Chapter 20: In the Mirror of Deep Love (1)

· A message from the Iris App ·
(*′?`)ノ Delivering the true essence of Zero Island to you today.
Koalas, kangaroos, and platypuses are known on Zero Island as the "Three Auspicious Beasts," highly popular local mascot animals among the general public.
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"Hiahiahiahiahia!" The Dragon Worshipper smiled wickedly at his desk. "Too hasty... there are no rerolls left, none at all!"
He swiftly wrote down several possibilities on a blank sheet of paper, using dice to make his selection. "All afternoon trains from Tsukushi Island to the north will suffer halfway delays." He rolled the dice once more. "The scent upon you has drawn the gaze of the hidden gods; you shall be plagued by evil spirits in the next city." Yet again! "One of the Shigure who attacked the shrine this early morning is destined to cross paths with you by pure coincidence."
Having made three consecutive judgments, the Dragon Worshipper put the dice away. "The next dice shall not be rolled until the incident concludes... Oh, oh oh, but, my Lord Magatsu-shin!" His face twisted hideously. "Those impious wretches who dared to attack the shrine! Those sightless fanatics! Shouldn't I roll the dice for them?!"
"There is no need. Everything shall be as you wish..." He grew docile once more. "Wait for the outcome of this incident."
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When those plagued by misfortune take action, the stirred vortex responds. It may manifest as a sudden flash of inspiration in those involved, an accidental anomaly in the environment, or perhaps the awakening of inhuman entities lurking in the shadows...
At this very moment, a dazed life was waking up. Much like the vast majority of its kind, it knew neither its own origin nor what it truly desired. It lamented, fretted, yearned for release, yet remained utterly helpless.
"Ah! It's you, how can this be!"
A voice came. It was a man's voice. It had come very quickly this time. The man's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise and disbelief. It smiled at the man, standing face-to-face with him.
"A deity...!" The man smiled as well, overflowing with joy.
It liked the man's smile. Smile more, smile for its sake. Let the smile bring joy and satisfaction; it would exact only a brief moment of panic in return. Thus the transaction was established.
It slowly drew closer to the man, just an instant away from touching his cheek...
Suddenly, it stopped moving. A premonition arose from the unknown depths, making it feel the connection between the vortex and the gray realm. Something was coming, arriving in this small town. It was something that could fulfill its wish. That thing would surely satisfy it, surely grant it release.
It departed from this place, leaving no sound or trace.
"Where did you go?"
In a flash, the beauty the man had just beheld vanished like an illusion. In the mirror remained only a desolate, middle-aged man, the surprise and loss mixed upon his face like a Noh mask worn at a festival.
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Yuri Town was a small town in the southern part of Tsukushi Island. It featured a railway leading to the Tsukushi Island urban area, as well as a tram line heading up the mountain to the Yomi Shrine, making it an essential transit hub for the local residents.
Before dawn today, a gang of bikers roared through the very center of the town, giving the simple-minded townsfolk a terrible fright. A few hours later, the bikers' motorcycles had returned to the town, though the people stepping off them were entirely different.
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Gongsun Ce took out his pocket watch and checked the time. "It's ten-fifty. The train to Nitto City departs at two in the afternoon; we can rest in the town for a while."
Rina said with a troubled expression, "You aren't even planning to disguise yourself?"
"Is there any need for a disguise at this point? From the moment he drove Shigure Ryohachi's head into the ground, our whereabouts were completely exposed."
The blue-haired woman unscrewed a bottle of water and chugged it down, letting out a comfortable sigh once rehydrated. "Huu~~! Besides, with you tagging along now, we don't need to worry too much on Tsukushi Island."
It seemed the shrine maidens and priests were genuinely infuriated by Shigure's reckless rampage. The Grand Shrine Maiden sending Rina along was the Qiyotou Shinto's unmistakable declaration: dare to send another ninja squad and you can expect a complete, irreparable falling out and all-out war.
Gongsun Ce turned his head and asked, "Miss Rina, are there any restaurants you recommend? Since I've made the rare trip abroad, I'd like to try some local specialties." The blue-haired female hunter perked up at once: "Please recommend some places with great value for money!"
"Hey, are you still stressing over meal expenses at a time like this?!" "Shut up, big sis doesn't have much money left after paying rent!"
Izumo Rina patted her face, deciding to shift her mindset from "secret emergency mission" to "food and sightseeing tour." Whatever! Anyone who still fussed over minor details while traveling with these two tension-free individuals must be an idiot!
"I recommend the pork cutlet bowls and beef bowls on the next street."
"Oh!" "Let's go, let's go~"
The three of them acted precisely like out-of-town tourists on vacation, utterly devoid of any self-awareness regarding their misfortune.
