Yes, I am still alive.

Yes, I am planning to update my other smut fics.

And I may or may not publish another AU Oregairu Fanfic.

The God Hachiman of Rhozgelia

Evening Conversations

Nine figures sat around the fire that I made. All of them were exhausted from the battle earlier. It had dragged on longer than expected when Hob Goblins suddenly appeared. Nearly two and a half meters tall and lumbering on with muscular arms and legs, they are a real danger to any adventurer, no matter the rank. Curiously, there were even Goblin females among their ranks, much to our surprise.

A single Golem of mine is enough to wipe out an entire troop of them, but I decided to pull them back. Reason being is that I wanted to see how well my other companions fare to enemies of their level. The Goblin Slayer and his party were almost overwhelmed several times, and they only lived through it thanks to the bolts lightning and condensed flames from my fingertips. Satou Kazuma and his team were on the supporting role; He stayed at a high rock and continued firing his bows while Aqua supported him. If any Goblins get too close, Darkness will use her high durability skillset to distract and take several glancing hits in the process.

Still, with all their effort, a wound or two is unavoidable. Satou Kazuma suffered a nasty gash on his right arm, while the Dwarf and Lizardman had light scratches and cuts all over their arms and legs. The three of them are currently being treated by the healers in the group while eating the provisions that they brought with them.

"O-OW! Aqua slow down or you're going to reopen my other wounds!" He seethes in pain, to which she clicks her tongue and fastens his bandage tighter. "I SAID THAT HURTS DAMNIT!"

"Yes yes they're already done. This will be gone in a few days so stop complaining!" The Goddess replies and hits him on the head with the back of her hand. While they look at each other threateningly, she begrudgingly gives him a flask of water. "If you hadn't gotten this injury in the first place, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Satou Kazuma sighs and shakes his head. "Hey I did my best okay? The one that gave this to me was too fast." He looks up and nods at me. "It's only thanks to Genji-san that this wasn't deeper than it already is."

I return him one of my own. "Speak nothing of it. I only did first aid to remove the poison. Your friend is the one who did most of the work." I say and shrug.

Earlier during the battle, he had run out of arrows and proceeded to join the other melee-combatants. Unfortunately, he had overestimated his abilities when he fought against a Hob Goblin, causing him to suffer that wound. Had I not intervened by cutting off his attacker's arm at the last moment, Satou Kazuma would have had something far worse to worry about than a gash.

I have already given the Arch Wizard her share of food, as well as that of her party's from my own Gate inside my bag. She and Darkness are quietly talking to each other while Rushia is sitting on my lap, eating bread with hot melted cheese that the Goblin Slayer gave her earlier.

Her companion's eyes and my own meet, and she gives me a nod of acknowledgement.

She puts her hand outwards as the flames gently lick at the loaf of bread that she has in her hand. She moves it around to make sure that it heats up the cheese, and once she feels satisfied, she retracts her hand and takes a small bite out of it. Rushia makes a small sound of satisfaction while holding her cheek with her other hand, before resuming eating.

We had exited the cave system, situated on the side of a small ravine an hour ago and set up camp just on the edge of woods. Currently, we are lost and have no idea where we are. I could always part the clouds above and see the positions of the stars to know our location, but that can wait for now. I have been using too much of my Divinity that it started to "leaking". When we got out from the cave earlier, the plants around me started growing wildly. It was only thanks to Rushia's observation that I managed to reverse it's effects to prevent being seen by the others.

I really need to back and get Mai. In a way, I think her presence is regulating the three independent beings that inhibit me. Using too much spells enhanced with my Divinity must be causing my magical reserves to fluctuate. And that in turn is the reason why there are some extra unexpected effects.

Suu is on a tree branch above, keeping watch together with Chomusuke. She had her fill of nutrients, and all the Goblins that she ate can sustain her for many months. Her kind requires very little food to stay alive.

The Goblin Slayer hands me a piece of smoked ham. "Are you not hungry?"

