After the bathroom "fanservice" had concluded, Miko returned to her bedroom wearing a set of blue pajamas.
With her hair tied up and a lingering mist of steam clinging to her skin from the bath, she appeared even more delicate and adorable.
New skin unlocked for Miko.
Aomori, who had been waiting in the bedroom, felt his eyes light up. He praised her aloud, "Now you finally look a bit like a shrine maiden of my house."
"?" Miko didn't understand what he meant and shot him a confused look.
Instead of answering, Aomori asked, "Does your house have Wi-Fi?"
"It does... but what do you need it for?"
"Are you a dummy? To get online, of course."
A deity asking for the Wi-Fi password to surf the web felt... a bit surreal.
"Oh," Miko muttered, reciting the password.
"What's with that face? Deities keep up with the times, too, you know." Aomori recalled the gods from Noragami and added, "Don't be too shocked if you run into a god using a handgun in the future."
He wouldn't even be surprised if someone pulled out a Gatling gun.
"Impressive," Miko said, genuinely convinced. She couldn't help but marvel at how much the times had changed.
Just as she was wondering how Kami-sama intended to browse the web, Aomori pulled a laptop out of his system inventory.
In this modern city, Kayaba Akihiko, who hadn't appeared in a long time, finally had a use for his skills. It was time for him to get to work. During the last Jujutsu Kaisen dungeon, he had been essentially useless because all the intelligence was already clear.
From Miko's perspective, she saw Aomori manifest a laptop out of thin air.
What a great skill. Hana would love it; she could pull out snacks whenever and wherever she wanted.
She watched Aomori open the laptop. Curious, she walked over and saw a 3D chibi avatar in a lab coat pop up on the screen, accompanied by a mature, gravelly voice.
"Boss."
"Yes, Kayaba. You have a job. As usual, gather intelligence first. Keywords: 'Gods,' 'Yokai,' and 'Urban Legends'."
"Acknowledged."
Then, a small box appeared in the upper right corner of the screen, filled with a cascading stream of data made of "0"s and "1"s.
Eh? What is this? It looks so high-tech. And why does he call Kami-sama 'Boss'? I'm so curious. Is he looking for yokai so he can exorcise them? Miko's small head was once again filled with questions.
Aomori wasn't done. He skillfully opened a new document and began typing at a speed that put Miko's human capabilities to shame.
Soon, a long passage of text appeared.
Miko tilted her head, trying her best not to look, though she was dying of curiosity.
"It's fine, look if you want," Aomori said without turning around.
"Really? Then I'll take a peek." Miko looked toward the screen, and her eyes immediately became glued to it.
[SHOCKING! Deep in the hidden mountains, there is an incredibly effective shrine! The following is my personal experience, guaranteed on my girlfriend's life to be true! Today...]
What followed was a story about a man.
He had encountered frequent paranormal events and sought solutions, only to be rejected by all the major shrines. In despair, he took his last shred of hope to a dilapidated shrine in the mountains. After praying with all his heart, a true god actually appeared! It turned out an evil spirit had been haunting him, causing the strange occurrences. Once the god dealt with the spirit, he returned to a normal life.
Finally, he posted the general location of the shrine and repeatedly emphasized that anyone encountering strange things should give it a try.
Though the story was a bit cliché, the writing was superb. It described every expression and action so vividly that the reader felt as if they were there.
Miko read the story with great interest, finding herself empathizing with the male protagonist.
I was just like this before. Thank goodness I met Kami-sama. This person must be another lucky soul who once made a wish to him.
Otherwise, how could it feel so real?
After finishing, Aomori said to Kayaba Akihiko, "Modify this text into several different versions and post them on social media and paranormal forums. Spread it far and wide. Oh, and include some pictures."
The pictures were the ones he had taken at the shrine after dealing with the giant ball monster. He pulled out the Portable Camcorder and exported the images.
Miko, standing nearby, was completely bewildered.
Is he driving traffic to his own shrine? This operation... Miko was thoroughly impressed.
She took out her phone and logged onto a paranormal website she had used back when she was trying to figure out her ability to see ghosts. After a few refreshes, she indeed saw the corresponding post.
