第４７２堀：まとめ 折れた天下五剣と女神 (Part2)
"I suppose so. If what Hifi-san says is true, the number of worlds Luna-dono oversees is quite vast. She literally shouldn't have the time to meddle in affairs like this. The fact that she’s helping us out this much is likely due to the guilt she feels for bringing Yuki-kun here for her own convenience. Beyond that, I can't say for sure, but I get the feeling there’s another layer to her interest in him."
"Eh? Could it be that Luna-san is...?"
"No way. Seriously, don't even go there."
I’d rather not think about being with a useless goddess like her. It would just mean more work for me.
"Haha. Well, I don't think it’s that kind of story either. It’s more like... there’s a certain level of trust there."
"Trust?"
"Since I’m not her, I can't be certain, but there must be a proper reason why Luna-dono chose Yuki-kun. Well, since neither of them seems to have discussed it in detail, it would be rude for us to pry. Besides, there’s a risk we might lose her cooperation, so it’s best not to touch the subject."
"Understood. Being cut off from supplies would be too painful. I definitely won't ask."
...If I actually asked, I feel like there would be no turning back. It would be the end of the world.
After that, we returned to casual chatter, discussing the fact that winter was approaching and talking about the upcoming New Year, when Luna suddenly appeared in the room.
"Yo. I'm back~"
"How did it go?"
"Hm? Oh, listen to this. Look, this sake. They offered it to me!! Check it out, it’s a special selection!! Since the New Year is coming up, there are a lot of these offerings. I got quite a bit of it. I’m thinking of drinking it with Milly and Narjia later!!"
It’s hopeless. This goddess. She’s doubling down on being a useless, good-for-nothing deity.
"That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about the *Tenka Goken*. Were you able to explain it properly?"
"Huh? You were worried about that? I told you it would be fine. If anything, I managed to deal with the *Aratama*, which is probably why I got these rewards."
Luna tapped the pen and the sake bottle.
"Wait a second. It was my wife who retrieved *Shuten*. Why are you the one getting the rewards?"
"Huh? Eh, um... let's call it a processing fee. Besides, what’s the harm? This special New Year’s sake is insanely expensive, you know? Do you get it? It’s not store-bought stuff; it’s a custom-made batch!!"
"...Wouldn't there have been someone else who was supposed to receive that?"
"Ebisu, who brought it, probably handled that part. His end is stable, so there’s no need for me to go that far."
"..."
We all fell silent at Luna’s words.
"Why are you all quiet?"
"Who did you say gave you that sake?"
"Hm? You don't know? From Ebisu, the god of business, who you could say is the head of the Seven Lucky Gods? The offerings at his place are always incredible. He says he can never use them all himself, so he goes around distributing them to the other Seven Lucky Gods and his acquaintances. It’s just a portion of that, so don't worry about it."
Damn it, why does she always...
"Here, Taizo, you like this stuff, right? This is your share. Go wild for the New Year."
"Th-thank you very much."
Taizo-san accepted it with trembling hands. Well, I can't blame him. It’s sacred sake offered to a god, and specifically to the god of business who is a major figure in modern Japan; the value of it is beyond measure.
On top of that, she basically swiped it from the god’s own stash.
It might be rude to call him old-fashioned, but for Taizo-san, who grew up in an era where these customs were deeply rooted, this might be even more precious than *Dojigiri*.
"Anyway, I’ve secured the New Year’s supply, so gather everyone for a launch party today. Sake touched by the Seven Lucky Gods goes up three tiers in quality; it’s delicious. Oh, and leave the cooking to you guys. I brought some ingredients, too."
Taizo-san and Taiki-kun, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the situation and the momentum of it all, nodded and immediately rushed out of the room to start preparations.
"Well, it’s fine, isn't it? If we don't do things like this, everyone just gets too uptight. Honestly, you guys are the only ones who can act like idiots like this."
"...*Sigh*. You’re ignoring the fact that the logistical legwork for this is a nightmare, aren't you?"
"You’ve always been good at that, haven't you? Torino Kazuya."
Yeah, yeah. I’m the one who always ends up with that role anyway.
Yes.
The *Dojigiri* incident was smoothly attributed to the actions of the group of four.
And as for the New Year’s sacred sake, it’s the booze Luna swindled from Ebisu.
I understand the opinion that it’s mixing too many stories together, but if you’re going to say that, the current world is already a chaotic mix.
As a novel, I suppose the logical path would be to narrow the focus and make the story easier to understand, but I apologize—I want to ignore those rules and try doing various things.
Well, it’s fine to just forget about these things as "oh yeah, that character existed."
Even if they appear in the story, you can always remember them if you re-read it later, and that’s the beauty of novels.
In life, those things just get erased from the bottom of your memory.
Well then, until next time.