Chapter 69: Athena

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It was 9:00 am in Italy. After the chaotic incident at Rome Airport, Godou Kusanagi endured a nine-hour flight and finally arrived back at Tokyo Airport in Japan, where it was now midnight.

But as he stepped out of the airport, a strange event unfolded.

Godou stared blankly at the silver-haired young man before him, who looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. He had shoulder-length silver hair, wore a black tank top and black shorts, and had a cheerful expression, giving off a friendly and open vibe.

"Um... are you calling me 'Brother-in-law'?" Godou asked, pointing at himself in disbelief. Could there be some mistake? Although he did have a younger sister…

"Yes, Shizuka's brother, Kusanagi Godou, who stole my prize," Haru said, lightly patting Godou on the shoulder.

A jolt of pain shot through Godou's shoulder, but that wasn't important. The sheer volume of information in that short statement overwhelmed him. "You're Shizuka's boyfriend?"

"That's right, Brother-in-law," Haru replied cheerfully.

Taking a deep breath, Godou pulled out his phone and dialed his sister, Shizuka Kusanagi.

"What is it, Onii-chan? Calling at this hour? Oh, you must be back in Tokyo. How long until you get home?" Shizuka's sleepy voice came through the phone. She had probably been woken up by the call.

"Shizuka... do you have a boyfriend?" Godou asked, turning away and covering the phone with his hand, glancing sideways at Haru. 

"Wh-why would you ask that?!" Shizuka's panicked voice confirmed Godou's worst fears. His heart sank.

"Because he's standing right in front of me!" The weight of this revelation stunned Shizuka into silence.

"That idiot Haru! I told him not to bother you!" Shizuka's voice was now filled with anger.

"Oh, so he's here to bother me? I'll hang up now…" Godou's face darkened as he abruptly ended the call.

At the Kusanagi residence:

"Wait… beep..."

Shizuka stared at the disconnected call, her brow twitching as anger surged through her. "Those two… they've grown some nerve, haven't they?!"

Godou's face burned with fury. He grabbed Haru's tank top, pulling him closer, and roared, "My sister still in middle school!"

"In this country, middle school is the typical age to start dating," Haru replied with a suggestive smirk.

Godou was taken aback. He had a point. He was speechless.

"Anyway, Brother-in-law, I didn't cause you any trouble for stealing Verethragna, for Shizuka's sake, but you need to return the Gorgon's Stone," Haru said, patting Godou's hand. Godou winced at the force of the pat and instinctively let go.

"Verethragna? That young man?" Godou's face darkened as he remembered his friend from Italy, the friend he had killed in order to survive.

"Didn't the witch of Sardinia tell you? That was my prize. Although I had already collected his Authority, making him worthless, you still stole him." Haru shrugged helplessly. The plot's inertia was truly annoying. But at least he gained Shizuka from this, so it was a net positive.

"Wait... you're that strongest monster on Earth!" Godou finally realized. He remembered Ms. Zola's warning about the Devil King he should avoid at all costs.

"Oh, yes. Can I have the emblem now, Kusanagi Godou?" Haru patted Godou's shoulder again, transferring the "Memory" spell into him.

"Oh, is this the emblem? What's it for?" His memory instantly enhanced, Godou recalled the object he had picked up at Rome Airport. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a circular emblem, about 5 centimeters in diameter, depicting the head of a woman with snakes for hair.

"Oh, it's something used to summon gods, and by holding it, you can fight with them..." Before he could finish speaking,

Godou handed the emblem to Haru with a serious expression. "As a model student of Japan, I naturally have to return lost property to its rightful owner. Please take care of this, Haru. Feel free to visit our home anytime!"

With that, he turned and ran without looking back.

Haru stared blankly at Godou's rapidly retreating figure. He used the 'Phoenix' Avatar, didn't he? "Whoa, I thought I'd have to fight. That was easy."

Godou seemed like the typical pacifist brainwashed by compulsory education. Japan's education system was truly detrimental, turning a warrior into this.

Haru gripped the Gorgon's Stone, took a step using his supernatural speed, and returned to his home in Okukozome. "A silver-haired, adorable Earth Mother Goddess, with the added bonus of Athena's fame?"

Meanwhile, at Rome Airport, shrouded in the darkness of the Italian night,

Construction workers cleaned up the airport, which had been nearly destroyed by a "terrorist attack" that morning.

The workers, using machinery and manpower, worked tirelessly to clear the debris.

A small figure appeared at the highest point of the ruins.

It was a very beautiful girl.

she had a childish, angelically cute face, framed by shoulder-length silver hair that seemed to shimmer with moonlight. She wore a knitted hat with cat ears, adding to her playful charm. Her eyes, however, were as dark as night, vertical pupils like a cat's, reflecting the condensed darkness. She was one of the twelve Olympian gods of Greece, Pallas Athena.

Athena stood at the highest point of the ruins, gazing intently at the busy workers below.

Despite being in such a conspicuous location, even brushing shoulders with the workers, no one noticed her presence. Even the magicians supervising the restoration work overlooked her.

'The serpent's scent ends here. Hmm? The next location seems to be across the sea? It seems to have fallen into the hands of an enemy!'

'No matter. No one can sever the bond between me and the serpent. Soon, very soon, I will reclaim it, my rightful place, everything that is mine.'

Hoo-hoot! Athena's figure transformed into a flock of owls, their plump bodies flapping small wings as they flew towards the sea, towards the Far East.

In Haru's bedroom, above his nightstand, the Gorgon's Stone emitted a faint green glow. The carved head with snakes for hair came to life, the serpents writhing as if truly alive.

Haru opened his eyes, glanced at the restless Gorgon's Stone, a smirk playing on his lips, and then drifted back to sleep, holding Sora close.

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