Cursed 32: The Fickleness of Gods

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Chapter 32: The Fickleness of Gods

Hi, this Kousei.

I’m in a mild state of shock.

I mean, like, look.

Other reincarnators get something like a cheat, right?

Usually, cheats are something that changes how they live, right?

Or, like, at the very least they’re USEFUL.

My ‘cheat’ is … the ability to live as closely as I could to how I lived in my previous life.

It does come with a bonus – the ability to be a trouble-finding magnet!

The ability to be extra-tasty to youkai?

Ugh.

Okay, yeah, the mechanics BEHIND it are pretty OP, but if you’re going to make them like that, make it so I can create any skill I want by the power of imagination, or the ability to put Blessings on my party members, or, hell, I dunno, make it so I can fully use it, maybe?

Seriously, if I try to optimize it so I can squeeze every advantage I possibly can out of it, I will probably spend my entire life chasing Blessings.

I don’t want to become a salaryman wondering why he even bothers working to live if he’s living to work at the age of 16.

Hai~!

I, Kousei Ishikawa, do declare that I am just going to live however the damn hell I want-!

Screw this-!

My inner self has suddenly developed a strong desire to rebel.

Rebel from what?

Life. The RULES OF THE WORLD.

Without caring for how I feel like the ground is collapsing under my feet, throwing me into a pit of DESPAIR, the goddesses move the conversation right along, like, ‘okay, next.’

“Oh right, we need to make that soul pact.”

Inari-sama once again reaches over and places her hands swiftly on top of our heads – that is, Honoka and mine.

I probably have more questions, but not only is my mind blank, I’m seriously exhausted from all the information that was just dumped on me.

I give up.

Do whatever you want.

… Wait.

“… I don’t know if I can refuse anyway, but exactly what is a soul pact?”

“Mm. Ina-chan, if Kousei-kun refuses, you probably shouldn’t continue with it, you know. Meddling with the soul without their permission, other than Blessing bestowal, is still a no-no.”

Minerva-sama said pensively, leaning back and crossing her legs, stretching her arms across the back of the couch.

Ah, so there are rule – wwwwwaaaaaait a minute, oi!

Inari-sama once again removes her hand, showing a bit of a pout in her expression.

“Well, that’s… a soul pact is basically just one step further from having a master-familiar relationship, so it’s not such a big deal…”

“Nonono! Please properly explain it!”

“Mm… okay, so getting a familiar means sharing each others’ spiritual essence.”

So it was that dangerous?! What if Honoka had been malicious?!

… Somehow, I feel like the voice of the world is telling me that if I underwent such a troublesome process as making a familiar without confirming the familiar’s personality, I’d just be getting what I deserved.

Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m broken.

“So a soul pact is just a step further, linking your souls. Well, there’s really no risk, since it’s Reiko – Honoka and Kousei-kun. Since neither of you desire to consume another’s soul for power, the only thing it does is share the burdens of soul-related abilities.”

“Well, normally it’s done by people like soul mages, or Chinese cultivators. There aren’t many uses for soul pacts if you don’t use soul-related powers, after all. Other then a stronger soul dominating a weaker soul in order to demand full loyalty.”

Minerva-sama quickly follows up Inari-sama’s explanation with a much easier-to-understand supplement.

“Well, obviously your soul is much stronger, so you’ll be fine.”

Inari-sama said that so frivolously.

I mean,

“… Even if you say that, is Honoka okay with that kind of a situation?”

“It’s not really a problem, right?”

…oi.

Honoka, I think this is something a little more serious than just deciding … hell, deciding to get married.

Even before I can get upset, Inari-sama smiles broadly.

“You understand well, Honoka. Indeed, it’s a fitting punishment, no?”

Honoka nodded firmly, her eyes reflecting her determination.

Ah…

Since I can’t think of anything else to rebute, Inari-sama replaces her hands on our heads, then says,

“Alright! It’s decided, one, two, and three-!”

Eh? EH?!

A little more warning ple –

A rushing sensation, like being in the middle of a wind tunnel, rushes up from my feet, and a feeling like my body is being stretched out from my head to my toes engulfs me.

Ah… somehow, I feel a little like a fish swimming in a clear stream.

It’s been a long time since I had the sensation of being engulfed in water without my trauma flaring up.

Instead of the biting grip on my shoulders, the burning feeling from suffocat – anyway, instead of painful memories, I feel the happiness from playing in the mountain stream with my little brother from a past life.

Of course, this isn’t really water…

Among the – illusory – stream of clear water, there’s a small flame.

I can’t help moving towards it.

As I swim through the stream, I reach out and grasp hold of the flame, gently cradling it in my hands.

