𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞
I reflexively tensed, but all Kami-sama did was pull me into his arms.
He cradled me sideways on the bed, trapping me tightly in his arms.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .I like it when Charlene is kind to others at times like this.”
“Really?”
“But I don’t like seeing you being nice to other men. . . . . .”
“I see. Thanks for bearing with it.”
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As if two arms were not enough, a white snake appeared from nowhere and coiled around my thigh, peering into my face. I’m getting used to this jealousy. I’m not sure if it’s okay to get used to it, though.
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“Come on. You’re going to overwrite it like you do during the day, right?”
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Kami-sama remained silent, his golden eyes fixated on me. If I reached out my hand, he would still gaze at me and kiss the tips of my fingers. His lips part slightly. I felt a warm sensation on my fingertips, I wanted to pull my hand back because it tickled, but I resisted.
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“. . . . . .Haha, it tickles.”
“. . . . . . “
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Kami-sama began to touch me as if a dam had broken. The large hands that clung to my body, the feel of the snake, I could feel Kami-sama’s obsession. While letting Kami-sama do as he pleased, I thought to myself.
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(I can’t hate it when he dotes on me. . . . . .Like a lost child clinging. . . . . .Like when you find your favorite stuffed animal that you thought you had lost, and you hug it tight so you won’t lose it again and start crying. . . . . .)
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If he were a human man, his touch would be no joke, but with Kami-sama, somehow, I can accept it as his unique form of obsession. Whether he licks or nibbles softly, it’s probably the same as when an animal gives love bites.
A white snake stretched out smoothly along my skin, licked my face with a cute look.
When I couldn’t help but laugh, I sensed Kami-sama, who was engrossed in my hand, also smiling.
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(. . . . . .Well, I guess it’s enough pampering for now)
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I snapped out of my daze, grabbed Kami-sama’s chin, and looked him in the eye.
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“Charlene. . .?”
“Kami-sama. I want you to stop dodging and tell me. What is it that’s hard for you to say? What’s going on with the divine protection of the country?”
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His golden eyes that were melting turned black as if the light went out.
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“The spiritual spring of Kami-sama’s shrine has dried up. The source of blessings for this country’s spiritual springs that sprang forth from the contract with the first leading saint. . . . . .It seems that the regional spiritual springs are not dry yet, but it’s not going to be fine.”
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The snakes that had been flocking around affectionately were gone.
I continued to speak to Kami-sama, who had become serious.
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“As a reason why you didn’t show up――You said it before, Kami-sama. You said you couldn’t take human form while being enshrined in the shrine. And you also said this. [The reason I could continue to be a god was because you didn’t call for help even when you were suffering.]. . . . . .So conversely, this means that you being here in human form. . . . . .It means you’ve given up being a god, right?”
“. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Kami-sama doesn’t lie to me. His silence was an affirmation.
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“But you still have the powers of a land god. In other words, you haven’t given up being a god itself――which means you’ve given up being the [Guardian Deity of the Country] that you were enshrined as. Isn’t that right?”
“. . . . . .”
“You made a contract with the first saint and have been Kami-sama ever since. . . . . .She was your wife, wasn’t she? The first saint.”
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According to doctrine, Land God Kai became the god who protects the country through a contract with the first saint. This contract was as a married couple, and the practice of having the leading saint of each generation as the wife of the god is said to follow the relationship between the first saint and the land god.
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“. . . . . .Tell me why you prioritized me, even if it meant breaking the promise with your first wife. It might be hard to say, but I can’t avoid hearing it as the person concerned.”
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As I said these words, I felt a painful tightness deep in my chest.
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Kami-sama remained silent all along.
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“. . . . . .Please, Kami-sama.”
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I took Kami-sama’s hand and waited until he was ready.
By the time his moist, bitten fingertips had completely dried, Kami-sama finally spoke with a strained voice.
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“There can’t be anyone else.”
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His golden eyes shot through me. With both hands pleadingly enveloping mine, Kami-sama pleaded.
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“You are my only wife, Charlene. In the past, now, and even in the future. Even if you were to be reborn in another world, your place would only be by my side.”
“Kami-sama. . . . . .?”
“The leading saint assigned by the church was just a ritual done by humans. You are the only wife I have. I fell from being a land god to a country god because I wanted to be with Charlene. I even abandoned being a god of the country because I wanted to protect Charlene.”
“What does. . . . . .that mean. . . . . .?”
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Kami-sama covers his face.
After revealing his feelings more emotionally than ever before, Kami-sama lets out a deep sigh.
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“I wanted Charlene to be happy without carrying anything further. That’s why I was glad that Charlene forgot everything and her joy overcame her loneliness. . . . . .Because then, Charlene could just be my wife.”
“. . . . . .Kami-sama. . . . . .?”
“If I confessed, Charlene would surely. . . . . .sacrifice herself again. I was afraid of that. . . . . .I. . . . . .have been protecting the country for Charlene all along. I don’t need anything other than Charlene. You are the only one who made me fall from being a god to just a man.”
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I swallowed hard and listened attentively.
To Kami-sama’s, disclosure.
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Kami-sama, with golden eyes gleaming through the gaps of his covered fingers, said.
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“You, Charlene, are the first leading saint.”
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