"You sure about this?" Yukine asked.
They stood outside the shrine of the God of Learning. Hiyori glanced over her shoulder at the boy beside her and sighed.
"I have to. I still need answers."
"But isn't that why you went to see Kofuku-san and Daikoku-san?" Yukine pointed out.
"Th-that was different," she replied, her gaze falling slightly.
"How so?"
Hiyori couldn't tell him she was looking for the reason why Yato had left. She would seem desperate - weak.
"Or there could be more to the story," Daikoku's words rang in her head.
She needed his side of the story. But without the god there to answer those questions, Hiyori's options were limited. That was why she had rushed to Yato's only close friends - to no avail.
The current desire to speak with Lord Tenjin was separate. This was about their baby.
"I sense a godly nature from you, Hiyori."
If that "godly nature" was true, the girl had to know what it would entail.
And maybe it did have something to do with Yato, too. Maybe her lover knew all the terrible answers she was searching for already - and that caused his disappearance.
Even though she'd appreciate her friend's support, Hiyori knew Yukine would only try to talk her out of it if she shared her thoughts.
The boy raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Hiyori?"
The girl lifted her head and realized how long she had been silent. "Hmm? Ah - sorry..."
Hiyori sighed and seemed hesitant to answer. "I-I don't know," she answered nervously. "I guess...-" she bit her lip, her voice lowering to a mumble, "I need to know some things about Yato. And our baby."
"Hmm…" the Regalia stuck his hands in his pockets. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "And you're sure it's okay for you to be snooping around in his personal business like this?"
The brunette caught his suspicious glare. She sent a sharp stare back. "His business is my business now. Trust me."
Yukine continued to seem skeptical of her logic almost cringing. "You really don't think you're crossing the line?"
"The only line I've ever crossed was the one keeping me apart from Yato."
Despite his multiple efforts to bring sense back into her, determination shone in Hiyori's pink eyes. Once Yukine noticed it, he realized it was useless. He knew it would be difficult to discourage her.
There was a slight moment of silence before Yukine groaned. "Alright, alright!" He gave in. "But just make sure that Yato knows none of this was my idea."
Hiyori rolled her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting. "Don't worry. At most, you'd get an earful from him."
Yukine crossed his arms and scrunched his nose, scowling. "That's exactly the kinda thing I'm trying to avoid!"
A lighthearted giggle escaped Hiyori's lips. At the same time, a woman in a red and white kimono stepped out of the shrine entrance and approached them.
"Iki-san? Yukine-kun?"
Yukine immediately glanced up behind Hiyori, who turned around to follow his gaze. They both found Mayu approaching them.
"Mayu-san," the brunette greeted with a friendly smile. "Kon'nichiwa!"
The Regalia smiled back, making eye contact to acknowledge both of them. Yukine and Hiyori gave a half bow to the young woman.
"Have you come to see Tenjin-sama?" Mayu asked.
Hiyori gave a weak grin in return. "Y-yes. There's... something I'd like to talk to him about…"
. . . .
Yato tipped back his beer, slurping it aggressively. He yanked his hair free of his ponytail and groaned to himself. What started out as a small sip became a full-blown drinking session.
On days when Nora and Father were away, Yato devised private trips to a nearby liquor store. He enjoyed the way each drink fogged his mind, especially when he was feeling lonely or began to overthink.
"So, tell me-" a voice suddenly rang in from behind him, "what makes a god come crawling back to the man he'd sworn to kill?"
Yato paused, freezing in the center of a cement square on the sidewalk. He scraped his teeth together, a slight smirk forming across his face. He pivoted his head over his shoulder to glimpse at the Regalia standing behind him.
"Ah, Kazuma!" He grinned with slightly flushed cheeks, hooking his thumb in the ribbon tied around his waist. "So, tell me, what are you mad about today?"
Kazuma scoffed as he approached the god, noticing his drunken behavior. Yato lowered his drink in his hand to speak.
"Thanks for asking," Kazuma replied sarcastically, his expression very strict. "I suppose a good place to start would be when you abandoned me for Iki-san when we were planning to take down the sorcerer."
