**PLEASE DO NOT USE MY TRANSLATIONS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION**

Direct questions & comments to me sweetremiks@tumblr!

Thanks as always to Jordon (pseudosuicide@tumblr) for her editing job, though I think she did it
for Takeru this time.♪

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KAMIGAMI NO ASOBI – Takeru Chapter 3

TITLE: “Treasure of the Azure Sea”

BACKGROUND: CLASSROOM

Summer vacation ended, and the season changed to winter. Since it suddenly got cold after
summer, I still hadn’t gotten used to the change in temperature, but… It probably wasn’t just the
temperature that was making me feel the worst of this coldness.

APOLLON: Fairy-san, your face is clouded over. I feel miserable when I look at you.

BALDER: Perhaps you’re worrying about Takeru-san again? Lately, I haven’t even seen him around
the dorm…

APOLLON: Yeah, I haven’t seen him either. I wonder if he’s been putting off meals too. I hope he
comes back soon.

YUI: Right… I’ll go check on him later.

Just as they said, Takeru had gone back to avoiding everyone now that he was suspended. He
wasn’t even talking to me. It seemed he still felt guilty about injuring me. He’d put up walls around
him, but even so, it wasn’t as if everyone was keeping their distance from him. They were really
worried about him. I wished strongly for everyone to help bring Takeru back to school soon.

BACKGROUND: DINING HALL

Thinking that I might see Takeru if I waited around the dining hall, I got there early and stood
watch. The dining hours were about to end, and the number of students inside was slowly
decreasing. Takeru would probably be aiming for a time when there were fewer students, so if he
was going to show up, it would be now. I continued to wait for Takeru, and when almost all the
students had finally left…

YUI: Takeru-san!

When Takeru saw me as he entered the dining hall, his expression clouded.

TAKERU: …What do you want?

YUI: I wanted to talk to you a little…

TAKERU: …

Without giving me an answer, Takeru took his tray and carried it over to a seat. Taking this as a
positive sign, I sat down next to him. Takeru wordlessly began to eat his zarusoba 1.

YUI: Is the soba good?

TAKERU: …It’s whatever.

His eyebrows twitched in response, but his expression remained unchanged. He still had the same
old sour face. However, I noticed his earlobes were slightly red. That stubborn attitude was hiding
some kind of embarrassment. Knowing that he wasn’t really rejecting me made me feel relieved.

YUI: Um, then… You can keep eating, but please listen.

TAKERU: …

Takeru wordlessly slurped up the soba.

YUI: I’ll just get to the point. I want you to come back to school, Takeru-san.

YUI: I can’t accept your suspension. I think it’s weird that you saved me but you’re the only one
getting punished.

YUI: But, if you stay silent like this, it won’t solve anything.

YUI: So…

I searched around for the right words to say to Takeru.

I said…

CHOICE

>You did nothing wrong, but you should apologize

>Let’s try to persuade Zeus
>Let’s look for a way to get you back to school

CHOOSE: You did nothing wrong, but you should apologize

YUI: I don’t think it’s your fault, but I think you should apologize and ask for…

Takeru slapped his chopsticks down on the table.

TAKERU: I can’t do it if it’s insincere. Besides, there’s no point in the punishment if I can get out
that easily.

I was interrupted before I could even finish.

YUI: Right…
1
T/N: Cold soba with shredded nori (dried seaweed) on top. Usually dipped in a sauce served on the side.
CHOOSE: Let’s try to persuade Zeus

YUI: Let’s persuade Zeus to let you go. If we really try to make him understand, he might.

TAKERU: …That’s useless. That’s why I said you’re naïve.

CHOOSE: Let’s look for a way to get you back to school

YUI: Let’s look for a way to get you back to school together. There must be something…!

TAKERU: Must be…? Even if I struggle, it’s not gonna pass by those stubborn guys.

TAKERU: That’s just who they are, those upper gods. They don’t listen to our opinions.

He looked away, his eyes gloomy. It looked like he’d already given up.