It suddenly flared up, then moved to reach even closer, moving to collide with my chest, then –

I found Honoka.

At that moment, like someone had turned the tap off, it all stopped, pausing the world for the merest of split seconds, before everything seemed to go in reverse, and it felt like my mind had snapped back to reality.

As I sat there in a daze, I can barely hear Minerva-sama reprimanding Inari-sama.

“Just suddenly doing it like that – a soul pact is a delicate operation! Where were your instructions, hm? Mou, Ina-chan…”

“Oh my, well, it seems like everything goes so easily for him, so I didn’t think he’d need it~. Well, I mean, just look at the results for yourself.”

“That’s not a very good excuse, you know.”

Before I can register the words they were saying, Inari-sama slapped me on the back.

“Well, it succeeded! Good, good! Now let’s go back. You’re uncle’s probably getting pretty worried, no?”

…!

That’s right, Daiki-san!

Even though there was only an invisible sound barrier separating us, I had completely forgotten.

Is this ‘out of sight, out of mind’? No, ‘out of earshot’, huh?

With a feeling like popping a bubble, suddenly the hum of electronics and lights comes back.

Along with the laughter of two middle-aged guys.

“Oh? Saru, when did you arrive?”

Inari-sama asked the two slightly tipsy men who were sharing bottles.

“Nn, maa, a while ago?”

Saru-sama smacked his lips while raising a jade green sake glass.

“Sorry for keeping you boys waiting.”

Minerva-sama smiled wryly, reaching her hand out to seize another glass.

Ah… the fine sake … I mean, I bought it for the kami anyway, but this month’s allowance is being drunk away…

I guess I should consider it an offering?

“Don’t worry, me and this guy were having some fun with his Blessings. Iyaaa, it’s been too long since I’ve actually done my godly duties, and it’s a first time doin’ it face to face like this.”

“You… please do your duties responsibly.”

“Ahahaha-!”

Saru-sama laughed loudly, tossing the liquor back as he did so, waving Inari-sama’s words off.

Daiki-san… you’re so adaptable.

He’s smiling with a mellow smile, clearly having partaken in the alcohol as well, and getting along easily with Saru-sama.

Even though Saru-sama is the easy-to-get-along-with type, is it normal to get along with each other so easily?

I feel a little bitter that he’s somehow more at ease than I am.

“Um… I’m going to get more drinks and food-.”

I quickly excuse myself, feeling even more exhausted as I watch the kami fully prepared to hunker down and party.

But as I had Daiki-san take the kami into the sitting room, Minerva-sama remained behind, swirling the liquor in her glass.

“M-minerva-sama? Is there something…”

“Mm… I didn’t stop Inari from doing as she pleased, but I just wanted to let you know that for your case, a soul pact is probably the correct method to use. In the first place, you’ve survived these ten-and-some years well enough, but you also weren’t using any of this spiritual power – more like, superior spiritual power? – anyway, that’s probably not going to be the case from now on. We’re a little worried about whether your soul and body can take it… anyway, with a high-ranking youkai tethered to your soul, it should mitigate any sort of strain that might occur.”

I see.

Minerva-sama noticed that I wasn’t happy about how our discussion had ended, with the soul pact thing almost being forced on me without much chance for me to resist.

I opened my mouth and said,

“Even if it’s for my good or whatever, I’m not really happy that we’re just using Honoka like some strengthening material or something.”

To my slightly bitter complaint, Minerva-sama smiled and said,

“Between being sealed into a rock or sealed to a human soul, which do you think is preferable?”

“…”

I do get it, but in a way, I feel like, rather than to help me, Inari-sama definitely had her own purposes to leading us to make a soul pact.

And I still don’t know that much about it.

‘The gods are fickle’ – that thought resounds deeply inside my heart.

As the night grew long and the gods drank and made merry, I couldn’t really join the light-hearted atmosphere.

In the first place, it’s not that easy to just mingle in to get drunk with gods.

I don’t know how Daiki-san is managing it.

I robotically fry up tempura and refill glasses, and before I know it, it’s already far too late and the gods have finally gone home.

Without even cleaning up the mess, I call it a night and fall face down on my bed.

My HP and MP – that is, mental points – are both at 0.

I’m done. Forget it.

Future Kousei, it’s all your’s now.

I’m going to sleep.

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<a/n: lmao. Kousei got a bit salty. Man, he’s SO not happy with me right now. It’s seriously the first time I’ve felt so much resentment from a character.
Wonder why…
┐(´ ω` )┌

Anyway, the prologue (30+ chapters in) is now over! Yaaaaay … orz
>