And We Set Forth To Our New Daily Lives Part 2

MIKOTO

" (Ｔ▽Ｔ) ..my back ~ ", I groaned like a granny. Nanami giggles slightly.

"You're not used to plucking grasses?", she asked me.

"Hell no! Before I came here, I live with Mom in a big con.. I mean apartment so we don't need to maintain the grasses on the garden since there's someone else who will do it. And there's always this thing called lawnmower, you know?

"Hahaha, yes it will be good if they just have a simple lawnmower here", Nanami laughed.

Then we both sighed deeply.

"I wonder why we should do these things, actually?", she asked while pouting.

"Because it's the Land deity's duties!", I replied gleefully.

" (¬_¬ ﾞ) Not you too, Mikoto"

"Ehehe, sorry." I apologized with a sweatdrop. "But if you're really the new Land deity then it's really your duty to maintain the temple"

"For example, to start purifying the yard, you need to clean all impurity to keep away evil spirits. That's why we cleaned up the dry leaves neatly earlier", I explained what I had somehow understood.

"Oh, I see..", Nanami somehow understands also what I meant.

"Ouch!", I hurt my finger again.

"Careful, are you alright?", she came closer to me and pulled a band-aid from her pocket and wrapped it at my finger. My hands are full of bandages already.

"You can't even pull weeds properly. Wow, you two are really useless", a familiar voice said behind us. It's just none other than the rude Tomoe.

"What? I thought you already left", Nanami angrily replied and continued her weeding.

"I don't think you have what it takes to be a land deity...", he said with a smirk.

"..so rude..", I glared at him angrily then he looked at me too with a slight disgust face.

"...even with the help of your little friend over there", he added to Nanami.

"Humph!", I just went back to my weeding instead of wasting more time on him.

Ignoring me also, Tomoe talked once more at her. "Why don't you two just hurry back home before it's too late?"

"We don't have a home to return to", Nanami replied with an annoyed tone.

"They kicked me out because of my father's debts then he abandoned me while Mikoto has her own circumstances too and was left by her godfather also", she explained briefly.

Tomoe was quiet for some minute as he stares softly at Nanami as if he's feeling a bit pity to her. The wind blows gently making the scene looks heart-warming.

"Oh, gawg! they're so cute!!", I tried my best not to squeal.

And I almost forgot something isn't right...

* kicks * ﾊ__ﾊ Σ(ﾟдﾟ!) ς(▔ヘ▔) "WAH !" "Who cares?" ↑ ↑ Nanami Tomoe

"Wha-?! Nanami! ", I hurriedly ran to her side and Tomoe disappeared from sight after he left a few words for me. "Mikoto, don't touch the mirror in the worship hall"

"What was that?", Nanami and I said together confused.

"Same here ( - ‸ - ς) " , I sighed deeply before sipping on the tea that the shrine's spirits made. I'm glad they followed my suggestion and prepared something for us.

"Here, have some riceballs that Onikiri and Kotetsu made for us", I handed the plate to Nanami which she accepted.

"Wow, I didn't expect we can really ask them to do something for us in return", she wondered.

"Hee hee.. You just need to realize the logic. If it's your duty to maintain the temple as the Land deity, then it's their duty to serve your needs. And as a human, we primarily need foods", I explained to her while took another riceball.

Yum ~

In our home, I always tried to make myself some riceballs like this but it never tastes so good like this.

"I see... Huh?", Nanami was about to express her enlightenment on my words when her attention was caught by something.

"Why Nanami? Did something happe- oh.. a believer", I noticed the old lady who was praying at the shrine for her daughter's giving birth to a child.

"Was that her voice?", Nanami was amazed.

"Indeed! That was the prayer of a believer. It's the Land deity's job to hear the prayers of people who make offering", Kotetsu and Onikiri said together. Wow, since I can't see them, I don't know since when they came.

"I wondered who said last night that there's no one who will give offerings to this shrine", I teased Nanami and I heard she let out a "guh" sound like a proof she was guilty.

"And now, it's time for your next job, Nanami-sama", the two spirits cheered and I heard a loud "Thudd! " on one corner. "Please take a look at these"

" m(_ _)m Give me a break already... I don't wanna look at them... ", Nanami flopped on the other side away from the books.

It was the prayers compiled in books by Tomoe. Even I, who didn't dislike reading, can't also stand to see the high pilings of the old books. But seeing the unmoved Nanami, I decided to take a peek at it in her stead.

"These are the prayers of the believers who made offerings from the last 20 years, am I right?", I asked.

Wow, I never thought it would be do overwhelming in real. Anime made it looks funny.

"Wha-? 20 years??! 🗯️", Nanami jolted.

"Yes, Tomoe-dono wrote them down so Mikage-sama could look at them when he returned. The fire spirits told us then Nanami decided to sit beside me and we took a book and opened it together.

"In his absence, the number of believers decreased but thanks to Tomoe-dono managing the things and looking after the temple, there are still believers who often make offerings, like the old lady just now."

"What you did today was what Tomoe-dono had been doing these whole time", Onikiri and Kotetsu explained as I'm imagining them bowing down to Nanami.

Nanami remained speechless so I nudge her slightly to get her attention and smiled at her, hinting that she should notice something.

Gosh, I just noticed why does it seem like I need to keep constantly reminds everyone to do what they're supposed to do like in the anime?

Nanami then stares once more on the book of prayers.

"His handwriting is so neat and everything is so detailed", I said softly to Nanami telling her to notice how dedicated Tomoe is.

"Yes, I understand now", Nanami replied to me which made the spirits rejoiced in her reply.

" (*⌒‿⌒*) I understand now that I'm not suitable to be a deity because I'm just a normal girl without powers"

I can imagine Kotetsu and Onikiri fall on the floor in disbelief.

"What if you actually had the powers of a Land deity?", I asked Nanami seriously. "One good example is how you listened to the believer's prayers"

"But I don't have powers to make them come true", Nanami defended.

"Are you sure?", I hinted her that even humans can do something but she just nods positively with her own opinion.

Sigh~

She will realize it eventually, though I can't ignore the gloomy feelings that the two spirits gave off.

"Oh, but I want to set things straight. I want to apologize to Tomoe. I want you to take me to him", Nanami requested to them.

"We don't mind but..",

.. ahh.. this time came at last ..

".. Tomoe-dono might be in that other world. You mustn't go over that side", I secretly nodding my head while Onikiri and Kotetsu warned us.