Chapter 10: Fem-Kazuma (3)

If there are such things as goddesses, the woman strolling down the quiet street seemed like a perfect fit. She surpassed the typical "cute" image seen on TV pop stars; her beauty outshone any human comparison. She had long hair the translucent blue of the sea on a clear day. It gave her a soft, gentle aura. She looked to be around her early teens. Her light-purple clothes fit perfectly, not too revealing yet not hiding anything. She was wearing what we would call a "Feather Dress," divine raiment like the ones in Japan's old stories. She came to a short halt, gazing at her reflection in one of the building's glass panels with eyes the same light blue as her hair, blinking at her inability to understand what had happened. "I'm in Aqua's body..." She raised her hand, running her fingers through the translucent blue strands. "I'm in this useless goddess's body..." A pallor washed over her face, and she bit her lip. "And I lost my manhood in the process...." Taking a deep breath, she withdrew her hands, gazing at the blue sky. "Damn..." Her voice is barely audible. She plodded along the residential street at the pace of an old man with bad knees as the sun began its journey up to the middle of the blue sky. Her face was haggard with exhaustion, and the hair that hung over her eyes was dull and lifeless. "Akh... Where am I anyway?" she muttered, more to herself than anyone else, her gaze drifting up to the buildings, standing tall and arranged side by side along the path ahead. The structures loomed, their glass panels reflecting the radiant sunlight. "Did I return to my world? But where is everyone?" she asked, scanning the deserted surroundings. "Now that I think about it, I woke up in that giant crater. Did someone drop a bomb there or something?" The streets were strangely deserted, and an eerie silence hung in the air. The usual hustle and bustle of city life seemed to have vanished. "Don't tell me I got Isekai'd into a post-apocalyptic world—the last thing I want is zombies running after me." She swallowed hard. She had a lot of questions, but who would answer them? First of all, Where did Aqua disappear to? Could it be that they perhaps swapped bodies and she was somewhere else with her body? The thought alone was a nightmare. Who could tell what embarrassing stuff that useless goddess might do with her body? With a sigh, she decided to walk further down the empty street, hoping to find some clues or signs of life. She reached a crossroads, both figuratively and literally. Unsure of which way to go, she glanced in each direction. She could see cars left over with no drivers. Perhaps she is in a post-apocalyptic world. "Um, excuse me..." A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned around just as her suspicions of solitude were about to solidify into a grim reality. "Hmm?" She spotted a boy standing a few steps away. Straight blue hair cascaded down to his neck, and amber-brown eyes peering at her. "Are you, um... a human?" That was the first thing that escaped her lips, and who would blame her? The boy standing in front of her looked human; the fact that he appeared seemingly out of nowhere amid a deserted city was what made her ask such a thing. The boy blinked, as if surprised by the question, then nodded. "Yeah, I am...I mean if I weren't, do you think I would say I am not?" She nodded, "Ah, good point you got there... By the way, where is everyone? Are you some kind of a sole survivor in a post-apocalyptic world or something?" "P-Post what? No, nothing like that. Are you not aware?" Her brow furrowed, "Aware of what?" "There was a spacequake just a moment ago in the area, everyone went to hide in special shelters. You didn't know?" Her eyes widened in surprise, "Spacequake? What's that?" The boy scratched his head, thinking, "She's just like Tohka back then; she's not aware of what she's causing. Perhaps she's also not aware of the water she sucked from the planet." With this in mind, he decided to explain the whole situation to the blue-haired girl. "It's a phenomenon created by the arrival of Spirits to this world. It causes a dimensional rupture, resulting in a massive explosion that erases everything in its range without a trace and leaves a crater behind." Even with his explanation, he could see the confusion still on the girl's face. He swiftly reached for his earpiece, asking for support. "Kotori!" A voice crackled through the earpiece, "Yeah, Yeah, I heard everything... That is good for the sake of our plan. She seemed to be a lightheaded girl, just like Tohka, so the chance of your success to take her on a date and make her fall for you should be high." "You think so?" "Yeah, also her mood conditions and electroencephalogram are surprisingly so normal, the most normal ones we have seen so far. Out of just being a little angry at something, everything about her seemed normal," Kotori replied, her voice emanating from the earpiece. The boy sighed, "Alright, Kotori. Let's focus on getting her—" "Bro, I'm still here and you already talking with someone else?" The boy caught off guard, fumbled with his words trying to cover the matter, "I-I don't know what you're talking about..." "Do you think I'm blind or something? You talking in your earpiece in front of me for a whole minute. Do you think someone would just stand there waiting for you and not think something is off?" "A..." (That was the case with the previous Spirits, to be honest... why is she the only one who found out?) "So... is this like those sci-fi stories where you're a soldier tracing survivors in the apocalypse, planning to take me to your secret base, where I find your leaders