Kousuke decided to tell them exactly what he heard from Asura regarding divine power and its effects on individuals.
There was no point in hiding it, and he thought it would be foolish to panic if something were to happen.
When he spoke about the possibility of deification, everyone seemed nonchalant.
Perhaps it was because they didn’t know what might happen, and also the possibility that nothing might happen at all.
Furthermore, seeing Nana’s transformation, they had each been thinking that something similar might happen to them as well.
Ultimately, it was decided that if anything were to happen with divine power and deification, they would properly report it, as the extent of the changes was unknown.
It wasn’t strictly mandatory, but in times of need, they could receive divine revelations (divine unions) through Silvia or Kousuke, which in a way was only natural.
Shurein added that they would likely be the ones asking for favors.
The other three members nodded in agreement without any objection.
As for achieving enlightenment, Silvia listened as if it were the most natural thing.
Apparently, it was said that those who could wield divine power were high-ranking priests or shrine maidens of high status.
In addition, there was talk that divine power was the power of the soul.
Since touching the soul itself (including its power) was said to be a path to enlightenment, it was probably a given for Silvia, who was in the clergy.
The other members had similar reactions, so it was Kousuke who was the most surprised.
Well, perhaps it couldn’t be helped, given that Kousuke’s fundamental thinking was based on his previous world (Japan).
With that said, Kousuke had finished explaining about divine power, and he headed to the 48th Floor to resolve the next plot point.
✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜ ✜
Upon arriving at the shrine on the 48th Floor, Kousuke was greeted by Cecil and Arisa.
Initially, the two were in charge of managing the Lily Shrine on the 8th Floor, but it had been decided that they would also occasionally manage the shrine on the 48th Floor.
To avoid the time it would take to travel between floors on foot, teleportation gates had been installed.
Although Kousuke hadn’t informed them of his arrival beforehand, they appeared to welcome them at the perfect timing.
The impeccable timing surprised Kousuke and his party.
When asked about it, they merely smiled without answering and immediately led them to another room.
The mystery was soon solved.
They were led into the largest room in the shrine, where three other people were waiting with a three-fingered salute.
“It’s been a while.”
At the greeting, Kousuke’s mind went blank for a moment.
He did recognize them. Their blonde hair and red eyes hadn’t changed at all from before.
However, their other appearances (including their way of speaking) had changed so much from before that his brain momentarily refused to process it.
Looking around, the others also had dumbfounded expressions.
Before them stood Wanri, who had grown to be about fifteen or sixteen years old.
He hurriedly checked her status, but it was undoubtedly Wanri.
Name: Wanri
Species: Nine-tailed Fox (Humanoid)
Unique Skills: Fox Fire LV8 (Bite LV8) Evasion LV8 Perception LV9 (Familiar Language Comprehension LV9) Divine Power Manipulation LV8 Fairy Language Kagero LV8 Moonlight LV6 Star Shadow LV6 Martial Arts LV5
Heavenly Skills: Transformation LV8 Telepathy LV7 Fairy Summoning LV5 (All Attributes)
Title: Kousuke’s Familiar Blessing of the Sun God Blessing of the Moon God Blessing of the Spirit God (Merged with Blessing of the Star God)
No matter how many times he looked, there was no mistake; it was Wanri.
“…Uhh…?”
After a long silence, Wanri tilted her head in confusion, unable to contain herself any longer.
“…W-Wanri?”
“Yes… is that so?”
“Eh!? …It is after all!?”
Upon hearing Wanri’s (child reformed into a young girl?) reply, Colette was surprised first.
“…What exactly is going on~?”
Peach’s eyes widened as much as possible.
“…As expected.”
Even Mitsuki was surprised, as if she were exasperated.
Wanri no longer looked like the young child she once was. She had surpassed the stage of a young girl and now had the appearance of a woman on the verge of adulthood, perhaps one or two steps away.
She was wearing a shrine maiden outfit similar to Silvia’s, which either Cecil or Arisa had prepared.
