Chapter 3: Native Gods
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𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: Sanae kochiya
Title: Wind Priestess
Race: Human(Blessed)
𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 30 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝘃:(20.34%)
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𝗛𝗣: 2550/2550 MP: 2750/2750
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𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:<(12)>
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵:<(4)>
Dexterity:<(6)>
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:<(125)>
𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺:<(88)>
𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸:<(64)>
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Status: Healthy, nervous
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Shinji found himself at a loss for words. "It wasn't a cosplay or something?!" He groaned.
"Excuse me?" Sanae blushed at the young man's unhinged remark.
Her response caught him flat-footed. He scratched his head as he formulated a sane response.
"Oh, I didn't mean to be rude or anything. It's just...I never knew Shrine maidens wore such, um, unorthodox outfits."
"Is it really that unusual...?" Sanae didn't seem to catch on as she muttered under her breath, observing her dress sadly.
"Ahem, well, sorry about that, Miss Sanae. I didn't mean to get off on the wrong foot." Shinji coughed lightly.
"Ah!" She hurried to reply, "No, no, it's fine! I understand why you would think that! This isn't exactly a traditional outfit you'd expect to see, after all, but it's what I've grown up with. This shrine strongly advocates modernity too so it usually never occurs to me..."
She fidgeted as she looked up at him, worried that she might have said too much.
"Hmm, well, I have to say it suits you." The fellow teen complimented her.
Sanae sighed in relief with a healthy blush. Luckily, he wasn't off put by her behaviour. That would get her reprimanded for bad customer service.
Though she lamented that she still wasn't used to all the shrine business, especially the talking part. Even though she'd been trained since childhood. But the issue also lay in the very same fact as she didn't have a lot of friends to socialize with.
"Thank you..." She replied with her head down in embarrassment, her initial impression vanishing in lieu of a positive one.
[+5 Affection with Sanae Kochiya]
...What?
He had something like that? Why hadn't it activated so far with all the people he'd interacted with then...maybe because she was a canon character? Shinji mused.
"Umm," The green-haired girl called out.
"You didn't answer...were you just sightseeing or would you like me to guide you inside...?"
Shinji shrugged uncaringly. To hell with it, he was here to visit, anyway. Knowing that the franchise he came here for was now real didn't change his original motive.
"I was thinking of offering a prayer." He flashed a smirk at the waiting girl. "But donations depend on how well you manage to convince me."
"Eh? Y-you don't have to..." Sanae replied, flustered.
Shinji chuckled at her meek reaction, a far cry from her confident game counterpart.
"Relax, I was kidding."
"R-right this way, please!" The shy greenette turned around abruptly, marching along the cobblestone path leading up to a torii gate.
The gamer just smiled as he walked leisurely until he reached her side. They simply walked in silence for a while before he concluded she was comfortable enough to converse again from her lively body language.
"So...you mentioned something about growing up earlier. Do you like...live here?"
Sanae's gaze flickered to him and the trail ahead as she hesitantly responded, "I-yes...ever since I could remember, I was next in line to serve as the priestess of this shrine."
"Wow, that sounds like serious stuff. How's that treated you?" Shinji prompted, genuinely invested.
The girl perked up at that as a smile graced her lips.
"It's been great! Lady-my...adopted parents have treated me with no less love than a normal family would shower their child with. They've never once mistreated me unfairly. My duty was never an excuse for them to deprive me of my childhood or education, in fact, they encouraged me to pursue a life outside of their influence even more! I do get scolded for silly mistakes sometimes, ah, but that's mostly on me! I can tell they only do it because they care for me a lot!"
The energetic priestess happily talked about her guardians.
Shinji listened to her quietly, glimpsing a trace of the future happy-go-lucky-all-too-eager-to-exterminate-youkai incident resolver.
Their chatting soon stopped as they reached the shrine. Shinji separated from Sanae with a nod as she went and stood to the side. He bowed and clapped his hands as per her instructions. In the end, he walked up to the donation box and deposited a generous sum of yen to the gratitude of the shrine maiden.
"Do you...believe in the Gods...?" Sanae suddenly spoke up.
Shinji looked at her, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
She sighed bitterly.
