Volume 15 Chapter (6-10)

Chapter 6, Handshake Event

Kousuke's bad premonition came true.

The preparations that Eris had mentioned were, in a nutshell, a banquet.

The Gods, dissatisfied with the previous interaction during the return trip, pleaded with her to set up a place where they could talk properly this time.

When Kousuke heard about this from Eris, he looked at Asura as if to ask for help, but she just clasped her hands together and apologized.

It seems that even Asura could not control the Goddesses.

It wasn't impossible to control them by invoking force, but there was no way she could go through the trouble of using force over something like this.

She added, turning to Kousuke.

"And…. Kousuke wouldn't feel bad since he's surrounded by beautiful girls, right?"

She said to him with a smile.

At least the Goddesses Kousuke saw were all beautiful, as he experienced during his last visit.

Thinking about it, he was impressed with the beauty of the Goddesses, but he didn't have time to think about it when he was actually surrounded by them.

[But when I was actually surrounded, I didn't have the time to think about it because I was too busy dealing with the questions that kept coming at me.]

Of course, Kousuke was a man.

There was no way he wouldn't be happy to be surrounded by beautiful women.

But he preferred not to be treated like a rare animal. [… I know it's a luxury, but…]

"…This is a matter of luxury."

He didn't speak up, but Eris retorted him.

Kousuke let out a resigned sigh, as if he had given up.

He couldn't escape in any way.

However, there was a possibility that the Tower would be raided if he tried to escape, so he did not have the option of running away.

Kousuke, who had a somewhat enlightened expression on his face, was taken by Asura and Eris and headed for the venue.

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"…And so, this man is Kousuke, the present living god and the only male God in this world~"

At Jal's words, applause erupted from the entire hall.

The venue was much larger than what he had expected.

More than a few hundred women had gathered in the hall.

All of them were Goddesses, of course.

Kousuke was seated in the so-called "King's seat" of the venue.

And for some reason, Jal was hosting the event.

"Why is Jal hosting?"

He didn't mention it to anyone, but Asura, who was next to him, picked up on it.

"Because if we let Eris handle it, the atmosphere would be stiff and uninteresting, and Spica doesn't really fit the bill, does she?"

It was Asura who came up with the idea, apparently.

"Well, it's okay."

The whispered conversation was overshadowed by Jal's efforts to host the event.

"So, let's skip the annoying representative's greeting…"

"Eh?"

A voice of protest arose from next to Kousuke, but it was ignored by Jal.

"Then let's start the main event of the day, the handshake session!!!"

Uwah. *Crackle *crackle.

Kousuke watched as the crowd went wild, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"…Huh? A handshake session? Whose?"

"That's funny. Who else would it be?"

Eris assured me categorically.

"…Which Idol?"

He felt like he was about to sink, but he fought it off.

"Oh my. It's actually kind of similar, don't you think? You're the only man they can associate with without having to worry about their status as Gods."

"…Haaaaah… Well, fine, I'll do it."

While they were having this conversation, the venue was steadily being prepared for the handshake session.

The event was going to be held at a different place from where Kousuke was now.

When the preparations were ready, Kousuke started the handshake session accompanied by Spica who came to call him.

He shook hands with nearly three hundred Goddesses.

Incidentally, some of the Goddesses who didn't get the right to shake hands were also there.

In addition, there were still many Goddesses who were unable to come because they could not enter the venue.

"How many Goddesses are there?"

"Dunno?"

This was the answer from Asura, the master.

"I don't know…"

"You really can't tell. They're being born and disappearing even at this very moment."

"What? Is that so?"

"That's right."

It felt strange that Gods could be born and disappear so easily, but he had to accept it when he was told that was the way it was in this world.

"By the way, how did the handshake session feel?"

"What? Nothing much, but exhausting?"

With nearly three hundred handshakes, even a handshake which consisted of only a few movements could be exhausting.

"No, I mean… Did you really think that they did all this just to make you shake their hands?"

"Eh…? No?"

Asura let out a sigh at Kousuke's surprised expression.

"Shouldn't they ask him what he thinks of them?"

Kousuke broke into a cold sweat when he saw Asura's expression as she muttered that.

"…Well, let's leave it at that for now… Did you really feel nothing?"

