Extra 7: Around that time……..2

Around that time……..2

Tlnote: this will have a lot of TLnotes because it involves gods, since I am sure many are like me who cannot name any of Amaterasu children. I will be providing a lot of information of such lore by Tlnotes

Being the god of the sun is hard work.

Unlike Tsukiyomi, I, who controls the sun have many responsibilities; it is quite troublesome.

It is not like if you are missing for several days, it won’t affect the world. No, there is no rest day for this job, I have to constantly do it.

Also, it is not like I am respected or rewarded for doing this job, my believers do not give me many offerings in this country.

Although Tsukiyomi has made my job many times easier by occasionally taking over a part of it and doing all the paperwork, there is still so much to do……

With a heavy heart, I open the door to the office.

Bickering…..bickering…..

Ok, see you soon…

It is fine to argue sometimes if it can advance a topic or problem then I can endure it.

However, right now, all this pointless quarreling was just loud noises, nothing but loud noises. It did not help in the slightest or advance our solution to the problem.

The reason for all these problems is because my busy-body, lecturer, serious brother of mine, Tsukiyomi has gone into hiding.

It is not the same as when I went into hiding in Ama-no-Iwato*. Due to him being absent, the administrative processing abilities have decreased by 50% and all the gods are now suffering from being overworked, many have also collapsed. The projects he was previously handling have made negligible progress. It was so steady and stable before…..why did this happen, you ask?

*Tlnote: Ama-no-Iwato is speaking of the time where Susanoo destroyed a lot of Amaterasu’s creations and killed one of her attendants. She hid herself in the Ama-no-Iwato as a way of getting back at him, it concealed the sun and almost wiped out all of the heavens and earth. Susanoo groveled at her feet when she had come out. Also as atonement, he gave her the Kusanagi blade.

My brother did not hide for the same reason I did but it was because he had used too much of his power when he tried to interfere with another world. It exhausted his power so much that he was unable to maintain his form even in this land. He had retreated to our mother’s side to recover.

I have confirmed this with my mother* therefore, I have no doubt about this matter. The realm in which he is recovering is close to his element and should accelerate his recovery. It is the ideal resting place for most gods but I do not have the opportunity to go there often.

*tlnote: Amaterasu mother is Izanami-no-mikoto….the thing you fight in persona 4

…..I remember before in Takama-ga-hara*, my other little brother was always making noise in an attempt to get our mother’s attention. He had a huge obsession with our mother and once made this stupid outburst towards Tsukiyomi. Now Tsukiyomi is the one helping our mother the most with him just lazing off.

Tlnote: Takama-ga-hara is the realm of the gods in Shinto lore. Her other brother is Susanoo-no-Mikoto and his wife is Kushinada-hime

Marriage really does change a person’s personality.

“Amaterasu-sama, here is your schedule for the day.”(Uzume)

One of the Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto is accompanying me to help me manage my schedule. She told me with a very serious face about my schedule. It is not like I can say no to it.

“It would be great if you could just squash into one meeting, so I can quickly get to the paperwork.”(Amaterasu)

I ask her to squash all the meetings together. Every time it is meet this god or visit this god. I am quite drained. Moreover, I do not have time to myself anymore, it’s true you don’t know what you have until it’s gone…… My brother was so useful.

“……..”(Uzume)

Did she get angry? Her beauty will go to waste if she is like that, even in this realm her beauty is unrivaled. Well, it is too busy to go out and have a date anyway.

“You will be meeting with 34 sea gods and goddess, then you will be organizing the document.”(Uzume)

3…34 gods?! Impossible…really it is physically impossible! I do not have enough time…..You would really have to stop time for that to happen!

“……Worst case scenario, I will be calling Tokihakashi*-sama.”(Uzume)

Tlnote: Tokihakashi no kami is actually not a worshipped god in Shinto lore, he is one of the twelve objects Izanagi-no-okami discarded after leaving Yomi-the land of dead. That object became the god of time.

“You must be joking.”(Amaterasu)

“I am serious as Izanagi-sama is with Izanami-sama.”(Uzume)

“Uzume, not all those gods came from different god realms! Group together the gods that reside in the same realm, that will shorten time as we don’t have to meet each god individually and can just meet them as a group. Please do that instead?”(Amaterasu)

“Yes…it would shorten the total time….”(Uzume)

Uzu, stopping time is taxing, even for one of the 12 origin gods… and stopping time because work will pile up… that is just disgraceful.

“Please do so, I don’t believe I can take much more of this.”(Amaterasu)

“Yes, then we shall begin with the Greek.”(Uzume)

“Greek!”(Amaterasu)

“Yes, Greek.”(Uzume)

Greek gods, they have many gods in that realm and they all have very… unique personalities. But I do not like them… they are too erotic, far more erotic than human beings are. Though, I do not think they will increase their numbers anymore.

