Logic Is My Sword

by Itherael

It's often said that one person's insanity is another person's reality, and believing such was improbable. But if you were to reach a junction where self-delusion and insanity are the only choices left to take, what else can you be expected to do? Simple, defy the irrational world by choosing the path of logic, for I refuse to compromise my principles for the sake of convenience.

2. Conclusion?

Welcome back.

For the extra content, be sure to open a tab to my deviantArt account: "MakerOfSouls", and enter my gallery, where the pictures for this chapter can be found.

As for the song list, open my profile, in there you'll find the profile of this story, where you can find the links to the songs of this chapter.

Enjoy.

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Logic is My Sword

Chapter 01 – Against all Odds, Hikigaya Hachiman Reaches a Conclusion

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1-0

The supernatural…

I was never one to believe in anything that couldn't be otherwise logically explained, and by that I meant, anything supernatural. Any event considered as such could not be explained by scientific means, which in turn made them lack any sort of credibility. To rationalize the irrational would only look bad upon myself...

Anything supernatural wasn't within the realm of possibility, or so I believed.

Despite the strange events I've witnessed today, I still don't want to completely accept it. All I wanted to believe was that all this madness was a dream, a bad one… a nightmare. Yet I wasn't given any assurances that it was. Even my own shadowed image in the mirror claimed that it wasn't, it was the opposite actually, as he said that this was my new reality, whether I liked it or not. It went against everything I stood for but I wanted to hold onto hope that he hadn't been right.

This new world was a shitty one after all.

Both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were out of my reach, as neither of them acknowledged me anymore. The Service Club is no longer part of me, cruelly taken and given to the one person that least deserved it. Even Isshiki hated me for reasons I had yet to discover, and the worst part was… I didn't even get to speak to Totsuka this whole day!

This was pure misery. It was as if I were living the life of another person, all that was familiar to me had become unrecognizable. It was nothing short of miserable.

As I lay on my bed, I futilely wished that I would wake up tomorrow as if nothing had ever happened. I'll wake up to Komachi's sweet voice, somehow arrive late and then get lectured by my violent sensei. Hear the usual 'Senpai!' from my foxy kouhai nagging me for my help, and attending the boring, yet welcomed club meetings after class.

However, life didn't really have that in store for me. Shame on me using a concept like 'hope' in the first place.

1-1

Where was I right now? The hell if I knew.

The area around me was anything but real, considering that I should be in my bed right now, not this eerie place. Now this was a dream… at least, it should be.

But…

Dreams are supposed to be a succession of images, emotions, ideas and sensations usually occurring in the mind during REM sleep as far as I knew, but what was before me was something else. Because this is the rational method to the human thought process.

I was in what seemed to be a huge domed building, with tall columns by each wall, only reaching the middle of the tall structure. Still, they were gigantic. Everything seemed to be colored with a purplish tint as far as I could see, or maybe my vision had a purple filter to it? The floor had a strange design, and there were many symbols within the upper part of the walls. This place was surreal to say the least.

This was all too detailed, and I was completely aware of myself. I've never been much of a lucid dreamer, but this was past that. It's as if this place was actually…

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Song 01

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"Welcome Hachiman Hikigaya, to the Cathedral of Causality."

My head shot up immediately, finally noticing a presence I somehow failed to detect despite its large size, which was proportional to the enormous area. Whatever creature was in front of me, I could tell just by sight alone that even as it was seated, this thing was most likely tens of meters tall at full height.

I gaze in utter shock at the barely humanoid creature, which seemed to be made of machinery. Whatever that thing was, it had a skull-like head with a crown overtop of it, and was that… purple hair? The large strands of seemingly purple spiked hair came out from the back of its head. As for the rest of this thing's body, it wore a black robe of sorts, covering everything else.

Just what the hell was that thing!? None of this makes sense!

I'm completely frozen in shock, my mind blank and unable to formulate any sort of assessment. This was definitely another nightmare.

I looked at myself, noticing that I was still wearing my school uniform. I decided to take it as if this was a continuation of the current 'day'.

Then looking around, I managed to spot some entrances, but they were far from my reach. I would have to somehow fly or find extremely large stairs to reach them. In other words, there was no way out from… Hold on, did that voice say 'Cathedral of Causality' just now?

