(" v ") ?
No wayshe actually believes this??
Even if Suou Yuki's EQ might sometimes surpass that of Yukima Azuma,
As the daughter directly involved
She couldn't really see the full picture.
She still didn't fully understand her own mother's personality.
Of course, more importantlySuou Yuki didn't know much about the past between her parents.
But in Yukima Azuma's memory, that past was relevant.
He knew very well the kind of woman this refined lady before him was.
Back then, Mrs. Suou had also come to be with Suou Yuki's father in much the same way.
Like mother, like daughterwasn't that perfectly normal?
Originally, Mrs. Suou had been saddened that her daughter seemed a bit too cold, lacking in warmth and human emotion.
But now, finding out that her daughter had done something almost exactly the same as she once had
Even if there were countless absurdities in the story,
Mrs. Suou would naturally "fill in the blanks," subconsciously embellish the missing details,
And believe it as truth.
Becauseshe genuinely wanted it to be true.
()*
After all, deep down, Mrs. Suou had always hoped that Suou Yuki would be someone guided by emotion, one who valued family more than career.
"Thanks to that close brush with death, I realized how I truly felt,"
"And after that, I confessed to Yuki, and recently we officially got together."
As Yukima Azuma spoke, he raised his hand.
He was still holding Suou Yuki's hand under the table.
Their fingers intertwined, deliberately putting on a show for Mrs. Suou.
At that moment, Mrs. Suou practically wanted to stand up and applaud.
Subarashii! A touching and dramatic love story!
(o)
What happened in Hawaii
Mrs. Suou, of course, knew very well.
Because back then, Suou Yuki had mobilized part of the Suou family's forces to assist in the search operation.
She just hadn't realized at the time
That among those swept away by the tsunami was none other than her own daughter's lover.
A plot twist straight out of a light novel
It struck Mrs. Suou right in the heart.
She even looked like she was ready to nod and approve their marriage on the spot.
All that could be said wasYukima Azuma's "creative writing" material was just too damn convincing.
The tsunami incident really happened.
Getting stranded on a deserted island was real too.
And the fact that he was someone Suou Yuki lovedthat was undeniably true.
A light novellike story, ninety percent fact, only ten percent fiction.
Even Suou Yukithe person involvedfound herself emotionally moved as she listened.
"I see So Yukima-kun didn't just come here to hang out, huh?"
"Yuki, why don't you show Yukima-kun around a bit?"
"I won't bother you two anymore!"
Mrs. Suou said as she stood up and waved her hand.
( ) *
In her heart, she screamed: Umu umu! Subarashii! True love! This is true love!!
()
She had always feared
That Suou Yuki would enter a relationship full of calculation.
Or worse, that the two of them would repeat the tragedy she once experienced.
But after hearing the story Yukima Azuma told,
Mrs. Suou's worries completely vanished.
A love that had crossed the boundary between life and deathhow could something like that change so easily?
Watching her mother leave in such high spirits,
Suou Yuki really wanted to say: Are you serious, Mom?
Butthis outcome wasn't bad at all.
At the very least, from now on, she could stick to Yukima Azuma without restraint.
She could even go crash at his place for the night.
After all, Mrs. Suou had already given her "silent approval" of their relationship.
Even if they accidentally made a little baby it'd be totally fine!
And if it really happenedwell, just have the baby!
Then the two of them could dump all the responsibility of inheriting the family onto that poor unborn child!
And enjoy their married life in peace!
Azuma and Yuki's unborn kid: I don't want to be born anymore!!!!
;
Seeing Suou Yuki grinning like an idiot, clearly fantasizing about some glittery pink future
Yukima Azuma reached out and bonked her on the head.
"Why'd you hit me, onii-sama?"
"Because I can tell you're thinking inappropriate thoughts."
"What do you mean inappropriate! It's a great idea!"
"Tch Exactly! Inappropriate as hell!"
...
Afternoon.
Suou Yuki came in with a whole stack of hiking gear.
It was winter in the mountains of Itomori, and the summit was still covered with thick snow.
Wearing just everyday clothes wouldn't be impossible, but it would definitely be uncomfortable.
Yukima Azuma took the pile of clothes from her.
Then he looked toward Suou Yuki, who was still standing at the doorclearly with zero awareness.
"I need to change, you know," Yukima reminded.
