"Aqua… Don't you feel bored? Haven't you had enough of this mundane setting yet?" The voice of the bored goddess chimed in my head like a psychic chatterbox, fixated on topics I neither wanted nor needed to hear. "To be perfectly honest, I've almost had my fill. This school… it doesn't fit me at all. I hate schools."
I rolled my eyes internally, my face a mask of polite disinterest as I stared at the whiteboard.
"Maybe you should try an elementary school." I shot back mentally. "That place is way more fun. Probably suits your taste a lot better, oh great goddess."
"Are you mocking my height, Aqua?" Tsukoyomi's mental voice shifted instantly from bored to offended, a low, menacing growl echoing in the confines of my skull.
"No." I replied, my mental tone flat and factual. "It proves I'm not a lolicon."
"Tsch! That's pure prejudice! Liking me does not make you a lolicon!" she fired back, her anger spiking. "I am older than you and every single one of your ancestors combined, you insignificant mayfly!"
"Noted. Your ancient, divine majesty is still stuck in a… compact form."
"Anyway," she huffed, changing tack with divine petulance, "you shall buy me many ice creams after school is over. You owe me that much for insulting a goddess of my stature. Do you hear me, Aqua?"
"Loud and clear." I gave a mental salute, a smirk tugging at my lips as the bell finally rang.
I gathered my things and slipped out of the classroom.
Outside, Ruby was already waiting, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
She spotted me and waved frantically. "Over here, brother! Here!"
"Alright, alright, Ruby. Let's go. I'll buy you ice cream. My treat," I said, reaching out to give her hair a fond ruffle.
She leaned into the headpat, a smile of pure, indulgent satisfaction spreading across her face.
"Good. Don't you dare take it back," she said, her voice sweet but carrying an undertone of serious expectation.
Just then, a short girl with vibrant red hair, who had been passing by, let out a disdainful snort directed right at us. "Are you two actually in elementary school? Who gets that excited over ice cream?"
In my mind, the petite goddess snorted with icy contempt. "What an utterly uncultured brat."
Ruby turned her gaze toward the red-haired girl, her face a perfect picture of feigned, innocent confusion. "Who is this, brother? Do you know her?"
Arima Kana visibly stiffened, as if physically stabbed by the question.
Playing along, I scratched my chin, pretending to study her. "Hmm… I think I've seen her somewhere before. Oh, right! She's the Bell Pepper Girl!"
I chuckled, the old, childhood TV skit clearly ringing a bell.
Kana seemed to shudder, absorbing a critical hit from both Hoshino siblings at once.
A gloomy, almost visible aura began to seep from her.
"I want to die…" she muttered, her voice hollow with profound shame.
And honestly? I could almost understand it.
Anyone who grew up only to find their most awkward, cringe-filled childhood moments—dressed as a vegetable, singing and dancing with childish gusto—preserved forever on television for public consumption… yeah, that was a special kind of hell. I felt a flicker of genuine sympathy for her.
Almost.
"We're just joking, Kana. It's impossible for brother and me to forget about you. That green pepper costume is practically unforgettable." Ruby could barely hold back her snickering, and soon full-blown laughter burst out, tears of mirth springing to her eyes.
"Hahaha… it's just too funny!"
Arima Kana's gloomy, defeated aura seemed to curdle into something darker and more potent.
Ruby's laughter died in her throat as she registered the shift.
She gulped audibly and took an unconscious step backward. "Ahem… I was just joking…"
"Alright, Arima Kana," I cut in, intervening before the 'happy reunion' could escalate. "We really haven't forgotten you. It's almost impossible to forget the most hyped genius child actress of our generation."
"Hmph. I knew I could never get along with you," Kana snorted, directing her glare squarely at Ruby before turning her sharp, evaluative gaze to me. "And you, my great rival… Even the great director praised you. Now that you've enrolled here, I expect you not to disappoint me."
"Urgh… Sorry to interrupt your delusions of grandeur, genius, but I didn't come to this school to be your rival or become a great actor," I stated flatly, my tone leaving no room for debate. "I'm here to make sure my sister is in safe hands and doesn't get ruined by some scumbag in this industry."
