The Island Village, Murder, and the Daughter of the Abyss
"Viewing our Chooten Shrine is always welcome. Please, follow me this way."
Following the pot-wearing shrine maiden, we toured the shrine grounds. Even though the clay pot completely blocked her vision, she guided us with practiced ease. For a shrine on such a small island, the scale was surprisingly grand. The group from Kanto University snapped photos at every turn, thoroughly enjoying the historic site.
"Is this a mural over here?"
"Yes. It is a mural passed down through generations of our shrine. The earliest record dates to the fourth year of Kan'ei, so we believe it existed even before then. That document specifically mentions restoring the mural."
When the plainly dressed, bespectacled Hijitani Saori asked her question, the pot-wearing shrine maiden answered politely. But what the hell was the fourth year of Kan'ei?
"The fourth year of Kan'ei... that would be 1627."
As expected of a professor, Honmura Koga immediately calculated the date. Even taking 1627 as the baseline, that made the mural nearly four hundred and twenty-six years old. The fact that the record only mentioned its restoration meant the artwork had existed for much longer.
The mural depicted a woman with pale blue skin seated in lotus position atop what looked like octopus tentacles unfurled like flower petals. The background was ambiguous—waves or clouds, it was impossible to tell. Even as a painting, it evoked a bizarre mixture of the sacred, the eerie, and the repulsive all at once.
"Is this woman the Sea Goddess?"
"Yes. In ancient Chooten it is called ■■■■■■, but in Japanese we refer to her as Shinkai no Kyuuden de Mezameta Hime—the Princess Who Awakened in the Deep Sea Palace. We usually shorten it to Shinkaihime."
How the hell were you supposed to pronounce ■■■■■■? The long version seemed to mean "Princess Who Awakened in the Deep Sea Palace," and since she was the Daughter of the Abyss, calling her a princess made sense. The shortened title of Deep Sea Princess further suggested she existed as someone's daughter.
"This building houses the Chooten Shrine's archival records. Because of the rain today, we cannot risk damaging the originals. Please step inside where you may examine the digitized versions. Desks and chairs have been prepared for you."
"When were the materials digitized?"
While walking toward the indoor area with the desks, Wano Haruto raised his hand to ask the question. I was curious myself. It was surprising. Most shrines simply preserved originals, yet this one had gone through the trouble of digitizing everything. I hadn't expected a shrine in such a remote place to be so technologically advanced.
"Ah, a certain professor digitized more than half of the shrine's materials three years ago while conducting research here. Sadly, I heard he passed away two years ago... We had no further contact until recently, when Professor Honmura reached out to us."
I see. So there had been a previous researcher. His work stopped when he died two years ago, and now Honmura Koga had taken over—whether he was continuing the research legitimately or not, I couldn't say.
"What was that professor's name...?"
"Professor Ueshima."
Professor Ueshima... Wano Haruto was just lifting a hand to his chin, sinking into thought, when Honmura Koga clapped his hands loudly.
"Right! Right! It's unfortunate we cannot see the originals, but let us examine these digital records! I'm certain there will be valuable material for your theses."
At Professor Honmura's urging, the students opened their laptops and began downloading and reviewing the materials.
"I'll take a more thorough look around the shrine before heading back down," I announced.
"Ah, yes, yes."
Honmura Koga gave a half-hearted nod, already completely absorbed in the data. One of the four people without an alibi, and he was letting me wander off without a second thought. Was he really that obsessed with his research? Even if I were the murderer, he was making it far too easy. Of course, I wasn't the killer, so my solo movements wouldn't trigger any new deaths.
"Hmm..."
I stepped back outside and studied the mural again. Just as I'd felt earlier, there was something profoundly strange about it.
"So you are the one she spoke of."
A voice came from behind me. At some point the pot-wearing shrine maiden had appeared and now stood at my back, also gazing at the mural.
"She...?"
"Shinkaihime-sama. Please follow me."
My suspicion that the Shinkaihime worshipped at this shrine was the same as the Daughter of the Abyss was rapidly becoming certainty. The pot-wearing shrine maiden led me deeper into the shrine complex.
"Where are we going?"
"There is something I must confirm."
We arrived at a small room. After removing our raincoats and stepping inside, I saw a futon already laid out. With no other belongings visible, it appeared to be a guest room.
"She told me you were a man possessing yang energy as brilliant as the sun."
Hmm... In other words, she had called me a man with monstrous stamina. Strangely satisfying. Being recognized for my sexual prowess by a transcendent being felt oddly validating. Wait, what?
The shrine maiden suddenly knelt before me and began pulling down my pants. She lifted the pot just enough to reveal her mouth, then took my already-hard cock between her lips and started sucking with surprising skill.
"U-um, what exactly are you doing?"
"Slurp... chup...! Shluuurp!! Hah...! It is my duty to verify whether you are truly the one she described."
"And what does that have to do with a blowjob?"
She answered my first question but completely ignored the second, continuing to devour my cock with focused intensity. Well... did it really matter? When a woman offers to suck you off, the correct response is "thank you" and enjoying it. I stopped asking questions, relaxed, and surrendered to her devoted fellatio.
