When Suwako got the phone and, with Sanae's help, saw the lightning arrow in the video, she became incredibly excited.
"It's him! It must be him! This archery and the familiar lightning... He still exists!"
Suwako pulled on Sanae's sleeve, shaking her vigorously in her excitement.
"Suwako-sama! I-I'm getting dizzy!" Sanae felt quite woozy from the shaking.
After a while, the commotion attracted Kanako's attention, and the poor shrine maiden finally caught her breath.
Seeing her excited friend, Kanako grasped the general situation, but that's precisely why she found it strange and puzzling.
"Are you sure? You know he's been missing for thousands of years. How could he suddenly appear now?"
"I don't know either, but look at this lightning arrow! This is his power!" Suwako was like a child who had found a treasure, sharing it with her friend.
Kanako seriously took the phone and examined it. She found that, just as her friend said, the powerful lightning force and the archery capable of piercing the sky were undoubtedly the power of Takemikazuchi!
However, while this was Takemikazuchi's power, whether it meant Takemikazuchi himself was present was another matter.
A god missing for millennia, suddenly reappearing now, after thousands of years... seemed highly improbable.
Kanako suddenly thought of a possibility. During the Age of Gods, there existed beings known as [God-Stealers]. They would deceive gods, steal their power, and ultimately fully plunder a god's Authority, passing it down through heredity.
Although they obtained Divine Power, acquiring a god's Authority with a human vessel inevitably brought a divine curse.
The descendants of God-Stealers were notoriously short-lived, unlikely to live past thirty.
This was the permanent curse accompanying the stolen Divine Power.
Although reluctant, Kanako found it hard to believe that Takemikazuchi, who has been missing for millennia, would suddenly reappear now, and as himself.
If she wasn't mistaken, this was merely his power, while he himself had likely perished in the long passage of time.
Kanako believed the one who shot this arrow imbued with Takemikazuchi's power must be a so-called [God-Stealer].
Seeing her friend's tearful joy, she couldn't bear it, but still felt she had to mention this possibility.
Rather than dousing her hopes with cold water now, only for her to face a more tragic truth later, Kanako decided it was better to give her friend a warning in advance.
Hearing Kanako's perspective, Suwako fell silent, but her cute face was full of determination.
"No matter what, I must go and find out. If it really is as you say, Kanako, I will kill all those humans to avenge him!"
Kanako looked at her resolute friend and felt a headache coming on.
Although she also felt the urge, reason told her that a human who had obtained Takemikazuchi's power would not be someone they could easily kill, even if they tried.
Takemikazuchi's power was too terrifying, as she knew from bitter experience.
But she couldn't bear to say more. She feared her friend Suwako would fall completely into despair because of this.
'We must prepare properly,' Kanako thought to herself.
Soon, she remembered something.
During the Age of Gods, at the very end, just before leaving, Takemikazuchi had mentioned his destination.
"I'm off to make a name for myself in Takamagahara. You two take care and wait for my return here!"
Unfortunately, in the end, gods fell, Takamagahara sank, and no news ever came from Takemikazuchi.
They didn't know what happened in Takamagahara. They hadn't even possessed the qualification to enter Takamagahara.
Takamagahara was ruled by Amaterasu Omikami, alongside Tsukuyomi and Susanoo.
When they first arrived in Gensokyo, Kanako had made sure to gather information on the various factions.
Unlike the simple, carefree Suwako, Kanako was very cautious. Through perception alone, she had detected many powerful presences in Gensokyo.
Therefore, she invested effort into intelligence gathering and eventually learned some things.
For instance, the mistress of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost was a Child of the Gods.
If she were merely the child of any ordinary god, that wouldn't be too prestigious. There were many divine children among Japan's eight million gods.
But this mistress's parents were extraordinary. Her mother was Tsukuyomi, and her father was Susanoo.
The child of two major gods, her status could be considered the most exalted under heaven. No one else's lineage could possibly be more prestigious.
Takemikazuchi had last gone to Takamagahara. And Tsukuyomi and Susanoo, also being part of the Three Noble Gods, might know about the situation in Takamagahara.
As their child, the mistress of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost might know some of the secrets from that time.
Kanako's goal wasn't necessarily to learn the details of those events, but to request the assistance of the Bamboo Forest's mistress, just in case.
If the being in the outside world truly was a God-Stealer, then someone who had obtained Takemikazuchi's power would likely be impossible for Kanako and Suwako to defeat.
But the mistress of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost was different. Her noble bloodline granted her immense strength.
Kanako conceived a plan: request help from the people of the Bamboo Forest to eliminate the God-Stealer in the outside world.
As for the payment, she had also thought of it: the relationship between Susanoo and Takemikazuchi.
In Kanako's memory, Takemikazuchi had mentioned that he and Susanoo were good friends. They both enjoyed drinking and creating thunderstorms, and after a fight, they had become close friends.
Divine descendants placed great importance on the reputation and honor of their parents.
If a God-Stealer in the outside world had truly stolen Takemikazuchi's power, then as the child of Susanoo, she would certainly not stand by and watch her father's friend's power be trampled upon by humans.
She would surely act to eradicate those humans who defiled her father's friend's power.
In simple terms, the payment offered was honor. Something that might seem trivial to others was of utmost importance to gods.
Having made up her mind, Kanako informed Suwako and immediately set off for the Bamboo Forest of the Lost to pay a visit.
She didn't delay any longer, knowing her friend's patience was wearing thin. Waiting half a day was already her limit.
Taking out a treasure she had cherished for a long time as a gift for the visit, even Kanako couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
Although she was relying on the connection between Takemikazuchi and Susanoo, going empty-handed was clearly impossible and would show a lack of sincerity.