My name is Miko Yotsuya, and I used to be just an ordinary high school girl.
Then, one day, I suddenly became able to see those awful things commonly known as "ghosts." Because I was so terrified, I decided to ignore them, trying my hardest to maintain my persona as a normal person.
Every day, I'm scared to the point of tears, and despite searching for ways to solve this in secret, nothing has worked.
To make matters worse, my best friend, Hana, has also been haunted by these terrible things. To save her, I went online and found a shrine rumored to be quite effective to offer my prayers.
But... this is a little too effective!
Watching the god majestically annihilate the evil spirits, Miko couldn't help but scream internally.
...
"Miko, are you okay? I only asked what your wish was, why are you crying?" Hana grabbed Miko's hand, speaking with worry in her voice.
"I'm fine, I just got some dust in my eyes." Miko wiped away her tears, answering Hana while observing Aomori out of the corner of her eye.
What should I do? In a moment of desperation, I promised I'd do anything. I won't be in trouble, will I? But if I can completely get rid of those awful things, I can accept any request as long as it isn't too over the top.
"That's a relief. I was worried something bad happened to you."
Knowing Miko was fine, Hana regained her liveliness, skipping around the open space and chatting about movies she liked.
Taking advantage of the fact that Hana's attention wasn't on her, Miko pressed her hands together in prayer, bowing quickly toward Aomori. Then, she pulled out her wallet, opened it to show him, and whispered anxiously, "Is... is this enough?"
"Do you think a god collects protection money? Even if I did, it wouldn't be in human currency." Aomori walked up to her and flicked her forehead with his finger.
"Ow!" Miko cried out involuntarily from the pain.
Realizing what she'd done, she quickly covered her mouth. Only after seeing that Hana hadn't reacted did she breathe a sigh of relief. Rubbing her forehead, she shot Aomori a resentful look.
If you won't take it, you won't take it. Why do you have to hit me?
"You can speak loudly, it's fine. She can't hear you."
"Really?" Miko tried calling out to Hana, who indeed gave no response.
"Is this a spell? How amazing."
"You could say that."
"This is the first time I've ever communicated with a non-human." Whenever she encountered those ghosts before, Miko would avoid them at all costs, not even daring to make eye contact, let alone strike up a conversation.
"I am a god, after all. Please show a little more reverence."
"Sorry... Kami-sama, you're just so easygoing that I forgot your status for a moment."
"Call me Aosora-sama."
"Eh? Oh. Aosora-sama." Miko called out, then murmured tentatively, "Um, since you helped me get rid of the evil spirits, how can I repay you?"
"It's simple." Aomori pointed toward the dilapidated shrine and said, "I want you to be the shrine maiden here. It won't be for long, just three months. During that time, I will be responsible for your personal safety."
A shrine maiden for three months?
When she first heard "shrine maiden," her heart wanted to refuse, but hearing it was only for three months made it seem not so hard to accept.
"But... I still have to go to school."
"That's fine. You only need to come by occasionally."
"I don't know how to do anything."
"That's fine. I'll teach you personally, step-by-step."
No matter how many questions she asked, Aomori answered them with ease.
After hesitating for a moment, Miko finally nodded and agreed to Aomori's request.
"Excellent." Having successfully recruited Miko, Aomori smiled happily.
Just then, Hana, receiving no response from her friend, ran over and grabbed Miko's hand. "Why have you been ignoring me today?"
"Sorry, sorry! I was just lost in thought. I'll treat you to something to eat on the way back."
"Yay! Look, doesn't the torii gate look so poetic in the twilight? It would be a waste not to take a photo. Let's take a selfie for the memories!"
As she spoke, Hana pulled Miko to the center, found a good spot, and struck a pose.
Not wanting to be left out, Aomori stood behind them, maintaining a smile and flashing a peace sign.
"..." Miko really wanted to comment on this sudden shift in tone, but she managed an awkward yet polite smile.
"Oh, this angle is great. Miko, I'm taking it now! Look at the lens... Cheeeeese!"
With a click, their photo was saved on the phone.
"How is it? It looks pretty good! Maybe I have a talent for photography."
Miko looked at the photo. They looked beautiful in the sunset, but unfortunately, the most prominent thing was the photo-bombing god. "Hehe... it's great!"
