Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"I might not even be able to become a small animal. It seems that I don't have the ability to possess small animals. After all, I am a human and have nothing to do with other animals. The legends surrounding me are still too shallow."

As expected of Mr. Kobayashi, his adaptability and comprehension are exceptional.

There was no need for explanation; he figured out the whole story on his own and was even analyzing and comprehending the new changes that came after becoming a god.

"Thank you, Kuroo, you saved me again. Now I owe you two lives... I'm so ashamed. You've helped me so much, yet I haven't fulfilled my duties as your agent..."

What's even more awkward is that now Kobayashi has also become a god. In other words, he and Kuroo have become rivals, and he rose to power by taking over Kuroo's shrine.

"Fine, fine, I'm magnanimous, I won't hold it against you, meow. Besides, you've already arranged the strongest agent for me, meow!"

Blacktail jumped onto Kuroba Akira's shoulder with a show of smugness, its paws resting on his head.

That's when you become the strongest agent... Speaking of which, what's the plan?

Could it be that Kuroo's selection of him was also related to Mr. Kobayashi?

But this must be the first time I've met Mr. Kobayashi, right?

Mr. Kobayashi's reaction also confirmed this.

"I knew it! I was just thinking that. You must be a fellow countryman from the same world as me."

"Yes, my name is Bai Yuming."

"Very good……"

"Yes?"

Young Kobayashi looked at Kuroba Akira with a relieved smile.

"Although after I found out the name and powers of the Black Tail, I knew that the Underworld was another world, but I still had a doubt in my heart. I wondered if my past life was just a dream, rather than a real experience, because I never saw any other compatriots until I died."

"Old Master Lin..."

"So, Yuming, can you tell me, in your time, is your motherland still standing?"

"Huh? Still alive?"

"I didn't get to see the founding of our motherland; that was the biggest regret of my past life."

So that's how it is; he fell just before dawn...

"Yes, it is not only alive, but also thriving."

Although Akira Kuroba himself died from overwork, the lives of Akane and Uncle Yu were also filled with misfortune.

However, one cannot judge an era based on the misfortunes of individuals.

"Don't give me fancy words. Let's be realistic. I know that even if the motherland is established, there will still be many problems and many struggles. Otherwise, you wouldn't have died young and come into this world."

"Problems will always exist, but people like you will also continue to emerge who solve problems."

"Yes... haha, you're absolutely right, just keep going... just keep going..."

A relieved smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, and he sighed softly, a sigh that contained both relief and a touch of indescribable emotion.

At that moment, Kuroba Akira saw in the boy the shadow of the old man who was worried about his country and its people.

Even after becoming a god, he still cared deeply for his motherland.

Immersed in the hard-won sense of satisfaction, Mr. Kobayashi stood quietly for a while before coming to his senses and thanking the last person.

“Kishida Himeko, I don’t know if you still remember me. I look very different back then, but I have met you once before.”

Amane Hikaru stared at the boy's face, frowning as if searching her memory, but finally spoke.

"...I don't remember."

"Really? It's been 'upgraded'... Anyway, thank you for your hard work in helping me."

"Chen said it's to repay your past kindness."

"Tian Yuchen... It seems he succeeded."

Then, as if he had thought of something, Grandpa Kobayashi looked at Kuroba Akira with a strange expression and said...

"By the way, you just said your name is Bai Yuming, right? So, could it be that your current surname is... something like Yu?"

"Yes, my name in this world is Kuroba Akira."

"It's Kuroba!"

This was the first time Grandpa Kobayashi had shown such surprise since his resurrection.

Kuroba Akira was also very puzzled. Was it something extraordinary that he was called Kuroba?

"Uh... In this world, my surname is indeed Kuroba. Is there a problem? Uncle Faquan had the same reaction as you just now..."

Grandpa Lin immediately turned to ask Uncle Faquan, who was smiling.

"Legal rights, have you investigated this?"

"Yes, teacher, this is the butterfly effect! Your advice to the Tianyu family eventually brought him to stand before you, but in essence, he has become one of your brethren. Isn't that a wonderful fate?"

As Tomita Hogen's tone grew increasingly impassioned, Kobayashi Tokuman also shook his head and sighed.

"This is really, this is really..."

Kuroba Akira narrowed his eyes and asked.

"So, can you two tell me what Kuroba really means? Ms. Niwa, whom I know, told me that Kuroba is a non-existent surname. What does that mean?"

"Hmm...is it not a good idea to give away spoilers now? Why don't you investigate it yourself?"

Who has the time for that? All I want to know right now is if my parents are still alive!

"Please tell me the truth! I'm really worried about my parents..."

"Oh, if it's your parents, I think you don't need to worry. Since the Tianyu family decided to exile you, they must have given your parents a large sum of compensation."

"..."

Good grief, are they selling their son?

Well, it's alright then, at least I've fulfilled my filial duty...

"However, your parents were definitely not willing either. If anything, it's my fault for forcing you to separate from your parents."

"Hmm? This is related to you too?"

"This brings us to the origins of the Tianyu family's beliefs. It's actually a closely guarded secret of the Tianyu family, but it shouldn't hurt to tell you about it."

"This junior is all ears!"

Kuroba Akira was very excited.

Will I finally find out about my origins?

This is the best New Year's gift ever!

"In fact, the Amamiya family worships not only Kushinada-hime, but also another deity."

"Oh? Is it Susanoo?"

After all, in mythology, Kushinada-hime and Susanoo were husband and wife.

"No, it's a giant snake."

"Huh? A giant serpent? Could it be Yamata no Orochi?!"

No, are there still people who worship snakes?!

It's kind of strange, considering there's also Quetzalcoatl and such...

But isn't Yamata no Orochi a man-eating monster? Why would anyone worship a monster?

“Fear is also a kind of faith, Kuroba-kun.”

Grandpa Kobayashi has started calling him Kuroba-kun.

"Ah... I see. But how did it come to be passed down? According to mythology, the Yamata no Orochi is a 'monster that has already been slain', right?"

"That's right, but according to folklore, a giant snake's head 'survived'."

"Uh……"

Isn't this just fan-made content?

It seems that fan fiction is indeed a part of Japanese culture since ancient times.

"Actually, it's also a variant of our mythology. You must have heard of the myth of Hou Yi shooting down the suns, right? Ten suns appeared at the same time, and he shot down nine of them. The remaining one became the sun in the sky. The same goes for the Yamata no Orochi. According to folklore, one of the eight heads that were cut off... resided in the body of a priestess."

"A shrine maiden, isn't that...?"

"That's right. According to local legend in Sapporo, the rescued Kushinada-hime has become one with the giant serpent, so Kushinada-hime's divinity has two sides, the other side being the giant serpent."

"...!"

"If we examine the history, it is probably that when the myths of the Yamato people were passed down to the Ainu people, the indigenous people of the north, they merged with the snake god Wei in the Ainu myths, and a completely new version was born, which took root in the local area and became a belief."

Ethnic integration leading to religious integration... resulted in the creation of Janus!

"Later, in order to 'protect' the priestess and 'suppress' the serpent, the 'Ame-no-Habakiri' family came into being. Ame-no-Habakiri is the sword used to slay the serpent... You should know that, right?"

"Yes……"

"The Amamiya family and its branch families have been passing down the faith of Kushinada-hime through bloodline for generations. However, because the faith of Orochi was mixed in, when Kushinada-hime's faith weakened, Orochi was born. When Orochi descends as a god, it will bring calamity to the human world... The head of the Amamiya family serves as the 'executioner,' secretly executing the host of Orochi by giving him the surname Kuroba."

"Uh!"

Kill his own blood relative!

Now Kuroba understood. No wonder Miss Niwa said that Kuroba was a non-existent surname... because they've all kicked the bucket!

"Wait, then why am I still alive?"

Kobayashi Tokuman said with a look of reminiscence.

"This is my suggestion. I visited the Amau family before I died and learned about their secret. I felt that no matter how righteous the reason, executing them in private was too inhumane. So I gave a suggestion... that is to let Princess Kushinada and Orochi 'descend at the same time'."

"They will arrive simultaneously!"

"Based on my experience, I taught them how to artificially intervene in a séance. By selecting a pair of brothers and sisters in advance, two gods who cannot appear at the same time can appear together."

"But even if they arrived together... wait! I know! It's a symbiotic relationship!"

Because we are brothers and sisters, we have a spiritual connection!