I loaded the geek game

This world.

Yokohama, Asahina coast.

The sea breeze of Sagami Bay carries a distinctive salty and biting chill, sweeping unhindered across the streets and houses along the coast. In the distance, the Kamakura Mountains stand out clearly, their ridgelines covered with snow, reflecting a tranquil and cold light against the grey sky.

The New Year's Day holiday has just ended, the weather is still cold, and the air still retains the lingering feeling of the holiday relaxation.

Hidaka Mirai descended from her bedroom on the second floor of her house, the wooden staircase creaking slightly.

Today, her family's beach shop was closed. In the living room on the first floor, her future parents sat around the fireplace table, enjoying the cozy warmth emanating from the heater.

Their attention was focused on the television set directly opposite them.

The television screen is showing current affairs news.

In the center of the image stands a spokesperson with a unique and unforgettable presence—

She was a beautiful and capable female demon, dressed in a well-tailored dark business suit. The iconic demon horn on her forehead was as smooth and lustrous as ruby, shimmering with a restrained sheen under the studio lights.

This non-human diplomat, facing the camera, uses a clear, steady voice with a uniquely languid quality to explain "Takamagahara's" stance and position on a certain international matter.

Hidaka Mirai stopped and stood at the top of the stairs, her gaze fixed on the screen.

She had long been accustomed to seeing the existence of "another world" in the news, intervening and even dominating some affairs of the present world in various forms.

The demon diplomat who frequently appears in the human world on TV is said to be the legendary demon king of Mount Ōe, Hoshiguma Doji.

The living room was quiet. The parents were watching intently by the radiant table, with only the sound of the television and the low hum of the heater.

At this moment, only the three of them were in the Hidaka family home.

After the New Year's Day holiday, the future older brother, Hidaka Tsunayoshi, like countless other ordinary office workers, packed his bags, took the early morning train, and went back to his job in Tokyo.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

Hidaka Mirai walked to the coat rack next to the entrance and took down her thick off-white cashmere scarf.

"Where are you going? It's cold outside."

The mother looked up from beside the fireplace table and asked with concern.

"I'd like to visit the Omoikane Shrine."

As she carefully wrapped the scarf around her neck, she answered.

"Ah... Omoikane Shrine, yes, the common exam is coming up soon, we should go and pray for good luck." Hearing this, the father nodded understandingly, "Would you like us to go with you?"

"No, I'll be back soon."

Hidaka's parents turned their attention back to the television news: "Be careful on the road, don't stay too long, and come back early for dinner."

"understood."

In this era where the existence of demons, ghosts, and gods has been proven and they have even deeply intervened in the operation of human society, the daily life trajectory of Hidaka Mirai does not seem to have undergone any fundamental changes.

She gets up early every day and takes the tram on a fixed route to the county high school; she usually has endless homework and exam preparation materials; she occasionally relaxes on weekends, meeting up with friends to go shopping and eat desserts, or to watch a movie.

Everything is normal.

Except for a few years ago—

In the future, on the beach near his home, he witnessed the sea churning violently without warning, with several eerie "ghost ships" burning with will-o'-the-wisps emerging from the waves and disappearing in an instant.

Later, she and her brother received a pure white amulet without any patterns.

Apart from that, she has not encountered any other "abnormal events".

The fantastical aspects of another world seem to exist only on television news screens, far removed from the lives of ordinary high school girls like Hidaka Mirai, and are ethereal topics that only "big shots" like politicians and diplomats need to worry about.

As for now, the most realistic thing to consider for the future is the upcoming Common University Entrance Test.

The results of this exam will be her "passport" to submit applications to her desired universities.

My ideal university for the future is Hitotsubashi University.

Hitotsubashi University is a renowned comprehensive university specializing in social sciences in Japan. After the arrival of the "Next Age of Gods," Hitotsubashi University quickly established special disciplines including Yokai Studies, God History, and Tokoyo Sociology. It was also one of the first higher education institutions in Japan to achieve academic and talent exchange with "another world."

"I am leaving."

As she opened the door, a blast of cold air enveloped her. Her scarf offered little protection from the biting sea breeze; the girl hunched her shoulders and headed towards the tram stop.

……

The tram traveled smoothly through three stops.

Hidaka Mirai got off at the station near Shiken Shrine, where the flow of people getting off was unusually dense.

