Chapter of the week: 2/4
Translator: Reizenchuu
Editor: Kenny Stryker

After Tenjouin and his cla.s.smates returned to their world, the summer holidays and my heavenly time enjoying life were about to reach their ends in a week. Usually, most of the students get very busy in this last week due to doing their homeworks and preparing for the second term, but that didn't matter to me. I already had done my homeworks a long time ago and I don't have anything to prepare for the second term. My plan for this week was to take it easy and relax.

That was my plan…

"I'm so excited, Karen-chan."
"Me too, Saychan."

Karen and Saya were cheerfully walking inside a shopping mall they frequently visit in front of me.

I wonder why my plans always get ruined liked this…

I let out a heavy sigh as I complained to myself. The reason I was walking with them in this mall was because of that unfair request they forced me to accept. The request was for me to play the role of their luggage holder and protector on this particular sales day. They say that girls like to dress up. Karen and Saya were not an exception either. I agree that this is much better than getting asked to do some troublesome task, but the thing is that this current request is made only by Karen. In other words, I still have to hear Saya's request afterward. I unintentionally complained at Karen for not being fair when she told me that I need to listen to two requests instead of one.

"Whatever, really…"

I guess I can relax later when I'm done with both of their requests. Let's just enjoy today's shopping. Although I will be just holding their luggage the entire day.

"Sorry for making you come with us today, Yato-kun."
"Do your best, and work hard."

Saya and Karen casted a few words of grat.i.tude at me.

"It's fine. I've been requested to go out with the both of you, after all."

I wasn't intending to refuse their request no matter how unreasonable they might be. Let's just imagine that I'm going shopping with them and not just to hold on their luggage.

"I will show you Saychan's cuteness when I make her try some clothes."
"Wait, Karen-chan!?"

After hearing her name coming from Karen, Saya fl.u.s.tered in embarra.s.sment. Karen's att.i.tude towards her is gradually getting rough. I guess it's a proof of their friends.h.i.+p.

I only came to realize something of extreme importance after we entered the clothes shop.

No way…

"Karen-chan, what do you think of this?"
"It looks cute."

I wonder how much time has pa.s.sed since we entered. They didn't stop choosing new clothes and trying them repeatedly. I totally forgot that girls take forever to choose clothes in these types of shops.

I was standing outside the shop and was waiting for them to finish what they're doing. I attempted to join their conversation at first, but as someone who doesn't have a clue about fas.h.i.+on, there was no way I could keep up with their topics. Therefore, I am standing here outside the shop, alone. I remember that the last time I came with Karen was like this too. I wonder why they take too much time.

I'm bored…

I gazed at the distance while leaning against the wall of the shop. The fact that Lina wasn't with them saved me so much time. After all, 3 girls will spend more time inside a clothes shop than 2 girls. The reason she wasn't with them today is because she was busy with her work. She didn't talk about what exactly she went to do, though I'm sure it's something related to Metron. As far as I know, Metron and Korola are in the middle of getting punished right now. They must be whining and suffering at this very moment.

They're taking way too long…

I turned back to look at them again and saw them standing with the same position as earlier. I wonder if it's just me who feels that their stamina is unlimited. I s.h.i.+fted my gaze to the other side while feeling already tired and noticed the face of a child I've already seen somewhere before. He had green eyes and hair and was wearing casual clothes that didn't make him stand out. Without a doubt, he was the G.o.d of Affection, Korola, carrying an ice cream with one hand and walking in the mall with a carefree att.i.tude. The next moment, I turned my face to a different side with an uninterested expression.

It's just Metron's friend… Huh!?

It took me a while to realize the strangeness of the situation before promptly turning back and widening my eyes.

Wait a minute! What is he doing here? And why did I have to look at him two times before realizing who he was?

I couldn't believe that I've done a cliched act like that and hastily followed Korola who disappeared from my field of sight.

"Korola."

I called his name when I found him again, making him turn around.

"… Who are you?"

He stayed quiet for a moment before he replied, feigning ignorance.

"Huh?"
"Who are you? I think you got the wrong person."

