Chapter 21

Chapter 21: A New Non-Human Being

These days, cold winter winds had started blowing. While the outside world was entering a season where warm soups were much appreciated, the Kusunoki estate's garden remained its usual peaceful spring, where even cold drinks tasted great any time of day.

To spend an elegant afternoon together, they were receiving a direct delivery from the mountain god's home. It was the familiars visiting after a long time.

Carrying the cold outside air with them, the older pair Seri and Torika stood on their hind legs and bowed properly.

"The mountain god is always greatly in your debt."

"Sorry he's always taking up so much space here. It's just a little something, but please accept this."

In front of them was a bamboo basket piled high with mountain bounty. Wild grapes, dogwood berries, chestnuts, persimmons. All beautifully colored and large seasonal fruits that looked delicious.

As Minato accepted them with thanks, he could feel autumn's arrival even from the cold surface of the bamboo basket. Sitting on the edge of the veranda, he smiled wryly.

"You two don't need to be so formal."

"Right?"

Utsugi, sitting next to Minato, was plucking wild grapes from the basket and tossing them into his mouth one after another, munching away. He didn't hold back when it came to things from his own mountain. The older pair glared at the carefree youngest, but he didn't care at all.

"Minato, you should eat some too. They're delicious."

He was really chowing down with obvious enjoyment.

They should probably wash them first. When Minato washed the wild grapes and dogwood berries, arranged them on a large plate, and returned with a bag of Western sweets, he was greeted with loud cheers.

Even the usually responsible older pair swayed their bodies excitedly, which was cute and heartwarming. Utsugi went without saying.

Before, they would have made such a fuss they'd shriek and bounce around, but now they just stamped their feet a bit. They'd grown up, apparently.

"Here you go."

"Thanks!"

The three happily accepted the madeleines.

They had good manners. They always waited quietly until things were handed to them directly. But even though they got along well, when food was involved, it was a different story. To avoid ruthless battles, Minato made sure to give them the same things in equal amounts.

They sat in a row on the edge of the veranda, happily gnawing away.

"I heard you're training?"

"That's right."

"You all seem more reliable than before."

"Really? That makes me happy."

Seri and Torika swished their tails restlessly.

"Yeah, I think your atmosphere has changed from before."

"Does that mean we're like the mountain god?!"

Utsugi leaned forward from beside him, asking eagerly. Behind him, Seri and Torika also stared intently.

That seemed to be their goal.

They were beings separated from the mountain god's spirit, so originally they were the same thing. He did feel like they'd gained the same kind of unshakable stability as the mountain god.

Behind them all, on the giant cushion in the center of the veranda, the mountain god was curled up with his eyes closed. Despite all the noise, the white hill that wouldn't budge for anything continued rising and falling regularly he was sleeping peacefully. Pretty thick-skinned.

"Yeah, you're getting similar."

"Yes! Then give me another one as a reward."

That shamelessness too. Even as he thought this, Minato unwrapped the butter sandwiches and handed them out to their small front paws one by one.

Whenever he gave them new sweets for the first time, they'd examine them carefully from every angle. They'd smell them thoroughly, look at each other and nod, then all bite down at once on cue.

It was like a "we live together, we die together" spirit that was amusing. The moment they bit down, stars scattered in their round little eyes. They seemed to like them and were stuffing their cheeks wordlessly. The older pair chewed slowly and thoughtfully like the mountain god. Utsugi tossed his whole into his mouth and held his mouth with his front paws while puffing out his cheeks.

They especially loved anything with butter. By the way, they wouldn't even look at things made with margarine or shortening. Their gourmet palates were also inherited from the mountain god.

Anyway, today's delicacy was thick butter cream with a light texture sandwiched between crispy thin sablé cookies. He'd thought they'd definitely like it when he saw it in the local information magazine.

Of course, it was all thanks to Harima. When he heard they were working hard at training, he slipped in a piece of paper with the store and product names that were rumored around town, as usual, and hit the jackpot in one try.

