Chapter 199: Itomori in the Storm; The Desperation of a Falling God
"Pfft—hahaha!"
Hina Amano couldn't help it. Seeing the "God of Itomori" act like a groveling concierge was just too much. She burst into a fit of giggles.
Fortunately, the train car wasn't crowded. The few passengers nearby just glanced at her and Yoru, assuming they were a cute high school couple sharing a private joke, and went back to their phones.
"Coming out to greet us personally? How polite of you," Yoru noted with a smirk.
The red spiritual threads floating in the air wove themselves into a smiley face emoji before quickly shifting into text:
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "Perish the thought, my Lord! As a local deity, I pride myself on my hospitality. I've even prepared a top-tier guide for your journey."
As Yoru and Hina read the message, the air shimmered. A teenage girl with a look of utter bewilderment manifested in the seat across from them.
"Where... where am I now?"
It was Mitsuha Miyamizu. And as usual, she looked like she had no idea what planet she was on.
She was honestly losing her mind. It was happening again. The last time it happened, she'd woken up from what she thought was a dream... well, not exactly a nightmare. The guy in the dream had been top-tier eye candy, after all.
In that "dream," she was in a luxury hotel suite in Tokyo, looking out over the neon-lit Shibuya skyline with a handsome guy her age. When she woke up back in her rural room, she figured it was just her repressed "city girl" desires and her craving for romance mixing into a weird hallucination.
But now? Round two.
One second she was in her room helping her grandma prep dinner, and the next, after a dizzying blur, she was sitting on a train. Across from her was that same handsome guy from the dream, only this time, he had a cute girl with short pigtails sitting next to him.
What is the meaning of this?! Mitsuha thought. When I wake up, I'm definitely asking Grandma to help me interpret this. I get the handsome guy... but why the other girl? Do I have a hidden desire for a poly-relationship? That's way too abstract!
Snap!
Yoru flicked his fingers in front of Mitsuha's face, breaking her trance. Only then did Mitsuha notice the glowing red threads floating in the air.
"Are those...?"
Mitsuha knew those threads. They were the Kumihimo—the sacred braided cords her family had used for generations to honor their god. Why were they floating here like a digital chat box?
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "This is the guide I promised."
The threads ignored Mitsuha's confusion, focusing entirely on Yoru. They dissolved and re-formed:
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "I considered sending the grandmother, Hitoha, but I figured you'd find Mitsuha much more... aesthetically pleasing. So, I'll be waiting at the Shrine! Good luck, Boss!~"
With a final wiggle, the threads vanished, leaving behind a dazed Mitsuha and a stunned Hina.
"Was that... a God?" Hina whispered.
"Yup," Yoru nodded. He gestured to Mitsuha's spirit form. "Meet Mitsuha Miyamizu. She's from a long line of Shrine Maidens who serve the very God who just acted like my personal assistant."
Hina's jaw dropped. She couldn't wrap her head around it. They're both Gods, so why is the gap so huge?!
One God was holding all of Japan's weather hostage, trying to turn her into a human sacrifice. The other was literally "simping" for Yoru and acting like a tour guide.
Gods can be 'Abstract' too, I guess...
"Hi, Mitsuha-san. I'm Hina Amano. This is Yoru," Hina said, leaning forward with a polite smile.
Mitsuha, still processing the "I'm on a train with dream-people" situation, reached out and shook Hina's hand. "Uh... hi."
Hina turned back to Yoru, her expression turning serious. "Let me guess. You made a deal with the local God of Itomori?"
"Spot on."
"And what does He want in return?"
"Nothing major," Yoru shrugged. "Just for me to stop a meteorite from turning this town into a crater."
"Oh... wait, WHAT?!"
Hina's eyes bugged out. "A meteorite? You mean like... a 'Dinosaurs are going extinct' space rock?!"
Yoru rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the dictionary definition of a meteorite, Hina. Very helpful, though completely unnecessary."
Hina didn't laugh. Her hands were trembling. "Are you for real? Yoru, I know you're the strongest person in the Super-Quant Club—probably stronger than all of us combined—but fighting a meteorite? That's not a ghost or a demon. That's a literal act of God! That's a natural disaster!"
She wanted to scream that he was insane, but looking at Yoru's bored, calm expression, the words died in her throat.
"Mitsuha." Yoru looked at the girl across from them. "How do we get to Itomori from here?"
"Huh? Oh... right," Mitsuha stammered, looking out the window at the passing countryside. "The Shinkansen doesn't go into the town. It's too deep in the mountains. You have to get off at the next station, walk a few hundred yards to the bus stop, and take the shuttle into the valley."
"Got it." Yoru nodded. "I didn't listen to a single word of that, but you're the guide, so just lead the way."
"Wait, me? But—"
"You still don't get it, do you?" Yoru sighed. "Mitsuha, look at yourself. You're currently a spirit."
"NANI?!" Mitsuha stood up abruptly, staring at her hands. "Am I... am I dead?!"
"Not dead. Just 'Out of Office.' Once we get to Itomori, you can pop back into your body. Look at the other passengers. You were just screaming, and not one of them looked up. Normal people can't see spirits."
