Keiri’s heart pounded more fiercely than anyone could imagine, as she plainly stated her once-in-a-lifetime gamble.
This was an act that brushed against the gray zone, or perhaps even the black even with the authority she possessed.
If this were to become a problem, it could even endanger Jiro’s position.
That’s how much of a privileged secret the dungeons held.
Yet, she had spoken and made her proposal.
Spit once it left the mouth cannot be retrieved.
She could only wait for Mimamori-sama, who put on a show of agonizing over the decision, to make their judgment.
“If that’s truly possible… I think there are gods who would be interested in the offer.”
And her response was good.
Mimamori-god nodded to the conditions after a few seconds of thought, though I don’t know what they were thinking during that time.
“However, if the gods move and then decide they can’t proceed, it will be a very serious problem?”
But they added a warning that breaking a contract was strictly forbidden.
Keiri nodded, understanding and agreeing with the content.
“I’ll stake my life on it.”
“Alright. For the sake of your honest soul, I’ll proceed with the negotiation, using Kirika’s veiled threat as collateral for now. Hey, you god of a thousand faces. You’re also a candidate, so listen up.”
From here, she had to speak to other gods.
At Mimamori-god’s suggestion, Keiri glanced at her wristwatch.
The passage of time began to weigh on her mind, but there was nothing she could do if the decision wasn’t made immediately.
She sent a silent plea to Jiro to hold on.
“Hey.”
Suddenly, Susanoo-god, who had been making all sorts of expressions until then, spoke to Keiri for the first time, acknowledging her.
What’s this? Keiri tensed for a moment.
However, Susanoo-god’s expression and the emotions conveyed by him lacked the laziness he had shown earlier, quickly shifting to suspicion.
“Yes?”
“Your proposal just now… I’ll take it.”
Keiri’s spine chilled as she was met with a fierce gaze, unbelievable for the malevolent god who had been so hesitant just moments before.
“…What caused this change of heart?”
While feeling her lifespan shorten with the perplexing intentions of the god, Keiri faced him without backing down, mentally urging herself not to lose.
“First, it’s annoying that another god might take this offer, and second, I really want to get out of this dump.”
The hearts of gods change more unpredictably than mountain weather.
If she made one wrong move, she could end up fighting here.
The reasons she began counting on her fingers were all trivial, but for Keiri, who already viewed gods as disasters that moved on emotion rather than logic, they were all within her expectations.
Mimamori-god, who had been trying to interject, looked displeased, but there was no doubt he was a formidable force.
Reluctantly, he adopted a stance of observation as long as no foolish words were spoken, and the situation thus became a negotiation table.
“Third, I want a place where I belong. I’m tired of sleeping in a place like this forever. But there’s no place for me outside. So, if I can conveniently create a place for myself, I want to do it. That’s all there is to it.”
And the last reason, stated with a mischievous smile like a playful imp, was nothing out of the ordinary.
In this Earth, where fewer people believe in gods, it is difficult for them to exist.
Therefore, they want beings who believe in them to guarantee their place.
“If it’s about fighting gods in the solar system, I’m exceptionally well-suited! After all, I’m such a mighty warrior that I made my sister retreat due to a misunderstanding!”
“That’s not something to brag about. You’re just a perennially ill-behaved, useless god, you didn’t win against Amaterasu.”
“Shut up, you shorty!”
“Don’t call me shorty!”
Keiri and the demons, whose deep-seated emotions resonated with that sentiment, could understand.
They want to go home, even without knowing why.
They continue to harbor such feelings.
Although the sight of a burly man and a petite girl arguing is a demerit, Keiri, being of a different race, is accustomed to such scenes and has no problem with it.
“Mimamori-sama.”
“Well, you see… sorry, sorry. What is it? You’re saying this guy won’t do?”
“No, I simply wish to hear your honest opinion. In your opinion, is Susanoo-god strong?”
Therefore, the final question was framed this way.
Even with motivation, if they couldn’t function as a tool, it would be meaningless.
This was the final question to determine that.
“…Hmph. Yes, I admit it grudgingly, but there are few Amatsukami who can be said to be stronger than him. Truly.”
In response to that question, Mimamori-god half-closed one eye reluctantly and looked up at Susanoo-god with his open left eye, as if he had no choice but to answer.
“He’s perfect for fighting the god who controls the sun.”
He gave his stamp of approval.
“Hearing those words has made me resolve.”
With that, Keiri had no more hesitation.
“Susanoo-god, we humbly request your assistance to our Demon Lord’s Army.”
She decided to make a contract with this god from another world.
Mimamori-god could only sigh at her response.
Originally, Mimamori-god was an outsider to this contract, Kirika had provided the trigger, and Keiri had ignited the god’s motivation.
“That’s the spirit.”
The aura of the motivated Susanoo-god was enough to dominate the entire area.
Keiri was somewhat intimidated by this change from his previous lack of motivation, but she was confident that this was the moment to go all out.
“Then, let’s proceed with the contract negotiations.”
And so, the negotiation, which lasted about an hour in front of the dilapidated house in Takamagahara, was…
“Then, we shall proceed with this agreement.”
…successfully concluded.
While being watched by those around them, they refined each other’s demands.
