Tokyo Soft Rice King.

It's a little creepy when I'm alone, but it's much better when there are two people around.

Kuroba Akira followed the little old woman to the low round table and sat down, asking with some curiosity.

"Hey old lady, why is it that water, electricity, and gas still work normally in this other world?"

"I don't know either. Maybe it's based on the mysterious radio waves. There's no concept of time or weather in this other world, and it gets darker the deeper you go. Nobody knows what the whole picture is like here..."

Kobayashi Mika said this while brewing tea.

"However, some places are quite convenient. Food stored at home won't rot, and once the weeds in the yard are pulled out, there are no weeds left. The same goes for the rooms; once they're cleaned, they don't need to accumulate dust again."

"This is really great, it's practically a haven for lazy people... By the way, is the food here edible? Will it have that 'eating from the underworld' effect, making it impossible to return to the human world?"

"This is another world, not the underworld, but it seems that the so-called underworld is also part of this other world... Well, just to be on the safe side, let's eat the local specialties you brought. The tea should be fine; I got it from the real world, not from the tap water here."

"I have this feeling that you've really adapted to living in this awful place..."

"In the past, not being able to go out would have been really stifling, but I don't know if it's because of you, you brat, but lately I've become less and less willing to go out. I don't even feel like going out to fight pachinko anymore. I just want to stay at home."

Blame me?

"So you didn't just come here to deliver local specialties, did you? You're not usually this diligent."

"Yes, I'm here to see Kuroo. Has Kuroo been around here recently?"

"No, she's never been here even once. She hasn't come here much since you moved to the shrine. What happened? Did she run away from home?"

"Uh... we had a little argument last time, and then he disappeared."

"Black Tail... Gods are always capricious, and humans can't find her even if they want to. We can only wait for her anger to subside on its own."

"..."

That's what they say, but there's still the issue of Black Tail's faith...

Just then, someone came back into the house.

"I'm back. Oh, how I've missed it."

It's Grandpa Kobayashi.

He wasn't surprised at all by what he saw; it was as if everything was within his expectations.

"Grandpa Lin, welcome back."

"Bai Zi is here! Oh, there are steamed buns to eat? Let me have some too."

He sat down at the low table, but just as he reached for the hot spring buns, his wife slapped his hand.

That sharp gaze demanded that he explain what was going on.

Make it clear first, or I won't let you eat it.

It seems that even Grandpa Kobayashi hasn't explained the otherworldly matter yet.

Grandpa Lin had no choice but to explain the reason.

"The other world you entered before was a very shallow place, so you could still see the buildings from your original world, but you couldn't touch them, right?"

"Yes." Kuroba Akira nodded.

"But now we are already in the middle level of the other world. To put it simply, before it was like wandering around the entrance of the other world, but now we have officially entered the other world."

"oh oh……"

"The reason why this place is in another world is because I have lived here for a long time, so my home in the other world became the one that left the deepest impression on me."

That's why it has become a style from the last century.

"Uh, has this place turned into something like Kisaragi Station?"

"Kisaragi Station? Is this some new ghost story?"

"It's a modern Japanese ghost story I heard in my original world."

"That should be different. The Kisaragi Station you mentioned is probably a legend like the one in 'Mayoiga,' right?"

The "Mayoi" that Mr. Kobayashi was referring to was not an anime series, but a legend circulating in the Kanto region of Japan, recorded in the Tono Monogatari. It is said to be a welcoming house located in the mountains that can bring wealth to visitors, but only those who are without desires can visit the Mayoi.

"If you really want to put it that way, the house or place itself has become bizarre, but this is just a normal house in an ordinary area that has sunk into another world. It's the kind of house or village that often appears in ghost stories, where someone stays for one night because of a disaster, but can't find it when they want to come back for the second time."

"oh oh……"

"However, in reality, this area is still a residential area, so it's not impossible to find it."

"And what about the changes in that old woman..."

"Oh, that's because Mika is becoming weird."

"what?"

"Humans cannot stay in another world for long because they will be assimilated by it... She is currently in the process of assimilation and will eventually become a yokai like a Zashiki-warashi."

"This...this old woman...is turning into an old hag?!"

Kuroba Akira immediately received a sharp rebuke on the head.

"However, the downside is that sooner or later, Mika will completely disappear from the human world, which means she will be 'disappeared'."

"What! Is this okay?!"

"It's alright, anyway, I'll be living in this other world for a long time... Or rather, I hope Mika can become a monster, because that way she won't die naturally."

"Old man, you...!"

“Meihua is strong and can accept my departure, but I can’t accept Meihua leaving me… I will continue to exist until my divinity decays, so I also hope that Meihua can stay by my side. That’s why I don’t care about the situation of my family being trapped in another world.”

Even a great man like Grandpa Kobayashi has thoughts that are similar to his own yandere younger sister...

Do people who become gods all want to keep their loved ones by their side?

Chapter 468 When Technology Isn't Enough, Mysticism Makes Up for It

Grandma Xiaolin's reaction wasn't very surprising; she just shook her head, looking like she couldn't stand it.

