Chapter 68
Chapter 68
7. The God Who Is There
As I sorted through the documents and burned them in a drum can behind the ruins, morning came.
If I burn all the records, we won't understand how dangerous the god is. I should leave some, but I don't know which ones to keep.
Apparently, two-thirds of the people who came here were from the countermeasure headquarters. Maybe there are still some who haven't disappeared. Would they help dispose of the documents and rebuild the headquarters? What if they become hostile like Ryoko and the others?
"I can't do this alone... I need to get back to Tokyo for now..."
Smoldering scraps of paper and sparks danced like fireflies as the sky turned pale pink.
I put out the fire with fallen leaves and soil, then descended the mountain path.
The chirping of birds and the rustling of trees echoed like torment. I didn't even know the way back. It probably wasn't walkable. My shirt, which should've been bloodstained, only had soot on it.
As I passed through a rusty iron fence, I saw a man leaning against a black car.
"Umemura... why..."
He looked completely exhausted.
"Why haven't you disappeared?! Aren't you with the countermeasure headquarters?!"
"I'm still in training! More importantly, I should be asking you! I heard gunshots, then a huge noise, and inside, something like a monster..."
Umemura covered his mouth as if to hold back nausea.
What the hell. Umemura wasn't erased because he wasn't a full member. Is that why I'm still here too? I suddenly felt uneasy as I recalled everything.
"Hey, do you remember me...?"
Umemura narrowed his eyes and punched me in the cheek.
"Of course I remember you."
He spat the words out. It should've hurt, but my senses were dull, like it was happening to someone else. More than that, I felt relieved that he hadn't vanished.
"Got it."
Umemura sighed.
"The people inside... are they dead?"
"No, they're not. They all vanished."
As I spoke, Umemura listened silently. The high sun's light and heat pecked at my neck.
"I had a feeling this would happen eventually."
When I finished talking, Umemura said that and turned his back to me.
"Can you drive?"
"I don't even have a family register, let alone a license."
Umemura widened his eyes.
"So I'm stuck in the driver's seat again? I wish someone with a license had survived."
The passenger door was opened toward me. As I hesitated, Umemura spoke irritably.
"Hurry up. You planning to walk back?"
I brushed off the dirt from my clothes and got in.
The car interior was filled with trapped heat. Umemura rested his cheek on the steering wheel.
"So what now?"
"I'll deal with the documents there. Move only the important stuff underground, toss the rest. But first, we need to rebuild the countermeasure headquarters. We'll only pick people who won't let this happen again."
After saying that, I looked at Umemura.
"You gonna help me?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Why?"
"Because you punched me."
I didn't understand and asked again. Umemura suddenly said:
"I once confessed to Reizei. She turned me down, though."
He stared at the blurry Divine Statue reflected in the windshield.
"It's not that I wanted to erase everything."
I deliberately leaned back arrogantly in the passenger seat.
"You got rejected? That's lame."
Umemura bumped my shoulder. The familiar pain made me want to cry again.
With no tint on the windshield, I could clearly see the receding trees and the cityscape gradually turning urban. Every intersection in Tokyo was swarming with people.
"Summer break ends today, huh."
Umemura sneered at my mutter.
"That's why you have fun. You the type who left homework unfinished?"
"I barely went to school."
Umemura fell silent.
Neon dots melted into the glass reflecting the night. People who knew nothing squirmed about.
A towering building loomed in the darkness. The lights were on in the countermeasure headquarters office.
As I waited for Umemura to park the car, a sprightly old man with a hat came out of the entrance. It was Miyaki.
Umemura let out a groan.
"That's the founder of the countermeasure headquarters. Damn, the big boss right off the bat. What now?"
I unbuckled my seatbelt.
"I'm going."
"You got a plan?"
"Not really..."
I pulled out the business card I had stuffed in my shirt pocket.
"But he told me to live properly."
I looked at my own face in the mirror.
The most decent adult I know is that guy.