The pot-wearing shrine maiden's blowjob was specialized for one purpose—making me cum. She gripped my hips so I couldn't escape, stimulating me all the way to the back of her throat. Her throat constricted like a separate living creature, sucking greedily as if desperate for my semen. The overwhelming pleasure rising from my cock made it impossible to hold back, and I unloaded a massive amount of cum straight into her mouth.
"Slurp, chup, chup, gluck, shluuurp! Gulp, gulp!"
"Ugh...! It's coming!"
The pot-wearing shrine maiden swallowed every thick spurt without spilling a single drop. Not that there was anywhere for it to spill—she had taken me so deep that my cum had fired directly down her throat.
"Without a doubt...! You are exactly as she described. I apologize for my rudeness."
"Uh... thank you?"
"As compensation for my rudeness... how about this?"
The pot-wearing shrine maiden lifted the hem of her distinctive red skirt. In an instant, the small room filled with the thick, intoxicating scent of a woman. My cock, which hadn't softened at all, began leaking precum as it sensed the nearby pussy.
She wore nothing underneath. The pussy hidden beneath that red skirt twitched invitingly. I laid her down immediately and pressed my cock against her entrance. Perhaps because she served the Daughter of the Abyss, her love juices felt unusually thick and sticky. When I pushed my hips forward slightly, her pussy swallowed me like a swamp. There was a tearing sensation, and my cock sank all the way to her deepest point.
"Haaum! You've accepted my first time as an apology gift."
What was that? It felt like her pussy had actively sucked me inside... When I pulled back slightly, her inner walls clung to me desperately, as if refusing to let go. There was blood, but the shrine maiden showed no sign of pain. Instead, she writhed in pleasure, twisting her hips and trying to pull my glans back inside her.
If it didn't hurt, I didn't need to be gentle. No reason to hold back. Feeling her pussy coil tightly around me, I began thrusting with powerful strokes. I couldn't see her face because of the pot, but raw, unrestrained moans spilled out from beneath it.
"Haaah! Hngh!! Ahh♥ I had no idea... it would feel like this! Haaang♥"
"Your pussy feels incredible too, Maiden."
"You like it? Does my virgin pussy feel good? Hngh! Does it?"
Since it was her first time, she probably hadn't known, but she seemed to be the talkative type during sex. I decided to play along with her style.
"Yes, your pussy feels amazing."
"Haa! Hnnngh!"
My words seemed to act as a trigger. She began trembling violently as she reached her climax. I would have to take her through a second, third, and more. The so-called multiple orgasm. I pounded the maiden's spasming pussy even harder.
"Hngh, hngh! Ohh! I'm cumming again, I'm cumming again♥"
"I'll keep making you cum until I finish."
"No, it's too much. If I cum anymore I'll break!"
I began violating the pot-wearing shrine maiden more mercilessly, lifting her pale legs into the air as she shook. I would pull my cock almost completely out before slamming back in, striking her cervix like a battering ram against a castle gate. The wet, violent sounds of flesh slapping flesh filled the room as beast-like moans escaped from beneath the pot.
"Hngh! Haah! Ohh! Hyaaang!"
"Take it all!"
Spurt! Spurt!
My cock expanded her pussy as I pumped thick ropes of cum directly into her womb. Every time my hot seed flooded inside, the maiden's pale thighs quivered as she climaxed again. I didn't pull out, simply resuming my thrusts.
"It's not over yet."
"Hngh! N-nooo♥"
After changing positions and cumming inside her two more times, the maiden trembled violently and passed out. Oops... Maybe I'd been too rough for her first time?
After a short wait, she regained consciousness. The first thing she did was check whether the pot was still in place. It seemed she truly could not remove it before the ritual. The shrine maiden straightened her clothes, sat before me, and began to speak.
"Tomorrow, Lord Bridegroom, you have an important role to fulfill."
"A role? What kind?"
"You must accept the duty of the sacred offering during the ritual."
She wanted me to be the offering presented to the Daughter of the Abyss? I wasn't going to end up with my head on a ceremonial platter, was I?
"Will I die?"
"No. You simply need to remain at the final ritual site for about a day. Then you will be able to meet Shinkaihime-sama."
Hmm... So the Daughter of the Abyss had invited me all the way to this island just to meet her. When I thought about it, she had already received offerings like that ruined god named Shirashira and an infinite regressor—both rather rare specimens. She probably didn't intend me any harm. I nodded to the shrine maiden. Strangely, even with the pot over her head, she seemed to sense the gesture. When I nodded, she bowed deeply and said, "Thank you."
"We've already mixed our bodies. You don't need to bow so deeply."
"Thank you."
"Then I'll head back down."
"The ritual begins at seven. Please arrive tomorrow evening at six."
Interesting that they performed the ritual in the evening. I had assumed village ceremonies like this usually took place during the day. I left the small room, put my raincoat back on, and stepped outside. The rain was still pouring down violently. Checking the time, it was just past three-thirty. We'd left after lunch around twelve forty-five and arrived at one, which meant I'd spent over two hours having sex.
I walked back down the rainy mountain path to the inn. I needed to enjoy that open-air hot spring as soon as possible. After the incident rescuing Sawayanagi Azuma and the chaos in the Jukai Forest, my body felt stiff and sore. A long, hot soak should take care of that.