Kami.

In Shinto, they are often referred as native gods in Japan.

Referred as 'gods'- They are spirits that embody the elements of the landscape, forces of nature, and even desires.

People worship them for the sake of who and what they are, to gain their blessings and what not…

As it is polytheistic, there are a multitude of them.

[八百万の神] Eight Million Gods or in other words- Countless deities.

They may roam in the heavenly plains, or in the earthly realm.

Some are good at one thing and there are some that are good at multiple things.

They could either be good or evil.

Yahata is a kami that specializes in all aspects of war; be it from the land in which urban and jungle warfare takes place, to the seas where in the depths of the waters are filled to the brim with deadly obstacles and even the surface of the sea where ships roam and display their firepower, and even to the skies where it rains death.

But for him, the experiences, skills, knowledge and all that is necessary to him to the battlefield which are the result of his accumulated efforts in his life is a reminder of how ruthless the world is.

Though not really a good teacher he has taught the likes of Oda Nobunaga the Great Unifier and lord of the Oda clan which belongs to the Taira clan though despite their differences and even in spite of the Genpei war, the Minamoto clan of which Yahata was chosen as its patron deity had close ties with each other or at least he made it seem that way.

Yahata achieved many great things before his exile, and there are more than a thousand shrines dedicated to him in honor of him, many of them are Buddhist in nature and that is why most of them revered the kami as the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman but he chooses not to take upon that name for personal reasons.

So how could such a revered kami be exiled in such an isolated space? Shouldn't he, the kami who dedicated his life to serve his country and protected it from multiple invasions from other nations be treated more than an outcast?

The reason is simple of course.

"Didn't you all cast me away the moment you find me inconvenient? When the tide turned against us?" He awaited a reply but none came.

It was silent, so silent in fact that one could hear the sound of water rippling across the pond even the rustling leaves could be heard if one would really focus on the surrounding ambience.

"To take time to meet someone so despicable, I expected that being a scapegoat would be enough for you all." Just those words alone can indicate why he was exiled here, and even though he knew that the sins he committed wouldn't put him in such a place, he had already given up and accepted it.

Though he has killed legions of armies and slaughtered his enemies without mercy, it was all for the sake of his country- To protect the very nation that he used to love just as he has tasked himself to do so.

Betrayal, he has suffered it countless of times.

Losses were more than his gains, he lost most of his life in the process of becoming who he is today.

Those things he experienced over and over again and rather than being consumed by the vengeance and hatred it brings, he chooses to accept them as his failures and move forward.

He learned how to deal with it and those things happened less and less because of it, though it still happens from time to time after all he is not perfect and even he himself will admit that.

He didn't care about living a luxurious life, he didn't even care about joining a war that the imperial family roped him in that caused him to be exiled in the first place, rather he felt empty and indifferent towards his outlook in life.

He knows that his life is paved with many burdens, others tend to look at his life as something of a grand adventure or a legend but he'd tell them that it is nothing but dull in nature so in the end he doesn't care what kind of life awaits him anymore but unlike those with no purpose, he already made his own and that is the only thing he cares about in his life regardless of what will happen to him.

The purpose is to be the patron deity of Japan.

The atmosphere dropped several degrees when those words came out from him.

Those who listened to it stiffened, while on the other hand Yahata held a calm gaze looking forward to the group he spoke to.

Some of them had their heads down, those were the kamis who knew of what happened to him and they had a sick, frightened feeling that made them scowl and feel ashamed every time they met him.

Most of them though didn't think much of it- Thinking that they have nothing to do with what happened to him, but when Yahata's gaze fell upon them, they couldn't help but avoid it.

For them, those empty eyes exuded an uncomfortable feeling that even their status as deities can't do anything about the pressuring look.

But Yahata couldn't care less about it, he didn't care about seeing their reactions as he already expected this.

"We…want to tell you that another great war is coming and it'll deeply affect our country, I am sure you have foreseen this." Yahata looked at the one who said that.

It was Omoikane, the kami with great intellect and wisdom.

"Of course I would be, what do you take me for?" He replied coldly to them.

There were no pleasantries exchanged, and it seems that Yahata doesn't plan on doing so.

He knew that the other kamis would come to seek him for his aide, yet his expectations were low.

He only expected two or three to come speak to him but a crowd of them came up to him instead though he was not surprised by it, still it left the impression to him that they were getting desperate.

"If that is all, then I suggest you all leave because I have nothing more to discuss." He said to them, his gaze falling to the horizon.

