[97] Give Her Another Chance…?

Chapter 97: Give Her Another Chance…?

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[Third Person Point of View]

In a room shrouded in darkness, a figure stood motionless before a mirror. The room was dimly lit by the little light that filtered through a narrow slit in the curtains, casting a faint, ethereal glow across the room.

It illuminated the man's face, revealing his deep blue eyes, within which black stars swirled. His gaze seemed to hold entire galaxies within them, yet his messy blonde hair scattered to obscure them.

His reflection stared back at him, his only companion in the quiet room. Time seemed to stand still as he remained rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on his own image. There was an odd, dry intensity in his stare, a depth that spoke of secrets far beyond the ordinary.

The room was so silent that the soft whisper of the air felt like a thunderous event.

"It has... happened, the expected and long-awaited separation." the wind murmured in his ears, causing his hazy eyes to regain focus. "He has left the house for good. It’s safe to execute the plan now.”

At those words, a subtle change came over the man. His starry eyes, which had been calm and reflective, now sparked with a newfound intensity. It was as if those few words had ignited something within him, a purpose that had been lying dormant, now awakened.

The man's eyes glowed brighter, reflecting his inner fire. The stars in his eyes seemed to dance, swirling with a mixture of psychotic determination. With a final, lingering look at his own reflection, the man turned away from the mirror, his silhouette melting into the room's shadows, as he began to plan his next actions.

* * *

[First Person Point of View]

“Aquamarine Hoshino,” I replied to Shinto’s Chief God, Amaterasu, as I stared at her with a deliberate, confused look. “That’s who I am, why do you ask?”

She sighed. With a snap of her fingers, a Bubble of Silence formed around us. Even if the ladies were to hear anything from their room, they wouldn't hear anything.

“You can speak freely now,” she said.

“Fine, you got me. I'm Gorou Amamiya.”

“I already know that… I'm the one who reincarnated you.” she smiled gently, not allowing a frown to cross her face; I held back a snicker. “I'm asking who you were before that. I wouldn't claim to have noticed your very unique soul the first time I saw it, but I did notice it wasn't exactly normal. So over time as you showed feats unsuited for a man who was just a doctor in his last life, I began to realize why your soul was like that. You have lived other lives before the Gorou one.”

“Why will you think that? That's entirely untrue,” I shook my head.

Naturally, I had no intention of coming out to the Chief God of a Pantheon. There was no promise that the news wouldn't travel far and wide, only a fool would believe that.

“Indeed my soul is special, and that's why an ancient Cultivator from mainland China took me in. I wouldn't be surprised if you said you didn't know who he is or that you never sensed someone like that around me, but it's true. He taught me many tricks and such; that's how I'm what I am today.”

“Hmmm,” Amaterasu frowned. “I see. It's not impossible, but… Haah never mind, that is indeed more probable than a soul coming here from some other world, traveling the gap between dimensions, and swiftly entering the Cycle of Reincarnation without any Gods noticing it.”

“Damn,” I commented dryly while she just stared.

“What is the name of this benefactor of yours? May I know?”

“Immortal Venerable Over Heavens,” I said, gently pointing at the sky, which made her eyes narrow.

“Hmmm,” she covered her face with her sleeves and frowned in thought. That kind of gesture seemed to be a habit of hers, but it just looked silly, and somewhat cute too, in this little body she inhabited.

“You wouldn't recognize the name. He has rarely shown his face to the world; I wouldn't be surprised if he used other names while doing so.” I said to ease her worry. “Regardless, from what I can tell, he does not wish harm to Shinto. You can rest easy.”

“If you say so,” she nodded. “In truth, I've been wondering about this for years now. Decades, to be specific. But the reason I've only reached out to you today is-”

“Ai Hoshino?”

“Ai Hoshino.” She agreed. She hesitated and then spoke, “Haah. Yatagarasu is more about riddles when guiding people, but I can't help but be direct. I suggest you go back to her. Nothing will work out, and nothing will end well if you abandon her.”

I knew why she was here. In the original Oshi-No-Ko timeline, this white-haired kid would pop out to help the main cast with their problems. Now was a good time of any in this particular timeline.

“She abandoned me, I got kicked out.”

“Stop being stubborn, you abandoned her. How in the world can she ever abandon an entity like you?” She scowled. “Even if I believe you're not a million-year-old soul, you are still one of the strongest morals in this realm. On top of that, your stacked-up age is more than hers. She's just 31. You should be closer to 50 by now.”

I yawned and stretched my arms at those words, quite deliberately too as her frown deepened. “And why should I care? It’s not my problem if things don't work out or end well for Shinto.” I said.

“I don't mean Shinto… I mean you, your sister, and your mother.” She specified.

I let out a snicker, “You’re saying things will get worse than this between us?”

“Death,” she looked into my eyes.

“They wouldn't kill themselves.”

“I didn't say suicide. Murder.”

“There is not one entity in this entire realm who can harm them so long as I breathe.”

Her frown melted and she smiled. “That is quite an arrogant thing to say. It's almost like challenging the authority of us Gods and asking us to prove you wrong. I can’t help but find that claim of yours funny.”

“That's because you don't have any idea who you are talking to, puny god.” I grabbed empty air and she was yanked toward me by the wind, as I held her by her collar over the table. “You talk too much for a mere planetary deity. I can wash the floor with you and your pantheon if I just so wish.”

She didn’t let her smile drop, opening her mouth, just as a voice came from outside the Bubble of Silence.

“Um? Aqua? Who's that-?” Shoko asked as she looked at me holding a child by the collar.

“Supreme Deity of Shinto, Amaterasu.” I said after snapping the Bubble with a burst of my Qi so that she could hear. “Go back to your room, I'll explain later.”

