Chapter 14: The Inner Confession of the Miko
Hikigaya finally walked out of the dark area created by Di Jun.
Looking back, it was pitch black behind him, impenetrable to light. Probably more than half of mountain was shrouded in it.
Then he realized he was facing a problem.
The problem was this — how to wake up a girl who is not only drooling in her sleep but also completely naked.
If it were a guy, it would be easy to deal with.
But that kind of treatment clearly couldn't be applied to a girl. After all, as a gentleman he absolutely couldn't allow himself to do something inappropriate.
He carefully laid down Mariya Yuri. The girl, with a content look on her face, even turned over in her sleep. Hmm, nice curves — pretty seductive.
Wait, the real question should be: what on earth is she dreaming about to not even feel how cold her bare butt is?
"Hey, hey, wake up!"
Hikigaya gently patted her face.
He didn't dare to use too much strength. Not because of any other reason, but because accidentally turning a perfectly good-looking girl into a pig-headed one would be bad. Ever since becoming a godslayer, his strength had noticeably increased, and he always took good care of his eyes.
But this kind of gentle patting clearly had no effect — the girl continued to sleep soundly.
Hikigaya's facial muscles twitched. This was humiliating. At home, his "Good morning!" had become Komachi's worst nightmare.
Maybe he was just out of practice with waking people up? Looks like when he gets back, he'll need to use Komachi as a training target to regain his skills.
Far away in Japan, Hikigaya Komachi suddenly sneezed violently...
Completely unaware that he had just mentally traumatized his adorable little sister, Hikigaya Hachiman, staring at the still-naked and sleeping Mariya Yuri, lost his patience.
And so, on the sunny border of Fist Spirit Mountain, the following scene unfolded:
"Get up! Get up already!"
An irritable teenager stood on a lush green lawn, surrounded by dense forest, holding — by the ankles — a beautiful naked girl upside down and shaking her furiously...
It was a bold and unfiltered angle, perfect for dynamic photography, but judging from the cross-shaped veins bulging on the boy's forehead, it was clear that the self-proclaimed gentleman wasn't concerned about camera angles.
And then, the girl woke up.
"KYAAAAA!!!"
As it turns out, a freshly-awakened person can snap out of grogginess quite quickly.
Sensing a gust of wind on her bare body, the shrine maiden Mariya Yuri swiftly realized her predicament.
Then, staying true to the etiquette drilled into her since childhood, she let out a scream that could shake the heavens — tragic and devastating.
"Ah, finally awake,"
The boy's joyful voice echoed beside her ear.
After a swirl of dizziness, the girl found herself placed gently on the ground, wrapped in the boy's coat.
But in her overwhelming shame and fury, she unleashed a second round of screaming. This time, since she was upright and her lungs were full, it was loud, drawn out, and even had a bit of rhythm.
Her screaming only stopped when she saw the boy calmly covering his ears with a look that said, "Do whatever makes you happy, don't mind me."
As a dignified lady, she couldn't bring herself to match that expression...
"Uuuu..."
She began to sob quietly.
Why quietly? First, because her classical upbringing demanded she maintain grace at all times — that earlier outburst was an exception. Second, because she had gotten a good look at the boy's face.
And that made her want to cry even more...
Hikigaya Hachiman, the seventh recorded god slayer by the Council of Sages, King of Japan.
The reports on each god slayer compiled by the Council of Sages were always quickly acquired by magical societies worldwide.
As the designated chroniclers and top researchers of god slayers, they labeled Hikigaya Hachiman as the most restrained and low-key god slayer to date. Despite belonging to the dark martial arts world, this young king showed none of the inherent aggression of such origins.
He didn't act recklessly like ancient god slayers who had long reached that realm, nor did he cause endless trouble for those around him like the newer ones — no archaeology quests, brawling, or playing at being a hero. Especially that last one — many really thought the demon king should stop playing that game.
Compared to his predecessors, Hikigaya Hachiman lived like a normal person, continuing to reside in his hometown and even attending school.
A god slayer going to high school — what a beautiful image.
The Council of Sages happily dubbed him "the only modern person among the kings."
But Mariya Yuri, closely tied to Japan's semi-political magical organization — the Historical Compilation Committee — did not agree. Nor did the rest of the Japanese magical community.
Foreign mages couldn't see the boy's true nature.
Yes, he was restrained. Yes, he was low-key. But "the only modern person"? Can I punch you?
He might look like a modern person, but that's just it — a look.
To this day, no one knows what makes this guy tick! When he goes wild, he's just as reckless as any other king!
Though usually well-behaved, when he snaps, he's something else.
Everyone believed his normal behavior came from his youth and the fact that he still had a living family. That's why he behaved like a regular person in his original environment.
This explained his full-blown demon king behavior in front of strangers. The Compilation Committee felt especially qualified to comment on this.
Mariya Yuri deeply felt this too now.
A normal person would never forget the reason for a fight immediately after it ended.