()
Suou Yuki nodded immediately, "Umu umu, I know."
( — )
Yukima twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"Then can you close the door for me?"
"Sure thing!" Suou Yuki replied cheerfully.
And thenswish! She casually closed the door.
What did she do next? She just stood there like nothing happened.
Still wide-eyed, staring at Yukima Azuma with anticipation.
()
"Haizz." Yukima let out a helpless sigh.
Then, he started taking off his coat.
"Uwoa~!"
( )
Suou Yuki let out a small gasp.
Her eyes locked on Yukima's body, but she also sneakily glanced elsewhere.
Even though she normally talked like a racecar driverbrutal, full-speed, and running right over Yukima's face without mercy.
Suou Yukiwas still, in the end, just an inexperienced high school girl.
She wanted to look, but could only dare to peek a little.
(.)
That physique 8 point wasn't just numbers on a page.
Yukima Azuma's body really could be used straight-up for a male model photo shoot.
If not perfect by human standards
It was at least the kind of body that made you fall in love at first glance.
Her eyes darted around for a bit
And Suou Yuki started feeling her nose getting warm.
Yukima Azuma slapped his forehead:
"You really are thinking nonsense."
At first, Yukima Azuma had assumedthis girl was probably just being mouthy again.
Take one look, get flustered, and run out of the room on her own.
But the reality? Suou Yuki wasn't just all talkshe was a fearless little fool.
Swish! Yukima flung the door open.
Wham!
Without mercy, he kicked her right out of the room.
"Go wash your face with cold water. Splash some on your forehead to clear your head."
Suou Yuki heard that and finally snapped back to her senses. She wiped lightly under her nose.
And then she saw a bright red streak.
"So it like anime, it really is possible to get a nosebleed!!"
Hearing the way she exclaimed that like she'd just discovered some universal truth
Yukima Azuma nearly laughed out of sheer frustration.
"What kind of stupid otaku thought process is that?!"
"Go wash your face right now! If it keeps bleeding, call me!"
Even then, Suou Yuki couldn't help sneaking another peek at Yukima Azuma's abs.
Feeling her nose heat up even more, she panicked and sprinted to the bathroom.
Watching her figure disappear
Yukima Azuma could only frown and pinch the bridge of his nose.
A true brocon-otaku through and through.
Chapter 280: The God of Itomori
Chapter 280: The God of Itomori
Itomori Mountain.
Once again, climbing the mountain.
From amidst the orange-red maple leaves and the thick white snow, Yukima Azuma looked up and gazed downward.
The town that once gleamed with lights, full of human presence
Had completely disappeared.
In its place, a deep blue lake quietly stretched out.
From the mountaintop, looking down
It was a breathtaking sight.
Especially when knowing that the beautiful lake had only recently formed.
It was caused by a streak of light that had been seen falling here.
It made the scene even more shocking.
The fall of a meteorite was a natural disaster that had existed since ancient times.
It was ranked alongside tsunamis and earthquakes.
And Yukima Azuma had also once witnessed a tsunami.
Although he possessed a few supernatural abilities,
Compared to a sight as striking as this, the powers he personally held seemed insignificant.
Both of the twin gods residing in his chest
Also seemed to become mundane.
Abilities to control probability and human desires
It seemed that was all there was to it.
And such a force, comparable to a natural disaster, was something that humans had already mastered.
Though it was unknown just how powerful the so-called gods and spiritual energy could be once they reached their limits,
Yukima Azuma felt that trying to use that to overthrow modern human society seemed somewhat unrealistic.
"There's a squirrel."
Suou Yuki's voice came from beside him.
Yukima Azuma followed the direction of her voice.
He saw that Suou Yuki was standing under a large pine tree.
And on the pine branch, there was indeed a gray squirrel, staring directly at Suou Yuki.
"Do you want to follow it and try to find where it stores its food?"
Yukima Azuma smiled and asked.
Hearing this, Suou Yuki tilted her head and curiously asked:
"Even if we find it, there probably wouldn't be much, it wouldn't even be enough to eat a few bites."
( )
The size of the squirrel had misled Suou Yuki.
After she raised her hand to estimate the size of the squirrel,
It, which had been staring at Suou Yuki, suddenly darted up the tree.
Then, on the upper part of the tree, where the branches and leaves obscured it, it jumped a few times and disappeared from view.