“...Alright.” She looked confused, but still agreed and went back inside.

I put Amaterasu back on her chair and took my seat too, as she erected the bubble back up. “She’s a nice child.”

“Explain what you meant. Who could threaten their lives when I exist?” I asked.

“While I admit you’re strong, and you don't stay in that house anymore. There is a… certain God that is after your mother's life. You have been the only reason they have stayed away, your complex and potentially dangerous soul makes them cautious. But now that things have grown sour between you and your mother, and you have cut ties with each other, that person will take this chance to-”

“Quit the riddles, didn't you say it's not your style? Tell me who it is.”

“Your father.”

“Hikaru Kamiki? He's a God?”

I raised an eyebrow. That couldn't be true. If my biological father was a God, I would have been a Demigod. Yet I have noticed zero traits in my body that'd suggest that.

“Hikaru Kamiki is a vessel body, just like the body I am using currently. Specifically, he's the Vessel of [Yggdrasil], the World Tree from Norse Mythology.”

My biological father was a goddamn tree? I knew the name, Hikaru Kamiki, would mean “Radiance above the Trees" or "Light Shining on the Upper Tree” if translated to English, but could a name be that literal?

“You said he's a God, not a tree,” I said.

“That tree is more powerful than any Gods, and it's a Divine Tree, therefore now that it has sentience, it is a God, yes.” she explained while I kept my brows furrowed.

I sighed, “Why would a world tree want Ai's demise? And why would he conceive children with him anyway?”

“Besides the personal humane feelings he holds, thanks to his vessel body, one other reason I can think of is— he's farming Faith Energy,” she said. “I only know these as I am a Chief God, so this is highly classified information and theory for the most part. As you might already know, Gods can gain Faith Energy and grow stronger based on the number of their believers, along with the quality of the devotion the believers have. Many of today's humans are like that too, being celebrities and such, but since they aren't Gods, all the Faith Energy is wasted.”

“As a Divine Tree, he might have ways to farm those humans for energy. Perhaps he kills famous people to gather that energy and to gain a permanent body instead of a vessel one? Mayhaps.” she finished.

“Hm,” I chewed on my lips. “That does seem probable. I can believe that.”

“Then are you willing to return?”

“I can stop him anytime as long as I'm in Japan, moreover in Tokyo. I don't need to stay in the house to keep them safe.” I argued as she frowned again. “Besides, the house has protectors already, my tiger cubs and the Shinto Pantheon itself. I’m sure you wouldn’t allow a God from Norse to descend fully on Japan, would you? Plus I’m confident that my Tiger Cubs can take care of a God’s Vessel at least.”

“You can't be sure of all of those probabilities. There can always be variables.”

“Fine, I'll make sure to visit the house once every week to paint the image that I'm always lurking around,” I said and she sighed.

“Why don't you just return? Come on, she is a child compared to you. I'm sure she'll be a lot more understanding if you tell her who you were in your last life. You took care of her for months as her doctor, as Gorou, she'll be a lot more gentle toward-”

“Then she'd see me as Gorou, and not her son.” I pointed out. I have thought of this myself. “If you're telling me to go back to her, I can, but then she'll just be another girl in my life. Not my mother. I wouldn’t like that outcome. So instead of doing that, I have decided to cut ties before we truly break out of that bond and become strangers. Not that we are very far off from that anyway.”

“But…” Amaterasu went silent, hesitant. “Isn’t that what you wanted? You wanted to bed her. Do keep in mind that I am not judging you, incest is a common thing in my Pantheon too, I used to be married to my brother in the past. All I am saying is, you wanted Ai to be your woman. What’s the issue now?”

“I don’t want to ruin our relationship as a mother and son.”

“You can’t have her as your mother, and your woman at the same time. You should accept that by now. Perhaps it should have been possible before, but now that she found out the secret, there is no way that’d happen. You either try hard to make her accept you as her son, or as her man. The second option might not be that hard in comparison to the first one, as long as you admit to her that you were Gorou.”

“....”

“It’s not as if you’ve ever seen her as your mother anyway. Have you ever referred to her as ‘my mother’ in your head? Be honest.”

I fell silent. It was true, I have referred to her as 'my mother' a few times, but I mostly called her ‘Ai’ in my head. But calling her by her name and not her title was my preference, as I have had more than one mothers, I’m more used to using their name instead. The reason was not because I had never seen Ai as my mother. If I hadn’t, then she wouldn’t have received the special treatment I gave her.

But Amaterasu had made her point. I can’t have her as both, so I should choose one and make Ai accept that. If it's just one route, it’s not impossible to fix this situation. It’d be hard, but not impossible.

“I just want you two to be together again,” Amaterasu said, then she hesitated. “Last night… you had your hand stretched toward the moon for the entire night. You know I am a Goddess of the Sun, right? My brother is the God of the Moon, but due to a little mistake he made, I’m governing over both the Sun and the Moon right now. So the compassion for the moon you held, and the pain you hold in your heart… I could feel them both.”

She said, “It can’t come from a man who’s only 50. But that’s not the point, I don’t care who you are, or how old you are. I'm just asking you to give that foolish child another chance. She’s just a lost little girl, she’ll never recover if you don’t take the initiative.”

“....”

Shinto’s Chief Goddess hopped off the chair and nodded at me. “The choice is up to you. Take your time and when you are sure which route you want to take, return to the Hoshino Household. That’s your house. Don’t let it crumble down.”

Amaterasu gazed into my eyes for a long moment, then walked out the apartment door. Her presence vanished immediately, which left me alone, thinking in silence.

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