Today is the day.
"Hmm~..."
At my side, a particular cat girl stood and hummed, a finger on her lips, as her gaze darted between me and Rose.
A Rose, who was now in her secretary uniform, was walking around the living room, wobbling.
Every so often, the silver-haired girl would take a look toward me, blush profusely, and promptly try to pretend she didn't do so.
Kuroka, seeing this, slowly smirked and finally settled her gaze on me.
"You should have let me help, nyah~!" Kuroka exclaims, pointing a finger at my chest.
"EH!?" Rose shrieked in the background, a suitcase clattering to the floor as she dropped it in shock, causing Rose's shriek to be followed up by a despondent whine.
I shot Kuroka a look and flicked her on the forehead for her transgression.
"NYEH!" Her head snapped back as she cried out, her hands immediately moving to cover her head before she whined, "Darling~!"
I ignored her dramatics, however, as standard, and reached out, putting my hand on her head.
The reaction and switch-up were almost instantaneous. She went from whining to purring, like a nice engine revving up. Her pupils dilated comically wide as she pressed her head back against my hand.
I won't lie, it almost made me coo, seeing her act so innocent and cute.
"Be good to Rose while I'm gone, alright?" I instruct her, powering through all instinct to rub the cat some more.
Kuroka huffed, still rubbing against my hand, but she looked significantly more displeased now, "I still don't understand why you can't take her with." She grumbled.
That caused me to frown in turn.
"I do." I responded, with a click of my tongue, "But I really don't like it."
See, normally, as my secretary, Rose would be coming with and following me around while I stayed in Takamagahara, sort of like a reverse of what we did in Asgard.
There's a problem with that, however.
Despite working for me, despite having officially left Asgard and Odin for good, she's not allowed up there.
Nobody besides the Heavenly Gods of the Shinto Pantheon. According to Uzume, there haven't been exceptions, even if my mother wanted there to be.
That's because such a law wasn't put in place by her, but rather, her father, and the primordial Shinto divines that came before even him.
Yeah, those little shits. The ones my mother referenced didn't particularly like my relationship with Kuroka.
Honestly, I had half a mind to bring Rose anyway, then shove my sword up each of their asses and tell them to stuff it.
The only reason I'm not is because, as Uzume told me, it wouldn't matter. I wouldn't be able to bring her even still.
It's a law imposed upon the realm itself. I wouldn't physically be able to bring her through; she simply wouldn't be able to enter.
Stupid divine bullshit. Once I get strong enough, I'll cut a way in, past all of that.
Literally.
That's all Uzume explained this morning, in preparation for my stay in Takamagahara, anyhow.
Ever since then, she's pretty much vanished. I've been getting ready, or rather, Rose has been getting ready for me because she feels like she has to, as she can't follow me.
I told her she didn't need to, but she kept going anyway. The only thing that really seemed to even slightly stall her was thinking about last night.
Or, well, more like the entirety of last night.
Which is kind of hard to avoid with the way she's walking everywhere.
I'd say poor Rose, but she loved it, so I can't really say that now, can I?
Anyway, Rose is packing whatever she thinks I need. I don't really have an exact timeframe for how long I'll be staying, maybe about a month or so, but even assuming that, I don't really know what I'd need to bring.
I'd have asked Uzume, but like I said, she kind of left in a hurry this morning.
Ahead of me, I think she said she wanted to be. When I'm ready to go, I'll follow her to Takamagahara, but none of that really helps with right now, does it?
Thankfully, Rose has experience dealing with trips across mythological systems with Odin and has some idea of what I'd need.
Mostly clothes, going by what I've been seeing her stuff into suitcases. Something about how I need to dress up if I'm going to be staying at what amounts to a royal court, an ancient Japanese royal court, at that.
I'm going to be real, I appreciate the effort Rose is putting into all this, but I kind of don't want to go along with any of the whole court shenanigans bound to ensue.
