Aqua gave Shira the feeling of being an abstract, over-the-top comedic character. Even when her divine powers were fully unleashed, her essential personality didn't change.
She was frustrated that she didn't get to decisively take down Doma.
She hadn't changed the other group members' impressions of her, and she'd even entertained the idea of helping Doma win a revival battle. It was absurd.
Although Shira had the ambition of creating a multiversal harem palace, the mere mental image of Aqua made his mouth twitch.
Carry the team? Is "idiot" a viable type now?
"Time to head back."
He turned to Kanae and her sister Shinobu. Kanae, warm and gentle by nature, wore a tired smile on her face.
She was a truly kind older sister.
As for her younger sister, Shinobu—the "Mistress of the Butterfly Mansion" from the group chat—she had changed somewhat due to exposure to the multiverse.
Her previously fiery temper had mellowed.
"Are you leaving too, sir?" Although she didn't know Shira's name, Kanae considered him a lifesaver for helping them.
Especially that moment when Aqua vanished into thin air—an overwhelming scene burned into her mind. Shinobu clearly knew who they were.
"If fate allows, we'll meet again."
With the dimensional group chat, returning to the Demon Slayer world would be easy. But this world mostly had demons. Killing them gave experience, sure…
But setting an anchor point here using points would be a waste. In zombie-ridden apocalypse worlds or goblin-infested fantasy realms, leveling up was much faster.
Glancing at the very different Shinobu sisters, Shira smiled and reminded them, "If you go on missions, I suggest doing it together."
"Got it."
Shinobu nodded seriously. With the group's rescue function, most dangers could be avoided. She then studied Shira more carefully.
He had done a lot for them.
Even though the rescue mission came with reward points, she really didn't have anything meaningful to offer as thanks.
"Thank you, Shira-sama."
"..."
Watching Shira walk away, Shinobu felt a sudden emptiness. Just as she turned, she saw her older sister approaching with a serious expression.
Maybe she was curious about Shira and Aqua's identities?
She quickly explained, "I've only known them recently. They're powerful beings from other worlds... Today, I nearly had an accident."
"They came specifically to save me."
However—
Shinobu didn't mention anything about the Dimensional Chat Group. Her stern gaze softened as she gently reached out and patted Shinobu's head.
"Shinobu, do you know why I want you to leave the Demon Slayer Corps? I just want you to have an ordinary person's happiness and live out your life."
"I think I noticed something..."
"You seem especially concerned about this Shira."
Shinobu's face turned red as her sister's words struck right at her deeply hidden feelings. She shook her head quickly, but her blushing cheeks said it all.
---
After leaving the Demon Slayer world, Shira hadn't spent any points yet. He wasn't particularly interested in basic body enhancement.
Thanks to his mana infusion skill, his physical stats were already solid. Unless there was a compelling reason to visit another world, he was planning to save up 500 points for a blind box.
Being a bit of a gambler didn't hurt.
"So... what the hell is this new profession?"
Back in the living room, Shira finally had some peace. He immediately opened the proficiency panel—he had maxed out the Arch-wizard profession in the HOTD world.
A new blank panel had opened up.
When he encountered the divinely awakened Aqua, as expected, a new profession panel was unlocked. But this time, the panel was a bit... off.
"Godhood"—a vague and broad classification.
Aqua's divine authority was related to water and purification. Just how powerful she could be wasn't clear, since Shira hadn't seen her at full strength.
According to the lore, all the world's water was under her command, meaning she could summon a holy flood at any moment—indiscriminately affecting friend and foe.
"So what's the point of this new profession panel?"
Still full of doubt, Shira decisively opened it.
『Profession 5』: Godhood (Cannot be leveled)
『Divine Attribute』: Pleasure
『Core Skills』: Divine Blessing, Ecstasy Domain, Authority of Carnal Discipline, Power of Faith
『Basic Skills』: Divine Mark (Lv1), Faith Extraction (Lv1), Blessing: Stat Boost (Lv1), Blessing: Luck Boost (Lv1)
『Note: This class cannot be upgraded. Unlocking a new profession panel requires 10 chosen followers under the "Pleasure" attribute』
"What the hell is this profession?"