who end up trying to convince me to fight alongside him against an evil enemy? Just to discover those supposed villains are the good ones, and you're the bad ones, so I end up switching sides. A war happens, and I end up sacrificing my life for this world for no reason, just for those cheap dramatic ends..." "Huh?" "Oh, from your reaction, it's something else... Hmmm, let's see... What about the plot where we're in a time loop, and you know I would be here because in a different timeline, you know that..." "H-hang on a second here." His head was in complete chaos. He'd been given too much information at once, and he couldn't process it all. "I already explained the situation, what with all those imaginative stories. Did you perhaps read so much manga before?" "...Never mind, I was just messing around... What's the situation again?" She casually said and he lost track of words to say. Taking a deep breath, Shido tried to regain his composure. "Okay, As I said, Because of a spacequake, all Citizens went onto safety shelters to hide—" "What's your name?" "............huh?" He made a dumbfounded voice and stood rock still. "Your name, you didn't tell me your name" He hesitated for a moment, suspecting that she was purposefully messing with him. "Ah, right, sorry about that. I'm Shido Itsuka," he finally responded, hoping to bring the conversation back on track. "Good name, good name... So what you're saying is that a being that you're calling a spirit appeared suddenly in this world, bringing an explosion with it, which is a spacequake... right?" Shido blinked, nodding to her. "You said citizens are hiding in a special shelter for safety purposes, but here you're casually talking to me, which means you're not a citizen, or at least not a normal one." She leaned in slightly, her gaze piercing. "If I am right, then the way you didn't question why I'm not in one of those shelters means you knew I wasn't a citizen from the beginning." "..." "You explained that called 'spirits' cause spacequakes upon their arrival, leaving behind a crater. Given that I woke up in such a crater, it seems I'm one of these spirits in this world and I was behind the Spacequake that caused all that. 'Spirit' is probably just another name for goodness, as I am in this useless woman's body... From the start, you know all that, and you approached me for a reason, right?" "...She's sharp..." Kotori's voice came from his earpiece, yet Shido didn't respond. No, he didn't even notice, as he was focusing on coming up with the right words to respond to Aqua's conclusion. "Look, I am really in a tight position now. That useless goddess is probably missing somewhere with my body (if my theory about body swapping was right), and I have to do something. If you want anything with me, get straight to the main point without any games." "W-Well..." He didn't know what to say. Should he just confess and ask her on a date? She seemed chill to talk with, maybe he could even help her with her problem even though he didn't know what kind of problem she was in. "Shido..." Kotori's voice echoed from the earpiece equipped in his right ear, "There is nothing more to hide. If we try to hide our real intentions more, she would get mad. But don't worry We got your back here with the conversation" Light from several displays lit the dim, semielliptic space. Kotori was on the bridge of the airship Fraxinus, suspended in the night sky, vertically separated from Shido in the Tengu Arena by a distance of fifteen thousand meters. Inside, Kotori stood up from where she had been leaning back in the captain's chair, a Chupa Chups stuck in her mouth. Her crimson jacket and the hem of her skirt still swinging from the motion, she roared to the rest of the bridge. "All hands! Make your choice!" The crew assembled on the bridge began to tap at the consoles before them. On the main monitor, a window was displayed with three options on it. 1- I WAS JUST CAPTIVATED BY YOUR BEAUTY, PLEASE GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME 2- I WANT TO ASK FOR YOUR HAND 3- WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PANTIES Kotori licked her lips, and her crew's responses were thrown up on her small display. The largest number of votes was for option one. "I see... there some questionable options but that the usual with used to get" she said. One of the crew spoke up from the lower level. "Two is good, but well, it's a bit too on the nose, so one is better here." "I suppose." Kotori nodded. "What do you think, Ellen?" The young-looking woman with light Nordic blonde hair seated to her left turned toward her. "...Mm, right. Seems reasonable. At any rate, we have very little information on Aqua. It wouldn't be a bad idea to look for clues on where we go next based on her reaction to this question." "Makes sense," Kotori agreed. "All right, we'll go with one. By the way, Kannazuki." Before she gave the instruction to Shido, she glanced at the screen. Among the majority of votes for one and the others for one, there was just one member of her crew who had selected three. A tall man with a face like a mannequin stood rigidly immobile behind her. This was the ship's vice-commander, Kotori's second-in-command, Kyouhei Kannazuki. "Yes, sir!" "Which do you prefer, the mountains or the beach?" "Hmm? Are we discussing a trip with you, Commander? In that case, the beach with the greater exposure—" "Good. Then I will give you the Sleep with the Fishies Regimen." Kotori snapped her fingers, and two brawny men appeared from a door behind her and seized Kannazuki's arms. "I-I've been framed!" he cried. "Framed like a damn photo!!" Watching him being dragged away, Kotori