She clicked in to see that quite a few people had already replied.
[Looks real at a glance.]
[First page for future fame!]
[This is so well written! Is this the work of some famous author?]
[I actually think it's real. You can't make up this many details. I live nearby; I'll check it out when I have time.]
[Does the person above actually believe this? Gods and stuff disappeared ages ago.]
[Checking it out won't hurt.]
[Makes sense. I want to go for a photo op. Maybe it'll become a new 'haunted' hotspot!]
[Me too, me too!]
[Just for the quality of the writing, I have to go! Maybe I'll run into the author, kidnap him, and not feed him until he writes 50,000 words a day.]
[The person above is sounding a bit 'criminal'—send me a copy once he's done.]
The thread soon went off the rails. However, most people expressed that they would visit when they had the chance.
Aosora-sama's plan actually worked? It's simple, but effective! Miko smiled as she scrolled.
After all, she was the shrine maiden. If the shrine prospered, she felt a sense of pride.
Wait. Miko had a second thought. If the foot traffic increases, won't my workload increase too?
The thought of having to receive a huge crowd of people made her worry.
Maybe I should ask Hana to be a shrine maiden with me. It won't be boring if I have a companion.
The more Miko thought about it, the more she felt it could work. The only issue was that Hana was terrified of paranormal things and might be scared out of her wits.
If there's no other way, I'll just have to treat her to lots of food as compensation.
While Miko's thoughts wandered, Aomori was also thinking.
Attracting popularity through posts could only be maintained for a short while; interest would eventually fade. Therefore, he needed a unique feature to keep that popularity alive.
The "popularity" he wanted wasn't just people coming for the novelty, but those with genuine needs and faith, as only they could be converted into believers.
I'll set up a barrier around the shrine so that only those with certain traits or those who pass a test can enter. This will screen the target audience and reduce the workload.
A god only saves those with whom he shares a bond.
The strange phenomenon where some can enter while others can't even find the place would surely attract genuine spiritualists to investigate.
As for the "unique features"...
Aomori looked at Miko. Titles like "My Shrine is Closing So I, a High School Shrine Maiden, Must Become an Idol to Save It,""Do You Like Your Best Friend Who Can See Awful Ghostly Things and is a Hidden Super Psychic?" and "What to Do When Encountering Evil Spirits? Are You Free? Can You Come Save Me?"—at least ten such titles floated through his head.
Miko felt a bit unnerved by Aomori's meaningful gaze. She crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "What is it? Is something wrong with me?"
"It's nothing. I was just wondering... what are your three measurements?"
"???"
…
Ring ring ring!
Smack!
Miko slapped the alarm clock off, opened her bleary eyes, and yawned.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?"
The warm voice made Miko turn her head. She saw Kami-sama lying on his side next to her, watching her.
Don't misunderstand. Aomori wasn't sleeping in the bed. Instead, he had used Holy Light to create a long rope beside the bed and was reclining on it.
But wasn't that basically the same as sharing a bed?
Blushing and now wide awake, Miko sat up quickly and greeted him, "Good morning, Aosora-sama. I slept alright."
Hypocrite! Miko, you've become a hypocrite. I couldn't sleep at all!
More absurd than a god sleeping next to her was the fact that this god was emitting a piercing light. Even closing her eyes couldn't block out the penetration of that glow. Consequently, her mind had been racing until she eventually drifted off somehow.
I can't let Kami-sama sleep here tonight!
"Is that so? But I saw that you couldn't fall asleep until quite late, so I used a spell to help you drift off."
"..."
If you have such a convenient spell, why didn't you use it earlier?!
Miko took a couple of breaths and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
With a creak, the door opened. A young boy walked in, scanned the room, and frowned. "Onee-chan, who were you talking to just now?"
Miko reflexively glanced at Aomori before saying, "No one. I was just talking to myself."
"Eh, how suspicious."
"What's suspicious? Kyousuke, go out for a bit. Onee-chan needs to change her clothes." Miko pulled back the covers and got out of bed, pretending she was about to undress.
