Chapter 195: Negotiations
"The container for the offerings was stolen?"
Hearing her companion's words, the full-sized shrine maiden's expression changed slightly. In a flash, she entered the shrine where the container had been kept.
Sure enough, the container that had been placed in the center to store the offerings was gone.
"How could this happen…"
Her body reformed after having partially dispersed, but the full-sized maiden seemed unable to accept that such a thing had occurred.
"The container for offerings? What happens if it's lost?"
Looking at the full-sized maiden's intense reaction, Hachiman Hikigaya lowered his head and asked the little fox beside him.
"The container itself isn't important. What matters is that it held the offerings collected over several months from human prayers for this shrine…"
Having used some of her power to heal her companions, the little fox's body glow had dimmed considerably. Now, she had transformed back into her fox form and was lying outside the shrine gate, her tone filled with exhaustion.
"The offerings can still be stored?"
Shouldn't it be like in novels, where once created, they automatically fly into the Inari God's body?
"Of course they can. After all, they are for emergencies. But I didn't expect that after decades, someone would steal offerings again…"
"Sorry, this is all my fault."
Hearing the little fox, the injured fox maiden nearby lowered her head in shame. If only she had held on a little longer, Hachiman and the others could have arrived in time…
"No, it's not your fault at all."
The full-sized shrine maiden, having finished inspecting the shrine interior, came out just as she heard her companion speak. She shook her head, taking full responsibility on herself.
"In the end, it's my fault for not assigning enough force to guard here…"
"No, none of you did anything wrong…"
A very gentle voice suddenly came from above.
A flash of white light followed, and a woman dressed in a magnificent twelve-layered ceremonial kimono appeared before them. With her were the three-tailed fox Hachiman had met earlier and three full-sized masked shrine maidens.
"Inari-sama!"
Seeing the newly arrived woman, the little fox exclaimed and immediately transformed into her human form, bowing respectfully.
At the same time, all the other shrine maidens uniformly greeted Inari-sama.
"Please, Hachiman-san, don't concern yourself with such formalities."
Just as Hachiman hesitated over how to greet the Inari God, she spoke, resolving his internal dilemma.
Inari-sama then formed a few hand seals in the air before her, and a halo of light spread from her body, passing through everyone in the shrine instantly.
"Thank you, Your Grace…"
The fully restored shrine maidens again expressed their gratitude.
Inari-sama smiled in acknowledgment, then looked at Hachiman and extended an invitation.
"Hachiman-san, may we go inside and talk?"
"Of course!"
Hachiman was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded.
"Then please…"
Before he knew it, the Inari God, who had been standing in the open space, was now behind Hachiman. She extended a hand and stood at the entrance, inviting him into the shrine.
"So fast!"
Hachiman was slightly shocked by her sudden movement. Seeing that she had startled him, Inari-sama's smile grew brighter. She then walked inside and took her seat at the main position.
Coming to her, Hachiman sat in the guest seat.
As soon as they were seated, the shrine doors suddenly closed, leaving only Hachiman and Inari-sama.
Looking at Hachiman, she went straight to the point.
"Although this is our first meeting, I've actually been observing you for some time, Hachiman-san."
"Eh?"
"Please don't be upset. My observation is solely regarding your exorcism activities. What you do otherwise is unknown to me."
"Um… may I ask since when exactly you've been observing me?"
As he spoke, Hachiman felt a bit helpless. He noticed that powerful beings, whether exorcists or gods, seemed to enjoy spying.
"Specifically, since your encounter with the late Demon King in Chiba."
Relieved, Hachiman breathed a sigh of relief. At most, it had only been a few days since that encounter. So Inari-sama had only recently started paying attention to him.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Hachiman-san, you will become the sixth exorcist of this country. I wish to establish a pact with you in advance."
"A pact?"
"Yes, that's correct—a pact!"
Inari-sama nodded, her smile fading as she adopted a serious demeanor.
"May I ask the reason?"
Seeing her serious expression, Hachiman also adopted a formal attitude.
"The reason is simple: I trust my judgment and wish to invest in advance… though I suppose you wouldn't believe me."
"…."
Hachiman stared at Inari-sama silently, mentally acknowledging her point. He didn't fully trust her reasoning.
Advanced investment requires resources. If the one making this claim were Key from before, he would have believed immediately. But here, with only a few shrines remaining and the offering container stolen, he was skeptical.
"As you just witnessed, because the container of offerings was stolen, my strength will soon decline further…"
"Strength decline?"
Hachiman finally showed some reaction.
"Yes. Although I have been limiting my servants' activity to conserve offerings, losing a shrine's offerings means I must relinquish part of my power to maintain balance…"
"However, if my strength falls further…"
Her expression became uneasy. Once glorious in the past, she now had to worry about those hiding in the shadows taking advantage of her weakened state.
"To prevent unfortunate events, I wish to establish a pact with you and transfer my main base to Chiba."
"Of course. In return, I will provide assistance to the best of my abilities!"
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