NANAMI
Crash!
"Again, huh .." (¬_¬ ;|||)
I just sighed helplessly at another broken window glass.
How do you do? I am Momozono Nanami, 17 years old. Currently, I'm living in a rundown apartment with my dad.
"The money loaners broke the window glass again, Dad", I can't help it but pout while I'm trying to patch the holes of our tatami mats.
"Are you repaying the money properly?", I doubly asked him who is currently sitting behind me and busy with something.
"Don't worry Nanami! ", Dad exclaimed excitedly.
"With this 1000 yen betting ticket, I plan to repay all my debts in one fell swoop! \(☆▽☆)/ "
He waved the tickets in front of me with a wink and thumbs up. Horrified, I hurriedly checked the can that I secretly hide.
" Σ(°ロ°) Argh! This month's food expense that I put here....!! "
"You spent money betting on horse racing again....?!! ", I angrily shouted at my dad.
"I'll make 100 times of that money and give it back to you", he replied proudly.
(ﾒ' ﾛ ')ノ *kicks* ⌒(>。<)
"You useless "Ack!"
old man! 💢"
↑ ↑
Nanami Dad
Somehow, I'm coping with my everyday life while having to support my dad, who loves gambling.
~ʚĭɞ~
I put out my lunch box after the morning classes are done.
"Sigh... I'll have to cut down my lunch again", the thought makes me feel teary.
"Hey Momozono", a familiar voice rang behind me.
"What's with this lunch box?" Before I can react, the idiot Isobe sneaked behind me and took my lunch box.
"BWAHAHAHA! Hey, look at this everyone! ", he showed my lunch to the whole class while laughing like crazy.
"Her lunch box only has rice and a pickled plum! "
"GUFFAW! Σ(°ロ°) ", embarrassingly I sprang on my sit and tried to snatch back my lunch box to hide it away from everyone's sight.
" .･ﾟﾟ•\(Ò//д//Ó)/･ﾟﾟ･. GYAAH! STOP IT! ", I keep trying to snatch back my lunch box but this Isobe-guy doesn't stop until he got everyone one's attention and started murmuring about me.
"That's horrible"
"Wow, so much poverty"
"From now on, your nickname will be Poverty-san", Isobe continued to mock me and everyone's murmuring continued with their laughter.
"Ahaha"
"Hehehe"
But I believe, no matter how harsh and painful my life is right now...
...someday...
...a day will come when I can smile every day.
~ʚĭɞ~
"I'm home", I called as I enter our apartment but no one greeted me back from the living room.
Expecting that my dad is at home, I went to call him from his room, "Have you bought a new glass, Dad?"
No answer.
"Dad?", I opened the door of his room and he's also not here.
Instead, a sole letter was on the table.
"I'm going on a journey.
I'm sorry. Don't look for me"
- Dad
"What?!! Σ!(×△×) 🗯️ "
Bam! Bam! Bam!
I jolted from the shock when I heard someone banging on the door.
"Momozono-san ", a man's voice shouted from the doorstep.
"Please open up."
"You have an order of enforcement that requires you to vacate this apartment at all cost", the men on our front door said after I opened up the door.
When I came back to my sense, I was already evicted from our apartment...
And so, pitifully, I was thrown into the streets.
~ʚĭɞ~
"Damn my deadbeat dad! 💢 "
＼＼\\ ٩ (๑'△'๑) ۶ //／／
Growls ~
"I'm hungry", I hold my growling stomach with teary eyes.
I don't have any relatives or money. Just what should I do from now on?
"Woof! Woof! Woof! " A dog suddenly barked not too far away from me.
"Someone help me ~ ", a pleading man's voice echoes in the silent night.
"Hmm?"
It caught my attention and I looked around until I saw the man who climbed up a tree just to avoid a little dog.
"Please take that dog away! ( ꒦ິ△꒦ິ ) "
"Shoo shoo", I brush the little dog away and it eventually left, making the man felt relieved.
"Are you okay?", I asked the bespectacled man in white after he went down from the tree.
"Thank you very much", he gratefully said to me with a smile.
"It's been a while since I came back to this town. To think that I got cornered by a dog as soon as I came back here... fufufu ... I'm sorry, I can't handle dogs", he added with a deep sigh. "Looks like I'm not welcomed by the local people here", then he laughed half-heartedly.
