11-1
"What are the Three Sacred Treasures?" I asked.
Amaterasu immediately explained to us, "The Three Sacred Treasures refer to the Yasakani no Magatama, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, and the Yata no Kagami, these three divine treasures."
As soon as Amaterasu finished speaking, she took the red magatama hanging around her neck and handed it to me. I held the magatama in my hand, not understanding why this thing was so remarkable.
Susanoo and Tsukuyomi went into the shrine and brought out the remaining two divine treasures, handing them to Boomer and Butch. Susanoo handed Boomer a dull short sword without a sheath. I was skeptical whether this was really the Kusanagi no Tsurugi often described in the game as the ultimate weapon, or just a piece of scrap metal. Butch received a finely carved round mirror from Tsukuyomi.
Butch suddenly seemed to think of something and asked, puzzled, "Excuse me for being rude, but as far as I know, the Yasakani no Magatama should be enshrined in the Imperial Palace, while the Yata no Kagami and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi are enshrined in the Ise Grand Shrine and Atsuta Shrine, respectively?"
Tsukuyomi smiled, "You have quite a good sense of history! But those are just replicas made by humans. The true Three Sacred Treasures are in Takamagahara."
"How do we use these?" I asked again. Amaterasu glanced at me and only said, "Figure it out yourselves."
"…" What an infuriating answer!
Tsukuyomi stared at the three of us with wide eyes and asked, "We trained you all day yesterday, and only now I realize you three aren't human?"
Butch and I were shocked. If even a god like Tsukuyomi could tell we weren't human, I thought we'd hidden it well!
Boomer stuck out her tongue. "We've been found out!"
Susanoo sniffed. "Though they're not human, they emit a strong human aura."
Suddenly, she spoke again, "Sorry, I lied to you. Actually… he has a name."
"What?!" The three of us were very surprised. That demon actually has a name?
"Big sister!" Susanoo tried to stop Amaterasu from continuing, but Tsukuyomi said to Susanoo, "It's okay, they have the right to know."
Amaterasu took a deep breath and said, "His name is Yato-no- Mikoto -Jagu."
This name was given by our father, meaning a wicked, utterly corrupt deity who has lost all self-control," Tsukuyomi added.
"Jagu… what a lame name… haha~" The three of us struggled to hold back our laughter, but then…
"What's so funny?!" Susanoo raised his voice angrily. Tsukuyomi said, "You have no idea how terrifying Jagu is until you see him for yourselves."
"Both of you, calm down." Amaterasu stepped in to mediate, "Alright, it's about time you went back." Amaterasu formed a seal with her hands, and a hole suddenly appeared on the ground.
"Before we leave, could you answer one question for us?" I said.
Amaterasu's tone was calm: "Why have you come here to train, obtain the Three Sacred Treasures, and defeat Jagu?"
Amaterasu completely saw through my inner doubts, "If you three hadn't pushed those children away back then, none of this would have happened, right?"
"!" Amaterasu's answer was like a bombshell to us. Indeed, if we hadn't meddled and pushed those kids away, we wouldn't have been exposed to those chemicals, wouldn't have inexplicably become partners with the Powerpuff Girls, and wouldn't have encountered so many things. It's no exaggeration to say that was the turning point of our lives.
"And the other half of Jagu's seal was also broken because of your curiosity, so you must bear the responsibility," Tsukuyomi added.
"Then why entrust such important treasures to us?" Boomer asked curiously.
Amaterasu turned the question back on us three, "Do you have someone very important in your hearts?"
We looked at each other. Someone important? Besides Mojo、our foster parents, if it's a friend, it's probably the Professor Utonium , Ken, Peach, and then the Powerpuff Girls Z. All three of us blush coincidentally, and we all shake our heads!
Amaterasu smiled understandingly, "I think there must be!"
Susanoo responded: "The complete form of Jagu has been defeated twice before: once thousands of years ago when we repelled him, and the second time during the Heian period when he was sealed by humans led by Abe no Seimei."
