Chapter 113

5. The God of Nation-Bearing

Everything vanished like a dream.

I kept staring until the smoldering cigarette lost its light.

Uyuu once erased the people from the countermeasure headquarters here and decided to fight alone. Katagishi promised he would return and left. The white statue of the god silently watched over their vows.

I still have something I must do.

Akitsu and I exchanged a glance and began climbing the stone steps again.

I cautiously placed my hand on the broken door of the chapel. The wooden door creaked and tilted.

In the darkness sliced at an angle, I saw my grandfather sitting. The cursed god was gone. Katagishi had done it.

My grandfather didn't look at me, his gaze cast downward as if seeing the invisible god in the sea of blood.

Akitsu touched my shoulder as if to encourage me. I placed my hand over hers and left the chapel.

Sunlight filtered through the dense trees. Though the sky's peak still held the color of night, the foothills had turned pale purple. Wispy clouds gathered and vanished like wave blossoms.

No matter what happens to humanity, the dawn remains unchanged—so pure it makes you want to cry.

Akitsu and I descended the stairs one step at a time. A car stood in front of the iron fence, reflecting the sea of clouds. It was Esato's. The key was still in the ignition. Maybe she had sensed she wouldn't be coming back.

I bit my lip.

"Let's go back to Tokyo."

"Yeah. But there's one problem."

As I tensed, Akitsu lowered her brows with a serious expression.

"I don't have a license. I don't have a family register."

"You are a god, after all."

I gave a wry smile and pulled the door open.

The inside of Esato's car faintly smelled of cigarettes and tatami.

On the dashboard scattered with cigarette butts was an old photo. Three boys stood with the sea behind them. Only the small boy in the center was smiling; the other two had stiff expressions. I could tell from faint traces—on the right was Esato, on the left was my father.

"Miyaki, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

I shifted the photo aside so it wouldn't get stained by the fallen ash and gripped the steering wheel.

The car bounced heavily down the mountain road, hitting tree roots and road grooves. A rusted mailbox, a wooden coin laundry, a fenced-off abandoned station, and a dried-up footbath came into view.

Scenes I once saw with Katagishi passed by one after another. On that mountain road where time seemed to stop, only the sky's color kept changing restlessly.

While pressing the accelerator, I spoke to Akitsu beside me.

"Do you think we can get everyone back?"

"If it's The God Who Is There, I think they'll try their best."

"......But the deceased investigators won't come back, right? You can't change someone's death, can you?"

"Maybe even that's possible."

Akitsu said, staring straight ahead.

"People think The God Who Is There can change the world in an instant, but in truth, it takes a full day. So, a one-day lag occurs. That's piled up to nearly a five-year discrepancy now."

"Then..."

"If we can make it all as if it never happened, I think we can take it back."

Instead of answering, I gripped the steering wheel tightly. The morning sun stained the windshield, and through it, I could see Akitsu's pale skin and hair. Seeing the particles of light tangled in her hair tips, I finally felt she truly was a god.

Mount Fudaraku receded, and gradually the townscape grew more urban.

A familiar bus rotary came into view. It was near my home.

As we drove down the road lined with lily-of-the-valley-shaped streetlights at regular intervals, we passed a drugstore and a bookstore. In front of the station, a crowd of illegally parked bicycles sparkled under the sunlight.

Boys in school uniforms ran with their bags slung like backpacks. It was already spring break. In a few weeks, they'd probably be buying textbooks at the bookstore with the green awning.

In a country ruled by gods, there are still people who continue their everyday lives unchanged.

Akitsu suddenly murmured.

"It's peaceful."

"It is."

"Have you ever felt pissed off?"

I looked at her in surprise.

"When we're desperately trying to protect the world, and you see people living peacefully without knowing anything."

"......When I was in the Ministry of Divine Affairs, I sometimes felt that way. Like you said, it's better to be ignorant to be happy. We couldn't do that anymore."

I gave a wry smile.

"But seeing the people in the special investigation division changed me. They deserved to be happy and at peace too."

"I see."