YUI: But, Takeru-san… you do still want to come back to school, right?

Staring at his profile as he set down his chopsticks, I asked him this. Takeru looked dejected as he
gave me a small nod.

YUI: Then…!

TAKERU: But I can’t.

YUI: !

(choices converge here)

TAKERU: …Just… leave me alone already…

Takeru stood up to put away his utensils. I couldn’t chase after him.

Takeru himself was aware that he couldn’t go on like this, but I had no idea what to do about it. As
long as he didn’t express his desire to come to school, it would be difficult to bring him back. The
only things I could do were believe in him and continue talking to him.

BACKGROUND: CLOUDS

I spent many days trying to urge Takeru along, but it didn’t come to any results… We were just
wasting time. How many days have passed since Takeru got suspended?

BACKGROUND: CLASSROOM

I spent my extracurricular hours studying alone. The kendo club had been cancelled, and I couldn’t
do anything else. When I heard the noisy voices of the students doing their club activities outside,
my chest throbbed with pain.

I wonder what Takeru is doing right now. I haven’t even seen his face lately. But he was all that
filled my head and the only thing I could think about. I wonder what he’s thinking about, all
alone…
When extracurricular hours ended, I left the classroom.

YUI: Ah, you’re going home now too, Tsukito-san?

I saw Tsukito walking in front of me and jogged to catch up with him.

TSUKITO: Yes. I am returning to the dormitory.

YUI: Me too. Shall we go together?

BACKGROUND: DORM HALLWAY

I made some small talk with Tsukito as we returned to the dorm.

YUI: Um, Tsukito-san…

I’d been dying to ask something the entire time we were walking, and I finally opened my mouth.

YUI: How is Takeru-san doing? I haven’t seen him around here or the dining hall lately…

TSUKITO: Totsuka Takeru? It seems he occasionally goes to the beach.

YUI: The beach? But it’s winter.

TSUKITO: I do not think the seasons are particularly related to this.

Tsukito answered with an extremely serious expression on his face.

YUI: Then what is he doing at the beach?

He probably wasn’t swimming in this season…

TSUKITO: His emotions may be in disorder. It appears he calms down when he sees the ocean.

TSUKITO: Because Totsuka Takeru is the god of the sea.

God of the sea… that’s right. I hadn’t forgotten, but I wasn’t really aware of it when I spent time
with him. I thought I’d gotten closer to him, but in reality, I didn’t understand him that well. At this
rate, the distance between us would never close.

YUI: Tsukito-san! I have a request.

YUI: The next time Takeru-san leaves for the beach, can you let me know?

YUI: I really need to talk to him alone.

YUI: But he’s restless here at school, and he always runs away…

YUI: I want to face him head-on!

TSUKITO: I understand. I promise to tell you when the time comes.

TSUKITO: I believe this will also make Totsuka Takeru happy.

YUI: Thank you very much!

I needed to grasp the situation and move forward. That was what Takeru had taught me. I
shouldn’t just think; I needed to act. I wanted Takeru to feel that way again too.

BACKGROUND: CLASSROOM

Though I didn’t have morning training anymore, it’d become a habit for me to come to class early.
As the other students made it to school, the classroom slowly grew livelier.

TSUKITO: Good morning. This about your request yesterday, but Totsuka Takeru went to see the
ocean this morning.

Before even going to his own seat, Tsukito walked up next to me and gave his report.

YUI: Got it!! Tsukito-san, thank you so much.

I bowed my head to Tsukito in gratitude. I didn’t think I’d have a chance so soon.

But if he went to the beach this early, what was he doing there? All alone by the cold winter sea…
That sounded really lonely. Why was Takeru the only one who had to feel lonely like this? Did he
really have to lose the place he belongs? Unable to sit still, I stood up from my seat and flew out of
the classroom.

BACKGROUND: HALLWAY

THOTH: Hey, where do you think you’re going? Class is starting.