"You... no wonder you told me back then that it was lucky I was the one who died first, otherwise you would have died of depression very quickly, wouldn't you?"

"Haha, that's true. You only know after dying once. It seems I care about you more than I thought."

Grandpa Lin just blushed slightly, seemingly not worried about being rejected at all.

Because the emotional connection is already strong, there won't be any disagreements on this matter.

This elderly couple spent their entire lives together, and then, through some incredible power, they continued their bond.

Will this be a reflection of my future and everyone else's?

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to talk to you. Anyway, it's a good thing that you've become younger. Your legs and feet are much more convenient now. It's just that your body is too young. So you're into this kind of thing? No wonder you always said you wanted a daughter."

"No, no, no, my dear, don't try to smear me. This has nothing to do with my preferences. It's just because the monster you're about to become is a Zashiki-warashi."

"Why a Zashiki-warashi? Couldn't it be a more powerful yokai? Like a nine-tailed fox, it should be able to become very beautiful, or a tengu would be fine, since it can fly."

"The kind of great monster you're talking about is almost like a god. It's a non-human being formed based on people's preconceived notions and legends. It's not a monster that was turned from a human, and it usually lives in seclusion in the deepest part of another world."

Indeed, those monsters that everyone is familiar with have become common knowledge after being reinterpreted in modern society, and are even more famous than many gods.

It's just that people don't make wishes to monsters, so the monsters themselves don't have the ability to accept faith, and therefore they can't come to the mortal world.

However, in the past, there were still monsters like Yamata no Orochi who accidentally crossed over from another world and came to the modern era. This was because the 'worldview' of humans at that time was not complete, their understanding of the world and nature was not comprehensive, and they didn't even know that the earth was round.

Therefore, there are often places that are regarded as 'another world', and monsters 'smuggle' into the real world through these temporary passages.

In modern times, monsters have become increasingly rare, unless they are in truly remote, untouched forests, influenced by local village legends, where it is possible to connect to another world.

But usually it's humans who are attracted to other worlds, not monsters coming to the real world.

From this perspective, the gods are actually the Celestial Dragons of another world; they can come to the real world simply by consuming faith.

"What kind of monster one becomes depends on one's own experiences. Monsters are actually the manifestation of extreme emotions. They are the personification of humans who have been consumed by emotions in another world. Zashiki-warashi are spirits that live in houses and warehouses and bring good luck and happiness to the household. This shows that you, my dear, valued family and relatives very much when you were alive."

Grandma Lin also gave her young husband a sharp rap on the head.

"What do you mean 'before death'? I'm not dead yet!"

"Uh... Haha, it's almost time. Since your appearance has already changed so obviously, I estimate that in another year or two, you will disappear from the world."

"One or two years... Looks like we need to prepare in advance. You too, you still haven't met your son and daughter-in-law, have you?"

"Well... the main problem is that I don't know what to say when I meet him. That kid doesn't need me to teach him how to do things anymore..."

It was rare to see Grandpa Lin looking so troubled; it's clear that the relationship between father and son is quite complicated.

"Also, look at me now, I really don't want my son to see me like this..."

It turns out that Grandpa Kobayashi still cares about his appearance.

He could accept it when facing his wife and a junior like Kuroba Akira whom he was meeting for the first time, but he still couldn't bring himself to meet his son.

"So at least let me learn how to make myself look more mature before we talk about it."

"Alright, alright, I don't care anymore. You two are just like each other... Let's leave it at that for now. Hurry up and send us back. I've been in this godforsaken place for two days already. Remember to come back earlier next time."

Grandpa Lin hasn't been home for two days? He must be so busy.

"Alright, but it's a bit strange. Even if you are Bai Zi, the representative of the gods, people without innate spiritual abilities shouldn't accidentally enter another world..."

Returning to the topic of Akira Kuroba, Grandpa Kobayashi was quite puzzled by Akira Kuroba's appearance in their home in this other world.

"Did you bring the white pieces in, my dear husband?"

Grandma Lin rolled her eyes and complained.

"I can't even get out myself, do you think I have that ability?"

"That's really strange... Hmm... It seems that something has happened to you, Bai Zi."

"Well...some things did happen during our trip."

Kuroba Akira scratched his head. He didn't know why he had entered another world, so he decided to tell Grandpa Kobayashi everything that had happened during the training camp and ask him for advice.

"Oh? So that's what happened..."

Grandpa Lin was amazed as he listened, and Grandma Lin was also very interested. Indeed, listening to gossip is the most interesting thing, especially this kind of tense and exciting drama.

“Your sister is truly remarkable. It’s already extremely rare for someone like me to directly transform into a god from a corpse, like a ‘corpse-dissolving immortal.’ Yet your sister can suppress a god with the willpower of a human… Even if Princess Kushinada’s own divine status is nearing its end and needs to rely on human bloodlines to survive, it is still an ancient divine status with a history of over a thousand years. She can be considered a prime example of ‘human will conquering nature.’”