The area at the foot of the mountain where Omoikane Shrine is located was exceptionally crowded today. People thronged shoulder to shoulder, slowly moving up the approach, their exhaled breaths mingling in the air.

The reason is self-evident: the common testing is imminent.

It's perfectly natural for students like Hidaka Mirai, as well as their parents, to come and worship Yashiro no Kaneshiro at this time, praying for wisdom and good luck in exams.

However, speaking of which, I vaguely remember that in the past, before "that world" so openly intervened in the present world, when people's beliefs in gods were more traditional and symbolic—

As major exams approach, the Tenmangu Shrine, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the "god of learning," seems to be at its most popular, with plum blossom-patterned ema (votive plaques) hanging everywhere.

However, with the arrival of the "sub-theocratic age," the direction of faith seems to have undergone a subtle change.

The more ancient deity, Omoikane, who governs the source of "wisdom," is becoming increasingly popular. Before exams, Omoikane shrines across the country are always packed with people.

Hidaka Mirai was unaware of why this change of faith had occurred.

It is possible that after the myths are made public, people will instinctively choose the older and more "original" deities in the genealogy of faith.

This seems to fall under the specific humanities and sociology issues within the context of the "next-deity era"...

However, one thing is clear about the future: now that the world has confirmed the existence of demons and gods, for most people, going to a shrine to offer prayers is no longer just a symbolic act of seeking psychological comfort.

But... will the high and mighty gods respond to the wishes of mortals?

The future is uncertain.

This possibility may exist, but realistically speaking, it should be very slim, right?

In fact, Hidaka Mirai is an excellent student with outstanding academic performance.

Her grades have consistently been among the top in her grade, and her performance in previous mock exams was also outstanding. According to her homeroom teacher and college counselor, she is fully capable of gaining admission to top universities like Hitotsubashi University.

However, as this crucial exam approaches, which could determine the course of her life, Hidaka Mirai inevitably feels nervous and stressed.

In the past few days, her sleep quality has not been very good, and she often wakes up in the middle of the night.

Therefore, this trip to Omoikane Shrine was less about truly believing that the gods would grant her good luck in her exams, and more about her taking a break to relax.

Step out of the room where you're buried in studying, breathe in some fresh air, and seek some solace in the shrine of the god of wisdom—enough to calm your chaotic thoughts for a while.

……

The approach to the temple was so crowded that the main passageway was completely packed with people, making it almost impossible to move. The air was thick with suppressed hushed conversations, devout prayers, and subtle complaints arising from the crowding, making the atmosphere seem heavy and sluggish.

Hidaka Mirai tried to move forward a few steps, but was immediately pushed back by the denser crowd.

She wasn't short, but in such a sea of ​​people, all you could see were a dense mass of heads and heavy winter coats.

It was simply impossible to squeeze in.

Future sighed and gave up the idea of ​​going up the mountain from the main approach.

Fortunately, she was quite familiar with the terrain around the shrine, which was not far from her home.

I remember when I came to climb the mountain with my brother before, he led me along a small path. After walking along the mountain trail for about ten minutes, we could get around to the back of the shrine.

Having made up his mind, he decisively broke away from the surging crowd on the main approach and turned to walk towards the woods on the side of the mountain.

Sure enough, after leaving the main pilgrimage route, although there were still a few worshippers or local residents taking shortcuts along the way, the road was finally clear again.

The air was much fresher, carrying the unique, cool scent of grass and trees characteristic of the mountains and forests.

Future tightened her scarf and, following the direction in her memory, stepped onto the relatively hidden mountain path. The stone steps were not as smooth and wide as the main path, and in some places they were even half-covered by fallen leaves and soil, but walking on them was actually easy and comfortable.

The higher you go, the more you can hear the waka poetry from the shrines on the mountain.

Gradually, the outline of the Omoikane Shrine, partially hidden under the shade of the trees, became visible.

"It'll be there soon."

Thinking this, Hidaka Mirai lowered her head and continued climbing the steps.

The mountain forest was quiet, with only the sound of her own footsteps, her slightly hurried breathing, and the hollow, continuous "rustling" sound of the cold wind blowing through the branches and leaves of the ancient trees.

"Ok?"

Something about the future feels off.

