The Island Village, Murder, and the Daughter of the Abyss
The moment the time came, I performed a purification bath in the hot spring before heading toward the shrine for the ritual. A strange mixture of excitement, anticipation, and fear swirled inside me, pulling me forward with an odd sense of exhilaration.
After lunch, everyone at the inn except me had already gone to the shrine, so I was the only one walking the mountain path now. The villagers must have arrived even earlier, because the trail was completely deserted.
The rain was still falling, but the path to the shrine was paved with stone, so it wasn't muddy. After passing through the torii gate and entering the shrine grounds, I saw the same Shiba Inu mix still tied up with a leash. It had completely ignored me the first time we met, but now it let out a lazy woof! as if recognizing me from yesterday. Pretty smart dog. I gave it a gentle pat on the head.
“You’ve arrived.”
The Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden was waiting for me at the entrance, as if she had known exactly when I would come.
“Please follow me this way.”
As I trailed behind the Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden, I caught a glimpse of Professor Honmura Koga in the distance. His face looked extremely sour—probably because the shrine had rejected the request he’d pestered me about earlier. Hah. Serves you right.
Feeling a small burst of satisfaction, I continued following the maiden until we reached a dressing room. The moment I stepped inside, about five women stripped me of my clothes, dressed me in a fundoshi, and then helped me into a formal haori and hakama.
Wait… wasn’t this the traditional attire worn at Japanese weddings? I thought I was supposed to be an offering? Daughter of the Abyss, I’m not ready for marriage yet?
“The ritual begins at seven. In the meantime, please eat these rice cakes to settle your stomach.”
The Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden brought over a tray of rice cakes and chopsticks, then proceeded to feed them to me one by one. Hmm. Japanese rice cakes were usually too sweet for my taste, but these were just right. I swallowed them down eagerly, like a baby bird being fed by its mother.
After I had eaten enough rice cakes and the time had come, she led me out a little past seven o’clock. The Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden walked at the front while I was carried on a palanquin-like platform. As we passed through the crowd, everyone except the wide-eyed people from Kanto University pressed their palms together, bowed their heads, and chanted some indecipherable incantation.
The sky had grown dark, but torches had been placed everywhere, their flickering flames illuminating the scene despite the pouring rain. Thanks to that, I could clearly see Professor Honmura Koga’s expression as he stared at me. His face, warped by the dancing firelight, looked exactly like a vengeful ghost.
If I could use some wuxia-style telepathy, I’d taunt him: What are you going to do besides making that ugly face? It was a shame I couldn’t. I did have a Telepathy trait, but it hadn’t manifested yet, so I had to settle for flashing him the most mocking smirk I could muster.
The palanquin carrying me slowly cut through the crowd. Listening to the murmured chants all around me, we finally reached a spot cordoned off with sacred ropes. From here on, neither the villagers nor the guests could proceed. Only me, the Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden, and the palanquin bearers were allowed to enter.
After passing the ropes and walking a little farther, we arrived at what looked like a cave. Torches had already been prepared inside, casting warm light on the walls.
We went deeper in. The bearers set the palanquin down and left. Inside the cave, only the Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden and I remained.
“From here, you must descend on foot.”
I nodded at her words and began walking down into the cave. The path had been carved like a staircase, making the descent surprisingly easy. The maiden carried a lantern, so even when the wall torches grew sparse, we had no trouble seeing.
After descending for some time, we reached a flat area with an underground lake where water had pooled. A simple ritual altar had been prepared on the flat ground, and in front of it lay a red cushion that seemed meant for me.
“Please wait here for a ‘little while.’ Then you may return.”
“A little while?”
The Pot-wearing Shrine Maiden didn’t answer my question. She simply set the lantern down beside me. A little while? That was far too vague.
“When you come back up, use this lantern.”
With that, she turned and ascended the cave stairs, disappearing from sight. Since she always wore that pot on her head, she seemed perfectly capable of navigating the cave without any light. I watched her ghost-like movements—almost as if she had mastered some kind of clairvoyance—before turning my head away.
“I guess I should wait about an hour and then head back.”
I muttered to myself and plopped down heavily on the cushion. I checked my phone, but there was no signal. These days it was rare to find a place without internet, yet here we were. With nothing to do, I sat quietly until I suddenly heard a blub…! sound. It was like bubbles popping. The noise was coming from the underground lake. I walked closer and saw something bubbling up from below.
What was that? A fish? I leaned in for a better look when something shot out in an instant. It was a massive octopus tentacle, easily ten meters long. The tentacle wrapped around me in the blink of an eye and dragged me straight into the water.
Fuck, what the hell? It happened so fast that I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact with the surface.
But there was no impact. When I opened my eyes, both the tentacle and the underwater scene were gone. I was now standing inside what looked like the interior of an underwater palace. In front of me loomed a set of enormous doors. As I stood there, a voice echoed directly inside my head. The moment I heard it, I understood. I didn’t know how, but I had been brought to the dwelling place of the Daughter of the Abyss.
“Uh, I can’t really hear you clearly?”
“Yes. Now I can hear you.”
Following the Daughter of the Abyss’s command, I stood before the massive doors and pushed. Despite their enormous size, they opened as easily as a restaurant door.
Beyond the doors was water—an abyssal darkness like the deep sea. Yet glowing jellyfish drifted through it, preventing total darkness. Strangely, I could still breathe normally. I continued forward until I reached a place where countless jellyfish had gathered, creating a glow as bright as midday. There, she sat waiting.
Gray skin, purple eyes, and hair that moved like living tentacles—none of it resembled anything human. Every feature should have been repulsive to human preference, yet the Daughter of the Abyss, who possessed all of them, was breathtakingly beautiful.
I walked forward in a daze until I stood directly before her.
“Well, we did meet that time in the hotel when I almost died… so it’s only been a few months, right?”
That was a little creepy. Was she saying that if I hadn’t caught her interest, I would have become food for the jellyfish swirling around her?
“It wasn’t anything special. I just wanted to give it to you. I thought of you, that’s all.”
At my words, the Daughter of the Abyss smiled with deep satisfaction. She rose from her seat, approached me, and suddenly pulled me into her arms. Her enormous, incredibly soft breasts completely enveloped my face. It wasn’t that she was taller than me—rather, we were both floating in the water, so when she embraced me, her chest ended up right in front of my face.
Her breasts were soft, elastic, and possessed every virtue a chest could possibly have.
The Daughter of the Abyss gently stroked the back of my head with one hand while holding me tightly. After a long embrace, she released me and stood close, gazing into my eyes. Her beautiful purple eyes seemed to draw me in like a vortex.
“Not always, but that’s usually how it goes.”
She closed her eyes and offered her lips, as if she had seen it somewhere before. I didn’t fight my instincts and kissed the Daughter of the Abyss. Come to think of it, we had done this once before when I nearly died in that hotel. So was this our second kiss? Or third?
My scattered thoughts were instantly swept away by an overwhelming wave of pleasure. Her kiss was sweet, so intoxicating that precum began flowing freely from my cock. The Daughter of the Abyss seemed to enjoy it too, letting out soft, nasal moans—Hng…! Hnng…!—as we kissed.
Chuu, chuuup! Chuuup! Chuu…!
We made wet, obscene sounds that would have aroused anyone listening. The kiss felt both eternal and instantaneous. When we finally parted, breathing heavily, we stared at each other. The Daughter of the Abyss looked at me with a deep, satisfied smile. I probably wore a similar expression.
“It felt incredible for me too.”
Her face was filled with eager anticipation. I grinned confidently and answered.
“Of course not.”