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The entrance of the oversized rice bowl diner featured a chalkboard with today's special written in chalk, the best bargain being the Oyako-don (chicken and egg rice bowl) set which came with a complimentary miniature platypus plushie.
"One pork cutlet bowl set, one beef bowl set, one Oyako-don set, iced barley tea for all the drinks. Order received! Please wait a moment!" The waiter called out energetically before scurrying away from the table.
It was just past eleven, and the restaurant was not very crowded. Gongsun Ce carefully surveyed his surroundings, spotting no one who looked remotely like a ninja or a Shigure. He eavesdropped on the casual conversations of the patrons. Schoolgirls were chatting about cosmetics, an elderly man was on the phone with his child, and two turban-wearing tough guys appeared to be discussing local ghost stories.
"I'm telling you, I really saw it this morning, right there in the mirror..." "Alcohol is way scarier than ghost stories." "I wasn't drunk, who drinks in the morning?" "Sounds like you should go up to the mountain shrine to pray and beg Lord Izu-no-Megumi for protection." The burly man laughed heartily, mocking his superstitious coworker.
The esper grew vigilant and asked, "Miss Rina, I read some Zero Island ghost stories online before. Those wouldn't happen to be—"
Rina waved her hands with a laugh. "No way! If the deities were that easy to spot, they wouldn't be called hidden gods, would they?"
Rina subsequently explained that hidden gods practically only frequented sparsely populated areas. In deep mountains, forests, caves, and similar locations, there were often hidden gods acting as local lords, much like the wandering deity Gongsun Ce had previously encountered.
These mountain-sprite-like entities usually caused no major harm, doing little more than playing harmless pranks. The Qiyotou Shinto regularly offered tributes and held rituals to honor them. Those hidden gods willing to accept offerings and offer assistance, or those who proactively showed goodwill toward humans, were known as direct gods existing to this day.
Conversely, many hidden gods utterly refused to deal with humans, refusing to show themselves even when shrine maidens and priests visited, rendering them completely harmless.
Gongsun Ce remained hung up on the internet ghost stories: "If there really are hidden gods harboring malice toward humans, how are they handled?"
Before Rina could answer, Shigure Zero chimed in: "They get wiped out by them personally, do you even have to ask?"
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"You, why do you have such severe biases?" Rina knitted her brows. "If there really are rebellious evil gods, we have specialized methods to exorcise them."
"I just think the practices of your Qiyotou Shrines are terribly hypocritical. Whatever is useful to you, controllable, or too strong to defeat, you worship as a deity; whatever is useless to you, you slaughter under the banner of exorcism. Can you even call those deities anymore? Given your faith of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, calling yourselves demons would be much more straightforward."
The hooded shrine maiden looked at her sneering teammate and suddenly asked, "Big sis, do you think exorcising evil gods is wrong?"
"I..." This sharp retort struck right at Shigure Zero's logical weak spot, leaving the blue-haired woman momentarily speechless. Sensing trouble, Gongsun Ce stepped in to smooth things over: "Excuse me, I'm going to the restroom. Sorry to trouble you, Miss Alice."
The esper didn't wait for a reply before getting to his feet, and Shigure Zero irritably followed along. The little shrine maiden pinched her chin like a middle-aged painter, muttering under her breath.
Does she dislike Shinto... or good people?
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"Hurry up and deal with it!"
You talk like an ill-tempered parent. Hanging out with this woman is truly troublesome.
Shigure Zero stood outside leaning against the wall, while the gray-haired young man removed his glasses, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water over his face.
Rina had said hidden gods practically never appeared under normal circumstances, yet he had run into two the moment he arrived on Zero Island. Would hidden deities show goodwill simply because he was an esper? If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, his experience told him that outside of the City of the Sky, no place in the world welcomed espers.
"A stranger in a strange land, no matter where I go."
Gongsun Ce wiped his face. Without his glasses, his vision was a blurry mess; he couldn't even make out his own reflection in the mirror, discerning only a vague outline of black hair and white clothing.
"..."
He was thoroughly certain his hair was gray. Gongsun Ce lowered his head, patted his cheeks, put his glasses back on, and looked up once more. This time, his vision was crystal clear. There was no reflection of his own face in the mirror; instead, a woman with black hair and white robes was standing right before him!
The esper silently stared into the mirror as the stealthy figure crept closer to the glass surface. The woman in the mirror gathered her hair, revealing her true appearance—she had no eyes, no nose. Her fair face was completely flat like a leather mask, devoid of any features or contours.
The woman seemed to be smiling, parting her bloodless lips to reveal teeth as pitch-black as graphite. Her voice seemed to echo from the depths of deep water, carrying a hollow resonance.
"You..."
Without a second thought, Gongsun Ce pointed at his own face, seizing the initiative before the eerie entity could speak. He asked with an aura of absolute righteousness, "My lady, do you think I look handsome?!"