Asura asked with a serious expression, and Kousuke nodded with a serious face.

"Yeah. We just shook hands like normal, though?"

"…As expected, I didn't predict this."

Asura looked slightly taken aback.

"Eh, what, did something happen?"

"Oh, no, yeah. It's nothing bad, it's fine… maybe."

Kousuke was curious about the last word in the whisper, but unfortunately, he couldn't catch it.

Jal approached him, as if the event had been sorted out once and for all.

"Good work. You worked hard, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Thanks to you. It's just a handshake, but it's so tiring."

Jal laughed at Kousuke's gaze and covered it up.

"Hahaha. Well, it's not a bad deal for Kousuke either, so why not?"

"…? What are you talking about?"

"Huh? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Jaーーlーー"

"Wha…? Hey, sister, what?"

Jal started to get restless as Eris suddenly started to raise her eyebrows.

"Huh, Eris, okay. Okay. I intended to explain it to him soon."

Kousuke, who had somehow figured out what was going on by watching the three of them interact, cut in.

"…So? What did you plan to do this time?"

"I'm sorry for asking this… but, Kousuke said he was searching for people, right? So, I cooperated with Eris."

"…Ha?"

Kousuke tilted his head, unable to connect shaking hands with the Goddesses to the search for talent.

"You see. They're all Gods, you know?"

Kousuke felt like he was getting many stares from the people around him at the 'just in case' part, but he decided to chalk it up to his imagination.

"I thought if there was a girl who wasn't a good match, I could give you some advice, but you seem to be a good match for everyone. So, I can't give you any advice."

Kousuke had never thought that the handshake session had such a meaning.

"Well… That thing you asked me earlier about not feeling anything…?"

"Yeah. When things aren't going well, you can feel various things, but it seems you didn't feel anything. Neither did the girls."

Asura looked at the Goddesses to confirm, and they nodded yes as they shook hands.

"…What do we do now?"

Eris confirmed, and Asura thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Yeah. I've got an idea, but it's a secret until we're ready."

"Okay."

At Asura's words, Eris easily flinched.

Kousuke wanted her to stick around and listen to them a little longer, but Eris' eyes told him that she wanted to run away.

Kousuke realized that eyes do say more than words.

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Chapter 7, Procreation?

After Asura left, having told Kousuke to wait until she was ready, Kousuke was left waiting… Though, he was not idle. He was having a conversation with the Goddesses.

The conversation, though, was just answering questions asked one by one.

[Perhaps they organized it beforehand, but there are no questions that overlap with each other.]

He wondered where they had the time to do that, but decided not to pursue it, as it was the Goddesses who questioned him.

Not all questions were answered, of course.

He clearly stated that he couldn't answer what he couldn't answer.

Still, they continued to ask questions without a care in the world.

When Kousuke started to show signs of getting tired, the Q&A finally stopped.

It wasn't something that anyone had said, but it was a brilliant way to end it.

"… I'm… I'm tired."

Kousuke plopped down on the table in the seat he had been given.

"Good work."

Jal, who had been by Kousuke's side for a long time, came up to him.

"Oh, Jal… Is that it?"

Jal chuckled at Kousuke's weak voice.

"Everyone seems to want to hear more, though."

"…Please spare me."

"Yes, yes, indeed. I think it's time for everyone to stop."

Jal said, and the surrounding Goddesses nodded.

"Kousuke, just being your usual self. You handled it decently well, but it got out of control."

"… Geez… I didn't notice that…"

As Kousuke was conscious of being a newcomer, he assumed that he had to respond properly.

No one had ever said that, though.

"Well, I guess everyone is attracted to you because you're you."

Again, the Goddesses were nodding in unison.

"Fascinated… Because of that?"

"It's precisely because of that."

For Kousuke, he was responding as usual, but that seemed to be taken in a good way.

As he was chatting with Jal while talking about such things, attracting the attention of others, Eris came up to him.

"It looks like it was worth the time…. It looks like Asura-sama is ready to go, so can you come over soon?"

Eris' words were met with a collective sigh from those around her for some reason.

"It's okay. We'll have a proper dinner party afterwards."

Kousuke was about to retort back when he heard something he wanted to avoid hearing, but before he could, the people around him burst into applause, and he missed the opportunity.