"Right?" Hana spun around with her phone, very happy, and immediately went to find other pretty scenery to photograph.
At that moment, the little fox in Aomori's arms let out a soft whimper and woke up, opening its adorable, large eyes.
Miko, who was constantly watching the god, noticed the fox waking up and couldn't help but think: Wow, so cute! I really want to hold it. Is that the god's pet?
She wondered if becoming a shrine maiden gave her the right to hold the pet. If so, this deal was definitely worth it.
The little fox glanced at Aomori, stood up, turned toward the area behind the shrine, and barked, baring its teeth.
"Is there something over there?" Miko looked over but saw nothing.
"Yeah. A big fellow has woken up." The moment the fox woke was exactly when that presence appeared.
Aomori patted Miko's head again, leaving a mark on her, and said, "I'm going to go meet it. You two should head home before it gets dark."
"Oh." Miko nodded, worry filling her heart. A big fellow? I hope he can handle it.
Watching Aomori fly off into the distance, Miko let out a slow breath and said to Hana, "Let's go home."
"Okay!"
As Miko and Hana headed down the mountain, Aomori flew rapidly toward the source of the aura, carrying the little fox. Halfway there, he remembered something and released Darkrai to go protect Miko.
Arriving at the location of the aura, Aomori saw a pitch-black entity crawling out of the ground.
Its body was massive, already reaching the height of a skyscraper. It used two slender arms as supports against the ground as it continued to climb upward.
Judging by the evil aura it emitted, this was clearly another villainous character.
"A poor guy who was being watched by the Mountain God? You ran into me right after escaping, talk about bad luck for eight lifetimes," Aomori guessed, recalling the little fox's reaction.
Whatever it was, it would only end up as his Points. Besides, it was a good chance to see what level the power of this world could reach.
"Awoo!" The little fox grew more agitated. If Aomori hadn't been holding it down, it would have jumped out to try and "cute" the opponent to death.
"Don't be in a hurry. Let's wait for it to fully emerge. Otherwise, if a piece is left underground, it'll just be more work."
A few minutes later, the evil entity sealed by the Mountain God finally revealed its full form.
It was as large as a small hill, with a body as round as a ball.
By comparison, its arms were as thin and long as toothpicks, but in Aomori's eyes, these "toothpicks" were like bridges resting on the peaks of two nearby mountains.
Its eyes and mouth were located on its torso. There were roughly several hundred eyes, though most were closed. Two mouths were located on the front and back of the body, looking like large wounds from a distance.
Its lower body consisted of octopus-like tentacles that wriggled constantly, releasing a murky, yellow-green gas in all directions.
Its momentum reached its peak once it was fully liberated, scaring the barking little fox into hiding in Aomori's arms. It refused to show its head, its two fluffy tails wrapped tightly around its neck as if that could provide security.
Aomori didn't mind. He flew near one of the entity's open eyes and gave a friendly greeting. "Hello there, unlucky giant ball monster. Can you speak?"
The bloodshot eyes, which lacked pupils, suddenly turned in unison toward Aomori. The giant mouth opened, emitting a strange sound: "@#￥%&..."
The meaning was unclear, but the malice contained within was palpable.
"So, none of you guys can speak human?" Aomori realized something right after saying it. "My bad. You're definitely not human, so not speaking the language is quite reasonable."
Since conversation was off the table, he wouldn't hold back.
The next moment, Aomori went full throttle.
...
As the battle between Aomori and the giant ball monster was about to begin, many creatures took notice.
The evil aura emitted when the monster broke free and its massive size were simply too conspicuous.
Miko, who was waiting for the bus home with her best friend, saw it between the mountain peaks.
"No way... What is that? An evil spirit? How can an evil spirit be that big?" Miko's pupils contracted; she couldn't believe her eyes.
However, she remembered the evil spirit that had been following Hana; it had grown quite large in just a few days. Could this one have developed in a similar way?
For one to be this big, it must have taken hundreds or even thousands of years.
Wait, could the 'big fellow' Aosora-sama mentioned be that thing? It's very likely. Can Aosora-sama handle a creature like that? He'll be okay, right?
Miko was deeply worried, but she couldn't help at all. She could only pray for the god in her heart: I hope Aosora-sama can resolve this smoothly and return to the shrine safely.
