pure astonishment. Evia would normally dismiss such blatant scrutiny immediately, but the fact that her observer was a girl, and moreover, a self-proclaimed god, made it difficult for her to be harsh.
“Over there, they had wings and tails, but you don’t? Hmm? Are you hiding it with some kind of spell I’ve never seen? But you can’t be touched physically. Does that mean it’s hidden in another dimension? No, the space doesn’t seem distorted. Then perhaps…”
After musing like a researcher, she suddenly began to run around Evia again. Her movements were childish, but her words and thoughts were not. I could only worry about what to do. Meanwhile, Evia, who was the one being scrutinized, grew more agitated, her gaze pleading with Kirie-san, who sat opposite them, to do something.
“…Mimamori-sama.”
“Oh! You’re not hiding it, you’re changing it! That way, you conserve your power, and it feels natural when you infiltrate among humans.”
“…Mimamori-sama.”
“Ah, enough! I can hear you! I’m in the middle of something, so don’t interfere!”
Perhaps sensing the pressure of Evia’s gaze, Kirie-san called out to Mimamori softly the first time. However, despite being within earshot, the girl acted as if she couldn’t hear, causing Kirie-san’s eye to twitch. With a huff, she called out again, her voice sharper. Mimamori, as if displeased, scowled and complained.
“Mi-ma-mo-ri-sa-ma?”
“Hii!?”
However, Kirie-san seemed to be accustomed to this reaction. A smile that even gods might fear. Even a Buddha’s patience runs out after three times, and while Kirie-san’s expression when she called out for the third time was gentle, like that of a heavenly maiden, compared to the first two times, a fleeting glimpse of a Hannya mask suggested there would be no more chances.
“Alright, alright, so stop that smile. You almost made me cry. If you had just stayed quiet, I wouldn’t have to scold you. If you maintain some decorum, they will likely comply with your requests.”
Mimamori, who had reluctantly returned to her seat, her earlier excitement forcibly suppressed, clearly wanted to ignore Kirie-san’s nagging words. However, she knew that ignoring her now would lead to worse consequences, so she listened in silence.
“Please excuse me. I apologize on behalf of that deity.”
“…No, it’s fine.”
“See! She says it’s fine… but, yes. Politeness is important. Yes, hooray for politeness!”
Kirie-san let out a sigh mixed with exasperation at Mimamori’s attitude, then bowed her head to Evia in apology. Just as Mimamori seemed about to get carried away again after Evia’s acceptance, she noticed a cold gaze directed at her and, breaking into a cold sweat, straightened her posture.
Somehow, this was my second time meeting a god, but compared to the previous one, my first impression was that Mimamori was a far more human-like deity. Unlike the gods of Isal, her constantly changing expressions and her reactions to Kirie-san’s words, even if she might not be the best judge, felt comically over-the-top, making her seem all the more human.
“Um, Kirie-san. Did she—the one who wanted to meet us—is that why she couldn’t talk to us before?”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“Kirie! What do you mean, ‘unfortunately’! Gods have feelings too, and they get hurt! I’ll cry! I’ll cry in front of people from outside the village! To a level that’s just embarrassing!”
But then I remembered. Kirie-san had said she couldn’t talk about her beforehand. It was questionable to keep a secret about a girl who, at first glance, seemed like nothing more than a tomboyish child. Now, confirming it again, she affirmed it with a sigh, as if truly regretting it. I half-believed she was a god, but I couldn’t understand why she needed to be kept secret. Seeing her protest to Kirie-san noisily, I couldn’t help but wonder if her personality was the reason she was kept hidden. It was an assumption based on her lack of dignity, but given Kirie-san’s personality, I quickly dismissed the thought.
“…Forgive me for saying so, but isn’t she someone who doesn’t need to be hidden? It’s not like we’ve never met gods before, and we don’t doubt their existence.”
“Ignored!?”
“Well, that’s a natural question.”
“Me too!?”
However, doubts should be asked honestly, so I decided to ask Kirie-san along with my impressions of our meeting. Prompted by Evia’s gaze, I pressed further. As if ignoring the god who was making comical overreactions beside me, Kirie-san agreed with my question with a composed expression.
“It concerns our internal affairs but it’s a common occurrence. Opinions clash between conservatives and reformers. Simply put, mentioning Mimamori-sama’s name at that time would have caused trouble later. That’s all.”
The content of her explanation was something you’d often hear in organizations that handle confidential information. The information that a god exists could be considered valuable. I understood that there were individuals who were overly sensitive about leaking such information to outsiders, and I also knew that the venue had been monitored.
“I understand the trouble you’re talking about, but couldn’t you have dealt with it beforehand… or rather, you couldn’t, could you?”
