Chapter 76
Chapter 76
6. The Unknown God (Hidden) *Recommended after reading Part 2
(Since Volume 2 and Comic Volume 1 are out this month, I'm releasing the supporter-only status update short story for a limited time. This contains spoilers through the end of Part 2. It's about how Miyaki, who was erased by the Unseen God in Part 1, returned.)
***
A peaceful mountain path stretched under the afternoon sun.
"Katagishi...?"
Miyaki looked around. The underground lab deep beneath the ruins had completely vanished without a trace.
The wall lined with records of Territorial Divine Offenses was now covered in lush trees, the cracked tile floor replaced by a muddy trail, and the heavy air filled with mold and dust had turned into a warm breeze.
"You've got to be kidding..."
From the gentle slope and the winding animal trail, she realized this was Mount Fudaraku. But there was no sign of the Silent Voice's remains or the shoddy Divine Statue. Only a forest covering the sky like a veil over the mountain.
Miyaki clicked her tongue softly.
The only thing that could cause such an abnormality was Territorial Divine Offenses. The one who resides on this mountain is the Unseen God.
Being brought here probably meant she had been erased.
"Whether by gods or humans, inconvenient things get erased all the same."
She had faced death countless times. There was still a chance to survive.
"I need to regroup with Katagishi and escape."
Miyaki adjusted the bag full of documents on her shoulder and began climbing the mountain path.
Through the gaps in the trees, a boy wearing an outdated hemp kimono was staring at her. She almost called out but stopped herself. In the middle of a supernatural phenomenon, it was unwise to approach unknown beings carelessly.
Pretending not to notice, Miyaki kept walking and murmured,
"I hope Katagishi is okay. He's the type who talks to people in places like this."
Mud seeped into her pumps.
When she reached the midsection of the mountain where the ruins had been, a small village appeared.
People gathered in fields carved out of wasteland. They washed farming tools, gazed at the sky, and went about their lives. Their clothing varied, from traditional kimonos to modern outfits.
Miyaki gasped. They were all likely people who had been erased by the Unseen God.
Relief that it wasn't a hellish place was quickly followed by a wave of forgotten dread.
People erased by the god centuries ago were still trapped here. She might end up the same.
As she instinctively stepped back, a faint wisp of smoke drifted by. It wasn't Katagishi's cigarette—this was older, a nostalgic scent from her memories.
A man stood on a slope where lotus flowers were beginning to bloom.
He was tall, with dark skin like tanned leather, dressed in a neatly worn suit—she assumed he was a detective. The nostalgic scent came from the cigarette held between the fingers of his black gloves. The moment he saw Miyaki, he dropped it.
"Rei...!?"
His upturned eyes widened. Miyaki took another step back. Why did someone here know her name?
"How do you know my name?"
The man's sunburned face turned pale as he stepped toward her. Before she could react, he grabbed her shoulder firmly.
"Why are you here? Who brought you!? How could you possibly..."
His voice caught mid-sentence, and he looked down in pain. The grip on her shoulder wasn't frightening or unpleasant—it felt familiar, like the scent of smoke.
"You're hurting me..."
The man snapped out of it and let go. Miyaki looked up at him. She knew him.
"Um, have we met before? If you know me, please tell me. I got lost here, and if there's a way out, I'd like to leave..."
"You got lost? So you weren't brought here?"
When Miyaki nodded, the man let out a deep sigh.
"Follow me."
With that, the man stepped forward, crushing the lotus flowers beneath his feet.
They walked down the gentle slope.
When Miyaki nearly slipped in the soft mud, the man pulled her arm.
"Thank you."
It reminded her of childhood, when someone would pull her hand while walking along the roadside. She had few memories of outings with her sickly mother. Who had held her hand back then?
The man muttered in a low voice,
"You might not believe it, but this place is like the afterlife. No, more like a space created by a god."
"Territorial Divine Offenses, right?"
