— — — — — —
ShiroYoruMaou.
Only now did the spectators finally realize who the real centerpiece of this spectacle was.
They looked from Shiroyasha to Athena, and their smiles slowly grew twisted. One by one, they stepped aside and retreated to safer ground.
Watching drama was one thing. Being turned into a living target by an enraged ShiroYoruMaou was another. That was not a role these "pleasure-seeking creatures" wanted to play.
They much preferred enjoying someone else's mess, not becoming part of it themselves.
"So she was hiding over there the whole time…"In the corner, Garol sighed with mixed feelings.
Beside him, Sala looked delighted. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Ryo and Shiroyasha, growing bolder by the second.
She was clearly starting to understand the appeal of watching drama unfold.
"This is getting complicated," Uesugi Kenshin muttered quietly, deliberately fading into the background. "When did Shiroyasha slip in there?"
Next to her, Prithvi Mata covered her mouth and giggled cheerfully.
"Hehehe. Such a perfect scene. Totally worth secretly telling Shiroyasha to enter discreetly."
'So it was you behind this…' Kenshin's mouth twitched as she subtly edged away from Mata.
She had just noticed Ryo's gaze sweep briefly in their direction. Was this guy's perception really that sharp? Kenshin frowned.
At that moment, divine thoughts crisscrossed wildly through the crowd.
"Shiroyasha loses it on the spot, odds 1 to 10!"
"Shiroyasha murders the lover in a rage, Ryo Yagami dies on the spot, odds 1 to 15!"
"Athena successfully protects her man, odds 1 to 1.5!"
"Nothing happens, house takes all! Place your bets, no backing out!"
"..."
"...."
"What kind of garbage odds are these?" one god cursed. "I'm betting on rage murder. One hundred thousand gold."
"I'll play it safe. Athena protects him. Fifty thousand."
"I'm short on cash lately. I'll take Shiroyasha losing it. One thousand."
"You're broke and still betting? Rage murder, one hundred thousand."
Divine messages flew back and forth like crazy, and the looks they gave Ryo grew more and more teasing.
"What kind of grudge do you have against me?" Ryo's lips twitched as he spoke to Athena beside him, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
"Before worrying about that, you might want to deal with the one in front of you," Athena replied with a gentle smile, still firmly clinging to his arm.
She was clearly fanning the flames. At least, that's how it looked to everyone else.
But Ryo saw it differently.
He knew better than anyone that his relationship with Shiroyasha wasn't nearly as deep as outsiders imagined. Athena was deliberately guiding how people interpreted things.
Sure, getting close to a goddess was every man's fantasy, and Ryo wasn't immune. But being used as kindling was another matter.
Come to think of it, her retaliation was lightning fast.
He had brushed Athena off just that morning. By noon, she was already striking back.
The corner of Ryo's mouth twitched hard.
Under countless gazes, he had no choice but to turn toward Shiroyasha and start explaining.
"Lady Shiroyasha…"
Shiroyasha looked at Ryo, then at Athena, then at their linked arms. The smile on her face flickered and vanished.
"You two…"
She suddenly took a few shaky steps back, looking fragile, like she might collapse at any moment.
'WTF? She's playing along too…' Ryo stiffened, staring into her face, into those golden eyes.
"R-Ryo... We were here first!" Shiroyasha said, her voice trembling as if she were about to cry.
Ryo shuddered, his whole face twisting.
"Hand-holding, cheek-kissing, we did it all first," Shiroyasha wailed.
Swish—
Every single onlooker turned their heads in perfect unison, staring at Ryo with bizarre expressions.
Those looks were packed with amusement, mockery, malice, disdain, discrimination, envy. Not a shred of goodwill among them.
'This is not how you play this game…' Ryo's mouth twitched. He never imagined Shiroyasha would lean into it this hard.
"I'll raise the child properly, and I won't ask you for a single coin of support. I just hope you and her can be happy!"
At that, Ryo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his expression had gone completely flat.
He tugged Athena closer, half-wrapping an arm around her, then smiled and beckoned to Shiroyasha.
"?!"
"?!"
Both the crowd and Shiroyasha froze.
What the?
You're seriously trying to have both?
"You came at just the right time," Ryo said calmly. "My right hand has always been reserved for you."
'So he really means it?' More than a few people thought in stunned silence.
"What are they even doing?" Kenshin asked blankly.
"Kekeke~" Mata had a twisted grin, scribbling furiously in her notebook and even recording the scene with a recording-type Gift. "A scumbag flirting with two top goddesses of Little Garden. One of them was even pregnant. And now he wants both. What else could it be?"
"What I'm curious about is what the ShiroYoruMaou will choose. Reject him outright, or shamelessly keep up this 'impure' relationship? I'm dying to see it."
Kenshin could only stare, speechless.
At the center of the hall, Shiroyasha looked a little awkward.
'Yo, what are you doing?' she asked via telepathy, blinking.
'If we're chasing thrills, then let's take it all the way,' Ryo replied. His eyes were dark, utterly devoid of light.
He stopped caring about anything happening beneath the surface. Smiling, he tugged Athena again.
"We can share."
His tone was unmistakably suggestive, and the way he held Athena left nothing to the imagination.
I'm willing to share Athena with you.
Everyone got the message.
Hiss—
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the crowd. Several gods instinctively wiped at their mouths, afraid they were drooling.
"That would be awesome…"
The sudden voice made many gods blink in confusion.
'Wait, did you just say that out loud? Rest in peace, bro.'
Then they saw Shiroyasha dart forward and latch onto Athena's arm.
"..."
'Ryo-Sensei, please teach me… You are my god from now on,' Many thought that silently, yet could only stand there helplessly.
Athena might be alluring, but she could also beat the hell out of them. And getting that close like Shiroyasha did was not something they could survive.
As for Athena herself, the moment Shiroyasha clung to her arm, her face turned colder than Artemis'.
'Let go,' Athena warned her with a sharp look.
'Don't be shy, a threesome is good too,' Shiroyasha grinned shamelessly.
Their gazes clashed, sparks crackling invisibly in the air.
Seizing the chance, Ryo slipped away. He didn't fully shake off Athena's grip, but he managed to extract himself for the most part.
Then, wearing a polite, professional smile, he bowed slightly to the surroundings. "Sorry for the small mishap. Let's enjoy the banquet."
.
.
.