No dressing up all fancy, prancing around like a peacock, threatening idiots for courting death, that kind of stuff.
Okay, that last one might be more of a Chinese Pantheon thing, but somehow I feel as though with how many nobodies there are up there, at least some have to think they're more important than they actually are, and try to start some shit with me.
It's practically the law of the universe. And Murphy.
"And…done!" Rose calls out abruptly, the slamming of a suitcase followed by a sigh of relief trailing after her words.
Without further ado, Rose picks up the suitcases, three in specific, one a large rectangle of a thing and the other two far more standard in size, and walks over to me with them.
"This should be all you need, Lor-...um, Nori!" Rose's face burns as she holds them out, trying very hard not to look at me after her 'slip' up.
I could feel the smugness radiating from Kuroka at my side.
I successfully resisted punting the damn cat, instead reaching out to take the suitcases by the handles and out of Rose's hands.
Huh.
I can feel the heft in the larger suitcase.
The hell did Rose put in here while I wasn't paying attention?
Well, putting that aside for now, I open my mouth, ready to thank her, only to be cut off as Rose wraps her arms around my torso, suddenly hugging me.
"There's no need to thank me, I wanted to, that's final." Rose humbles against my chest, still not looking at me, yet I could see the side of her face, the slight upward tilt of her mouth, of her smile.
"Nya!?" Kuroka, not wanting to be left out, promptly jumped on me from the side, joining Rose in hugging me, "I'm doing this because I want to, nyahahah~!" She went on to announce while cackling.
"Ah, well, I'd hug you girls back, but uh…" I attempt to hold up the suitcases, but unfortunately, I'm blocked by said girls.
So, instead, I kiss each of their foreheads.
"Nyah~!" Kuroka snuggles deeper into my side, chuckling, "Have a good trip, darling~!"
"Mmm~..." I could feel the heat on Rose's face burn hotter, "R-Right, have a good trip!" Rose barely manages to mumble out.
See, now, if they do this, it's just going to make me want to take both of them with me.
I know, the law, my promise to my mother, all that jazz, but still.
I'll have a clone around, but it just isn't quite the same, I suppose.
So, for now, I'll settle for becoming strong enough that I can take them with me, no matter the law.
"I hope I will." I finally answer them back with a wistful sigh.
It's probably bound to happen no matter what I do; there's no way I don't get into some sort of squabble, some sort of drama.
I can't say I'm looking forward to it.
I just hope that isn't all there is.
It took a few more moments that stretched on far longer than they actually were. I could tell the girls didn't really want to let go, but they had to eventually anyway.
With that, I walked outside, into the morning sun.
It wasn't too early, nor near the afternoon, the sun hung up in the sky, casting its light upon the world at a good angle.
There wasn't anything in particular that was different about the sun compared to your average morning.
Yet, as I stepped out of my home, and the sun's rays washed over me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of…I'm not sure, exactly. It felt like a kind of nervous energy. Almost foreboding, in a way, but not specifically hanging over me.
It was weird, so that's all the thought I gave it.
With a moment to spare, I inclined my head back toward the house and gave the girls watching from the window a smile and a nod.
As I did, the rays of the sun seemed to collect around me, before scooping me up in a pillar of brilliant golden light.
~ A New Sun ~
You know, considering this entire thing was supposed to be far more official, I expected a fairly elaborate greeting and or welcome of some kind.
One where all the pomp and bullshit is pulled out, full royal welcome, the works.
I had kind of figured I was being thrust into such a situation when that light collected me.
After all, I didn't do that.
I was preparing to, but I didn't get it off in time myself.
So, when I opened my eyes, I naturally put on a blank stare, expecting something grandiose and more than likely headache-inducing.
Instead, I was in a familiar windowless room once again, my gaze drifting down to find a certain purple-haired failure of a goddess lying in a particular beanbag chair, in her underwear.
And by underwear, I mean a borderline micro lilac bikini.