Miyaki answered, then quickly shut her mouth. The man looked down sadly.
"So you're in a position to know things like that now."
Miyaki studied the man's profile.
"Were you erased by a god too?"
"Yeah. We meddled with a god. We deserved to be erased."
"You knew my name, right? Have we met somewhere before?"
After a long silence, the man replied,
"...I knew your father."
"You knew my father? He disappeared when I was a kid."
"He was a good-for-nothing who abandoned his wife and daughter. You're better off not knowing."
The man cut Miyaki off sharply.
"More importantly, how's your mother doing?"
"She used to be sickly, but she's been doing better lately."
"I see."
As they walked the mountain path, Miyaki murmured as if to herself,
"I heard he was a good person, though."
The man frowned suspiciously.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, someone who said he was my father's friend helped pay for our living expenses and my tuition and stuff."
"...Who was that?"
"His name's Kirima. Do you know him?"
"No, I don't... What kind of guy is he?"
"He's quiet, kind of uptight, a little scary, but he's a nice person. Oh, but sometimes he gets a bit rough. Maybe he was a delinquent in his youth?"
The man gave a small smile. Miyaki pointed at him.
"You actually know him, don't you?"
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I never said whether Kirima was a man or a woman."
"Still as sharp as ever."
When Miyaki smiled, the man exhaled softly.
A crushed lotus flower lay buried in the muddy path.
"...Did Kirima tell you anything about your father?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"Big, scary, always taking on the worst jobs, a ridiculously earnest violent detective—that's how he described him."
"That bastard..."
The man rubbed his temple with a conflicted expression.
Watching that gesture, Miyaki thought—his voice and demeanor reminded her of Kirima.
She realized she had unconsciously shortened her stride, as if reluctant to reach the end.
When Miyaki looked beside her, the man's pace seemed slower too.
"Also, Kirima said my father was the most decent adult he ever knew."
The man's shoulders trembled slightly.
"What?"
"So he often told me not to resent my father. Kirima said my father told him to live a decent life, and that's why he's still trying. Sorry, I know it's weird to say all this to someone I just met."
Miyaki showed her teeth in a shy smile, but the man didn't smile back. He stared ahead into the trees, as if looking at something far away through the gaps.
At the end of the mountain path, the man stopped.
"This is as far as I go. The Unseen God doesn't erase people who don't wish to disappear themselves or aren't wished away by others."
The man turned to Miyaki and said,
"Your father was a scumbag, but he loved you and your mother... Not that it helps much."
Standing with the sun behind him, his face was hidden in silhouette. Something stirred in the depths of Miyaki's memory and vanished like a bubble. The man shook his head.
"Go. Don't get lost again."
"Thank you."
As the man turned on his heel, Miyaki suddenly shouted, certain that if she didn't stop him now, she'd never see him again.
"Right! Please let me thank you for guiding me! I'll think of something, so at least tell me your name..."
The man turned around, hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"...Uyuu."
It was an awkward, clumsy kind of smile. A faint point in her memory took shape.
"Dad...?"
The breeze that had caressed her cheek like a warm hand came to a stop.
Miyaki was standing on the slope where she could see the abandoned train station.
It was already dark around her.
"Miyaki!"
Katagishi rushed over in a panic. When she responded, he looked confused, as if unsure why he'd been so worried.
"It's gotten completely dark, hasn't it? And we didn't find anything, either."
The two of them walked down the slope. A torii gate jutted out from a mound of earth piled over the abandoned tracks. It looked exactly the same as when they had passed by earlier.
"Katagishi..."
When she glanced beside her, she saw tears falling from Katagishi's eyes. They hadn't found any clues about his missing wife. She had a feeling she'd forgotten something important, too.
Without saying a word, Miyaki gave Katagishi a firm pat.
"Ouch."
She felt as if someone had been touching her like this long ago, and even just a moment ago—but she couldn't remember who.