[12] Loki (2)

Chapter 12: Loki (2)

Luke couldn't respond and immediately ran back home with Loki on his back to seek help.

Only a god can deal with another god. That meant the only answer was their familia's patron deity—Susanoo.

"Susanooooooo!!!"

"I'm not some kind of four-dimensional pocket, you know? What's going on... huh?"

Normally, it's rare for a god to visit another familia's home without a significant reason, but this time was different.

Susanoo, who had been calmly drinking tea and reading a book, frowned when Luke burst in unannounced, carrying Loki on his back.

"Hey, sorry for barging in like this. I was just curious about something, and since your kid brought me here himself, I'm innocent, okay?"

"…You dragged a bomb into my house? You little brat!"

"I didn't have a choice!"

Luke gently set Loki down and quickly stepped aside. When gods were talking, there was nothing Luke could do, so he made sure not to get in the way—and, well, to dodge any responsibility.

Susanoo sighed, closed the book he had been reading, and brought over another chair.

"Sit down. I don't know why you're here, but I can tell it's for a conversation."

"Then, I'll take you up on that."

Loki sat down with a casual smile and looked at Susanoo.

She had met many gods in the heavens, but this version of Susanoo…

"Shouldn't we start with introductions? I'm Loki, patron deity of the Loki Familia."

"I'm Susanoo, patron deity of the Susanoo Familia."

"From what I've heard, you're one of those gods from the Far East, right? Is Amaterasu still that petty type who sulks over the smallest things and grumbles endlessly?"

"Same as always."

Loki rested her arms on the table, clasping her hands together as she subtly narrowed her eyes at Susanoo.

Though both hid their divine auras, they were still gods facing each other. But there was something about him—something… different.

"…You and your kid. Who the hell are you?"

"Straight to the point, huh? Honestly, I figured you already had a rough idea."

Loki had connections with many gods.

While she wasn't particularly close to the Far Eastern deities, she at least recognized their faces—Take-Mikazuchi, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, and of course… Susanoo.

But the Susanoo she had encountered before was completely different from the one sitting in front of her now.

He was still a god, but this contradiction gnawed at her.

"A god with the same name as another? It's easier if you think of it that way."

"There's no way two gods could share the same name. That's part of our identity, isn't it? Even using an alias would be bad manners."

"If you want it plain and simple: 'I'm from another world.' Does that work for you?"

In that instant, Loki froze as if her very breath had been stolen away.

To the gods, the "unknown" is a sacred banquet, an irreplaceable delight. It is their vitality, their strength. It is for this pursuit that they descended to the mortal world.

While they know almost everything about this world, the only "unknown" they believed they could chase after was the potential of the children of the lower realm.

But…

What if, right in front of them, there was an immense, incomprehensible "unknown"?

If the "unknown" is a feast, then this is a case of gluttony spiraling into overindulgence—an excess so vast it could cause one to burst.

"W-what did you just say? Maybe my ears aren't working right. Could you repeat that for me?"

"I am a god from another world, not the heavens."

"ANOTHER-WORLD GOD HAS ARRIVED!!!"

Loki shouted loud enough to shake the room, her voice booming.

She leapt to her feet and, unable to contain her excitement, started dancing and yelling incoherently, her emotions running wild.

"What! What! What kind of world are you from?! Is your divine nature different from ours? What kind of god are you?! How are you different from the real Susanoo? Over there, is—"

"Hey, aren't you a little too excited? Calm down, calm down. You're going to disturb the neighbors, and the landlord will get mad."

Susanoo waved his hand, sealing off the noise from escaping the room.

It took a full ten minutes for Loki to calm down. She was panting heavily, her wild demeanor making her look as if she might collapse into a seizure at any moment.

"Just answer me already! I have so many questions! It won't kill you to tell me, will it?"

"I don't mind sharing. But… how about we make a deal first?"

"What is it?! What is it?! Is it money? Just shut up and take all my money!"

"It's nothing big. Just, in the future, when we're in trouble, lend us a hand. For instance, when we name one of our children, give us a favorable opinion at the Divine Assembly/Meeting. Something like that."

"Deal accepted!"

Loki was, by nature, a trickster. In any deal, she'd squeeze out every advantage she could get from her opponent. But now, blinded by her greed for the unknown, she paid no mind to the finer details.

Besides, the terms of the deal weren't anything significant, so she accepted them easily.

"For starters, I am Susanoo. My full name is Takehaya Susanoo no Mikoto. I'm one of the three major deities from Japan on Earth."

"That full name sounds like it'd take a dozen tries to say without biting your tongue. Who came up with it?"

"Humans did."

"...Wait, what?"

Humans naming a god?

Gods are gods.

They inherently have their own names, which belong solely to them. If a name is to be given, it's the god themselves who would do so.

"I'm a god born from human faith. Because of that, I live for humans and am sustained by their belief."

"...You're saying the will of people created you? That makes no sense, not one bit!"

"What if you lost at rock-paper-scissors ten times in a row? Statistically, it's possible, but humans don't see it that way. They believe there's some greater force at play. When enough human willpower comes together, it creates beings like us. It's fundamentally different from your kind, who have simply always existed."