If others were in his position, there's no doubt that they'd berate the deities but Yahata is not like that, he is a calm and calculated person…

As Yahata continued to gaze at the horizon, the atmosphere was beginning to thaw. The deities noticed the pressure he emitted was wavering and some couldn't help but sigh in relief and resignation.

Though Omoikane was far from relieved, she knew that Yahata was instrumental during the great wars and she couldn't let him simply go, the opportunity was there and all she needed to do was to convince him.

While the others have already left after being told to do so by him, only her and three others remained, there were only four kamis that have chosen to stay.

Aside from Omoikane there was; Ryujin, Inari, and Amaterasu.

Ryujin, the dragon deity that ruled over the seas.

Inari, the fox deity of general prosperity and worldly success.

And lastly Amaterasu, the great heaven-illuminating deity whose presence made the remaining ones raise their brows, after all they didn't expect her to leave Takamagahara of which she ruled all over.

Even after the fact that he knows who they are, Yahata still treated them indifferently.

He doesn't care who they are, what matters is their purpose coming here.

When he told them to leave, he didn't specify anything, he only suggested that those that still fear him or find him unbearable flee without hesitation just as he had expected.

For him it was a way to filter out those unwilling ones.

"Follow me." He says, alerting the deities except for Ryujin who seemed to know this in advance, even Amaterasu's guilt ridden face was riddled with surprise upon hearing it.

Yahata leads them around his place, his so-called domain of where he is exiled for eternity.

With just a soft whisper and a snap with his fingers, seats made of fine stone arose from the soil along with it came a round table and soon after it was erected, cups suddenly arose from the table and in the center wide log sprouted out bottles of sake.

"Sit and drink to your heart's contents while we wait for the others." The deities, especially the three goddesses looked reluctant and the three shared a glance at each other trying to make something out of this situation, Amaterasu looked at Omoikane who she knew had knowledge that even others coveted.

She asked her if she had any grasp at what Yahata is trying to do.

"...I'm not sure as of yet," Omoikane says to her dismay, she briefly glances at Yahata who is now sitting at the far end of the table quietly drinking the sake he prepared while closing his eyes.

It was then Ryujin decided to take his seat beside him, he was closely monitoring Yahata's actions and even pondering on his words- Not because he was weary of him rather, he was curious, he sat down while taking a glance at him.

His nature as a dragon would make him immune to alcohol, so he couldn't really get the same experience as other kamis but the cup that was on the table seemed so appalling for some reason.

Even Inari couldn't help it and soon she followed suit.

She placed herself next to the dragon and soon took a sip from the cup she held, as she was a deity who likes drinking sake, so she too was curious not at Yahata but at the sake he prepared.

There was that floral aroma that she knew too well, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation when she noticed something strange with it.

By the aroma alone she could tell that it wasn't spiked with anything poisonous, and knowing that, she took her first swig at it.

The sake was beyond anything she could ever think of, she thought that the flavor was so exquisite that she couldn't dare compare it to the usual sake that Takamagahara produces.

While she was drinking her own cup, Ryujin had already finished his, though unlike her, the dragon deity showed no reaction, it was like drinking water but he couldn't help himself from asking for a refill.

Without even moving an inch or uttering a single word, Yahata replenished his cup.

"Yahata-sama, could you care to tell me what kind of sake is this?"

"It is the sake that I've been preserving for more than a thousand years."

A typical sake would last about a year before going bad, a sake that came from the high plains of heaven would last more than a hundred years so for him to preserve it for more than a thousand baffled the fox.

"There must be some kind of technique that you use to make such an other-worldly experience, would you care to tell me?" Yahata didn't answer, so she raised the stakes in an attempt to persuade him.

"In exchange, I'll spread your name even more." Inari says he knew what she was trying to do and he expected this when they came.

He has already prepared the things necessary for what's going to happen, it was exactly what he had planned inside his head.

Yes, he has thought about it for quite a while, even to the point of evaluating every single kami that fits the criteria necessary for his own goals.

To him, they are nothing but tools that he can take advantage of.

…

Still no response, so she raised it even higher.

"Not only that, there will be more shrines dedicated to y-

Yahata urged her to stop, "I don't need those things,"

When the both agricultural deities stopped talking to each other, Omoikane and Amaterasu took it as a cue and decided to finally take their seats next to Inari.

Inari is savoring the unique taste of the sake whilst Yahata is watching over the horizon, surely their conversation is over and to others it may seem so.

Their conversation was already over the moment Yahata urged her to stop, the both of them were not even maintaining any eye contact with each other.