Ughh, it cannot be helped. It is bad to refuse people who will arrive with pre-notice using the official procedure for visiting.

“Uwahhh! You look very busy.”

A very high-pitched voice came into my ear as I resolved myself. Recently I found them having a bad habit of not showing up for work.

Now that you people have come… I will never let you go… we shall become victims together…hehehe.

Pitiful Munakata-san-joshin.*

TL note: they are 3 female gods created when Susanoo challenged Amaterasu, they were created from the sword of kusangi and are technically children between Susanoo and Amaterasu. Amaterasu created them so she is their mother. Ichikishimahime, Tagitsuhime, and Tagorihime are their names. Below, Amaterasu likes to call one of them by her other name instead of ichikishimahime, using sayori instead. They seem to be nieces in this context though. They can be considered niece since they were created from the sword of kusangi, Susanoo sword.

These 3 are my niece…..all of which really liked to get on my nerves.

Sayorihime, Tagitsuhime, and Tagorihime.

When my little brother, Tsukiyomi, was here, these girls were so diligent… but now they just goof off. Well, they are still deities here, also I believe that Tsukiyomi was preventing them from making any problems and taking care of a lot of the problems in general.

“You 3 came at a good time, I am meeting the Greek god of the sea now, you guys should join me.”(Amaterasu)

I want to reduce my burden even by a little. Thankfully, despite them not being sea gods, being related to the sea is good enough in these circumstances. Yeah, I am not forcing them to join……it is fine.

Though, thinking of our status, they cannot sit beside me…………

“What!……just kidding, aunt. We will help you. We must properly pay our respects as the most worshiped deities in Japan.”(Tagiri)*

Tlnote: The things they represent are protecting the nation, gods of good fishing harvest, the imperial household, safe voyages of the sea. Japan’s main export is fish so many people pray to them for safe business and travels.

Tagiri, I cannot let that statement fly by.

“Oh yes, aunt has been unable to take care of the work Tsukiyomi-sama has always done, thus needs our help right?”(Sayori)

Sayori, why did you respectfully say Tsukiyomi-sama and not uncle like you are calling me aunt. Why does my little brother have a greater status than me?

“Please let us help you, us being the parents of Hachiman*, will give us adequate status and power to stand equal with the Greek……We will be sitting in the representative seats right?”(Tagitsu)

Tlnote: Hachiman is the god of war but is also the god of agriculture and also another god you pray for bountiful fish

Ta-gi-tsu!

“Who do you think you are speaking to, I am the representative! Why are you guys acting almighty when I created you guys from my brother’s sword?!”(Amaterasu)

Why are they acting so high and mighty?

I know they may have more believers than me because of the number of fishing companies. But I know that I will always be the in the hearts of the Japanese people at the number 1 spot! I am sure of it!

The Ise* Shrine is always bustling in the year and Izumo* is the number 1 sightseeing spot in Japan…….

Tlnote: Ise grand Shrine is the second oldest Shrine in Japan and one of the largest shrines dedicated to Amaterasu and Izumo Shrine is the largest and oldest shrine in Japan. Izumo Shrine was her shrine until she gave to Ōkuninushi for his act of giving Japan to her grandson.

You guys are popular because the effects of the era of samurai are still relevant today…the numbers will reverse themselves later on. So what if you guys have twice as many believers as me, do not underestimate the God of the Sun.

Those stupid samurais and generals, I hate them for spreading Hachiman over the country.

“How unsightly of you aunt, to cling on to past fame!”(Tagiri)

You little monsters sure know how to get on my nerves……you want a fight? I will give you a fight!

I am done, my patience has passed its limit, I have dealt with this crap for too long!

I will show you the power of the Sun God Amaterasu, I will cause the heavens and earth to descend into war!!!

“Amaterasu-sama, please control yourself! Please stop provoking her, you three, we are at her limit already!”(Uzume)

“Ehh—-“(Sayori/Tagiri/Tagitsu)

“……”(Amaterasu)

“Amaterasu-sama, please stop, you almost summoned the beast in this room and destroyed the heavens.”(Uzume)

Ridiculous, I was not going to destroy the heavens, I was just going to cause a war that will drag the earth and heavens into it.

“Please give us your help, it will be greatly appreciated. We will go to the other room for our work, Amaterasu-sama, please go meet Poseidon-sama.”(Uzume)

You three survived by the skin of your teeth. I head to the room where I will meet the Greek god of the sea.

It is that perverted father’s brother*……I do not have the confidence that he will not lust after me.

