On a patch of open ground by the roadside, Tōru Taki was using a stick to draw circular patterns in the dirt.
She looked to be about the same age as Natsume, wearing a hat with her chestnut-colored hair falling to her shoulders. Her expression was deeply focused.
Her ancestors included Onmyoji, and as such, they had left behind many items related to yokai. Influenced by her grandfather, who loved researching the supernatural, she too had developed an interest in yokai and spirits.
After happening upon one of her grandfather's ritual circle diagrams, she became curious and began drawing it on the ground in open spaces.
To her surprise, this array could actually make yokai standing within it visible.
Once, a sinister yokai happened to pass through the array. Realizing Tōru Taki could see it, it placed a curse upon her: if she could catch it within 360 days, it would spare her; however, during that time, anyone whose name she called would be devoured by the yokai.
Thus, to avoid involving others, Tōru Taki forced herself to stop speaking. Day after day, she drew the array in open spaces, hoping to find that specific yokai.
Yet, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
With nearly a year gone by, she hadn't seen a single trace of the yokai, and she had been forced into a life of silence and isolation.
"I will find you."
Unwilling to let her life end this way, Tōru Taki finished drawing yet another array with absolute resolve.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked over the array and let out a soft sigh.
Suddenly, she noticed a pattern glowing on the ground within the array.
"Strange... there shouldn't have been anything there just now."
Because of the array, she was sensitive to such things. She immediately leaned in for a closer look.
"What a peculiar shape. It looks like a character."
Tōru Taki crouched down and reached out, gently touching the pattern.
The moment her finger made contact, it was as if a mechanism had been triggered. The pattern flashed with light, detached from the ground, and floated upward, gradually transforming in mid-air into a palm-sized figure.
The figure seemed to be composed entirely of light. Its face had only a mouth, lacking any other features.
"Is it a yokai?" Tōru Taki stared blankly at the scene.
"I am not a yokai, but a Divine Envoy, left here to find those destined for the God," the little figure's mouth moved as it began to speak.
"It can talk... how amazing."
Tōru Taki wasn't afraid. She started chatting with the little figure, even wanting to poke it with her finger. "You're a Divine Envoy? What do you mean by 'destined'?"
"A destined person is someone who can see me, which is you," the little figure said, backing away to avoid her finger.
"Me?" Tōru Taki pointed to herself, looking surprised.
"Exactly!" The figure nodded. "As a destined one, you are eligible to make a wish to the God I serve. However, while making a wish, you must also pay a corresponding price."
"Make a wish to the God?"
Tōru Taki never expected such a fortuitous encounter to befall her. Though she didn't know if it was true, she was currently facing a dead end. Since things couldn't get any worse, there was no harm in trying.
And so, she took a deep breath and told the figure about the curse. Finally, she asked, "Can the God help me break this curse?"
"Of course, but you must go before Kami-sama and tell him yourself."
"Ah, is that so?"
"It cannot be helped. I have very little energy left; maintaining this form is already my limit. Besides, not making the wish in person would seem a bit insincere, wouldn't it?"
"That makes sense." Tōru Taki expressed her understanding and asked, "Then, where is Kami-sama?"
"Just on the other side of the mountain." The little figure pointed in a direction, then turned into a beam of light and flew into her body.
Tōru Taki "saw" a map suddenly appear in her mind.
"I used the last of my energy to show you the location of the shrine. The map will only last for one day. If you want to go, go quickly."
"What about you, Divine Envoy-san?" Tōru Taki felt a pang in her heart as she watched the figure vanish.
"Don't worry about it. My mission is complete. Good luck, destined one!"
With those words, the little figure fell silent. Only the map in her mind proved that everything else hadn't been an illusion.
"How could this happen? Divine Envoy-san..."
Tōru Taki was saddened, but she quickly pulled herself together and lifted her spirits.
"I will go to the shrine and make a wish to Kami-sama. I won't let your mission be in vain, Divine Envoy-san."
After a silent moment of mourning for the Divine Envoy she had just met, Tōru Taki ran back home, gathered her things, and prepared to head up the mountain.