I shake my head and motion at the little girl below me. "No thank you. She can have my share." He nods reluctantly, before handing it to Rushia who takes it happily. Aside from some small talk here and there, most of us are quiet and are looking blankly at the fire at the center.

"Genji-san. What do you think of all this?" He asks in a hollowed voice since he still has not taken off his helmet.

I sigh and shake my head once more. "I don't know. Wrong information perhaps, but I doubt the advanced scouts could make a mistake like this."

"I thought as much. We were told that the caves would lead directly to the outpost where the bandits are staying. But none of the tunnels revealed a path like that, most of it were dead ends. No one mentioned anything about fighting Goblins." He says in a voice full of thought. "Even at the lower levels, the one with the half-melted floor and walls were peculiar..."

Ah, I was the one that caused that…

After thanking the Priestess and the High Elf, the Dwarf stand up and sits next to me, followed by the Lizardman. "Yes, that was a very strange place indeed." He says and rubs his scaly arms while inspecting his bandages. "What do you think happened?"

The bearded Dwarf closes his eyes and crosses his arms across his chest. "Hmm… Maybe barrels full of combustible materials or liquids…a spell gone wrong or just maybe a freak accident… It's impossible to know."

A drawled out groan coming from the High Elf catches our attention. "Well, in any case, I'm glad we're out of that place. It's good to be outside and under the night sky like this." She puts her hands behind her head and lays down on the grass with her head resting on the Priestess's lap. "I still can't believe that we're here…"

They all silently exchange gloomy and sad-looks. Even the Goblins Slayer lightly tilted his head downwards at her words.

"..."

"Your party sounds like you have been through quite a lot."

No one says anything, but I continue speaking.

I have already learned many things from Sumiya Yuuko at the inn about the current state of this continent, but it does not hurt to hear from a foreigner.

"Do you mind telling me what brings you here?" I ask in a voice louder than I wanted it to be. Satou Kazuma and his friends hear me, and go quiet while glancing in our direction. Several quiet seconds pass, until in reaches nearly a minute with no one moving nor making a sound.

The Dwarf could not bear the silence any longer, and huffs out loudly. "Ah! Enough with this! I'm going to choke from the quiet and tension in the air!" He turns to Satou Kazuma and the others. "You lot! Come here and listen in if you want!"

The four exchange glances with each other, before reluctantly standing up and sitting closer to us until everyone was nearly shoulder-to-shoulder while around the fire. He smiles in satisfaction and addresses his female companions. "Hey. It's okay to tell them, right?"

The two of them nod to give him his permission.

He takes a moment to himself, silently prodding over his words before straightening up clearing his throat.

"Some time ago, the Demon Lord in our lands consolidated his power and launched a massive invasion. His armies were unlike anything we have ever seen and caught even the Elven and Dwarven Kingdoms by surprise. What was most surprising of all was that they were disciplined and led by strict Demon Commanders and Generals that tolerated no barbarism in their ranks. Because of that, prisoners and people in occupied cities and town were treated humanely.

We later found out that that Demon Lord was different from others since he engaged in diplomacy with other races. He was a reformer of some sort and wanted to carve his own land for his people after uniting the various violent factions under his fist.

Unfortunately, when he was about to meet the representatives of the different races to negotiate peace and an armistice, he was assassinated by one of his Generals in a coup d'etat. When word of it spread, his armies immediately broke out into infighting between Loyalists and the Reactionary forces. We had an uneasy peace with the Loyalists, and fought together with them and the other races."

Satou Kazuma, who was quiet all this time speaks. "That sounds like what happened in our home too…" He says and his three companions nod in affirmation.

"Yes but the first Demon King disappeared remember? Along with his minions and armies. Even Vanir-san and Wiz-san don't know where they went." The blond-haired crusader says. "It was a year after that when a new Demon Lord came and invaded."

I frown at the new information.

The Demon Lords and Kings in my time never meddled in the affairs of the upper world. They kept to themselves, except during the time of the war. I wonder what made them so violent…

We wait for him to continue, but the Lizardman speaks for him. "Currently, we are being tasked to find someone, and the trail leads to this country."

