Lumine brought the two kittens back, and Neko, acting as the family matriarch, scolded them lightly while thanking Lumine.
A few days later, the Traveler returned.
This time, Neko asked the Traveler to make food that the kittens would love, as the little ones at the shrine hadn't been eating well lately.
The Traveler went to Inazuma City's Naganohara Fireworks to seek help. The owner, upon hearing the request, said she could make the food and expressed curiosity about the talking cat.
Although Seirai Island was deserted, it might become a tourist hotspot because of Neko, especially since the Traveler had sealed the dangerous thunderstorm.
A few days after the Traveler made food for Neko, she visited Asase Shrine again.
That day, Neko wanted to create a stone statue of herself at the shrine.
Hibiki had told her that on a faraway island, there were many fox statues, and she promised to make a cat statue for Neko someday.
To Neko, what Hibiki wanted was good, so she wanted to see it done.
The Traveler didn't know stone carving but leveraged her vast network of contacts.
After some inquiries, the Traveler found a human skilled in stone carving—Junpei Oshima.
The Traveler brought the "stone human" back to Seirai Island to make a "stone cat" for Neko.
[Neko: "How can something as hard as stone take on my form? Is that stone human really skilled? Does he use youkai magic?"]
Readers laughed and cried at this—you, a youkai, calling a human a user of youkai magic? That's quite the reversal!
[Traveler: "He's very skilled, like cooking."]
[Neko: "I see, I understand."]
["The food you and Hibiki make is good, so the stone that the stone human makes must also be good."]
Neko praised everyone. Cats are good.
The Traveler praised everyone too. Lumine is good.
Lucian wrote this story, so Lucian is good too.
When the Traveler returned a few days later, the statue wasn't finished yet. Neko said the stone human kept talking about "payment" and "wages," but she didn't understand what that meant.
Paimon explained to Neko that "payment" and "wages" meant rewarding his labor with something good.
[Neko: "Is that so? Well then, I'll graciously allow him to touch my ears."]
Margaret: "!?"
I'll pay for that! Let me touch Miss Neko's ears, hehe!
[Paimon: "Th-that might not be enough."]
Hehe, indeed not enough. Besides the ears, there's the little belly, the little paw pads, hehe!
No need to transform into a cat girl—turn back!
[Neko: "Hibiki said that once the stone version of me is done, something good will happen. What could it be? Will Hibiki come back…?"]
But before something good could happen, Neko had to figure out what to give the stone human as payment.
She had the kittens catch a lot of fish, as that was the only thing she could offer for now.
She had wanted to catch some small sparrows, but they were too hard to catch—fish were easier.
Lucian: I don't believe it.
In fact, Junpei Oshima was already tired of eating fish. He'd been eating fish every day and, no matter how much he loved it, he was ready to throw up!
Thankfully, the world's second-best delivery girl, Lumine, helped Junpei Oshima get some beast meat dishes, satisfying his cravings.
Over the next few days, Junpei Oshima worked tirelessly at Asase Shrine, carving the stone statue. He was the type who, once inspired, forgot about food and drink, focusing solely on his craft.
Through his efforts, the stone began to look more and more like Neko.
That day, Neko asked the Traveler if she knew of a place with a big, pink, very tall tree.
Around that tree were many things that made fur turn into fluffy balls—tingly, electric things.
Thunder elements and cherry blossom trees were common in Inazuma, so the Traveler asked Neko if there were any other distinguishing features.
Neko said that Hibiki had told her the tree looked like a fox, and there was a very large shrine nearby.
But when Asase Hibiki was alive, Miko had only just taken over, right? She probably hadn't even taken human form yet.
So, back then, the Sacred Sakura already looked like a fox? Doesn't that mean shaping the tree like that was Kitsune Saiguu's preference?
With that, the Traveler knew exactly where it was—clearly the Sacred Sakura at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
[Neko, delighted: "As expected of the human I chose!"]
Neko wanted to visit the shrine the Traveler mentioned, as it was a place Hibiki had once been. Maybe Hibiki was there handling business?
[Paimon: "Huh? What about this shrine?"]
[Neko: "The stone human will take care of the shrine in my place, no need to worry."]
Junpei Oshima came to work here, not only without pay but eating fish every meal and even having to look after the shrine—what a rough deal.
Fortunately, he didn't mind. There weren't even thieves on Seirai Island, so he just watched the kittens and otherwise immersed himself in carving.
Plus, the novelty of having a cat as a boss was intriguing and didn't bother him.
In the story, the Traveler brought Neko to the Grand Narukami Shrine, where they were greeted by the red Torii gate.
Neko loved it, thinking a Torii must be a place where many birds lived, right? Birds are tasty, so Torii are great! Truly a genius design.
Entering the Grand Narukami Shrine, they naturally met the "receptionist," Inagi Hotomi, who greeted the Traveler in her usual formal manner.
[Inagi Hotomi: "Greetings, far-traveling adventurer. Welcome to the Grand Narukami Shrine."]
["If you have troubles or wishes, you can draw an omikuji here. The Electro Archon will bless you."]
However, Ei hadn't even resolved her own troubles yet, so it was unclear how she'd bless others.
Scaramouche scoffed at this, unaware that the first thing he did after becoming a god was to deceive believers, ultimately becoming the very thing he despised.
In the story, the Traveler asked Inagi Hotomi about "Hibiki."
[Inagi Hotomi: "Asase Shrine's… Hibiki? Could it be Asase Hibiki…?"]
[Neko: "Yes! Hibiki is Asase Hibiki. Human, do you know Hibiki? Do you know where she is?"]
[Inagi Hotomi: "If you're really asking about that Asase Hibiki, then you've come to the wrong place…"]
As it turned out, Inagi Hotomi only knew of Asase Hibiki because she had read about her in books.
It was a story from four or five hundred years ago, about the three Narukami retainers: Mikoshi Nagamasa, Kamuna Harunosuke, and Asase Hibiki.
After a calamity, the three parted ways. Mikoshi Nagamasa served the Shogunate, Kamuna went to Liyue, and Asase Hibiki returned to Seirai Island.
In other words, Asase Hibiki was a figure from four or five hundred years ago. Given a human's lifespan, it's likely…
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Yae Miko: About Neko
"A substitute shrine maiden like me, though I'm older than her. Hmm, why not come to the Grand Narukami Shrine as an apprentice? Hehe, just like Asase Hibiki and Kitsune Saiguu."