Godly Tales Chapter 1: The Chosen Man

Chapter 1: The Chosen Man

　It was a good life.
　When I opened my eyes again in the gently rocking boat, that was the first thing I thought. I was clutching six coins in my hand. That's right, I had died.
　There was no boatman. As I sat up in the boat that was moving on its own, I saw land ahead. I tilted my head and looked back. Thick fog covered the world of the living. I tried to remember my life before death. No, it was no use. It felt as if that fog was seeping into my mind as well.

　I wonder how long I had been rocking in the boat. I couldn't seem to grasp the sense of time here. Or perhaps I had been freed from the concept of time itself. The boat moved slowly and eventually docked without a sound. I stood up. I gently placed the six coins in my hand into the boat. I let out a deep breath and stepped ashore, feeling nervous. The soft undergrowth welcomed my momentous first step.

　That was when it happened.

　
　Clang, clang, clang

「You've been chosen as a god!」
　A bell, like the one that rings when you win a prize at a shopping district lottery, rang at high volume, and several figures jumped out from nowhere.

　My solemn and sacred feelings crumbled instantly. What on earth is this? Startled, I jumped back, and in doing so, my lower back bumped into the boat I had been riding in. The impact caused the boat to drift away from the shore and return silently back into the fog. I felt like I saw the silhouette of a boatman in the fog who hadn't been there before. I strained my eyes, but every time I tried to look closely, the fog grew thicker, until eventually, even the boat disappeared from sight.

　Someone grabbed my shoulder roughly and turned me around. Three people wearing flashy red and white happi coats jumped into my field of vision. The trio in happi coats surrounded me. The middle-aged man in the center wearing a headband said with a beaming smile:
「Congratulations! As a result of a rigorous lottery, you have been chosen to be enshrined as a god.」
「Eh?」
「The grand prize is said to be one in several million, no, several tens of millions... no, one in several hundred million. Lucky you!」
「Uh, yeah.」
「Now, you can see the shrine building for your shrine here, so please take a look. If there are any parts you don't like, changes are possible.」
　The trio all extended their right hands at once, urging me, "Come, come." However, I didn't move.
「Um, I, I died, right?」
「Yes, of course. Only newly deceased people can participate in this lottery. Well, since it's been a while since we've had a winner, we're quite excited ourselves. Now, let's not talk standing up, just come this way, this way.」

　I was pulled along half-forcibly and guided to a small building. Inside, there was a room that looked like a reception room with a desk and a low sofa. There were no windows. It looked like the office of a company president. In the corner of the room, there was something covered with a white cloth. Could that be a diorama of the shrine?
　As urged by the trio in happi coats, I sat down on the sofa. The comfort was just like a sofa you'd find in a reception room. The other three sat around me as well. I wondered if they would take off those happi coats soon. It felt like being at a cheap store's opening sale, and I couldn't settle down. Besides, red and white is rude to someone who just died.

　The headband-wearing man sitting directly in front of me opened his mouth.
「Now, let me explain again. You have won the lottery for newly deceased people, so you will be enshrined in a shrine as a god. Is that clear so far?」

　What does "clear" mean? It couldn't possibly be clear. Just from that one sentence, questions were popping into my head like popcorn. Not knowing where to start asking, I remained silent, and perhaps taking my silence to mean "it's okay," the headband-wearing man began to speak again.
「I will explain the location of the shrine where you will be enshrined later while looking at a map of Japan. Oh, and it's often misunderstood, but when I say shrine, it's not a large shrine that becomes a tourist attraction, but a small one built quietly in a corner of the town, so please understand that point. People tend to imagine large ones when they hear 'shrine.' So, some people get angry later saying it's not what they expected, which is difficult. Hahaha.」
　Following the headband-wearing man, the other two also laughed.

「Um,」 I raised my voice to interrupt their laughter.
「Well, I am, how should I put it, a very ordinary person. I can't remember much about my life before death, but I can say this with certainty. I am not a great person worthy of being enshrined as a god. I cannot serve as a god. So, although I appreciate the offer, I must decline.」
　I blurted out the sentences I had been constructing in my head all at once. I could feel the air in the room freezing. The smiles plastered on the faces of the happi-clad group vanished, and everyone immediately returned to a straight face.

　The thin-faced man with glasses sitting to my right leaned forward. He was definitely the one who looked least suited for the red and white happi coat.
「Do you know how many shrines there are in Japan?」
「Eh?」 I said.
　The thin-faced man continued without caring about my confusion.
「The number is said to be about 88,000. Some theories say 140,000 to 150,000. And this number is far greater than the number of convenience stores in the country.」
　As I was speechless, the thin-faced man leaned forward even more.
「Let's estimate it at 80,000 for the sake of argument here. Now, do you know all the gods enshrined there?」
　Silence. The gazes of the three people in happi coats were focused solely on me.
「W-well...」 I tilted my head.
「Exactly! As you know, there are cases where the same god is enshrined in multiple shrines. But unless it's a famous god, no one knows who is enshrined in each of the 80,000 shrines. So, it's not strange at all if one of them enshrines an ordinary person like you.」

　The thin-faced man rattled on quickly. Although I felt a bit bothered by being casually called an "ordinary person," I was overwhelmed by his strangely persuasive words.
「I see.」
「Are you convinced? Then next,」 the headband-wearing man tried to proceed.
「Wait a minute,」 I raised my hand to stop him.
「Is there something else?」
　The thin-faced man put his hand to his glasses. It was as if he were saying he could refute me no matter what question or objection I came up with.

