"What have I approved?" Okuininushi smacked his face in disbelief at the gargantuan faux steel and concrete monstrosity of the Daiyōkai headquarters in Kakuriyo.
"If this continues, sir, we will have an imitation of Tokyo," Daija said in sarcasm.
"Why can't everyone just be happy that Kakuriyo exists as their retreat and stop recreating the mortal realm," he moaned loudly
Daija chuckled at the jovial god ruling over Kakuriyo. Unlike the ones in Takamagahara, Okuninushi was also one of the earlier gods. Unlike Arahabaki, he was easily approachable in Kakuriyo.
Respected and deeply loved by Kakuriyo's inhabitants, Okuininushi hardly interfered in the affairs of others, as long as Takamagahara kept away from him. Another reason not to anger Okuninushi was that his curses were especially known for their deadly effectiveness.
"So where are you at your harem numbers? Heard Sojobo is beating you," Daija laughed.
"Meh. He takes mortals as his mistresses. Not many female eligible yōkai or goddesses. Women. They either have huge emotional baggage, serve a god or they try to devour me. Heard that Yamata-no-Orochi's daughter is available and you, my friend…," Okuininushi nudged Daija in amusement, "have been hanging around that chick for a long time."
"She might devour me…" Daija tried to brush him off.
Okuninushi narrowed his serpentine eyes. He knew everything about the serpent yōkai from Kakuriyo, which volunteered information from its woven filaments within the realm.
"She has an Arahabaki problem. Ara and I are old serpent gods, like what you were before you went yōkai," Okuninushi mused.
"Yeah, yeah, stop being modest. You are still considered the god of serpents and water. Plus the ruler of Kakuriyo."
"Hey man, Arahabaki is still stronger than me. He was the one who stepped away when asked to be a god of serpents. I only got lucky because Susanoo is related to me…" he trailed off and bit his lips. "Damn it, you don't know the pain of avoiding Susanoo like plague."
Daija snickered. Okuninushi had several godly wives, from his charming personality and good looks. Before Benzaiten came along to Japan as a goddess of love, Okuninushi was filling the land with his love and lusty conquests.
Seducing any mortal, yōkai or even a goddess is his divine talent. Even good luck is seduced by him.
"His temper can't be as bad as Arahabaki's," Daija pointed out.
"Let me put it this way. If Susanoo was anything like Arahabaki, I won't stand here talking to you. I will join Yamata-no-Orochi and both of us would be lamenting for however long we stay sealed. Still, Susanoo is a father… of… my… *Cough*… spouse."
"Which one?" Daija pursed his lips, struggling to hold his laughter in.
So much so that Susanoo's daughter even betrayed her divine father by protecting Okuninushi. Susanoo's three tests of trying to torture him via consecrated their own serpent kind in service, centipede yōkai and sacred fire, imbued Okuninushi as the god of luck too.
Not to mention, his womanising ways did not sit well with Susanoo, who called him a cad. Yet he had mistreated none of his partners.
"Don't want to discuss my *Cough* personal matters, but I am curious about Arahabaki. It has been centuries since I have met him."
One may guffaw at the ruler of Kakuriyo for having field mice and rabbits as his divine messengers. Okuninushi, despite his serpent god status, was also cunning. No one dared touch his personal divine messengers who looked meek to the majestic deers of Takemikazuchi, or smart like the foxes of Inari.
"You are still richer than Arahabaki with your hands in believers who are rice farmers and sake business brewers. More powerful. Even Sojobo comes to you," Daija pointed it out bluntly.
"It's because when you are the son-in-law of a noble god of Takamagahara, you get dumped with all the roles and powers that come with it. God of Kakuriyo, god of Izumo, god of serpents, god of water, sometimes Raijin's replacement when he is firing off lightning elsewhere, guardian god of Japan, god of luck, god of business, god… look… Susanoo is trying to kill me with duties," Okuninushi grumbled.
"God of Love has to be the hardest. Humans and their love matches. Benzaiten can deal with most of that now. Do you know how obsessed humans get over someone who doesn't even give two fucks about them? Why like someone who doesn't even want to like you?" Okuninushi shook his head as he looked around the town area near the Daiyōkai headquarters. "Like why reconstruct Heian city when those humans were trying to kill yōkai? They have forgotten the onmyoji who hunted them as a pastime."
Okuninushi covered his mouth in shock. He had forgotten about Daija's own past with the human pet. Glancing at a seemingly crestfallen Daija, he placed his hand on Daija's human form. "Don't mind me. I shoot my mouth too often."
"Maybe I should tell the yōkai to reconstruct Kiyomizu temple and that Jishu shrine for you," Daija had a mischievous grin.
The more shrines a god had, the busier he got.
Even in Kyoto's Kiyomizu temple, humans were still visiting Jishu shrine for their love matches and marriages during the COVID-19 pandemic, even against government restrictions. Marriages were hit hard as job losses increased.
The humans were still enacting the old tradition of walking between the pair of posts blindfolded, much to the annoyance of Okuninushi. Nothing like a bunch of giggling teenagers blocking the entire path for his older believers.
Some of them were silent carriers of the damn virus. As a god, he was powerless over how the other gods under the Deity of Calamity worked against him and the other gods in the mortal realm.
Social distancing calls by the local authorities had not worked. Neither did the stay-at-home requests.
"Yōkai matchmaking is a pain. If you do that, I will go up to Takamagahara and tie a red string between you and Yamata-no-Orochi's daughter. Although Arahabaki may snip it off…," Okuninushi paused.
"Why are so keen on both her and I?" Daija asked in curiosity. "We may be happy to act like siblings. And she isn't exactly a yōkai in the business of benevolence. Her whole company is full of yōkai assassins."
"If humans lose their belief in the yōkai, Kakuriyo will fade slowly with each believer gone. Like the gods, who are dependent on believers," Okuninushi waved his hand and grabbed at the passing wisp.
Opening his hand, he showed Daija the fine magical thread-like substance that kept Kakuriyo together and said, "Every single part of Kakuriyo, even that human faux monstrosity is weaved out of belief and human emotions towards the yōkai. Some of them are in popular anime, so we have foreign threads woven in by foreign humans. I have been watching Kakuriyo for several centuries. Where there are holes, it is refilled accordingly as the yōkai venture out."
"Besides, most humans love a good story." Okuninushi winked. "Now just think of the publicity, make a few individuals witness what goes on…"
"Don't use both of us as your support pillar… and you know my legend."
Okuninushi patted Daija on the back. "Au contraire, those villagers who enact your legend in Onuma… they are not getting younger and that area isn't exactly repopulating. Arahabaki is fine. He has a presence in Tokyo and Sendai, where the populations show stable growth, especially with believers. You have not a presence anywhere else, my friend. I am thinking of supporting you."
Then Okuninushi added, "and that bastard Arahabaki is actually richer than me."