"What is this place?" My inquiry was meant more for myself than anyone else, but the way its eye twitched in my direction proved it could at least hear me.

"Did I not use the appropriate language, human? Or do you perhaps suffer from hearing loss? Perhaps I overlooked that detail?"

The great voice comes again, and I only need a few seconds to realize that it belonged to the thing on a throne over a flying platform. My legs nearly lose their strength as it focuses its gaze on me. Seriously, what the hell is going on now?

To begin with, the large creature is speaking to me… in Japanese! Now that I think about it, besides looking utterly terrifying, it also exuded some sort of twisted regal presence. It was simply too overwhelming for me to handle, and its size wasn't helping my anxiety.

"Uh, I… I'm not deaf, but I have no idea what a Cathedral of Causality is," At least my voice didn't quiver to reflect my fright and confusion. "Is this a dream or something?" It had to be, otherwise I have to believe that this farce was actually happening like if I were in an anime or something else. "Like, are you supposed to be the embodiment of my inner conscience? Does that crown mean I'm some sort of King of Cynics?"

I couldn't buy the 'me' in the mirror being my true self, so maybe this thing…

The entity falls silent while raising its large, pale and thin clawed hand to its maw as if in thought, "That is certainly the most unusual way I have ever been addressed…" The creature suddenly laughs, his laughter causing the area around me to rumble. I manage to keep my balance, barely, "How bold of you to consider yourself a King, even if it is among those who are cynical. Truthfully that is one reason why I have chosen you, Hachiman Hikigaya."

Looks like that answers that. Great, another unbelievable thing is happening to me. But at least it's rational enough to hold a conversation instead of just attacking me.

Maybe this thing can finally tell me what's going on.

"Just tell me one thing. Is this a dream?" I gesture towards the area.

"It is not, I assure you. I am very real." I cock an eyebrow. Everything around me screams the contrary. But he doesn't really have a reason to lie to me. If this is a dream, that would mean that I'm lying to myself. And lying to myself would lead to delusions on my part... I refuse to do that to myself.

"So… My current life, that's not a dream either then?" I'm terrified of the possible answer, I want to hold onto that modicum of hope even if my brain says that it's irrational.

"No. What you have experienced this day was no dream nor a night terror. This is your new reality," Was his simple response.

I already knew the answer, but I still can't help but feel a pang of loss pierce through my heart. I really did lose everything then… But that also means that he was somehow involved in this. Bastard! Don't treat it as if it has nothing to do with you! Before I can say anything else though, he speaks up again.

"However, before we discuss the reason for your presence in my dominion, allow me to introduce myself."

Still in the midst of wrapping my head around the reveal that I was in a different reality, I could only nod numbly.

"You may call me Deus Ex Machina. The one that succeeded the role as god of time and space after the vanishing of the Titan, Cronus, a millennia ago. I am but one of many watchers of all existing worlds and realities."

What the…? A god? Of time and space? …One of many? Worlds and realities? …What was this guy saying? This all just sounds like dialogue from an RPG game. It's insane.

"…Right." I sigh, I can't follow any of this. If this is real, then it's far beyond what I could comprehend. Seriously, it sounded like a shitty anime. "Whatever that means. So… What is all this?"

Deus Ex Machina raised a fist when a light began to appear before me in a vertical, rectangular shape, before fading and taking the form of a mirror with golden borders. I looked at my reflection, and to my relief, it was doing just the same as me, but suddenly, a large smirk spread from side to side, its dead-fish eyes assuming a more sinister light, becoming that much more intimidating and its features darkening until it was nothing more than a silhouette of myself.

It was him again, he never introduced himself as anything other than my 'true self.' If I were to go by technicalities, it would be accurate to call him my 'shadow,' though since he resides in reflective surfaces, referring to him as my Reflection was more appropriate in more ways than one. If I had anything to go by with how twisted I've been told I am lately, he fits the twisted image perfectly as opposed to me. And he was the last thing I wanted to see right now.

[Yo.]

My reflection raises a hand, as if greeting me like an old friend. I simply glared at his presence. Him being here answered some questions at least, Deus Ex Machina was behind all of it.