Though remembering the mountain god's dejected look when those gifts arrived made his chest ache a little. Harima had been pretty flustered too.

He watched the three of them peacefully as they chatted happily about being able to work even harder.

A gentle breeze rustled the garden trees. At the sound of leaves rustling, Minato looked at the garden. In his line of sight was a young tree swaying its leaves a camphor tree. It looked terribly unreliable.

Seri, who had finished eating, noticed Minato's worried expression.

"Minato? What's wrong?"

"The camphor tree... it seems to have stopped growing."

He got down from the veranda and walked along the path toward the camphor tree. The three animals also jumped down to the ground and followed.

The young tree with its green leaves, completely different from the autumn-colored trees in the mountain background, had grown rapidly at first but remained at eye level, unchanged.

When they all gathered around the young tree, its modest crown rustled and shook as if shivering.

"It's healthy, I guess. It sways like it's playing with the wind, and it just moved now, right? But after that sudden growth spurt, it hasn't grown at all. Even though I give it sacred water every day, it hasn't gotten even a centimeter taller, and the leaves haven't increased."

"It doesn't seem like there's any particular problem. Hmm, I wonder. This tree lives by different principles than ordinary camphor trees."

"I see."

"Because it's a sacred tree."

"A sacred tree. Right, normally leaves and branches don't move."

Having spent so much time in the Kusunoki estate's garden, his common sense had apparently gotten warped somewhere along the way. At Minato's feet, Utsugi looked up at the camphor tree.

"It's still so thin, we can't climb it yet."

The three, who were good at climbing trees, gently touched the base. The thin trunk could easily be grasped with one small paw of a small animal.

A small turtle that had come up from the sacred pond crawled toward their feet as they surrounded the tree with worry. Minato noticing the Sacred Turtle looking up at him earnestly and the familiars turning sharp gazes toward the back gate happened almost simultaneously.

From everyone's behavior, Minato realized something was at the back gate, and Seri told him, "It seems we have a visitor."

He chased after the Sacred Turtle crawling quickly, and they all went toward the back gate in a line.

When Minato looked back, the mountain god was lying on his back on the cushion. From his relaxed state, it was clear this was not a problematic visitor.

The Sacred Turtle, who had already reached the back gate, turned toward them and waited. This speed, different from his usual leisurely pace, suggested it might be someone he was waiting for.

Minato hurried over and looked.

Beyond the latticed door, something long and slender stood gracefully on the ground.

A dragon.

A long, thin body. Two long horns. Bat-like wings. With its back wings folded and standing elegantly on three-toed hind legs.

When their eyes met, Minato held his breath, and the dragon bowed its head politely. It seemed quite courteous, he thought while reflexively bowing back.

He opened the gate and invited it in. It fluttered its wings leisurely and glided past him through the air it was smaller than the martens surrounding Minato's feet.

He couldn't help staring. It couldn't be helped a creature he'd thought was fictional had appeared right in front of him.

Standing beside the Sacred Turtle, it was easy to guess they were the same type of being. Its entire body was pearl-colored. However, this one had a strong blue tint. The sunlight pouring down from the autumn sky enhanced its beautiful shine.

The dragon seemed to have a conversation with the Sacred Turtle, then glanced at the camphor tree and turned its gaze toward the veranda. The mountain god, still lying down, waved one front paw slightly in the air.

"Do as you see fit."

That's what he was saying Minato, who had been around long enough, could tell.

Finally, the dragon looked at Minato. It was probably asking for permission.

"If the mountain god is giving permission, then please, go ahead?"

It nodded as if it understood, floated up gently, and approached the camphor tree. It circled around once. Its eyes glowed faintly, and its entire body emitted blue-silver light.

Soon, one of the countless sheep-like clouds floating in the high autumn sky descended silently.

About a meter above the top, a cloud large enough to cover the camphor tree stopped.