「No, um, where is this place?」
「Where, you ask?」 said the headband-wearing man.
「In other words, is this so-called 'Heaven'?」
「Ah, that.」

　A pleasant-looking woman with long hair spoke for the first time. Her hair was dyed a light brown. I thought of something out of place: do they have hair salons in the afterlife too?
「It's no wonder you're anxious. Everyone who has just passed away is concerned about that. They wonder if they have truly made it to Heaven.」
「Yes,」 I agreed. Talking to this brown-haired woman, my confusion from earlier eased somewhat.
「This place you are in now is not yet completely the afterlife. It is a place like a 'port' where you arrive first after crossing the Sanzu River. Normally, you would complete the necessary procedures at this port and then head to the afterlife. There is a common anecdote that a grandmother was waiting on the other side of the Sanzu River, but that is a made-up story. This place is almost unmanned, and there are only the minimum necessary staff members.」
　Fufu, the brown-haired woman smiled. I couldn't help but relax my mouth as well.
「Also, 'Heaven' and 'Hell' that many people are concerned about do not exist here, nor in the afterlife beyond. To be more precise, such places do exist. Well, there are parts of this area that are quite far from the image in the world of the living, so it would be faster for you to see it with your own eyes than to hear the explanation. In any case, since you are a god, you will be on a slightly different course than ordinary people.」

「May I proceed?」 the headband-wearing man asked.
「Ah, yes, I'm sorry. Please go ahead.」
「There are two main duties you must perform as a god.」
　The headband-wearing man held up a stubby index finger in front of me.
「First. Read through the names and wishes of the people who have visited your shrine. The documents with the wishes written on them will be brought to you by a messenger, so you only need to read them at your convenience.」
　The headband-wearing man held up a second finger for me to see.
「Second. You must attend the general meeting held every October. At this time, you need to bring the wishes you want to grant from those submitted to you. That is why reading the documents beforehand is necessary.」

「Have you heard the word 'Kannazuki' (Month of No Gods)?」 the thin-faced man asked me.
「Yes, it's when gods from all over the country gather at Izumo Taisha. So I have to attend that too, right?」
「That's right. We don't know what happens there either. But you must attend.」
　When the thin-faced man said that, the headband-wearing man and the brown-haired woman nodded strongly.
「Is that all?」
「Yes. Those are the only two things you have to do. You can spend the rest of your time as you please.」

　The headband-wearing man showed a sales smile. It was a type of smile I couldn't trust, but if that was really all there was to it, it seemed like something I could manage. Even if I had to read through wishes, as the thin-faced man said, mine must be a small shrine, so there couldn't be more than a handful of people visiting.

“Do you have any questions?”
Looking at my face, the one with the headband asks.
“What do you mean by ‘other time’? What do the other, normal people do? In other words, how do they spend their days in this world?”
The one with brown hair answers in a calm voice.
“Well, let’s see. Everyone is different, so I can’t say for sure, but most newcomers start by sightseeing. It’s all quite novel, after all. After that, many people participate in some kind of activity. There are many clubs, and there are also things like neighborhood associations, which are more like helping with the management here. Oh, we are part of something like that ourselves.”
“I understand.”
When I nodded, all three of them looked relieved. The one with the headband slowly stood up.

“Now, let’s take a look at the shrine building. This way.”
The one with the headband removes a white cloth from a small desk in the corner of the room. It wasn’t a diorama. I could see an image inside a transparent glass cube, like a small aquarium. When I peered into it, there was a small, cozy shrine in a lush forest. It seemed to still be under construction, with ant-like workers walking around it.

“This is the shrine building where you will be enshrined. It’s in real-time.”
“Wait, real-time?”
“Yes, that’s right. This ‘window’ will be relocated to your living space, so you can check on the state of your shrine whenever you like.”

I pressed the tip of my nose against the glass and observed the shrine intently. I could see about four workers wearing helmets. Two workers were lifting and carrying a long piece of material that must have been two meters long. Behind them, another person was carrying something heavy in both hands. A person who appeared to be the supervisor seemed to be pointing at the members carrying the material and shouting something.
They are building my shrine right now. Thinking that, a warmth spread through my chest. I felt affection for these four workers. No, there must be other workers too. I have to be equally grateful to all of them.

“And this shrine is located around here.”
The one with the thin face points to the middle of a map of Japan hanging on the wall. Even looking at the name of the place, it didn’t ring a bell.
“Is this a place I have a connection to? For some reason, I can’t clearly remember my life before.”
“Oh, no. In the case of lottery gods, the location of the shrine is decided randomly.”