Shira stared at the panel. The divine attribute being "Pleasure" nearly broke him. What was this nonsense? Aqua's divine attribute was water—why was his "Pleasure"?
Just based on that label, this class was already overflowing with questionable implications. What kind of person gets labeled the God of Pleasure? He was a respectable person!
But as he kept reading the skill descriptions, Shira felt something was seriously off.
『Divine Blessing: Slightly increases all stat gains from leveling or other sources.]』
『Ecstasy Domain: When divine power is activated, applies an ecstasy effect to nearby creatures』
『Authority of Carnal Discipline: As the God of Pleasure, you possess supreme authority over sensual dominance and are immune to charm-type effects』
『Power of Faith: As a god, the more believers you have, the stronger you become』
"...?"
So this god class couldn't level up, but it had a ton of innate skills. Even so, something still felt very wrong. What the hell did "apply ecstasy effect" mean? Orgy? Some sort of R-rated buff?
And that Authority of Carnal Discipline—wasn't that just saying he was the boss of all, uh, "orgy" gods?
As for Power of Faith, well, with Aqua as a reference, this clearly meant the incense-belief kind of divine exercise. The more believers Shira had, the more power he'd gain as the God of Pleasure.
"These passive effects are a little too abstract, aren't they?"
After reading all the skill details, Shira was on the verge of mentally collapsing. This development was seriously off the rails.
As for the basic skill:
『Divine Mark: Can grant others the mark of godhood. Chosen followers under the God of Pleasure will receive a slight stat increase』
This skill caught his attention—it was essentially the ability to recruit core followers and grant them divine protection.
To unlock the next class panel, he needed to use this skill to find 10 people willing to offer their souls to him.
"Not too demanding as a requirement."
In the Apocalypse world, he already had four marked targets. Back in the real world, Yumiko could be counted too. As for the urban legends—Mary and Hanako—their eligibility was still uncertain.
Shira cleared his mind of clutter. With no other high-tier professions available for now, recruiting followers could wait a bit.
"Let's test the urban legends first. Then I'll return to the HOTD world and make Saeko and Shizuka into chosen ones. That'll also solve their security problems."
After all, they were still surrounded by zombies.
Saeko had only recently joined the group and hadn't had much time to grow stronger. With this plan, tomorrow was pretty much set.
As for Yumiko—
Shira hadn't yet decided how to explain any of this to her. He left the staff at the doorway and returned to the bedroom.
The girl was still sleeping.
However, as he approached, his eyes focused on her pale face. He could clearly see Yumiko's eyelashes tremble slightly.
"Yumiko, you're not asleep, are you?"
"..."
Caught in the act, Yumiko slowly opened her eyes, gave a small nod, and propped herself up despite some residual pain. She didn't dare look Shira in the eyes.
She had actually been sleeping quite soundly. But she had been clinging to his arm earlier, and subconsciously felt his absence when he left.
She woke up quickly after.
Yumiko had wanted to go back to sleep, but couldn't manage it. She had tried searching the apartment for him, but failed.
Not long ago, she hadn't heard the front door open at all. Then Shira's footsteps approached, and the bedroom door opened.
All of this was beyond her understanding—she could only chalk it up to being one of Shira's secrets.
"..."
With the lights on, Yumiko looked visibly uneasy. Her gaze landed on Shira's calm and handsome face as suspicion grew.
"Shira-kun... you're not... like an evil spirit or something, right?"
"Huh?"
She must've noticed something strange during his trips between worlds. Maybe when he reappeared in the living room. Yumiko, with her already sensitive sleeping patterns, had picked up on it.
She'd clearly been thinking it over.
Now she'd even guessed he might be a spirit. Shira chuckled and replied casually, "Want me to tell you?"
"No."
Yumiko quickly shook her head. Her mind flashed back to a crime thriller she'd watched—knowing too much usually meant dying early.
Even if she was curious, she knew she had to suppress it.
"Honestly, it's nothing complicated. I just go to other worlds sometimes to handle things. And no, I'm not an evil spirit."
Whether she believed him or not was her business.
As for whether he told her—well, that was up to his mood. He was planning to use the divine skill [Divine Mark] on her anyway, making her one of his chosen.
A great opportunity was right in front of them.