Then footsteps suddenly echoed to my right, someone coming from the darkness cast by Deus Ex Machina's floating platform. I focused my gaze in that direction as whoever approached made themselves known. It was only one person for what I could tell as brown footwear came out from the shadows.

Free of the dark, I could see the person wore green pants, a white shirt with a loose blue tie and an open red blazer overtop. The new presence looked to be a normal enough person at least.

And finally, the face of whoever this person was came into focus, outside of the shadows.

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Go to profile, SEE: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Picture 01

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"Ah, my other candidate, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji," Looks like Deus Ex Machina was expecting this fellow.

Wait… 'Other candidate?'

There wasn't much to say about him. He looked unassuming, his curtained hair was brown, having a long fringe divided in the middle, and his half-lidded eyes were also brown. But, as I continued to study him I felt something off about him. He reminded me of…

"Eh… I've heard enough to at least know that Deus Ex Machina wants something from us," The unknown boy speaks, his tone as bland as his expression.

The boy called Ayanokouji Kiyotaka folded his arms, not looking at all tense despite being in the presence of such a monstrosity. Yeah, there was something more to him than he lets on. I may have relaxed after some time, but that God of Time was still an intimidating presence.

"Have you finally reached a decision?"

"Not yet…" He responded lazily and looked at me for brief seconds, then at the mirror. "It's you again. Why are you here?"

I blink as this boy speaks to the mirror from where my reflection stared at me. He was still there, still smirking at me, but he seemed to be ignoring Ayanokouji.

Does that mean…

[That's right. Like you, he's seeing his true self in the mirror. Quite an unpleasant fellow actually.]

Excuse me? You think you have room to talk, Obvious Villain-san?

I still have to ask, "You're saying that we both have whatever the hell you are?" My evil self merely nods, "Who is he anyways?"

[I'm you, so if you don't know that, how am I supposed to? Idiot.]

Great, not only is he unpleasant, he's useless too. I see my 'reflection' give me an indignant glare, hoh… Looks like he can more or less guess my thoughts as well, wonderful. Or he's probably just that self-aware, hmph, he has some of my qualities, I'll give him that.

"Ehh…" I turn towards the voice, the brown-haired guy looking at me. "You're talking to your reflection in the mirror, right?" I narrow my gaze and he continues, "I don't really get what's going on, but well. Nice to meet you."

He extends a hand to me but I only gaze at it. We exchange blank stares until he finally lowers his limb. This guy is something else, I can't read his face at all, and he seems way too calm despite our current predicament. Plus I still can't help but be reminded of someone else each time I look at him.

"Why were you hiding until now?" I inquire. Everything about him set off warning bells in my head.

Putting his hands in his pockets, Ayanokouji casually shrugs, "Well, considering the situation, I thought the best course of action to take was to wait. Looks like I was right about that."

Deus Ex Machina chuckled, "Indeed. Now that we have all gathered, let us get to the business at hand," With hands intertwined, he announced, his voice reaching both of us, and if I had to guess, including those in the mirror. "After the recreation of a fallen timeline, many elements were used to restore it, altering many components that originally manifested it. However, the one with the power to destroy Gods remained just the same, allowing those around him to remain almost identical."

What is all this? Fallen timelines? A god-destroyer? It's still as confusing as before. Ayanokouji's expression doesn't look to have changed much from its usual state, yet I can tell he's as lost as I am.

[Stop trying to make sense of these things, dumbass. How could you ever hope to understand a god? Just the mere thought of it is absurd.]

It makes sense but… does he just expect me to nod my head and accept all this without a thought? If he really was my 'true self', he would never accept these things in such an unquestioning manner.

"The Great Red has warned me of an unsettling threat that can compete with my power, along with others like me. It is for this reason that I must choose my successor in case Death claims me." Deus Ex Machina lowered his gaze. Hold on a minute… is he referring to us? I don't have the slightest idea of what he is talking about, "Originally, I had planned to propose a competition of sorts among 12 individuals in order to find my heir. However, I then made the discovery of you, Hachiman Hikigaya, and you as well Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. The two of you have the appropriate qualities to succeed me and take over should my time come."