I exclaimed with a confused voice from that unexpected answer, but Korola kept insisting that he doesn't know me. This liar. He clearly turned around when I called his name, and besides, it's obvious that he is not an ordinary person from his stats.

"Your eyes are darting."
"W-What are you talking about! I'm just a normal child."

The moment I pointed that his eyes were darting, he immediately averted his face while fl.u.s.tering. This guy is so bad at lying.

"Don't tell me that you escaped from the punishment."
"I-I'm busy, so I will go now!"

Apparently, my remark was on spot since Korola's face turned pale the moment he heard it and tried escaping from me. I watched him running away without following him and uttered a single line.

"… Scala was looking for you just now."
"Eh!! Seriously?! How did she find out this fast!!?"

His face turned even more pale as he glanced around his surroundings. He is so easy to read. He exclaimed in a loud voice in the middle of looking around him then slowly turned to look at me. He got completely exposed. Korola and I remained to stare at each other awkwardly.

"So, why are you here?"

Dragging him back near the shop where I was standing, I finally asked Korola for his intention. This time, he honestly admitted that he got exposed and answered me with a bitter smile on his face.

"Well, I got charged with tons of work as a punishment from the Divine G.o.d and… I got bored from doing all the work."

Not seeming to regret anything, he told me the reason for him being here while smiling. In short, he slacked off from the punishment work and came to play here.

I wonder why he chose Earth out of all the other worlds in the universe. Couldn't he just go to his own world?

"That's a pretty light punishment. You only have to work a little harder than before."
"Well, it's because all that I did was send those heroes here and cast on them a minor hypnotize magic. The rest wasn't my fault."

He's right. Now that I think about it, all that he did was those two things. The one who sent Maxis to Earth wasn't him, so it would be unfair if the punishment were to be harsh for him.

"Metron's punishment was pretty harsh though."
"What was it?"
"He was charged to do his work with his legs heavily cuffed and while observed 24 hours by angels. I got scared when I saw him in that condition."

Korola talked about his supposedly best friend in a nonchalant att.i.tude. All I could do was to imagine the dreadful scenery of Metron getting his legs cuffed and working 24 hours a day. I wonder how many times someone must slack off from their work to get such a punishment. I unintentionally revealed an awkward expression from imagining him right now, but the next moment, I asked Korola about something that has been on my mind.

"Still, why didn't you save him? Isn't he supposed to be your best friend?"

His first reaction was a giggle for some unforeseen reasons before he answered while making a proud face.

"I have been told by his subordinate angel that leaving him that way is the best thing a true best friend could do for him! Therefore, I abandoned Metron for his own good!"

He didn't seem to have any doubts about his actions. That angel is quite good at dealing with him. I randomly replied to his confident answer and changed the topic.

"So, what are you doing here? Couldn't you just go hide somewhere in your world?"
"I have been intending to visit this place since the last time I saw it. And besides, the management of Earth is poor, so it's the best world I can hide in."

The management of Earth is poor, huh.

No wonder why so many odd people end up here. I shrugged my shoulders after hearing the truth which I didn't really want to know and asked Korola another question to confirm something.

"Let me ask this just in case. You're not aiming for my life anymore, are you?"

Korola stopped licking the ice cream he was holding with his hand and answered me without hesitation.

"Not at all. I mean, Metron told me to stop."

He spoke in a casual voice tone, but soon dropped his sight downwards and continued.

"Rather, I'm… sorry about that time."
"Huh?"
"Even if it were a misunderstanding, I feel just a little bit sorry… for what I did."

He turned away to hide his blus.h.i.+ng face and spoke timidly. I was honestly taken aback to see him acting like that. I wasn't expecting him to admit his fault.

"I didn't know that you had a heart."
"Isn't that a bit cruel of you?!"

I guess it was rude of me to reply to his apology like this. Korola looked at me with a shocked expression. Still, it was a real surprise for me to see him apologizing. I mean, he is Metron's friend and so easy to manipulate. I was so stunned to see him honestly apologizing that I even started imagining a meteorite cras.h.i.+ng on Earth today.

"I was indeed asked by my best friend to stop you, but I still feel a little guilty for what I did."