For now, Kousuke decided to follow Eris, who asked him to follow her.

At a distance from the venue, he asked Eris about what had just happened.

"… What's with the dinner meeting?"

"After Asura-sama's business is done, we will have a dinner meeting. Well, it's in the form of a standing party."

"…I haven't heard anything about it…"

At these words, Eris stopped dead in her tracks.

"… Excuse me? What is this again?"

Eris looked back at him with a scary face.

She was so beautiful that it was way scarier when she looked like that.

Incidentally, it was Jal, who had been following along with me, who reacted to that.

"Oh… Huh? Didn't I tell you? Wait, wait, wait, Eris-sama!"

"We don't have time for this right now, so I'll keep it in mind for later."

Jal was in tears as Eris assured her.

She looked at Kousuke as if to ask for help, but unfortunately, there was nothing Kousuke could do either.

If possible, Kousuke did not want to touch Eris in this state.

When they reached their destination, Eris stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked.

"You can come in."

Asura said from inside.

Eris opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Kousuke.

"Jal, what's wrong?"

Asura asked curiously, noticing that Jal was still reeling from the incident earlier.

"Don't worry about it… It happens all the time."

Asura let out a sigh at Eris's curt words.

"… Well, in moderation, you know… Anyway, let's get down to business."

Asura then looked at Kousuke.

"Eh, ummm… what?"

Kousuke tilted his head at Asura, who had a look on her face that he had never seen before.

"Kousuke requires a companion, so shall we resolve that?"

"No, by resolving it… What do you mean?"

It was the problem that brought him here in the first place.

That's what she told him, never really mentioning how it would be solved.

Asura answered that question with a smirk.

"Make a child with me…!!!"

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He had been unconscious for exactly one minute.

When Kousuke regained consciousness, he asked her fearfully.

"Um… What did you just say?"

"I said that Kousuke and I should have a child together."

The words he heard before he lost consciousness were not a misunderstanding.

Asura looked slightly flustered at Kousuke, who was about to lose consciousness once again.

"What… Do you really hate having a child with me that much?"

"In the first place, why do you want to do that?"

Kousuke managed to voice his question.

"… Because you want me to?"

"Is that a question?"

"In the first place, Kousuke said he wants a new companion… Ah, aah!"

Asura nodded as if suddenly convinced, and the other members tilted their heads.

"Kousuke, I think you're misunderstanding me. I'm not saying that we should do it, okay?"

"… Eh?"

Kousuke's expression turned red as he realized his misunderstanding.

Asura was also the problem because of her confusing way of speaking.

Incidentally, Kousuke didn't notice that Asura was deliberately using a confusing way of speaking.

"Simply put, I'm saying that we should mix my power and Kousuke's power to create a new power, or rather a new soul."

"Uh… What will happen to the soul created by that?"

"Of course, we'll prepare a suitable vessel for it to be 'born', right?"

What Asura meant was clear.

The born individual would become the new member of Kousuke's team.

"No, no… Is that okay?"

Aside from his own power, Asura's powerful power would be mixed in.

But to that, Asura simply replied.

"It's fine. Or rather, I'd rather ask for it from you."

Of course, Kousuke knew that Asura had her own reasons for saying this.

"Is it okay to ask why?"

"It's okay, it's not like I have anything to hide. As it stands, I can't get involved in that world, so I want a being that can get involved with it directly."

A being created by mixing Kousuke and her powers meant that she would be able to do that.

"Is that okay?"

Kousuke asked, feeling uneasy in many ways.

"What? You sound like I'm going to do something dangerous… I'm telling you this because it's not a problem. If it was, I wouldn't have mentioned it in the first place."

"I see."

"It's beneficial for us. What do you think?"

Asura asked, and Kousuke thought about it.

There was no problem…

However, it seems like there were some potential issues.

He felt frustrated because he didn't know what it was.

"… Hmm… Oh, I see. Is it okay if I bring the child with me when we're done?"

That was what it meant to take someone along as a companion.

" Yes, you can. I mean, even Kouhi and Mitsuki, who are by your side, are like daughters to me. Well, there are many other things mixed in as well."

"Eh? Is that so?"

Kousuke was shocked by this new revelation.