"Stop!" A new voice caught me off-guard, and nearly made me jump. I turn towards my left as a middle-aged man arrives. He was dressed in expensive-looking clothes and wore glasses and a strange hat, "I thought we agreed that we would use the future diaries in the survival game! What made you change your mind!?"

Survival game? Was that the competition he was going for?

"John Bacchus… Hmm… Perhaps I should revoke your key to enter my dominion. I did not request for your presence, nor did I ask for your input on my decision."

A foreigner's name this time… It does seem that this man arrived here of his own accord. Wait, more importantly, by his own means. Does that mean that this man called John Bacchus knows how to get out of here? So then, he can help me—

[If you think he's going to help you escape, then you're delusional.] I glare at the mirror. [Do you really think someone who's allowed to come here willingly has time to waste on an ordinary kid like you? Besides, it looks like Deus Ex Machina is the only one who can decide whether we can leave or not.]

"Who's that?" I voice out. A name isn't enough of an explanation, especially since he's somehow involved in all of this.

"This is John Bacchus, mayor of Sakurami City. He is a collaborator, and also a companion of mine."

"The mayor of Sakurami City?" I asked almost rhetorically. It's been awhile since I last studied the map, so I don't immediately recall it. "Wait, tha—"

"Say… As far as I know, Sakurami City has never existed," Pointed out Ayanokouji, seemingly having caught what I was going to say. "And if it does now, then all I can assume is that it's another change of this new Japan. As for how that happened, I wouldn't know."

"See? You're going to give one of these ignorant children your power? That's nonsense!" This John Bacchus guy spat, he looked really angry. Not my problem though, I can barely wrap my head around this. You can't blame me for being ignorant about the situation. "Why don't you at least include them in the survival game with the others?"

"Unfortunately, we no longer have time for our original competition. Despair will engulf this world soon… That woman will create utter chaos, so for the sake of this world's survival, someone needs to put a stop to her, John Bacchus." A large, thin monstrous finger is suddenly directed at us, and I can only blink at that. "They will stop her and bring hope to the world. I have foreseen that, which makes them more than just my perfect replacement." Just when I thought he couldn't make this whole situation more unbelievable, Deus Ex Machina starts spouting off about the end of the world. Be more considerate damn it! Do you expect me to understand all of this!?

"I have plenty of resources, so whoever this woman is, I can simply kill her," The man retorts, smirking smugly. This geezer seriously gives me the creeps, how can he casually say he would kill someone without a care? How can someone like him be a mayor of a city? "You can't trust these… children." He looked at me, then at Ayanokouji with scorn, and I glared back. You picking a fight, you old fart?

"They possess the intellect and will to uncover the ultimate truth, while you are blind, John Bacchus," Pointing another finger at the old geezer, a light envelops him. What the hell? Maybe I'm inside a game like in the plots of some recent light novels I've read before? With virtual reality it'd make sense… but, I know it isn't.

"No! You can't do this to me! After all I've done in creating the technology for the fut—" And his voice was abruptly cut with a flash of light, then he was gone. I can only imagine the light created by Deus Ex Machina took him away, most likely to where he came from. Who knows, he could probably be dead too…

In the end, what little hope I held of returning to my previous life was gone. No dream is this elaborate, and there was no way my mind would create such an experience.

I couldn't run from it anymore.

Maybe I was transported to another world, maybe I'm in some sort of parallel universe entirely. Insane, I know, but this with all of these absurd events occurring left and right, it's all I can come up with to explain everything. Thank you trashy and self indulgent isekais for assisting me in crafting this theory.

Just… What would anyone else think? No, I shouldn't focus on that. Right now, all I can do is watch and observe what comes next.

"As I was saying," Deus Ex Machina begins again, catching my attention. "What I desire is a new successor, someone new to become the next God of Time and Space. All of my unlimited powers will belong to the one worthy of this title after my death, and I am sure you will use them wisely in keeping this world balanced."

"Is that so?" Ayanokouji commented, still unfazed. "Just like that, I'll become some god and have all that power? As if it'll be that convenient." I have to agree, there's no way there isn't a catch.

I sigh, "What's the deal, really? All I want is to return to my reality. It was you, right? You're the one who dragged the two of us here."