Ednote: perverted father is Zeus and he is Poseidon’s brother.

In the worst case scenario, I will sacrifice Uzume to him……yes, that is a good plan.

“I thank you for waiting, Amaterasu-sama has arrived.”(Guard)

“Poseidon-dono, I thank you for visiting this distant realm…..I see that your wife is not with you today. A shame, I was hoping to greet her and talk about old times.” “(Are you here to escape from her and tour this distant place? Just because you cannot win against your wife, you come over here to my realm. You better not cause any trouble here or I will report you to her in an instant.)” (Amaterasu)

Tlnote: Ok, the brackets are the things they really mean when they are saying those polite words to each other, this goes on for awhile so please bear with me

Greeting him with my beautiful voice and shaking the hands of the person who stood up from the seat, I take a long look at him. His figure is that of a robust fisherman. When you come to Takama-ga-hara, please wear some clothes. People here will think you’re more of a pervert than you already are, coming here with no clothes and just a leaf.

“No, it is my fault for coming on such short notice. I have heard that the good boy Tsukiyomi has been injured and bedridden. We are both hard workers of the sea thus I have come to visit him. I did not bring my wife today because I thought that bringing so many people would cause far too much trouble. “ “(Do not be so stiff girl, just let me stay here for awhile. I forgot our anniversary so my wife is angry right now, let me hide here until she calms down. I promise I will not cause any trouble.)”(Poseidon)

His attitude is quite good. Well, this guy is like my brother Tsukiyomi, who is a hard worker and does his job above and beyond his responsibilities. This greek god has been worried about his wife and marriage for a while. I think he should be like Zeus and have more fun though.

“Your feelings are more than enough, but my brother is currently recovering in the land of dreams. Our god of dreams is looking after him with my mother. Please do not worry and enjoy Takama-ga-hara. I will ask Uzume to guide you and take you to sight see this realm.” “(Do not disturb Tsukiyomi, we only have one god of dreams and he is already taxed with helping my brother recover. I will not say anything to your wife so just go and enjoy yourself for now, ok?)”(Amaterasu)

“Although I am very grateful for your proposal, I must see Tsukiyomi-dono. I have to talk to him about an important matter regarding the sea. To not burden your god of dreams, I have brought our god of dreams, Morpheus*. Thus, if it is not too much trouble, will you let me see him?”(Poseidon)

Tlnote: The god of dreams, he appears in Ovid Metamorphoses. His form is that of a winged daemon.

Oh?

……I am shocked, I stop trying to read between the lines.

He is seriously here to see my little brother, of course I know he has some intentions of playing around but he is actually here to see my brother and even brought their god of dreams. Since he is here for a serious visit with my brother, I am unable to refuse him. He is Poseidon after all.

Susanoo said that in the world of dreams, Tsukiyomi is well enough to have people visit him so it should be fine. I can ask for the contents of the conversation from Yume-no-kami*

Tlnote: The Shinto god of dreams, I am actually unsure if his exists or not, I could not find him in any Wikipedia article or google search but since the author puts him and knows far more lore than me I will just leave this tad bit here, if you guys can find an article about please leave it in the comments below.

“……Yes, it should be fine then. Is there any other reason for your visit?”(Amaterasu)

“Oh no, well… it will depend on the visit, but there is one more thing.”(Poseidon)

“Let me hear it please.”(Amaterasu)

Please get to the point, I have many more meetings and paperwork to do.

“I will say this to you, the sea has become more tense and rough.”(Poseidon)

“………Is it a situation of a power struggle between the gods?”(Amaterasu)

If this is the reason then, we will have a huge problem on our hands. We gods have stopped fighting for the world a long time ago.

“It is not a power struggle……do you not know?”(Poseidon)

“……?”(Amaterasu)

“In the past, the management of the seas was done by completing various miscellaneous chores. It was very hard work and I could not handle it all by myself while keeping my wife happy so I let my subordinates handle it for a while. They collapsed quickly, so I kept getting new subordinates to replace them. It was a rinse and repeat operation.”(Poseidon)

What the hell? Take care of your own employees and your marriage. From the looks of it, neither of them are doing well. I am properly doing my work as the god of the sun and my employees are fine.

“Tsukiyomi-dono once came to my workplace and when he saw the management system, he felt despair. He took it upon himself and created a brand new management system which incorporated all the sea gods in the world and named it Marine Sea Management system.”(Poseidon)

When did he do that, I just do not know what my little brother does anymore…….