"Rhozgelia is massive. Do you have any solid leads?" I ask.

The five of them shake their heads and the Goblin Slayer replies to my question. "None so far. The trail ended around five months ago. We have been going from town to town ever since."

A quiet comes upon us, as we hear nothing but the sounds of chirping insects and the occasional rustle of leaves from the birds nesting above. I look down and realize that Rushia had fallen asleep at some point, an unfinished loaf of bread is still being held by her small hand.

"You're from here, right Genji-san?" The Priestess says and I nod. She makes a small smile and leans forward to meet my eyes with the High Elf imitating her. "Why don't you tell us about this country? We barely know anything since we've been travelling and investigating possible leads all this time."

All eyes were on me and eagerly awaited my answer. I sigh while adjusting Rushia's sleeping position so she can lean on me.

"Well, you don't mind if I start from the very beginning, right?" They shake their heads in unison and prepare themselves to listen.

"Rhozgelian belief, and the other kingdoms and countries in this continent are completely identical. Eons ago, the great Earth Mother, the consciousness of this world, decided to create life from the barren lands and seas. She was alone in the void of space, floating for untold eras and wanted to breathe life.

The first of her creations have many names: The First, The Failed, Old Ones, The Lacking, Old Deus so on and so forth. They were a failed creation, beings of gigantic proportions that touched the clouds themselves, immortal eldritch abominations, horrors never before seen with an insatiable hunger. The mere sight of them can drive a mortal mad. They had little will of their own, and they were driven only by a chaotic mind and instinct for destruction. The roamed the skies, swam the depths of the oceans and walked the earth for thousands of years, fighting and tearing at each other in mindless frenzy. But they cannot die, for they are immortal.

Mother was horrified at what she had created. Truly, you may call the First as a failed experiment. She created another group of children: The Gods and Divines. The multi winged beings of light descended from the Heavens, in all their glory and took physical form. They were beautiful and majestic, glowing with primordial power, wielding weapons and clad in armour of golden light. They were the first proper Gods to exist, and their first task immediately after their creation was to destroy the Failed. They are literally beings created for the sole purpose of battle.

If the Old Deus were beings made from Mother's flesh, then the Gods were from her spirit and soul."

I momentarily close my eyes and recall the great and cataclysmal battle millions of years ago.

We declared war on all of them, but my main enemies were Aktosh and Hakumen-no-Mono. I remember how I trapped and sealed the chaotic and formless being known as Aktosh. He shot me down from the sky numerous times, but that only made me stronger. My siblings and I were exact copies of each other, an extension of Mother from a single being. You could have called us a Hive Mind.

"The battle between the Gods and the Failed Ones lasted thousands upon thousands of years and raged on the entirety of this planet. They fought in the sky, beneath the oceans and even in massive subterranean caverns underground. When the last of the great enemies lay defeated and broken, yet still living, the heavens above parted and Mother herself sealed and lifted them to the sky. The victorious Gods were recalled back, and together with Mother, they created celestial prisons that orbit the two moons of Earth…"

Slowly, all of them lifted their heads to the sky. The two large moons were barely visible, but I willed the clouds above to move and reveal themselves to us. They had beautiful rings of their own that orbited them, colossal chunks of rock and leftover material when they were first created by Mother. It glowed with all the colours of the rainbow, with some streaks spanning millions of kilometers in length. Once every few decades, some "arms" of the ring would lengthen until in covered the entire sky. And within those rings were…

"You mean those tiny things that shine like stars and float around those moons…"

"Are prisons…?" The Crusader and the Arch Priest says quietly with awe.

I nod and look up.

"Yes. All of them contain a Failed One. Imprisoned for all eternity. Outside of this world, but still within Mother's power. But not all of them are up there. Some were personally sealed and bound to this world by the Gods. Some of the Old Ones were absorbed and 'eaten' by the Gods, taking some of their physical form, albeit at a less horrific appearance. Why, during the great battle, some of them even shapeshifted into monstrosities themselves to do Mother's bidding."