"Are you a local person here?", he faced me with a smile even though his eyes were still teary from earlier.
"Eh? Me? Σ(° _ ° ) ", I was surprised by his question. "Yes, but..", I helplessly smiled, "I already lost my house where I lived in, ahahahah"
Then, we sat on the benches and I told him what happened to our apartment.
"I see.. (╥﹏╥) ...so your father ran away from home.. You must have hated your father who ran away from home, right?"
"..well, he's always been a troublesome dad since long ago, so...", I tried to assure him.
*comforts* *sobs sobs*
(っ'▽';)ﾉ (╥︿╥)
"You cry
so much"
↑ ↑
Nanami Stranger Man
"I'm ashamed to admit it", he suddenly cut off my sentence, "but I also.. abandoned my home."
He sighed deeply, "It's been decades since then.. I wonder how everyone in my family is doing.."
Then he hung his head lowly with a depressed face, "I'm sure that Tomoe will attack me as soon as that person sees my face.
"Tomoe? His wife? ", I thought.
"Even so, it's alright, isn't it? To have a home to return to is fortunate". Then I scratch the back of my head awkwardly, " ୧(' ▽ ' ；) Since I already lost my home, ahahah.. "
After hearing this, the stranger man seems moved by my words, "Nanami-san, in that case, I'll give you my home."
"Eh?!"
"I can't leave my home empty forever. Besides if you live there, I'll feel relieved of my burden", he said gleefully as he stood up and reached on my forehead.
"And most importantly, you're so much more suitable to be the master of that house than me", the stranger cleared away my bangs off before leaving a soft kiss on my forehead like a loving father. I can't help but hold on my forehead where I can still feel warm as I blush.
Then, he pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to me, "Go to the place written in this memo. Just tell them that you came as Mikage told you to."
"I'm sure that everyone will welcome you as their new master", is what the stranger good man told me before his silhouette disappeared from the dark night as he walks away waving goodbye at me.
~ʚĭɞ~
ALICE
"I'm home", I muttered with monologue tone as I enter our home and took off my shoes.
It is so quiet and it seems Mom isn't here yet. I hurriedly walked towards my bed and slammed the door shut without a care about the loud noise I made.
I am Alice Flores, 18 years old, a Grade 12 Senior High school student. I live with my mom in a spacious condominium. My classmates usually express their envy to me and always say that my life is perfect, but they never thought how I actually feel.
Lately, Mom is always busy at work and only came home late at night and will leave very early in the morning. She said it's for my own good sake. It can't be helped since she's a successful woman.
Today is such another horrible day which makes me feel so drained. I just let my whole body sunk on my bed and closed my eyes.
Despite my classmates shower me with their little praises about my perfect life, they also never stopped mocking me behind my back. And my loving mom doesn't even ask about how my life has been doing. I feel like what she only cares are my excellent grades in school.
I silently cried while burrowing my face on my pillow as I gently fall asleep.
I wish I could escape to another world where I can be another me.. or the real me.
..and to be able to enjoy a normal fulfilling life.
~ʚĭɞ~
When I woke up, it's already late at night. I felt hungry so I went to the dining room to prepare something to eat. While I'm preparing to make some sandwiches I noticed a note on the table.
"I'll be on a business trip for 5 days.
I left your allowance money on your bedroom.
Take care of yourself.
I love you, sweetie"
- Mom
I sighed helplessly. After I prepared my sandwiches, I carried them to my bedroom. I opened my laptop and sat in a comfortable position before I continued watching my newly favorite anime, Kamisama Hajimemashita.
Enjoying animes is the only thing that makes me feel happy and better but mom isn't happy about it. She said it will only affect my studies. That's why my classmates secretly call me "The Closet Otaku Princess".
But every time Mom isn't at home, I always watched Kamisama Hajimemashita ever since I discovered it on the internet and right now, I'm currently watching season 2.
I love this anime so much because of Nanami. I like her strong spirit and somehow, I feel like I can relate to her a few things in life.
"If only I can be like her too", I murmured to myself with a sigh after I finished watching.
After I put back my laptop on my table, I lie down on my bed and peeked at the sky from my floor-to-ceiling window.