Well, certainly, if Asura's power was in play, it would make sense for that ability.

"In other words, you're saying that we're going to create beings like Kouhi and Mitsuki?"

"With mine and Kousuke's power, yes. Wouldn't you like to see what kind of being we can create?"

"… Umm…"

When she said that, his curiosity was aroused.

In the end, that curiosity became the final deciding factor, and Kousuke decided to accept Asura's offer.

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Chapter 8, The Prototype of a Soul

Kousuke received a proper explanation from Asura before starting.

She told him that if it wasn't done properly, it might not go well.

First, they had to mix each other's "power" and make it reside within the core of the soul.

This would be the divine power that the soul possesses.

The divine power of the soul was essential to the individual who would be born because it was the foundation of the soul.

Asura simply said that once the soul was created, all that was left was to prepare the body in Earthgard, where the soul would reside.

Kousuke understood the process, but not half of the work involved.

However, Asura assured Kousuke that she would assist him and that there would be no problems.

After the briefing, they were ready to start.

Kousuke and Asura sat across the work desk from each other.

"Put your hands out on the desk."

As Asura said, Kousuke put both his hands on the desk.

Asura took his hands and held them together so that their hands were underneath each other.

From Kousuke's point of view, Asura's left was on top of his right, and his left was on top of her right.

Spreading the connected hands slightly, formed a circle. After which, Asura mumbled a few words.

"…Summoning."

With just that one word, Kousuke felt a strong power coming from Asura.

It wasn't that strong, but the current Kousuke wouldn't be able to exert that much power.

He later heard that Eris and the others couldn't do it either.

In any case, after those words were spoken, there was a sphere-like object floating in the center of the circle made by their hands.

"…What is this?"

"Umm, it's hard to explain. I guess it's some sort of soul vessel."

"You mean we can pour divine power inside this thing?"

"Yes, yes. I'll provide the divine power, and Kousuke, circulate it."

He did as Asura said and began to circulate the divine power in his body.

Then, Asura's divine power was transmitted to him from both of her hands.

A sensation washed over him and Kousuke understood what he had to do.

He sent his own divine power towards her the same way.

At this time, Kousuke closed his eyes to concentrate on his work, so he couldn't see, but Eris and Jal, who were standing beside him, watching, had surprised expressions on their faces.

In addition, Asura in front of him had a slight smile on her face, but Kousuke didn't notice it until the end.

"…Like this, how's that?"

"Yeah, good enough. I think it's going to work out better than I thought."

"That's good to know."

The flow of their divine power was slowly circulating around the circle, through their hands and arms.

Having somehow gotten the hang of it, Kousuke stopped closing his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, what had been just a transparent sphere shone in various colors.

Kousuke couldn't help but look at it glow, dumbfounded.

Asura also squinted at it.

"This is great. I wonder what kind of soul will be born… Oh yes. Hold on to my hand until the light subsides."

"Okay."

Not letting go of her hand naturally meant that they would continue to circulate their divine power. Since neither felt much of a burden from it, both decided it wouldn't be a problem.

Kousuke didn't ask how long it would take, though.

If it was going to take a prolonged period of time, such that Kousuke couldn't hold it anymore, he assumed that she would have said so in the beginning.

And since that was the case, there should not be any issue and their work would be completed.

The glow of the sphere subsided within a few minutes.

"... That's enough."

Asura said, and Kousuke carefully stopped the circulation.

He was being extremely careful, even if it was only for a few seconds.

Since he was accepting, someone else's divine power, he wanted to avoid any mistakes.

"... Uh?"

Kousuke tilted his head at Asura, who did not let go of his hand. Even though he had stopped circulating their divine power.

Looking Kousuke, Asura smiled tantalizingly and said,

"Since this is a good time, why don't we stay connected for a little longer?"

"Um…"

Asura's smile deepened more and more at Kousuke's confused expression.

"You don't get to come here often, so why don't we just do this a little longer?"

"Eh, no, well, it's not like I'm complaining or anything."

Kousuke wasn't dissatisfied, rather, he was more than happy to continue. However, since it was his first time interacting with Asura in such a manner, he was a bit confused.

"Yeah. I'm glad. More importantly, it's about time it stabilizes."

