Blue Goodbyes

"Vile and ludicrous is the sight of the fake tomb and stage made from the corpses of the gods." "Truth" so often is vile and ludicrous, both in the human world and in the gods' world. How wonderful it would be if you could clearly define what is real from what is fake. *sigh* I'm sorry for complaining. Won't you listen to me a little before you go? It would help take my mind off things. I don't know whether to call Kanako Yasaka one half of me, my partner, or me in a different form... On second thought, I am her and she is me. That's all that needs to be said. In contrast to her, I have a man's name and am a god who features in tales of great bravery. (That's why they are included in the Nishin Yakudaku myths that detail the agreement between Amaterasu and Ame no Koyane.) I heard people like you are referred to as marebito. I can't say I know much about them, so I'm afraid I can't help you on that front.

It seems that the Child of Miare is of the opinion that divine spirits should be clearly distinguished from the Yaoyorozu no Kami. But supposedly, her method for doing so was not entirely the same as the half-youkai antique store owner's. ...Why do I know those two, you ask? The Child of Miare is the reincarnation of Hieda no Are, is she not? So it's only natural that I know of her. As for the antique store owner, he's one of those youkai who can read the memories of tools, correct? I heard about him from a god who resides in tools since, while I might not look it, I'm also a god with a fairly deep connection to tools. There are other methods for dividing the gods, such as into the Kunitsukami and Amatsukami or the native gods and the foreign gods, but these, too, fail to make clear distinctions. There will always be those who exist on the border, as well as those whose classification differs depending on the situation and conditions you apply. Even the old, outdated gods are complex and intriguing.

Divine spirits are said to be ghosts that have attained divinity, as well as the deceased form of those who have become gods. However, fully-realized desire spirits, which originate from humans, and mere god spirit fragments, such as "bunrei", are also known as divine spirits. A singular explanation on this topic does not exist. It may be possible to refer to all spirits that acquire faith as divine spirits. The spirit and the body are opposites, but since divine spirits can possess false corporeal bodies, just as ghosts can, finding a solid definition may be challenging. Using ghosts as a reference point to explain divine spirits could lead you to believe that divine spirits are all gods who were once human. This is because only humans can become ghosts. However, bunrei, natural spirits, and the souls of animals and plants could also be considered as types of divine spirits that, despite not being human, act as if they were. For now, I shall state that both ways of thinking are possible, and neither is wrong...

Yaoyorozu no Kami are gods who retain their original power from before they were named... Or so it is often thought. Divine spirits may or may not be included in this definition, with there being explanations for both schools of thought. The explanation as to why they wouldn't be included exists because a significant portion of the famed divine spirits were once human. Humans who become gods basically cannot avoid having names. This is because, given an absence of extenuating circumstances, it's impossible for a praised and respected human not to have a name. With that being the case, Yaoyorozu no Kami, who are not restricted by names and possess almost all of their original power, seem more likely to be gods who were not former humans, or gods whose time as humans lies in the distant past. The layering of history is a purifying force... Some gods may acquire strength by having their names forgotten. But things are slightly complicated by the fact that, if their names are forgotten, faith in them dwindles. This means that a clean distinction, such as "divine spirits are personal gods and Yaoyorozu no Kami are natural gods," cannot be made. In fact, it may be safer to assume "Yaoyorozu no Kami" refers to a diverse group of gods beyond count.

"With the gods in Heaven, all is well on Earth." That's likely an example of a theory from the outside world about the existence of gods. Setting aside the necessity for faith, perhaps the gods would be happy with humans thinking that way about them. But that's not the case when it comes to the relationship between gods. Through the spacetime of culture, gods are connected―at times, loosely, and at others, rigidly. The hall of worship is like a shrine's entrance hall. The gods don't live there, but they will appear there when the bell is rung for them. It's also the perfect place to invite new gods in. The gods actually reside in a place called the inner sanctuary. Shrines that appear not to have an inner sanctuary are often built in front of mountains or the like. That mountain then serves as the inner sanctuary, or may even be the god the shrine was built to worship. Speaking of which, Kanako lives on a mountain, not in an inner sanctuary, right? And that mountain isn't behind the hall of worship but in front. I guess she does as she pleases. Everything was made of shintai to form a spiritual structure that is far too special. It's almost like Noah's Ark. But if that's the case, then we are both the planks used to build the arc, as well as the animals that boarded it. That would make the arc's main engine none other than Kanako Yasaka.