Uzume lay there, seemingly not having noticed the light show at all. Which is fair considering she's lying on her stomach and facing away from me.
She yawned loudly and dramatically, stretching out her limbs as she did so.
Not a single care in the world.
Nice ass, though.
"What the fuck." I began aloud, not so much a question, more a statement of fact.
That made her react.
She stilled mid-stretch, her limbs going rigid.
"E-Eh…?" She started turning her head, but I didn't even give her that luxury.
My hand came down like the hammer of a god of judgment.
Right down on one of those shapely ass cheeks.
"I-EEEEEE!" Uzume shrieked in stinging pain, basically flailing herself off the beanbag chair.
I snorted.
A far more feminine voice, that definitely wasn't Uzume, also snorted, directly behind me.
I didn't need to turn around; she ended up walking right up to my side, so all it took was a glance to recognize her.
An oversized black t-shirt with blue sweatpants and white wolf slippers, obsidian black hair down to her waist, and matted from sleep, and golden eyes somehow glowing with the dull tiredness of someone who really doesn't want to deal with this shit right now.
"Nice shot." She grumbled out, groggy yet proud.
I flashed her a thumbs-up, but I don't think she saw it. Instead, she focused a glare down at the goddess rolling around on the floor.
"Uzu." She began plainly.
The purple-haired goddess promptly stilled entirely, now on her back.
"Ah, uh, Ama-"
Whack!
"AOWWW!"
She then proceeded to slap her right across one of her titties, sending the purple-haired goddess rolling across the ground once more.
I chuckled before saying, "Nice shot!"
She turned toward me, a small tired smile spreading across her face, "Mhmm," she agreed with a hum, "I'd hope it was. I've had tons of practice."
Ah. That tracks.
Blowing a wild strand of black hair out of her face, she walks right up to me.
She doesn't say anything more; she just sort of falls right onto me, her arms wrapping around me to keep herself from falling.
Well, alright then. What a welcome, eh?
I drop my luggage right then and there, before scooping up Ama into my arms. Not in so much a hug, but more so to hold her up.
At the same time, I lash my foot out and kick Uzume straight in the ass.
"OW! Okay! OKAY! Stop! I got it! Jeez!" She whines, practically crawling back onto and sitting on the beanbag chair, wincing as she does.
That might have something to do with the suspiciously hand-shaped red print forming on her ass. Or it could be totally unrelated, who knows?
I cleared my throat before looking back down at her.
"Alright, so. Once again. Uzume, what the fuck?" I repeat succinctly.
Uzume pouts, her arms wrapping under and pushing up her bust, "I was just taking a load off, before, you know, I had to introduce you, and stuff…" Uzume slowly trailed off, trying her best not to look at me all the while.
My eyebrow raised, "And stuff?" I parrotted back.
Uzume nodded a bunch of times, "The court wanted to do this whole fancy, and boring, welcome for you, where pretty much every Kami would be in attendance. One big pompous ceremony and all that." She huffed, clearly in distaste, "I left to get here early and get on top of things."
"You mean get on top of that beanbag chair?" I corrected her, only to cause the goddess to grumble to herself and shimmy into the thing more.
"...It's comfortable." She mumbled in her defense.
"Oh, I know." I agree, "Still, a ceremony, huh."
Uzume nods at that, still sitting there pouting.
As I look down at Uzume, a part of me thinks of something better to do than attend something like that.
That may have something to do with putting Uzume's mouth to work doing something far better than just announcing my name.
Unfortunately, those thoughts are squashed by the fact that I am still holding my likely not entirely unconscious mother in my arms.
So, maybe later.
Now that I think about it, I guess Uzume is going to be my Rose for this stay, huh?
Yeah, better put her to work with something she can't screw up!
For now, though…
"Pretty much every Kami, huh." I think aloud, before asking, "Is that literal, or just the important ones?"
"Literal." Uzume grumbled, causing me to shiver, remembering all of them, "Ama's advisor thought this whole thing out, where-"
"Nope." I swiftly interject, my palm held out to her.
