บท 27: Chapter 27
"How about we try some karaoke?" asked Rachnera suggesting a few ideas, "I heard they are very popular in the world."
"What's karaoke?" asked Bianca
"It's when we rent a soundproof room and sing from a collection of songs with the lyrics from the screen." answered Naruto, "It's popular among school children and people who just want to release some steam."
"I would like to try it then," said Bianca in interest, "it sounds like fun."
"Yay~!" said Rachnera in excitement and hugging the two.
"I feel like Rachnera really want to take in as much as she can while we're here," said Naruto walking faster to catch up to his spider bride
"Yeah, by the way, how do you know so much about Japan?" asked Bianca
"My father is Japanese and uses to tell me Japanese stories before bed and teach me about my culture." answered Naruto, "I've also been here once before on business."
"Sounds interesting," commented Bianca
"It truly is," said Naruto, "It's hard work, but I get to see and interact with many interesting places and people," said Naruto
"Come, you slowpokes! I want to have some fun!" yelled an excited Rachnera in front of them.
"Let's not keep the lady waiting," said Naruto
"Lead the way," said Bianca, following Naruto and Rachnera's led.
The recent news concerned Raian as Inari may be flamboyant, but they were still a powerful deity, plus having Hachiman against him wasn't ideal either. This Naruto person was becoming more of a nuisance by the minute. He had to get rid of him soon, introducing new ideas such as hotdogs and reality t.v. Raian had a plan, though; he knows the Inn where Naruto and his group were staying and when to strike. The foreign weaver wouldn't arrive in the Inn until dark, unaccompanied, hitting him when tired and weakened. His two companions were doable as the Arachne seemed passive, and the girl was a simple mortal with no combat training, easy pickings. Raian hopes that the group puts up a decent fight before killing them and restores Japan to its former glory.
Karaoke was a new experience for Bianca as such a thing was unheard of in the nineteen-forties. The room they rented was soundproofed and offered beverages and snacks to the three teens. Rachnera went first as she was the one that looked forward to this the most, followed by Naruto, then Bianca, after much encouragement. Bianca didn't think Rachnera would choose a pop song to sing, but Rachnera definitely had the liveliness that the song demanded. Naruto's choice was a song from some anime, he had a pleasant voice, but Bianca couldn't decide what to sing. Rachnera offered several songs, but Bianca felt they were too energetic for her, but her salvation came in Naruto, offering a slower-toned song that sounded nice. The three enjoyed singing until late into the night and made their way back to the Inn. What the three didn't see was the bird that followed them from the karaoke bar. Kevin, a human employed by Raian, followed Naruto's group to gather more information. The female demigod seemed to suffer from low self-esteem and needed to blonde for moral support, while the spider-woman seemed harmless as she has yet to eat the two demigods. This information could work to Raian's advantage; take out the blonde, and the other two will soon follow.
The sun rose to introduce another day, and for Naruto, that means meeting another god. Still, this Goddess, in particular, could be reached until dawn, meaning Naruto could work in the comfort of the Inn while he finished the order. The order was simple, but the problem came in quantity as she wanted fifty different dresses, ranging from cocktail to formal. Naruto's sewing sipped increased as the years when by, but it would still take him several hours to design, cut, and make each dress. Bianca and Rachnera woke up a few hours later and saw dresses filled the living space with various dressing and different stages of development.
"Naruto? Are all of these dresses for one order?" asked Bianca as she looked around.
"Yes," answered Naruto as he continued to sew, "you could say this Goddess likes to party. She is also known for a particular incident that saved Japan from eternal darkness."
"And that incident is?" asked Bianca
"She basically did a striptease on an overturned washtub to entice the Sun Goddess to come out of her cave," said Naruto with a straight face
"Japan is weird," said Bianca as she continued to view the dresses.
The order took a while, but Naruto managed to complete the order with plenty of spare time. Naruto's latest order also had a specific time parameter as that was the only time she was available. The destination was a shrine in the mountains, and the order was huge, so Naruto rented a van to transport the dresses to their final destination.
The shrine had a spacious front, with the main temple being behind it. This temple was dedicated to the Goddess of the Dawn and Partying, Ame-no-Uzume. She was a free spirit that made sure her people were happy and know good times were on the way. As the years go by, she noticed that her people's fashion has changed, so she decided to embrace that in her wardrobe. She heard from the grapevine that a young tailor specialized in Gods and Goddess's garments, Naruto. She delivered a message with a few wind spirits' assistance, not knowing that several other gods of the same pantheon as herself did the same. She was glad when Naruto accepted her request but was saddened when he could only come on the second day of his stay.
Sunset had arrived, and Naruto made it to the shrine with a giant van in tow. Some priestesses came and began to unload the van and bring the dresses into the shrine for Ame-no-Uzume's approval.
"Thank you again for accepting our Goddess's order," said the main priestess, "I'm sure she will love them."
"I'm sure she will," said Naruto, "my visit will be complete once I see your mistress and see if there are any problems."
"Of course, if you and your group follow me, I'll take you to the waiting area," said the head priestess directing Naruto in the general direction
"I'm surprised that they're okay with Rachnera entering the shrine," commented Bianca
"Rachnera hasn't presented any malice nor hatred, so she is welcome in this shrine," answered Naruto, "and if you look around, you will see Rachnera isn't the only monster on these sacred grounds."
Bianca looked around and saw that Naruto was right; some of the priestesses were monsters. Naruto added by pointing out an albino snake woman sweeping the grounds; he said that a white snake is considered good luck. The daughter of Hades asked why and Naruto answered by telling her about Benzaiten, one of the seven gods' luck. When she delivered a message to Earth, she would appear as a white snake. It is considered an insult to killing one on sacred grounds, so all albino snakes are treated with respect and left alone.
