A new conjecture took shape in Hozuki Nozomi's mind, pieces clicking together like the final segments of a complex puzzle.
Perhaps not all the ancient records had been destroyed two hundred years ago. Perhaps some had been secretly preserved—hidden away by the Yamazaki family, now known as the Tano family. And what better way to use stolen sacred knowledge than to worship an evil god with it?
The deity of Miyamizu Shrine, weakened and fading, naturally couldn't allow such corruption to spread unchecked. But the evil god had followers, influence, power. The shrine's deity had only diminishing faith and a dwindling pool of believers.
The destruction of Itomori Town, Hozuki Nozomi realized, was intimately connected to Mitsuha's departure.
Mioko's words echoed in his mind: The priestess is the linchpin of Itomori Town's barrier.
In the original timeline, Miyamizu Mitsuha had left the town. She'd gone to find the boy she'd been swapping bodies with, to verify if her experiences were real or merely dreams. But due to the temporal disconnect—three years in the future—that boy hadn't known her. She'd returned disappointed, dismissing everything as fantasy.
Her departure removed the barrier's linchpin.
The evil god seized that moment of vulnerability, using its power to split the meteor, ensuring maximum destruction. Itomori Town was obliterated.
And evil gods, of course, thrived on negative energy and human souls. The destruction of an entire town would provide a feast of spiritual sustenance while simultaneously eliminating the rival deity of Miyamizu Shrine. A two-for-one victory.
That evening, Hozuki Nozomi—still inhabiting Mitsuha's body—used the system's guidance function to locate the Tano family home. He moved silently through the darkness, following golden arrows only he could see.
The house itself was unremarkable, but one room blazed with black energy visible even without spiritual sight. Pressing close to the wall, Hozuki Nozomi listened.
"Soon... Lord God, give me another chance!" Tano Ichiro's voice, twisted with desperation and zealotry. "I will make Miyamizu Mitsuha your vessel! I swear it!"
Hozuki Nozomi's expression hardened. An evil god. Here. Targeting Mitsuha specifically.
He extended his perception further, and what he discovered made his blood run cold.
Tano's parents weren't merely corrupted—they were dead. The two figures standing motionless beside him were puppets, animated by black energy, their empty eyes staring at nothing. Inside Tano himself, an ominous power fluctuation pulsed like a second heartbeat.
[Ding! Congratulations to the player for triggering the quest: Purge the Evil God.]
[Please eliminate the discovered evil god and its followers. Quest completion rewards: one skill entry OR path drawing opportunity. Fixed reward: 1,000,000 yen.]
The system's timing was impeccable, as always.
Hozuki Nozomi didn't hesitate. He reached into his pocket and withdrew two silver magic cards—Frieren's latest creations, lightning magic compressed into portable form. She'd given him several after their last "replenishment session."
Perfect timing.
He flung the cards toward the sky.
CRACK—!
Twin bolts of lightning arced down from the heavens, striking the Tano house with devastating precision. Blue-white light flooded the night as the structure began to burn.
Through the window, Hozuki Nozomi watched as Tano Ichiro was directly struck. The boy's body seized, charring instantly, blackening like meat left too long on a grill. Before he could even scream, several more clusters of pitch-black flames materialized around him and the puppet-like figures of his parents.
The dark flames consumed everything—the corruption, the puppets, the evil presence. When they died out moments later, dazzling white light bloomed in their place, purifying the space.
When the light faded, nothing remained. The Tano family house had turned to dust, scattered on the wind.
[Ding! Quest 'Purge the Evil God' completed.]
[Congratulations to the player for obtaining a special skill entry reward.]
[Congratulations to the player for obtaining the fixed reward of 1,000,000 yen.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the player for obtaining the special entry skill: Spirit Sight of Exorcism.]
Hozuki Nozomi's interest sharpened. He immediately accessed the skill description.
[Spirit Sight of Exorcism: An evolved version of Spirit Sight. When activated, all evil auras have nowhere to hide. Automatically charges one Ray of Destruction when encountering an evil entity.]
"Not bad at all," he murmured.