"Indeed, but that previous life of yours is of no importance. Once either of you become the God of Time, you shall remain here as the new watcher."

I scowl at that. 'Of no importance?' Why are you deciding that on your own? I find it important.

"So if I were to obtain your powers, what would stop me from using them to return to my world?" I must be insane, using such a threat in front of a god that literally made someone disappear. "You can't expect us to not want to go back."

"I assure you both, your previous lives will be long-forgotten by the time either of you succeed me."

That means that something will alter my mind if I were to remain here, whether it's because of him or because of the power he carries. I don't need it though. As far as I can see, to be the god of time means to remain here, alone.

I want my life back.

"I refuse," I give my straight answer, ignoring the eerie smile of my reflection. "I have no idea what you saw in me, and I don't care. I want to go back to my world before waking up this morning. Find someone else, maybe this guy's willing to do it," I gesture towards the boy to my left, "But I'm not. Send me back."

Ayanokouji shrugs his shoulders, "I won't either, I don't need such responsibilities. I want to have a normal life, even if I'm being forced to help a girl reach the top, which is already a difficult task. I won't say I'm entirely unhappy with my life, but anything is better than becoming the puppet of forces I can't comprehend."

The deity stares at us for some seconds, then a laugh echoes in the large room. It was my voice, but at the same time, it wasn't. Looking back at the mirror, my doppelganger folds his arms, looking amused at my decision. What's so funny you fake? You got something to say?

[Just as I thought, he didn't accept. Well that's fine, he doesn't have the guts for something like that.]

Wait, can he speak to this god? Deus Ex Machina stares back but doesn't look to have acknowledged those words.

But how funny is it that he says we're the same but is so readily capable of insulting me. Isn't he just insulting himself by saying that about me? The answer is a resounding 'No.' Of course not, he isn't me after all. He's just a fake reflection.

"Yeah, that's right, I don't have the guts for it. Who wants all that responsibility anyway? I can only imagine that being the god of time requires a lot of work and effort, so I wouldn't be any better off than a corporate slave," I say offhandedly. "What's so good about that? To work is to lose after all."

"Eeh… I feel like I heard something weird at the end there…" Ayanokouji raises an eyebrow. Shut up, don't get in the way of my dream of becoming a househusband!

[I have to agree that sounds best…] Finally something came out of his mouth that can be considered Hachiman-ish! [Although, with this power, we could make all the bastards that made our lives miserable suffer. Doesn't that sound tempting?]

I don't immediately respond to that. I can't deny that many times over the course of my life, I felt so angry with the world that I wished for it to be destroyed. I still have the list of the unforgivable people in my room… or the room I had before all this madness began at least.

Yes, I had been angered and disappointed, but I learned to move on and ignore the words of the superficial. What they said didn't matter, because I do like who I am. So revenge was no longer something I sought, doing so, well…

"That's just self-satisfaction," My reflection's eyes widened slightly from my words.

Then the guy with the red blazer speaks up, although he's directing his words at his own mirror.

"Not really, though maybe deep inside me I may think so… if you really are my true self then I can't rule it out. Who knows?"

I grunt, "You're actually buying that they're our true selves? If this god's anything to go by, they could just be his creations just to screw with us."

[Heh…] The creepy grin that suddenly appeared on my reflection in the mirror gives me a bad feeling. [What kind of half-assed theory is that?]

"There's no way of confirming that yet." Ayanokouji replies to me, "All we can do is investigate. Whether our reflections are telling the truth or not, it doesn't change the fact that they exist, no matter if it's inside the mirror or in our minds. They talk to us, they know us, to an… uncomfortable degree. And if they were creations created by this god here, he probably would have brought it up."

I frown, my gaze refocusing on my smirking reflection as I try to come up with any other viable theory. No, it's a waste of time. What good will it bring to think logically where normal convention and reason don't apply? Can anything even explain what I was seeing right now?

No, science can't explain the existence of Deus Ex Machina, of that, I'm definitely sure. This was something outside the realm of human understanding.

"…So you have both decided to not accept the role I'm offering you."

I raise my gaze towards the weird skull-like head of the god who reminded us of his presence. I cannot hear any sort of ire in his tone despite our refusal to his absurd proposition. And while that may be a relief, I have the feeling that it isn't entirely good. I can't let my guard down until I leave this dangerous zone, can I?