In that moment, Tsukoyomi in my head, Kana in front of me, and Ruby beside me all looked at me with identical expressions of pure disdain.
Their voices—one psychic, two physical—blended into a unified, judgmental chorus: "Sis-con."
I just smirked, embracing the label without a hint of shame. "I'm proud to be one. You're all welcome."
A collective sigh of resignation washed over them.
Arguing was pointless; my face was clearly thick enough and my shamelessness audacious enough to deflect any such criticism.
"Okay…" Kana finally sighed, her expression shifting from competitive fire to something closer to pity. "If you ever change your mind and get interested in acting again… please tell me, Aqua. It would be a genuine waste for your talent to rot in ordinariness."
With that final, almost sorrowful pronouncement, she turned and walked away, not insisting on staying a moment longer.
Ruby rubbed her eyes, a look of utter confusion on her face. "What… was that all about?"
"That was just Arima Kana being Arima Kana," I chuckled, shrugging. "What's so weird about it?"
"Yeah… I guess you're right, brother." She shook her head, the strange encounter already fading as her primary objective resurfaced. "Now, let's go! You're buying me ice cream. You promised."
"Me too," Tsukoyomi's voice chimed in my mind.
I sighed, feeling the weight of two problem children—one mortal, one goddess—settle squarely on my shoulders.
"Fine, fine. Let's go."
I steered us toward the nearest ice cream stall, a man on a simple, yet unexpectedly complicated, mission.
"So, what do you want, Goddess?" I asked within the privacy of my own mind. "And more importantly, how the hell am I supposed to get it to you?"
"I'm so glad you asked me first, Aqua," her voice echoed, thrumming with a palpable, unsettling joy. "It makes me happy… it seems I am more important than your sister, after all."
Her tone sounded genuine, which only deepened my confusion.
I couldn't fathom what she wanted or needed from me, or why this loli goddess was acting so unnervingly clingy.
Our only history was a series of bizarre, vivid dreams.
And I seriously doubted a goddess would take dream-illusion as some binding, meaningful bond.
Still, I held back any sharp rebuke.
Let her have her happy mood.
It was easier than dealing with an angry goddess.
Without hesitation, she stated her desire. "I want vanilla. Get one for me, Aqua. You and I share the same five senses now. Your body is my conduit. So, you eating it… is the same as me tasting it through you."
"Ahem. Brother." Ruby's voice, sharp and real, cut through the internal dialogue. "What's taking you so long? You're zoning out again."
Her brow was furrowed, a hint of genuine concern cutting through her usual playful impatience.
I blinked, crafting a look of feigned, mildly confused concentration on my face. "Sorry, Ruby. I was thinking hard about what flavor you'd like. I… I forgot."
"What? That's all?" She waved a hand dismissively, though her eyes softened a fraction. "Don't stress over it. I know you have your own stuff to worry about. Remembering my favorites is a big enough task for you."
She turned decisively to the stall owner. "One strawberry, please."
"Vanilla," I ordered, my voice short and flat.
Ruby shot me a weird look. "Huh? I thought you liked the pure milk flavor more?"
I paused, a little unnerved that she remembered such a trivial detail about my old preferences.
Why does she catalog this shit?
"Not everything is set in stone," I answered, my tone firm enough to discourage further inquiry. "I like variety."
"Here you go, young man and lady. Enjoy! Come again!" the stall owner said with a cheerful grin, handing over the cones.
"Thanks." I fished the yen from my pocket, paid, and steered Ruby away.
We ended up walking through the school courtyard, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows.
Ruby licked her strawberry cone contentedly beside me, while I took a deliberate bite of the vanilla. Instantly, a wave of cool, sweet creaminess flooded my senses, followed by a ripple of profound, childlike satisfaction that wasn't my own.
"Fufufu…" The loli goddess's laughter echoed in the chambers of my mind, light and full of a joy that felt both innocent and ominously knowing.
"What a truly wonderful day, Aqua. Enjoy your little theater of comedy… while it lasts."
...
Note: Yeah, I'll mass release 3 chapters first. The next one(s) will come after the power ranking resets.
If you're enjoying this story, feel free to throw in all your power stones, rate it 5 stars, or add it to your library and collection. For every 250 power stones will unlock a bonus chapter.