"What about the God of this land? Have the legends stated that he had done such a thing in the past?" The High Elf, who looks to be most entranced of all, asks me in a low tone.

I could not help but inwardly grin.

"You should ask him when he returns." I say with sarcasm in my voice, earning a chuckle from the others. The High Elf takes a nearby twig and throws it at me, but it burns into ash from my strings moments after leaving her hand.

Knocking Hakumen-no-Mono off-balance and seizing my chance to slash and cut all of her tails from her body… Aktosh being forced to materialize into a Giant as a last resort before I took his Core for myself…

Ah…That battle was legendary.

"The Great Battle literally shaped the terrain of this planet. Several eons passed before she created the Mortals. In the mean time after the Mortals walked on this Earth and the creation of the celestial prisons, some Gods went back to the heavens to rejoin Mother. Others decided to stay here to guide and observe. It was only after when the Mortals came did the Gods start to have their own individual forms. The God of this land, Hachiman, took the form of a great black dragon with two heads, a flying serpent, and sometimes as a white-gold phoenix."

I reach into my robe and take out a necklace carrying a carved jewel. It shone as it was reflected by the fire in front of me. "In fact, you may have already seen him at Lutdz. He is literally the coat of arms and on the flag of Rhozgelia."

They give out sounds of amazement and surprise. The Dwarf in particular, was genuinely interested at the craftsmanship of my necklace. This was within my Gate that I took out and wore upon arriving to Ludtz. One of my golems found this in the royal palace at The Capital.

"Oh! So that's why they were really mad when we asked them what it was!" Aqua says and Satou Kazuma nods in agreement.

"The people here are really religious. I guess a bunch of ignorant foreigners going around and asking about their missing God would tick them off a bit…"

Heh, "missing God"…

"Indeed," The Lizardman says and crosses his arms, "we had no idea about it's relevance up until now. No one told us anything apart from that fact that it's their coat of arms and is very important to them."

The two parties start exchanging their experiences so far, sharing comparisons and ideas. Some stood up at a distance to speak with each other without disturbing the rest of us. They excused themselves, until it was Rushia, Chomusuke and I that were left.

Well…

The petite blonde beside me looked into the fire, but sneaks me glances from time to time. She held her staff tightly, as if wanting to say something.

"Are you a follower of the Mother Goddess as well?" She finally asks and turns to me. She sounds genuinely pleased, excited even. "You spoke with such passion, clarity and reverence. It was as if you were there in those stories that you told us earlier."

A light chuckle erupts from me, before it breaks out into full-blown laughter. It earned curious-looks from the others.

The Priestess frowns and sports a flustered expression. "H-Hey! What's so funny?!" I put a hand to my chest to calm myself down and clearing my throat in the process.

"My apologies, I don't know what came over me." I give her and apologetic smile while patting Rushia's head.

"To answer your question: Yes, I am a devout follower of the Mother Goddess. I pray to her everyday, but so far, all of them are unanswered…"

A few days ago before we entered Lutdz, I left Rushia for a few hours to meditate among the clouds high in the sky. I summoned all of my Divinity, so much that I was afraid that my physical form would burn away. At the war during my disappearance, Mother was quiet as well. Even my other siblings, and the rebellious ones had not heard her voice in half a century.

I never heard her calming voice.

The Priestess looks upon my downcast expression and smiles kindly. She touches my arm in a reassuring gesture, something that Mai would have done if she were with me.

"Don't worry. She loves all of her children equally. One day, you will definitely get an answer."

Goodness, what a rowdy tavern-guest house that this is.

So much drinking.

So much noise.

Good grief, I hope this does not wake up Rushia upstairs.

A waitress walks by carrying a tray with food and drink clad in robes worn by Rhozgelian women. One of the drunk men behind her reach out and pinches her bum. She yelps in surprise, before throwing what she was carrying high in the air, giving the man a slap that sent him flying to a pillar, and then expertly catching food and drink with not a single spill.

