Chapter 314
"WHOOOOOOOO!" Mio sped past us like a madwoman. She pulled the brakes and skidded spinning across the snow. Her snowmobile slammed into Kana, their bumpers impacting and bouncing them both away from each other. It was pretty obvious who was having the most fun.
"Jesus, Mio! Are you trying to assassinate me or something?" Kana clutched his chest.
"Kahaha! You gotta watch where you're going, or I'll knock you all the way to Elza!" she shouted, already driving to put some distance for another strike.
"Oh, my god. You really are trying to kill me!" He went the other direction to escape.
I shook my head and thanked my lucky stars that Mio wasn't targeting me. Or so I thought. Someone bumped me lightly from behind. When I spun around, it was Elendir, giggling mischievously. Uncharacteristic of her, but warming to see the dark elven monarch let loose.
"These are much more fun than they first appear. Consider me a fan. This is better than riding a horse or car. Though, I can do without the freezing cold and snow." Elendir took her hands off the wheel to stick underneath her armpits.
"I had a feeling you guys would like this. I know Mio's been trying to get her license to drive. Figured this would be a nice alternative for the time being. I think someone is having a hard time grasping it though." I stifled my laughter as Erma's snowmobile slowly drove circles, and she was losing it.
"I don't understand. Why won't this go where I want it to? Is it dysfunctional? Help!" Erma cried.
This had been going on for the past five minutes, and she probably made dozens of revolutions already. Even from here, I knew what she was doing wrong. Her hands gripped the steering wheel pushed to one side. All she needed to do was turn the other way to stop. Or hit the brakes.
"Ah. The fearsome legate. Can't even control her own vehicle," Elendir chided.
"Well, if you're so versed, perhaps you can lend some of your infinite wisdom? I'm not afraid to admit defeat and ask for assistance. So, would you? Please! I'm getting dizzy…" Erma complained.
"Nothing makes me happier than to hear her displeasure. I suppose we should go to her aid. Erma's suffered enough," she said.
We drove right up to the snowmobile. Through sheer magical strength, Elendir exerted her power over the vehicle and made it grind to a stop. I flew out of mine and rested both hands on top of Erma's. Her grip on the wheel loosened up. Slowly, I guided her movements back to the neutral position.
"Alright. Now, Elendir's going to stop her magic. The snowmobile will start moving again. Just turn the steering wheel gently and gradually, but not all the way to the side like before. You'll have plenty of space to turn," I instructed.
"Okay. I'm ready," Erma said.
Elendir released her magical hold on the snowmobile, and I let go of Erma's hands. The vehicle whirred past me in a straight line. Meanwhile, I hopped back onto my snowmobile to catch up.
"Now, turn left! Slowly," I emphasized.
Erma adjusted the wheel to the left, and her snowmobile turned left. I continued to guide her in every possible direction. Slowly but surely, the panic on her face vanished. After all, she was a quick learner. Erma became good enough in Judo that Selene suggested she participate in competitions and other combat sports.
The elf turned to me with a big smile when Mio crashed into her from behind. She went spinning out of control.
"Damn it, Mio! Erma was just making progress!" I groaned.
The best kind of progress is the kind where you're doing it live! Are you feeling it now, Erma? Time to get into the gaaaaaaame!" Mio howled, speeding off to find her next victim.
"If I didn't already know Hana was a dryad, I'd seriously think you two were related…" I rolled my eyes.
"At least she's gone…" Kana drove up to me looking worse for wear. "My neck is going to be so sore tomorrow because of how much she bumped me."
The remaining three of us hurried up to Erma, who had come to a complete stop at least. Her foot was pressed to the brake. Although her snowmobile wasn't spinning, her eyes definitely were in their sockets.
Using our own snowmobiles, we scooted her off the main driving area so as to not block anyone else. Mio cackled loudly from afar, giving everyone she could crash into a thrashing.
"What happened?" Erma snapped back to consciousness. "I thought I was finally getting it. Then something knocked me out…"
"Must have been the wind." Elendir shrugged.
"Maybe we all go grab something to eat before Mio gives some poor bastard a concussion," I suggested to them.
They turned in the direction of Mio, who slammed into the side of a man's snowmobile and sent him skidding away.
"Good idea," everyone agreed.