"Yeah, I'm not even really good at making friends." Scratching his head, Ayanokouji states monotonously, "I'm just an inconspicuous student trying to live his high school life in Koudo Ikusei. It's really hard when you're assigned to the lowest class, you know? How can I be expected to become a god?"

I look back at the god in an equally uninterested manner. "Yeah, I don't think I'm the replacement you need either. I mean, I can barely deal with the little social life I have, so managing godly powers is way out of the question for me."

"Then we have reached an impasse," The fearsome god stated, his tone even. That wasn't a good sign, considering that he probably can wipe our very existence in the blink of an eye like he did with that John Bacchus guy. "You see, I can only make use of someone from the Prime. The both of you fit such a criteria."

Prime…? What's with all these weird terms?

"Then use someone from another place. You even mentioned twelve people for that survival game, right? Listen to that creepy old geezer and do whatever you planned to do in the first place, but leave me out of it," I sigh, my frustration showing a little. Plus, why keep using all this terminology that doesn't make any sense to us anyway?

Deus Ex Machina merely chuckles, which honestly is sort of terrifying.

[Knowing… me, I won't change my mind. So let's do what you suggested, shall we?]

Huh… Looks like the 'me' from the mirror has spoken to this god before, which confirms that whatever he is, he's not my conscience. What is the purpose of these fake 'reflections'? How much do they know?

"Indeed…" I could sense now his total attention being directed at me. I swear I could feel the pressure from just being the receiver of his focus, "Then, let me offer you a deal where you can get what you desire."

His gaze moves towards the other deadpanning boy, "Actually, let me extend you both this compromise."

Well, at least he's humoring me. If he's as powerful as he says he is, he'd easily be able to strong arm us into succeeding him. Or at least I would if I were him. Then again, I'm not the type to force my will upon others. I'm not Miura Yumiko after all, well at least not my Miura Yumiko. Ugh, sounds a bit embarrassing saying it like that…

"What deal?" My companion asks in my stead.

"It is rather simple. You both will play a game, and whoever wins, I will send the winner back to his own world," I don't like where this is going, I can sense he's hiding something. There's more to this than just being a simple game.

"A game?" I ask. Nothing good ever comes from games created by all-powerful supernatural entities, I realized as much. Of course, I'm taking into account all the light novels I've read with circumstances akin to this one as the base of my limited knowledge about the supernatural.

Huh… Who would have thought that those trashy light novels would be sort of informative in the end? Truly, they are what should be in classrooms instead.

"Yes... You two will be the only players this time."

Ayanokouji sighs wearily, also pocketing his hands in his pants, "I expected as much. So only the winner of this game will return to his own world. What happens to the loser?"

"I shall wipe the memories of the one who fails to claim victory. Then I will teach him the ways of the God of Time myself."

Damn… While I guess it's a good thing to be given a way out of this, the fact that one of us will remain here, for who knows how long, is worrying. That is, if Deus Ex Machina actually decides to keep his end of the bargain.

Even if I didn't know this Ayanokouji guy, I wouldn't feel right getting my life back at the cost of his. How selfish could you get? This time god forcibly rips us from our lives and only through a game can one of us escape from this.

"What kind of game?" I shouldn't think about that yet, I don't even know if the game is winnable.

"It is a game of hide and seek of sorts, that will take place in the world you have been experiencing since awakening," The god responds and I stare at him in confusion. Hide and seek? Seriously? "Find me, then you win, and I will send you back to where you belong."

"Find you?" I snort, this was ridiculous. "While I'd say that your size is a huge giveaway, you being a god that supposedly controls time and space is a pretty unfair handicap."

"That's right." Ayanokouji nods his head in agreement. "What's the catch?"

"You think that as a superior existence, I would offer those lesser than me to participate in a game they cannot win?" Deus Ex Machina seemed surprised… Well, not really… just… how the hell would someone be able to see any sort of expression with that robotic face? "I have always respected the rules, and I pride myself in the fact that I would never be unfair towards mortals, no matter the consequences."

He rejected the idea of tricking us as expected, but it still doesn't change the fact we still don't know one thing. Can he be trusted?

