My Every Day Is Supposed To Be Same As Always But...?! Part 2

ALICE

"I'm home", I muttered with monologue tone as I enter our home and took off my shoes.

It is so quiet and it seems Mom isn't here yet. I hurriedly walked towards my bed and slammed the door shut without a care about the loud noise I made.

I am Alice Flores, 18 years old, a Grade 12 Senior High school student. I live with my mom in a spacious condominium. My classmates usually express their envy to me and always say that my life is perfect, but they never thought how I actually feel.

Lately, Mom is always busy at work and only came home late at night and will leave very early in the morning. She said it's for my own good sake. It can't be helped since she's a successful businesswoman.

Today is such another horrible day which makes me feel so much drained that's why I just let my whole body sunk on my bed and closed my eyes.

Despite my classmates shower me with their little praises about my perfect life, they also never stopped mocking me behind my back. And my loving mom doesn't even ask about how my life has been doing. What she only cares are my excellent grades in school.

I silently cried while burrowing my face on my pillow as I gently fall asleep.

I wish I can escape to another world where I can be another me..

..and to be able to enjoy a normal life.

When I woke up, it's already late at night. I felt hungry so I went to the dining room to prepare something to eat. While I'm preparing to make some sandwiches I noticed a note on the table.

I sighed helplessly. After I prepared my sandwiches, I carried them to my bedroom. I opened my laptop and looked for a comfortable position before I continued watching my newly favorite anime, Kamisama Hajimemashita.

Enjoying animes is the only thing that makes me feel happy and better but mom isn't happy about it. She said it will only affect my studies. That's why my classmates secretly call me "The Closet Otaku Princess".

But every time Mom isn't at home, I always watched Kamisama Hajimemashita ever since I discovered it on the internet and right now, I'm currently watching season 2.

I love this anime so much because of Nanami. I like her strong spirit and somehow, I feel like I can relate to her a few things in life.

"If only I can be like her too", I murmured to myself with a sigh after I finished watching.

After I put back my laptop on my table, I lie down on my bed and peeked at the sky from my floor-to-ceiling window.

As I was still absorbing the happy ending of Nanami and Tomoe, I can't stop smiling and feeling happy for them especially for Nanami.

"If only I can be with Nanami, will I be a strong person like her too?", I uttered my childish wish.

I stare at the few visible stars in the sky then a star twinkled uniquely than other stars that it caught my attention,

I sang as I think of Nanami with Tomoe and her friends.

The star twinkled once more and swiped into the sky as a shooting star. My eyes felt tired and I slowly fall asleep again.

"Huuu ~"

I rolled on my side as I feel uncomfortable in my sleep. The green grasses at night are cold.

"Wait!? Grass ?!!", I opened my eyes when I realized something was wrong.

"Oh, good. You're already awake", I heard a man's gentle voice spoke somewhere nearby.

Chills ran into my spines. I hurriedly get up to scan my surroundings and there I saw a man's silhouette walking behind me.

"EEEK! GO AWAY FROM ME! ", I screamed in fear

*throws* *hits* (ノᗒロᗕ)ﾉ ゝ┘ ⌒(× □ @) "Go away!!💦" "No! Ack!" ↑            ↑           ↑ Alice      Alice's       Suspicious slippers      Man

"Wait! Please give me a minute! ", the man pleaded as he waves his hands in front of him telling me that he came for peaceful talk.

Clutching on a white robe that I'm preparing to throw also to him, I calmed down as I realized who actually is the owner of this robe.

The man sighed in relief when he saw me agreed to let him explain first. He gently sat in front of me and that does when I saw his full image - a bespectacled man with a neck-length light-yellow hair who is in white clothes smiled sweetly at me.

"Mi-Mikage!!? Σ(O_o) ", I was surprised that I recognized him.

"Hm? ", Mikage-sama seems surprised also that I knew him but he just continued to smile at me.

"Ah!", I realized my mistake. "S-sorry for being rude"

"What's your name, child?"

"A-Alice"

"You're actually not from here Alice, right?", he verifies in a friendly and gentle tone.

"Ye-yes", I nervously replied since I don't know how to explain everything because I too don't know what's happening.

"So, how did you knew my name?", I noticed that he's also curious.

"Be-because you're the land deity who is Nanami's benefactor", I decided to tell him what I knew since I'm hoping he could help me too.

But I decided I won't tell him about the anime because no one wants the feeling of knowing their life is just fictitious are only written by the authors.

Instead, I wanted to believe that the authors had the chance to see a glimpse of this world and decided to write it to tell everyone about the world they saw.

"I see", he said in a surprised tone.

"Oh, so you know Nanami?", he added as he smiled brightly again in relief when he saw me nod my head slightly.

"If that's the case, why don't you live and help Nanami?"

"Mi.. eherm.. Mr. Mikage, you mean I can go live in Mikage Shrine and help Nanami in doing her deity duties?", I cut stopped my urge to call him Mikage-sama in person since I'm afraid it will be awkward when a foreigner girl uses honorifics like real Japanese people.

"Yes of course. Nanami just left a while ago, so you can still catch up with her. I'm sure everyone will be happy to have a new friend", he assured me as he took out a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket and starts scribbling something.

"Oh and also, can I give you a new name as my blessing to you?", Mikage-sama asked me while he gave it to me a map to the shrine that he drew.

"A new name?"

"Because it's so hard to pronounce Alice", he smiled genuinely.

"..ahaha.. ( ' ▽ ' ；) ", I just helplessly sweatdrop at his reasons.

It is true that for traditional Japanese people like Mikage-sama, it's hard to pronounce the name Alice since they pronounce it as Arisu. But that's not the reason why I decided to accept his suggestion. I know Mikage-sama always has his own good reasons.

"From this day onwards, ye shall carry forth the name Hoshino Mikoto, for the stars hath made a way for ye here to be Nanami's shrine maiden", Mikage-sama softly uttered as he gently put his hand on my head. His hands were warm that makes me feel so calm.

"What a nice name ", I happily carved my new name in my heart to make sure I won't forget it. A Japanese name!

"That makes me your new godfather, I think", Mikage-sama gently pat my head with a smile.

Then he started to glow and in an instant, he transformed into a fluttering butterfly and flew to the night sky.

Author's Note:

I made a few researching before I wrote this story and took me a while to decide. "Hoshino" (星野) means "starfield ", while Mikoto could be interpreted a number of different ways. The kanji 美 (mi) means "beautiful", and 琴 (koto) is a Japanese string instrument thus gives the kanji 美琴. But I chose this name for a hidden meaning as "Miko" (巫女) that means "shrine maiden or sorceress". It can also be 神 (mi) that means "spirit, god" plus 子 (ko) which means "child", suggesting an alternative spelling 神子and then the "to" that has a meaning of "door " (戸) or " way" (途). Of course, Alice doesn't have an idea about it ;)

From here onwards, Alice may introduce herself as Mikoto. Please don't be confused, the name "Mikoto" is a gift from Mikage-sama to Alice, thus "Alice" and "Mikoto" are just one person.