As I was still absorbing the happy ending of Nanami and Tomoe, I can't stop smiling and feeling happy for them especially for Nanami.
"If only I can be with Nanami, will I be a strong person like her too?", I uttered my childish wish.
I stare at the few visible stars in the sky then a star twinkled uniquely than other stars that it caught my attention,
"Starlight, Star's bright.
First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might.
Have a wish, I wish tonight."
I sang as I think of Nanami with Tomoe and her friends.
The star twinkled once more and swiped into the sky as a shooting star. My eyes felt tired and I slowly fall asleep again.
~ʚĭɞ~
"Huuu ~"
I rolled on my side as I feel uncomfortable in my sleep. The green grasses at night feels cold on my skin.
"Wait!? Grass ?!!", I opened my eyes when I realized something was wrong.
"Oh, good. You're already awake", I heard a man's gentle voice spoke somewhere nearby.
Chills ran into my spines. I hurriedly get up to scan my surroundings and there I saw a man's silhouette walking behind me.
"EEEK! GO AWAY FROM ME! ", I screamed in fear
*throws* *hits*
(ノᗒロᗕ)ﾉ ゝ┘ ⌒(× □ @)
"Go away!!💦" "No! Ack!"
↑ ↑ ↑
Alice Alice's Suspicious
slippers Man
"Wait! Please give me a minute! ", the man pleaded as he waves his hands in front of him telling me that he came for peaceful talk.
Clutching on a white robe that I'm preparing to throw also to him, I calmed down as I realized who actually is the owner of this robe.
It seems like he covered me with his robe in my sleep but didn't dared to touch me or carry me somewhere.
The man sighed in relief when he saw me agreed to let him explain first. He gently sat in front of me and I saw his full image - a bespectacled man with a neck-length light-yellow hair, and wears white clothes. He keeps smiling sweetly at me.
"Mi-Mikage!!? Σ(O_o) ", I was surprised that I recognized him.
"Hm? ", Mikage-sama also seems surprised that I knew him but he just tilted his head and continued to smile at me.
"Ah!", I realized my mistake. "S-sorry for being rude"
"What's your name, child?"
"A-Alice"
"You're actually not from here Alice, right?", he verifies in a friendly and gentle tone.
"Ye-yes", I nervously replied since I don't know how to explain everything. I even don't know what's happening too.
"So, how did you knew my name?", I noticed that he's also curious.
"Be-because you're the land deity who is Nanami's benefactor", I decided to tell him what I knew since I'm hoping he could help me too.
But I decided I won't tell him about the anime because no one wants the feeling of knowing their life is just fictitious and are only written by the authors.
Instead, I wanted to believe that the authors had the chance to see a glimpse of this world and decided to write it to tell everyone about the world they saw.
"I see", he said in a surprised tone.
"Oh, so you know Nanami?", he added as he smiled brightly again in relief when he saw me nod my head slightly.
"If that's the case, why don't you live and help Nanami?"
"Mi.. eherm.. Mr. Mikage, you mean I can go live in Mikage Shrine and help Nanami in doing her deity duties?", I cut stopped my urge to call him Mikage-sama in person since I'm afraid it will feel awkward for some reasons. After all, we just met.
"Yes of course. Nanami just left a while ago, so you can still catch up with her. I'm sure everyone will be happy to have a new friend", he assured me as he took out a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket and starts scribbling something.
"Oh and also, can I give you a new name as my blessing to you?", Mikage-sama asked me while he gave it to me a map to the shrine that he drew.
"A new name?"
"Because it's so hard to pronounce Alice", he smiled genuinely.
"..ahaha.. ( ' ▽ ' ；) ", I just helplessly sweatdrop at his reasons.
It is true that for traditional Japanese people like Mikage-sama, it's hard to pronounce the name Alice since they pronounce it as Arisu. But that's not the reason why I decided to accept his suggestion. I know Mikage-sama always has his own good reasons.
"From this day onwards, ye shall carry forth the name Hoshino Mikoto, for the stars hath made a way for ye here to be Nanami's shrine maiden", Mikage-sama softly uttered as he gently put his hand on my head. His hands were warm that makes me feel so calm.
"What a nice name ", I happily carved my new name in my heart to make sure I won't forget it. A Japanese name!
"That makes me your new godfather, I think", Mikage-sama gently pat my head with a smile.
