“Teacher, I’ll be going then.”
“Mm.”
Watching the boy’s back gradually disappear, Kagami Yuto’s expression turned serious once more.
As someone who had been through similar things, he knew very well what kind of impact school violence could have on a student. Especially when he thought about how the student who had come to him for help had already endured so much bullying before this, he knew he had to uphold justice no matter what.
On the other side, Matsushita You, who had just left the counseling room, suddenly changed form the moment he passed through an empty corner on the first floor of the teaching building.
His body was enveloped in a layer of golden light. Then, the boy’s figure gradually disappeared, replaced by a slender, cold figure that slowly emerged.
If Kagami Yuto had been present, his jaw would have dropped. The girl was none other than Tsukimi Ryuune—the very person he had failed to help twice.
“…”
“This guy… Does he really have this ‘I want to save everyone’ attitude toward every single person, and not just toward me…?”
She turned her head slightly and looked in the direction of the counseling room. A trace of confusion gradually appeared in her beautiful golden eyes.
This fact was something she had not expected at all.
Having grown used to being surrounded by admirers, this was the first time she had encountered someone so purely genuine. She had once assumed that Kagami Yuto’s persistent attempts to approach her were because he had ulterior motives. That was why she had used someone else’s identity to test his true attitude.
What she hadn’t expected was that even when facing a complete stranger asking for help, he was still this proactive and serious.
Could it be that she had been misunderstanding him all along…?
An inexplicable irritation rose in her chest.
Especially when she realized that, in this counseling teacher’s heart, she didn’t seem to be particularly special at all. A strange, somewhat angry emotion began to spread within her.
*What’s wrong with me? Why do I care so much about such an ordinary, unremarkable guy…?*
Kagami Yuto still had no idea that he had unknowingly provoked the most troublesome god in this world.
With these thoughts in mind, Tsukimi Ryuune made her way to the rooftop.
A small white cat with heterochromatic blue-and-yellow eyes saw her arrive and proactively rubbed against her white-stockinged legs, purring contentedly.
Tsukimi Ryuune paid it no attention. She simply stood on her tiptoes and lightly leapt onto the central tower of the rooftop, then slowly sat down at the edge.
The little white cat followed her up and lay down beside her thigh.
“Perhaps I should restrain myself a little.”
“The consequences of abusing divine power won’t make this world any more interesting. If that’s the case, I might as well try to live as an ordinary person.”
“What do you think?”
“Meow~”
Just as she was lost in thought, light footsteps echoed from the staircase below.
Tsukimi Ryuune immediately composed herself and casually activated her authority to turn invisible.
By the time she finished, the footsteps had already reached the rooftop.
It was a girl wearing the same uniform as her. For some reason, she had chosen to come to this empty place during lunch break, just like her.
Tsukimi Ryuune didn’t make a sound. She simply sat on the tower and quietly watched.
From her vantage point, she saw the girl walk step by step to the edge of the rooftop. She grabbed the safety net with one hand and looked down at the sports field below with a complicated expression.
“If only gods really existed in this world…”
At those words, Tsukimi Ryuune remained completely still.
“Making wishes is pointless. In the end, things you can’t obtain will stay out of reach no matter what. Besides deceiving yourself, it doesn’t do anything.”
“At the end of the day, gods probably don’t exist at all.”
The girl sighed. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly noticed a white cat with heterochromatic eyes standing behind her.
She froze in place. What surprised her even more was what happened next.
*Do you have any wishes you want to fulfill?*
A voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
“…Huh?”
“W-Who’s talking…?!”
The girl looked around in fear, but the rooftop was empty. There was no one else except her and the white cat in front of her.
Just as she thought she had misheard, the voice spoke again.
*Do you have any wishes you want to fulfill?*
“How is this…”
This time, she turned her gaze to the white cat. It was sitting quietly on the ground, staring straight at her with its cat eyes. Its body didn’t move, like a statue.
“The cat… can talk.”
*Yes, because I am a god.*
“E-Eh…?!”
“G-God!?”
The girl was startled again, but aside from fear, what filled her heart even more was excitement and joy.
The white cat licked its pink paw pads. The girl was so nervous she didn’t dare move. Only after a long while did she swallow and gather the courage to speak.
“G-God… sama…”
“Did you just ask if I have any wishes I want to fulfill…?”
The white cat didn’t respond and simply continued licking its paw.
Seeing that the other party didn’t answer, the girl didn’t know if it was because of its cold attitude or if she had done something wrong. Nervous and uneasy, she still didn’t want to give up this extremely rare opportunity.
“God sama, m-my name is Sato Iri.”
“My wish is to take first place in next month’s swimming competition… and for Asano-senpai, whom I admire… to accept my confession.”
At her words, the white cat stopped licking its paw and raised its head to look at her again.
*Is that all?*
“Huh…?”
*Are those the only two wishes you have?*
“Ah… Y-Yes.”
Right after answering, the girl felt some regret. But she was also afraid that being too greedy would leave her with nothing.
“God sama… Can you grant these two wishes of mine?”
*Sato Iri, was it?*
“Yes.”
Hearing the other party call her name, the girl answered nervously and eagerly.
*Your attitude seems a little too arrogant in my eyes. Besides, what makes you think you can obtain everything you want without offering anything in return?*
The emotionless voice echoed in her mind once more.
“N-No, God sama! I…”
“Please tell me the conditions for fulfilling my wishes. I’m not unwilling to offer anything. As long as you say it, I’ll do it.”
A nervous drop of sweat slid down the girl’s forehead. She had dropped to her knees in a posture of worship before the white cat that claimed to be a god.
*Mm. That attitude is more acceptable.*
Tsukimi Ryuune sat high above, watching everything unfold below. Because she was hidden, the other party couldn’t see her existence.
At the same time, the girl’s earlier words had stirred a trace of interest in her previously confused and empty heart. That was why she had created this little scene of pretense.