The Healer in a Japanese-Style Game World: Mastering Healing to Save My Favorite Character in a Brutal World, Only to Find Everyone Around Me Becoming Obsessed - Chapter 22: A Conversation with the Moon God

Chapter 22: A Conversation with the Moon God

“I can’t afford to meet Oboro, so let’s finish our business quickly.”

The girl who called herself Tsukuyomi had a resemblance to Kagura. 

Even someone like me, who isn’t well-versed in mythology, knew about this god. There’s no way anyone would dare impersonate such a famous and high-ranking deity, so I should believe her.

“Tsukuyomi-sama, what do you want from me?”

“Well, to be blunt, I want you to save my friend Oboro.”

“Save her? But she seems to be in her right mind now.”

Seeing her behavior earlier, she seemed much more stable than when we first met.

At least, she wasn’t attacking and was able to have a proper conversation. Besides, with that slightly absent-minded demeanor, it didn’t seem like she was hiding anything…

“True, Oboro herself is stable now, but that’s not enough.”

“Can you explain in more detail?”

“The miasma you purified was only what had accumulated within Oboro herself. As long as her soul remains tainted, miasma will continue to gather.”

“Tsukuyomi-sama, where is this taint? If I can purify it…”

I spoke without thinking.

Having come to understand Oboro-sama’s feelings, I didn’t want to see her suffer. That’s why I asked, hoping to help her.

“Yes, if you can purify it… it might work. But how do you plan to cleanse a soul?”

“Well… you’re right.”

“Wanting to save others immediately is a virtue, but you should think it through a bit more. However, it’s probably because of that nature that you chose to save Oboro at that moment, unlike me…”

She smiled slightly, almost self-mockingly, and continued to speak.

“Oboro, who has consumed my impurities, is already at her limit. She endured for thousands of years, bearing the taint that even corrupted me, but recently, she has started to lose control.”

She then explained her situation. 

By binding her within the vessel of a god, they managed to suppress her rampage using human faith as fuel. However, in recent years, the overflowing miasma has surpassed the faith, causing her to become uncontrollable.

“If left unchecked, Oboro will turn into the worst kind of demon. As my divine subordinate who gained my powers along with the taint, if she falls into malevolence, the damage she’d cause to this world will be immeasurable.”

I knew the fate that awaited Oboro from what she described. 

In the original timeline, she appeared suddenly as a disaster, causing numerous casualties, and the protagonist—the players—had to confront her. If what Tsukuyomi-sama said was true, her rampage was due to reaching her limit.

Despite being a god, Tsukuyomi-sama bowed her head and continued with a serious tone.

“I don’t have much time left. You are the only one I can rely on to save Oboro. I will give you the technique to purify her soul and reward you handsomely. So please, will you save my closest divine friend? I understand you have no obligation… but I beg you.”

Her initial confident demeanor had completely disappeared, and she weakly pleaded. This request carried an enormous responsibility. One wrong step could create a threat to all of Hinomoto. Moreover, as she mentioned, I had no obligation to bear this burden.

“…Tsukuyomi-sama, please raise your head. We’re already in this together… Besides, having saved her once, I want to see Oboro-sama smile. Even though we’ve only known each other briefly, she’s a good deity, isn’t she? If I didn’t help her, I’d feel guilty towards my own god.”

But there’s no reason not to help her.

As I said, I want to help her. I’ve seen her memories, and I want to see these two smile. Both Tsukuyomi-sama, who cares for her, and Oboro-sama, who risked her life to save her.

“So leave it to me. I’m specialized in support, and I’m good at it.”

“Are you sure? I’m asking something incredibly difficult.”

“I said it’s fine… but I have a condition.”

“Anything you ask, as long as it’s within my power.”

“Alright, then—let’s go see Oboro-sama, okay? From what you said earlier, it seems like you haven’t seen her in a long time, right?”

My goal is a happy ending where everyone smiles.

It might seem presumptuous for someone like me, but I want both of them to be rewarded. However, it wouldn’t be right for me to help Oboro-sama on my own. Besides, Kagura might get mad at me if I did that…

“…But, I have no face to show her.”

“No, that’s not acceptable. You said you’d do anything, right? Then you have to meet her.”

“Y-You… how disrespectful, bringing up something I’ve been agonizing over!”

“Then I won’t accept the request, Tsukuyomi-sama. Meeting Oboro-sama is my condition, and I don’t need any other reward.”

I wouldn’t budge on this.

No matter what, if they don’t meet, I won’t help. I may not be confident of success, but once I’ve decided to help, I’ll do whatever it takes.

“Sigh… I must have really chosen a troublesome fool. Fine… I’ll meet Oboro.”

“Alright, request accepted—let’s go see her immediately.”

“Wait you fool, don’t you understand the concept of mental preparation? Even gods have feelings, you know!”

At first, she called me “human” or “you,” but now she was so flustered that she started calling me “you fool.” I’m not sure if it meant she trusted me more, but it felt like we had gotten a bit closer.

“We don’t have time. Oboro-sama is probably waiting with tea, and she might be looking for me.”

“Ah… that’s unlikely. She’s a sheltered girl who’s never even made tea. She’s probably trying to boil water with foxfire and causing a fire right now.”

“Isn’t that even worse!?”

“…Hmm?”

At her words, I noticed a faint burning smell from a distance. 

Realizing what might be happening, I grabbed Tsukuyomi-sama’s hand and hurried toward the main shrine.