So why is it that the air is so calm? This is what Ryujin questions to himself right now and of course as a deity who has lived since before the formation of their homeland made him capable to understand that something is going on as he has already experienced those thing- He is akin to a sharp-minded but wise old man and already he had some ideas but he needed to be more sure of it so he continued to observe them.

He notices the subtle glance that Inari gives after taking her cup off of her lips and every time she did it, Yahata would tap his fingers lightly on the table.

The dragon thought it was just a coincidence, but his intuition told him that there was something going on between them and they are being kept in the dark by it, so he observed once again being careful not to get noticed by the both of them.

The same thing happened three times- She glances at him and he lightly taps on the table without looking at her.

And now that he sees that and confirmed with his own two eyes, he is now sure that they are telepathically communicating with each other.

Telepathy is communication of thoughts through one's mind and into the other, and that is what they are doing right now.

After hearing the strings of lengthy messages about Inari's persuasion directed to him which he responded with a simple consecutive 'no', Yahata had finally given her a proper response.

'I'd rather have your full support.'

She quietly weighed it in, she thought for a while about it then started to dig deeper until she stopped to give him a look as if to question him.

What is Yahata trying to do?

Right now I am confused as hell and no matter how much I think about it, all of my assessments towards this case have been nothing but a massive headache to not only me but for everyone involved.

Regardless of this new development, I have thought ahead even with this all turned upside down.

I know and understand that these things are starting to get difficult.

-Information, that is what I need the most right now so I didn't hesitate to ask for Yukinoshita-san's for them, and thankfully she obliged.

She immediately understood the graveness of the situation when Yoshikage relayed the information, even to the point of calling in backup from the Tokyo branch.

"Socho is coming also, but I'm still not sure if the Nagano, Tokyo and Chiba special units can handle the Youkais behind the barrier in a way that doesn't risk exposure." Yoshikage said as he tidied himself.

"What would be the rough estimate of these things?" This time, it was Yukinoshita-san who answered me.

"We would be facing approximately a hundred thousand youkais, though most of them could be easily dealt with. It is the humanoid kind that we should be looking out for, some of them can even destroy an entire prefecture or even worse."

…there's no way that we can fight that many without major repercussions, and if we deal with them outside the barrier then there's a chance that we might get exposed.

I was told earlier that the Nagano branch were moving on in the scene and since the place was in their area of responsibility, there's no doubt in mind that they will be the first ones to assess the situation at hand and that's why I reminded Yoshikage again if there's any news about them yet.

Unfortunately he shook his head and due to this I closed my eyes.

I needed to be patient, I shouldn't be rash with these kinds of things, and right now I think that the three branches; Nagano, Tokyo, and Chiba are enough rather than insufficient.

Getting more branches involved would risk vulnerability, so before Yoshikage could call in the other branches, I told him to stop.

"Don't bother, all the special units from the three branches is all we need." I beckoned him with my eyes still closed.

But I could tell that he was pondering my words deeply, because after all he has the experience to know what my words meant, at least that is what I want to believe.

"I'm sorry that I almost jeopardized everything, I guess the pressure is starting to get to me now." He apologizes to me.

"It's understandable," I say. "All of us didn't expect for things to escalate so quickly."

I ran my hand to my forehead as I opened my eyes, then the 'car' that we were in suddenly began to violently shake.

A bit of dizziness was the result of it but nothing more than I can handle.

On the other hand, I could feel the one sitting behind me hold onto the back of my seat.

"Sorry for the turbulence, I'm still getting used to flying this thing." Yukinoshita-san says, I shoot a look at her for a while, then turned around to shoot a glance at them through the rear mirror.

Yoshikage seemed to be fine though I can't say the same to the person next to him.

Matsuda, who was a very stoic person seems to be shaking from the recent tremor.

He was muttering some incoherent words while gripping hard on the back of my seat.

"Matsuada-san, excuse me for saying this but are you perhaps scared of heights?" Yoshikage asks.

"No, I'm not. I just have a bad stomach but nothing that I can't handle." The exorcist says, clearly showing discomfort from the air travel.

"I can open the window if you want." Yukinoshita-san suggested.

"Yukinoshita-san, I advise you not to do that." The exorcist replies.

10 minutes, that would be the approximate time frame that we will be arriving on the scene.

And it's thanks to the fact that her car can 'fly' that we will arrive sooner than later, though I had some doubts- Not about her driving skills or should I say piloting skills of course but rather the chances of us staying intact.

"Oi, are you sure that this thing is concealed properly." She flicked something on the screen but it didn't seem to do anything, at least that is what I perceived.