A god who exists simply because they are a god, versus a god created by humanity's belief.

That was the fundamental difference between Loki and Susanoo.

"So, where is this Earth place?"

"It's the world I was born in. But as time went on, humans stopped believing in gods, and faith dwindled. Since gods like us need belief to survive, we had no choice but to leave for other worlds."

"...Other worlds?"

"This is the fourth world I've lived in. First was Earth, then a world inhabited by various races I moved to, then a realm that manages souls like your Heavens, and finally, this one—here."

"I want to hear all about them!"

"I can only tell you about the second and third worlds. The rest… well, it's private. Even if I wanted to share, I can't say much right now."

Susanoo firmly refused, and Loki felt her excitement suddenly deflate, leaving her visibly deflated.

Then, suddenly, Loki felt curious about someone other than Susanoo.

This too piqued her boundless curiosity.

"...Your kid, huh? Talking to him, it feels like he really gets our kind of stories. Is that connected to you in some way?"

"You could say it is… and isn't."

"Why's that? Well, if you won't tell me about yourself right now, at least spill some of that."

Susanoo hesitated for a moment.

There were sensitive parts about Luke's situation that made him reluctant to speak.

Luke, with his unique skills, possessed the potential to kill even a god. Add to that his absurd talents, and it could easily cause chaos if word got out.

But perhaps… just a little.

"That kid, you know... he's a reincarnator."

"Reincarnator? That's the first time I've heard that term. What does it mean?"

"You've got a system here for handling souls, right? When someone dies, their soul goes to the heavens, their memories are erased, and then they're reborn."

"Yeah, that's basically how it works here."

In this world, a soul ascends to the heavens upon death, receives judgment under the gods' guidance, has its memories wiped, and is then reborn into the lower world.

That's the core duty of the gods.

"But this kid… the memory-wiping process? It didn't happen."

"...What?!"

"Not once. But twice."

"WHAT?!"

"On top of that, his first and second lives were in similar, but entirely different worlds."

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"

This was a mystery beyond even Susanoo's comprehension.

It was a mystery. A treasure trove of the unknown. Just the thought of it made Loki feel she could spend the next hundred years exploring it without a moment of boredom.

"I'm not interested in guys, but I feel like confessing to your kid right now! I want him! I need him! He's mine!"

"Still, I'm not giving him to you. If we lose him, the only other person left in my familia is one girl from the Pallum race. Don't go around stealing kids from a struggling familia."

Besides, there were serious risks if they let this slide.

"Anyway, that's why his growth is so fast. His past life and the one before that—if you count each at around 70 years, that's over 140 years of experience crammed into a 14-year-old boy. Now you see why he's a Record Holder, right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. A kid like that would naturally be special… but still! I want him! Gimme! Gimme! I want him nowwwww!"

"Calm down, you idiot."

Whack!

Susanoo smacked Loki on the head, knocking him out cold.

At least things were quiet now.

...

About 20 minutes later, Susanoo emerged, dragging the unconscious Loki behind him.

"Well, that's one problem handled for now. Don't worry—I didn't tell him about your skill."

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"Who knows? It's probably impossible to keep this quiet. But first, let's eat."

Susanoo tossed the unconscious Loki onto the sofa like a sack of potatoes and sat at the dining table.

Since the food was already prepared, setting up didn't take long.

"Let me help, too!"

"Oh, aren't you just the sweetest, my little daughter!"

"W-what?! Who's your daughter?! I've never said I'd be your daughter!"

"You cried and hugged me, didn't you? That's basically giving permission."

"N-no, it's not! I just cried because I felt like crying, that's all!"

"Anyway, just help set the table so we can eat."

Lili is so adorable. Seeing that little one work so hard reminds me of Popura-chan. She's just too cute.

As I was setting the table, I couldn't resist patting Lili on the head. I don't know why, but it was so comforting.

"Stop it already, okay? You're embarrassing me," Lili muttered, turning her head away with a slightly sulky expression. Her cheeks were flushed red…

Heart attack!

It felt like I'd been hit by a sniper rifle right in the heart!

Sure, I'd only been shot by a sniper rifle once or twice in my past life, but this was just as impactful!

"When I write my next story, the protagonist is going to be a Pallum. And it's going to be Lili."

"Hold up."

"You know what I mean, Susanoo. Even if you turned Bilbo into a girl, it wouldn't feel out of place."

"...Wait a second."

"Might as well turn Frodo into a girl too. Then I'll write a story where Samwise hard-carries, elevating the status of Pallum supporters!"

"Hold up, you little punk!"

Susanoo raised his voice, clearly annoyed, and started to huff.

Then, with a rare serious expression, he looked me in the eye and said,

"I really want to read that."

"Starting today, I'm going full storm mode on writing!"

...

I'm going to use so much paper! Piles of paper! And I'm going to write so much stuff!

Hell yeah! Copyright-infringement express train is leaving the station!

"But seriously, what are you going to do if the Tolkien Estate comes after you?"

…Storm mode, terminated. I can't write anymore.

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