"So, explain the game to us." I practically snap, "How are we supposed to find you?"

"I have created –with my power– a humanoid mortal in your world. One who will act as a mortal, eat as a mortal, feel as a mortal, and more importantly, it will resemble a humanoid in appearance. However, this being will try to hide the fact that it is my creation."

Now it makes more sense, "So it's not actually you then?" I stare dryly at the godly being. I don't know how gods should work outside of fictional media, maybe their egos think that their creations are extensions of themselves rather than created products?

Ayanokouji lowered his gaze, his eyes somehow piercing despite his expression not having changed at all. "This creation, can it be manipulated? Whoever it is?"

What an odd fellow.

It took Deus Ex Machina some seconds to reply to his inquiry, "That is an interesting question, and the answer is: Yes. As a being that was created in the likeness of humanoids, it will think and be emotionally unstable as all mortals are."

There were some doubts that still needed to be addressed, "What if I don't want to play this game?"

"You are free to do what you see fit. But should Kiyotaka Ayanokouji discover my creation, you will lose, and then… You will become my successor."

The brunette adds, "And if I don't want to play this game either?

"Nothing will happen. Nothing at all. This world will end without resistance, but know that you will both fall alongside it."

I narrow my gaze. It doesn't take a genius to realize that he is practically stating that winning the game is the only way for something to happen, which I assume is Deus Ex Machina sending either of us back to our respective worlds. If I don't discover who his creation is, then I'll be stuck in this alternate dimension forever, that of course is if Ayanokouji decides to do the same as me. And doing that will leave us here in a world that is supposedly nearing its end.

[Oi! Don't be so stupid. This game is our only chance of returning to where we belong.]

Good grief, what an annoying guy. My reflection is sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. "Oi, what's your deal? First you want me to get power, now you want me to leave? Pick a side already, you indecisive idiot."

[Any matter concerning you is mine as well, of course. Going back, staying here… Both are choices that have their own advantages. Don't worry though, I won't remain as a mere watcher. I will be the reminder of your deepest desires… and who you truly are.]

I don't like this. This bastard's a lot more twisted than I thought.

"Well, who's to say you're not that creation?" I say to the mirror. If taken out of context I probably look like some raving lunatic talking to this mirror. The worst thing is, I may not be wrong. This reflection of mine is not what it claims it to be, but I think it would be better to not push too much on the subject until I get solid proof.

Despite his seemingly perpetual deadpan, I can tell that Ayanokouji is clever, maybe even more than I imagine. His composure is unlike any person I have met, but there was something that didn't feel right within his eyes. Anyhow, I bet he thinks just the same regarding his reflection.

"So, Hikigaya," I turn towards my human companion as he walks up to me. "What are you going to do? You going to search for that fake human?"

I'm not sure how to respond to that. There was no way to know if Deus Ex Machina was lying, no way to know if he's going to keep his word. Would he really send the winner back? What would occur once the fake human was found? For all I know, the whole deal about the fake human could be an utter lie. Or… it could actually be true.

I'll have to assume it is.

Then one fact lingered, one that was worrisome. Only one of us could win the game, so only one would be able to return. It was me or this unknown boy.

I sigh, I've been doing this too often today. I was irritated and confused, even anxious, but it didn't matter. There was only one answer to that.

"Yeah, I don't have much of a choice," I close my eyes and continue, "I'm sure you're not gonna just stand and do nothing, so I can't either."

Ayanokouji scratches his head, "Ah… Well, that's fine by me. I was actually hoping you'd say that." Looks like I was right about that. "I wish you luck. I'll wait for your success."

I had to raise an eyebrow at that, "Really? I thought you wanted to return to your previous life. Did the chance of becoming the god of time appeal to you after all?"

"Who knows really?" Ayanokouji gives me a wry look. "You certainly don't."

I can't help but smirk at his words. Well, I can't deny that, I can't read his mind and he's susceptible to lying even if he does say something about this. But one thing is certain, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka will also play the game. Maybe it was just a hunch, or the fact that he sported a similar expression as mine, but he seemed way too calm despite the current circumstances. Could he be the fake human?