A father figure
Then he started to glow and in an instant, he transformed into a fluttering butterfly and flew to the night sky.
~ʚĭɞ~
Author's Note:
I made a few researching before I wrote this story and took me a while to decide. "Hoshino" (星野) means "starfield ", while Mikoto could be interpreted a number of different ways. The kanji 美 (mi) means "beautiful", and 琴 (koto) is a Japanese string instrument thus gives the kanji 美琴. But I chose this name for a hidden meaning as "Miko" (巫女) that means "shrine maiden. It can also be 神 (mi) that means "spirit, god" plus 子 (ko) which means "child", suggesting an alternative spelling 神子 and then the "to" that has a meaning of "door " (戸) or " way" (途). Of course, Alice doesn't have an idea about it ;)
From here onwards, Alice may introduce herself as Mikoto. Please don't be confused, the name "Mikoto" is a gift from Mikage-sama to Alice, thus "Alice" and "Mikoto" are just one person.
~ʚĭɞ~
MIKOTO
"Huff huff "
The only thing I can hear that night is my own breathing as I'm running to catch up with Nanami.
The map that Mikage-sama drew seems complicated but luckily, the path going to the temple is actually just simple.
I don't know how long I've been running already, but I still haven't felt a bit tired at all. I even don't know how can I run so well by wearing just my bedroom slippers and I'm still in my uniform since I haven't changed clothes yet when I went to bed earlier.
In reality, I've been consumed by my excitement to meet Nanami. And then eventually, I saw her from afar while her back was facing me. She's walking slowly and also holding a draft of a map on her hand and her traveling bag on the other.
Brimming with joy, I ran faster like a fangirl chasing over a celebrity.
"NANAMI!! ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆ "
"Hm?" Nanami turned around when she recognized that someone is calling her name.
*chase in
excitement* *runs in shock*
=-.. ε ٩ (๑> ₃ <)۶ з ฅ=͟͟͞͞((꒪∆꒪;)ฅ
"NANAMI~! "Wah! Who are
Please wait ~" you?! "
↑ ↑
Mikoto Nanami
"Please wait, I want to say something to you!", I called her loudly without care.
"Then please stop chasing me too! ", I barely heard Nanami's plead.
"Then why are you running away from me?", I asked her back.
I continue my exaggerated actions without noticing that I'm already scaring my idol away.
I even didn't notice that the stone tiles on the pathway we're stepping aren't stable.
"Kyaah !"
I stumbled down on some stones causing me to fall face flat on the ground.
"Huh?", Nanami heard my painful fall and turned around.
"Hey, are you alright?", I heard her worried voice as she ran back to me.
"Uuuhh", I painfully groan in response.
Still lying on the ground, I looked up to and saw Nanami's full appearance - her silky long, dark brown hair that stops on her lower back even though she just uses cheap shampoo and her sparkling chocolate-colored eyes, rosy cheeks and fair skin. She's so simply beautiful in reality, someone like a real goddess. I can't stop admiring her.
But, hey! She's already a real human goddess, right?
"Hey, can you hear me?", Nanami called back my attention.
"Ah, yes. I'm fine", I replied courteously as I sat up.
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to me. "You had some dirt on your face", she said.
I accepted her handkerchief and wipes randomly on my face while recalling what had just led me to my fall.
My face turned deep red when I realized how wild and very out of character my actions earlier.
" (⁄ ⁄>⁄ _ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)💦 I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
I repeatedly bow my head and apologize in embarrassment but Nanami just giggled.
"Heehee, It's just fine", she replied with a smile before she handed me a familiar piece of paper.
"I saw that you dropped this earlier when you fell down", she explained.
It's the map that Mikage-sama gave me.
"Mikage?", Nanami confusedly asked me.
"Oops, did I just said what I just thinking?", I slightly covered my mouth in panic.
What if Nanami realized something? Like how did I know Mikage and her name?
"Ahaha, yeah a little", she casually laughed at it. "Is he that man?", then he described Mikage-sama's appearance.
I slowly nod nervously.
"I see. It seems like you have your own circumstances too", Nanami sighed but still wears a smile as she showed me her own drawn map.
~ʚĭɞ~
Nanami roughly explained to me what happened to her and how Mikage-sama offered his house to her.