Mitsuha froze, looking at the two of them. "Then... why can you see me?"
Hina blinked. She realized she didn't actually know the answer either. She wasn't a "Spirit Medium" like Miko or Rio. She was the "Sunshine Girl." So how was she "observing" a ghost?
"Because we're Spirit Mediums. Exorcists. Stands Users. Onmyoji. The Vanguard against the Abyss. Persona Users. The Heart's Phantom Thieves. Genin of the Hidden Leaf. Soul Reapers..."
"Pick whatever title makes you feel better," Yoru finished. "The point is, we aren't exactly 'normal'."
Mitsuha was baffled, but coming from a family of Shrine Maidens, she was more open to the supernatural than most. If a God had called her to guide these two, she would do her duty—especially if the town's safety was on the line.
"Fine. I'll lead you."
As she spoke, the sky outside the window suddenly turned pitch black.
Rain began to hammer against the glass with such violence that even through the reinforced windows, it sounded like a drumroll of thunder. It was getting worse by the second.
"This..." Hina whispered, her brow furrowed. "This isn't my doing."
"I know," Yoru said, leaning his head on his hand. He watched the deluge with a cold smile. "Looks like someone is malding."
Hina knew he was talking about the Weather God. "You're actually smiling? This is bad!"
"On the contrary, this is great news."
"Great news? You're being 'Abstract' again, aren't you?"
"Not this time," Yoru chuckled. "If He's panic-pressing buttons like this, it means there's something in Itomori He's terrified of us finding. This storm is just the desperate thrashing of a cornered animal. Ignore it."
When the train pulled into the station, Hina looked out at the desolate, rural surroundings and felt a bit lost. "Is Itomori... even more remote than this?"
Mitsuha patted Hina's shoulder with a sympathetic sigh. "For a city girl like you? The culture shock is going to be brutal." She paused, her gaze turning somber. "Honestly... I'm still not used to it myself."
The rain outside was biblical. Mitsuha looked at the mountain road, her face pale. "With rain this heavy, the mountain passes are death traps. The buses will be cancelled. How are we supposed to get to the town?"
"Ugh, what a pain," Yoru muttered. "I wish Rio was here to do the thinking for me. Thinking is too much work."
He looked at the rain. "Based on the Weather God's power, he can keep this up for days. If this continues, the roads will be washed out by tomorrow."
He turned to Mitsuha. "How well do the roads into Itomori hold up in a storm?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But we've never had a storm like this. If it keeps up, it won't just be blocked roads. We're looking at flash floods and mudslides."
"My thoughts exactly." Yoru turned to the empty air beside him. "Hey. You. Stop lurking and help out. If Itomori gets wiped out by a flood before the meteorite even hits, your whole 'savior' plan is a bust."
The Red Threads manifested instantly, forming a desperate sentence:
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "My Lord! My power isn't suited for weather control! I can protect the town itself, but if I burn all my energy holding back the flood, I won't have enough power left to give you the answers you seek!"
"Is that so?" Yoru didn't seem surprised.
It made sense. The God of Itomori was powerful in the realm of Musubi (Connection/Time), but in a direct clash of elements against a Weather God, it was outmatched.
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "HOWEVER!!!"
The threads wove themselves at lightning speed, followed by three massive exclamation marks.
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "IF... a hero appeared! A truly powerful, handsome, flawless, supreme, Chosen Hero...!"
The threads wove a little stick figure wearing a trench coat and a mask.
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "If this Hero were to clear the path to Itomori and drain the enemy's strength, I could reclaim control of the local atmosphere! I would then have more than enough power to assist the Hero in his noble quest!"
Hina rolled her eyes. "Wow. He's really laying it on thick, isn't he? He's basically calling you a God-Tier Chad. Any response for the 'Chosen Hero,' Mr. Yoru?"
Yoru looked at the floating threads. "So, you're saying if I wipe out whatever obstacles are on the road to Itomori, I'm effectively weakening the Weather God's influence here?"
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "As expected of your Divine Intelligence! Your wisdom is like a sun that—"
"Save it," Yoru cut him off. "If you keep 'simping' this hard, I might actually decide to eat you."
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "SORRY. MY BAD."
Mitsuha watched the "God" of her family act like a bullied intern, and her world-view began to crumble. This was the being her grandmother spent hours praying to? It felt like watching a legendary samurai try to do a TikTok dance.
But she was also curious. Who is this guy that a God has to beg for help?
Suddenly, the red threads vibrated violently. They formed one word:
[GOD OF ITOMORI]: "WATCH OUT."
The threads vanished before they could even add a period.
The air around the station platform grew heavy. From the grey curtain of rain, dozens—then hundreds—of twisted, glowing eyes appeared. The sound of wet, squelching footsteps surrounded them.
"They're here," Yoru said. He looked at the swarm of over a hundred Yokai and Evil Spirits emerging from the storm.
A savage, predatory grin spread across his face.
"They brought the buffet right to me. How thoughtful."