His previous Spirit Sight had been useful but limited—effective against ghosts and minor spiritual disturbances, but unable to perceive true evil gods. This upgraded version specifically targeted the kind of malevolent presence he now faced.
He activated it immediately.
Mitsuha's eyes flickered with blue light—an ethereal glow that transformed her already striking appearance into something almost otherworldly. Through this new vision, the world revealed its hidden layers.
A black current of air, previously invisible, now writhed before him like a wounded serpent.
[Ding! Evil god clone detected. Ray of Destruction fully charged.]
Hozuki Nozomi smiled. He appreciated skills that did the work for him—automatically charging upon detecting targets, requiring only selection and release.
He selected the target.
He released.
A dazzling blue light descended from the heavens, striking the black current directly. The evil god clone writhed and distorted, a piercing roar echoing from within its form. Hozuki Nozomi couldn't understand whatever language it was screaming, but the meaning was clear: agony, fury, and finality.
One Ray of Destruction later, nothing remained.
Hozuki Nozomi dusted off his hands and headed home to sleep.
The town's crisis, however, wasn't fully resolved. If this evil god had clones, there might be others. And the meteor still loomed.
The next morning, the Tano family's destruction was discovered.
Miyamizu Toshiki, in his capacity as mayor, arrived at the scene to survey the damage. What he found made his stomach turn: a house reduced to ash, scorched beyond recognition, nothing salvageable.
"It must be divine retribution!" one elderly onlooker exclaimed to his neighbors. "I saw lightning strike that house last night! The fire must have started from that!"
"Struck by lightning? So many houses in town, and only theirs was hit?"
"The Tano family must have done something to anger heaven!"
Superstitious whispers spread through the gathered crowd. The Tano family had always been somewhat... off. Everyone knew it, even if no one said it aloud.
Miyamizu Toshiki frowned deeply. Something about this didn't sit right. But a thorough investigation revealed no evidence of arson, no traces of culprits, no signs of foul play. Just... destruction.
When he followed up at the school, the results only deepened his unease.
According to teachers and students, the Tano family had been ordinary townsfolk—hardworking, unremarkable, without conflicts or enemies. The sole exception was Tano Ichiro himself, who'd had a very public falling out with Miyamizu Mitsuha.
His daughter had publicly scolded him. Had even threatened to curse him.
Miyamizu Toshiki shook his head violently, dismissing the thought. Curses weren't real. If the shrine's god truly had power, his wife wouldn't have died. It was coincidence. Had to be.
The Tano incident was officially ruled an accident.
At school, Miyamizu Mitsuha noticed immediately that something had changed. Classmates stared at her strangely, their eyes flickering away whenever she looked back.
It took cornering Natori Sayaka to get the truth.
"The Tano family," Sayaka whispered, glancing around nervously. "They're gone. Vanished overnight. Their house burned to nothing."
Miyamizu Mitsuha blinked. "And people think... what? That I had something to do with it?"
"Some are saying you cursed him." Sayaka's voice dropped even lower. "That your curse finally worked."
Miyamizu Mitsuha stared at her friend incredulously. "If I could actually curse people, don't you think everyone who ever gossiped about me would have suffered by now?"
Teshigawara Katsuhiko leaned in, his expression serious. "Maybe you couldn't before. But now you have the divine envoy. What if... he did it?"
Miyamizu Mitsuha fell silent.
It was possible. Disturbingly possible.
She didn't know what to say to that.
Life continued regardless. If anything, the rumors elevated her status. Fewer people gossiped. More treated her with wary respect. Yamauchi Mami, in particular, stuck to her side like glue, enthusiastically inviting her to share lunches and walk together between classes.
Miyamizu Mitsuha found it flattering and unsettling in equal measure. She marveled at Hozuki Nozomi's inexplicable charm—even using her appearance, he'd managed to captivate people.
The truth about Yamauchi Mami's sudden attachment was simpler: she'd once dated Tano Ichiro. Now that he was dead, whispers suggested his ghost might come for her. As a girl naturally afraid of supernatural retribution, she sought protection from the one person who seemed connected to actual supernatural events.
Miyamizu Mitsuha, the shrine maiden who might or might not have cursed someone to death, was her safest bet.