The sphere that had received the divine power of the two of them floated fluffily in place, but as if to match Asura's words, it stopped moving in midair.

"…This is it?"

"The prototype of a soul that resides in all life. Well, I'm projecting it now to make it easier to understand."

This was not normally something that could be seen.

This time, Kousuke was tasked to modify it, so Asura made a clearer projection of the prototype so that it would be easier for him to understand.

"A prototype? It's not the soul itself."

"It is. The soul can only exist when it inhabits a body. If it's just the soul itself, without a vessel, it'll disappear instantly."

" Oh, I see. Oh, I remember you saying something like that when I first came here."

"Right. In your case, it's fortunate that you weren't a newborn soul, so you managed to exist until now."

"Was it actually dangerous?"

"Yes… Quite a bit."

Looking back on it now, it was a dangerous experience. However, at the time, he didn't have any knowledge about it, so he thought that he was just lucky enough to be helped by a beautiful woman.

From what he could recall, at that time, he was thinking about many things and could hardly remember the feelings he had back then.

Though, the one thing he could recall vividly was the conversation they had.

"I see."

Kousuke just said that one phrase, and did not thank her.

He didn't thank her because he had already thanked her many times before. So much so that Asura had told him to stop.

As for Kousuke, no matter how many times he thanked her, it felt like it would not be enough. Thus, he could only obey her when she asked him to stop.

Kousuke doesn't want to be pushy with his gratitude, either.

"…So? What are we going to do with the vessel?"

"I've had Eris and the others prepare it for you."

"…Eris?"

Kousuke looked at Jal without thinking, and she returned with puffed out cheeks.

"What? Do you have a problem with me?"

"No, no, no. I don't have any complaints."

"Mmm… Well, okay. Besides, even if I'm not here, Spica can take over for me."

Although she speaks casually, these women, led by Eris, are known as the Three Great Goddesses in Earthgard.

[I'm both excited and scared to see what the vessel created by these women will be like.]

"…It's not like it's going to surpass Kouhi or Mitsuki… Right?"

Eris and Jal turned away from Kousuke, who seemed to be asking for confirmation.

"…What? Don't tell me?"

"No. Please don't misunderstand. It's true that we created the vessel, but we won't know the actual strength of the entire being until the soul enters it."

"…Is that the case?"

Asura meets Kousuke's gaze and nods.

"Yes, that's right. Of course, I can make some predictions, though. I don't think it'll be able to surpass Kouhi or Mitsuki at the moment."

Kousuke was inwardly relieved by Asura's answer.

He was not confident that he could successfully control the existence of an entity that could not be controlled by Kouhi and Mitsuki.

"Well, all that's left is to put this prototype into a vessel. We'll do that when Kousuke returns to the other side."

"Okay."

Kousuke had no objection to that, so he nodded his head.

"Alright! Let's go to the party then. I'm sure everyone is waiting for us."

Kousuke's expression tightened slightly at Jal's words.

"Well… About the meeting, that is… can I not go…"

"""Rejected."""

Instantly denied by all three fronts, Kousuke realized that there was no way out.

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Chapter 9, Dinner Party

Kousuke joined the dinner party and was surrounded by goddesses.

Spica, who was standing beside him, told him, to his horror, that different members were there. The goddesses here were not the same ones as those at the handshake event.

Incidentally, Jal was in charge of the handshake event, and Spica was in charge of the dinner party.

Eris was in charge of organizing the whole event.

When Kousuke heard this, he wondered if she was actually working in her spare time, but he didn't speak his thoughts.

Kousuke didn't want to go out of his way to step on a tiger's tail.

Unlike the handshake event, the number of people at the dinner party seemed to be limited. There were about fifty goddesses here.

The goddesses came to Kousuke incessantly, so Kousuke could not find an opportunity to eat properly.

It was only once Spica was next to him that he got the opportunity to have a meal.

Incidentally, the dinner party seemed to be more popular among the goddesses.

Those who didn't make the cut for the dinner party seemed to have drifted to the handshake party, and there were still some who were unable to attend the handshake party.

"… Why do they want to meet me so badly?"

Kousuke wondered, and suddenly voiced his question.

The goddesses he happened to be dealing with at the time had troubled expressions on their faces.