Nor would they wake someone up by dangling them upside-down — especially not a naked peer of the opposite sex!
No, here come the tears again!
Mariya Yuri once more shed sorrowful tears for her lost purity...
What struck her as more ridiculous than sad, though, was that she didn't even feel like she had the moral high ground to scold him.
She didn't even want to look up — or rather, didn't dare to. She believed that Hikigaya had no idea what that behavior meant to her — no doubt about it. One look at his clueless face told her that.
Maybe... this was her fate — destined to serve by a god slayer's side...
Oddly enough, that thought brought her a shred of comfort, just enough to keep her from digging a hole and hiding forever.
Repeating this line in her mind, she finally calmed her stormy emotions.
The area was silent. She peeked up and saw Hikigaya's feet still planted next to her — he hadn't disturbed her wallowing at all.
How disgraceful of her, acting this immature as a shrine maiden.
Yuri felt deeply embarrassed, though her previous fluster meant her face couldn't get any redder.
Taking a deep breath, she finally mustered the courage to raise her head and look at Hikigaya.
Good. She'd been meaning to thank him. Come on, Yuri, you've got this!
Seeing Hikigaya again, somehow, she felt pity. She knew the boy had trouble socializing and had no friends even before becoming a god slayer.
Poor thing — he must have become like this from lack of communication. He wasn't truly a bad person. Even though his wake-up method was bizarre, he had given her his coat.
Suddenly, Yuri felt a great sense of responsibility.
She made up her mind: she would rehabilitate this boy, make him a responsible, kind, and noble king who would fight to protect his people.
Now, what should she call him? "Hikigaya-kun"? No, too intimate — embarrassing!
"Hikigaya-sama"? No, too formal — makes them strangers.
Guess "san" will do. Even if they're not at the same school, they're both high schoolers.
Having made her final decision, Yuri tightened the coat around her and bravely looked at Hikigaya, speaking in a voice barely louder than a mosquito:
"Um… Hikigaya-san…"
So embarrassing...
But why no reaction?
Yuri stole a glance at Hikigaya's face — he looked totally distracted — probably didn't hear her...
As she debated whether to call again, Hikigaya suddenly responded.
"Miko, looks like someone's following us."
"Huh?"
"Ah, sorry, misspoke. It's a bird. That bird's been circling here a while. Might be a servant of a god."
"Ehh!?" Yuri looked up fearfully and saw what seemed like a black dot circling overhead.
"Maybe I should just knock it down. It's as annoying as a mosquito."
"That's not a good idea, Hikigaya-san. It might just be a regular bird... huh?"
Just as she was about to lecture him about respecting small animals, Yuri went wide-eyed as Hikigaya picked up a person-sized boulder nearby.
There were plenty of such rocks on Fist Spirit Mountain, but still...
"Um... Hikigaya-san?" Yuri suddenly felt a bit uneasy. "What are you going to do?"
"Hit the bird," Hikigaya said matter-of-factly, "Di Jun is a god of the Dongyi — king of birds, remember?"
"..."
Mariya Yuri suddenly realized just how difficult her mission would be...
She didn't know what to say.
But Hikigaya clearly knew what he wanted to do — the next moment, he hurled the boulder.
The massive stone soared into the sky with a whistling sound from the air friction, charging toward the black dot with immense force — brutally aggressive.
Then, the stone exploded mid-air. Amid the flying debris, a bird shot downward at the ground at an unnaturally fast speed.
Mariya Yuri was frozen in fear.
Not because of the violent scene — honestly, nothing Hikigaya did could top the absurdity of his earlier wake-up method.
No, her shock was because of that bird.
That bird was actually...
Hello everyone! I hope you are enjoying my works!
I have an important Announcement!
I have started another Fanfiction!
This time it's a crossover between Sword Art Online and OreGairu(My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected)
My SAO adventure is wrong, as expected
Summary
After Christmas in 2022, Hachiman Hikigaya from Soubu High School holds a beginner's iron sword in his hand, while before his eyes, the game system floats a death notice: "Exit button has disappeared."
[Asuna]: "Hachiman-kun, is this the friend from real life you were talking about?"
[Yukino-chan]: "Hikigaya-kun, maintaining intimate relationships with multiple women in the game violates the principles of the Service Club."
[Yui]: "Hikki's marriage system report... I-It's not like I'm worried or anything!"
When Asuna is holding onto Hachiman's arm in a café and they unexpectedly run into Yukino, Yui, Iroha, Shizuka, Haruno, Yumikoì, he suddenly feels a small hand twist hard at his waist. In pain, teary-eyed Hachiman gazes at this invisible-smoke-filled battlefield of love and exclaims:
"Seriously—why am I still being forced to deal with relationship problems right now!"
And as always You can read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on Ko-fi or Patreon with the name VarieTL
There you can also read 5 other Novels and 6 other Fanfiction of Oregairu