All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Chapter 163: Shrine, Deity, Butterfly

In the final days of swapped.

Early in the morning, Yukima Azuma led Suou Yuki, who had secretly snuck out, to the Miyamizu Shrine.

"Grandmother, I want to bring a friend along, is that okay?"

Yukima Azuma asked Miyamizu Hitoha.

As expected—

The kind old woman did not hesitate and nodded in agreement.

Even though it was a worship ceremony for the deity, which sounded solemn—

It seemed that Miyamizu Shrine did not have too many rigid rules for outsiders.

Even the ritual dance of the previous festival could be watched by all the townspeople.

And no matter what they discussed below, it didn't matter.

Perhaps it was because Itomori's guardian deity was not too strict.

Thus, the group of four—Suou Yuki, Yukima Azuma, Miyamizu Hitoha, and Miyamizu Yotsuha—walked up the mountain together.

The mountain path in Itomori was not easy to traverse.

At the very least, vehicles could not go up; they had to walk.

Miyamizu Hitoha was already elderly.

By the time they reached halfway up the mountain, she was already showing clear signs of exhaustion.

Yukima Azuma didn't think much and immediately crouched down in front of her.

"Let me carry you on my back."

The four of them would walk a bit, then rest for a while.

Yukima Azuma had excellent stamina, but Yotsuha was still young, and Suou Yuki's health, though improved, could not yet be called strong.

After a few stops—

They finally reached the mountain's peak.

From there, just by turning around, they could see the entire view of Itomori town and Itomori Lake.

And on the other side of the mountain, not too far away, there was a cave.

That was their destination this time.

Yukima Azuma set Miyamizu Hitoha down.

As the old woman stepped down, she glanced at Yukima Azuma's wrist.

There, a thin, reddish-orange braided cord was wrapped around it.

It was looped several times, resembling an ornament.

"Mitsuha, you're wearing that braided cord again today?"

The old woman asked curiously.

This braided cord had been specially brought back from the shrine by Miyamizu Mitsuha.

On the day they made kumihimo, Miyamizu Hitoha had seen Mitsuha bring this cord home.

She had asked her what she intended to do with it.

Mitsuha said she wanted to give it to someone.

Yet today, it appeared on "her" wrist.

"Ah, since today is the day of worship, I thought I'd wear it."

Yukima Azuma replied casually.

This cord—

Was the very thing Miyamizu Mitsuha had deliberately left by the bedside before the identity swap ended.

She had even written in the diary, instructing him to wear it on the last day of the ceremony.

Even though he didn't know what it meant—

Yukima Azuma still wrapped it a few times around his wrist.

"I see."

Miyamizu Hitoha gently nodded, her expression seeming thoughtful.

Then, the four of them continued into the cave.

Around the cave entrance were decaying wooden remnants.

In the past, there must have been a torii gate or something similar.

But too much time had passed, and no one had repaired it, leaving only ruined remains.

Following the path inside the cave, they soon saw a stone shrine.

This shrine was seamlessly connected to the cave's foundation.

Yukima Azuma thought—

There must have been a massive rock here once, which had been carved into this shrine by human hands.

Miyamizu Hitoha placed the offerings she had brought in front of the shrine.

Then, she closed her eyes and silently bowed in worship.

Yukima Azuma and the others followed suit, bowing before the shrine.

As for whether they were sincere or not—that depended on each person.

While bowing, Yukima Azuma silently called the name of Itomori's deity.

But there was no response.

Thinking back, ever since swapped and that brief conversation with the deity of Itomori—

He had never been able to make contact again.

Now, right before this shrine—

There was still no response at all.

When he opened his eyes, Yukima Azuma looked at the tightly shut stone door of the shrine.

A sudden urge arose within him—he wanted to push it open and see what was inside.

But the thought only flashed by—

In the end, he held himself back.

The swap was still ongoing.

Miyamizu Mitsuha's grandmother was right beside him.

Even though worshiping the deity of Itomori did not have strict rules, such a disrespectful act was surely forbidden.

Better to wait until the swap was over.

After returning to the other side, he could come back to check later.

After all, Yukima Azuma had already memorized the path.

***

The worship ceremony ended.

Miyamizu Hitoha sat outside the cave to rest for a while.

"Grandmother, I'm going to take a few pictures."

Yukima Azuma pointed toward the forest on the slopes of Itomori Mountain.

"Umu, don't go too far, be careful not to get lost."

Miyamizu Hitoha reminded him.

So Yukima Azuma walked toward the forest.

Suou Yuki followed along.

The two of them strolled for a while, until the cave was no longer in sight—

Only then did they begin to speak.

"See anything strange?"

Yukima Azuma asked curiously.

Suou Yuki could see through the perception concealment caused by the identity swap.

Though the exact mechanics were unclear—

Maybe she could spot something different.

Suou Yuki simply shook her head.