The people around her clap and yell with amazement after she does a curtsy. The man's companions laugh heartily, teasing him and giving him a light kick to make sure that he learned his lesson.

The others and I had already eaten together a short while ago to celebrate our safe return. Except for me, they were scattered all around the tavern with a drinking buddy. I have a mind to just retreat to my quarters, but I deem that that would be too rude. I was just invited by the High Elf and Darkness to go with them at the bar, but I politely declined.

Most of the adventurers and mercenaries here were employed by the City Guard on the manhunting mission. It turns out that the scouts that gave us our special task to enter the cave were actually bandits. They were hoping that we would be wiped out by the Goblins in their nest, but that did not happen.

When we arrived at the small stronghold where they were based on, it had already fallen, with most of the bandits and escaped criminals being executed on the spot.

The one that spearheaded the assault was an all-female party: A young lady in red pirate's clothes, a blonde Half-Elf Pyromancer, a white-haired Knight with an enchanted blade, and a… A girl carrying a club that suspiciously looks like a carrot…

No, it was a carrot. I confirmed it when I walked past her to take a whiff from it.

I honestly paid them no mind when we met up with the main group this morning. Even as we returned on horseback to come back here at Lutdz. We have already received our pay, and tomorrow I plan to go back to The Capital to see how Mai is doing. I'll bring her with me next time, I still have many places to visit: the main cities of Rhozgelia to be precise.

I miss bullying her for my amusement as well. Her screams while running and dodging bolts of lightning after I took away her powers as punishment is hilarious.

From the corner of my eye amidst all the boisterous laughter and joyous shouts, I see the Arch Wizard make her way towards me while carrying Chomusuke in her arms. I give her a nod of acknowledgement.

"Oh Megumin… Did you need something?"

She shakes her head and starts looking around. "I'm fine Genji-san. Have you seen Kazuma and Aqua around?"

I cross my legs and tap my finger on them, trying to recall where I last saw the duo. "Were they not drinking with the High Elf and the Goblin Slayer?"

"No, they excused themselves earlier." I shrug at her words and resume blankly looking at the scenes before me. Mortals really are curious creatures, aren't they? How they make merry and lather themselves with these kinds of self-indulgence.

"They are probably arguing with each other somewhere…" I mutter, which causes a light chuckle from her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. In any event, feel free to join us Genji-san." She gives me a slight bow and excuses herself to rejoin the others. When she went back, I stood up and moved past the occupied tables to go outside. The streetlamps powered by magic lit the stone path at the side of the road, and there were only a few people around walking and minding their own business. I made my way to the back of the building where the leftovers are stored and disposed inside a large metal case, and I opened the side of my robe.

Suu hops out of my pocket and enlarges to the size of a small ball.

"Here you go Suu." I say telepathically to her, "You said that you prefer this kind of stuff, right?"

"Thank you Master for fulfilling this humble Servant's request!" She makes a bowing motion as I kneel down and lightly pet her.

"I'll physically keep you around for the next few days, so make sure that you have your fill. I don't want to to be too reliant on my own magical reserves. I'll come back in a little while."

"Will do, Master!"

With that, she slowly starts eating away, melting and absorbing the leftover food while disinfecting the area in the process. I leave her, and was about to go back inside the building when I hear a small sound coming from the alley at the other side of the building. It sounded like it came from a woman.

Curiosity builds up within me. My feet leave the ground, and I activate presence concealment and peek at the corner from where I heard the sound. I slowly hover until I saw an irregular shape in the darkness. Only when I enhanced and adjusted my vision did I see a sight that I had not expected.

Aqua's hands dangled from Satou Kazuma's shoulders. Her back was to the wall, and her left leg was being held up by him. I hear moans and groans coming from the both of them as their mouths were locked in a passionate kiss.

"..."

Oops.

I have witnessed something that I should not have.