Spica was the one who properly answered him.

"I think we talked about this before. It's to retain their connection to Earthgard. Else, it would break"

"Retain their connection? I mean, we're only seeing each other for a few minutes, right?"

"Still, it's better than doing nothing. It's fine for a known deity, but for a goddess who is worshiped in the dark or by only a few people, her relationship with the world can be severed instantly."

This was the downside of a polytheistic world.

A God with many followers doesn't need to worry, but a God who has been forgotten can be separated from the world itself.

"If that happens, they'll just exist here, you know?"

A god who has been cut off from Earthgard would be out of a job.

Unfortunately, they could not turn into NEETs.

Gods were only allowed to exist because of the work they do.

"Well, that doesn't happen that frequently. We're only born because we're needed in the first place."

"Hmm… I see… It's tough even for Gods, isn't it?"

The surrounding goddesses laughed at Kousuke's impression.

Even Kousuke, who said such a thing, was also a God as well.

"…What are you talking about? You're a similar existence yourself, aren't you?"

"What? No, I guess so. Huh? Is that the case?"

As for Kousuke, he didn't feel that way at all.

"Maybe it's hard for you to feel it because you still have a strong connection to the other world. Once you live for a long period of time, you may come to understand."

"… A long period of time… Huh? Speaking of which, what's my lifespan?"

"Well? You've never been a God before, so, you don't know, do you? Well, I'm sure you'll outlive the High Elves at least."

High Elves were known to have a preeminent longevity among sub-humans.

"Hmm… I see…"

"Hm? Is something wrong?"

"No, I was thinking for a moment that an existence with such longevity, or rather, an existence called God, should be involved in such a direct manner."

Kousuke's current involvement in the world was in the form of managing the Towers.

Recently, his influence outside the Towers has increased, and it would only become even stronger in the future.

"Isn't that good? In the first place, you have been told by Asura-sama to live as you please in that world, haven't you?"

"Yeah, well, I guess so."

"Then you don't need to worry about it. You can do whatever you want."

Kousuke thought that his worries had been brushed off, but he quickly reconsidered.

He understood that it was Spica's personality that made her say such a thing.

If she could do as she pleased, it meant that he could also do the same as well.

"… I kind of feel like that's a scary thing to do."

"If you feel that way, it means that you are able to control yourself. You will be able to stop when you need to. So, there's nothing to worry about."

"Is that so? Well, okay… Oh, I'm sorry. I was talking too much."

He couldn't help but talk to Spica and he recalled that it was time to speak to the Goddesses in front of him.

Now that he understood the purpose of these event, he wanted to do everything he could to help them.

"Um… Don't worry about it too much.. We don't need to be able to talk to you directly, we just need to be near you."

One of the goddesses by his side said to him.

They all nodded their heads, though just hearing those words made them sound like wholesome maidens.

Kousuke looked at Spica and she explained.

"Yeah, she's right. In fact, even at the last handshake event, you could only touch their hand and say a few words to them, right? That's meaningful enough for them, you know?"

Kousuke was usually in the world of Earthgard, but just being right beside him had an effect on the girls there.

"Hmm. So, that's how it is."

Kousuke accepted it however, that didn't mean he was going to be a quiet spectator and just allow the Goddesses to simply stand close to him.

He decided to enjoy having conversations with the Goddesses as much as he could.

Having managed to finish the dinner party without incident, Kousuke was enjoying his break.

The reason why he was taking it easy was because he would not be returning to the Tower today.

Kousuke, who knew about the circumstances of the Goddesses, offered to set up a similar meeting again early tomorrow, just for the occasion.

When Kousuke found out that there were still goddesses who had missed out on the handshake event and dinner, he spoke to Eris after dinner was over.

Kousuke wanted to help as much as he could, as long as there was something he could do.

He still couldn't get used to the girls' high school atmosphere. When he first met them, he was extremely hesitant to converse with them but with time, it got better.

At Kousuke's sudden offer, Eris smiled and agreed.

"Just so you know, not everyone there was in that desperate of a situation, okay?"

"They aren't?"

"Yes. Some of them simply wanted to take a look."

"Hmm. Well, some people are just curious. It's fine."

