Chapter 24 – Theater of the crowned bear who lost his soul

Nugu was in the middle of a festival with a sticker of a cute hedgehog's face on his cheek; she was wearing a one-piece chocolate outfit with white spots along with suspenders.

"Nugi!" Ramia shouted, lunging to catch her in her arms.

"Don't get so close to me, stay away!" She exclaimed scared.

"It's your fault for being too cute! Ah…, how good you smell! Let me take your photo!" She explained, sniffing her well-groomed hair.

Ramia was wearing, again, a strange outfit with a sweatshirt with a feline hood.

"Whether I want it or not, you're going to do it to me, right?" She reminded her tiredly.

Behind them approached A, who, as always, was riding that five-foot tortoise:

"…Sorry, there was a line at the entrance and well… Where are the others?"

Both also had a sticker: Ramia a cat and A a turtle; A's clothes matched Nugu's.

Nugu managed to separate himself from Ramia with a little push and took her hand:

"They're already inside saving their seats, come on!"

Ramia was paralyzed by her tenderness, as she held his hand of her own free will.

They entered through a tree-lined gravel path and ended up in bleachers that could hold 200 people.

A river separated the spectators from the stage, there were large cardboard backgrounds and spotlights that pointed to the center from the side.

She saw Tira's tail that lit up high up acting as a beacon and they approached.

"How fast, not even a minute has passed," Tira confirmed.

Nugu sat next to her, followed by Ramia. A advanced towards Mugon and I who were holding hands.

I was dressed similar to Mugon: a thin black hooded jacket with a couple of orange lines drawn on each opening, and the inside orange; jeans and black boots.

Tira wore Nugu's usual clothes.

"…Whew, Whew! What is the couple doing? Make gap for me."

"Gap? Our love is unbreakable, no one will separate us." I showed our hand.

The turtle declined and A fell resting on both of their legs:

"…Then I will interfere in this space."

I looked at Mugon who nodded with a smile.

"If my queen allows it, make yourself comfortable."

"…Wow, how cheesy, I think I'll vomit all over your clothes."

"Can you vomit?" Mugon nodded. "Do not even think about it! Hey! Why do my pants feel wet!?"

"…Just kidding, calm down, don't move so much." Reassuring me, she drooled.

Mugon, laughing, hid her mouth.

"Why are we still holding hands?" Nugu mentioned with disapproval to Ramia. She released her with disgust and reluctance; but Ramia still held her.

"Ah… When you make that face… You're so cute." She rubbed her cheek against hers even though she resisted.

The lights went out, the audience fell silent and watched the appearance of a teddy bear floating in the middle of the stage that took the beginning of the show for granted. He had no disguise and the stones in his eyes were an abyssal bluish color.

This little bear, before starting the theater, spoke with grace:

"This work is invented, created to entertain and amuse. Any resemblance to the goddess is intended to better understand the story."

A pleasant woman's voice sounded across the stage, it was the narrator of the story.

"Nothing created God and he created nothing, both did not know of its existence. He was an unconscious and omnipotent being. He had no family, there was not even such a concept. He felt neither cold nor hot; neither hunger nor thirst; neither loneliness nor protection; he was, without a doubt, insensitive."

The little bear that represented God remained still, intent on following the movements of the dialogue.

"After millennia without anything happening, God turned around staring into space. —Wow, there's nothing—; he wasn't even curious."

The little stuffed animal spun in the air at a slow pace.

"At some point in the historical line: between its cracks, God created a conscious being."

The spotlights were aimed at the new bear with golden bandages, but they both stayed close to the light.

"She knew that his creator was ahead, someone dangerous who could unconsciously erase her existence. She wouldn't accept it."

The lighting dimmed and flickered as if something bad was going to happen.

"Without hesitation, she separated him from time."

The goddess bear looked at the other and created an orange cube enclosing it.

"Given the sudden loneliness, it generated all kinds of things. But at one point she stopped. She already had the perfect space."

Stars and planets were placed on the stage.

"Then she created someone in his likeness, it didn't matter if the first one came out defective. She planned for them to be inferior, unable to erase the existence of their creator. She created humans in various universes and decided to observe their behavior."

It didn't take long for the planets to become illuminated and populated, to have satellites and things produced by them.

On the way back, the spotlight illuminating the goddess flickered, but was quickly fixed.

"When checking the results, she invented new races, this time different from his likeness. Satisfied with the result, she decided to extinct humans."

The light changed to red.

"She created so many things that it was out of her reach. Given the multiplication and the difficulty of extinguishing them one by one, she thought of an effective method."

Seven more bears entered the stage, each with different eye colors.

"You will be in charge of eradicating the humans," she exclaimed and gave each one a tiny piece of her power.

"—Why eliminate them?— asked one of them."

The light flickered and the goddess directed her hand to him, he disappeared in front of the rest.

"—I am superior to you. What are you doing doubting me?— Given the disappearance of his companion, they followed his orders, some doubted her creator as time progressed."

The stuffed animals spread across several universes; one covered the planet with dark clouds; another caused volcanic eruptions; another froze him; another flooded it; another chopped it up.

