Chapter 326: Don't Be a Jerk for No Reason
Around seven in the evening, in an Inari shrine on the outskirts of Chiba city.
Looking at the familiar tail in Hikigaya Hachiman's hand, the Inari God's originally dignified composure instantly shattered.
"Mr. Hikigaya, how did you come by the tail in your hand?"
This was the first time Hachiman had seen the Inari God gritting her teeth in such a manner. Not just the goddess herself; in fact, the moment he produced the tail given to him by the man in the trench coat, the faces of everyone in the shrine except him changed color.
"I received it from someone I met on my way home."
The man in the trench coat had provided Hachiman with a great deal of information throughout their encounter, but he had pointedly declined to reveal his own identity. However, judging by the Inari God's reaction, it was obvious that even without a name, she knew exactly who the man was.
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing Hachiman's words, the Inari God lowered her head in deep thought for a moment. By the time she looked up again, the unusual emotions she had displayed were completely suppressed, leaving no trace of a flaw.
"I am extremely grateful to you for returning my tail."
With graceful movements, she pulled the wooden box containing the tail toward her. Sensing the familiar aura emanating from the box, even the Inari God, who had lived for nearly a thousand years, could not help but feel a surge of excitement.
After all, for a fox, more tails signify greater strength. Furthermore, the recovered tail contained a massive amount of divine power—enough to remedy her current predicament and restore her strength by a significant margin!
"There's no need for such politeness; I was merely entrusted by someone else to deliver it."
In the face of the goddess's gratitude, Hachiman was already well-versed in the corresponding pleasantries. However, perhaps because the return of the tail was too critical, for the first time, the Inari God did not engage in idle chatter with Hachiman. After expressing her thanks, she quickly rose and departed.
"Lord Hikigaya, this way please."
With the goddess having left early, the duty of attending to Hachiman naturally fell upon the shoulders of the Head Miko. Pushing open the wooden doors and windows, she invited Hachiman into a smaller tea room within the shrine, after which she disappeared for a short while.
When the Head Miko reappeared in the room, she was carrying a small, extremely ancient-looking wooden box in her arms.
"Once again, we thank you for returning the Inari God's tail. Please accept this small token of our appreciation."
As she spoke, the Head Miko opened the wooden box to reveal its contents and pushed it in front of Hachiman.
"What is this?"
The bottom of the wooden box was lined with a red fabric of unknown material. In the very center of the red cloth lay a golden bead, roughly the size of an olive. After obtaining the Head Miko's permission, Hachiman reached out and took the bead to examine it in his hand.
The moment his palm touched the bead, Hachiman felt as though he had come into contact with a vast, boundless ocean of divine power.
"A bead that stores extra divine power. I believe Lord Hikigaya will find it useful."
Looking at the bead in Hachiman's hand, the Head Miko's voice remained flat and emotionless. In contrast, several small foxes eavesdropping outside the door were so anxious they began scratching at the wood.
"Please wait a moment."
Hearing the "creak-creak" noise made by her companions scratching the door, the Head Miko frowned. She apologized and left the room once again. Following a succession of muffled yelps, silence returned to the room.
Sliding door sound...
Having dealt with the troublemakers, the Head Miko slid the door open and walked back in as if nothing had happened. She then knelt beside Hachiman and brewed him a cup of high-quality tea that had just been collected from believers the previous day.
"Um, I only helped bring something back; there's really no need for you to go to such lengths."
Hachiman felt incredibly awkward seeing the Head Miko serve him so respectfully.
"No, what you brought back is entirely worth my doing this."
The Head Miko shook her head slightly at Hachiman, who severely underestimated the importance of that tail. With that tail, the Inari God's physical form would be whole once more. This meant the goddess would no longer have to spend a large amount of incense offerings every year to prevent her power from leaking away.
The incense saved could then be used to birth new companions or increase the strength of divine servants like themselves, which would be of immense benefit to the entire Inari Shrine. Compared to the future prosperity of the shrine, her current actions were nothing at all.
"By the way, how was the Inari God's tail lost in the first place?"
Although the question felt a bit intrusive, the mystery of how the tail ended up in the hands of the man in the trench coat was like a kitten scratching at his curiosity.
"The Inari God has been missing her tail for over a hundred years."
The Head Miko was clearly prepared for Hachiman's question. After all, she would be curious about the same thing if she were in his shoes.
"A hundred years ago, a great war broke out at the border between Kanto and Kansai, where humans and gods joined forces to combat a massive surge of evil spirits.
As one of the few Great Gods in the divine camp at the time, the Inari God was naturally singled out for 'special attention' by several Ghost Gods."
"So, the tail was lost in battle?"
Hachiman was confused by the Head Miko's narrative. This plot didn't seem to match what the man in the trench coat had said.
"It was not."
The Head Miko was not offended by Hachiman's interruption. She waited for him to finish before continuing the story.
"As a Great God, the Inari God's strength was naturally beyond doubt. Even though she was besieged by several Ghost Gods, she ultimately achieved a brilliant record of one kill and several wounded.
However, despite such a significant victory, Her Ladyship did not escape unscathed. The final struggle of the Ghost God she killed managed to injure the base of one of her tails.
And then, just as Her Ladyship returned to the camp in her fox form, someone's hand slipped!"
Even though Hachiman was certain he wasn't the "someone" the Head Miko was referring to, the bone-chilling cold in her tone still made him shudder instinctively.
"And as luck would have it, immediately after that incident, the second wave of the evil spirits' attack arrived. Because she had lost a tail, the Inari God could not hold out until the end of the battle and was forced to flee here..."
As she recounted the subsequent events, the Head Miko's tone gradually became despondent. Meanwhile, having heard the origin of the whole affair, a look of realization dawned on Hachiman's face.
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