I quickly fly backwards, deactivating presence concealment and go back inside. The second floor is my destination, a private room that overlooks the main hall through a one-way plane of glass and has comfortable seats as well. When I arrived there, several maids were waiting for me. One of them, the "Best Information Broker in Ludtz.".

The young and beautiful woman gives me a warm smile when her light brown eyes meet my own bright red ones.

"Ah, Sumiya Yuuko…" Her smile widens and she gives me a slight bow, with her right palm over her chest in a Rhozgelian sign of respect. The other maids and waitresses imitate her before giving us some privacy.

Her robes tonight were a simple white and gold design that hugged her body nicely. She wore no veil on the lower half of her face, and her medium-length hair was let down freely. On her wrists were large bracelets of gold and silver that complimented her overall-look. Similarly, she wore earrings of the same kind as well. The chandelier above powered by magical stones go dim, making her look more alluring than she already is.

"Lord Genji, I am overjoyed to see your safe return."

I look at the table that already held freshly made food and wine in a specially-made chiller bucket. The young woman slowly starts walking towards me.

"You don't have to address me as 'Lord', you know…"

"We were waiting for you, but you were with your compatriots…" She coolly ignores me and looks to the side, on the one-way glass that separates and prevents us from being seen. "I was told that the mission was a success, but you and some others were sidetracked because of a deception."

She goes to my side and takes my arm, leading me to the sofa that overlooked the hall below. "Ah, yes. We managed to pull through and cleared a Goblin nest in the process." I reply and she makes a relived smile.

"That is good to hear. Would you like a bath in the hot bathing area on the separate building? I could prepare one for you." She offers, and I shake my head.

"I already did so with the others earlier. But I had to go with the little one to the women's because she refuses to leave my side and almost made a fit. The women did not mind my presence very much, most likely because I was there for a valid reason."

I inwardly sigh and roll my eyes at what happened earlier.

That little green-haired necromancer ran around the place while I had to chase her, my female team members laughing and chuckling at the sight, as well as the other visitors. Rushia slipped and hurt her knee, crying and I had to completely heal the scratch to prevent it from scarring.

After helping wash her hair and clean herself properly, I led her back to the room where I gave her some new clothes to wear. Once she made herself comfortable, I placed a small spell over her which made her drowsy and fall asleep more easily. I also placed an alarm spell in the room. If any intruders enter, I will be instantly teleported inside.

I still can't get used to taking care of a child… I really should have given my Divinity as a God of Parenthood and Fertility more credit…

"The little one very much adores you, does she?" Sumiya Yuuko smiles and leans forward to rearrange some of the things on the table. Her thin robes fit her very well. Almost too well since I can see the shape of her bosom and bum. I bite my tongue at the sight and force my eyes from them.

She smells so nice too…

Thanks to Mai not being within me, the three sides that make up myself are a mess. Most of the time, I have acted formal and uptight, as what any self-respecting and dignified God would do. Only seldom after leaving The Capital have I acted as a "Human". But seeing Aqua and Satou Kazuma must have temporarily revealed my Human and mortal side.

How unbecoming…me feeling nervous, anxious and slightly aroused at the same time…

If my siblings were to see me in this state, I would become the laughing stock of the Heavens for the next few thousand years…

"My parents send their regards, Lord Genji. It is thanks to you that my Lady Mother can breathe normally again." She smiles warmly and bows. "My Lord Father also eagerly awaits your word for a fitting reward. You can have any of the establishments that my family owns, or we can help you build your own."

"I will keep that in mind…"

She frowns and scoots closer to me. "We cannot just let you walk away after you completely healed my Mother's disease that has plagued her for many years. We have to show you our thanks somehow…"

Two days ago, she and I spoke in their other tavern, the first one that Rushia and I went in after arriving here in Ludtz. It was going well as she answered all my questions as best as she can until one of the waitresses knocked and whispered something to her. After saying that her Mother was having her laboured breathing attacks, I offered my assistance.