“You better be on board my grand ship.”
“You mean a leaky boat, don’t you?”
“Shut up!!”
With that, they agreed, and Mimamori-god acted as a witness to the signing of the contract.
The contract was an ancient spell possessed by gods.
It was something Keiri could not undo.
“So, what are you two going to do now? You don’t have much time, and you’ve achieved your objective, so are you going back?”
This meant that they had accomplished what they needed to do here.
With time being of the essence, they needed to take the results back immediately.
“Yes, yes! I’ll drop by to see Grandpa for the first time in a while and take care of things.”
Leaving when the task was done could be seen as disrespectful, but there was someone who could handle it.
It was Kirika.
Keiri lightly patted her back, praising her for doing well.
Though Keiri should have been older than Kirika, she felt like she was dealing with an elder.
Was it her imposing presence that made her feel that way? She found herself relying on Kirika naturally.
“Please leave the rest to me.”
“Got it. Tell Jiro whatever you want. That old man doesn’t let me leave easily, so it’ll be late when I get back.”
“Understood.”
“In that case, I will too.”
“You come with me. I’ll pay Grandpa a visit.”
Since there were proxies, there was no problem.
The Japanese forces would remain here, but Keiri and the others would leave Takamagahara.
The group returning was different from the one that arrived, as they were now accompanied by a god.
Ichiro, who tried to go back with them, was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and remained in Takamagahara with Kirika.
The arrival of a burly god, a head TALLER than anyone else and dressed in an anachronistic fashion, left Minami and the others at the Moonlit Perch somewhat bewildered.
Things got even more chaotic after leaving Takamagahara.
“Whoa!? Is this it? What is that?! I don’t know any of this!”
As soon as his overseer was gone, this Susanoo-god no longer bothered to hide his arrogant demeanor.
Keiri used spatial teleportation magic to return quickly.
At this moment, Keiri realized this might have been her biggest mistake.
She hadn’t brought Susanoo-god back to headquarters, but to the isolated island where Jiro’s dungeon was located.
The place, where a city was currently under construction in another world, was more than enough to stimulate the curiosity of a god who had been in seclusion.
“Heheheh, this city will eventually be mine…”
“It won’t be. You’re going over there.”
He muttered his ambition to conquer it eventually, not hiding it at all.
Keiri felt a slight regret about requesting cooperation from such a being as she guided him toward the dungeon.
Every time he strayed from the path, she had to re-guide him, and the journey, requiring effort and fatigue, felt incredibly long.
“Whoa!! What is this!! Amazing!! It’s no different from Takamagahara!!”
Once inside the dungeon, his excitement intensified, making him even more uncontrollable.
They entered an undeveloped, unused area within the dungeon.
The space itself was desolate, with exposed rock faces, but it was undeniably inside a dungeon.
Susanoo-god nodded contentedly at the dense magical power filling the air and began to check his physical condition.
At first, he only made movements like clenching his fists, rotating his shoulders, and stretching, like a warm-up. But after crouching down and jumping up with a great leap, he no longer held back.
“Uhyahyahyahyahyahyahya!”
“I’m being blown away, Gozaru!?”
He ran around freely, creating gusts of wind, and no longer listened to anyone.
“I’m light, my body feels light!!”
She erected a barrier, trying to manage him, but Susanoo-god’s movements were still too strong to contain.
“Behave yourself!!”
Without hesitation, Keiri delivered a flying kick to his face.
The kick, executed with Keiri’s body reinforcement pushed to its limit, landed cleanly with a roar.
“What the heck, I was having fun.”
However, it didn’t inflict any damage.
His complaint about being interrupted made her regret her decision.
“You can go berserk later. For now, I’ll make a temporary shelter here, so please be patient.”
Just as she decided to do what she had to do, Keiri’s smartphone rang.
“Kaido-kun?”
The smartphone was a specially made company-provided device.
It was a top-class item capable of long-distance telepathic communication.
That’s why she could communicate with Kaido, who was on a battlefield in another world, from within the dungeon.
She felt a flicker of anxiety, wondering if there was some trouble on the battlefield, but if that were the case, there would have been more commotion.
She took a deep breath to calm herself and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Keiri-san, are you free right now?”
The voice on the other end was that of a familiar subordinate. She had thought he might have changed on the battlefield, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Rather, I think it’s more important that you are free? How was your first battle?”
It was definitely about work, but Keiri sensed that he had enough余裕 for a little casual chat, as he seemed relaxed enough to do so.
“Yes, it was really scary, but I managed to get through it. Well, this is just the beginning though…”
Had the battlefield calmed down for now, or had the operation progressed?
“Can you explain the situation?”
Keiri wanted to gather as much firsthand information from the battlefield as possible, and she mentally listed a few things she wanted to ask Kaido, but…
“Ah, in that case, Suella-san is here. So, I’ll switch you over now, so please ask her.”
She thought she might be able to get a more detailed explanation. At this point, Keiri realized something.
She began to worry about how she would explain Susanoo-god, whom she had brought along without permission.
Today’s Word:
Promises are directly linked to a person’s trust.
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“Pandora Pandemic Panic” – The Pandora’s Box has reopened, but we’re fighting back with various means in secret bases and elsewhere!
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