Himegami no Miko v1c6

Himegami no Miko (姫神の巫女) Part I, Chapter 6
Hi again, everyone! Giving you the next release now. Hopefully it doesn’t feel as if you were waiting very long for this one. :) A whole bunch of new terms come up in the second scene of this chapter so, before I even translate the next one, I will probably translate the character descriptions and key terminology found within one of the links on the Himegami website first. For now, though, please read, enjoy and comment!

Thanks to lethe, megan, serene01, Kaizora and lilly_938 for your comments as always. I really wouldn’t be motivated to continue this project in part without your support!

Disclaimer: Himegami no Miko belongs to Uetake Sumio-san, though ill.u.s.trations belong to Kaishaku, and can be accessed here. This is not being done for profit or for sale but for the sake of those who can’t understand the text in the original j.a.panese. The translation is all mine so please do credit me for it, especially if you would like to translate it into another language. Thank you!

“Here’s fine.”
Both girls stood in front the small, two-story wooden apartment building Himeko lived in.
It was 8:30 p.m., the time when elementary school children returning home from cram school were going from one place to another without effect but tomorrow would be another early day, so she decided to join Himeko.
Chikane had escorted her home many times but she had never gone up to Himeko’s room.
“I really would like to invite you over for tea but…it’s embarra.s.sing since it’s messy…”
As Himeko said that, she cast her eyes down in embarra.s.sment.
After the first time she was asked, it was strange why she refused every single time. But was she thinking that she was interested now?
Chikane believed that she could do it at her place.
The only things she had there were her uniform, a plain curtain and a few change of clothes.
It was nothing more than a base of operations used to locate the “Hinomiya divine girl.”
“Bye…good night, Chikane-chan.”
“Good night, Himeko.”
Turning around, she set off walking.
The rhythmical sound of her footsteps as she went up the staircase resounded in Chikane’s ears.
At that moment———
“Um, Chikane-chan?”
“What is it?”
With the pale, blue light from the fluorescent lamp striking her back, Chikane turned her head to look back at Himeko.
“Um… Umm… Today was really fun.”
Chikane responded to Himeko’s words with a smile.
Satisfied, Himeko waved her hand at her, this time finally entering her room.

On a back street beyond the station, Chikane walked along an alleyway crossing.
Only a light that had begun to fade illuminated the dim street devoid of people.
A high-speed train ran over the elevated tracks above.
The raucous noise.
The foul smell of exhaust gas.
The abominable, glaring neon.
When she had just come to this city, Chikane always thought:
What a crude, boisterous town.
She did not have any memories of such gaudiness found here but felt that because of it, it was better to be back home. She would find the Hinomiya “divine girl,” capture her and leave as soon as possible.
However, now———
This was a city of noise, exhaust gas and neon.
Even though nothing about it had changed, she had begun to regard the city fondly.
Surely———
It was because this was the city where that girl smiles happily.
A train pa.s.sed through an overpa.s.s above.
At that very instant———
Chikane s.h.i.+vered as a cold, electric shock quickly ran down her spine.
A blast of wind blew against her.
Is something there?! In the darkness?!
Before she could think, Chikane’s body moved.
She turned as in a dance, knocking down a flash of silver that drew towards her.
The sharp ‘clink’ of the silver object resounded.
What had fallen on the asphalt was a needle more fine than a strand of hair and harder than steel.
It was far more difficult to handle than a dart and nothing anyone within the Kudara could possibly handle but it was tremendously effective.
If it had been an ordinary person, they would not even realize what had happened and probably would have lost their life.
Chikane had knocked it down. In one wave of her black hair.
Chikane slowly turned her head towards the darkness.
Right in front of her eyes was a black shadow that cut off all shadows themselves.
The person wore black Department of Divinities* attire.
A scarlet, wood-carved mask in the shape of an inverted triangle with a snake concealed the face of the person.
The one representing the Department of Divinities* and Chikane confronted one another.
“As expected of the Kouzuki ‘divine girl’…skills that rival even those of the ‘Kutouda’…no, I heard they were beyond that.”
The shadow man removed his snake mask.
Behind the bizarre countenance was a boy with unimaginably handsome features.
However, the impression was that he was was not at all feeble.
There was a radiance that shot through like a beam from the depths of his eyes.
They would make one feel as if the tip of a spear had been pointed directly to their throat.
Like a millennial cunning demon.
Like an innocent child who chases dragonflies.
Eyes that harbored the blaze of bottomless chaos.
Chikane thought:
I can’t possibly bring myself to like him. His eyes are awfully dreadful.
He was a descendant of the “Kutouda,” the senior clan that governed Toutsuka Island.
The boy who was chosen to watch over the battle between the two ‘divine girls’ as the mediator, the Honorable Arbitrator.
It was Oomiwa Souma.