Yato raised his eyebrow skeptically. He crossed his arms, the frustration already building up inside him. His eyes narrowed down, and his smile lowered to a slight scowl.
"Jealous much?" The blue-eyed deity scoffed, then his expression hardened and his voice dropped an octave lower. "If we're talking about Hiyori, then I'd choose my words carefully if I were you."
It was silent for a second as Kazuma weighed his options. He then crossed his arms. "Ah, right - because she's baring your child."
Yato immediately scanned the area, searching for on-lookers or listening ears. When he found no one around, the God of Calamity grabbed the Regalia's shoulder and pushed him halfway into the closest alleyway.
"How do you know about that?" He glared.
"Glad I've finally caught your attention," Kazuma said, adjusting his glasses. "I came to talk to you. About you. And also regarding your 'father.'"
Yato stared at the Regalia skeptically. He then threw his head back and cackled dramatically. Kazuma folded his arms as he silently waited for the god to finish. He was sick of this reaction already.
"Look," Yato finally began, tilting his beer towards the young man, "none of this involves you. I was handling it on my own, but my original plan to find a new Regalia failed."
Kazuma thought for a second, then sighed. "I see…" he replied calmly.
"So, then what are you doing wandering around the edge of town with a Nora and the sorcerer?"
Yato nearly choked on his beer. He turned away from his companion to clear his liquor-filled lungs. Kazuma tapped his finger against his forearm, growing impatient.
Kazuma had known that the god was drunk - no doubt. However, it hadn't occurred to him how drunk he actually was. When he did, the Regalia suddenly thought of something.
If he lied to Yato about something, would he believe it? There was no better chance to test that theory.
"You've been spying on me?!" Yato cried once he finally recovered. "First, my dad - now, you?"
"Indeed. By any chance, you wouldn't happen to be running away from a mistake you recently made?" Kazuma asked with a straight face.
Yato scoffed in response to his rather discrete question. "You're gonna have to clarify. I've made a lot of mistakes in my lifetime."
Kazuma remained motionless for a long minute. He appeared to study the god's face for any sign of dishonesty.
It quickly dawned on him that Yato was far too intoxicated to come up with a decent front at the moment. His lies and excuses when he was sober already sucked as it was. He took another minute to form a proper lie, something plausible. But seeing as the god could barely stand up straight, he figured he wouldn't have the intellectual capacity to point out the holes in his fake story.
"Well," Kazuma cleared his throat, "since I stumbled upon Hiyori the other day, she can agree that your child was a mistake. In fact, she's very much considered giving it up."
Yato froze altogether. His can slipped through his sweaty fingers, but even as a puddle of sticky beer formed underneath his sandals, he did not flinch. He blinked at Kazuma cluelessly.
When the information finally processed in his head, Yato's expression morphed into a horror-stricken one. He opened his mouth to speak, but he stumbled over each word as he attempted to understand.
"W-what-? How did you know about that? Y-you're joking..."
He didn't necessarily ask if he was lying.
"No. I told you I spoke to her. Do you not believe me?" Kazuma raised an eyebrow at him, not breaking a sweat.
"B-but there's no way she'd actually - How-?" Yato tugged on his hair and nearly tripped on his unsteady feet amid his panic.
Kazuma only shrugged.
Yato clutched his kimono, his heart feeling as if it would drop to his stomach. There were suddenly too many emotions for him to comprehend all at once. The Regalia continued to watch as the god began to pace back and forth on the sidewalk.
"Then, why?! Why would she do that?" The god cried, pain raw in his shaky voice.
You're done for, his thoughts rang in. You've reached the point of no return. She doesn't love you anymore. You hurt her. Bastard!
Kazuma's next response only confirmed Yato's thoughts.
"Because you left. She won't want it anymore than you do. You made your decision, and now, so has she."
Yato stumbled backwards, his back slamming into the side of a building. But then, even through his racing thoughts, there was one specific - one distinct emotion that Yato could identify throughout his whole turmoil.
Resentment. Resentment towards the one he swore his love to.
How could she betray him like that?