sighed in nostalgia, "Ah~~ that brings back so many memories." The door closed with an electronic whirr, and the poor man's voice could no longer be heard. "Sounds pretty lively up there. Did something happen?" "It's nothing. You just focus on the Spirit in front of you," Kotori said, sounding very much like nothing was going on. "I got it..................." After Shido made a small nod, his gaze shifted toward a more serious one. Aqua's body slightly backed away, with a reaction of 'What's with him suddenly.' "Okay, ummm..." "Kazu... um, actually, you can call me Aqua..." "Okay, Aqua. You're right. I approached you for a reason. I want to ask something from you..." "Just talk, man." "Well, can you go on a date with me?" He finally asked, and both of them fell into a brief but loaded silence. "Huh?" "Shido. What are you doing?" He was baffled for a second; the expression on the girl's face was slowly shifting from confusion to disgust... A shrill alarm began to ring on the other end of his earpiece. "Th-this is... Likability, mood, mental state—all her parameters are plummeting! What is going on?! Shido, you're not flashing her or anything, are you?!" "Wha—? No! I'm not!" he said, glancing down just to make sure. Nothing was pulled down, and there wasn't anything scandalous exposed. But then why on earth...?!" Bzzt! Bzzt! "Huh...Her mental state is going back to normal?" He heard the emergency alarm going off from the other side, and he spotted Aqua rubbing her eyes as if she were a father trying to control his anger. "I forgot I was in this useless goodness body for a moment... Even if I hate to admit it, in the standard of beauty, she sits at the top of the pyramid." She sighed in defeat, "It's not surprising you would fall for her at first sight. I was about to fall into the same trap in our first meeting, but believe me, man, once you know what kind of woman this...useless goddess is, you will regret even considering dating her as an option." "Huh?" Once again, Shido failed to follow what she was talking about. "But well, you're free to try anyway. She would mock you or just take advantage of you, but hey, that's not my business. Let me just get my body back, and you're free to do what you want." Aqua shook her head with a weary expression. "I've wasted enough time. I'm going to find that useless goddess and sort out this mess. Just make sure you stay out of trouble, Itsuka-san, and maybe consider finding a girl who won't cause you headaches." With that, she turned on her heel and marched away, leaving Shido standing there, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events. "Shido, what just happened? Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine, Kotori...I guess..." He sprung his face upwards, questioning himself on what he should do now. Go after her? That would be a bad move. Give up for the time being and wait for another opportunity. That would be a wise choice, but time wasn't exactly on their side. They were racing against the clock. What should he do? "...Shido." He had to go after her, but what should he say then? Asking again for a date would be risky, as she had clearly rejected him. Should he try and make a little chat with her, gradually steering the conversation toward another date without her noticing? "Shido!" Or perhaps he could come up with a reason to help her and then get closer... "SHIDO!!" "WAH!" Shido jumped in surprise, his hand instinctively moving to his right ear. "Where did your mind go? I am talking to you." The voice of his little sister echoed through the earpiece; she had been calling. Shido took a moment to collect himself, realizing he had been lost in thought. "Ah, sorry, Kotori. What's up?" "What's up? The spirit is in front of you!" Kotori's voice sounded impatient. Shido blinked, refocusing on Aqua, who was now looking at him. "Oh, you finally reconnected with the real world... welcome back." "AH, Yeah—No wait, I thought you already left." Aqua crossed her arms, "Yeah~ well, I forgot. My first target was to find a living being for information. I got a few questions answered, but there's one that just crossed my mind... When will the people go out of those shelters?" "Well, about that...", Shido reached for a moment for his earpiece, "Hm, if there were no higher signals of a Reiryoku, it would take about 2 hours." The goddess rested her hand on her chin, a smile slowly started to paint on her face, "No homo, but that date you were talking about? If I agree to go with you on it, can I choose where to go?" Shido blinked, a bit taken aback by Aqua's sudden request. "Well, uh, yeah, sure. I mean, it's supposed to be a date, so we can go wherever you want," he stammered, trying to comprehend the unusual turn of events. "Good!" Aqua grinned triumphantly, " And you would take care of all the expenses?" "Uh, well, I mean, usually, the person who initiates the date takes care of the expenses, so if you're asking me to..." "Perfect! As expected from a gentleman," Aqua interrupted a gleam of mischief in her eyes. Shido scratched his head, wondering why the back of his head itched. Aqua clapped her hands, her excitement palpable. "Great! Lead the way. Let's see how that date would be." "Wait...You agree to go on a date with me?" "Yeah, that's what you wanted from the start, right? Why so surprised?" "No...I mean, you suddenly just accepted the whole thing after you rejected me just a moment ago." "Do you want to go or not?" "Yeah, I mean, sure." "Then lead the way." With those words, Shido took the lead. As they walked side by side, Shido, with innocent intentions, and Aqua... (If I were in her body, I would enjoy my time as much as I can)