.
.
"Iki-san. I never apologized for what I did to you that day. I took my frustrations out on you when you were worried about Yato. I'm sorry," Kazuma said.
Hiyori waved her hand. "Kazuma-san, you were really stressed out! It's okay."
"Really?" Kazuma said. "Because I threw you off the roof and cursed you-"
"It's okay, don't worry. I understand." Hiyori smiled at him.
Kazuma folded his hands on his lap while Hiyori sat down next to him. "How are things with you and Bishamon-sama?" she asked.
"You know about that?" Kazuma said. Hiyori nodded.
"Yato told me," Hiyori said. "Said his 'best bro was finally getting laid.'"
Kazuma ducked his head. "Hearing Yato's vulgarities coming out of your mouth is a little disconcerting."
"Yukine-kun said he's happy for you too. You also apologized to him?"
"I did," Kazuma said. He hesitated. "I treated you all so horribly. Yato especially. I can't help but think of my actions and feel ashamed." He lifted his eyes, glancing up at her.
"I take it Yato has also confessed to you?"
"He did," Hiyori said.
"And have you decided what to do about it?"
Hiyori knitted her brow. "Well-"
"We're gonna make Hiyori a god!" Yato said. He jumped out from behind a telephone pole. Kazuma started.
"Yato how long have you been there?!"
"Long enough! Just wanted to make sure you hentai hafuri wasn't harassin' Hiyori!" Yato hopped down toward them.
"Wait a minute, so you mean to tell me, your plan is to get Iki-san to godhood? How would that even work?"
"It worked for Tenjin!" Yato said. He pointed. "All we gotta do is wait until Hiyori dies and then get her deified! And since she's got like six gods on retainer, it'd be super easy for her to perform miracles."
"Wait, six gods?" Kazuma said, and Hiyori laughed, nervously.
"Ah, I mean, there's Yato, and Kofuku-san, and Bishamon-sama. And Ebisu-kun and Tenjin-sama. I also got to know Takemikazuchi-sama," Hiyori said.
"She helped Take-asshole out with Kiun," Yato said. "Plus they helped me out with a flash mob for Yukine's first birthday party."
"Really?" Kazuma said. Hiyori shrugged, blushing.
"Anyway! It's a foolproof plan! We're just gonna get Hiyori a bunch of followers! Have her perform some miracles and get the people's attention-"
"You're going to start a cult with Iki-san as its figurehead?"
"Not a cult, Kazuma! A whole friggin' religion!"
Kazuma suddenly had a vision of Yato following Hiyori on the medical wards, where all her critically ill patients would miraculously recover and the medical staff would start whispering about miracles. "I mean, maybe," Kazuma said. Yato grinned.
"Yeah! And if that doesn't work, we'll just have her jump bodies like my asshole Dad-"
"You mean she'd forcibly possess another human?!" Kazuma said, horrified.
"No! I mean, awaken her memories of her past life. Ya know. God's Greatest Secret, but not a shinki."
"I don't know that that'd actually work," Kazuma said, frowning.