"The people walking around now, unaware of everything, are what Katagishi and Uyuu should have been. If we wish for the happiness of everyone in the special investigation division, we must wish for theirs too. I can't say it well..."

"The world is made up of individuals. That's enough."

"The way you said that sounded like a god."

Akitsu gave a small laugh.

The buildings flowing past the car window turned into woods, then into sand-colored walls. I stopped the car in front of a wall opening. The entrance to the underground shelter was still open.

We got out of the car and stepped into the dark underground shelter. This was the end of everything.

There was no sign of fire in the underground passage. Only a cold darkness like a morgue lay ahead. Maybe this was what the underworld of many myths looked like.

The door to the innermost part was destroyed, its remnants gaping like a mouth with jagged teeth. Something bumped against my toe as I stepped forward. I picked it up—it was a flashlight blackened with soot. Katagishi had left it behind. It had lit the darkness many times during investigations.

"Miyaki?"

I held back the sudden urge to cry and slipped the flashlight into my pocket. I wiped my eyes with the blood- and mud-stained sleeve of my suit.

"It's nothing. Let's go."

We moved forward, confirming each step.

A massive torii gate emerged from the darkness. Beneath the two red pillars stood the burned and melted God Who Is There.

My eyes, now used to the dark, saw what was behind it too. A decayed gray goddess wearing rusted golden ornaments on her head. The mouth in her abdomen, gaping like a fresh wound, gasped as its tongue searched the void.

"The God of Nation-Bearing might give birth to another god. Hurry."

"Yes. Let's end this."

"Miyaki, wish for a world without Territorial Divine Offenses. I don't know if it's possible, but The God Who Is There should help."

"......Will you disappear too, Akitsu?"

"Maybe."

I glanced at Akitsu. She stood in sacred silence.

"Honestly, I wanted to do more things together."

"I was always with you. I was born from the prayers of everyone in the special investigation division. The memories of your father, Uyuu, and everyone who cared about you—they're all inside me."

"That's kind of embarrassing."

"I know everything. Even that you like taiyaki with red bean paste and ramen."

"You didn't need to know that!"

I smiled wryly.

Urged by Akitsu, I stepped forward. The sliding door before me bore painful scorch marks, but its hinges remained. It looked like it could be used one more time.

I placed my hand on the charred door and turned to face Akitsu.

"Akitsu."

"What?"

I was about to say thank you but stopped. There was something else I needed to say.

"Let's meet again."

The god Akitsu widened her eyes. The sacred veil fell away. She lowered her gaze and nodded. Like a human, praying for something she knew wouldn't come true.

I turned on my heel and pulled the door open.

The smell of igusa and charcoal stung my nose. The soles of my pumps stepped onto the tatami, hardened by fire.

A Japanese-style room spread out, barely spared from the great fire.

The shoji had mostly turned to soot, leaving only the blackened wooden frames. The walls and ceiling were in a devastating state, as if licked by flames.

At the back of the hall, a figure sat draped in scorched white cloth. A giant black shadow, as if the shadow had mass.

Leaning on a soot-covered spear like a cane, the figure slowly stepped forward.

I removed my shoes and approached the shadow.

The God Who Is There looked down at me.

Inside the cloth was an immense darkness, like the vastness of space. Strangely, I wasn't afraid.

I knelt before the god.

"Thank you for always being on humanity's side."

The God Who Is There tilted its body. It looked like it was trying to hear the voice of a tiny creature—or maybe it was just tired and drooping.

If all gods are erased, even the ones who protected us will vanish. Maybe, like Akitsu, they've already accepted that fate.

But I couldn't accept that. Both people and gods deserve to be rewarded.

I opened my mouth. I knew I shouldn't entrust everything to such a vague wish. The true will of a god is unfathomable. Words open to interpretation can lead to unexpected outcomes.

Even so, I thought it was okay. I want to believe.

"Please let all beings—humans, gods, and everyone who fought to protect the world—be rewarded."

The God Who Is There raised its spear. A tremendous sound and blast of wind surged forth.

I heard the sound of a sliding door opening.