Following the map in her mind, Tōru Taki entered the mountain woods alone.
Whether it was her imagination or not, the journey was exceptionally smooth. She arrived at the stone steps of the shrine without any accidents.
"This must be the protection of Divine Envoy-san. Thank you!"
With a racing heart, Tōru Taki ran and hopped her way to the mountain peak, but the scene before her left her stunned.
There was a shrine, but it was under construction. Many workers were busy hauling bricks.
Strangely, despite the crowd, not a single person looked at her, as if she were completely invisible.
"Do not be surprised. They cannot see you."
A gossamer voice suddenly rang out in her mind. Tōru Taki immediately turned around, but saw no one speaking to her.
She asked nervously, "Who are you?"
"This is my domain. I am the God you seek. You may call me 'Aosora-sama'."
"Aosora-sama?" Tōru Taki spoke into the void. "Did you know I was coming?"
"Of course. Divine Envoy No. 10086 sent me its work report before vanishing. You are the last destined person it handled."
"No. 10086? Is that its designation?"
"Correct. It was the 10086th Divine Envoy I created, so I gave it that name."
"There were over ten thousand Divine Envoys?!"
After the shock passed, Tōru Taki felt a sense of sorrow for the Divine Envoy.
It worked so hard to complete its mission, even giving its life, yet it was just one of ten thousand ordinary envoys. Perhaps before long, no one but me will remember it.
As if hearing her thoughts, the God's voice rang out again: "Among the masses, how many are truly remembered? As long as one can realize their own value, that is enough."
Yes... after I die, I don't know if anyone will remember me either. These words from the God stayed with Tōru Taki for a long time.
Afterward, she gathered her thoughts and finally remembered the purpose of her search. She asked hurriedly, "Aosora-sama, may I make a wish?"
"Of course. However, you should know that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Therefore, I will collect a corresponding price for granting your wish."
"Yes, I understand." Tōru Taki immediately knelt, her hands clasped tightly, and prayed with closed eyes: "Aosora-sama, I pray that you help me break the curse upon me."
"As you wish."
As soon as the words were spoken, Tōru Taki saw endless light appear around her. She felt as if she were submerged in an ocean of light.
At the same time, the light continuously entered her body, driving out a mass of black energy. The black energy dissipated into the air with a reluctant hiss.
Seeing this, she felt a profound sense of relief in both body and mind. She knew the curse that had plagued her was gone.
The light faded, and Tōru Taki found a man in white wearing a mask standing before her. She asked uncertainly, "Are you Aosora-sama?"
Aomori nodded. "It is I."
"Thank you for your mercy. I'm all better now." Tōru Taki smiled happily, then asked, "I couldn't see you just now, but why can I see you now?"
"It is divine power. There is residual energy from me within your body, so you can see me temporarily."
"I see. Will I be able to see yokai too?"
"You will."
"That's wonderful!" Tōru Taki grinned, her eyes narrowing as she whispered, "It's truly great to have met Divine Envoy-san and Aosora-sama."
"Don't be happy too soon," Aomori said, intentionally trying to spook her. "You haven't heard what the price is yet."
"Oh, right, right." She asked nervously, "I don't seem to have much... do you want my lifespan? Or my beauty?"
"What would I do with those things?" Aomori laughed, pointing at the shrine still under construction. "My shrine is short on hands. Once the shrine is finished, come and work for me."
"Is that all?" Tōru Taki let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought it would be a price I couldn't bear. If that's all, I can definitely do it!"
"Breaking your curse didn't take much effort on my part, so I won't charge you too much."
"Aosora-sama, you truly are a kind God."
After her heartfelt remark, Tōru Taki suddenly asked somewhat sheepishly, "Um, Aosora-sama, can I make one—no, can I make two more wishes?"
"You can, but the price might double."
"That's fine!"
"Go ahead, then."
"Mhm." Tōru Taki cleared her throat and began, "For my second wish, I want my grandfather to be able to see yokai."