"We won't be under radar but if they were to look up, they might notice us..."

The JASDF will probably gun us down, so I did what was necessary.

While grasping the handle of the door, a bit of my mana circulated out of me and into it, engulfing the entire car with the magic of concealment.

I let go of the handle and rested my hand on my lap momentarily.

Now I was back to my own thoughts again, I placed my elbow on my knees as I meditated, my hands clasping with each other pressed against my forehead.

Nagano, the special unit there are mostly composed of a clan's descendants and no- They are not samurais anymore, they've long passed that era a longtime ago.

They of course adapted to the new environment of magic and firearms or the long-ranged era, but some still choose the way of the sword or martial arts in a broader term.

Clans are prominent or should I say influential in regards to the members residing here in Japan, they often hold more authority and political power than a regular member unless they graduated from College, though none can topple the absolute power of the Imperial family.

Backed by the Empire of the Sun, the Imperial branch is what the members of the association here typically call the Tokyo Branch since they are literally backed by the entire Imperial family, and not only that, they have the best special unit in the entirety of Japan.

I heard a rumor once that if one were to be accepted at the Tokyo branch, they will get an insane amount of privilege though most are just commodities that I don't care about, the most important about them that every other branches envy of were their equipment that are used from top of the line high security servers that has almost every data and information encrypted of each citizen of this country, to even the field work like having earpieces instead of our usual shitty radios.

Not only that, they'll be treated like a VIP among the rest of the branches, and I guess that's the reason why she was able to convince Socho.

Speaking of Yukinoshita Haruno, I felt her gaze upon me.

That broke me out of my thoughts, I turned to look at her and when our eyes met, she gave off a smile.

Before I can even say anything, she pushes her finger against the screen panel.

"Don't worry it's on autopilot now." Technology has come so far, now if only they'd share it to others then that'd be actually pretty helpful instead of hogging it all to themselves.

"Hikigaya-kun, can you open the compartment and get my gloves for me please." Though she asked politely, it felt like she ordered me.

She's a very charismatic person, the same to how her little sister acts.

After getting the gloves she asked for out from the compartment, I briefly inspected it.

Its smooth black leather skin indicated that it is maintained well, though I didn't find anything of note out of it.

Is this some sort of catalyst? I thought while handing it over to her.

She puts on the gloves and spreads her fingers apart, and then I felt it, I sensed her mana going in and out, surging in her veins.

The mana flowed like liquid- No, circulated would be more fitting.

Normally, I wouldn't doubt someone like her from the Tokyo branch but it seems that her motive for joining us is more personal than professional.

She's not the type of person to just willingly meddle with the affairs of other branches especially in such dangerous times without careful consideration, there's obviously a strong motive and from what I've thought so far.

It seems that Yukinoshita Yukino, the youngest of the Yukinoshita family is someone that she holds dear to her.

I never heard from my former club mate that she is particularly close with her though, it's not like we ever got the chance to talk about things like that…

Still, it is the likely motive.

Even then, I won't hesitate to use my authority in this case to put her in her place, that is only if her goals didn't align with this case's objective.

That is why I am going to say this…

"Yukinoshita-san, are you sure that your sister will be safe? It would've been better if you didn't leave her on her own." I say, my cold words make her visibly freeze but she maintained her facade.

Before she could even speak up, I continued.

"-What if something were to happen?" Her smile drops and she looks away for a moment, I couldn't see her face.

Though not even a second passed, her face was in view, and she smiled at me.

Just not in a similar fashion before.

"Hikigaya Hachiman, I am not a fool to leave her vulnerable..." She calls out my full name in a cold, piercing and emotionless tone devoid of that usual exterior of hers, chills would run down my spine if it weren't for my cold-blooded nature.

"If I don't settle this properly, then what would be the point of me going all the way here? To kill the weeds, one must pull them out from its roots."

So she'll go the extra mile, huh.

I should've seen that coming from her and the way she acts should've been an indication.

"That's why you don't have to worry, onee-chan will be here to help you." She says while tilting her hat.

And just like that, her usual 'persona' is back.

The sun has been out of sight for the past hour or so, and under those gloomy clouds of uncertainty and worries, there lies a girl, staring at them through a window, she couldn't help but shift to a more comfortable position inside the futon that she's in.

She felt the chilly wind enter her room and welcomed it, the coolness of the air made her desire to take a nap more imminent, and her eyelids started to flutter slowly from it.

In such a time however, her responsibility as the sole shrine maiden in her village reminded her to snap out of the stupor, she stretched her arms and- Returned to putting her head back to the soft cushion of the futon and shut her eyelids close.