"Squirrels are small animals with a very serious habit of storing food."
"A single squirrel usually has four to six places to store food."
"One storage spot of seeds can roughly meet the food needs of an adult for three to seven days."
Yukima Azuma shared some knowledge.
In Australia, squirrels had spread like a plague.
Many times, the power of farms in Australia would suddenly be cut off.
Mostly due to these squirrels.
These small creatures could stuff pine seeds into hollow electric poles that two people couldn't even wrap their arms around.
When workers cleaned up, the amount of pine seeds that fell out was enough to fill an excavator.
After being informed,
Suou Yuki widened her eyes. She turned her head to look for traces of the squirrel.
(®®)
After searching for a long while, she couldn't find it anywhere.
Suou Yuki showed a look of regret.
"A windfall has slipped away!"
(ЇЇ)
Yukima Azuma reached out and pinched Suou Yuki's cheek.
The young lady Suou seemed to be bothered by the squirrel's food storage.
"Even if there are many pine seeds, that's not really a windfall from the heavens, is it?"
After pinching her cheek,
Yukima Azuma felt that Suou Yuki's cheek was somewhat cold.
After all, it was winter, and they were on a high mountain.
So, his fingers naturally opened and rested on Suou Yuki's cheek.
He gently rubbed her soft cheek with his fingers, warming her up.
"Ehehe~."
( `)
Feeling the warmth from Azuma's hand on her cheek,
Suou Yuki let out a silly laugh.
These two didn't seem like they were on the mountain for a serious purpose.
Rather, they seemed more like a couple out for a leisure hike.
...
Half a day passed.
They walked and stopped, and eventually reached the top of Itomori Mountain.
From the mountaintop, looking around,
Except for the scenery in the direction of Itomori Town, everything else was vastly different.
On Itomori Mountain, it seemed that nothing had changed in the past three years.
The snow covering the mountaintop made it a bit more difficult to determine the direction.
But Yukima Azuma had an intelligence status of eight.
Though his memory wasn't quite as extraordinary as being able to remember everything at a glance,
It was almost that good.
Moreover, for Yukima Azuma, the previous mountain climb wasn't that long ago.
It didn't take long before Yukima Azuma could distinguish the direction where the shrine was located.
Leaving a trail of footprints on the snow-covered ground,
The two of them followed the direction in memory and arrived at the cave where the Itomori god's shrine was placed.
Inside the cave, there was almost no dust.
The snow that had settled only reached the entrance, not spilling inside even a little.
After entering,
Yukima Azuma immediately saw, next to the shrine, the familiar Kumihimo Itomori knots.
Moreover, the newest ones, which had almost no dust on them, radiated brilliant colors.
Seeing Yukima Azuma's gaze linger on the Kumihimo knots,
Suou Yuki quickly spoke up:
"This year, Miyamizu-san, just like in previous years, has come here."
"Miyamizu-san's grandmother didn't come, after all, she's quite old"
"Moreover, they've moved down to the town outside Itomori Mountain, going back and forth would be tiring."
Yukima Azuma nodded slightly.
He then lowered his gaze.
Regarding the young girl he knew but had never met,
Yukima Azuma felt somewhat complex emotions.
"Also it seems like Miyamizu-san doesn't remember anything about you anymore."
()
Suou Yuki hesitated and added.
After their swapper end,
She had met Miyamizu Mitsuha a few times as a friend and had some conversations.
But she noticed that Miyamizu Mitsuha seemed to have forgotten everything related to Yukima Azuma.
As for this, Yukima Azuma wasn't too surprised.
In the original setup, the Itomori god would erase all memories related to the person after the swap ended.
It was just that he had previously negotiated terms with the Itomori god.
As an outsider coming to help, the Itomori god had little to no impact on Yukima Azuma aside from swapping identities with Mitsuha.
The two of them approached the shrine.
Yukima Azuma raised his hand and tapped on the stone shrine.
He was thinking about how to communicate with the Itomori god.
Then, suddenly, a brilliant streak of colorful light shot out from the shrine.
Suou Yuki's eyes widened in surprise.
This was the second time she had witnessed such an extraordinary sight.
Clearly, the last time they were here, no matter how they prayed, the Itomori god did not respond at all.
The seven-colored light, right before the shrine, transformed into the familiar multicolored butterfly that Yukima Azuma knew.