Though I already know everything more than you did.
"New Master, huh?", I repeated with a smile.
"Yes, but I don't quite understand what is it about", she said
"What's your name?", Nanami asked me in a warm tone.
"Hoshino Mikoto", I replied. "That's the name my godfather gave me but actually my parents named me Alice"
"Wow, Arisu? Are you a half?"
"Ehehe, somehow", I awkwardly sweatdrop.
Well, I know what she's asking is, if I'm half-foreigner, half-Japanese. But I didn't expect she can't really pronounce my real name properly.
"Well, you can just call me Mikoto"
"Sure. Nice to meet you Mikoto, I'm Momozono Nanami", she also introduced herself as she reaches out her hands to me and pulled me to stand up.
"You can just call me Nanami too"
I just realized how short I am. My height just reaches till Nanami's eye level. Not surprisingly she treats me like a younger child.
Doesn't she know I'm older than her?
"Oh, I remember you already called me in my name earlier. Did Mikage-san told you about it too?", Nanami curious asked me in a friendly way.
Again, I knew more than what you know yourself.
"Ah, ye-yes", I covered up. "Anyways, I'll tell you everything while we walk. It's already so late at night"
"Sure! This is probably a prank but we might as well go since we don't have anywhere else to go anyway", she agreed as she stares again at the drawn map on the piece of paper on her hand.
~ʚĭɞ~
We walked side by side while we follow the directions drawn by Mikage-sama. She never knew it would also give me a bit time to make up stories to cover up my weird existence in this world.
"Is that so?", Nanami verifies everything I've told her.
Well, I just told her that I'm actually from another country and my godfather adopted me since my parents can't take care of me for a while.
"So where's your godfather?", she asked.
"Uhmm.. I don't know where he is right now.", I simply replied. I can't tell her that the godfather I'm talking about is Mikage-sama himself.
"So you're abandoned too", Nanami helplessly sighed.
"Ehehehe, but I'm already with you now", I happily grin that which makes her smile too.
"And I'm sure it's not a prank", I proudly assured her.
<(￣︶￣)>
She looked at me with pity. As if she's saying inwardly that I'm such a docile child.
Sigh~ I don't know how to explain myself anymore. ʅ(‾◡◝)ʃ
~ʚĭɞ~
Eventually, we reached our destination. Even though I knew about Mikage shrine, it still gave me a spooky feeling as if there's a heavy air around the place.
Nanami froze beside me.
"....."
"It was a prank", she muttered.
She collapsed on her knees to the ground.
"｡° ૮₍°´ᯅ'°₎ა °｡To think that what awaits me is an abandoned shrine. This is like torturing someone who is already lost!"
"Nanami, are you alright?", I asked her worriedly as I assisted her to stand up again.
Then she immediately recover herself, wrapped her hand on my wrist and pulls me to walk away from the shrine while she's still stomping her feet, angrily.
"ヽ('ᄑ'メ)ノI'll never trust another adult again!", she furiously said.
"Ah, wait! Nanami, why are we leaving?"
"Because we're tricked!", she furiously explained to me as if I'm an innocent child.
"Wait, Nanami", I tried to stop her since we're already a few footsteps away from the shrine.
"Onikiri and Kotetsu are supposedly here already to stop us, where are they??"
Just as I asked it to myself, we heard a voice echoed behind us.
"Mikage-sama ~"
"Huh? What was that?", Nanami asked me.
We turned around and another voice spoke behind us again, "Welcome back, Mikage-sama"
I felt spooked even though I'm already aware those are Onikiri and Kotetsu's tricks.
For the second time, we turned around again as we saw a wall of will-o-wisps blocking our path.
*follows* *dash* *pulls while escapes*
..🔥..🔥 ..・..''( ꒪Д꒪),､ヾ(。＞皿＜)シ
"Ah, wait "Wa-wait "KYAAH!Mikage Please wait, "A ghost
-sama" Nanami" appeared"
↑ ↑ ↑
will-o-wisps Mikoto Nanami
"WAAHH !", we screamed and run into the temple in an attempt to escape but I got tripped and I accidentally pushed Nanami inside the temple when I stumbled.
Blaggs!
┌(＋_＋)┘
I fall flat onto the ground just outside the shrine's door. Then, we heard another voice coming inside the temple.
