To Akira's clearly intentional pick-up line, the girl's reaction was…
No reaction!
"…"
She still sat there blankly, her expression unchanged.
His first attempt at picking up someone in his life ended in miserable failure, but Akira was not deterred.
On the contrary, he was very sure that he had caught her attention, because although the girl's expression remained icy, her gaze was now fixed on Akira, the unwelcome intruder.
Akira actually used this approach on purpose to test her, to see what her reaction would be, and then choose his next move based on her response.
This was the essence of picking up: adapting to the situation and tailoring his approach.
If she seemed happy, it meant she was indeed a Kami-machi Shoujo, and further interaction would be simpler. If she was angry, felt insulted, or even just frowned, it meant she didn't expect anyone to take her in, and she was full of vigilance towards strangers.
However, this black long straight hair girl was neither at the happy nor angry end of the emotional spectrum, but somewhere in the middle.
She might not know how to react, or even might not understand what the person in front of her wanted.
From this numb appearance… she was seriously ill.
This referred to a sickness of the heart.
Akira had seen people with similar feelings before; when he was a university student in his previous life, he volunteered in a disaster-stricken area after an earthquake and met a little girl who had lost all her family, and her eyes were just as hollow.
After the initial sadness, what followed was emptiness.
There would be no one to care for her anymore, no place to return to, and she didn't know what to do.
When one loses hope in life and feels that everything is meaningless, a person will fall into this dull, lost state.
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart; her heart was already dead at this moment.
But… what did that have to do with him?
Akira didn't care about the black long straight hair girl's heart problem or anything; he just wanted to confirm if this black long straight hair girl with astonishing beauty had enough talent to earn his favor.
So, he spread his hands and continued to provoke the black long straight hair girl's nerves with a frivolous tone.
"What? Aren't you a Kami-machi Shoujo? A High School girl in a sailor uniform, pitifully staying in a place like this, you're clearly a runaway Kami-machi Shoujo, aren't you?"
Upon hearing 'runaway', the black long straight hair girl's expression finally changed.
She became even more despondent, hugging her knees and curling further into herself, like a clam closing its shell to protect itself.
At the same time, Akira also observed the black long straight hair girl's body.
There were no signs of being hit on her face or body, so it wasn't physical domestic violence, but cold violence couldn't be ruled out.
Her sailor uniform looked quite clean, indicating that not much time had passed since she ran away alone.
She didn't even have a small suitcase or commuter bag with her, meaning she ran out unprepared, making it highly likely that it was an impulsive act.
However, judging by her reaction to running away from home, regret seemed less likely than a sense of regret, which suggested she probably had no intention of returning.
As expected, having talent makes a difference; his thoughts were much clearer.
Thank you, Class Monitor.
Akira naturally wouldn't let the black long straight hair girl become even more withdrawn, so he continued to approach and said.
"You're not really planning to sleep in a place that looks like it's haunted, are you?"
"…"
The black long straight hair girl didn't reply, burying her face in her knees.
Akira squatted in front of the offertory box and played a game of touch and grab with Kuroo, patiently waiting for the black long straight hair girl to speak first.
After a while, about ten minutes later, the black long straight hair girl seemed to have finally composed herself, slowly looked up, and asked.
"…Kami-machi Shoujo… what is that?"
"Uh…"
Akira was speechless; he hadn't expected her first words to be a question about that.
But her voice was also very pleasant.
It wasn't that artificial, cutesy voice, but a low, gentle, and very clear voice that was comfortable to listen to.
Not only beautiful, but also a pleasant voice, what kind of succubus incarnate is this?
The most outrageous thing was, did she really not even know the meaning of Kami-machi Shoujo?
Akira began to explain to her.
"It's a runaway High School girl like you, who has no money and has fallen out with her family, unwilling to go home, and just wants to wait for a 'divine being' who can provide her with food and lodging for free, so she's jokingly called a 'girl waiting for a god'."
She nodded, indicating that she understood.
Akira scratched his head and continued.
"However, calling you a Kami-machi Shoujo is indeed a bit biased, after all, you don't look like you're waiting for a 'kind' god… So what are you waiting for? Waiting to die?"
"…" Waiting to die?
Akira's words forced the almost stagnant thoughts of the black long straight hair girl to restart, mercilessly dragging her back to reality.
Yes, no matter how much she wallows in self-pity, as a living being, one still needs to eat and sleep.
Was she going to die here?
No… …
The black long straight hair girl asked herself, realizing that she didn't want to die just like that.
Since she didn't want to die, then she had to find a way to obtain food and shelter.
From this moment on, the girl finally began to face the boy who had intruded into her world.
She recalled the boy's first words, and only now did she finally get to the point.
"… …You… …want to take me home?"
If I am a girl waiting for a god, then are you the god I am waiting for?
A god brought by a cat… …
However, Akira at this time seemed to have forgotten his earlier flirtatious demeanor, scratching the back of his head, and said with an embarrassed expression.
"Oh, let's talk about that later. I was just saying it casually. Did you really take it seriously?"
"… … "
Seeing Akira's nonchalant attitude, a faint sense of disappointment welled up in the black long straight hair girl's heart, along with some anger.
It even made her want to retort, 'Am I not worthy of being taken home by you?'
There was also a feeling of her self-esteem being hurt.
Because she was aware of her own beauty, she knew how pretty she was, and also knew how attractive she was to men.
Therefore, she was wary of every man, because ninety-nine percent of men approached her with ulterior motives.
However, the boy in front of her, who was about the same age as her, was a little different. The black long straight hair girl couldn't figure out what he wanted.
But she still understood that to protect herself, she had to make a statement first.
"Even if you are willing to take me back, I have nothing to repay you with."
"No, you do, don't say you don't know."
"… … "
Yes, she did.
The black long straight hair girl herself was very clear about what her 'most valuable thing' was right now.
Akira pointed at the black long straight hair girl with a smirk.
"Your body… …looks very tempting."
What the girl awaited was not a god, but a devil.