In the Takamagahara pantheon—
Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo are the undisputed first tier.
Then,
Omoikane stands at the head of the second tier—at worst "top-three, fighting for number one."
"…"
Rika fell silent, brow furrowing; the strong lines of her face set with helplessness and grief.
For someone with her training and role,
the blow landed harder than it did on Saeko—or on carefree Shizuka.
And if even a "wisdom god" counterpart had spoken up…
their world was probably beyond saving.
Science couldn't fix it; the "mystic" approach had all but been marked off.
"…Hah."
After a long pause, Rika exhaled, steadied herself, and met Ren's eyes. "City Lord—what future do you see for me and Shizuka in your world?"
Ren thought a beat, glanced at Kaguya-hime.
She gave the tiniest nod: go on.
"Rika, if I wanted to make it sound nice, I'd dress this up with two or three choices.
"But—
"I don't do sugarcoating."
He looked back to her.
Rika laughed, crisp and fearless. "Please speak plainly. Given the state of things, better one-and-done honesty."
Her world was likely a write-off.
Now she'd found a new boss—one who clearly had backing and bite.
Time to figure out the terms.
"I can train you and Shizuka to wield spiritual power.
"If you can learn it—
"then you'll be part of my city. You'll follow my orders, get paid, and live."
"That tracks," Rika said, arms folding, chin tilted. "And if we can't?"
"The simple version:
"If option one fails, you can pay with your bodies—live here in the manor as kept songbirds.
"As for leaving?"
Ren smiled, shook his head. "No. I won't have you walking around with what you've seen. At most, I'd send you back to your original world."
Ugly words, simple truth.
Two paths. The details would be…case by case.
"Reasonable terms," Rika said, one hand idly propping up a certain "dumpling" as she rubbed her smooth chin, utterly matter-of-fact.
No one gives you everything for free.
Path one costs loyalty.
Path two costs your body.
For Rika, either was acceptable.
She glanced toward Saeko.
Saeko shook her head gently, poised and calm. "Rika, that's not it. I chose this willingly. Ren-kun is worth all I give."
"I see."
Rika understood. Time together had been short,
but her eye for people was sharp:
Saeko was the sort who, once she chose, never looked back.
"No problem." She flashed a confident grin. "City Lord, please take care of us."
Both options suited her fine.
Back home, truly "unclaimed" women were rare. Rika's temperament looked breezy, but she was bold and ruthless—and had no patience for trash.
As for Shizuka… without Rika's protection, she'd have been "rode hard" who knows how many times by now.
It had taken a lot of work to keep her a "new car" and not public transport.
In the future, a private ride only. Manageable.
"Kaguya—see them to their rooms. Until the city's rebuilt, they'll live here in the manor. Once it's done, we'll move them out."
"As you wish, Father," Kaguya-hime said, all grace.
Moon rabbits arrived, whisking Rika and Shizuka along.
All the way out, Shizuka kept squealing, desperate to touch a pair of bunny ears—
and with that clumsy reach, was neatly dodged every time.
"Father," Kaguya-hime said softly once the black-and-white duo had gone, "Saeko, Rika, and Shizuka—all three have very high potential. So high it borders on unreasonable."
(End of Chapter)
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