"At the end, the goddess gathered them together. —Good job, I will fulfill your wishes as a reward. What do you want?—"

"—A flower,— one murmured; —I want to have the pleasure of you being the first to try my drink,— offered another; —I want to feel things,— asked another. One by one she fulfilled his wishes, drank the cup he offered her, but she did not know that it was poisoned. She couldn't think clearly, the heroine came up and ate her, stealing her power, and tried to create humans again. The other races and humans would idolize their new god."

The lights went out and the lights in the stands came on; the audience, applauding, discussed the work.

"This year has been strange but interesting. Do not you think?" Nugu asked excitedly.

"When you said theater, I imagined it to be more childish," I confessed without letting go of her hand throughout the play; she, with the other, wrote an anecdote:

«I thought the same thing the first time. I remember when Nugu clung to my shoulder through the darkness.»

"I thought they would scare us! What was the need to turn them off!?" She excused, embarrassed; Mugon just laughed.

"…Eh… Is it over?" A interrupted with a voice that had just woken up.

With the back of my hand I gently hit her face.

"Do not sleep! It wasn't even long!"

Tira, as always, hid her laughter to continue:

"It was more intense, the last time there weren't as many characters and it was longer."

"Has it finished yet? I was just watching Nugi's reaction," Ramia revealed after coming to her senses.

"You too!?" I asked stressed as if they had come for nothing.

"Don't look at me like that, you guys didn't stop with physical contact!"

"You make it sound like we're degenerates just for holding hands…"

"Of course it's strange! You're not a couple yet, I'm surprised Mugon is calm! Aren't you worried?" She asked Mugon. "It was me and she would have beaten you until you were reincarnated in a lost universe. And if that wasn't enough, it was a statement in bed! Is there a more base statement!?"

Empathizing with what she was trying to say, the others attended in agreement.

"Look, putting me down again! I didn't do anything to her!"

«Even if it's just a trial, I could die of happiness,» she clarified; she was the happiest of the group.

"It's better this and making sure she can always love me." They were looking at me as if I had said something strange. "Did I say something strange?"

Mugon squeezed my hand and shook her head, the others thought it was corny.

⸎

Leaving the place, Ramia approached Mugon and handed her a small bottle with a greenish liquid.

"As a thank you for today, I assume you know how to use it."

Mugon, nervous as well as embarrassed, gladly accepted it and immediately pocketed it.

"I'm looking at you. Now are you trying to drug me?" I whispered so they wouldn't hear us.

"Of course not, I promise you it will be pleasant." Ramia wink the eye.

The relationship has not yet progressed enough to accept it.

A dark-skinned teenager approached and tried to get my attention.

Her hair was a French bob style; she was wearing an elegant butler's suit with a single button at the bottom; underneath, a maroon shirt; she wore elegant short tight gloves; and she wore black sneakers.

Her clothes, few breasts, and her facial features raised doubts about her gender:

"Hey, young man." Thinking she was calling someone else, I ignored her; she followed me, trying to grab my wrist. "Don't you hear me, young man?"

Disgusted that anyone other than Mugon was touching me, I avoided physical contact by moving my arm away; in addition to not wanting to see someone's past anymore so as not to suffer unnecessarily.

"What's going on?"

"What did you think of the play?"

"I'm not interested, I came out of obligation."

"Did it seem original to you?" She insisted to hear my impression.

"I'm not the one if you want a detailed opinion, it seemed surreal to me; to begin with, there are no gods." The young woman with orange eyes was shocked. The others laughed at my statement. "Your laughter hurts me…"

Ramia came over and patted me on the back:

"Of course, of course, gods don't exist." Both Tira and Ramia couldn't hold back their laughter.

"Thank you for your collaboration, young man. Your opinion will be useful for the future." Despite her words of gratitude, she could barely hold back her laughter.

«Peroth, is that you?»

"Mugon?" Both were surprised by their meeting.

«What happened to your hair!?»

"It is a long story. How are you? From what I see you are happy."

«Of course, he is that person»

"Eh? It was him? Without a doubt, sometimes destiny is uncertain…"

«What are you talking about?»

"To be so happy, you must be a wonderful person, I'm happy for you. If you don't mind, I will retire; enjoy the festival."

«Thanks all the same! See you! <3»< p>

"Wait! Thanks for getting Mugon out of there. Although it sounds strange…" I thanked his goddess from the bottom of my heart.

The young woman nodded smiling and went to a woman with blonde hair who covered her eyes. Peroth told her what happened and they both laughed.

⸎

For a while, we walked around the place trying sweets.

«This is my favorite, they are sugar bars. Do you want to try it?» one offered from the semi-transparent bag.

I accepted it with pleasure, it was like a stick of yeast with a lot of sugar inside, just enough not to cause diabetes.

«How are you?» Looking at me, she smiled.

I looked away embarrassed and admitted it:

"I don't think I've ever eaten anything so good…"

«I can prepare you at home. They are easy to make <3»< p>

"No need, I don't want to be a bother to you."

«You are not at all, I will make you as many as you want»

I hugged her and thanked her:

"If you don't mind, I need to go somewhere; I won't be long, continue without me."

"More food for us, run!" Nugu's eyes couldn't stop shining, she ate up whatever she bought in no time.