Along the way, as I was passing through the square, the small wayside shrine in the corner caught my attention.
The shrine was probably exposed to a lot of rain and wind throughout the years, as the idol was really worn out.
“…I guess I could pray a little.” [Ryouma]
When I think about it, tomorrow is the second time I’ll be involved with the nobles. The rumors say he’s a good person, but surely he wouldn’t come without even a single escort, right? Hopefully, nothing wrong happens…
I clapped my hands in front of the small wayside shrine and prayed that.
“!!” [Ryouma]
Suddenly, white light filled my vision.
Am I going to be summoned even though I’m not in a church?
“Uu!?” [Ryouma]
It felt like I was floating in the air.
It was my first time being summoned like this, so I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide.
Something spread out in front of me.
—Water!?
As soon as I recovered my awareness, I fell into the water.
I don’t know how high up I was, but there wasn’t much of an impact.
But the water clung onto me and I gradually sank. I wasn’t floating at all.
“Don’t worry, it’s alright. You can breathe here. Give it a try.” [???]
“!?” [Ryouma]
When I was starting to get uneasy and tried to push aside the water, a voice reached me.
…It’s true. It’s hard to move like in water, but it doesn’t hurt to breathe.
As I calmed down, I followed the voice and looked up.
There, a shadow about the size of a middle school student floated in the water with the dazzling light behind it.
The shadow moved through the water easily toward me.
It was then that I finally saw the figure clearly.
“Good day.” [???]
“Good day. I’m Ryouma Takebayashi. …Excuse me if I’m mistaken, but would you happen to be the God of Waters and Fishes, Sereriputa-sama?” [Ryouma]
“Huh? Did I mention my name? You’re pretty sharp, aren’t you? I’m sure my statue is supposed to be a muscular man.” [Sereriputa]
Looks like I’m right.
If I recall correctly, the common legend surrounding him – just as he said – revolves around an ideal man of the sea.
But the person in front of me now is speaking in a gentle and androgynous voice with long hair that appears to have been allowed to grow as it pleased. Because of that the entire right side of his face can’t be seen. The left side that can be seen has skin as white as snow with distinct dark circles around the eyes. Nothing about him looks even slightly resembles the word, health.
His clothes are really loose— They’re basically cloths layered on top of each other to cover his body. Because of that it’s hard to tell where his body’s line begins. I can see his hands through his baggy sleeves, but they seemed so delicate they could break at any time.
The exact opposite of a burly man. If anything he looks more like a girl… I know this is a bit rude, but he really gives the feeling of a shut-in.
The reason I thought he was the God of Waters and Fishing was because the wayside shrine I prayed at was at a fishing village, and what’s more is…
“It’s because I fell into this water.” [Ryouma]
“Ah~ Now that you mention it, it’s only natural to think of me when thinking of gods related to water.” [Sereriputa]
He laughed as he floated in the water.
The clothes on his body fluttered like the scales on a fish.
“Ahaha, you won’t sink even if you don’t move your limbs so restlessly, you know. Relax your body like this and just let it take its course. That should make it way easier for your body.” [Sereriputa]
I relaxed just as he told me to, and I indeed did not sink. Moreover, thanks to the buoyancy, I didn’t have to strain my body at all.
“Right, right. Just like that. You don’t have to mind your words too… By the way, are you the one Gayn and the others summoned to this world and who also frequents the divine realm?” [Sereriputa]
“Yes. I drop by from time to time.” [Ryouma]
“I normally don’t bestow an oracle on people, but I wanted to meet you.” [Sereriputa]
“You wanted to meet me? That’s an honor then. But why? Ahh, could it be you’ve been watching me like Gayn and the others and I did something interesting?” [Ryouma]
“Nope. It wasn’t interesting at all.” [Sereriputa]
“Ah, I see…” [Ryouma]
“I mean you’re just living a normal fisherman’s life in the village. There’s no unexpected dangerous monster or anything, so if it’s just a normal villager’s life, there’s already plenty to watch in the village. …It was really boring with no variation whatsoever… I’m sure you’re happy living such a peaceful life, and it’s not like adventuring and fighting is all there is in life, but even if you lazily show me your normal life, even if it’s fine at the start, it can get boring real fast. Don’t you think so?” [Sereriputa]
“Y-Yeah…” [Ryouma]
“It’s not exactly the same, but the things you do are pretty much the same, aren’t they? If you’re going to do something, then you might as well make it flashy. Think about your audience more, okay?” [Sereriputa]
“…It’s true that I’ve never really thought about how interesting my life might be in the eyes of other people…” [Ryouma]
“Right~? That’s why it’s really something for you to ask others if they find your life interesting. First of all—” [Sereriputa]
Like that Sereriputa-sama stabbed me with words one after another like it was nothing and I quietly took it all.
I know my days have been full of things I didn’t think about, but why is a god I’m meeting for the first time lambasting me like an editor would a mangaka or a light novel author?
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