"Yumiko, aside from being a student and exorcist, if you're willing to call me a god, I wouldn't mind."
It was still the beginning phase.
Who said a novice god isn't a real god?
"Going to other worlds to handle things, and now you're also a god on top of that?"
Unable to digest the flood of information, Yumiko frowned slightly. It felt like her brain was about to overload.
It was hard to process.
But at least the thing she feared most didn't happen—being so terrified of ghosts that she'd surrender her body and soul to evil spirits. That was something she just couldn't accept.
"Kami-sama... please take a rest."
"..."
Yumiko's attitude even surprised Shira a little. He stared at her beautiful young face. "Aren't you curious?"
"I am."
"But I figure there's plenty of time to learn more in the future."
Wearing Shira's loose lounge shirt, Yumiko got out of bed, her smooth pale legs touching the floor.
She made her way through the dark to the living room.
Pouring water into a cup for Shira, she winced at the pain in her body with each step, her fine eyebrows knitting together.
"I brought this up because there's something else I need to talk about."
Taking the glass from her, even this usually tsundere high school girl had her gentle moments. Shira didn't keep her guessing.
"Yumiko, are you interested in becoming a chosen of the gods?"
"A chosen?"
She had no idea what that meant. But since it was Shira offering, Yumiko nodded.
She blinked. "Sure. But what would that actually do?"
"You'd get a chance to go beyond human limits and become a superpowered being. As your life essence strengthens, spirits won't be able to harm you."
Hana was naturally gifted and could ignore ghosts entirely.
Logically, becoming a chosen would elevate Yumiko's life essence, taking her from an ordinary person to a transcendent one.
She'd probably be able to ignore spirits easily.
Shira looked at the blonde beauty and added calmly, "But becoming one also means... your body and soul will belong to me."
"Don't they already...?"
Yumiko rolled her eyes. If becoming a chosen meant gaining powers and no longer being haunted, it sounded great.
She didn't really grasp what a superpowered person meant yet. Encountering spirits and becoming Shira's woman had all happened so fast.
"People chosen by gods aren't the kind to get abandoned, right?"
"..."
Ignoring the slight bitterness in her tone, Shira activated his newly acquired divine skill. The principle was simple.
He embedded divine essence into Yumiko's body.
As the skill activated, the atmosphere in the room deepened. A pink light began to gather in his palm.
"This... is godly power?"
Yumiko's eyes widened. She stared at the pink orb glowing in Shira's hand, the air itself sweetened.
Her face flushed.
Still, understanding it was a necessary step to become a chosen, she instinctively pressed her thighs together, a deep anticipation rising within her.
"..."
Holy light—though pink.
With a calm expression, Shira lifted the loose T-shirt Yumiko wore and pressed the divine orb against her abdomen.
It slowly sank into her.
"Tss!"
As the divine energy was absorbed, a tingling warmth spread through Yumiko. The pain vanished.
It felt like her whole body had transformed.
She clearly felt stronger in every way, though she wasn't excited. She poked her stomach.
No extra fat.
Only then did she sigh in relief. She was proud of her figure. As she stood and moved around a bit, the difference became clear...
Just yesterday, scraping through the 800-meter run had been a win. Now she figured she could finish it thirty seconds faster.
As for what kind of powers she'd gained...
Nothing specific yet.
The pain was gone, replaced with a vast well of energy. She jumped off the bed and felt gravity tug harder at her chest.
"..."
"Try it. Notice any changes?"
Yumiko blinked, grabbed Shira's hand, and guided it toward her chest. A jolt ran through her like electricity—he'd given her that sensation before.
She didn't care that Shira was right there as she lifted the shirt. On her previously flawless abdomen, a dark purple butterfly-shaped mark had appeared.
It pulsed with a strange yet pure divine aura.
"This..."
"Shira, what is this?"
She'd clearly read this kind of thing in some novels. It looked just like those illustrations in those stories. Now one had shown up on her body.
Her expression turned odd.
"If I said it's the divine mark of a chosen, would you believe me?"
Trying not to let his lips twitch, Shira explained with a flat tone. At this point, his image as a hentai god was probably irreversible.
[Current Chosen of Pleasure: 1. Overall attributes increased by 10%.]