62 Fishing

{SHIZU POV}

Her heart fluttered weirdly as Riku's soft and tempting voice made her cheeks blush a mad red with how amazing he sounded. He almost sounded hypnotic, like a old timey record player letting off a soft lulling tune almost making her want to fall asleep. He wanted her to eat. To not care about her weight or any other thing that might've bothered her.

And he was so close to her right now... His every breath hitting her cheek in a way that made her feel fuzzy all over... It didn't help that he already made her feel that way recently with how much he was pampering her with food, but this was different...

"Enjoy your meal, Shizu."

His every word almost struck a chord in her hungry soul as she stared at the plate in front of her like a balm for her hungry stomach. Also, wasn't she full just a while ago? Why did she feel hungry all over again?

Oh well. There was perfectly amazing food in front of her. Why would she ever think of wasting it?

***

{RIKU POV}

'Works every time...'

Riku nodded at a job well done as he watched Shizu savor and enjoy her meal. He didn't know why, really, but every time he used he used that particular voice, the people around him, especially women, just wanted to do whatever he wanted them to. It always came in handy during infiltration missions or whenever he needed people to calm down, but it was something that he was mildly curious about ever since he realized he had it. Nevertheless, having a good sales pitch was always a good thing to have for business.

/You're going to seduce her the more you use that, by the way,/ Nyx mentally chimed in. /And here I thought I was going to be your only... wife... once this we win./

Riku raised a brow at such a notion. 'I'm not doing anything wrong. It's not my fault I have a good sales pitch,' he scoffed. 'Also, is that jealousy I hear?'

/A goddess can afford to have her own harem, if you must know,/ Nyx scoffed back, her smugness and seductive tone returning as she seemingly switched personalities again. /And while your wish is so hilariously insane that I should've rejected it out of principle, I'm a woman of my word. I just want to be treated... with... respect.../

And just like that, the old awkward Nyx was back in the forefront yet again. Even from where he stood, he could see his goddess blushing furiously even as she kept eating to hide her emotions. Not that he was mocking her for it. It was starting to become an endearing trait of hers even if her fickle nature made her a headache at times.

'If it's any consolation, I'm honestly just doing what I'd do to any customer,' he told her with a mental shrug. 'Anything I have is a tool to advance my interests. It just so happens that my sales pitch is just that good.'

He heard his patron goddess grumble even as she cut their connection, and for a brief moment, he let himself relax as he sat on the nearest empty chair to him. Kicking his feet up, it almost felt like they weren't participating in a death game right now with how quiet it had been for the last Depth or so. Beyond that one fish attack, nothing ever came up, and passing through the portal didn't even phase him anymore as their boat just appeared on the next Depth with Nyx rematerializing as soon as things got stable. Even Shizu wasn't really doing much beyond just eating and staring at the stars recently.

And just like that, he felt his paranoia start to kick in as he reminded himself of the one adage that he always subscribed to.

'Overconfidence is a slow, and insidious killer...'

With that thought in his mind, his mind quickly returned to the game that he was supposed to win. Where were they in terms of standings? What were they supposed to do in this Realm to move forward? Were they missing something that they actually had to deal with in order to progress? Even more, how in the world was he supposed to get stronger without killing things?

"Nyx," he called to her using his voice.

The goddess flinched, her tone showing how she still clearly haven't recomposed herself from their prior conversation. "Y-Yes, my Champion?"

Riku quickly thought of the next few words that he was about to utter. With the current lull in action, his rate of growth using [Chaotic Tempering] had slowed considerably compared to when he had to kill lions on a semi regular basis. He had to kill to even have a chance to proc his ability to activate, and even then it wasn't a guarantee with each kill. But then...

"Can you make us something?" he curiously asked.

"If you're asking me to make weapons or give you more power, you know I can't do that," Nyx replied while averting her gaze. "Can't interfere, you know?"

"I know, but can you make us something more mundane?" he explained. "Like a fishing rod?"

It wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility, because why else would Nyx make a cabin full of food and kitchen supplies if she wasn't supposed to be giving them aid? It meant that food preparation wasn't considered helpful in the game, so a fishing rod, as an implement of catching food, should be allowed, right?

"That's... actually not a bad idea," Nyx wondered, her tone slowly gaining confidence again as her eyes sparkled with mischief. "I'm guessing you want to catch more fish to eat?"

"That's the plan," he nodded even though that wasn't really what he had in mind. "If we're not doing anything, we might as well spend our time in more productive manners."

"Ooh... Fishing," Shizu suddenly chimed in, her mouth still half-full with her dwindling supply of sushi. "That actually sounds fun."

And just like that, Riku knew that Nyx was going to give them what he wanted. The goddess loved fun, and most importantly, loved eating.

"Then that settles it!" the goddess declared as she quickly stretched out her hand, black tendrils leaving her person before solidifying into a pair of fishing rods. "Make sure to catch all the fish, my Champion~ And you too, Shizu~ I'm sure Big Brother Astra wouldn't mind~"

Smirking, Riku grabbed the rod before giving Shizu a knowing look. She might not know what he had in mind, but he was sure to fish the hell out of these otherworldy waters.