"Oh." Kyousuke reluctantly left the room and closed the door.
Something's wrong. She's not acting like her usual self. Does she really have a boyfriend? As a sister-con, Kyousuke was very displeased by the thought.
I have to figure out what kind of guy he is. I can't let him trick her.
In the bedroom, Miko sighed and looked straight at Aomori.
Two seconds later, Aomori took the hint and floated out of the room through the window.
Miko walked over and peeked through the gap in the curtains. Aomori was nowhere to be seen, and even the evil spirit on the trash pile had vanished.
"Did Kami-sama exorcise it?" For some reason, she felt a slight sense of loss.
Drawing the curtains shut, Miko took off her pajamas and changed into her school uniform.
…
"Um, Aosora-sama, are you really going to follow me to school?"
On the way to school, Miko asked Aomori in a low voice.
"Of course. I'll take a look around your school to see if there are any evil spirits that could threaten you. It's best to remove them early."
"I see." Since Kami-sama was so considerate of her, Miko naturally wouldn't be ungrateful enough to refuse.
In truth, Aomori had another motive. Schools were always popular spots for all kinds of incidents; he might encounter people he could form a Bond with there. Currently, he only had Miko and Natsume, which was far too few.
With a god as her personal escort, Miko arrived at school safely.
The moment she stepped through the gate, Aomori felt a surge of joy. Through the vision of his Mind's Eye, he could see many evil spirits hidden here.
However, he maintained a solemn expression.
"Is something wrong?" Miko asked worriedly.
"I see many evil presences here that need to be purified. This time, I'm afraid it might take a bit of effort."
"Is it that serious?"
"Yes," Aomori nodded. "Since ancient times, schools have always been breeding grounds for resentment. This isn't surprising."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Miko volunteered.
"It's not impossible if you want to help." Aomori wanted to gradually train her into an exorcist who could stand on her own. It would be a waste not to utilize her talent. Furthermore, he could only protect her for a time, not forever. Once Aomori left the dungeon, Miko would have to rely on herself.
So, Aomori told her how she could assist.
After hearing it, Miko looked troubled. "Will this really work?"
"Don't worry, I'm here. Besides, don't you want to face them head-on in your heart? This is a good opportunity."
"Alright." Miko hardened her heart and nodded. "But can we wait until tonight, when no one is around?"
"Sure." Aomori had no objection.
No one around at night would be an even greater test of courage.
Miko didn't realize this. She patted her cheeks, pulled herself together, and walked into the classroom.
Her best friend, Hana, was already there, munching on a large piece of bread. Seeing Miko, she stood up and waved. "Miko, morning!"
"Morning, Hana," Miko replied, sitting in the seat next to her.
Due to her protagonist status, her seat was by the window.
"Miko, Miko, look!" Hana took out her phone and showed the screen to Miko.
On the screen was Hana's personal social media page, and her latest post was a picture.
"This is the photo I took yesterday. So many people have liked it! I'm amazing, right? Of course, for safety, our faces are covered."
Miko saw the god flashing a peace sign in the photo. She wanted to laugh but didn't dare, her face turning red as she nodded. "Yeah, it's a great photo. Hana, I want this picture too. Can you send it to me?"
It would be a good keepsake.
Aomori stood to the side, smiling without a word as he watched them.
"Ta-da!" Hana pulled a Polaroid camera out of her school bag. "This is a camera that gives you photos instantly! I'm going to take it to all sorts of beautiful scenic spots and record all the wonderful sights, then bind them into a thick photo album."
"Good luck, you can do it."
"Hehe, I think so too. Hey, how about I take one of you now?"
Just as Hana was about to take a photo of Miko, an evil spirit happened to pass by the window. Aomori grabbed it and reduced it to ashes within his Holy Light.
Consequently, when Miko received the photo, she found that not only herself but even Aomori, who was currently crushing an evil spirit in his hand, had been captured.
"Uh..." Miko remarked with a sigh, "Hana, you might actually be a photography genius."
At least when it comes to the paranormal.
"Hmph, of course I am!"
"Can I have this photo?"
"Mm-hm, sure!"
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]