“Haaaaaa… Well, I’m surprised. You really are Wanri, aren’t you?”
“Y-Yes, I am. Ah… um, I kept silent because I wanted to surprise you… Was that… bad?”
Seeing Wanri looking at him with a hint of anxiety, Kousuke inadvertently reached out and patted her on the head, just as he used to.
“Ah, no. I was just surprised, it’s not bad. …Ah, sorry for patting your head.”
Considering her current appearance, he realized that patting her head as if she were a child might be inappropriate, and he quickly withdrew his hand from Wanri’s head.
“…Ah…”
The moment he withdrew his hand, a disappointed sigh escaped Wanri’s lips, but it didn’t reach Kousuke’s ears.
Kousuke tilted his head towards the other three, who were grinning at him for some reason.
“…Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing~?”
“As expected~”
“Well, it is Kousuke-sama after all… More importantly, Wanri, could you stand up for a moment?”
At Mitsuki’s sudden request, Wanri, who had been sitting, hastily stood up.
“…Eh!? Y-Yes?”
After observing her for a while, Mitsuki muttered something incomprehensible to Kousuke.
“Hmm. Approved.”
By the way, Kousuke was the only one who didn’t understand the meaning of these words.
Wanri, who had been told this, let out a sigh of relief, and Colette and Peach nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Kousuke felt left out and voiced his question.
“…Uhh, what does that mean?”
“You don’t need to understand. You’ll know eventually. There’s no need to rush.”
At Mitsuki’s words, Wanri wore a complex expression.
“Ah, this is bad. She’s so incredibly cute.”
Seeing Wanri’s face, Colette approached her as if she couldn’t hold back and began to pat her head.
“Ah, that’s unfair~. Me too~”
For some reason, Peach joined in as well.
Furthermore, not content with just patting her head, they started changing her hairstyle and doing various things with Wanri.
“…Uhh…”
Kousuke, feeling completely left behind, stood awkwardly, watching the scene unfold.
“You know, Kousuke-sama. We can’t just leave it like this, so you should take her to the management layer once, right? The other members will want to see Wanri too.”
Seeing Kousuke’s state, Mitsuki offered some advice (?).
Kousuke had no problem taking Wanri to the management layer, but he didn’t know how to resolve the current situation and could only stand there helplessly.
Seeing this, Mitsuki let out a sigh, then stopped Colette and Peach’s rampage.
“Colette, Peach, that’s enough. Wanri will be coming to the management layer.”
“Really?”
“Do you not have plans~?”
“Ah, yes. It’s alright.”
With Wanri nodding, the two of them took her hand and led her towards the teleportation gate, saying, “Then let’s go.”
In the end, they headed to the management layer with Wanri, but the two’s rampage didn’t stop.
Rather, it worsened.
This was because Silvia and Shurein joined Colette and Peach.
At first, the two were surprised by Wanri’s transformation, but they quickly joined Colette and Peach’s circle.
Meanwhile, Kouhi, after initially staring at Wanri with surprise, quickly moved to Kousuke’s side.
Mitsuki directed a teasing gaze towards Kouhi.
“Oh? Why don’t you join them without holding back?”
“I-I’m not holding back… What about you?”
“I’ll have plenty of time to dote on her later, so I’m fine for now.”
“…”
After watching Wanri for a while, Kouhi saw her looking bewildered, surrounded by the four.
“I… I’ll join later as well.”
Kousuke could only watch this unexpected turn of events.
But then he thought, it’s better than being disliked, and decided to let them have their way for now.
The management layer has a new mascot! (We’ll ignore the opinion that she’s not a mascot if she’s not a young girl lol)
Everyone seems to be excited about the appearance of the “sister character.”
This kind of thing didn’t happen when she was in her young girl form… The reason why is a mystery.
After this, she will be doted on by everyone (except Kousuke).
The Nine-tailed Fox version status will be released next time.
2014/5/20 Name correction
2014/6/21 Typo correction