YUI: Lord Thoth, I’m sorry. I’m leaving early today!!

I ran into Thoth on the way, but I just bowed my head and passed him.

Thoth had looked really astonished. I’ll probably be scolded after this. But even as I thought that, I
had to go now… I didn’t want to leave Takeru alone. Those feelings were stronger right now.

BACKGROUND: BEACH

The sound of crashing waves reached my ears. The ocean stretching out underneath the clear,
sunny sky caught the sunlight and glittered. I walked along the beach, gazing out at the beautiful,
refreshing scenery.

After walking for a while, I found Takeru squatting on the sand. I thought he might have been
exercising, but it didn’t look like that was the case. What is he doing, then? He looked really
focused, and he didn’t even notice me here.

TAKERU: …So pretty.

Huh…? Hearing his fascinated tone of voice, I was surprised, and I stopped walking. Takeru had
picked up a tiny seashell and was holding it up in front of the sun, smiling. It was the first time I’d
seen him smile so nicely. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
TAKERU: So you floated on the sea and got washed up here too…

TAKERU: You’ve just been wandering around with no place to go, haven’t you? Its okay, you’re
with me now…

Takeru was talking to himself with a very gentle voice. It seemed like he was projecting himself
onto the shell. He gently wiped the sand off of it and carefully washed it in the sea water.

TAKERU: Maybe it was fate that we met like this.

He took the shell out and dried it on his clothes, then rolled it around in the palm of his hand.

TAKERU: …I can talk so easily when it’s with you guys.

TAKERU: It doesn’t go so well when it’s a human or a god.

He began to look around the beach again, almost as if he was looking for fragments of himself. I
knew he was just saying all these things to himself.

Seeing him look so lonely, I…

CHOICE

>Call out to him

>Watch over him a little longer
>Silently approach him

CHOOSE: Call out to him

YUI: Takeru-san…

I called his name gently so I wouldn’t surprise him. But he jumped a little and looked over at me.

TAKERU: Kusanagi…? Why are you here…?

Takeru opened his eyes wide, and he blinked, just once. He looked a little bewildered.

YUI: I heard from Tsukito-san that you were here.

YUI: And… I ended up coming.

TAKERU: You seriously… You do some seriously surprising things.

He lowered his eyebrows and smiled a little.

CHOOSE: Watch over him a little longer

I wanted to watch over him a little longer. This was the first time I’d seen him like this. It was a rare
sight. I stared at him for a while, and he suddenly glanced in my direction.

TAKERU: How long… have you been there?

He was looking at me, surprised.

CHOOSE: Silently approach him

I silently approached Takeru.

TAKERU: ?!

When I was right next to him, Takeru looked up with a start.

TAKERU: Wh… What the hell are you doing?! Don’t surprise me like that!

YUI: Sorry. I didn’t intend to surprise you…

(choices converge here)

I went over to his side and squatted next to him.

YUI: Are you gathering seashells?

TAKERU: I-I’m… not really…

He came to his senses and tried to hide the shell in a panic.

YUI: Ah, wait.

Takeru heard me and stopped moving.

YUI: …That’s such a pretty shell. It’s so white, almost transparent.

That shell sparkled more than any shell I’d ever seen.

YUI: I feel calmer just looking at it.

I probably hadn’t looked at a shell this seriously before, but it was breathtakingly beautiful.

YUI: I think I understand why you would want to gather these, Takeru-san.

TAKERU: …! Y-Yeah, I guess. I mean, you can’t find a shell like this anywhere.

Takeru was feigning calmness, but he wasn’t completely hiding his happiness. I stared at him,
charmed, and then dropped my gaze to the sand.

YUI: Ah, this shell is wonderful too.

I picked up a light pink shell and showed it to Takeru.

YUI: I wonder if this beach is just full of pretty shells.

TAKERU: No, you won’t find the really nice ones unless you look. There’s a chip in the side of that
one.

YUI: Ah, you’re right.

I only noticed it when he pointed it out. Takeru took even those little details into consideration.

