Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Kuroba Akira asked the question casually, as if it were a normal topic.

Grandma Kobayashi took a sip of tea and then calmly acknowledged it.

"know."

This time, Kuroba Akira didn't press her for details about why she hadn't told him sooner.

The real reason wasn't that Kuroba Akira didn't ask, but rather that she thought Kuroba Akira 'didn't need to know,' or 'knowing wouldn't change anything.'

"Do you know which god gave me these abilities?"

"Didn't you already know that in your heart?"

"It really is Kuro-Tai..."

"Otherwise what? You've already been to its shrine, haven't you? And you even picked up a beautiful woman."

"..."

So the reason the black-tailed creature looks like a human is because it's a god.

"Was the old man also an agent of the gods during his lifetime?"

"You could say it is, or you could say it isn't."

"Huh? What does that mean? Why is it still so ambiguous?"

"Kuroo chose my husband, but my husband has never acknowledged the identity of the agent because he does not believe in God. He is a complete atheist, or rather, he believes that the gods in this world are nothing more than a 'natural phenomenon'."

"...I can understand, after all, in our original world, God was a concept that was created by people."

Who would have thought that gods actually exist in this world?

"So my wife has never used the abilities bestowed by the gods."

"This is amazing..."

Having a cheat code but not using it, yet still managing to change history—what a magnificent feat!

Although Kuroba Akira had always admired Kobayashi's grandfather, this time traveler, he now wanted to worship him.

However, at this moment, Akira Kuroba suddenly thought of Fuyumi Saotome's eyes. If the agent does not use his ability, he will be punished!

"Wait a minute, Grandpa Kobayashi never used his powers, so wasn't he punished by the gods?"

"You received it? How could you not receive it? He left before me, didn't he? What a heartless man..."

Grandma Kobayashi looked resentful, which made Kuroba Akira's eyes twitch.

"Uh...didn't Grandpa Lin die peacefully in his sleep...? Is this considered punishment?"

"Alright, I'm too lazy to tease you anymore. My husband didn't get punished, but only because he had no reason to be punished."

"Useless ability? Doesn't that count?"

“I don’t know who told you about the gods, but that’s not accurate. You’ve misunderstood the conditions for punishment. It’s not that you’ll be punished by the gods if you don’t use your powers. It’s only when an agent ‘refuses to gather faith for the gods’ or ‘uses their powers in violation of the gods’ beliefs’ that they will be punished.”

After explaining the more precise conditions of punishment, Granny Kobayashi turned around and explained.

“My husband just ‘never used divine power,’ he did not violate either of these two conditions.”

"How did they gather faith without ever using their abilities?"

"Then I'll ask you in return, Bai Zi, what do you think faith is?"

"A heart that believes..."

That's my magic.

What.

Although it sounds very idealistic, like increasing strength through anger or momentum, which is very unreliable, aren't gods very idealistic beings?

"Break it down and it's 'trust' and 'admiration.' To put it bluntly, as long as the agent can gain people's feelings, then he is gathering faith for the gods."

"So casual... as long as you have faith, it doesn't matter where it comes from?"

Indeed, when I talked to Fuyumi Saotome, I said that even the beliefs of evil people are beliefs, and as long as the agent does not violate the God's principles, how they use their abilities is allowed.

Perhaps some gods gather faith by having their agents do bad things.

For example... a god of mischief or something, if that exists.

"Ultimately, God is the embodiment of human faith. Although the essence of His existence has not yet been explained, existence is justified. God also follows objective laws, just as humans are driven by self-interest, while God is driven by faith."

This is similar to what Fuyumi Saotome said, that God is actually similar to capital.

It seems that most of those who know about the existence of gods understand the true nature of gods, so they are less likely to blindly believe in them.

At this point, Grandma Lin gave a slightly guilty, bitter smile.

"My wife and Kuroo had a good relationship, but... something happened later... It wasn't really my wife's intention, but in the end, Kuroo was really harmed by my wife."

"Why do you say that? Although he didn't use his abilities, didn't the old man still help Black Tail gather faith? And it should be a fairly large amount of faith, right?"