Tsukuyomi continued: "Jagu's power is far greater than that of humans, but humans have a terrifying potential. When someone wants to protect everything they cherish, even at the cost of their own life, their power can increase several hundredfold. Jagu was defeated by that kind of power."
Susanoo said seriously, "Even we don't know the limits of the Three Sacred Treasures. But one thing is certain: the stronger the willpower of the user, the more powerful the treasures become. Your pure desire to protect others back then is the key to unleashing the treasures' power."
Hearing this, I regretted more and more why we had meddled in the first place.
Amaterasu: "To apologize, when you succeed in defeating Jagu, I will grant you one wish each, but only one per person."
Now that's more like it! I don't want to risk my life for nothing.
"Goodbye!" After Amaterasu answered our questions, the three of us bid farewell to the gods and jumped into the hole Amaterasu had just created with her spell.
Within less than three seconds, with a "whoosh," were we back?… We were indeed back, but there was no ground beneath our feet. We were above Tokyo Skytree!
Moreover, we had reverted to our normal states without realizing it!
Shigeru's face turned pale: "Why are we in mid-air?!"
Kagami's face turned ashen: "We're going to fall!"
Damn, it's too late to transform now!
I quickly scanned the surroundings and saw a steel beam on the observation deck of the Skytree. I shouted to them, "Grab a beam quickly!"
Our speed increased, and Tokyo's buildings blurred into one. I focused on that steel beam and then said to them, "There!"
At the critical moment, the three of us simultaneously reached out, our fingers just barely hooking onto the corner of the beam.
The intense impact almost made us lose our grip, but we held on tightly, refusing to let go.
"Alright, let's get in." I grabbed the beam and kicked through the glass of the observation deck, and the three of us quickly jumped inside, narrowly averting this crisis.
However...
"What's going on?!"
"Someone jumped down from the sky!"
"Is it a terrorist attack?!"
The people on the observation deck shouted at us. I hastily made up an excuse, "Oh, we were doing parkour and accidentally fell off the Skytree. Luckily, we're not hurt, hahaha."
A bored police officer approached us and said, "Please come with me to the station to make a report. I strongly suspect you might be involved in terrorist activities."
Tch! At this rate, we won't be able to explain ourselves. I said to the two idiots beside me, "Let's get out of here!"
Kagami and Shigeru responded simultaneously, "Got it!"
Taking advantage of the commotion, we dashed into the stairwell and sprinted from Sumida to Setagaya at top speed. Only after shaking off the persistent crowd did we finally stop.
"Couldn't Amaterasu have been more careful when sending us back?" I complained.
Kagami asked worriedly, "Do you think they'll be angry that we came back without notifying them?"
"We should head to the lab and check things out first," Shigeru suggested, breaking the tension. So we immediately set off.
"International Science Institute"As we walked into the entrance, a warm blast of air greeted us. So cozy!
We opened the living room door and saw Professor Utonium, Ken, Peach conducting a chemistry experiment, Momoko eating cream puffs on the sofa, Miyako reading a fashion magazine, and Kaoru watching a sports show. Their lives were as unchanged as ever.
The five of them, plus a dog, looked shocked when they saw us. Momoko ran over and hugged me tightly.
"What are you doing?!" I blushed. "Where did you go?! You have to explain yourself!" Momoko's voice was choked with sobs, and large tears fell. I hadn't done anything yet!
I was most afraid of girls crying in front of me, especially Momoko.
Miyako clutched Kagami's hand tightly: "I was really… so worried about you…!"
Kaoru even punched Shigeru directly: "Where the hell did you go?!"
"You three, do you even know you've been missing for a whole year?!" Professor Utonium said.
"Miss Bellum was very worried about you! Woof!" Peach chimed in.
I looked at the calendar and was startled. Today was January 2, 2016, Thursday, exactly a year since we left!
