Chapter 251: Shinomiya Kaguya Takes Action Too!
"Uwaa! We didn't even agree yet!"
.·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.
Smol-Kaguya burst into tears the moment she saw Yukima Azuma pluck the twin-flower.
In his palm—
A sweet fragrance, like a little cake, wafted from the twin-flower.
Yukima Azuma nodded.
As expected, it was this scent.
"Do you two have names?"
Ignoring their protests, Yukima Azuma asked.
"Hic, call me Star, and call her Lumine."
"We're not famous deities, we don't have any grand myths, so really, it doesn't matter what we're called."
૮(˶╥︿╥)ა
Smol-Kaguya answered.
The corner of Yukima Azuma's mouth twitched.
What's with these gacha game heroine names?
...
Stowing away the twin-flower, Yukima Azuma began descending the mountain.
Star and Lumine had no choice but to follow.
On the way down, Yukima Azuma casually fished for more information.
"When will the rescue team arrive?"
"Not sure, but there's a very high probability they'll come tomorrow or the day after."
"What happens if you leave your soul vessel?"
"It'd be like being a homeless wanderer. We wouldn't die right away, but it'd be miserable. Mostly, it'd be hard to gather spiritual energy."
"Spiritual energy?"
"Umu, a few months ago, spiritual energy suddenly started recovering, though very slowly. It's our only food source."
(っ˘ڡ˘ς)
Hearing that, Yukima Azuma raised an eyebrow.
A few months ago—
No matter how he thought about it, it had to be because of the Charlotte comet crash, right?
"If it fully recovers, how strong can you get?"
"Strong? Hard to say. Our power isn't meant for combat."
"Could you survive a nuclear bomb?"
"Definitely dead!"
"૮₍ ˶•⤙•˶ ₎ა
"You're that weak?"
"Gods have lives too, you know!"
Yukima Azuma let out an "Oh."
It seemed that despite calling themselves gods, Star, Lumine, and even the Itomori god—
were just supernatural beings with slightly special traits.
Their existence was indeed strange,
but that was all there was to it.
If someone wanted to stage a grand spiritual revival, overthrow modern society—
and have gods trample over humanity—
that was clearly impossible.
Even if they were immune to physical attacks—
they could still be taken down with energy-based saturation strikes.
As always, the ultimate question remained:
If you're a god, how many nuclear warheads can you withstand?
☢️ ☢️ ☢️ Σ(°△° ꪱꪱꪱ)
…
Bringing the twin-flower with him, Yukima Azuma returned to the cave.
Star and Lumine immediately retreated into the flower.
When Yukima Azuma arrived, he saw Shinomiya Kaguya waiting at the cave entrance.
Meanwhile, Shijo Maki was curled up in a corner, face buried against the wall—she looked like she was having an existential crisis.
; (◞‸◟)
"Azuma-kun, you're back! Where did you go just now?"
(❀´ ˘ `❀)
Shinomiya Kaguya greeted him with a bright smile, then curiously asked.
She had already noticed the pile of coconuts outside the cave.
Yukima Azuma had already gathered enough, so why had he gone out again?
"I climbed to the peak to survey the terrain a bit."
Yukima Azuma gave a half-truth.
The matter regarding Star and Lumine couldn't be shared with Shinomiya Kaguya or Shijo Maki.
Looking at the smile Shinomiya Kaguya gave him upon his return—
Yukima Azuma felt something indescribable.
Her feelings for him were undoubtedly sincere.
It was just that the process leading to those feelings had involved some… unusual coincidences.
Thinking about it carefully, doubting that Shinomiya Kaguya had truly fallen for him… would actually hurt her.
"What's wrong?" Shinomiya Kaguya keenly sensed Yukima Azuma's emotions.
( ╹ -╹)?
She asked, a little puzzled.
He shook his head, pushing aside his complicated thoughts.
"It's nothing." Yukima Azuma smiled. "The sky looks clearer. Maybe the rescue team will arrive tomorrow."
Hearing Yukima Azuma's confident prediction—
Shinomiya Kaguya only smiled.
"Umu, if that's the case, then that's great."
Her words carried a hint of insincerity, yet at the same time, they came from the depths of her heart.
Compared to the lavish grandeur of the Shinomiya family—
Shinomiya Kaguya realized that this cave somehow made her feel more at ease.
She even felt a slight reluctance to return.
Once she went back, she would once again become the Ojou-sama of the Shinomiya household.
She would once again become Princess Kaguya, the one destined to return to the moon.
But still, Shinomiya Kaguya truly hoped the rescue team would arrive soon.
She knew Yukima Azuma had to return quickly.
There were still people worrying about him.
Besides, he was usually busy, often having to request leaves of absence.
His time shouldn't be wasted on this deserted island.
"Well, tomorrow's worries can wait until tomorrow. For now, let's grill some fish."
Yukima Azuma said, picking up the nameless fish Shinomiya Kaguya had brought back.
The leftover coconut shells from earlier could now be repurposed as makeshift cooking pots.
Activating his special vision, Yukima Azuma skillfully prepared the ingredients.
Before long, the aroma of grilled fish filled the cave.
Shinomiya Kaguya sat by the fire, resting her chin on her hands, absentmindedly gazing at Yukima Azuma—
As if she wanted to etch this moment into her memory forever.
₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shijo Maki—who had just been sulking with her face against the wall—
Was also drawn back by the enticing smell.
But the moment she laid eyes on Yukima Azuma, she felt like she had suffered another wave of social death.
Avoiding eye contact, Shijo Maki didn't dare look directly at him.
(,,>﹏<,,)
To be honest, since they had no seasonings—
Even with his level-eight cooking skills, Yukima Azuma could only make the fish barely okay to eat.
It was still far from truly delicious.
Yet, the two girls ate heartily.
It somehow tasted even better than the lavish feasts at their homes.
Maybe it was because of the situation—or maybe because of the person who cooked it.
After dinner—
At first, the three of them planned to go for a stroll.
But as the sky darkened—
On this desolate island, where there was no trace of artificial light, nightfall meant absolute darkness—you couldn't even see your own fingers in front of you.
So, they gave up on the idea.
Lying down on a bed of dry leaves—
The three of them chatted about this and that.
At some point, their conversation slowly faded—
And silence settled in.
(* ´ ﹃｀*)ᶻ 𝗓 z Z
...
The next morning.
Gentle morning sunlight filtered into the cave,
Bringing with it a soft warmth.
Yukima Azuma drowsily opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt—was heaviness.
He looked down.
And found—
Two Bishoujo-shaped body pillows had suddenly appeared on top of him.
This time, it wasn't just Shijo Maki—
Even Shinomiya Kaguya had joined in.
One on each side, the two girls were sleeping soundly, their heads resting against Yukima Azuma's chest, like little kittens.
(❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ( •̀_•́ ) (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈❁)
Yukima Azuma turned his head slightly, checking their positions—
A question mark popped up in his mind.
Just how had these two managed to sleep in such a way—
That they ended up rolling onto him like this?
Thinking back to those two unreliable twin deities...
Yukima Azuma suspected this was yet another trick of theirs.
But whatever.
Things had already ended up this way anyway.
Yukima Azuma lay back down and closed his eyes.
Who knew how much time had passed—
When Shinomiya Kaguya and Shijo Maki gradually woke up.
The two of them lifted their heads, and then—
Their eyes met across Yukima Azuma's body.
ヽ(*^ｰ^)人(^ｰ^*)ノ