Volume 23 Chapter 4, Kousuke on Reflection

On a bed, in a room inside of Asura’s mansion, Kousuke was thinking about what Asura just told him.

He would like to help Sylvia and the others somehow. However, helping them meant using the power of a God to change the destiny of others. That was the last thing he wanted to do as a God himself.

In his previous world, there were countless stories of people’s destinies being forcibly changed by God and their lives being ruined. In a sense, this was seen as an aspect of divinity, but Kousuke did not want to be as overbearing as that. Even if both parties’ desires coincided with each other.

In this case, it would be Kousuke’s and the girls’ desire to have a child.

[They most likely expect me to have my doubts as well. Asura has warned me that no matter what happens, once I start, I will not be able to stop myself. It was advice from another God. If I don’t listen, and use my powers, I would definitely regret it. Her warning is purely out of good intention. She just doesn’t want me to regret my actions.]

***

“Ah. I can’t sleep.”

He lounged around in bed for a long time, but he just couldn’t fall asleep.

He thought that a night’s sleep would give him some good ideas, but it didn’t seem to work that way.

He woke up with a groggy groan and decided to take a walk outside as he had done before.

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This time, instead of wandering around aimlessly like last time, he strolled to a certain place.

He did it to distract myself, but he also had another purpose.

“Oh, there it is!”

It was the rock he touched before when he had a chance encounter with the World Record.

This time, he was able to arrive without being lost or misled.

He went there with a particular expectation in mind.

To meet the World Record once again.

If he could meet the World Record, maybe it could provide a solution to this problem.

That was why he decided to go there.

***

As before, he leaned back against the rock.

The last time he met the World Record, he just passed out here, with his black leaning against the rock. However, he was not certain what happened next.

He did not know whether he had fallen asleep or fainted the last time.

Either way, he believe he couldn’t meet the World Record unless his consciousness was in a hypnotic state. So, he tried to get back to sleep, but it didn’t work out that way he wanted it to.

“…I guess it’s no good to have negative thoughts or anything like that.”

He muttered to himself, slightly depressed.

He came here, believing he might be able to see the World Record. However, it seems that it was not that easy to meet it.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped…”

He gave up on meeting the World Record, but decided to stay there for a while.

As he lay there, leaning against a rock, he was enjoying the caress of the wondrous breeze.

It was not enough to make him forget all the thoughts he had just had, but he still felt as if the irritation he had been feeling was somehow disappearing.

***

He did not know how long it had been, but he was fell asleep without realizing it.

It wasn’t that he encountered the World Record… he just fell asleep.

Yet, when he woke up, he didn’t feel the same as he did before he fell asleep.

“I didn’t think that I was this stupidly optimistic.”

He was smiling and looked refreshed.

He didn’t know if it was good that he fell asleep, or if it was good that he came here.

The struggle that he had felt before he fell asleep were all gone.

He was hungry as well.

Unlike when he arrived, Kousuke returned back to Asura’s mansion with a very refreshed look on his face.

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“Oh my. You look refreshed. Have you moved on?”

As soon as he met Asura, she suddenly said that to him.

Kousuke couldn’t help but stroke his cheek.

“… Did I really look that different?”

“That’s right. I thought you were possessed by something, you know?”

Kusuke chuckled and Asura placed her hand to cover her mouth.

“That’s so cruel of you.”

Kousuke thought he was doing the same as usual, but to those around him, he looked completely different. In fact, the Kousuke of today looked no different from the Kousuke that Asura saw yesterday.

“So? Were you able to make a decision?”

It was obvious from Kousuke’s appearance that he had come to terms with his decision, but Asura still wanted to know what that decision was.

“Well. In the end, I realized that no matter how hard I try, it would still end up the same.”

Kousuke’s reply seemed to satisfy Asura.

Asura smiled and gave a nod.

“If you understand that, then you’ve done well.”

“….Was I approaching it the wrong way?”

“I don’t know. But I’m not so sure if they’d want it any other way, you know?”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, as I said yesterday, it was up to you to choose. They would follow along with your decision regardless of what it is.”

“I wonder about that.”

“You should have already known it to be the case.”

Asura laughed at Kousuke, who still looked a little uncertain.

“You should have a little more confidence in yourself. Don’t go off the rails like you did this time.”

Kousuke frowned at Asura’s advice.

“What a terrible way of putting it… go off the rails.”

“But I’m not wrong, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Kousuke was somewhat aware of it.

“Then quickly return and reassure them.”

“Yeah, I will …and Asura.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’d like you to come over to pamper me a little more if you can, though, won’t you?”

Kousuke lowered his head, to which Asura replied in a mischievous manner.

“I’ll pass on that.”

“Oh, well. Too bad.”

Both knew it was a joke, so after they were done, they looked at each other and laughed together.

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“I apologize for worrying everyone.”

Kousuke returned to the Administration Floor and lowered his head as soon as he met everyone. He was not so brazen as to take it easy here and treat everyone as usual.

Seeing Kousuke like this, the girls all looked relieved.

They noticed that his expression was completely different from yesterday.

At least, they knew that things were not as bad as they had thought.

Of course, Sylvia heard most of what was going on, so she was the most relieved.

However, what one heard from Goddesses, and one’s impression when looking directly at the individual, were completely different.

The girl did not even ask what decision Kousuke had made.

But after Sylvia talked to Eris, as well as when she saw Kousuke personally like this, she could tell that he was vastly different from the way he was yesterday.

“No. It’s fine. As long as you come back to us.”

When Sylvia said so, everyone honestly agreed.

“I see. Thank you.”

Kousuke looked relieved and lowered his head once more.

“Jeez. You don’t have to bow so much.”

“That’s right. It annoys me when you do so.”

Shrein joked back at Sylvia’s words.

“Uwah. How awful of you girls.”

The usual exchange finally brought smiles to everyone’s faces.