At that moment, I felt something in my pocket. I pulled out a note. It read: "Sorry, I forgot to tell you, one day in Takamagahara equals one year in the human world."
If possible... I really wanted to go back to Takamagahara and beat up Amaterasu!
"Please, tell us what happened?" Ken asked seriously.
I laid down the ground rules first: "I'll tell you, but the condition is you can't ask if we were on drugs or lost our minds."
"Okay!" They nodded in agreement. So, I started from the beginning, recounting everything that happened in Takamagahara, including how the three of us accidentally broke the seal on New Year's Eve, releasing Jagu's other half, and everything that Kirisuke had prophesied.
Just as I finished, the video screen lit up, showing the mayor's panicked face: "It's terrible! A large number of monsters have appeared in downtown Tokyo. Professor Utonium, I need you to deploy the Powerpuff Girls Z and the Rowdyruff Boys immediately!"
Wow, talk about timing. Just perfect to test the results of our training.
11-2
The six of us quickly suited up and flew to the streets of Tokyo. Once again, our old foes were causing trouble: the Mojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, the Gangreen Gang, the Amoeba Boys, Princess Morbucks, Sedusa, and others.
Even though the three of us could probably take them all down on our own, we wanted to be efficient.
I turned to Blossom and said, "Help us hold them off. We'll handle it in a minute!"
"But are you sure you don't need help?" Blossom asked.
"Just watch and see the results of our training," Butch said confidently.
"I won't lecture you. You have two choices: get beaten up or leave peacefully," I said loudly. The monsters looked angry at our warning.
Ace was the first to taunt us: "You little brats, itching for a fight, huh?"
I sighed and replied, "No, we're not itching for a fight, but our hands are getting a little twitchy."
Don't blame me for not giving you a final chance.
"Brothers, let's go!" I shouted to Boomer and Butch beside me. "Got it!" they responded in unison.
Boomer took on the Mojo in his ramshackle robot while I stood, waiting to see what Fuzzy Lumpkins would do.
Ace led the rest of the Gangreen Gang to charge at Butch. The Powerpuff Girls handled the Amoeba Boys, Sedusa, and Princess Morbucks.
"MOJO~ Even if you're my kids, I won't allow anyone to look down on me." The Mojo , piloting his prized robot, swung a fist at Boomer. Just as the fist was about to hit, there was a flash of sword light. In an instant, Boomer drew his katana, and as he sheathed it, the robot was sliced into pieces.
"MOJO~ How can this be?!" The Mojo was in a panic. Boomer calmly walked toward him. The Mojo 's expression turned to fear. Suddenly, Boomer grabbed the Mojo 's cape and flung him forcefully in the direction of his dilapidated house. "That should be the way!" Boomer said.
"MOJO~~~…" The Mojo 's scream faded into the distance.
Fuzzy Lumpkins, using his brute strength, charged straight at me, shouting, "Don't interfere with my love for Miss Bellum!"
"I'm not interested in sumo wrestling," I said, catching his hand. Seizing the moment, I grabbed his suspenders and flung him toward Mount Fuji. "Remember this!" Fuzzy Lumpkins shouted in defiance.
"Storm Barrier!"
"Time to settle the score with interest!" The five members of the Gangreen Gang surrounded Butch in a circle. "Get them, boys!" Ace shouted as they all charged at Butch simultaneously.
Big Billy: "Just let me crush you!" Grubber: "…" Snake: "You'll feel my massaging skills!" Lil' Arturo: "Check out my speed!"
"Still a bunch of idiots…" Butch muttered in response to their foolish attack.
"Air Slash!," he announced, and a powerful whirlwind emanated from his body, sending the Gangreen Gang flying into the sky.
"After waiting so long to show up, why did it end so quickly?" Ace lamented as he and his gang were swept away.
Butch, now holding a handkerchief, waved it mockingly as if saying goodbye: "Have a safe trip~"
I checked my watch; thirty seconds had passed. Efficient.