Ame-no-Uzume's appearance can be sorted into two categories; party mode and housewife. As the wife of Sarutahiko Ōkami, the patron of martial arts such as aikido, she can be depicted as a devoted housewife, but at the same time is the Goddess of merriment is like to be social and have a good time. Her current mood fits into the housewife category as she was garbed in a light brown kimono with a brown obi securing it, her hair was done in a bun, and she had minimal make-up on her face.
"I see my order had arrived," said Ame-no-Uzume looking over the dresses, "and I see the quality is top quality."
"Of course, I am working for deities and other powerful figures," said Naruto bowing with Bianca and Rachnera following his lead.
"I am aware," said Ame-no-Uzume, "but you can relax around me."
"Thank you," said Naruto as his shoulder relaxed
After inspecting a few more dresses, her form was enveloped in a bright light before revealing that she changed clothing. The Goddess of Merriment was wearing a yellow kimono with some of her shoulders and cleavage showing. Her obi was a dull pink, and her hair was in a bottom ponytail. She had on eye-shadow on with sparkling lip-gross.
"Ah~, so much better," said Ame-no-Uzume as she rolled her shoulders and cracked her back, "it takes a lot of energy maintaining that other form. I love what you've done with the dress, and I can't wait to wear them to some parties."
"If that will be all, then we'll take our leave," said Naruto after making sure all the dresses were to his client's liking
"I see that word of your work isn't exaggerated," said Ame-no-Uzume preventing Naruto and his group from leaving, "you have met and exceeded my expectations."
"Thank you for the compliment," said Naruto bowing in respect, "If there is anything else you need before we leave?"
"No, I hope you meet your next client's wishes," said Ame-no-Uzume pointing where she wants her dresses stored, "You should stay and have something to eat; you three look thin."
"Well, we are a bit famished," said Naruto seeing that his group agreed with the Goddess, "and it would be rude to refuse your generosity, so I'll guess we'll join you for a meal."
"Excellent, the offerings today are exquisite," said Ame-no-Uzume guiding Naruto and his group further to the temple.
Things weren't going as planned for Raian as the blonde foreigner was gaining more and more influence. Fortunately, for the demon's sake, he got information about Naruto's next client. Naruto was going to meet with Izanami, a creator deity of the Japanese pantheon, and her palace is in an area far from other people and monsters, perfect for an ambush. The spider woman should be easy to get rid of, but Raian was still unsure about the blonde himself. Raian had yet to see Naruto fight, not knowing how he fought or what abilities were at his disposal. He hoped luck was on his side as they planned the ambush near the Netherworld.
"The food was excellent," said Naruto as he finished his bowl of rice, "and thank you for the hospitality."
"Thank you," said Ame-no-Uzume wiping her mouth of stray grains, "and I hope the deities treat you well."
"That is was we hope for as well," said Bianca finishing her miso soup
"Who are you delivering to next," asked the Goddess
"We're going to the Yami next," answered Naruto, "one of my bigger appointments during my visit."
"I can see why," said Ame-no-Uzume, "she can see ruin your career in an instant, among other things."
"Yami is the underworld, right," asked Biana in confusion
"Yes, just be careful as various monsters call Yomi home," said Naruto, "the type of monsters that Chiron trained you to fight and kill on sight."
"Oh, that's bad," said Bianca
"Rachnera, you should also be careful as your monster instinct my take over," continued Naruto, "I'm only safe because she's expecting me."
"Who are you seeing anyway?" asked Bianca
"One of the co-creators of the Japanese mythology, Izanami no Mikoto," answered Naruto.
"Co-created?" asked Bianca
"She was originally married to Izanaki, but she died after giving birth to her son Kagu-tsuchi," explained Naruto, "Izanki tried to bring her back but was horrified by what he saw. The end story was he sealed Yami and officially divorced Izanami."
"If Izanaki sealed Yami, then how are we getting in," asked Rachnera
"He didn't completely seal it, but there is a space the sized of an average door," answered Naruto
"So, he dumped her because she turned into a zombie," said Bianca, "Seems kinda shallow."
"It is, but our king is a notorious womanizer that commits adultery weekly." said Naruto, "so, I think we break even."
"I agree," commented Ame-no-Uzume
"So, anything we should know about her," asked Bianca.
"Just don't mention her husband to her," answered Naruto, "she's still bitter about him dumping him and locking her up in Yami."
"I would be too," said Rachnera, "as would any woman."
"Agreed," said Bianca, Ame-no-Uzume, and several other women in sync
Night fell when Naruto and his group made it back to the resort, full of mind and stomach. Naruto took the bathroom first while Bianca and Rachnera stretched and unwind.
"Ame-no-Uzume was nice," said Bianca, "and we learned more about Japan."
"Yeah," said Rachnera, "though I wish we learned more about the jorogumo."
"You mean the eastern versions of your people," asked Bianca
"Yes, but instead of having the lower body of a spider, their midsection holds in their legs," answered Rachnera.
"That sounds painful and confusing," said Bianca, "where do their organs go?"
"I don't know," said Rachnera preparing herself for the bath, "I was planning to ask them if we met them."
"Sounds like an interesting conversation," said Bianca, also readying herself for the bath
"It should be," said Rachnera, "it will be an exchange of culture and ideas."
"Hopefully, that visit won't end with me having another bride," commented Naruto through the separating screen.
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