Truly, if others were to see her they'd say that she is unbefitting to be a shrine maiden but why should she care about them? It's not like they know first hand the things she needs to deal with on a daily basis and besides she has no more duties to tend since she finished all of them already so why not just stop for now and sleep for the entire day.

She had already checked the barrier to see if it's still well and fine, and her cleaning duties were all done, so it is justifiable for her to doze off for the entire day.

However, according to the rules given to her by the predecessor of the shrine, her mother always told her to stay vigilant as they are responsible for keeping watch on what happens to it, the border which acts as the barrier of Gensokyo from the outside world.

However for Hakurei Reimu, the lull of slumber was greater than that and in her attempt to fall into unconsciousness, the warm feeling of the futon made her even more comfortable, she felt like she was in heaven- It's as if she was embracing her mother's warmth…

No matter how much she changed her positions inside the futon, her inability to sleep made it counterproductive and thus, she couldn't sleep.

The memory of her mother made her heart heavy, and that feeling didn't sit well with her and now her mood was in tatters.

So she threw away the blanket as she sat straight up, her purple hair is now a mess due to her shifting around just moments ago.

She fixed her unkempt hair and then proceeded to fold her blanket but she couldn't help reminiscing the past while doing so.

She felt pathetic, thinking that the warm feeling of the futon that replicated her mother's warm embrace has made her so weak, she was told to stay strong no matter what not only from her mother's word but also the people at the village that she resides in.

Though her place may be solitary in a way, considering that the shrine was built a top of a hill.

The people at the village come to the shrine to pay their respects and out of obligation sake as some pity her for being the shrine maiden.

However, unlike the solitary trait of the shrine, Hakurei Reimu has maintained social connections with the people in the village, or in simpler terms- She has friends.

Though most of them are all elderly people who come to the shrine everyday to talk to her about trivial things.

Still it was better than nothing and at the very least she has company, it might be thanks to how she interacts with them on a daily basis as she speaks like someone who hasn't been to the urban districts that much albeit quite air headed but she looks at it in a positive light.

She was intrigued by their stories about urban life, but no matter how much she desires it, a shrine maiden's duty should never be left unchecked and neglected.

It was what her mother told of her.

Of course being the sole shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine meant that for her to protect the village and maintain the barrier, one would need to be extremely talented

-And Hakurei Reimu is such individual, she is talented in every aspects of her duty as a shrine maiden and because of her talents, she sometimes feels as if she's been imprisoned by it due to the responsibility that it came, to the point of neglecting her personal desires, but she doesn't hate it for it brings her a sense of purpose and identity and she has already came in to terms with it.

However those virtues counteract her apparent laziness.

As she sat there and drank the tea she prepared for herself, she suddenly felt something coming from the barrier and due to this, she sighs in annoyance rather than be worried.

Since the barrier was connected to her in a way, anything that happens to it she will sense it and it's been that way ever since.

The Great Hakurei Barrier.

It was the barrier that was erected by her ancestors who came before her together with the sages who extended their aid to separate a land called Gensokyo, one would say that it is a youkai's paradise however for her who has worked her entire life preserving the Great Barrier, she could tell by experience that it was far from it.

Gensokyo, the place where all the remaining youkai strive to call it home as they have nowhere else to go is a topic that she has thought about once a day, she'll occasionally talk to others about it in the village or to the ones who come to her shrine.

Mainly on the subject of youkai and how she warns them time and time again to never go 'beyond the boundary', she often told them the dangers that they pose which scares the people but they don't particularly feel threatened as they have their shrine maiden to protect them.

Youkai.

There's a lot of interpretations regarding what it really is.

Their birthplace, Japan and its people believed that these are creatures that belong in the supernatural.

Though some may come in different shapes and sizes, one could easily tell what a Youkai is due to their innate ability to draw out fear among men, and for that reason, humans tend to avoid them like a plague.

In the present however, their population is thinning down just like their nation's own population, those who are left struggle for their own survival, and unlike humans who needs food to operate on a daily basis, a youkai can sustain itself through consuming the unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous- Fear in other words as stated just before.

So generally speaking, these beings are primarily spiritual since after all they are an apparition in a broader sense, and as their nature of being borders from the physical realm, only affected spiritually, humans seek the services of priesthood to deal with them.

And some could say that Hakurei Reimu is one of them.

"Tsk!" She clicked her tongue as her daily routine has been disrupted and suffice to say, she is disgruntled, and her already sullen mood didn't help the situation.