The girl's petulance left Haruka Kochō a little taken aback, though what truly drew her attention was the girl's quite flat chest.
So that is what happens when you keep hitting the brakes.
Then again, at the speed she was flying, a heavier build would not be ideal for high-velocity maneuvering. Even goddesses answer to physics, it seems.
Haruka knew very well who stood before her. Ishtar, one of this land's deities.
Before crossing worlds, Haruka had not studied the finer points of Fate/Grand Order, but even she knew the basics. Besides, certain pink apps featured no shortage of fan works about this goddess.
An ordinary human confronted by a god might already be on their knees. Haruka, however, bore golden blood and power to match. She did not panic. She had not yet fused with the Ember and risen to demigodhood, but taken purely by strength, she was in no way inferior to the girl before her.
Now that her life was no longer in danger, the goddess's bluster only made her seem cute.
Ink-black hair spilled over Ishtar's shoulders, twin ponytails bouncing whenever she huffed and shook her head. The white crown on her head trembled with each exaggerated gesture. Her outfit was anything but solemn, a far cry from mortal ideas of a pristine, dignified goddess.
"Hey, are you listening to me?"
Haruka did not respond to the scolding. She even smiled a little. Ishtar felt her divine dignity being challenged. She jabbed a finger at Haruka's nose.
"Forgive me," Haruka said with a small shake of her head. "It is not that I refused to catch you. I simply cannot touch living beings. Anything living that I touch loses its life."
"What are you talking about? I am a goddess. Curses like that have no effect on me."
Rebellion sparked instantly in Ishtar's heart. She moved to seize Haruka's hands.
Then a chill knifed up from the depths of her soul. Ishtar froze, staring at Haruka's palms. Every divine instinct screamed that touching them would end badly. Perhaps she would not die like a mortal, but she would pay dearly.
Worse, she sensed on Haruka a trace of that detestable presence from the underworld.
Ishtar's hands hovered in midair, caught between pride and prudence. Awkwardness flashed across her face.
"Hmph. A mortal is unworthy of laying hands on a god's body. I will not lower myself to argue with you," she sniffed, turning her head aside. "Who are you, anyway? That outfit of yours does not look local."
Haruka recognized the tsundere for what it was and let the silence breathe. Sometimes restraint is kinder to both sides.
"I am a Goldenborn from the holy city of Aohama," she said. "My name is Haruka. I wandered here while searching for my other half."
"Aohama? Never heard of it. So you are a foreigner. Whatever. I do not care," Ishtar said, still pouting. "Consider yourself lucky this time. Remember, do not speak of what you saw today. Especially do not tell that arrogant blond maniac. If you do, I will kill you."
Like a cat with fur standing on end, she hissed at Haruka while floating and gesturing animatedly in midair. Her long legs traced graceful arcs as she drifted, bare feet white as porcelain. The delicate bones of her instep were clear to see, her small toes curling like flower buds. It was almost distractingly cute.
"I understand," Haruka said. "As this is our first meeting, please accept a small token."
She produced a simple bundle.
"I do not need mortal offerings," Ishtar began, then fell silent as light flashed from the bag's mouth.
Under the sun, gems inside the pouch threw off bright facets.
"A sensible human," Ishtar murmured. "Since you present your tribute with sincerity, I shall accept it. A goddess must honor her duty to receive her believers' offerings."
Shameless outsider. Trying to curry favor with gifts? You have chosen exactly the right goddess.
Having convinced herself, she quickly took the bag.
Haruka could almost see a meter of favorability ticking upward. This world lacked any such system, of course, but Ishtar's attitude had clearly softened.
"Speak your request," Ishtar said, eyes sparkling. "As a goddess, I will do what I can."
Now that she looked closely, she also admired Haruka's poised figure, the elegant elf-like ears, the gentle face. Not bad at all. Among the humans she had seen in this world, Haruka would rank easily in the top three. Naturally she still fell short of a goddess like Ishtar.
Ishtar chose to ignore the not-quite-human points of Haruka's ears.
"It is a little embarrassing," Haruka said, "but I am lost. Please point me toward a human city."
The priority was to find a settlement and then determine the state of this world.
"Head south. If you do not rush, you should reach Uruk in about three days. There are plenty of beasts along the way," Ishtar said, mounting her Ma'anna sky-boat. "But with your constitution, you should be fine."
She vanished in an instant.
Haruka watched her go and sighed. At least she had left a good impression.
With that thought, Haruka set off in the direction Ishtar had indicated.
Before long, the land gave way to forest.
Compared to open plains, the woods hid more teeth and eyes. Countless dangerous beasts prowled under the canopy.
It made little difference to Haruka.
A short while later, deep within the trees, she found the slashed corpses of monsters and, beside them, a petite figure with violet hair.