After all, the other party were Goddesses. Even just looking at them made him feel like he was getting something out of it.

Now that he could afford to do so.

"I see. Then I'll make the arrangements."

This was a boon for Eris.

Those who were not selected this time were already asking when the next event would take place.

"Oh, yes. Tell Sylvia that I won't be able to return today."

Eris could communicate with Sylvia.

He thought about using that method to inform her.

"That's fine, of course, but… Why don't you do it yourself?"

Kousuke was surprised at Eris's curious question.

"What…? I can do that?

"I think you can, since she's already your shrine maiden, right?"

Kousuke had thought it was just a formality, so he didn't expect to be able to do something so practical.

"Well… How can I do it?"

"When I do it, I just look for their presence and talk to them…"

It seemed that each of them had their own way of doing things, and Eris couldn't exactly explain it to him.

Since there was no choice, he decided to try his hand at it.

What he was trying to do was to reverse the connection from the Temple of Mixen to this Garden of Everlasting Spring.

Thinking back to Sylvia, he tried to trace her presence.

Thanks to the fact that she was a priestess, her presence was easy to find.

It was so quick and easy to do that, that it felt a bit anticlimactic.

[Sylvia, can you hear me?]

[Huh, whaaaat? Ko, Kousuke-sama!?]

She seemed to be flustered by the suddenness of the situation.

[Oh, I'm sorry for startling you. I can't come home today. So, I called you to inform you of that.]

[I see, I got your message. I understand.]

That was all they said, and then, the connection was cut off.

Kousuke did not know why the connection was suddenly cut. It could be because he was not familiar with doing this or it might be something like.

Either way, it was something that needed to be verified.

In addition, he didn't know if such a connection could be established in a place other than the Garden of Everlasting Spring.

Kousuke felt that he needed to do more research.

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Chapter 10, Haku

After spending the night in the Garden of Everlasting Spring, Kousuke returned the next day after spending time with the Goddesses as promised.

He believed that he heard that it was not a good idea to spend a lot of time in the Garden of Everlasting Spring with a physical body, so he asked Eris.

"It won't be a problem for you now."

Eris replied.

It seemed that his divine energy and physical body as a living god were adjusting in a good way, and he wouldn't have any problems even if he spent a prolonged period of time in the Garden of Everlasting Spring, the divine world.

However, even if there was a problem, Asura would take care of it, so he did not need to worry about it.

She would have stopped him from the start if it was dangerous.

With nothing to worry about, they finished interacting with the Goddesses as planned, and he returned back to Amamiya Tower.

This time, the Goddesses sent him off.

Kousuke was sent off by more Goddesses than he had expected, but he was still able to activate the return spell to the Tower without fail.

After watching Kousuke disappear from the return spell, one of the Goddesses muttered.

"…I wonder when he'll come back again."

"Don't be so unreasonable. In the first place, it's because he's over there that we're able to receive benefits like this."

"That's true, isn't it?"

Similar conversations were being exchanged between them.

As if to blow away the atmosphere, Eris' voice rang out.

"Hai hai. We're closed now. I understand that you all are lonely, but please go back to your duties."

Once Eris' order was heard, the Goddesses left the scene.

Only the Three Great Goddesses and Asura remained.

"I understand how lonely it is, though."

Asura, grinning about something as she looked at Eris.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"No, no. It's nothing."

Asura's attitude made Eris want to rebuke her, but she held back.

She felt that if she rebuked Asura too hard, she might become a snake and bite her back.

"I see. Well, we'd better get back, too."

Eris urged Spica and Jal, who were watching the two of them.

"Yes."

"Ye~s."

Spica and Jal knew they were being used as an excuse to leave and compiled, knowing that if they made fun of Eris now, they would be in trouble later.

And so, the three sisters left, leaving Asura behind.

"…I wonder when I'll get to see you again."

Asura's muttered words disappeared into the wind without reaching anyone's ears.

♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢ ♢

Kousuke returned to the Administration Floor of Amamiya Tower. He quickly headed out of the Tower with Kouhi and Mitsuki.

They were headed to where Kousuke met Kouhi and Mitsuki.

Kousuke didn't remember where it was, but Kouhi remembers.

"This is where I met the Master. How could I possibly forget?"

