I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Perhaps in her eyes, the steel and concrete structures that only appeared on black and white televisions were the symbol of big cities.

So why should I agree to take her along?

Higashino Akira sat quietly, watching her excitement, and shook his head.

The other passengers in the carriage looked at the innocent and lovely girl with kind eyes and smiled. Futaba blushed a little shyly and got off her seat to sit properly. Feeling a little uneasy, she gently hugged Dai Futaba's arm.

……

Okugome, Chaihime Shrine.

Higashino Akira met the old man who was still middle-aged.

The old man was surprised and delighted to see him, or rather, to see his second uncle.

"It's Futaba. It's been a few years. This is your daughter. She's such a lovely little girl."

Upon hearing this, Futaba, who was living inside Mitsuha, proudly puffed out her chest, showing no embarrassment whatsoever, which amused the old man greatly.

"Her name is Mitsuha. She insisted on coming along this time, so we brought her with us."

"By the way, how is Nagi's child? Has anything unexpected happened to him over the years?"

"Xiao Ming is fine. Since his spiritual light was damaged and he lost the possibility of having spiritual power, he became an ordinary person. Those ghosts and gods no longer kept an eye on him, and he has been safe and sound as a result."

Tormented by illness, Higashino Akira instinctively coughed twice. Seeing his condition, the old man looked guilty.

"In the end, it was Nagi who dragged you down with what happened back then."

Akira Higashino was silent for a moment, looking at his younger self surrounded by a group of little girls not far away, and shook his head.

"She made me who I am."

The old man looked at the familiar expression and rhythm of the young woman's voice, and suddenly his eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

He stared at the woman before him for a long time, until she led her daughter down the mountain. He couldn't shake off the feeling, and many words lingered on his lips but remained unspoken.

It was already evening in Tokyo.

Akira Higashino brought Futaba here, he really brought her to a big city, and took her to an amusement park.

I quietly accompanied her throughout the entire trip.

Looking at her young, innocent, and easily satisfied figure, his eyes held a complex expression.

Without her, Futaba would die young from illness. With her, she would also become good friends with Nagi Amane, and in helping Nagi Amane, she would fight against demons and spirits, get injured, develop a chronic illness, and die young.

The big city she mentioned during the first exchange was the one I took her to during the third exchange.

His birth was inseparable from her helping hand.

If she hadn't projected her consciousness onto Futaba, she wouldn't have gone to the school outside of Itomori, wouldn't have had the money to go to university, and wouldn't have become friends with Amamiya.

She didn't become friends with Megumi, so she wouldn't form a bond with him, and he wouldn't be able to activate her ability to project her consciousness onto him.

Akira Higashino pondered, "Has he changed anything?"

There should be some; after all, he did so much, and the deductions should be reasonable.

But has it really changed?

It seems that everything he did, and the changes he caused, were part of the trajectory that was meant to exist, simply putting everything back on track.

In the end, it all came back to the starting point. Everything was like a circle; no matter how much it swayed, it eventually completed the closed loop again.

They took nothing with them except memories, and left nothing behind except their footsteps.

Nighttime, in the hotel.

Exhausted from playing all day, Miyamizu Futaba lay on the bed, looking intently at her grown-up self, and asked curiously.

"Are you really a deity?"

"Yes."

Would you like some kuchizake (chewed sake)?

"I don't eat little girls' saliva."

"Does the deity need someone to help you tie knots?"

"Need not."

"That's wonderful!" The little girl knelt on the bed with a serious expression. "Then, shall I be the priestess of the god?"

"No."

"Ugh! Why..."

"I already have a shrine maiden, and I don't like kids who go to bed all day without showering and are all dirty."

The little girl, her face flushed, jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom. A shy voice came from inside, "Gods are so annoying!"

Akira Higashino sneered, "As if I need your approval."

"And I hate you too, you idiot."

Higashino Akira walked over, took out his phone, and called Miyamizu Ichiyo. Then the night outside the window grew darker and darker until darkness completely engulfed him.

[27 views]

[Emperor: Akira Higashino]

[Spirit: 12]

[Constitution: 6]

[4.2 views]

Opening his eyes from the bed, Akira Higashino took out his phone and searched for news related to Itomori.

Seeing the miraculous incident a few years ago when Itomori was hit by a falling meteor, and how the shrine maiden of Miyamizu Shrine gave an advance warning, resulting in an orderly evacuation without any casualties.

There was also the recent announcement that Yunmeng Group raised funds to buy land in Itomori at a low price, promising to rebuild the long-abandoned town of Itomori so that local residents could return to their homeland, and that they would gradually promote related music and film and television projects to promote the local tourism industry.

After a moment of silence, he put his phone down again and pulled the blanket over his head.

My glycosides

That was something he painstakingly built up over a long period of time by gradually creating a harem and sleeping with anime/manga characters.

Heartache.

I must seek comfort from Sahiro's mother before I go today!

The doorbell kept ringing at the door, but Higashino Akira was fast asleep when Toyokawa Shoko, annoyed to no end, came over with a cat-like gait and gave him a hard push on the head.

"Who is it!"