I brushed up my bangs, straightened my back, sharpened my gaze, and tightened my lips. I got out of the car.
"Miyaki-san."
The old man turned around. I strode up to him and said in one breath:
"The countermeasure headquarters has been destroyed. Some of the Territorial Divine Offenses have escaped. We need to rebuild the organization immediately."
I was surprised at how low my voice came out. The old man looked at me suspiciously.
"...What do you know?"
"Everything."
I'm a fraud. I'll deceive gods and humans alike. Before the old man could interrupt, I pressed on.
"This is a negotiation. If you cooperate in reorganizing the organization, I'll hand over The God Who Is There. In return, I want to be in charge of selecting the members. We'll change it into an organization focused on documentation, without interfering with the gods."
The old man stared at me, as if he remembered me but couldn't place me.
"Who are you...?"
I pulled the business card from my pocket and showed it off.
"Imperial Household Agency Special Division, Countermeasure Headquarters, Kirima Renjirou."
The countermeasure headquarters was even more insane than I thought.
Ryoko and the others were just the tip of the iceberg. In less than half a month, the documents in the chapel were carefully selected, moved underground, and the ruins were sealed off.
The dusty countermeasure headquarters office hadn't changed.
As I faced the mountain of documents on the desk, Umemura peeked in from behind.
"Tough being an executive, huh? Make sure I get a good position too."
"Don't worry, I'll work you hard even if you don't ask."
The mug Umemura brought gave off the scent of coffee steam.
"So, any progress on the reorganization?"
"It'll take time."
I looked down at the photos in the classified documents. They were all candid shots—folklorists, detectives, psychiatrists, even kids who seemed clueless.
I think the countermeasure headquarters is a terrifying organization.
I pulled out a few sheets of paper.
"First, I'll summon Esato. One of the few people who knows the true form of the God of the Calling Tide. Then I'll investigate Rokuhara, mentioned in the records of the solitary god. It's the family Ryoko considered dangerous. That makes them trustworthy. Once the eldest son comes of age, I'll contact him. And then..."
Midway through, Umemura looked away.
"You're like a different person."
"That's the point."
I flipped the last page and fell silent. There was a girl I recognized in the photo.
"I'm stepping out for a bit."
I placed the documents on the desk. The clock read five in the afternoon. Visiting hours at the hospital hadn't ended yet.
Tracing back the memories of when I visited with Kirima, I walked down the hospital corridor. The paper bag in my hand crinkled.
A small shadow stretched across the hallway, and a girl stood in front of the hospital room. Her intelligent large eyes and twin-braided hair hadn't changed.
"Rei-chan, right?"
Kirima's daughter looked up at me curiously.
"Are you here to see your mom?"
Rei glanced toward her mother's hospital room. She was on guard. She probably didn't remember me.
"Um, are you a friend of my mom's?"
"Of your dad's."
After a brief silence, Rei shook her head.
"Dad's not around. He disappeared before I was born."
It felt like a cold knife had slipped into my heart. I forced out a voice.
"I see..."
"Are you okay?"
Rei's eyes shifted from wary to concerned. That expression resembled Kirima.
"Did you know my dad?"
"Yeah, I knew him. I remember. He was always worried about you and your mom. Probably still is."
I held out the paper bag I was carrying. Rei accepted it, looking slightly puzzled.
"They're all filled with red bean paste."
Before I could hear her response, I turned on my heel and walked back down the hallway.
When I left the hospital, it was already dark and the air was crisp. It's strange how late summer and early autumn can feel so different with just a small shift in time.
The God Who Is There had already been taken away by Miyaki and the elderly. Apparently, it's being stored somewhere within the Imperial Household Agency. They must be planning to use it. The closer I get to the truth, the more I realize how far away I really am.
I had managed to work my way into a position where I could access top-secret information.
It paid off that Kai bluffed like he knew something about the god.
If they're planning to reshape the world, I'll use it to return things to the way they were.
God reigns in the heavens.