Susanoo picked up the kettle from the hearth and brought out two earthenware cups, filling them both.
"Have so water," he said, handing one cup to Hikigaya.
Hikigaya accepted it, but he couldn't feel any heat, even though the water inside appeared hot.
Yet the mont he glanced into it, he found it hard to look away.
The tea rippled gently, and as it rippled, an image appeared.
Hikigaya saw a shattered charm.
He recognized it—it was the Eye of Horus he'd worn during the battle that night.
But soon the image disappeared, and only the tea remained.
"What was that?" he asked, looking inquisitively.
"Just sothing unfinished from that night," Susanoo chuckled. "You didn't think that was the end, did you? There were three gods that night. You took down one, but got help from the other two. You think they'll just obediently go back? We're not that well-behaved. After finally getting a physical body, of course there's going to be so chaos."
"I agree," Hikigaya replied with a sarcastic smile. "But they weren't my problem to begin with."
"Either way, just drink it first. Explaining everything with words is more of a pain," Susanoo said, picking his nose as he spoke.
Hikigaya swore that from now on, he would never accept anything this guy handed him...
Frowning, he stared at the cup in his hand, curled his lip, and finally took a reluctant sip.
There was no flavor at all.
But just as he thought that, images appeared in his mind—and quickly, they materialized before his eyes. He was no longer in the small wooden hut but floating in the sky.
Below him was a vast expanse of black earth, with a great river winding through it. On both sides were endless green fields, full of barley and fruit trees. Livestock wandered here and there. Above, a warm sun bathed the land in golden light.
At first, everything looked idyllic. But soon, the river began to dry, eventually ceasing to flow entirely, revealing a bare, rocky riverbed. The fields on both sides began to wither, ravaged by sandstorms. The sunlight, once warm, beca scorching and unbearable.
Just as all signs of life were about to vanish, a white line appeared on the horizon—it was a massive flood, raging and unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, it had swept across the land, subrging the riverbed and surging across both banks, swallowing the ground buried beneath yellow sand.
Amidst the overwhelming flood, a throne gradually rose into view. Upon it sat a man with green skin, a beard, holding a crook and flail. He wore a ram-horn crown atop his head and was dressed in pharaonic robes. He exuded a powerful and majestic presence.
This imposing figure sat upon the throne, moving with the floodwaters until he vanished into the distant, now waterlogged land.
That was the final image Hikigaya saw. Then the vision faded, and before him was the half-smiling, half-serious Susanoo-no-Mikoto.
And Ena—she had arrived at so point, and was now glaring at Hikigaya angrily.
This girl really had a temper.
"So… that's it?" Hikigaya set down the cup. "I thought you'd tell sothing I didn't already know."
"The thing you want to know was already in there," Susanoo said. "That was the answer. Mhm, I won't tell you anything more."
"So I can take that to an that bird guy won't be showing up again?" Hikigaya shrugged. "That'd be great news."
"Who knows?" Susanoo said mysteriously. "Although I've already retired, you have to understand—once we erge from that place, our relationships change. Might even get worse than before."
"Before?" Hikigaya caught on to the key word.
"Yeah. To humans, it'd be considered a long ti ago," Susanoo said with a yawn. "If you're not bored, feel free to stay as long as you want—but I won't be saying anything more."
"Alright then, thanks anyway." Hikigaya nodded, stood up, and prepared to leave.
But before he could go, Susanoo suddenly said, "Oh, wait—since you thanked and all, how about doing a little favor?"
"Oh?"
Hikigaya paused mid-step and turned back.
A god asking a god-slayer for help—now that was rare.
"Well, it's like this: lately I've been kind of annoyed by soone. Could you help deal with it?"
"Grandpa, that's such a rude way to put it! You're a hero from mythology!" Ena instantly exploded like a puffed-up cat.
"I told you not to call that stupid title, you brat. And I'm retired now—don't bring up old stuff," Susanoo said with a look of exasperation. Then, turning to Hikigaya, he added, "As you can see, this little girl's a real handful. Could you let her tag along with you for a while?"
He paused, chuckled, and said, "She might seem a bit ditzy, but she's useful in all kinds of ways. If you train her right, she could even beco a decent woman."
Old man, do you even realize the 'brat' you're talking about is turning green in the face right now?
Hikigaya wanted to say sothing—but considering that even if Ena used every ounce of strength she had, she still couldn't hurt this guy in the slightest, he didn't bother.
"No offense," he said, spreading his hands. "But can I go ho now?"
"Of course. That brat will take care of it," Susanoo said, waving his hand. "I didn't give her that divine sword just for show. From now on, feel free to boss her around."
"Hmph…" Seishuin Ena snorted heavily in frustration, then walked up to Hikigaya and drew the divine sword.
As before, everything fell into darkness—and Hikigaya returned to his living room.
Beside him, Ena sheathed the A-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi.
"What a disaster-filled sumr vacation," Hikigaya sighed. The trouble Osiris would bring definitely wouldn't be any less than Set—and this ti, there were no gods to help him.
"Don't be so gloomy, Devil King! You're the one who killed a god, rember?" Ena seed to have snapped out of her bad mood, and grinned brightly. "No matter what, with your help, we feel a lot safer. Is there anything we can do for you?"
That tone really made her sound like soone just trying to pass the buck…
"Then get everything you've got on Osiris."
"Information?"
"His mythology, origins, evolution—whatever. Anything you have, give it to ," Hikigaya said with clear annoyance. "Since you're insiders, you must have a lot of this kind of stuff, right?"
"Calling us 'insiders' is giving us way too much credit. We're just a bunch of sorcerers, that's all. In this field, you're the real pro, Devil King. But we'll start collecting it for you right away."
"Thanks then. If you don't mind, could you start now?" Hikigaya said as he turned and headed upstairs. "Because I'd really rather the information get here before he does."
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL.
Read ahead (40 chapters) by supporting on spatreon/c/VarieTL and sko-fi/varietl
There you can also read 5 other Novels and other 3 Fanfiction of Oregairu
User Comments
0 comments from readers