As much as I wanted to keep driving the snowmobile, we got plenty of mileage out of them today. It took all of us to get Mio to finally leave. She definitely enjoyed it the most and already wanted to come back. Heck, we might have time for that another day.
We took a bus that ferried us into the outskirts of the nearest town. It was only three in the afternoon and plenty dark. An overcast of thick gray clouds blocked the sun entirely. Light snowfall showered down over Hokkaido. A snowplow might need to come through here after dinner if we wanted to get back to the inn.
Looking out the window, it was mostly neatly-arranged rectangles of rural farmlands that passed by. There were miles of them. But now that winter was upon us, the fields were covered in snow. It wouldn't be until spring when farmers and laborers came out en masse to work the fields. Leaving aside the freezing temperatures, it must be quite the nice and peaceful living out here.
The bus came to a stop at a small station. We made the rest of the short walk to a hot pot place in the outskirts of Higashikawa. Normally, the place served farmers and locals. During the off-seasons, tourists.
When we entered the cozy establishment, a blast of warm air and steam embraced our faces. They had a large floor, with many tables and even more patrons, chatting away over a steaming pot and beer. I was getting toasty right away and had to take my jacket off.
"Ah. Hello! For five?" An kind-looking older woman dipped into my field of vision.
"Yep. Just five." I confirmed.
The lady guided us to an open table in the back. She didn't give us a menu, as was normal for places like these. Instead, their 'menu' was written as wooden boards placed high on the wall for people to look at.
Erma furrowed her brows at the menu. Her grasp of the Japanese language was still infantile at best. Elendir, however, carefully mouthed out each word.
"I recognize some of these! I can even read them. Shiitake… fried tofu… fish ball… Would it be alright if I ordered?" Elendir asked enthusiastically, ready to flex her ability to read.
"Sure. Let's give everyone a chance to go over the menu first though. As for Erma, we might have to guide her through it like the snowmobile," I said.
"Tch… I can learn quickly if I put my mind to it, too. I'm merely preoccupied with training," Erma muttered.
Everyone was ready to order, and we each told Elendir what we wanted so she could put her Japanese into practice by relaying it to the waitress. The woman came back around with a worn notepad and pencil, but she turned to me right away. Elendir's smile waned facing the waitress' back.
"What would you like?" the lady asked.
"Actually, my friend behind you has our orders." I pointed to Elendir.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss uh…" She turned around and stared. "...elf? May I take your order?"
I made an obvious show of cheering for Elendir behind the waitress. She worked up the courage at last, recanting each of our orders. Her pronunciation was spotty at best and took some repeats, but the waitress jotted everything down all the same.
"I messed up many times, didn't I?" Elendir frowned, the tips of her ears red enough to overwhelm her cocoa skin.
"No, that was perfect! The waitress understood what you said," I insisted.
"Really?" She fidgeted in place and searched the rest of us for validation.
"Yep, that was definitely good. As your teacher, I'm proud of you." Kana nodded.
Elendir pressed a hand to her chest and sighed contentedly. A soft smile adorned her face, and the tension left her completely. Underneath the table, I reached over to give her hand a squeeze. She returned the gesture but a little more tightly.
The food finally came, beginning as two large pots of broth. One was chicken broth and the other miso. Our waitress placed them atop burners on the table and flipped the switches. As it slowly came to a boil, another waiter rolled a multi-tiered cart furnished with a ton of food. They outright dumped many of the plates straight into the boiling pot, and their combined scent made our mouths watered.
One waitress turned the fire down, letting both pots subside to a simmer, then gave us the okay to start digging in. The biggest dish Elendir had ordered— and most proud of pronouncing correctly— was ise ebi, a spiny lobster. It was the centerpiece inside the miso pot, and all of us were ready to rip into the thing.
Dinner only really got started when the waitress brought us a bottle of rice wine. Surrounded by those I loved, with incredible food and sake on the table, it couldn't get any better than this.
"Kehehe…" Mio giggled menacingly to herself.
"I hope you're not thinking about dumping your hot sauce into our pot." I shot a glare at her.
"Oh, perish the thought!" She feigned ignorance, then flashed a cruel smile. "Heh. I already did."
I swallowed hard.
"Whew. I'm heating up. A little too much. Was the chicken broth pot always so spicy?" Erma asked, wiping her sweat-drenched brows and breathing hard.