Evia couldn’t elaborate further. As an organization, the decision on what can and cannot be said is fundamentally made at the organizational level. You might think it’s for such a trivial matter, but in one company, leaking the number of screws to an outsider resulted in disciplinary action. Moreover, seeing Mimamori-sama sulking in a corner and drawing the character ‘の’ because she was ignored, I couldn’t say anything more.
“Yes, especially for those who dislike your interactions, they would want to crush such opportunities quickly. As a result, we’ve had meeting after meeting, day and night. Honestly, it was to the point where I wanted to settle things with my fists, which even someone with a wrinkle-free brain could understand why they kept repeating the same things.”
“It’s hard when you have to deal with incompetent people.”
“Yes, I’m just glad you understand that.”
Furthermore, the work of Evia and Kirie-san is likely similar. Both are in high-ranking positions within middle management. In terms of status, they are among the highest. Therefore, they must listen not only to the words of their superiors but also to those of their colleagues and even those of lower status. Among them are likely ambitious individuals. Thus, objections are often inserted into inconvenient developments for oneself, and for those who dislike outsiders, such actions are only natural.
“So, does that mean this flow of events was calculated by you?”
“Hmm, what are you referring to?”
“Don’t be silly. You must have understood the nature of the god sulking over there.”
“Well, there aren’t many who can predict the actions of the always bustling Mimamori-sama.”
That is precisely why one prepares an alternative route. If there are those who detest the contact between the gods of the Hidden Village and the inhabitants of another world, then one should facilitate contact in a way that cannot be criticized. For example, if the god herself voluntarily takes the lead.
“Let’s leave it at that.”
“Hmm, I am merely stating the obvious. No one can possibly comprehend a god’s will.”
Without anyone instigating her. Without anyone interfering. Simply by not suppressing her desire to see, Kirie-san brought me and Evia into contact with the god.
“What is it~ Everyone is ignoring me. I’m important, you know? I’m a god, why can those two treat me so casually?”
“Mimamori-sama, we have strawberry daifuku here. Would you like some?”
“I’ll eat it!! Oh! It’s the limited edition strawberry daifuku from Manpukuya!”
What was the purpose of setting up this meeting? It crossed both my and Evia’s minds. The miko, who was called Tomoe, took out a small lacquered plate from a small box, placed a white daifuku on it, and set it on the table. Upon confirming this, she clapped her hands on the zabuton and called for Mimamori-sama. She literally flew to the spot, sat down, and began to eat voraciously.
“What do you mean ‘cannot comprehend’? You’ve tamed her, haven’t you?”
Evia pointed out with a wry smile at the seamless action, and Kirie-san smiled in response.
“I haven’t tamed her. We’ve just known each other for a long time.”
She gently shook her head, and then watched Mimamori-sama, who was happily munching on the daifuku, lost in nostalgic thought.
“What? Is there something on my face?”
“You have powdered sugar on your cheek.”
“What!?”
Noticing her gaze, I pointed out that her cheek was slightly white. She quickly took out a hand towel and began to wipe it. Seeing Kirie-san happily smiling at her actions, I naturally asked, “Are you two friends?”
“Oh! Well spotted. That’s right! Kirie and I are friends!”
“It’s an honor, but…”
Mimamori-sama responded proudly, happy about my question, while Kirie-san, with a wry smile, recounted how difficult it had been at the time.
“I was attending the academy in this village, and for some reason, Mimamori-sama enrolled as a student there.”
“I get bored with the same everyday life! I wanted to add some flavor to my life, my divine life! I do it occasionally! It’s fun!”
“She even used her divine power to conceal herself, so I didn’t realize she was a god at the time. While taking care of her and so on, we studied together all the way through high school.”
“When I revealed it on graduation day, she hit me with all her might!”
“Yes, I hit her with everything I had. Normally, it would be terribly disrespectful, but when she casually said, ‘Actually, I’m a god, teehee,’ and I realized I had been in mortal danger several times, I couldn’t hold back.”
Kirie-san’s eyes seemed to gaze into her student days, but the gentle expression on her face suggested that her memories were not solely filled with hardship. Evia, nodding in understanding, likely had past experiences similar to Kirie-san’s that she had heard about during their drinks, indicating another point of commonality. As we talked, we grew thirsty and had tea. And as the casual conversation progressed,
“Well, may we finally get down to business?”
The serious time had arrived. The conversations up to this point were merely a way for us to get to know each other.
“Yes.”
Aware of this, I had deliberately allowed ample time until dinner to create this opportunity.
“Then, let’s discuss the Association’s intentions and the current situation.”
The fact that Kirie-san had gone to the trouble of arranging this meeting indicated that an emergency had occurred.
Today’s word: Swiftly convey information.
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* The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters. Please consider purchasing the new releases! We look forward to your continued support of this work.
