"Too troublesome."
Yato hesitated, but finally explained: "I don't know exactly who hid her, but it must be a god. Dealing with gods is far too troublesome. Last time I kindly solved a god's problem, and even now that god is still chasing me. I saved her, but that crazy woman refuses to let me go. Anyway, I don't want to deal with such troublesome beings anymore."
Kael smiled. "The crazy woman you mentioned must be Bishamonten, right?"
At those words, both Mai and Yato froze. They hadn't expected Kael to say something so surprising. Mai never imagined this stray god had ties to the warrior goddess. Yato hadn't expected Kael to know so much.
"You seem to know a lot," Yato said, growing serious, suspicious of Kael's motives.
"If I didn't know, I wouldn't have come to you."
Kael smiled slyly. "Actually, before coming to you, this young lady already sought Bishamonten, but was refused. If even Bishamonten couldn't solve the problem, but you can, doesn't that prove you're superior? Next time you see her, you could mock her with this."
Yato was tempted. If he solved this, he could taunt Bishamonten. But he quickly calmed down. Ever since he killed all her regalia, every meeting was like a clash of titans. If he mocked her again, it would be too humiliating. She might chase him to the ends of the earth.
Thinking of this, Yato shook his head firmly. "No, I absolutely won't meet Bishamonten."
Seeing Yato's attitude, Mai grew curious despite her dire situation. What had happened between this stray god and Bishamonten to make him so afraid?
Kael sighed. Since that tactic failed, he tried another. Pointing at Mai, he said: "Yato, do you know who this girl is?"
Yato blinked, studying her. "Is she someone important? She doesn't look it."
Kael shook his head. "This young lady is Sakurajima Mai. Not royalty, but a star who debuted as a child, active on TV, with millions of Twitter followers. At least seventy percent of the nation knows her."
Mai crossed her arms, twitching slightly at the awkward introduction.
Yato asked, puzzled: "So what? What does that have to do with me?"
Kael said: "You don't have a shrine, do you, Yato?"
Yato stiffened. The words hit home. He truly was a shrine-less stray god.
Kael continued: "If you help Sakurajima-san solve her problem, she can become your follower. Imagine—a celebrity with millions of fans mentioning you as her god. The exposure would be immense. And stars are wealthy. She could even buy you a shrine. Then you'd no longer be a stray god."
Yato's eyes began to shine.
Kael pressed further: "More importantly, there's Natori Shuuichi. He was trapped for helping Sakurajima-san. He's also a big star. How many followers does he have?"
Kael turned to Mai.
She said: "Senpai became famous early. His followers are three or four times mine."
Yato trembled.
Kael grinned like a sly fox. "Think about it. If you save Natori, he might become your follower, promoting you. Then you wouldn't just stop being a stray god—you could rise to rival Bishamonten herself. Yato, such an opportunity—are you sure you want to give it up? Remember, you're not the only stray god in this world. If you refuse, others will take the chance…"
Before Kael finished, Yato lunged forward, hugging his leg. "I'll do it, I'll do it! Please let me handle this."
The thought of living rich and well thrilled him beyond control. Even if told Bishamonten was behind it, he'd fight her head-on. Anyone who blocked him would be his mortal enemy. No one could stop him from living a prosperous life.
No one!!!
"Where is the one who hid you? I'll destroy them now." Yato leapt up, glaring at Mai with killing intent.
Mai turned to Kael, silently asking if this man was really reliable.
"Don't worry," Kael said. "When serious, even Bishamonten might not beat him. A minor god is nothing."
Mai hesitated, then said: "Please follow me."
Yato roared in agreement, striding proudly after her, ready to confront the fox.
"Wait." Kael raised his hand, sending a quick text to Marin and Saki: "I have something to do. You two carry on."
Then the three left the library, hailed a taxi, and headed toward the shrine.
Half an hour later, they arrived near it. Mai led them to a secluded path. "Nearby there's a stairway leading up to the shrine. But since my presence vanished, I can't find it anymore."
Kael scanned the area and spotted the stairway not far away. But Mai couldn't see it. Clearly, the god had hidden the path from her. That was why she couldn't find it.