“Thus, in case of some problem occurring or there is something wrong with the system, Tsukiyomi-dono would come fix it. But now since he bedridden, he is unable to do that. I am able to fix small problems but if it is a problem with the core then I do not believe I will be able to handle it and will have to stop the system.”(Poseidon)

“Yes, of course, that is the correct course of action, it will be too dangerous if the core has a problem.”(Amaterasu)

“Yes, but that would mean I would have to go back to the old way. When I told my subordinates and the other seas gods this, they all threw a tantrum. ‘I do not want the old way.’ ‘I want the new way.’ ‘I like the new way.’ Many of them said they will go on strike if the old way comes back. Thus, I must speak to Tsukiyomi-dono to understand more of the system.”(Poseidon)

…….Those are some subordinates you have there, my girls are better than that. Do you guys have any idea how much we are suffering because he went into recovery……..?

Are all of our problems connected?

Tsukiyomi, our most precious gem. He was too clouded by dust for me to notice him but I cannot believe that not only did he support us, Buddha, but also the world’s sea.

“What do you say, Amaterasu-dono. I have heard that it will take about 100+ years for him to fully recover. But, if you can get his approval, I will support you in his healing as well. This is not only my wish but the consensus of all the sea gods.”(Poseidon)

“Is this the consensus of the entire divine world?”(Amaterasu)

“Incredibly, yes, this is the consensus of the entire divine world. Tsukiyomi-dono has been good to all the realms and does not have a single enemy thus, it was quite easy to get approval. If we do not act, the sea levels will rise, the icebergs will melt much faster and the deep sea relationship with the moon will be endangered.”(Poseidon)

The god of the sea had a very serious expression right now.

Did he obtain the cooperation of the entire divine world?

If he is telling the truth, then my brother should be able to recover more quickly. Iwanaga-hime had also suggested this but I did not believe we would be able to obtain all of the gods’ approval hence I rejected it. Also, the amount of power needed is too much of a burden on any one god so it was too dangerous as well.

Tlnote: Iwanaga-hime was someone supposed to be her granddaughter in law but did not happen due her grandson obsession with her sister Sakuya-hime

I do not know why the divine realm was so pleased with my little brother. Many of the human realm myths and tales portray him as an evil person or unfaithful but I quite cherish my brother in reality.

When Susanoo had to kill Orochi*, Tsukiyomi lent a hand during that. The Iwanaga-hime* thing with my Grandson, Tsukiyomi lent a hand with that. Even a certain human named Masakado* was helped by him.

Tlnote: Orochi, the 9 head serpent Susanoo had to kill to save his wife Kushinada-hime. Iwanaga-hime story is that Amaterasu grandson Ninigi-no-mikoto wanted to marry her sister but since her father thought she was too young for marriage Ohoyamatsumi(mountain god) offered his older daughter Iwanaga-hime. But Ninigi was set on it and her father agreed. Masakado was a samurai who was framed for crime he did not do.The parts of Tsukiyomi lending a hand is just for this story and did not happen in the actual lore.

Even those Munakata-san-joshin came out to help because they were worried about Tsukiyomi. They were once saved by Tsukiyomi when someone tried to kill them*.

Tlnote: this is not true in lore, just the author creating a reason for them liking Tsuki-bro

…There was a time when they came close to betraying me. They had created a god not in the realm of god but in the human world. He is not a god like me or Tsukiyomi but a person the humans and the 3 girls granted godhood to*, a new receiver of faith. I believe his name is Hachiman*. Currently, he is the one with the most believers. Most of the younger generation has faith in him due to the samurai considering him a guardian god, and his influence also reached a good amount of people overseas. He too was helped by my little brother and is now devoted to him.

Tlnote: Hachiman’s real name is Ojin, the 15th emperor of Japan, he was worshipped by the people as a god of war due to his mother when she was pregnant with him, keeping him in the womb for 3 years while she fought in the war. He then won a lot of wars himself and was considered a guardian god for the samurai. She was the former Empress of Japan Jingo. His shrines are dedicated to him, his mother and the 3 princess gods, Ichikishimahime, Tagitsuhime, and Tagorihime

………I wonder when did Takama-ga-hara turn into a worshipping place for my little brother, I know I am also part of too…

“Thank you, my little brother will be overjoyed to have so many gods help him in his time of need. I will certainly also ask the gods in the other realms to help too.”(Amaterasu)

“Oh! Then I will be going to see Tsukiyomi-dono, I am sorry for taking up so much of your time.”(Poseidon)

“Do not mind it, please take your time.”(Amaterasu)

If my little brother recovers quickly then I will be released from this hell. So, if just by asking other gods to help will speed up his recovering then I will keep asking. Finally, I will return to those peaceful days.

I will be free from these arduous days of working so hard . To make that happen, I will do anything to make this plight pass.

While making a list of gods who can help my brother recover quicker, I slowly work through my schedule today.