"Oh, god… What… Mio, is this your doing?!" Kana coughed intensely after putting a piece of tofu in his mouth.
"Excuse me, can we change out our pot!" I beckoned to a waitress.
"What? No! Fine, at least let me keep this one!" Mio cradled the one she had dumped hot sauce into.
Two hours passed by in a blink of an eye. Our bellies were full. We were tipsy from the sake that warmed us up from the inside. There was still another bottle, but me, Kana, and Mio had tapped out. Another glass, and I was going to puke.
Elendir and Erma, on the other hand, continued to share drinks while exchanging war stories. They were surprisingly polite about defeating each other, too.
"I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be right back," I said.
While I didn't need to pee, splashing my face with cold water sobered me up some. I was ready to rejoin my friends when I noticed a small shrine down the hallway. Naturally, the people up here worshipped local gods. It made me think of Uta, whose ring still adorned my finger that signified my status as his wife. I should probably pay my respects to my god-husband while here. Actually… On second thought, the last time I visited him, he kidnapped me to have sex with him for a month straight. Maybe after I returned home from vacation.
As I turned away, static sparked on my ring finger.
"Ow!" I stared at the black ring and frowned.
That must have been Uta, no doubt. Fine. I walked forward to the wooden shrine altar. Burning incense sticks slowly filled the pot with its ashes. My succubus aura picked up a sensation that was coming directly from it. When I closed my eyes and pressed both hands together in prayer, the world seemed to shift. I looked up to find myself on the island of Uta's modest shrine.
The cloud-like ocean crashed against the shores, and Takamagahara loomed over the horizon across the water.
"Uta! Are you home?" I knocked on the front door.
A shrine maiden in a red and white robe and bob cut opened the door.
"Hello, Saeko. Have you come to see Uta?" the woman asked.
"I have. Is he here?" I peered past her shoulder.
"Yes, I am! I'm coming, my wife!" Uta came skipping over. The shrine maiden stepped aside as he leaped into my arms and kissed me deeply. His tongue forced its way into my mouth, and the two of us made out where we stood. His mikos went red in the face as they watched.
The boy god pulled back and smiled brightly. He grabbed my hand, leading me inside his shrine which had since been renovated to look like a Japanese mansion.
"As much as I'm glad to see you, my friends are waiting for me back home. And no, you can't keep me here just because time is slowed to a crawl," I said.
"Don't worry. I won't keep you long. I sent you a sign because there's something important I need to show you. You guys might actually be in danger," Uta explained.
Danger? Was there anything that could threaten two succubi, a dark elf with powerful magic, and a light elf military officer?
Uta brought me to a Zen garden in which the sand tracks had been recently raked with precision. People who practiced for years could only wish to do it so well.
"What are you trying to show me again?" I asked.
"This." Uta raised his hand, compelling the sand to come together and take shape, like an invisible force was building a sculpture. "Does it remind you of anything?"
"A… mountain? Wait, is this the mountain behind the inn my friends and I are staying in?"
Uta nodded. He clenched his fist, causing the sand-made mountain to tremble. An avalanche rolled down like a tsunami and consumed everything in its path.
"As a mountain god, I can feel when the earth shifts. Mother would be very angry if she found out I'm telling you this, but I don't want anything to befall you or your friends. Asahi-dake's accumulated a lot of snow this year. My senses are telling me the earth is going to shudder. If an avalanche with that amount of snow collapses, it's going to be very devastating. What you do with this information is up to you. Just be safe, okay?" Uta looked at me with worry.
"Of course, something like a natural disaster has to transpire. Well, I suppose it's a good thing I'm here when it's about to happen. I'm probably with the only people who can make a difference." I groaned.
"I'm sorry, Saeko. If I had the power to stop it, I would. But Mother would strip me of my divinity for directly intervening." He frowned.
I cupped Uta's cheeks and pulled him in for a tender kiss.
"Don't worry about it. You're risking a lot by telling me anyway. Thanks. I'll be fine. We'll try to warn and save as many people as possible. Or try to prevent it," I promised.
"Hehe. Good luck then! Now… Are you suuuure we can't do it? Even a little?" Uta asked, embracing me to press his erection against my thigh.
I gulped hard at his pushiness.
"Fine. But only for a few rounds."