第６１３堀：ハイデン建国記簡易版 始まりの章 (Part1)
### Chapter 613: The Founding of Haiden, Abridged - The Chapter of Beginnings
**Side: Sota**
"The only thing I’ve gathered since being called to this land by Yuki is that the Mid-Tier God faction is up to something. You and the Water God are the ones who know the details of that time. Could you tell me your side of the story? I might be able to make some predictions based on that."
Prompted by Luna-sama—also known as the Sun Goddess Amaterasu—I began to look back on those days.
*"Back then... you say?"*
My own voice sounded strangely alien to me.
That’s right. I am dead.
What exists here is not the person himself, but a copy of my soul from that time—a "split spirit," if you will. The real me is already resting quietly at the Kamishiro family estate.
And that is only natural, considering...
*"It feels strange to say this myself, but this is a story from about 500 years ago."*
I don’t really have a sense of it, though.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a ghost, or perhaps it’s because the world hasn’t changed all that much in the last five centuries.
Well, setting aside such personal sentiment, I suppose I should start from the time I was called to this land.
*"It happened while I was reading 'Jashopu' at the shrine, just like any other day..."*
Yes, my beginning in this land started with my usual daily routine.
***
**Side: Sota Kamishiro, Second Son of the Kamishiro Shrine, University Student, Economics Major**
"Right, let's catch up on last week's issue."
I sat down in a corner of the shrine, right next to the small auxiliary shrine, and pulled a *Jashopu* manga out of my bag.
"Geez, the old man is so stubborn. Because of him, reading manga is a chore. Games are completely out of the question. I have to go to a friend's house just to play."
That’s right, I’m a shrine brat. But I don’t think this environment is fair.
The Showa era is already past its 60th year, and the "3K" jobs are the norm; even the old man accepts that, yet he forbids me from reading manga or playing games.
Manga has been around since his generation, so why do I have to be so careful about reading it at home?
It’s not like I’m the eldest son who has to inherit the place.
Anyway, once I graduate from university, I’m saying goodbye to this pathetic little shrine.
"And yet, for some reason, he insists that I’m the one who has to take care of the auxiliary shrine. Isn't this way of doing things more sacrilegious? Right, Mizutatsu-no-Mikoto-sama?"
We’re both having a hard time in this shrine, aren't we?
A minor local deity and a second son who won't inherit the family business.
Ah, in that sense, maybe we’re a good match.
Well, as for me, I’ve already declined the offer to inherit this shrine.
My main deity is Uga-no-Mitama-no-Kami, who offers me no real benefits anyway.
A god of academics would be much more beneficial to me than a god of bountiful harvests.
"Well, no use complaining about that. For now, here is your offering: beer!! You must be tired of just sake. Modern beer is delicious, too."
I took the cup of sake that had been offered, replaced it with a can of high-end beer featuring Ebisu-sama, and set it down.
...It occurred to me just now that offering alcohol bearing the name of another god might be questionable, but surely he wouldn't get angry over something like this.
"Alright, offerings done. I'll be borrowing this spot for a while, then?"
I leaned my back against a nearby cherry tree and prepared to read my *Jashopu*...
"Whoa!?"
As I went to read, I suddenly tumbled backward.
The tree that was supposed to be my backrest had vanished.
...No, maybe I just picked the wrong spot to sit.
"Tch, is this my punishment? The beer was more expensive than the cup of sake, you know."
Thinking to myself how clumsy I was, I stood up, and...
"Huh?"
The familiar scenery was gone. I was standing all alone in the middle of a vast grassland.
"Eh? What is this?"
I couldn't grasp the situation.
I mean, I knew I was standing in a grassland.
But I had no idea how I ended up there.
Just a moment ago, I was at the shrine. Probably.
But the reality of being somewhere else made me lose confidence.
Then, it hit me.
Ah, I see. This is a dream.
I’m dreaming.
A vast grassland like this doesn't exist in Japan.
Well, maybe in Hokkaido, but my village, surrounded by mountains, has nothing like this.
I couldn't think of any reason for someone to kidnap me.
If I traced my memory back to where it was clear...