Korola continued speaking in a low voice and looking down.

Could it be that he came all the way to Earth just to apologize?

If that were the case, I don't think I can hate him anymore.

"Ah, um, well, you don't have to feel so guilty about it. Luckily n.o.body has died from what happened."

I tried cheering him up with a few words while averting my eyes and once he heard those words, Korola lifted back his head and smiled back at me.

"Thanks, I'm happy."

While he exhaled a breath of relief, he resumed licking his ice cream. He could be one of the most mature G.o.ds out of all the others in this universe. I thought to myself while leaning back against the wall behind me. Both of us turned quiet which resulted in a delicate mood between us until we heard a familiar voice coming from the other side.

"I found you, Korolsama!"

I turned around and saw Lina rus.h.i.+ng to us in panic. It looked like she was considering this place as she was wearing clothes that were considered normal on Earth.

"Lina, what are you doing here on Earth?"
"I found you, Korolsama. You shouldn't slack off from your work. Please, hurry up and go back now."

She ignored my question and directly addressed Korola. She must be in quite the hurry.

"Argh! I got caught."

Korola revealed a frightened expression and went to hide behind me.

Huh, why are you hiding behind me?

Lina looked confused to see him clinging to my back then turned to glare at me.

"What are you doing?"
"Um, even if you ask me that…"

I wanted to ask the same question too. Korola tightly gripped my back and used me as a s.h.i.+eld while complaining about not wanting to go back with Lina. Unexpectedly, I was shaken to see him act that way. Due to his young appearance and the way he apologized to me just now, I couldn't just hand him off to Lina immediately.

What should I do, now…

Lina and Korola stared at each other while I stood between them, and confused. A short while of silence later, Lina gave me an advice.

"Be careful. Korolsama is skillful at getting a place in people's heart."
"Take him."

The moment I heard that advice, I submitted Korola to her without hesitation by lifting him from his back collar and putting him in front of her. Korola exclaimed in a confused voice a second later after I placed him in front of her. Maybe he wasn't expecting that I'd give up on him this fast.

"W-Wait!! Isn't it too fast for you to betray me!? Shouldn't you take a little bit longer before you decide on what to do, no!?!"
"No, I sensed that you are dangerous."
"Even though we were about to become friends!?"

Those two things are completely unrelated and I believe that we didn't become friends yet. Lina seemed surprised to see me give up on him so fast, but she received him from me and grabbed him by his collar.

"Thanks for the help, Kamiya Yato."
"You're having a tough time, huh."
"That's my job, so it can't be helped."

Lina revealed a bitter smile as she replied to me. She then quickly lifted Korola by his back collar and bid farewell to me.

"Well then, Korolsama. Let's go back."
"Can't you wait until I finish this ice cream?"
"You can eat that ice cream once you are back."

Getting his last resistance readily shattered, Korola obediently gave up and dropped his head.

"Well then, we will be going."
"Yeah."
"You should do your best too. I know you're having a tough time as well."

Lina cheered me up while looking at the inside of the store behind me. It looks like she already knows about my current situation.

"Yeah, thanks."

I replied to her casually and saw her walking off to an emergency staircase with Korola. She is probably going to return to the Heavens from there. As I kept watching her off until she disappeared from my sight, Karen had finally left the store.

"We're back."

I turned back and saw only Karen standing there.

"Where is Saya?"
"She is in the dressing room. I made her wear a cute coordination and called you to see it."

So she wasn't kidding when she said that she will show me Karen's new dress. I bitterly smiled when I recalled Saya's embarra.s.sed reaction at that time, but soon I noticed Karen glancing at my surroundings.

"What's wrong?"
"Weren't you talking to someone just now?"

She probably heard my voice earlier talking to Lina and tried to check if someone were with me.

"n.o.body is here."

I wasn't in the mood to explain to her everything from the start, so I just deceived her with a random reply and made her agree.

"Let's hurry up. Saya is waiting for us."
"Yeah."

Urged by Karen to move, I entered the clothes shop. I'm pretty sure that Saya is wis.h.i.+ng for us to stay away from her right now.