As Minato and the martens waiting near the back gate watched with wide eyes, the dragon's radiance increased and fine rain began falling from the cloud. The glowing dragon flew around and around the cloud. The rain would get stronger or weaker accordingly.

When Minato realized it was adjusting the rainfall, the camphor tree shook greatly...

WHOOSH! It shot up to nearly twice its height all at once.

"Whoa!!"

Ignoring the onlookers making noise below, it kept growing rapidly with sounds like rustling leaves and house settling. Chasing the sheep cloud that continued slowly ascending toward the sky, it grew high, high, stretching freely upward.

The trunk thickened visibly, branches extended, leaves multiplied. It grew massive both vertically and horizontally.

The Sacred Turtle beside the trembling Minato stretched his neck and opened and closed his mouth. Instantly, the camphor tree, which had grown to nearly twice the height of the roof, stopped growing completely. Only the ascending cloud continued on, returning to rejoin its companions.

What remained was a camphor tree that had grown magnificently enough to be called a great tree.

As if expressing joy, it shook its rounded, ball-shaped crown with a rustling sound.

The dragon, which had been flying overhead, approached Minato and the others, who stood there with their mouths agape in amazement. Its face was filled with the satisfaction of a job well done.

It landed beside the Sacred Turtle and looked at them expectantly.

"He says... he wants to live in the pond."

"Oh, yes. If it's okay with the turtle... please, go ahead."

Both Seri, who was translating, and Minato, who answered, were still in shock from what they'd witnessed. The responding dragon, with its long whiskers flowing gracefully, bowed deeply once again.

---

The new co-resident god, the responding dragon, liked wine. He seemed to be a bit of a problem drinker who flew around when drunk, and was now floating cheerfully around Minato during his evening relaxation. Holding a wine glass, floating gently without bumping into anything or anyone.

Pretty skillful, Minato thought admiringly. Thanks to the Sacred Turtle forcibly increasing his alcohol luck, lately he'd been receiving not just sake but wine too, and he'd been wondering what to do since he had no one to consume it with. Problem solved.

It was probably a welcoming gift from the Sacred Turtle to the responding dragon.

This also solved the mystery of the Sacred Turtle's suspected pond relocation. The side that had become just pebbles was apparently where the responding dragon would live it was consideration so the dragon could arrange his dwelling to his own taste.

The mountain god had told him earlier that the responding dragon had also been possessed by evil spirits for a long time. It was Harima's family crest on the gauntlet that had exorcised them, so apparently the dragon was quite grateful to Minato.

Though Minato thought Harima was probably the one who actually did the exorcising. Anyway, the Sacred Turtle and responding dragon got along very well, and the lonely pond had become lively, which was wonderful.

The mountain god remained unwavering in his exclusive devotion to Japanese sweets today as well. He was stuffing his cheeks with mitarashi dango for after-dinner dessert. Of course, it was piled high with sweet red bean paste. Just looking at it was enough to give you heartburn.

Minato, who had stretched his legs out below the veranda, wiped his hair with the towel on his head.

"I stayed in the bath too long. So hot."

"That's unusual. Usually you take quick showers like a crow's bath."

The mountain god, looking at Minato's red face, wasn't very good with foreign words. The way he spoke them a bit haltingly reminded Minato of his late grandfather, always bringing back nostalgic feelings.

"Just felt like it. At home, the hot spring was basically available twenty-four hours a day, and it's a hassle to run a bath just for myself."

"Do you miss the hot spring?"

"Well, somewhat. I didn't realize how differently it affects fatigue recovery until I left home."

Minato laughed as he talked about how their sulfur spring was effective for fatigue recovery.

Listening to this were the mountain god with mitarashi dango in his mouth, the small turtle guzzling sake from a large cup, and the dragon who had switched to a wine bottle and was drinking straight from it. Where Minato couldn't see, the gods quietly exchanged glances. 

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