He flung open the door, and there stood a woman who looked vaguely familiar, bearing a resemblance to someone he had known before.

"Um... um, I am Miyamizu Mitsuha, a shrine maiden here to take up a post with the god. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

Higashino Akira took off his slippers and kicked her in the butt.

"Stop pretending! You're clearly Miyamizu Futaba, your motherly aura is practically ingrained!"

How dare you act like a young girl in front of me? You're completely disregarding the experiences you had during your time working at Dawa!

"Eek!!!"

"Was it discovered from this angle? Although it's not that I can't be a mother, I can't say that to Mitsuha, she's still a genuine innocent girl, hehe."

You're just being cheeky.

What kind of psychologically aged, thirty-something little devil is this?

If she hadn't died, she'd be in her fifties and a grandmother by now. Why are you trying to act young with me?

Seeing that Higashino Akira didn't speak, Miyamizu Futaba pulled out a photo. The photo showed a young woman holding a sleeping baby, mischievously teasing the baby's little sparrow.

"Well, according to seniority, some deity might even have to call me 'Auntie'."

"She was so cute when she was little, but now she doesn't even recognize her aunt. Waaah... Is this what it means for a child to go through a rebellious phase?"

Akira Higashino: What the hell!

This is some kind of embarrassing history that was secretly filmed. I don't even remember when it happened. A fifty-year-old woman took advantage of my youth and weakness and openly played with my penis!

Higashino remained outwardly calm, then, taking advantage of the woman's sudden outburst, decisively snatched the photo and tore it to shreds.

A sneak attack!

With a wicked grin, Miyamizu Futaba pulled out more photos from her pocket, spread them out in a fan shape, and held them in her two hands to show him the composure of an old veteran and the rich spoils of war.

Akira Higashino felt his fist harden!

He immediately started fighting with her, or rather, he was unilaterally taking her down, pinning her to his lap and brutally hitting her taillights.

Then I listened as she went from laughing mockingly to slowly falling silent, her face turning red.

Higashino Akira paused for a moment, then stopped.

The other person, her face flushed, stood up quietly to the side, not daring to look at him.

"Mitsuba?"

Akira Higashino asked a tentative question.

The woman nodded slightly. "Mm."

"You just now?"

With a blush, Mitsuha Miyamizu took out a thick stack of documents from her bag. "These are various financial statements and business directories, as well as some documents that require your signature. Minister Zhuge asked me to deliver them to you."

Where is Futaba?

"Mom has changed back."

"So, you were fully conscious and observing the whole time she was there?"

Miyamizu Mitsuha blushed and answered shyly.

Akira Higashino's expression fell.

The woman, Futaba Miyamizu, was the most cunning. Knowing she was going to get beaten up, she died early so that the dignified founding emperor and pantheon god, Akira Higashino, would feel like he owed her something. In the end, she used her daughter's body to repeatedly provoke him, betting that he would suffer without lifting a finger, but if he did, she would throw her daughter out to suffer. After all that, she even found a powerful backer for her daughter.

That's really asking for a beating!

I shouldn't have taken her to the amusement park when she was still conscious. What's the point of a child playing there? There will be plenty of time to play later. That money should have been saved to buy her a bunch of tutoring homework, and let her pick a bamboo stick she likes to get a beating.

...............................

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P.S.: 3000 words, still 23.5 chapters needed.

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Chapter 60 Hino Zoo

"What is your position in the company?"

"She was originally in the sales department, but today her supervisor transferred her to be the president's secretary."

"Did you get scolded by that supervisor?"

Miyamizu Mitsuha nodded awkwardly.

Higashino Akira understood. The one who controlled Mitsuba just now was the middle school version of Futaba. No wonder she was such a little brat. But how could a middle school student have such a strong maternal scent?

Is it because she knows she will have a daughter in the future that her maternal instincts overflow?

Moreover, this woman is really tight-lipped!

The notes I took on the way back didn't reveal a single word; they've been keeping it all waiting for me!

After glancing at the recent business situation of Yunmeng Group, I signed the documents that needed to be signed and sent Mitsuha Miyamizu, who always seemed a bit reserved when she was with me, back to the company to be alone in her room.

Akira Higashino took out his phone and sent a message to Saki Kawasaki before turning around and going into the bathroom to wash up.

Early in the morning, Akira Higashino took a car to pick up Saki Kawasaki, and then drove straight to Hino Zoo, the place that Shoko said was most likely to have caused her to become like this.

Higashino Akira had actually sent Kunu Lu and even contacted Xiao Yexiao to investigate, but neither Kunu Lu's professional skills nor Xiao Yexiao's psychic abilities could find anything unusual here.

In the end, only Higashino Akira could come and take a look. If he also couldn't find anything unusual, then it could only mean that Shoko's deduction was wrong, or that the anomaly here was too great, far beyond their capabilities, and they couldn't solve it. They could only wait and see if there was a chance to help Shoko turn back into human form in the future.

Bringing Kawasaki Saki along is perfectly fine, because the zoo is exactly as normal as it looks. It operates almost every day with plenty of visitors, and I haven't heard of anyone having an accident there.