A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

"Who dropped this? It's so ugly... but it's ugly in a creative way."

The girl tilted her head and looked at it for a while.

This winged lion design, while not as destructive as her favorite monsters, is still passable as a trophy.

"If nobody wants it, then it's mine."

Without any hesitation, the girl grabbed one of Xiao Ke's legs and stuffed it into her backpack full of monster drawings. Then, humming an unknown tune, she continued searching for her next source of inspiration at the comic convention.

……

The other end of time and space.

Ten years ago, in the autumn of 2010.

Osaka Prefecture, deep in Minoh Mountain.

A slightly old bus was struggling to climb along the winding mountain road.

Inside the carriage, however, a completely different and lively scene unfolded.

"Teacher! Aren't we here yet?"

"I want some snacks!"

"Look at me! I brought the latest game console!"

A group of second-grade elementary school students in matching school uniforms were chattering excitedly, their joy almost lifting the roof off the car.

Except for the corner by the window in the last row.

Seven-year-old Michiyo Urushihara curled up into a tiny ball.

She clutched her enormous backpack to her chest like a frightened hamster.

Her long, pink hair was draped messily over her shoulders, obscuring half her face, leaving only one timid eye peeking out as she watched the scenery rushing past the window.

She dared not speak, nor did she dare join the discussion of the students in front of her.

Even if she accidentally makes eye contact with someone, she will immediately lower her head as if she has been electrocuted, her face turning as red as a ripe apple, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"I want to go home..."

Michiyo Urushihara muttered to herself, her fingers nervously twisting the strap of her schoolbag.

Being surrounded by crowds felt like torture to her.

If she could, she really wished she could suddenly turn into thin air and disappear like in the cartoons.

Just as she was lost in thought, she caught a glimpse of an unusual light out of the corner of her eye.

"Boom--!"

A sudden, loud bang came from the sky above.

It wasn't thunder, nor the roar of airplanes.

That was a sonic boom produced by some object cutting through the atmosphere at high speed.

The noise in the carriage fell silent for a second, and all the children instinctively looked up.

Michiyo also raised her head.

Through the somewhat blurry car window, she saw a scene she would never forget.

In the unreal, deep blue sky, a blinding light was rapidly falling.

Then, trailing a long tail of flame, it plunged fiercely into the lush, green forest in the distance.

The light was so bright, almost blinding, that it even outshone the midday sun.

Wow! It's a shooting star!

Are there shooting stars during the day?

"Liar! That must be a god who fell down!"

The children's exclamations instantly erupted.

Chiyo Komi's eyes widened, and she even forgot her social anxiety instincts, pressing her entire body against the car window.

meteor?

Was that a shooting star?

But Mom said that shooting stars only appear at night.

Why do stars sometimes fall during the day?

"boom--"

Although it was far away, the vibrations from the object hitting the ground still traveled through the air.

The bus swayed slightly, and the driver in front muttered "damn road conditions" under his breath, but didn't pay any attention.

But Chiyo saw it.

The star fell into the valley ahead.

The rising smoke and dust resembled a small mushroom cloud.

In that instant, a strange impulse suddenly surged within the young girl.

"If only... I could fly like that star, without a care in the world."

She pressed her forehead against the cold glass, looked in that direction, and muttered something under her breath.

A dozen minutes later, the bus stopped in front of a dilapidated wooden torii gate.

The female teacher leading the group waved a small flag like a farmer herding ducks, shooing the overly excited elementary school students off the bus.

"Everyone line up! Stay close to the teacher! The mountain paths here are very complicated, and there are wild boars around, so you absolutely cannot wander off! Do you understand?"

"I heard you—!"

The unified response echoed through the valley.

"Welcome to our village."

The village chief, a white-bearded old man, looked at the group of children from the city with a smile. His smile was hospitable, but it also carried an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Although this place is remote, it is a blessed place favored by the mountain gods. I hope everyone can spend an unforgettable afternoon here."

Michiyo huddled at the back of the line. For some reason, she felt the air here was even more suffocating than inside the car.

She instinctively turned around and looked in the direction of the deep mountain where the meteor had fallen.

That place doesn't seem to be far from this village.

……

at the same time.

Deep in the mountains, about one kilometer from the village.

"Cough cough..."

Kazama Chiba climbed out of the center of a huge meteorite crater.

He felt as if all the bones in his body had been broken and reconnected, and the soreness made him grimace.

The revolving lantern showed him himself crying as an infant, the old town of Kamisui City before it turned into ruins, and even Eriri, wearing a kindergarten uniform and pointing at him with a haughty expression.

"Damn Kaguya... I'm going to get back and blow you up with Cthulhu!"

Kazama Chiba cursed Kaguya's ancestors for eighteen generations in her mind (if it was created by Clow Reed, then she would probably have to curse Clow Reed).

Fortunately, he is not seriously injured.

Thankfully, a cushioning layer was created at the last minute before landing using a film board.

The first thing to do after that was to check the equipment.

Although his clothes were torn in several places, making him look a bit disheveled, at least they were still covering him up.

Kazama Chiba pulled the sealed book out of that equally weathered backpack.

When he opened the cover and saw the unharmed rat talisman inside, his heart finally settled down.

As long as he doesn't lose this core cheat, even if he's thrown onto Mars, he's confident he can find a way to survive.

But where is this place?

Qianyu stood up and looked around.

"Where did I get here? Is this still in China?"

The density of the vegetation and the humidity in the air made it seem more like some kind of deep mountain forest.

And it's too quiet.

Apart from the occasional birdsong, there was almost no noise from modern civilization.

Qianyu took out her phone.

The screen displays "No Service".

The time display still shows that it was the Saturday of that comic convention.

"Passed through?"

Chapter 68 Searching for the Source of Magic

Qianyu looked at the growth status of the surrounding vegetation.

The air was fresh, with no smell of industrial waste. The soil underfoot was soft and showed no signs of human activity.

This is definitely not Shenshui City in 2025.

"Hey, Xiao Ke, stop pretending to be dead, look where we are!"

"..."

The only response he received was the howling wind in the mountains and the calls of unknown birds in the distance.

Qianyu paused for a moment, then turned to look at her shoulder.