"Is that you, Mikage?", a man's voice echoes from the inside..
I hurriedly tried to pull myself up and set my eyes on Nanami's back who was frozen in fear from her place. Not far from her was a silhouette of a man hiding in the shadows.
"Where have you been all this time? You made me watch over the house for 20 years."
The man's silhouette became clearer until I saw completely his whole appearance. - A white-haired young man with white fox ears and white furry tails.
Even though I knew that it is just Tomoe, even from a distance his dark aura brings chills that ran down on my spines as I look at his scary eyes.
This is the true terror the fox-demon Tomoe can give in reality.
"Yo-youkai?", I heard Nanami uttered in fear.
ﾊ _ ﾊ
(ゝᗒロᗕ)ﾉ＼(◣ ᗣ ◢\ )
"GYAAHH!!" "I'm gonna freakin'
kill you!! 💢"
↑ ↑
Nanami Tomoe
Reacting on my instinct, I shouted, "Stop! She's not Mikage-sama!"
"Huh ?", he uttered in confusion as he suddenly stopped in an inch before his claws touched Nanami.
*stares*
ﾊ _ ﾊ
(ゝ⊙‸⊙)ﾉ＼(ⓛ⌓ⓛ\ )
''• • • • •''
↑ ↑
Nanami Tomoe
"Hey, Onikiri! Kotetsu!", he called and the two balls of will-o-wisps came beside the fox youkai.
The two passed beside me and talked in a chorus, "Yes, Tomoe-dono?",
ﾊ _ ﾊ
"This ain't Mikage (￢_￢)"
Seeing that Tomoe isn't aggressive anymore, I mustered all my strength back and hurriedly ran to Nanami, who right now was lying down on the floor in shock.
"Nanami, are you okay? ", I assisted her to sit up and let her back lean on me.
"No way !", the two spirits chorused before I saw their will-o-wisps form puffed in the air and changed back to Kotetsu and Onikiri's true form...supposedly, like what I'm expecting.
Wait, What?! Where are Kotetsu and Onikiri? I can't see them around.
My eyes still scanning around, I heard Onikiri's voice talked besides Nanami, "Look Tomoe-dono, she has the Land deity's seal on her forehead"
"Her spirit feels like Mikage-sama's too", added by Kotetsu.
I stare at the space where I heard their voices, but can't see them.
So meaning, I can't really see spirits?!
Even so, I can still feel their movements so maybe this won't be much a problem.
"But she's not Mikage", cleared out by Tomoe. Then he also looked at me. "And also the other girl only has faint spiritual powers."
"Eh? Spiritual powers? Me?", I confusedly asked for confirmation about what I just heard but Tomoe just gave me a cold shoulder and reverted his eyes back to Nanami who is still on shock.
"Hey, girl. Who are you?"
Noticing that the fox youkai is talking to her, Nanami's face turned pale once more.
"Mi-Mikoto.. This is.. this is..", she started to utter as she turns her head and looked at me.
"We walked into a demon temple!"
(((φ(◎ロ◎;)φ))) 🗯️
~ʚĭɞ~
After calming Nanami down, I handed Tomoe the note drawn by Mikage-sama.
"It is true, this bad handwriting is really his", Tomoe said verifying the story we just told him.
"You said that he gave his house to you?", then he flipped open his folded fan.
"After I told him that I have nowhere to go, that man told me to live here", Nanami explained once more.
"While Mikage-sama said I could stay with Nanami", I added.
Tomoe sighed deeply.
I looked at Nanami and noticed her sparkling eyes.
hee hee...
I sneaked behind Nanami and whispered, ".. .he's Tomoe? He looks like a model"
"KYAH! Don't read my mind!", she screamed as she crouch and covered her ears.
I burst into a laugh.
"Bwahahaha! Nanami, you look so cute~!"
"Ho-how did you do that?", Nanami got curious.
Wow, so that means, I really nailed it!
*thumbs up* *embarrassed*
(๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) ﻭ✧ ('-﹏-'；)
"You're just "Really?"
easy to read"
↑ ↑
Mikoto Nanami
But actually, I just remembered it from the anime too~
"Eherm", Tomoe cleared his throat to call our attention.
He glared at us irritated while fanning himself faster.