However, it seemed the Powerpuff Girls were still dealing with their foes.
"Amazing…" Blossom remarked, impressed by how quickly we dealt with the Gangreen Gang.
"Where are you looking?!" Sedusa, feeling ignored, attacked Blossom. Blossom dodged her kick and pulled out her trusty yo-yo. "Cream Puff Shot!" she called out, successfully binding Sedusa with her yo-yo.
"Damn it, let me go!" Sedusa struggled.
"Don't keep your guests waiting; Souichiro might get overwhelmed," I said as I flew over to Sedusa. With a precise chop to her neck, she passed out immediately.
"Rainbow Bubble Blast!" Bubbles launched a flurry of colorful bubbles at Princess Morbucks.
"Diamond Claw!" Princess Morbucks used her diamond-encrusted nails to pop each bubble. "These soft attacks are useless against me!"
"Sorry about this!" Taking advantage of Princess Morbucks' distraction, Boomer moved behind her and knocked her out with the sheath of his katana. Now two foes were down.
"They're so strong, aren't they, Numa?" said a blue blob named Silk Hat.
"Let's merge, Nuru," suggested the green blob named Poncho.
"Agreed, Nume," added the pink blob named Lady.
The three liquid creatures fused into a massive yellow sphere and rolled towards Butch and Buttercup.
Instead of being alarmed, Butch smiled: "Perfect, let's finish this."
"Storm Barrier!" He created a wind wall that stopped the yellow sphere and sent it flying into the air.
"Supersonic Hammer Swing!" Buttercup took the opportunity and swung her hammer, sending the Amoeba Boys flying into the sky.
I glanced at my watch again. Yep, exactly one minute.
Professor Utonium and Ken used a portable restoration device to revert Sedusa and Princess Morbucks back to their original forms. We took them back to where they belonged, finally wrapping up the incident.
International Science Institute
The three of us lay sprawled out on the sofa, basking in the warmth of the heating system. Professor Utonium and Ken were busy examining the three sacred treasures we had acquired from Takamagahara.
"This feels so good; it's like the trials in Takamagahara were just a bad dream," I couldn't help but say.
Hearing this, Momoko asked, "Was the training really that scary?"
"It was terrifying, to the point where I thought I might not make it out alive," I replied, giving her a sidelong glance while fiddling with a Yu-Gi-Oh! game on my iPad.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Momoko suddenly changed the subject, her tone akin to a judge delivering a death sentence, "All three of you were marked absent for an entire year, so you've been held back a grade and need to repeat the year!"
"Repeat the year?!" "No way!" "Oh my god~~"
We were going to be underclassmen to them. OH MY GOD!
"No worries, we can just take the advancement exam later," Shigeru reassured us.
Hearing his words reignited a spark of hope in me. That's right, I had previously skipped from junior high school third grade to sophomore year. With my brains, I can definitely pass the exam!
But then there's Kagami... I remembered his academic performance was... Just as I was thinking this, Kagami, with teary eyes, sincerely pleaded with Miyako, "Miyako, please, help me with my studies!"
Miyako gently patted Kagami's head, soothing him like a small animal, "Sure, no problem~"
"You all seem to have grown taller," Shigeru noted, looking at the three Powerpuff Girls. Only then did I realize that they did seem a bit taller, though still shorter than us by half a head.
"A little bit," Kaoru responded, looking pleased.
I examined Momoko and, taking advantage of her moment of inattention, I gently patted her butt. "You have grown taller, but haven't you also put on a bit of weight? It feels like there's a bit more flesh here than before."
"Yuzuhiko~!" Momoko's face turned red as she clenched her right fist. With a loud "smack," two seconds later, a huge bump had formed on my head, and I was lying face-down on the floor in silence.
I wasn't wrong. What did I do wrong?!
「Momoko, weren't you going to tell them about the weird thing that happened to us recently?」Kaoru reminded her.