I leaned against a tree to read *Jashopu*, and then I blacked out.
And now, I’m dreaming.
The explanation was perfect.
"Haa... what a klutz. But even if it’s a dream, why did the auxiliary shrine come with me to the grassland..."
I looked at the small shrine dedicated to the local deity in my field of vision, and another thought struck me.
"...Ah. So this is the punishment. 'Take proper care of it,' huh?"
I was convinced, but it was unreasonable.
To think I’d be lectured in a dream.
Or was this some kind of revelation? That I should build a shrine in the grassland?
Why would I do that? Mizutatsu-no-Mikoto-sama is there to suppress the flooding of the river in our village, right?
What would be the point of building a shrine in a grassland with no water source?
"Well, never mind that. For now, if it’s a dream, I should wake up quickly."
If I’m found passed out at the shrine, people will be called.
If the old man finds out, I’ll definitely get an earful.
I needed to wake up, so I tried the classic method: pinching my own cheek.
*Squish.*
Hmm, maybe it didn't work because it didn't hurt. I didn't wake up.
Well, when you know it’s going to hurt, you tend to pull your punches.
But I had to wake up, or the old man’s lecture was guaranteed.
I decided to put some spirit into it—not a pinch, but a slap.
One, two...
*SMACK!*
I slapped my face with both hands.
"Ouch."
That might be good for getting pumped up, but it’s not the way to wake yourself up.
While I was having such a trivial thought...
"Wait? I’m not waking up."
What does this mean?
I slapped myself hard enough to turn my cheeks red, and I was still in the grassland.
...Hmm. Is this the type of dream where you have to do something to wake up?
The shrine is here, and I thought it was a punishment.
Is the god hoping for something?
Thinking that, I observed the auxiliary shrine closely.
"Come to think of it, this is the most suspicious thing."
It’s a familiar shrine to me, but if I had to ask what was the most out-of-place thing in this grassland, it was this shrine, even more than my own presence.
There was the beer I offered earlier, and it was definitely the shrine of Mizutatsu-no-Mikoto, the Water God I had been tending to.
As I was observing the shrine, I suddenly saw something at the edge of the grassland.
"What’s that? A person?"
I think that’s a person. Someone riding a horse.
"...Is this Hokkaido?"
The first answer that came to mind when I thought of a grassland in Japan was Hokkaido.
After all, there were horses.
I figured a place where you could ride horses across a grassland had to be Hokkaido. I was strangely convinced of this, but as the figures drew closer, I realized I was wrong.
Because...
"Foreigners?"
A handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, a beautiful girl with red hair, and a beautiful girl with silver hair and what looked like cat ears were riding toward me.
If it had just been the blonde man, I might have thought he was a tourist, but seeing the other two, I realized this definitely wasn't Hokkaido.
Well, anyway, they were people.
I didn't know if we could communicate, but surely they could tell me where I was.
They seemed to have spotted me, too, and were approaching.
"...He’s really here."
"...He really is."
"Hehehe. See? I told you so."
The blonde man and the silver-haired girl with beast ears looked exasperated, while the red-haired girl seemed strangely proud of herself.
Well, that part was fine.
I was relieved they were speaking Japanese.
Maybe this really was Japan after all. It had to be somewhere in Hokkaido.
That’s what I wanted to believe.
"U-um, excuse me. I have a question."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Where exactly am I? Is this somewhere in Hokkaido?"
"Hokkaido? No, this is the Nossa Plain, between Findall and Rozanta..."
"Findall? Rozanta? Nossa?"
I could only tilt my head at the names of places I’d never heard of.
"See!! I told you, didn't I? He’s saying place names I’ve never heard of!! And look at those clothes, I’ve never seen anything like them!!"
"...Well, I suppose so. But is he really the one? He doesn't look very strong..."
For some reason, the red-haired girl looked excited, while the silver-haired girl with beast ears looked at me with suspicion.
"It’s fine. Hey, you responded to my summoning, didn't you?"
"Excuse me? Sum-moning?"
The red-haired girl stepped up to me, but I had no idea what she was talking about.
Summoning? *Shoukan?*