TAKERU: If you look all around the coastline, you can find some new shells that were just washed
up.

While speaking seriously, Takeru scooped up some sand and let it fall softly through his fingers.
When the sand was gone, a small seashell was left on his palm.

TAKERU: This one’s not great. The color’s faded. Let’s send it back to the ocean.

He submerged the shell in the approaching tide. In the blink of an eye, the shell was swept away
by a wave and disappeared.

YUI: This is the first time I’ve looked for seashells like this. There are all kinds of them.

There were flat ones, spiraled ones, jagged ones. I was starting to see the differences between
each one, which made it more fun to look at them. I stuck my hands in the sand and looked for
shells. Takeru was doing the same next to me.

YUI: Wah, look at this one, Takeru-san. It has a pretty spiral.

TAKERU: Ohh, this one’s perfect. Every one you’ve picked up so far has been pretty good… that’s
impressive.

Takeru praised me, a rare look of interest on his face. It made me feel a little ticklish inside.

YUI: Then, I’ll give this one to you, Takeru-san.

TAKERU: I-I don’t want it. You found it, so it’s yours.

Takeru was politely holding back, looking a little bewildered. But I took the shell and made to place
it in his hand.

TAKERU: …!

YUI: …!

When our hands touched, a strange nervousness welled up between us.

………

Neither of us could take our hand away. We didn’t know what to do. But that warmth felt so nice, I
wanted to stay like this. I sensed that Takeru felt the same way. I stared at our fingers and tried to
find something to say.

YUI: …I want to you have this, Takeru-san. In commemoration… of my first good seashell…

My pulse quickened and my voice wavered, but I somehow made it through the sentence.

TAKERU: …I-If that’s the case, then I’ll take it.

Taking the shell, he squeezed my hand once and quietly took his away.

TAKERU: …But I don’t like owing you something. Wait a sec.

He turned his face away to hide his blush and began to dig through the sand. He took a bunch of
shells out and put them back, as if he was trying to find a really pretty one.

TAKERU: …Not this one. What about this?

He put a reasonably pretty one back into the sand. It seemed he didn’t want to just settle. Seeing
him look so serious made me break into a smile. Listening to the sound of the rippling waves, I
waited until Takeru found a shell he was satisfied with. It was a really happy moment.

Finally…

TAKERU: Oh, here it is! Look, Kusanagi!

The shell resting on his palm looked just like the one I’d found.

YUI: This is different from the last one, right?

TAKERU: Yeah. If you compare them, you’ll see.

He took out the shell I’d given him and put it in his other hand.

YUI: They’re like twins…

TAKERU: Right? I’ll give you the one I found.

He held out the hand with the shell he found.

YUI: I can really have it?

TAKERU: It’s a trade! Any complaints?

YUI: Complaints?! Of course not.

TAKERU: Then here, take it already. I said I’d give it to you.

Takeru gestured for me to take it, and I peeked at his hand for a moment before picking the shell
up with my fingers.

YUI: It’s really pretty… Thank you, Takeru-san. I’ll take good care of it!

It was like we had matching shells now, and it was a warm, ticklish feeling.

TAKERU: O-Of course. Don’t lose it.

YUI: Okay.

Takeru averted his eyes in embarrassment and began to dig through the sand again. Looking at
him searching for shells again, I…
CHOICE

>Ask why he collects shells

>Express surprise at his unusual hobby
>Search for shells together

CHOOSE: Ask why he collects shells

YUI: Why do you collect shells, Takeru-san?

I thought it was a curious hobby, so I tried asking him about it.

TAKERU: There’s not really a meaning behind it. I collect them because I want to.

CHOOSE: Express surprise at his unusual hobby

YUI: Even so, I’m surprised you collect shells.

TAKERU: Sorry for being unusual. I already know I’m weird.

YUI: No, that’s not what I meant. I think it’s amazing.

Takeru scratched his nose as if hiding embarrassment.