Kousuke had asked her how she remembered, and that was her answer.

They made their way to the location.

The purpose, of course, was to bring home a new member.

That new person was soon spotted.

There was something sitting there that was not supposed to be there.

Even the Black Bear, which had been a bitter experience for Kousuke, didn't even try to get close to it when he saw it.

"…Unexpected, or should I say… It's as expected…"

Kousuke muttered to himself, but Mitsuki laughed and remarked.

"Well, they're the ones who created us. I guess it's to be expected."

He had already told the two of them what they were here for.

"It made sense for it to be the same as us though… No?"

It was Kouhi who said that.

The being in front of Kousuke and the other was not an angelic being like Kouhi and Mitsuki.

It had wings but it was not feathery like what Kouhi and Mitsuki had. It was scaly. Like a reptile.

What the three of them saw before them was a dragon.

Its form was that of a Western dragon.

This was not surprising, since dragons were common in the upper Floors of Amamiya Tower. However, no matter how Kousuke looked at it, it seemed to be of a higher rank than those dragons.

Such a dragon was staring at Kousuke.

Normally, Kousuke would have shrunk back from this scene, but strangely enough, he did not feel that way.

Not much time had passed, but for Kousuke, it felt like days had gone by.

Suddenly, the dragon moved.

Instantly, its huge body glowed, and after that, a woman jumped towards Kousuke.

"Father…!!!"

[When did I have such a big girl… ?] Kousuke was left to his own thoughts.

Kouhi and Mitsuki didn't do anything to stop the woman, since they knew who she was.

"Uh… Um, are you really our new…"

"That's right! Ah! Please give me a name!"

Before Kousuke could finish asking, she had already answered.

While being hugged, Kousuke pondered for a while.

In the end, he couldn't come up with a good one, so he just looked at the white hair in front of him and gave her a name.

"Then, your name will be Haku."

Incidentally, the color of her scales when she was in her dragon form was also white.

"Haku… Haku… Haku… Haku… Haku…"

She repeated it a few times, and eventually grew fond of it. She increased the force of her neck clenching hug even more.

"Father, thank you!"

"Haku, that's enough. Keep going and he's going to collapse."

Kouhi gave a rare shove.

Mitsuki, on the other hand, was holding her stomach, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Kyaaa. I'm sorry, Father!"

Kousuke thought to himself while his consciousness was fading. "I'll have to correct her from calling me Father before we go back to the Administration Floor."

♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦

In the end, by the time he got back to the Administration Floor, he couldn't correct Haku, who still insisted on calling him Father.

He did his best to tell her to change, but he failed, after Haku pointed out to him, "Father is Father!"

From there, they used the transfer gate to return to the Administration Floor via Yurino Shrine.

Haku was looking at the Administration Floor with curiosity at first, but then she greeted Sylvia, who happened to be walking out of the administration area of the Southeast Tower, with vigor.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Haku, Father Kousuke's daughter!"

Hearing this, Sylvia initially tried to return the greeting with a smile, but it instantly froze.

"Koko koko, Kouke-san, Kousuke-sama! Mumumu, what did she mean by Father? You have a daughter with someone already!?"

Sylvia's screeching voice brought those in the Administration Floor together.

"What the? What is the meaning of this?"

"Who? Whose child is this?"

"It's not mine!"

"Wow, it's not mine either!"

Kousuke's hand was holding his face as the Administration Floor became chaotic all of a sudden.

"Everyone, calm down. If such a big girl really existed in the first place, there's no way you wouldn't notice, right?"

Kousuke's follow-up was almost pointless.

""""" No, it's possible if Kousuke(san) is involved!""""

Mitsuki finally started laughing uncontrollably when they all answered in unison.

Even Kouhi was trying to hold back her laughter.

"No, I have no children! That is not the case! Listen to me!"

In the end, he had to take the time to explain everything from scratch.

Meanwhile, Haku was looking around the Administration Floor, seemingly oblivious to the commotion she had caused.

After a series of explanations, everyone finally accepted his reasons.

"But. If that is the case, isn't it true that she is your daughter?"

Kousuke didn't have an answer to Floria's question.

Haku's attitude and how she was created had made him realize that it was meaningly to rebuke with the reason: 'nothing physical happened'.