"It's rare to get young visitors. Most of the income and traffic we get are from regulars well past their prime. I'm thankful for them, of course, but the declining faith in the Gods with the advancement of science is discouraging to see...my...guardian has even predicted that we'd be out of business sooner than later at this rate...ah! I'm sorry for getting carried away again!" She apologized profusely.
"It's fine." He reassured her. "But to answer your question, I do believe in the Gods. You could say I had a revelation today even." He chuckled.
"I see..." Sanae was confused. "Regardless," she bowed. "Please visit us more from now on, umm-"
"It's Shinji! And I sure will. " He supplied helpfully.
"Eh?!"
Shinji quirked an eyebrow at the unexpected exclamation.
"May I ask...what year you are in?" Sanae requested tentatively
"1st year of high school." He replied. "Why?"
"Oh...my deepest condolences for your parents...I assume you came to pray for their safe journey?" Her voice softened as she spoke.
"Something like that..." He didn't elaborate, caught by surprise. "But how did you know?"
"Oh, I-" Sanae fumbled. "I happened to hear your classmates talking about it..."
"Ah, so we go to the same school, huh?" He nodded in understanding. "I suppose that makes you my first friend from school."
"I-I am?" The girl asked unsurely.
He smiled at her mischievously. "Do you not want to be?"
Sanae trembled unnoticeably at his words.
"I-I do!" She answered a bit louder than intended, mustering up the courage to push through her awkwardness.
[+15 Affection with Sanae Kochiya]
Shinji was taken aback. Why did she seem so desperate? Eh, whatever. It worked out in his favour so he just chalked it up to teenage hormones.
"I'm glad you do." He glanced at his system windows, turning on his heels.
"Anyway, it's about time I leave. See you later, Sanae!" Shinji walked away, waving with his back turned to her.
"Y-yes!" He heard a distant agreement.
....
Shinji hummed. It was nice and all that he was able to befriend a main character, but that was no reason to skip the grind awaiting him.
He opened the notifications sitting in the corner.
[Quest completed!]
[Level up!]
[Skill book deposited in inventory!]
Shinji took it out with a thought.
[Skill book]
[Contains skill: Flight]
[Learn? Y?N]
A pleasant surprise. But....
Shinji frowned. It occurred to him that almost everybody from gensokyo could fly, barring the likes of Akyuu and Kosuzu. He couldn't shake off the feeling that it wasn't a mere coincidence. Was his system nudging him in that direction?
Nope. That spelt a death sentence. A random youkai could gut him like a fish as he was now. He wasn't stepping foot anywhere near that barrier. Not that he knew its exact location, but it was the intent that mattered.
The only way he could end up in gensokyo was if he somehow got dragged in kicking and screaming by a certain Youkai sage.
As if that would ever happen...right?
A sinister feeling gripped his heart.
Murphy...please, for the love of all that is holy, don't fucking do it, you son of a bitch!
He grudgingly pleaded as he clicked on the skill book.
[Requires 90 INT to learn]
And to no surprise, he wasn't even fodder yet.
Hopefully, he could clear that dungeon within another day...
...
Sanae looked on listlessly as she watched her newest friend walk downhill, her hands placed over her rapidly beating heart.
Never in her wildest dreams did she think that making friends could be done so...casually.
To her, who had been struggling because of her different upbringing, Shinji came in and left like a total whirlwind.
He seemed suspicious at first, but he just turned out to be a quirky individual.
Surprisingly calm and confident too, Sanae's cheeks heated up as she remembered his almost flirtatious comments.
She slapped herself as her thoughts began to go astray. She was overthinking!
Though, she hadn't expected him to be that renowned senior at her school. She'd heard word that he was cooped up at home and wouldn't come out no matter which one of his classmates went to talk to him.
It's a given she couldn't associate him with the mental image she'd unconsciously constructed.
But she was glad he didn't seem depressed. He was her first f-friend, after all...it wouldn't do at all.
Still, Sanae wasn't immature enough to believe he was completely fine after such a traumatizing experience.
She pointed her index upwards as enlightenment struck her.
That's it! She decided she would help him overcome his lingering grief. That's what a friend should do!
... But how? She had no idea where he lived. And well, it's not like he was attending classes.
She supposed she could ask one of the upperclassmen from his class, even if it felt a bit rude...
No, it was for the sake of her friend! Sanae's eyes blazed with righteous determination.
