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CHAPTER 15 - DID YOU DO SOMETHING NAUGHTY?
That night, as Souta fell asleep, he was once again thrown into the pure white space of his dream. Before him sat the goddess, properly kneeling and looking down at him.
The goddess began her interrogation of Souta right away.
"You did something naughty, didn't you?"
"No, I didn't!"
"You definitely did something naughty!"
"No, I absolutely didn't!"
"You let loose under the influence of alcohol, didn't you?"
"No, I diiidn't!"
Souta likely raised his voice louder than he had since arriving in this world.
The goddess then sighed heavily, probably her biggest sigh yet, and even rubbed her temple. They were quite alike in their reactions.
"...Why would you do something like that? It was clearly an opportunity. A golden opportunity, wasn't it? Embrace her! Embrace her desperately! You waltzed into the home of a lonely widow with a surplus of body and loneliness, and yet that didn't happen? You moron! Aren't you an idiot? Oh no, this will definitely become the talk of the village from tomorrow. The village can't trust a eunuch to take care of things! Oh, dear me! What a mess! I knew it'd be like this!"
"Well, even I, in those circumstances, it wasn't that I—well, it's not like it didn't cross my mind, but! Not now! No, absolutely not, it'll become a big issue! Anyone who takes advantage of a woman's vulnerability and crosses that line usually ends up in a pretty bad situation! I've been trained in manipulating people's hearts as a teacher, and I use those techniques only for my job's sake! Matters of love are private affairs! I won't use them except for life-and-death situations! Besides, weren't you supposed to be watching? Did you know and still went ahead to ask? Don't you have any tact at all?"
"Didn't I show tact by not monitoring you and instead asking in a dream? Are you an idiot? Wait, how did you manage to get out of that situation? Oh, this is unbearable! I thought it'd be a bed-in and stopped monitoring!"
"First, I use the daughter as leverage."
The goddess returned to a serious face and distanced herself slightly from Souta.
"You're outrageous..."
"Huh? Are you misunderstanding? Rather, it was humane and clever, you know?"
"Go on, tell me. Is there anything other than using the daughter as an excuse to get close?"
Souta felt a shiver down his spine from the intensity of the goddess. But he cleared his throat to regain his composure and started explaining.
"First, I had built a good relationship by empathizing with Asugi's anxieties, right?"
"You, a high school teacher, sure are skilled at playing with human anxieties and closing the distance."
"Creating a slight sense of anxiety actually makes it easier to earn gratitude later, and that makes my job smoother~."
"Teacher..."
"Well, let's set that aside. So, during a good moment, I brought up Ayahi's topic to create a slightly more serious atmosphere. Everything starts from there. On top of that, I explained, 'Of course, I find Asugi attractive too. I don't have any other place to go, so becoming a member of this household isn't an issue. However, what would Ayahi think? She has a perspective closer to human society compared to most of the village, and she doesn't particularly like me. In this kind of situation, even if we end up together, I think she'd be unhappy. I want to get along with her first, earn her blessings, and then become a member of this household...' I thoroughly presented the reasoning. Did I say anything strange? No, right? In fact, I think I said some pretty good things?"
See? Simple, right?
Souta's expression seemed to say just that.
His audacity was so thick that even the goddess had a bitter expression.
"You have a surprisingly good answer if I disregard your nature. By the way, how serious are you?"
"... Well, I don't think it's a bad idea. Maybe it's because of my job dealing with bratty kids too much, but I have a thing for older women..."
The goddess forcefully twisted Souta's cheek as he nonchalantly spoke.
"Ouch! Ouch, that hurts! Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Well, well, you're quite the smooth talker! How many girls have you made cry with that mouth of yours? Tell me!"
"Huh?! I've been the one made to cry by women, you know?! Wait, stop, it hurts. It hurts, I said. I understand. I was wrong. Let's stop the violence! Ouch, seriously, it's about to tear apart..."
The goddess let go of his cheek.
Souta, now freed, rubbed his chest before soothingly patting his cheek.
"Hmph! You're quite the easygoing one!"
"Jealous much? Huh? I never thought I'd be the target of jealousy from the Goddess of Beauty. Well, I hope you can forgive a faithful follower's puppy love."
"It's not about that! But if you start slacking off because of some woman, I won't show any mercy! Also, remember that I'm a much older god who's existed since ancient times compared to that woman! Rely on me first and foremost!"
It's jealousy.
Speaking of jealousy, back in high school, Aria from the occult research club used to say that goddesses were jealous by nature. Could I be in trouble? I blurted out jealousy without much reason, but could this be a bad move?
The fact that she gets angry when I show genuine consideration for Asugi and at the same time demand intimacy – yes, this is jealousy.
"Alright. Let's think rationally. If we get too close in a situation where there are uncertainties, we might become dependent on that relationship. Isn't that not a good thing? A good job is about being thorough in your work."
With a completely unchanged expression, Souta suddenly presented a logical argument. In response, the goddess wore a look that seemed to say, "Is this guy crazy?" She remained silent for a while, putting her hand on her chin as she contemplated. Then, still unsatisfied, she tilted her head.
"...W-Well, that's true. We'll need to start a revolution and properly govern the village. It's not feasible for widows to keep coming in every time."
The goddess was trying to convince herself.
"You're right. We're not here just to rule over this village and call it a day. So, we can't rely on easy solutions."
"Y-Yeah, I understand."
The goddess seemed unsatisfied, but she nodded without arguing.
"I can't do anything without you. Got that? So, calm down and tell me what you want me to do first. I'll consider the feasibility and make it happen. It's give and take."
"You really... Well, I mean, that's what I want you to do... Yeah, that's right. That's what I want, but..."
"Examine the situation. It's true that it's a tightrope walk, but you're walking it, right?"
After letting out a deep sigh, the goddess took out a cigarette and began to smoke. It smelled like jasmine.
"Examine the situation... right."
"Yes, exactly. I want you to confirm that I'm working hard now."
— She's gotten hold of something new, hasn't she?
Souta stared intently at the cigarette the goddess was smoking.
"Oh, do you want some? We have lemon, cherry, peony, and black tea flavors too."
"I'd like one..."
"Hehe, I guess it can't be helped. Come closer. I'll lend you the fire."
After lighting the offered cigarette, Souta slowly took a drag.
— It's like I suddenly had jasmine tea smoke flowing into my mouth. Not bad.
As Souta exhaled the smoke, it transformed into illuminated letters and began to line up.
【Skills Possessed】
Poison Resistance B → Poison Emission D
Instigation B
Indoctrination C
Disease Resistance EX → Tenaciousness D
General Science B
Harbinger of Transformation D
— It's the status screen.
Souta's eyes widened.
— So smoking a cigarette reveals my status.
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