CH 46

Then we woke up from our "dream pillow" and decided to go straight down the mountain after having lunch with Suzu-nee’s sandwiches.

By the time we came back to the "Sword Mountain" coffee shop, the clock had struck 14:30, and the customers had quieted down considerably, mainly for the purpose of afternoon tea after lunchtime.

However, the only difference from the morning was our change, or more precisely, the "a certain someone" in Amane's left hand, which made Suzu-nee roll her eyes when she greeted us.

"Amane-chan... No matter how much you're a fan of cute things ...... do you know it's a crime to bring a little girl home?"

"Well~, because she is cute, I unconsciously... on the spur of the moment"

Amane was now holding the hand of a girl.

Needless to say, it is Konoha-chan, a fox shrine maiden girl.

The customers in the restaurant look at the two of them for a moment as they engage in their knowingly funny conversation, but then return to their afternoon tea without paying any attention to them.

Even though the fact that she's a beautiful fox shrine maiden is enough to make you look twice for sure...

"...Perhaps others can't see her?"

When I asked quietly, Konoha-chan looked up and nodded her head.

"Yes. I try not to be visible to anyone except Yumeji-san and Amane-san. But ...... this nee-san seems to be able to see me."

Konoha-chan looks at Suzu-nee and says so, and for some reason, Amane protests in dissatisfaction.

"Konoha-chan, I told you to call me onee-chan, didn't I?"

The reason why this girl is here now is simply ...... to look for "Chi-chan", the person to whom she wanted to deliver the letter, together with us.

But Konoha-chan, the god worshipped on the land, is said to be unable to move on her own from that mountain to far away places.

In order to move, they need a divine object or person to serve as a dependent.

At present, Konoha-chan is temporarily connected to Amane's spirit and is able to go anywhere with Amane by being supplied with power.

According to Sakaki-san, it is a kind of "Kamioroshi," or in other words, the mountain shrine acts as an electrical outlet, but Amane is close to the role of a battery? (TLN: medium's invocation of a deity to take possession of her)

It is not uncommon for people to avoid such an act because it is like having another person possess your body, but Konoha-chan had softened her attitude compared to the first time we met because Amane had agreed to it willingly.

"Y-Yes ... I'm sorry. Amane-oneechan..."

"!!?"

Amane, who had requested it herself, turned her head away as if embarrassed and said, "I can't stand it!".

Yeah... this is destructive.

Suzu-nee was watching this exchange with a dumbfounded look on her face, tray in hand.

"I've been trained to see the invisible for a number of reasons over there. ...... I can see some of the non-humans, too. Please sit down for now ...... I'd love to hear what you have to say."

We were led directly to a table in the back where we had been sitting that morning.

And Suzu-nee brought coffee for us, milk for Konoha-chan, and lunch for herself, and we sat down together.

"I was all alone until Dad and Mom came home from the gathering~. I was so tired even though it was Sunday."

Apparently, she worked until this hour, giving up her lunch break. ...... Thank you for your hard work.

But... that lunch was kitsune udon with fried bean curd on it, as if it was intended to be.

Already in the stage of self-introduction, Konoha-chan, who had reverted to her little fox form and was perched on the table, turns her eyes toward the fried bean curd.

...... Is it unconscious? The gesture is cute, though.

Perhaps Suzu-nee was also beaten by this, and as if she had given up on something, she brought a small plate and began to share the fried bean curd and slurp the simple udon for herself.

"I see, you left that letter because you wanted to get in touch with "Chi-chan" of the Shirasagi family."

"Yes... I'm sorry. I really want to see Chi-chan again."

Konoha-chan, who was biting into the fried bean curd she was given, lifts her head apologetically.

"But like Suzu-nee's family, I don't know how the previous owner kept these vaguely designated letters for so many years..."

I don't mean to diss Konoha-chan, but I was a little concerned about that.

"I guess both the previous owner and my dad thought they had an obligation to deliver this letter, no matter how many years later, he said. Well, considering it was a letter written directly by Konoha-chan, that makes sense, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Even though she is a little fox, Konoha-chan is an Inari god, which means that this is a letter from God, okay? No matter what, it's a divine power that dwells in it... It's so faint that I didn't even notice it until you mentioned it."

Suzu-nee says this while fluttering the envelope she had put out on the table in her hand.

Still, it seems to me it's a moderately impressive thing to have people consciously pass it down over a period of 30 years, even if they change.

Hmm? But wait...? I questioned as I looked at Konoha-chan happily biting into the fried bean curd on the table.

"...Come to think of it, that past dream is 30 years in the past. That means it's been 30 years since that... Konoha-chan, why are you still so small?"

"Ah... Now that you mention it... She's cute, so it's okay."

Apparently, Amane has just noticed it too.

I had never felt uncomfortable because of her body structure and the way she spoke, but now that I think about it, she is clearly older than us.

However, it was not the person herself who answered the question, but Suzu-nee.

"People and God have a drastically different experience time. I can't do a simple calculation, but I'm guessing it's like a decade for a human and a year for a god."

"Eh? Is that so!?"

"T-Then, how old are you now, Konoha-chan?"

When Amane asks in surprise, Konoha-chan tilts her head.

"E~~~tto ... Okaa-sama said I would be 113 years old this year."

"113..."

It was a shocking fact, and Amane was even more shocked, her eyes turning white like a shoujo manga.

Although by asking just a simple number, she would be a considerable senior, according to Suzu-nee, she would be at most 11 years old.

However, in that case... The age difference between "Chi-chan" in question is going to be quite a challenge, right?

It's almost as if there's a parent-child gap between them... and ...

I thought to myself, "How could I be so delicately ignorant," but I decided to ask Konoha what was on my mind.

"...Konoha-chan, if it was 30 years ago and it was a memory from your early childhood, I don't know if "Chi-chan", the person you are meeting with, remembers you or not. On the contrary, there is a possibility that person is already not here. "

"………… Yes, it may be."

Konoha-chan nods her head in agreement to my question.

Amane looks at me with scorn for my lack of delicacy and reality, but I continue to ask questions without caring.

After all, it was 30 years ago... What it could have been is not a surprise...

"I don't know if we will be able to find Chi-chan if we go looking for her. Even if you do, there is a good chance that you will be hurt by it. Do you still ...... want to go look for her?"

To be clear, even if she did not follow me, I had planned to trace the whereabouts of the "Chi-chan" and give the letter.

But she thought it might be better to have her wait on the mountain without coming with me and just tell her the results...... That's what I thought.

Even if something had happened, I thought ...... it would be less hurtful.

But at my question, Konoha-chan looked up and stared straight at me.

"I certainly don't know ...... what is happening to Chi-chan right now. But ... If I do not move today, when Yumeji-san and the others arrive, I am sure I will regret it. I don't want to wait anymore!!"

She was on the table, but at this time she looked like an Inari goddess, dignified and divine and splendid.

...... Apparently, I underestimated this little fox.