Momoko suddenly realized, "Oh right, I almost forgot!"
"What weird thing?" I asked.
"I feel like we've been stalked or followed by some pervert or stalker recently..." Momoko's voice trailed off, sounding a bit shaken.
Hearing this, Shigeru and I couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Haha~! It's possible for Miyako,are you two really being targeted by perverts?! Don't make me laugh!" I blurted out accidentally.
Shigeru added fuel to the fire, saying, "This is just putting feathers in your own cap! Haha~!"
Seeing us laughing so heartily, Kagami tried to suppress his laughter but couldn't help it and joined in. "Stop... laughing like that, haha... you guys are exaggerating too much!"
"Momoko..." "Kaoru..." The two of them exchanged knowing glances, and three seconds later, with a "thud" and another "thud," I became a corpse on the floor once again, only this time, there were two of us.
"Are you guys okay?" Miyako asked with concern.
Kagami replied on our behalf, "I guess you can't really say they're okay."
"Sorry," Shigeru and I apologized sincerely to Momoko and Kaoru.
"Well, you see... about a week ago, we stayed late for evening self-study to prepare for our final exams. As a result, we got home late," Momoko explained.
"Memories of Momoko"
As I walked along the road, I saw a stall selling calligraphy paintings on the roadside. Suddenly, there was an indescribable discomfort in my chest, so I hastened past the vendor. However, the middle-aged man stopped me: "Beautiful miss, would you like to buy a painting?" "No, thank you," I refused directly.
"Then, how about I give you one for free?" The man seemed reluctant to let me go.
"No, really, there's no need. Thank you for your kindness!" I was determined to walk away quickly.
"Don't be like that. They'll be sad!" The boss unrolled the scroll of the painting, and suddenly, several ink monsters dashed out!
"Ah! Ahh!" I was frightened and ran for my life. Those ink monsters chased after me, and I ran desperately until I got back home, finally stopping in my tracks...
"Memories of Miyako"
I was walking home, eating ice cream, pondering, "When will Kagami come back?" I kept thinking about this question.
Suddenly, a mysterious man in a black cloak carrying a huge jar appeared before me. "So delicious," a man's voice rang behind me. "Ah, my ice cream!" only then did I realize my ice cream had been snatched away by this person.
"Hehe, this is called an indirect kiss," the man's disgusting voice murmured.
The next moment, "Your body is so soft and fragrant, I really want to devour you..." He actually started to hug me, his hands gradually moving towards my chest! He really intended to assault me!
"Don't touch me!" I shouted and pushed the man away, running towards the crowded street. After making sure he didn't follow, I ran back home with all my might...
Kagami clenched his fists upon hearing this, his fingernails digging into his flesh until they bled.
Seeing him like this, I thought, "That pervert, if Kagami catches him, he'll definitely be dead."
"Memories of Kaoru"
I was skateboarding and thinking, "Where did those three guys go?" Suddenly, I felt a murderous intent behind me. When I turned around, I saw a middle-aged man holding a katana running towards me, shouting, "I'll kill you!"
It's strange because I don't even know this person, and there were so many people on the street, yet he specifically wanted to kill me! I used all my strength to quickly skateboard away, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake him off.
Fortunately, some bystanders courageously helped me by calling the police. However, when the police arrived to arrest the man, he had disappeared! Not wanting to be questioned by the police, I hurriedly ran back home.
"Why didn't you three transform?" I asked.
Momoko made a face at me, "We were so nervous that we forgot~."
"And lately, we've all felt like we're being watched..." Miyako seemed to think we didn't believe what they were saying.
"It feels like someone is always spying on us, it's uncomfortable!" Kaoru added.
Kagami said with certainty, "I believe you!"
Shigeru suggested, "How about this, it's already evening, so let's escort you back home."
"Alright, let's do that," I agreed reluctantly. The three of us then took on the task of safely escorting the girls back home.