"How long are you going to keep standing there? Your lunch will turn cold at this rate." An amused snort rang out from the shrine.
Sanae turned around mechanically, face frozen stiff.
An imposing, purple-haired woman leaned against the doorstep with her arms crossed, eyeing her with a smug grin.
"L-lady Kanako?! When did you get home?!" The panicking girl scampered back. "M-more importantly, how much did you see?!"
The woman in question cupped her chin in thought, glancing at the heavens as if waiting for them to bestow an answer.
"I've been at home all day, I was just busy doing something at the back. Suwako didn't tell you? Nevertheless, I pretty much saw everything. From that boy you were getting chummy with to the stupid smile you were sporting as he left." She shrugged.
Sanae deflated and regained her bearings in record time.
"He's just a friend!" She blurted out.
"I never questioned you, dear." Kanako smiled warmly.
Sanae could feel smoke coming out of her ears.
"Hey, hey! What did I just hear?! Is our Sanae finally growing up?"
A hat poked out from behind Kanako's legs.
"Oh, you're here just in time, Suwako."
Kanako fake exclaimed. "That's right. It is as you said." She nodded, tapping a fist on her palm matter-of-factly.
The diminutive form of Suwako exited out of the shadows, her large sleeves flowing freely.
She gasped dramatically at Kanako's words, levelling a scandalized glare at Sanae.
"Truly?! Is our little girl planning to get married and leave us so soon?!" She sniffed, hands brought up in mock wipe of invisible tears.
"Wha-what? No! Please don't tease me, Lady Suwako!" The embarrassed girl hid her burning red face.
The two older women glanced at each other before bursting out in a fit of laughter.
Sanae crouched down with her face lowered even further into her palms, thoroughly humiliated. She wished she could just dig a hole to stick her head into like an ostrich!
"But Sanae, I want you to be careful."
The girl looked up in perplexion only to be met with a serious-looking Kanako.
"I'm not going to control your life, make your decisions for you and insist that it is for your good. I'm not your mother, after all." The taller woman smiled gently at her, something she rarely did.
Sanae wanted to retort. To say that she respected her even more than her biological mother, but the words got stuck in her throat as Kanako shook her head chastisingly.
"Silly girl, you don't have to say it." Kanako hugged her.
"Lady...Kanako? Why...?" Sanae returned the hug instinctively.
Kanako separated from her, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders at arm's length and looking her directly in the eye.
"That friend of yours, he isn't as simple as you think. That boy is blessed by Gaia."
Sanae tilted her head inquisitively.
"Gaia? I see...But what's wrong with that?"
"You don't understand. Let alone the fact that no one has ever received her blessings before, she has taken it one step further and made him her champion. He is destined for great things, and I don't want you to get hurt in the process not knowing what you're getting into." Kanako stated gravely.
"Champion...?"
Sanae stood stunned, her brain failing to catch up.
She would get hurt? But why?
Why did her first friendship have to be this complicated? Was it destined to fail from the start? Was she meant to be a loner for all her life?
No! It doesn't matter. She already decided to help Shinji. Sanae steeled her resolve. He considered her a friend and she wouldn't give up on a friend just like that because he had an eventful journey ahead of him! On the contrary, that seemed like a bigger incentive to abide by her earlier thoughts.
Kanako and Suwako silently glanced between each other and Sanae who was clenching her balled-up palms and gritting her teeth before relaxing.
"It seems you've made your choice. Good. Don't regret it." They spoke up at once.
Sanae nodded vigorously.
...
Shinji beat down his...50th? He parried a blade overhead, disarming his opponent swiftly and effortlessly. His 51st sparring partner.
His EXP bar went slowly and he finally levelled up again. His skills had come along nicely and his future dungeon dive was looking more and more promising.
He would head out tomorrow morning. It was time to kick some monster ass. He packed up his equipment and left for the next dojo.
[+ 5 Affection with Sanae Kochiya]
His steps halted in the middle of the road.
What? Was the game making this easier for him? Because he was pretty damn sure he hadn't done shit to warrant more affection gains.
Was it just a woman thing then? He shrugged. No use thinking about it.
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Hello there. Sorry for the delay, I had a bunch of shit to deal with since I recently turned 18.
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