"How was it?"
"It looked pretty good on her."

After leaving the clothing shop, we continued walking around the shopping mall. Karen and I were having a fun discussion about Saya's clothes while Saya was walking behind us while hiding her red face with her hands.

"That was embarra.s.sing…"

Well, I can't blame her for that reaction. She was wearing a new type of clothes and waiting for us near the dressing room. It was a fresh experience to see her in a miniskirt and some other clothes which she wasn't used to wearing. Karen made her try various types of coordinations and what made her look even better was her attempt to stay calm and ask if the clothes were fitting her with a face dyed with red.

I guess we should leave her alone for a while to calm down.

I made that decision while looking at Saya suffering from embarra.s.sment, but she soon changed her expression after she found something

"Saya, what's wrong?"
"That…"

She pointed on a photo booth inside the game center.

"Is that a photo booth?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go take one with the three of us."

A photo booth, huh.

I asked Karen if she ever took a picture inside one but she shook her head horizontally, saying that she didn't. I've never used a photo booth to take a picture either. Karen agreed with Saya's suggestion while on the other side, I was reluctant.

"Count me out in this one."
"Eh? Why?"
"I'm bad at taking pictures. My forced smiles don't look very good."

There wasn't a single time when a picture I took looked good. Saya looked dejected and gave up for a short moment before she raised her voice again seeming to have got a good idea.

"Then consider this as my request from you. Are you still going to refuse?"
"Are you fine with just that?"
"Yes. I want to take a picture with you and Karen-chan."

She cheerfully smiled at us with a face that didn't show a trace of the embarra.s.sment she was feeling just recently. I can't refuse if that were her request.

"I got it. Let's take a picture together then."

Saya firmly nodded with me when I accepted her request, and she looked pretty delighted. The three of us entered the photo booth, chose the options and prepared to take a picture.

"I can just stand on the side instead of the center you know."
"No. Yato-kun, you're taller than the both of us, so you must stand in the center."
"Yes, the photo should be balanced."

I wanted to stand on the side but the two of them forcibly pushed me between them. The next moment, I heard a voice telling us to smile coming from the machine which made me freeze at my place while Saya and Karen smiled.

"Yato-kun, is that a smile…?"
"It's too stiff."
"I told you, I'm bad at forcing smiles."

For an obvious reason, my smile didn't get a favorable feedback from them. I guess I'm still bad at smiling like I used to. I can tell that my mouth was stiff by looking at the screen. It can't be helped. I'm just bad at this. As the time limit approached, I gave up and returned to my normal serious look when suddenly, Karen stretched my cheeks.

"This is much better."

Saya who found her idea to be brilliant joined her in stretching my cheeks from the other side.

"Ah, you're right."

The both of them laughed as they stretched my cheeks from both sides. I agreed with them that my current smile was more or less better than the stiff one I was making just now.

"It kind of hurts though."
"Look at the camera."

Karen ignored my minor complaint and told me to look at the camera. Right when I did, I heard the sound of the picture taken. After that, we took a few other pictures, wrote on them what we wanted and left the photo booth.

"Next time we should bring Linchan with us."
"Yeah."

Saya and Karen talked as they gazed at the pictures we've taken. I have never taken a picture of myself having my cheeks stretched, so I had an indescribable feeling while looking at the photos. This is most likely the best smile I was able to do when taking a picture in my life.

"You should take it with us too, Yato-kun."
"Yeah, sure…"

I vaguely replied to Saya as I put the photos in my pocket.

Well, that didn't feel so bad…

I revealed a faint smile while touching the photos in my pocket. From that day on, I placed them in the drawer in my room to not lose them.

——————————————————————-
Bonus

Drama

After returning.

"I was caught again."
"Hey… Korola…"
"M-Metron!? What happened?! You look so worn out!"
"This punishment… was a little… too.. harsh on… me…"
"M-Metron!! Get a grip on yourself! Metron!!"
"I feel like I can get better if you get me some sweets…"
"I get it! I will get you lots of sweets now!!"

"Metron-sama is doing it again."
"How many times is he going to keep making this drama?!"

Next Update: Wednesday, August 01, 2018