Besides Miko, in a town within the mountain forests, a gentle-looking youth with light brown hair also noticed something was wrong.
"I feel like something bad is happening over there. Nyanko-sensei, do you feel it?"
Beside him, a fat calico cat spoke in a pompous, old-fashioned tone. "Yeah. A very foul scent. Some seal must have broken somewhere, letting an old geezer out. If left alone, it could cause a major disaster. Sigh, what a pain."
It sighed and transformed, turning into a massive white-furred fox. The youth was now only the size of its paw.
"Kid, I'm going over to take a look. You stay home and don't wander off."
"Wait, Nyanko-sensei! I want to go too," Natsume pleaded.
"No, you're just a burden. You'll only get in my way." With that, the white fox took to the air and flew toward the source of the sensation.
"Nyanko-sensei!" Natsume stood where he was, feeling extremely anxious. He didn't want to be an outsider who couldn't help with anything. He broke into a run, following the direction the white fox had gone.
After entering the woods, he happened to encounter a familiar yokai and hurriedly shouted, "Misuzu!"
In mid-air, a similarly massive black horse-like yokai stopped and landed beside Natsume, speaking respectfully, "Natsume-sama."
"You felt it too, didn't you? Please, take me there," Natsume said, getting straight to the point.
"Did Madara leave you behind? He doesn't want you in danger, and I agree with him on that. So, Natsume-sama, please go back. Let us yokai handle this."
"No, I'm going! Even if you don't take me, I'll run there myself."
Sensing Natsume's determination, Misuzu finally nodded and agreed, lifting him onto its shoulder.
Without the trees blocking his view, Natsume saw the mountain-sized black sphere in the distance and was stunned. "Is that what you have to deal with?"
"Are you scared?"
Natsume took a deep breath and said decisively, "I am! But I'm even more scared of only hearing what happened to you from other yokai later on."
"Heh." Misuzu chuckled and said, "Natsume-sama, hold on tight."
"Okay!"
Misuzu carried Natsume toward the site, encountering many yokai fleeing in the opposite direction along the way.
It seemed everyone had received the warning.
A few minutes later, when the setting sun showed only half its face, the man and the yokai arrived at the gathering place.
"Nyanko-sensei!" Natsume first greeted the white fox, then addressed the other yokai. "Hinoe-san, Chobihige-san, and everyone, hello."
"Hey, Misuzu, why did you meddle and bring him here?" The white fox was very displeased to see Natsume.
"I asked him to. I want to be with everyone, whether we live or die," Natsume said solemnly.
"Pfft!" Hinoe, a beautiful yokai holding a pipe, laughed and said, "Natsume-sama, there's no need to be so tense. That fellow only looks powerful. Having been sealed for who knows how many years, there's a good chance it's just a paper tiger."
Hearing this, Natsume breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought everyone's chances of winning were very low."
"The chances of winning aren't low, but if we fight that thing, only two or three yokai here would survive," the white fox added, pouring cold water on Natsume's relief and making him tense up again.
"Wait, my eyes aren't great... is there something shiny next to that thing?" Chobihige said, squinting his eyes.
"Now that you mention it, it looks like there is."
"It's too far, I can't see clearly."
While the yokai were confused, a brilliant white light suddenly flashed next to the giant black ball, and the silhouette of a large creature began to take shape.
It stood on two legs, with a head that looked like a cross between a dragon and an eagle. Its scales shimmered brightly, and a pair of large wings was folded against its back.
"What is that thing?"
That was a good question yet none of them knew.
However, it was clear that these two giants were hostile toward each other.
The light dragon swung its sharp claws. With a single strike, a massive amount of black energy escaped from the giant ball.
The lumbering black ball counterattacked with its long arms, but the light dragon easily blocked them.
After that, the black ball seemed to be played with like a toy; it was completely outmatched by the light dragon in terms of both strength and agility.
After some maneuvering, the light dragon pushed it over. Its two arms reached for the mouth on the ball's abdomen and tore it open, revealing a massive hole.
At the same time, the light dragon opened its own mouth, and an energy that terrified the gathered yokai began to condense within.
BOOM!
A beam of light erupted from its mouth, landing directly inside the torn-open hole.
Under the impact of the light, the black ball dissolved into clouds of black mist, and its entire body quickly vanished without a trace.