"Your grandfather?" Aomori raised an eyebrow. In his memory, Tōru Taki's grandfather should have died long ago.
Needless to say, it was another shift in the timeline.
"Yes. My grandfather has been researching yokai his whole life, but even now, as he is bedridden with little time left, he has yet to see a single one. So, I hope he can see a yokai with his own eyes at least once before he dies. Is that possible?"
"It is," Aomori nodded gently.
"Great! Grandfather will be so happy."
Tōru Taki wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and continued, "For the third wish, I want Divine Envoy No. 10086 to be resurrected and return to my side. Divine Envoy-san helped me so much, and I haven't had the chance to thank him properly. If it's Aosora-sama, you should be able to do that, right?"
This girl... Aomori fell silent for a moment before saying, "Are you sure? You only knew each other for a few minutes; perhaps it never even cared about you. Do not assume the prices I set are always easy; they might make you regret your choice for the rest of your life."
Tōru Taki bowed and said seriously, "I am sure! I am prepared, and I will not regret it."
"Very well." Aomori stopped trying to dissuade her. He plucked a fallen leaf from the ground, infused it with Holy Light, and handed it to Tōru Taki.
"Place this leaf on your grandfather's forehead, and he will be able to see yokai."
"Oh, I see." Tōru Taki carefully took the leaf and asked, "But where can I find a yokai?"
"Do not worry. A yokai will appear on its own."
"Huh?" Tōru Taki was confused.
Aomori didn't answer that and said, "Then, the price for this wish is that you must help me find destined ones who can see yokai. At least one every month. If you fail to find one, you will be punished."
"Find destined ones? Isn't that a Divine Envoy's job?" After mumbling to herself, Tōru Taki said, "No problem!"
"As for resurrecting No. 10086, what form would you like it to take?"
"Ah?"
"I can change its appearance at will. If you have no special request, I will just make it as I please."
"Is that so? Then I want something fluffy and very cute!" she replied without hesitation.
"As you wish."
Aomori opened his palm, condensing a small ball of light, and then shaped it like a piece of sugar dough.
Finally, the ball of light turned into something fluffy.
It had a pair of white angel wings on its back and a lion's tail. Its body was orange-yellow, its head was round, and it had large ears and small eyes. It looked incredibly adorable and cute.
"His name is Koka." Aomori flicked its head, and it stretched as if waking up, rubbing its eyes as if it hadn't slept enough. (Koka = small/little cute/lovely)
"So... so cute!" Tōru Taki scooped Koka into her palms, rubbing her cheek against him incessantly.
"Koka? Is that the name Aosora-sama gave you? It's a nice name. You'll be called Koka from now on, Divine Envoy-san."
"This aura... destined one, is it you? I remember I was supposed to have vanished," Koka said, now fully awake, as he sensed Tōru Taki's presence.
Koka was an energy being created by Aomori using Holy Light energy and fragments of Spirit. Although the mental energy came from Aomori, he had processed it and implanted a new set of memories, making it essentially a new individual.
"Koka remembers me! That's wonderful!" Tōru Taki stroked his small head and said, "I made a wish to Kami-sama to bring you back to life. My name is Tōru Taki. It's nice to meet you."
"Brought back to life?" Koka frowned and said, "Why do something so unnecessary? I had already completed my mission and had no regrets."
"But I did! I didn't get to thank you yet." Tōru Taki said solemnly, "Thank you, Koka. You were the one who saved me."
"Idiot, it was clearly all thanks to Kami-sama."
"Hehehe." Tōru Taki smiled but didn't say anything.
"Now, for the price," Aomori said. "The price for this wish is that you must accompany Koka for the rest of his life."
"Eh? That's the price?" Tōru Taki was confused. Wasn't that a good thing?
"You will understand in the future."
Aomori saw off the joyous Tōru Taki and Koka and sighed.
"Bonds that should not be, only add to one's sorrow."
For an ordinary person, forming a bond with a yokai or a God isn't necessarily a good thing.
One day, they will be separated.
It might not be a separation of life and death, but rather…
"I stand before you, yet you cannot see me."