Long story short, I went to her home and removed her Mother's disease. Since I was feeling generous, I also took away the other ailments that she was feeling, as well as that of her husband's. It was as simple as putting my hand on her chest, closing my eyes and finding the affected area in her lungs, and removing the disease as a whole from existence.

"I'll try to think of something, so don't wo-" I stop mid-sentence when her gaze becomes more focused, then tilting her head to the side. "Is there something wrong?"

She snaps back from whatever she was thinking about at smiles awkwardly. "I'm sorry, it's just that I swore that you had dark brown eyes, almost appearing black two days ago. And now it's red…"

Since I was already caught with too many alterations, I may as well play a little prank on her. "Oh, really?" I say with a small grin and close my right eye. Opening it again after turning the colour of my iris into its former state.

The young lady gasps and smiles. "Oh! How did you do that?" My grin widens, and she blushes a bit as I put my left arm around her slim waist.

"You can say that I was born with this ability." From the other side of the glass, I see the team composed of four women that I saw earlier today. They were immediately surrounded by fellow mercenaries and adventurers, eager to hear about their most recent exploits. Sumiya Yuuko follows my gaze and speaks.

"Ah, it looks like the Hoshou Pirates have arrived."

I raise a brow at the funny-sounding name. "The 'Hoshou Pirates'?"

"Yes, they became quite popular at the guild and in the surrounding areas."

I give them another look. "Hmm, well I can see why at least. Just the clothes that they wear stand out from the rest."

She nods as we continue looking at the scene below. "Yes. I hear that they are foreigners from across the great sea. Hoshou Marine, Shirogane Noel, Usada Pekora and Shiranui Flare are their names." A quiet minute passes as we just watch the mercenaries and adventurers drink, eat and make merry with their fellows. The High Elf has gone drunk and tries to take off the Goblin Slayer's helmet. Megumin tries to sneakily take Darkness's mug, full of alcohol, I wager, but the Dwarf Shaman lightly smacks her hand away.

The young woman around my arm pokes me to get my attention. "By the way, Lord Genji…" She says and lightly leans away from me a bit.

"Yes?"

"This might sound as strange, but have we met before? I feel like I know you… Your presence feels very familiar. I feel as if you are a long-lost person dear to me. I don't know why, but my mind says that I can trust you." She blushes and giggles from the awkwardness of the question. Her cheeks turn into a deeper shade of pink, to the point where she had to cover her face, with only her eyes left for me to see.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry…" She says through stutters, "That was unsightly and so sudden of me to say…"

I wave my hand to dismiss her concern. "No, I don't believe I have ever met you…" I say. She laughs off my words and playfully touches my arm in an attempt to distract me.

I have reached out towards the vastness of space and time, beyond the great void that separates our reality from others and took me nearly two hundred years to come back. Three individual beings, merged into one inhabit this vessel. From the perspective of my mortal self, I have had many impossible things happen to me in the span of three months after my return. Being told that I am a God is on the top of that long list.

So with that said…

"But who knows?" I say in a faraway tone as I thought of many possible alternate realities that may exist out there. I may be a God, but that does not mean that I know everything.

"Perhaps we both know each other, in another place, in another time."

Sumiya Yuuko seems to accept my words while nodding and smiling. "Yes, perhaps." She leans forward again to fill our glasses together with cold wine. She takes her sweet time, as if to tease and tempt me with the beguiling sight.

After filling my glass first, she gives it to me. "The night is still young Lord Genji…"

"Indeed it is…" I reply.

She smiles before taking a sip from her glass.

"Why don't you tell me more about yourself? You already told me many things in our previous meeting, but I want to know more."

Sumiya Yuuko flutters her eyes at me, the smile that she has making her lips more alluring and attractive than it already is.

I sigh, but I could not resist giving a small smile.

"Well, if you insist…"

Happy Valentine's Day!

No new references so far, well except for the Hololive 3rd Gen lmao XDDDD. Feel free to suggest things for me to add: plotlines, new characters or even pairings!

Anyhow, favourite, follow and review if you like!

See you next time!