"As we enter the modern era, these ancient things are gradually disappearing as well..."
Sato's gaze followed the abandoned stone path all the way up the mountain. The dazzling sunlight stung his eyes, causing him to squint unconsciously.
There were many shrines in Japan, after all, the lore was said to have eight million gods.
Among them, however, there were not many that could truly be called deities. Many were simply spirits born from plants and trees. In those times, any spirit that gained intelligence might be worshipped as a god by the ignorant people of the era. As a result, no one could really say how many of these so-called gods were benevolent and how many were malevolent.
One thing was certain, though. Regardless of whether the gods they worshipped were real or not, shrines held an extremely high status in those days.
Now, in the modern age where technology flourished and mystery faded, every mystery was dissected and understood through rational inquiry. The power of the supernatural had begun to decline drastically, and those so-called grassroot gods had become increasingly rare.
This was information recorded in the Hero Association's database.
People were no longer ignorant or blindly faithful. Without belief to sustain them, the gods lost the power of faith upon which they depended.
Although descendants of shrine and temple families frequently appeared in television dramas these days as handsome, wealthy figures who never seemed short on money, the reality was that most shrines and temples could no longer sustain themselves.
Every major social upheaval was accompanied by redistribution. During Japan's modernization, shrines and temples, which owned vast amounts of land, naturally became primary targets. Most of their land was nationalized. Although some land was left to them, this was no longer the feudal era, and there were no longer tenant farmers supporting them.
People stopped visiting shrines. Without worshippers and income, the descendants of shrine and temple families had little choice but to farm for themselves or move to the cities.
Of course, this excluded the famous shrines and temples.
Those renowned sites still enjoyed thriving worship and, judging by the current situation, would likely continue to do so for a long time.
"Want to go up and take a look?"
"Mm."
The two began walking up the stone path overgrown with reeds.
The reeds had already flowered, their white plumes resembling willow catkins. Yet with a light touch, they would scatter like dandelion seeds.
Desolate.
That was probably the most accurate description of the place.
Looking at the moss beneath his feet and the path ahead covered by reeds, Sato turned to Kato Megumi.
"Be careful."
"Mm."
Kato Megumi nodded softly and looked at the figure walking ahead of her.
His face showed visible curiosity, and his deep eyes wandered over everything around him.
Although the shrine seemed to have been abandoned for a long time, people still occasionally came here. A narrow trail had been trampled through the dense growth of reeds.
Above them. The torii gate that had once been vermilion had long since lost its luster. Even the red paint had peeled away. Unknown vines coiled around both sides, and with their leaves already fallen, the brown vines twisted like weathered snakes.
"Um..."
Kato Megumi suddenly spoke, sounding somewhat hesitant.
Sato turned and looked at her curiously before offering a faint smile.
"If you have a question, just ask."
Hearing that, Kato Megumi gathered her courage. Looking directly at him with determination in her eyes, she asked:
"Do supernatural beings really exist in this world?"
Sato looked steadily at her.
Kato Megumi met his gaze without retreating.
"They do."
After a moment, Sato nodded.
Then he turned and continued walking up the mountain.
"When did you start wondering about that?"
Kato Megumi followed behind him calmly.
Even after confirming it, she felt surprisingly little shock. She wasn't sure whether that was simply her personality or because she had already prepared herself for the answer.
"A long time ago."
Her voice remained as calm as ever, as though she were speaking about someone else.
"My presence is abnormally weak. That's obviously not normal."
If other people overlooked her, she could understand that. But even her parents frequently forgot about her existence, which was clearly unreasonable.
She had long harbored doubts about it.
Science simply could not explain such a phenomenon.
"Then there was the game. Seeing my talent there, and then the confidentiality agreement afterward, only made me more certain."
Suddenly, Sato stopped walking.
Caught off guard, Kato Megumi bumped her head into his solid back.
Her expression froze slightly, and a faint blush appeared on her face.
However, after regaining her balance, her tone remained as calm as ever.
"Sorry."
Sato fell silent for a moment before looking at her with a strange expression.
"What really convinced you was the spar between Asuna and me in the classroom?"
"Ah? Mm."
The girl nodded.
"It reminded me of the way you fought bosses in the game."
A trace of fascination appeared in Kato Megumi's eyes.
"Compared to the game, your strength doesn't seem to have changed at all. Especially those afterimages."
"Ah..."
Sato rubbed his forehead.
So I revealed too much after all?
If that's the case, did Kirito notice something too?
He wasn't entirely sure.
Kato Megumi could be so certain because the things happening to her couldn't be explained by science at all. But afterimages were something that could theoretically be produced through sufficient speed, even if seeing a person do it was still unbelievable.
"So... supernatural powers really do exist in this world, right?"
Sato suddenly noticed a trace of tension in her voice, causing him to chuckle.
It seemed Kato Megumi cared about this matter even more than he had imagined.
Still, he could understand why.
"That's right. Beneath this seemingly ordinary world, mystery truly exists."
Sato admitted it openly.
"However, the world is still very peaceful. Under normal circumstances, supernatural incidents basically never happen."
Kato Megumi nodded.
Then she suddenly seemed to think of something and looked up at him.
"Then why did you come here..."
"Oh, I just think there might be a youkai here."
Kato Megumi parted her lips and stared at Sato in stunned silence...