Chapter 187: The Dire State of the Gods
"That's not how it is!"
The chibi fox figure seriously refuted Hikigaya Hachiman's words.
"Although Inari shrines exist all over this country, many of them have fallen out of the control of the great Inari God and have been taken over by powerful evil spirits. Even the main Fushimi shrine was seized. Now, only a few small shrines remain under the Inari God's control…"
Is it really that bad?
To put things into perspective, Inari shrines are the most numerous in Japan, with over 30,000 nationwide.
Not to mention the enormous shrines like Yutoku Inari in Kashima, Saga Prefecture, Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, and Kasama Inari in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Yet now, the Inari God's apprentice miko was telling him that all of these had been taken over by evil spirits…
A great deity reduced to such a pitiful state—truly, it was hard not to feel a bit sorry for them.
"But things are slowly improving!"
After a brief moment of dejection, the apprentice miko's tone became full of determination again.
"All the high-level evil spirits in Chiba have been eliminated by you and the great three-tailed fox. With that, the Inari shrines in Chiba will gradually be cleared by the sisters and return to normal operation…"
With even the small support of worshippers in Chiba, though far from their former glory, the Inari God's strength would no longer decline but slowly rise.
Although the recovery would be very slow…
"What about the other shrines? Are they in the same situation as the Inari shrines?"
If the most numerous Inari shrines were in such a state, Hikigaya Hachiman guessed the other shrines might be even worse.
"I don't know… Every deity's situation is different. But one thing is certain: a large number of shrines have already been taken over by evil spirits…
Sometimes, the evil spirits occupying the shrines will grant the wishes of worshippers, but the price they demand is often the worshippers' most precious possessions, or even their lives.
This damages the reputation of shrines overall and makes it even harder for gods like the Inari God to continue struggling…"
Indeed, nowadays very few people even visit small shrines. And now, rumors spread that visiting shrines might not fulfill wishes, but instead bring misfortune.
"Alright, I think I understand the situation now…"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hikigaya Hachiman leaned back on the sofa, feeling a slight headache.
The plight of the gods was far worse than he had imagined.
Meanwhile, the number of high-level evil spirits was far larger than he had expected.
After all, spirits capable of taking over shrines from gods couldn't be weak.
"So, Master, is there anything else you wish to command?"
The chibi figure raised her head and looked at Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Not for now. You can return."
"Understood. If anything comes up, just activate the mark. My companions and I will respond promptly."
With that, the chibi figure transformed into a golden light and returned into the fox mark.
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.
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Komachi and Tsuchimiya Kagura emerged from the KTV around 7 PM.
The sky had just begun to darken, but the streets remained bustling and lively.
"See you tomorrow, Kagura~"
After singing to her heart's content with Kagura, Komachi waved goodbye and ran home with her backpack.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow…"
Kagura waved back, but as soon as Komachi left, the smile on her face quickly turned back into worry.
Although singing had eased her mind slightly, stepping out of the KTV brought back the faces of the dead, swirling before her eyes.
"Seems like it's not so easy to get over it, huh?"
Forcing a bitter smile, Kagura carried her guitar case with her weapons inside and headed for the train station. The next train to Tokyo arrived at 7:35 PM, and if she didn't hurry, she would have to wait a while longer.
"Kagura~"
Not long after parting from Komachi, a familiar voice reached her from behind, and a soft, warm feeling instantly spread from the back of her head into her mind.
"Yomi, why are you here?"
Her heart first filled with joy, followed immediately by confusion at Yomi's presence here.
Though her chief had approved a two-day break for her mental recovery, Yomi, as one of the main combatants of the squad, hadn't taken any leave.
"I missed you, didn't I?"
Wrapping her hands around Kagura's waist, Yomi cheekily climbed upward with her hands while rubbing her face against Kagura's.
"But, Yomi, shouldn't you have a mission tonight?"
Grasping Yomi's mischievous hands, Kagura half-closed her eyes and asked.
Aside from the two of them facing enemies directly, the other squad members specialized in support. C- or B-rank evil spirits were fine, but Tokyo had seen frequent A-rank missions recently.
Was it really okay to leave such missions to them?
"No problem at all. Even men should be useful sometimes, right?"
Yomi referred to her fiancé, Noriyuki Izuna.
Their engagement had been arranged by the previous generation, but Yomi didn't dislike him.
"But isn't Nori better at gathering information?"
The Izuna family, unlike the Tsuchimiya and Isayama families, specialized not in physical exorcism, but in contracting with good spirits like foxes to gather intel.
"Tonight's mission is just to handle a group of low-level evil spirits. The danger is nothing that a group of ordinary people with exorcism tools can't handle. Don't worry about them.
More importantly, how did your outing go this afternoon? Feeling any better?"
"Still a bit uneasy… but much better than last night!"
Kagura forced a small smile.
"I see… well, it's your first time. You'll gradually get used to it…"
"Yeah, I'll do my best!"
Hearing Yomi's reassurance, Kagura nodded.
The two chatted as they entered the station.
Unexpectedly, the train, originally scheduled for 7:35 PM, was delayed.
When it arrived, no passengers got off, but Kagura and Yomi didn't sense anything unusual.
They boarded the train, and as the doors closed, it slowly departed toward Tokyo.
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