CHOOSE: Search for shells together

Tucking the shell he gave me safely away, I began to search for shells with him again.

YUI: Searching for shells like this is really meditative.

When I said that, I noticed something. Could Takeru be…?

TAKERU: Yeah… When I do this, I can forget everything. The annoying stuff, the bad stuff,
everything.

TAKERU: And these guys have a history behind them.

TAKERU: Thinking about how they lived as shellfish… it’s kinda fun.

(choices converge here)

YUI: ……

TAKERU: ……

We were silent for a while. It wasn’t an awkward silence, but a really gentle atmosphere where we
could be together without having to talk.

YUI: Lately… I’ve been feeling empty, like there’s a hole in my chest.

As I brushed my hand across the sand, I naturally let this out.

YUI: I’ve been continuing school like normal even though Takeru-san hasn’t been there… I go to
class every day, and just go home.

YUI: There’s nothing else I can do after the kendo club got shut down. Every day, I’ve been feeling
really unmotivated.

TAKERU: …

Takeru hung his head as he listened to me.

YUI: …I want you to come back, Takeru-san.

TAKERU: I…

He bit his lip as if frustrated and brought his eyebrows together in a frown.

TAKERU: I… really want to come back. I want to do our club activities.

TAKERU: …But, I can’t…

He was stubbornly trying to oppose himself.

YUI: You say you can’t, but… why? Is there a reason?

TAKERU: I……

I waited patiently until Takeru continued. He shut his eyes, and when he’d finally decided, he
slowly opened them again.

TAKERU: I should tell you about this. …About my past.

TAKERU: Will you listen?

YUI: Yes.

TAKERU: In an accident, I… killed a goddess from Takamagahara.

YUI: Killed… a goddess?

My breath hitched when I heard the truth. Between gods, to “kill” was not something to be taken
lightly.

TAKERU: It’s just like when I hurt you. I always end up repeating the same mistakes.

YUI: But… if it was an accident, it wasn’t entirely your fault…

When I got injured, Takeru was trying to save me. He didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t know the
circumstances, but the case with the goddess might have similar.

TAKERU: Even if it was an accident, it doesn’t change the fact that I killed someone.

TAKERU: You can’t take back something you already did, or bring back something that’s gone…
TAKERU: There was deep despair there, in the crime I committed.

Being responsible for someone’s death. I’d never considered that kind of thing before.

TAKERU: Ever since then, no matter what I did, I was rejected by those guys in Takamagahara.

TAKERU: I was the untouchable thug. Just existing, I was a bother to everyone.

TAKERU: Of course I couldn’t do anything about that. But no matter how I tried to make up for it,
they never responded to me.

TAKERU: No matter how much I tried to change, they didn’t accept me.

TAKERU: It was like everyone was pushing me out, and I just got more and more isolated.

A thug… I suddenly remembered when Takeru ran rampant that time we went to check out the
club activities. I think Loki had called him a “thug” that time. That had made Takeru lose all self-
control. So this was why he reacted that way…

TAKERU: A guy who makes a mistake once will do it over and over again.

TAKERU: That’s how they think. They won’t look at me at differently, no matter what I do.

TAKERU: Zeus is the same way. He probably thinks I’m a danger to the rest of the school.

Takeru was projecting the gods of Takamagahara onto Zeus.

TAKERU: But maybe he’s right…

TAKERU: Just like they said, I did the same thing to you.

Because of what happened in the past, he wouldn’t believe anything. Me… or even himself. Could I
help him? I didn’t completely understand his sorrow and despair. But, I definitely wanted to save
him somehow.

Two conclusions came before me. To change how Takeru was thinking, or think of another
strategy.

The one I chose was…

THREAD OF FATE

>Change his thinking

>Think of another way

CHOOSE: Change his thinking

NEW CHAPTER: Takeru Love Ending – “Mistakes of the Past”

CHOOSE: Think of another way

NEW CHAPTER: Takeru Fate Ending – “Prayers and the Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi”