Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Although Kuroba Akira couldn't see the level of her acting proficiency, it was definitely already at a very high level, no less than Shion's.

If Ziyin is a genius of the instinct school, then she is a talent of the theoretical school, and not much worse than a genius.

Even geniuses can sometimes overdraw their talents, and then they will encounter huge bottlenecks and find it difficult to make any progress.

This is often when ordinary people who have been accumulating experience step by step can overtake others, and when experience surpasses talent, because the setbacks they have experienced are not even in the same league.

"Why are you praising me like that? Even if you do, I won't look at you any differently."

"What I mean is, since even someone like you has racked your brains and tried every method but still failed, is it possible that the reason Kikuhime ordered her not to see you is not because she didn't want to see you, but because she 'couldn't see you'?"

"How could that be? Kikuri is a deity with abundant faith, and the only reason she doesn't like to appear in public is because she's shy. Knowing her as I do, she has no reason to..."

Kuroba Akira interrupted her and asked.

"You know enough about Kikuhime's fate, but do you know about the other gods? And how much do you know about the relationships between gods?"

"...What do you mean? What does this have to do with other gods?"

Lan Yi looked confused.

"Because gods are very similar to humans, they also have emotions. So there are also grudges and affections between gods. For example, the god in my house particularly hates Inari God. She always has to say something to insult him. If she had the chance to kick him when he's down, she would probably definitely kick him hard and humiliate him again."

"So what... huh?"

"Finally realized it? Let me use my situation as an example. The reason I wanted to use you as a shield is because I'm afraid that in an extreme situation, they might lock me in the basement and never let me see the light of day again..."

"You mean, Kikuri has been imprisoned by other gods?"

"I'm just saying that it's possible, and you can't rule out that possibility, can you?"

"...!!!"

Chapter 443 Kuroba Akira's Guardian

Tsukimi Rimi suddenly understood.

She only considered this a problem between herself and Kikuri, without considering that it might be caused by other gods.

This is indeed a blind spot in thinking.

“Besides that, I’ve thought of other possibilities.”

"Other...possibilities?"

"Because it's said that Kikurihime was harmed by other gods, I don't think it's very likely. After all, most gods are immortal beings, they can't be killed, they can only wait for time to wear down their divine status, so just locking them up doesn't make much sense, and there's no way to directly plunder their faith... Besides, if Kikurihime really was harmed, Inari God would definitely know, right? Unless she has a particularly twisted sense of humor, she should have told you through Myo-senpai a long time ago."

"Well……"

Tsukimi Ran was completely stunned. She had thought that was the case and was determined to rescue Kikuri no matter what, but now her hope had been extinguished.

But this time she did not despair. Instead, she looked at Kuroba Akira and waited for him to continue explaining other possibilities.

"According to you, Kikurihime is the deity who governs marriage, right?"

"That's right, any wishes related to meeting, parting, or repairing relationships will be conveyed to Kikuri."

"In other words, she has more marriage prospects than anyone else, is that a fair interpretation?"

"……Um?"

"Look, regardless of whether we've met her in person or not, if every wish for a marriage is conveyed to her, it means that everyone who makes a wish has a 'divine and believer' connection with her. Isn't that right?"

"That should be right... However, because I am her agent, and my abilities are borrowed from her, I can't see the connections between Kikuri and others, only the connection between her and me. And that connection is practically broken; it hasn't changed since the day we parted..."

When she said this, Tsukimi Rii was clearly very disappointed.

Every day when she woke up, she hoped that the thread would regain its vitality and grow thick enough to allow her to meet Kikuri again, but no matter how famous she became or how much faith she transmitted, the thread remained unchanged.

This cycle repeated itself, and her expectations gradually turned into disappointment, constantly undermining her confidence.

However, Tsukimi Ryou is not one to give up easily; on the contrary, she becomes more courageous with each setback. But this also makes her 'blindly' stubborn, unable to think outside the box and unable to see other possibilities.

"This is very unreasonable. If Kikurihime ordered her to continue working, shouldn't only your line be left idle?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, Senior Sister Miao also said that although her Inari God is already the richest person in the God Realm, he is so busy that he has no time to relax and always complains to Senior Sister Miao, right?"

"So what if it is? What's the connection between these two things?"

Tsukimi Ryoui frowned. She felt that Kuroba Akira was talking nonsense and didn't get to the point at all. She was getting a little impatient.

"Exactly, Inari is now the most worshipped deity, so why not just ignore these annoying wishes or deal with them casually? Why doesn't she do that?"

Following Kuroba Akira's question, Tsukimi Rii naturally figured out the reason.

"That's because it's impossible. Gods themselves must also have some kind of inviolable rules, so humans can use power to 'bind' the gods. The former emperor must have done that."

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. I think it’s also related to karma. Even gods are bound by karma.”

Karma should exist in any sentient being, including deities, and it should be far stronger than the karma in humans.

Humans can choose to do something, but for the gods, fulfilling human desires is something that must be done.

"Very good, you're starting to open up your thinking. So, if Inari God is like this, then Kikurihime's fate should be the same, right?"

"……what!"

Indeed, even that incredibly lazy fox has to work diligently, so the hardworking Kikuri certainly couldn't ignore the believers' wishes.

But...and then what?

Tsukimi Rimi has a constipated feeling, like she's almost figured things out but is just missing that little bit of inspiration.

She then stared at Kuroba Akira again, knowing that he must have thought of something, which was why he had steered the conversation here.

Kuroba Akira didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly stated his thoughts.

"So, putting aside your role as an agent, your desire to see Kikuhime again is itself a wish, and if she has received this wish, then you can't ignore it."

"Yes...! You're right! Kikuri can't possibly ignore me! She won't ignore me!"

"I'll either see you or I won't see you; it's impossible for things to remain 'unchanged'."

"But the bond between me and Kikuri has never changed...!"

"So I think there's another reason why the connection between you and Kikurihime hasn't changed."

"What could be the reason? Is it really some other deity causing trouble?!"

Tsukimi Ran grabbed Kuroba Akira's collar, showing how desperate she was.

"Don't get so worked up... Well, even if you ask me, I don't know the specific reason..."

"...Tsk...Sorry, you're right...How could you possibly know..."

Tsukimi Ran released Kuroba Akira's collar, lowered her head and covered her forehead, feeling her mind in complete chaos.

"But I'm not completely without clues."

"You rascal...! What have you thought of now?! Tell me!"

Tsukimi Ranyi approached again, this time not grabbing Kuroba Akira's collar, but instead shoving her face right in front of him, causing Kuroba Akira to lean back and take a half-step back.

Kuroba Akira was afraid that she would kiss him again, so he turned his head away and said.

"I'm just letting my thoughts wander, or you could say I'm just rambling, so it's not necessarily reliable..."

"Whatever! Just tell me everything you're thinking!"

Whatever it is, Tsukimi Ranyi needs clues; more clues are needed to help her find Kikuri again.

"Hmm... have you heard of the Web of Fate?"

"The Web of Fate?"

"It's the web of fate woven by the three Norns in Norse mythology. These three goddesses are also known as the Three Fates. I don't know if these three gods exist in this world, but their abilities are quite similar to Kikuri's fate, because fate can also be considered a part of destiny, right?"

"and then?"

This time, Tsukimi Ryou didn't question Kuroba Akira. She knew that Kuroba Akira must have had a reason for bringing this up.

This man was definitely not talking nonsense.

"The three Fates control the fate of gods and humans, but they themselves cannot control their own destiny. So perhaps Kikurihime's fate is also beyond her control? Although this is just a baseless analogy..."

"No... Impossible! Because my ability comes from Kikuri, I can sever and interfere with my own destiny, so Kikuri can definitely do the same thing!"

"Isn't your ability supposed to be ineffective on your proxies? You can't influence the connection between us, right? That's why we bumped into each other at the open-air hot spring. So, since you're Kikurihime's proxies, she can't affect the thread of fate between you either, right?"

"...! Possibly! No! That must be it! Kikuri can't affect the thread of fate between me and her...that's why it hasn't changed until now!"

Then, Rimi Tsukimi had an idea.

If the connection between myself and Kikuri wasn't influenced by Kikuri, then why hasn't it changed at all?

Because I so desperately want to see Kikuri again... even just once... to the point where I dream about her every night, if this longing turns into faith, it will probably affect our fate to some extent, right?

Not to mention that during the time she was a celebrity, she has gathered countless believers for Kikuri.

"So, combined with Kikuhime's last piece of advice to you, which was to stop you from using your ability, but you didn't listen to her and are still using her ability now, right?"

"Hmm...you mean to say that my misuse of my ability has prevented me from seeing Kikuri again? There's really no connection between the two, right? I admit I might be stupid, so tell me whatever comes to mind!"

At this moment, Tsukimi Ayane didn't care about pride or face anymore. She didn't care if she was an idiot, as long as she could see Kikuri again, she was willing to be an idiot for the rest of her life.

"I haven't fully figured out the specific connection between the two yet, but I'm wondering, if it's not that she doesn't want to see you again, what reason could she have for telling you not to use your ability? Is there some side effect to this ability?"

"Side effects... but I haven't noticed any changes in my body from using this ability yet."

"You may not have realized it yet, but I think that Kikurihime's fate with you is 'fixed' because of the side effects of her ability. Just like you and I both know, the abilities of agents are given by the gods, so the side effects that happened to you may also happen to the gods."

"...!"

"Because she is, after all, your adoptive mother who raised you, I think her feelings for you are the same as the care parents have for their children. So she probably doesn't want you to end up like her, which is why she told you not to continue using this ability."

"But then why didn't she just take back my ability?"

"Perhaps it's to preserve the possibility of seeing you again? Because if the power is taken back directly, the bond between you as god and agent will be completely severed, and in that case, you might never see each other again."

"Kikuri...do you want to see me again...?"

"I don't know, but I think 'real parents' would all want to see their children again... Let's not talk about scum like your biological parents, but Kikuhime raised you from infancy, how could she bear to never see you again?"

It sounds like just a beautiful hope.

However, it made Tsukimi Ranyi feel much better.