The singing, which I could hear just moments ago and was getting clearer, suddenly disappeared at some point.

She stopped and looked around, only then realizing—

There seemed to be no one around.

It wasn't just rare, it was completely "gone." Just moments ago, I could vaguely see figures in the distance ahead and hear faint conversations from the side and behind, but now everything had inexplicably vanished.

She stood alone on a mountain path shrouded in the shadows of withered branches in winter.

My heart skipped a beat.

She looked up abruptly, only to find that she could no longer even see the outline of the Omoikane Shrine on the mountain.

"Did I... take the wrong turn?"

The white breath exhaled quickly dissipated before my eyes.

In the future, she tries to recall which fork in the road she took that led her astray, but finds her memory somewhat hazy. The path that should have clearly led to the back gate of the shrine is now unrecognizable amidst the interplay of light and shadow and the similar trees.

On a cold day, the temperature in the mountains is even lower than at the foot of the mountain.

Hidaka Mirai wrapped her coat tighter, turned around and walked a little further in the direction she had come from, only to find that the scenery seemed familiar, as if she had circled back to the same place.

She tried another direction, but the result was the same.

They didn't see a single person along the way, and when they took out their phones, there was no signal at all.

All around, only towering ancient trees stood silently, their intertwined branches obscuring most of the sky and blurring the sense of direction.

Apart from the sound of the wind, all was silent; not even a bird could be heard chirping.

It seems that Hidaka Mirai has inexplicably... gotten lost.

"Disappeared...?"

A terrifying thought suddenly arose in her mind; a chill instantly penetrated her thick clothes and went straight to her bone marrow.

Almost instinctively, Mirai abruptly raised her hand and tightly grasped the plain white amulet she always wore close to her neck. The soft fabric touched her skin, carrying a trace of her own body heat.

However, just as her fingertips completely grasped the amulet—

A sudden surge of heat came from my palm!
At the same time, a magnificent and intricate gilded pattern flashed across the originally bare white cloth surface of the protective charm!

But accompanying this strange phenomenon was a strong physiological reaction.

The world is spinning.

The vision of the future is suddenly distorted, shattered, and then reassembled.

The gnarled texture of bare branches in the winter forest, the gray and gloomy sky seen through the gaps in the branches, the dirt path underfoot covered with fallen leaves...

Everything seemed to have been thrown into a frenzied vortex, beginning to spin, stretch, and deform erratically...

……

In a daze, Hidaka Mirai felt as if she had fallen backward onto the ground.

But... the sensation below me is wrong.

It wasn't the cold, uncomfortable mountain path steps or frozen ground I had imagined; instead, it had the texture of a warm, smooth wooden floor.

It wasn't cold around us; the air was warm and dry, and it seemed very bright, like being in a heated room.

The future seems like being trapped in a chaotic dream from which one cannot yet awaken, or in a state between dreaming and waking, with consciousness drifting and the body feeling heavy.

rustling...

Like the rubbing of silk, or the soft sound of something gliding across the floor, it came from not far away, getting closer and closer.

In the future, she felt something slender, flexible, and slightly cool gently "climbing" up her arm and around her waist...

It looks like a living rope?

Those things, perhaps ropes, gently but irresistibly wrapped around the future. Then, a steady, smooth force came and began to slowly and smoothly drag her in a certain direction.

The floor slid over me without me feeling any bumps.

"Sister, look! I found this!"

A tender, innocent girl's voice drifted from above, very close to the future.

"Huh? You found something..."

Someone responded, this time in the voice of a girl who was clearly a few years older than the girl and sounded somewhat puzzled.

However, the girl's words were cut short.

Immediately following was a slightly hurried "thump-thump-thump" sound, possibly the sound of bare feet or soft-soled shoes trotting on the wooden floor, quickly approaching.

Hidaka Mirai struggled to focus her blurry vision, and at the edge of her shaky, upside-down field of vision, she seemed to glimpse the hem of a black and white dress, swaying rapidly before her eyes.

Then, the older girl's voice rang out again, her tone suddenly rising, filled with incredulous astonishment:
"No, no! Aya! You...where did you pick up a living person from?!"

"It's right there, in the corridor."

The girl called "Ayaori" still spoke with an innocent and naive voice, even carrying a hint of pride. (End of Chapter)