Uzume blinked at that, "Uh, wha…nope?" She repeated back to me, confused.
"Yeah, no." I nodded sagely, as if agreeing, "Not dealing with that. Would rather do anything else than that."
Uzume simply stared at me, and for a moment, I almost expected her to start telling me why I shouldn't try and skip this.
Then, she smiled and leaned back in the beanbag chair, her arms curving behind her head.
"Sweet, less work for me~!" She sighed dramatically in relief.
Yeah, for a second there, I guess I somehow forgot who I was talking to.
"Mmm~..." Ama, finally making herself known once more, groans against my robe, "Omoikane's ideas aren't always the most fun, but still," she lifts off me just a bit, "it'd be rude just to ignore it all, you know?"
I look back down at her and grunt.
"Okay, and? I don't care if it's rude." I state, "I certainly didn't ask to be shown off like a peacock to the rest of the Heavenly Deities. Especially," I shiver, "them."
"Fair enough, but you know, Nori?" Ama holds up a finger, "In some respects, this is supposed to be punishment for you, remember?" She points out.
I give her a blank stare.
"I have a better idea." I ignore pretty much everything Ama just said to me, causing her to give an indignant huff, but before she could say anything else, I power on, "Did you ever go visit your mother?"
Ama stills like a deer caught in the headlights.
Uzume chokes on a snort.
I didn't need words when reactions spoke for themselves anyway.
"Hmm," I hum, "I see. Well, in that case…"
Ama gulps, looking up at me in clear panic, "W-Wait, Nori, seriously, this really isn't something you can miss! Everyone is going to be there!"
"The important gods will only show up after the fact," Uzume helpfully adds, "this is more a ceremony for the general pantheon. The rest of Ama's kids, they won't even be here for that at first." Uzume shrugs, "They're off dealing with the aftermath of what you dealt with in Kuoh."
Ama turned, looking at Uzume in absolute betrayal, her mouth agape, "Y-You little!"
Uzume flashed her a smile and a wink.
Ama growled, before turning back to me, "Still, it's-"
"Boring!" I cut her off with a smile of my own, "And potentially traumatizing. I can guarantee you, the way I saw them act before, by the time that ceremony is over, you'd have to cut that eight million god figure to less than half."
"A-Ah, well, be that as it may-" I put a finger to Ama's mouth, stopping her once again.
To ask a very simple question.
"Now, would you rather what you're wearing right now, or would you like to change first?" I ask her, very sincerely.
What was her response?
Her eyes went wide, and she began trying to almost desperately escape my hold.
"Ah, I see, you want to go right now!" I take her attempt at escape in the very opposite direction.
"N-N-No! No, I do not! Nori! N-Nori!" I hoist her up, throwing the bed mangled chief goddess of the Shinto Pantheon over my shoulder like a sack of flour.
Even as said sack of floor tries desperately to escape me, I told her tightly, her struggles prove pointless.
I take one last look down at Uzume and wink at her, "We'll be back in a bit." I then take a glance toward my luggage, and back at her, "Be a doll and put my stuff away, yeah?"
Uzume flashed me a look of betrayal, similar to the one Ama had sent the purple-haired goddess prior, before grumbling out something like an acceptance of the order.
"Right then!" I call out, "Awaaayyy~ we go!"
"Waaaiiiitttt!" Ama calls out, right behind me, as golden light promptly takes us away.
Today, however, just seems to be full of surprises.
When we appeared in the dark, dull halls of the palace in Yomi, it wasn't a woman who sat on the throne before us.
No, it was instead a man.
A very familiar man, with blazes where his eye sockets should be.
I knew it had been a little while since I'd been down here myself.
But to think, a few months flew by so quickly?
Over my shoulder, Ama slowly slumped, limp, and let out the longest sigh I think I ever heard.
I, on the other hand, had a far different reaction.
"Wassup, Susan?"