"That man you met was the local deity of this land", Tomoe started.
"This is it, Nanami!", I secretly cheered inside.
Then he added, "The fact that he has given you of the ownership of this temple means.."
" ヾ(｡^◇^｡)ノ ..that Nanami had inherited Mikage-sama's role as the Land deity", I excitedly butted in.
" Σ(||ﾟДﾟ)ﾋｨｨｨｨ EHH!?", Nanami reacted exaggeratedly.
I want to say more but too bad I can't reveal much any information to them by myself. It might have a negative effect on their life's story.
Tomoe glared at me more irritated, probably annoyed because his sentence was stolen by none other than ME!
ﾊ _ ﾊ
:;(∩'﹏'∩);: (￣ヘ￣💢)
"He's scaring me"
↑ ↑
Mikoto Tomoe
"Ahh, how should I explain it? Well, I just figured it out just now by myself... ahahah", I laughed awkwardly trying to save myself from any trouble.
Luckily, the atmosphere suddenly brightened up a little because of Kotetsu and Onikiri.
"Oh, what a joyous day! The Land deity has returned!!", the little voices echo in that dim place.
"Hurray !", I clapped happily with the two spirits even though I can't see them.
"Huh? Huh?", Nanami looked at the two spirits with a surprised face.
"We must prepare a feast immediately", Onikiri said then I just saw a meal floating on the air which I knew was carried by Onikiri.
"Please enjoy this meal, Land deity", this time it was Kotetsu who spoke while carrying another prepared food towards Nanami.
"You too, Land deity's friend. Eat, eat!"
Base on the voice, it was Onikiri who carried me a meal.
" (っ˘ ڡ˘ς) Eh~?May I?"
"HOLD IT!! Σ(-'Д'-ﾉ；) ", Nanami interrupted the two spirits.
"What? What? Me? Land deity? Like, a goddess? But I'm Momozono Nanami, a high schooler, a human being! When did I become a deity?", she asked the two spirits.
Though, in my eyes, she looks like just talking to a thin air except I can also hear the "thin air's" little voices.
"The exact moment you received this seal on your forehead!", Kotetsu and Onigiri chorused together.
"Seal on my forehead? You mean that kiss...that was the seal?" Nanami touched her forehead in disbelief.
Come to think of it, I do feel like there's something like energy coming from Nanami's forehead.
Meh! Who am I kidding? I'm just a normal girl here. Probably it's just my imagination since I'm aware of it from the anime.
"And how about Mikoto, then?", Nanami looked at me and I felt the two spirits came closer to me. Atleast I can feel them.
"She seems to have a faint talent on spiritual powers...", Onikiri said.
"...but she seems it just a normal girl, nothing more", Kotetsu added in somewhat a disappointed tone.
"Hey, even though I can't see you two, it doesn't mean that I can't hear such rude comment. There's totally nothing wrong with being just a normal girl, you know?", I pouted.
"This kid is supposed to be a deity?! 💢"
Tomoe came closer to Nanami after he recovered his composture and lifted up her chin, "What can a filthy girl like you do?! Collect offerings, or, at best, weed the yard, right?"
"I refuse to accept that! 💢"
"But she has Mikage-sama's blessings!"
"I don't need her. Get them out of here!"
"Wait! You're being really rude, you know that? Actually, who the heck would want to make an offering at this rundown temple? I refuse to stay! 💢"
I just sighed helplessly as I watched them arguing and bickering at each other while the two spirits tried their best to consolidate the two, which, I know was still impossible for now.
"Either she goes, or I go", Tomoe said before disappearing in the shadows.
"Hey! Wait a minute! ", Nanami tries to catch up but failed.
Sigh~
"Ne~ you two spirits are Onikiri and Kotetsu, right?", I called the attention of the two.
"Yes, how did you know us, Mikoto-dono?", the two said together.
"You can just call me Mikoto and, the one you call Tomoe, called your names earlier too", I explained half the truth.
Because ever since the beginning I came here, I already knew more than they can ever think.
"For the time being, can you prepare a place for us to stay?", I asked them.
"With pleasure~!", the two agreed cheerfully without raising suspicion on me.
~ʚĭɞ~
Author's Note:
Whew! What do you think so far? XD
Enjoy Reading Minna~san!
KX~
Word Count: 5,386