"Bai Zi, why don't you think about this again? If Kurowei really had a huge amount of faith, why would he ask you to be his agent?"

"what……"

Grandma Kobayashi's words stunned Kuroba Akira.

That's true.

If Kuroo really gained a lot of faith, then there would be no need for Kuroba Akira, the 'second generation'.

"So, Black Tail didn't gain faith? Why?"

"Because my wife died."

"Uh... if the agent dies, does faith disappear?"

"No, that's not it. It's just that my husband is special. He didn't gather faith through the power bestowed by the gods, so the other people don't worship the gods, but my husband."

"I see... For Blacktail, it's like a chick trying to hatch ducks, all for nothing."

"And that's not all..."

Grandma Xiaolin frowned, revealing the most serious expression she had ever shown, and even the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes seemed to deepen.

But in the end, she just shook her head and didn't continue.

"Forget it, we don't know how this will turn out yet. Let's wait until things settle down before making a decision."

"Alright... Grandma Lin, there's one more thing I want to ask you. If you know the answer, I hope you'll tell me..."

"You tell me first."

"So it was us... Grandpa Lin, me, Miss Hongxiang, and Mr. Yong, were we all brought here by Heiwei?"

"Yes."

"That……"

I know what you want to ask.

Grandma Kobayashi cut off Kuroba Akira's words, giving him the answer before he could finish his question.

“My husband used to worry about this as much as you have. He tried many methods, but in the end, when he realized there was no hope, he chose to marry me. I took advantage of his vulnerability when he was most hurt, rather than keeping him by my side through love... So, Bai Zi, do you understand what I mean?”

After hearing this, Kuroba Akira covered his mouth and remained silent for a long time before raising his head again after composing himself.

"……Understood."

Grandma Xiaolin's meaning was already very clear.

The fact that this time travel is related to the gods and Black Tail has been confirmed.

However, it seems that one can only 'pass through' and cannot 'go backward'...

Shiraha Akira can only continue to be Kuroha Akira.

He can never go back.

Chapter 270 Can she really turn into a catgirl?

As the mystery of the time travel was solved, Kuroba Akira's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

But Akira Kuroba still couldn't accept this fact and didn't understand it at all.

If they were able to travel through time, why can't they go back? That doesn't make sense.

"Please accept my condolences, Yuming. I know it must be very difficult for you to accept this..."

Grandma Xiaolin rarely called him by his real name, and her tone was very gentle, because she knew that Bai Yuming must be very sad right now.

Her man also shed tears for this; it was the first time she realized that this strong, upright man also had such a vulnerable side.

It was after witnessing that scene that Kobayashi Mika decided to spend her life with him, to comfort his soul, and to give him a new home in this world.

Although Kuroba Akira seems like a carefree, irresponsible young man, he definitely wants to go back.

He must want to go home.

This is not just Grandma Kobayashi's wishful thinking, because that is the actual 'condition'.

She also wanted to tell Kuroba Akira the terms so that he could let it go.

"I can briefly explain to you why you can't go back, Bai Zi. Do you want to hear it?"

“Mother-in-law, you even know this? If you do, of course I’ll listen.”

"Yes, my husband and I investigated together... Actually, after he turned fifty, he stopped interfering in the affairs of the public. After that, he began to study folklore and mysticism, mainly to explore the Black Tail, which is about the nature and origin of the gods."

"But the old man clearly doesn't believe in God, right?"

"It is precisely because of disbelief that he wants to deconstruct the gods. For example, how many people's faith is needed for a god to be born? And is it related to the type of faith, the time, place, and people who believe in the faith? What are the conditions for a god to have a physical body, etc.? He wants to understand these things."

This spirit of seeking truth and being pragmatic is truly worthy of the Chinese people.

“I understand… I also want to understand, but it seems I’m lucky. I don’t need to investigate myself; I just need to listen to you, Grandma, tell me.”

Kuroba Akira's descendant is reaping the benefits again.

Grandpa Kobayashi's greatness needs no further explanation.

"After further investigation, we learned that Kuroo was originally a deity from Shikoku. However, because the myths and legends about him were also related to Takamagahara, the modern emperor established a branch shrine for him in Chiyoda."

"Shikoku Island?"