“Um, why can’t I clearly remember my life before?”
I voiced the question that had been bothering me since I was on the boat. Even on the boat, I couldn’t remember anything before I died. The three in happi coats looked at each other. After a short pause, the one with brown hair answered.

“I’m sure you are feeling very anxious about that. I apologize. We perform such a procedure on those who are to become gods.”
“A procedure? What exactly does that mean?”
“Erasing your memory... no, it’s more like you have developed a form of amnesia.”

I didn’t miss the brown-haired one’s words.
“You mean you erased my memory? That’s terrible, isn’t it?”
At my angry voice, the group in happi coats fell silent for a moment. The one with the thin face hurriedly opened his mouth.
“Even though I say your memory is gone, please think of it as a kind of |mild| amnesia. It is a state where only the memories related to your own personal experiences are gone. If you had no memory at all, you would be like a newborn baby. That is certainly not the case. You still have information about the world. Furthermore, naturally, the personality, traits, and habits that form your humanity are inherited from your previous life as ‘memories’ residing in your body.”

I looked around the room. I repeated the thin-faced one’s words, “information about the world,” in my mouth. I can certainly remember the names of things like sofas and tables. I know what kind of situations red and white happi coats are worn in. However, as for where the me from my previous life saw those things, no matter how much I thought about it, it was like |grasping at air| in a fog.

“I see.”
I was convinced by what the thin-faced one said once again. Feeling slightly irritated by that fact, I turned to the brown-haired one and asked again.

“But why do such a thing?”
“Yes, it is to prevent gods from neglecting their duties or abusing them based on memories from their previous life. For example, if there was a person who was directly involved in your death, and you were to take revenge on that person or someone similar, it would lead to a disadvantage for all gods, so we have taken this measure. I would like you to understand that this is also the fate of a god.”
The brown-haired one bowed his head as if truly sorry. The other two also had solemn expressions.

“But there are many legends and traditions about such divine curses, aren’t there? The most famous one is the lightning strike of Sugawara no Michizane.”
I put my hand to my temple. The name Sugawara no Michizane came out of my mouth easily. That means the knowledge I gained in my previous life remains intact.
“Yes, it seems such things happened frequently in the past, but recently, regulations have become stricter. Rather than clumsily causing a curse and tarnishing the name of a god, it seems they are focusing more on saving people.”
I realized it was useless to argue about my memory any further, so I closed my mouth.

“Then, I will guide you to your residence.”
As if to dispel the heavy atmosphere, the one with the headband said in a bright voice. The four of us walked out of the room. I wondered why I had accepted things so easily. I feel like the original me would have refused. In fact, I had gathered the courage to refuse at first. But I was persuaded and pushed into it. Did I wake up as a new person after I died? While walking led by the three wearing red and white happi coats, I gave a bitter smile.

After walking a little from the small building, passing through a gate and through a street that looked like a residential area, we entered a larger building. The residence we were guided to after taking an elevator up was clean and bright, equipped with a sofa, dining table, bed, and so on. It was like a room in a luxury hotel. Although, it is a mystery whether I have any experience staying in a luxury hotel in my previous life. In the center of the room, the ‘window’ like the aquarium from earlier was sitting there. Beyond that was a real window, and I could look down at the outside of the building.

I ran to the window and looked outside. Since coming here, I had been cooped up in a small room and only talking to the trio in happi coats. What on earth is this world like? Uncontrollable curiosity was swirling inside my chest.
When I looked down, I was let down. It was a very ordinary townscape. People were coming and going there, also very normally. Even if you look down from a high-rise building in the city center, the same scene must be spreading out.

“It doesn’t change much, does it? Everyone is surprised at first.”
The brown-haired one called out from the entrance of the room.
“Are these people all gods?” I asked, turning back to the brown-haired one.
“Oh, no. The people here are ordinary citizens. People from various eras are living together.”
Indeed, when I looked closely, a horse and a motorcycle were running side by side. Is that an oxcart over there? I also saw a few people dressed as samurai over there.

“Well, you have plenty of time for sightseeing. More than that, actually, October is near.”
At the voice of the one with the headband, I finally took my eyes off the outside of the window. October, Kannazuki, the general meeting.
“Since the shrine has just been built, I think there will be few requests, but please choose one from among them and bring it to the general meeting. Someone will come to pick you up for the general meeting, so don’t worry.”

“Do you have any other questions?” the thin-faced one asks.
“No, not at the moment. If I don’t understand something along the way, what should I do?”
“In that case, please ask the messenger who brings you the materials. If you still don’t understand, I think it would be best to ask at the general meeting.”
“I understand,” I nodded.
“Then we will take our leave. Excuse us,” said the one with the headband.

The three bowed and left the room. When the door closed, silence arrived. It had felt like being caught in a storm ever since I came here. The tension snapped, and I collapsed onto the sofa. For a while, I sank into the sofa and lost myself in thought. The fact that I am now in the afterlife. My memory is gone, and I don’t even know who I was. Such a me becomes a god and is enshrined in a shrine. And I will be entrusted with people’s wishes and take them to the annual Kannazuki general meeting. I was gradually feeling the weight of the responsibility of being a god.

I was chosen by God—.

Chapter 2to be continued

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

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