"I didn't see anything. It just looked like a normal shrine to me. Is that really the shrine of the Itomori deity?"

A being capable of swapping two people across a three-year gap in time—

Yet living in such miserable conditions.

Suou Yuki couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of mistake.

"Miyamizu Shrine has worshiped it for generations, so there's no way it's the wrong one."

Yukima Azuma waved his hand dismissively.

In the Miyamizu lineage, every generation had a woman who experienced the swap.

If they had been worshiping the wrong deity, the divine phenomenon wouldn't have lasted through so many generations.

"How about raising some money to renovate the shrine and temple?"

"Forget it, that deity doesn't seem like the type to care about incense offerings."

"Really…? So, onii-chan, what are you doing here?"

"Umu, I have a few things to do."

With that, Yukima Azuma took out a notebook and a pen from his backpack.

Suou Yuki curiously looked over.

He opened the notebook, placed the pen on a fresh page,

Took a deep breath—then slowly closed his eyes.

The Harry Potter novel had already published one volume.

Discussions flooded the internet.

Across the world, countless people believed in and longed for the magical world described in the books.

Many sought to find Platform 9 3/4 in real life.

The conditions for the Literary Skill—

Had been met.

When Yukima Azuma opened his eyes—

His pen lightly glided across the page.

The soft scratching of the pen echoed.

And at that very moment—

Brilliant streaks of light suddenly burst forth from the strokes of his pen.

The notebook in Yukima Azuma's hands—

Transformed into a Pandora's box that had just been opened.

One by one, shimmering rays of light emerged, then began to swirl around him.

Suou Yuki stared wide-eyed at the scene before her—

It was like witnessing actual magic.

For a moment, she was stunned.

And then—

The radiant lights began to transform.

They morphed into countless creatures.

One stream of light descended onto Suou Yuki's shoulder, turning into an owl.

Looking at the owl perched on her shoulder, and the other mystical beings circling around Yukima Azuma—

"This is…" Her eyes widened in astonishment. "The fantastic creatures from Harry Potter?"

Yukima Azuma stopped writing, closed his notebook, and gave a small nod.

This was the first time he had truly used the supernatural abilities granted by his Literary Skill at level seven.

In total, he had summoned seventeen magical creatures from the books.

Each of them retained the abilities described in the novel.

Furthermore, they were entirely under his control.

It had to be said—his Literary Skill was undoubtedly a product of the system.

Compared to Kasumigaoka's Literary Skill, the difference was staggering.

However—

This was also the limit of level seven.

If he wanted to summon creatures with more powerful settings or increase the number—

He would need to level up his skill even further.

Suou Yuki reached out and gently stroked the owl on her shoulder.

"This is amazing… Could it be that onii-chan is actually a god?"

Her eyes were filled with awe—but also a trace of disappointment.

A god—was simply too distant.

"Nah." Yukima Azuma shrugged. "Rather than being some god, I'd much rather be human."

Hearing that, Suou Yuki couldn't help but laugh.

After her laughter faded, she continued petting the owl, already guessing Yukima Azuma's intention.

"These magical creatures… are they meant to drive people away from this area?"

"Exactly. Once you buy out the town of Itomori, they will remain in the forest to keep outsiders from entering."

"Then can I keep the owl?"

"Umu, it was meant for you from the start."

"Uwawa, Onii-sama—I'm going to cry!"

"Come here, let your Super-Cute Imouto give you a gift in return~"

Overcome with emotion, Suou Yuki immediately pounced toward Yukima Azuma.

Judging by her pursed lips, it seemed like she intended to offer a kiss.

But Yukima Azuma simply raised a hand to press lightly against her forehead—

Holding her back with ease.

"Bad Onii-sama, don't reject a girl's heartfelt gratitude!"

"Wait three years. If you still feel this way then, we'll talk."

After a brief moment of teasing—

Yukima Azuma waved his hand.

The magical creatures immediately scattered, vanishing into the Itomori mountain forest.

They would take their assigned mission seriously.

For the next three years, before the comet fell—

They would do everything in their power to ensure no one stepped into the impact zone.

Once they were gone—

Yukima Azuma spread open his palm.

Just moments ago, he had grasped a strand of light in his hand.

Now, as he opened it—

A golden metallic sphere appeared.

On either side of the sphere—

Glistening golden wings were attached.

"Oa~ It's the Golden Snitch!"

Suou Yuki leaned in closer. Recognizing the object in Yukima Azuma's hand, she gasped in admiration.

"Umu, it has a different mission."

Yukima Azuma flicked his wrist.

The golden sphere transformed into a streak of light, shooting off into the distance.

Suou Yuki followed its trajectory with her eyes.

It seemed to be heading toward Tokyo.

"Won't this cause a butterfly effect?"

She asked.

"Probably." Yukima Azuma watched as the light disappeared into the horizon. "But some things… still have to be done."