As expected, there are too many obscurities. Just knowing that there's a single false human in the entire world is not enough for a sane-minded person to be willing to participate, even if the 'willing' portion is fairly inaccurate.

I raise my gaze back to the god, "Fine, I'll play along. Will you at least give us a hint? If this creation looks human, then it could be anyone on the whole planet, right?" I cross my arms, "You can't expect us to be able to figure it out so easily."

"Indeed, Hachiman Hikigaya. The game has been made in a way that you, the participants, will have a chance of winning. I shall give you three hints…"

I nod my head, focusing. I'll need to remember every word if I want to win the game. I have no choice. I want my life back, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. If I have to defeat Ayanokouji in this game, then he better do his best because I refuse to lose what I had.

---

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Song 02

---

"First. My creation is female."

"How old?" I immediately ask, he needs to be more specific than that.

Deus Ex Machina makes a humming sound, "She is between the ages of eleven and seventeen Earth years."

All right. That narrows this search by a large margin, but that's still a lot of females to take into account. Although, I still have a question that may help me a great deal, "Do I know that person already, or is it someone I haven't met yet?"

"I cannot answer that inquiry."

…Seriously?

"Right…" I sigh, pocketing my hands in my pants. Then I raise my tired gaze, "What's the next hint?"

"Second. Only the participants, their reflections in the mirror, and my creation are aware of my existence."

I see. Taking into account the first two hints, I can remove Ayanokouji and my other self from my list of suspects. Well, the girl part should've been enough but whatever. Also, it gives us a better chance to find her if she already knows something about Deus Ex Machina. I doubt it'll be that easy though, she may know as much about us as we do about her, so she won't be stupid enough to say anything. I mean, who in their right mind would reveal that sort of information to others?

Probably that Yuuki guy if he was cornered by a girl…

"Third. My creation lives in Japan," He finally states, letting his strange head rest on the back of his throne. "Do not ask for a specific prefecture, as that inquiry will remain unanswered."

I was hoping for a better clue but it works, I guess. The fact that I don't have to search in any other country, or continent for that matter, is a relief. Besides, I'm just a highschool student that subsists with a weekly allowance. There was no way I could afford to travel outside Japan. However, this is still not enough information.

"This is still not enough to work with," Ayanokouji's expression becomes darker as his golden eyes scrutinize the god carefully. This guy was something else, what a scary face you're making there, Ayanokouji. "The female population of Japan rounds up to 10 million people even if we take into account those whose ages fall between 12 and 17. That number is still too large to find her."

Whoa… Why does he know that much about the demographics of Japan? This guy looks to be a bookworm… or a genius even. Even if that mask of his annoys me, he is indeed correct about that. The game is still far from being winnable.

"Indeed. Then, I will give you one final clue. Every being you already know and will meet from now on is important, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji." Deus Ex Machina gazes at me, "For you, the same, Hachiman Hikigaya."

I glare back at him. "There's something I still don't understand. Why choose mere humans for your replacement? Why have some absurd game decide who will become your puppet? Why even give us the chance of rejecting your proposal? You say you're a god of time, so doesn't that mean you can control time? Why go through all this nonsense if you're that powerful? That means there's more to this than just finding a candidate for this, isn't it?"

Silence ensued for a whole minute. Good grief, I must be insane. My heart beats loudly in my chest, but I refuse to back down.

"I have foreseen it. My death is imminent, and my fellow kin have been long since passed after living for thousands of years as the God of Time. Only humans can harness this power but you must prove your worth. Any other living race would take this world and probably others towards destruction. One of you must become the next watcher to save this world from its fate."

'Other living race?' Surely he doesn't mean…

"If you already foresee the future, then why bother doing anything at all?" Ayanokouji asks monotonously, "Just let everything occur if that's its fate."

I knew that wasn't it despite that seeming to be the case, simply because I couldn't come to accept what they were trying to convey here. I glare at the two in defiance.

"He's rejecting fate," I state with utter conviction, "You think that someone's life is predestined? That someone has their lives decided for them? That one can't change the future because it's already set in stone? Don't make me laugh. Life isn't so convenient for fate and destiny to dictate our lives." I shake my head in a bothered manner.

I have no idea what I'm doing right now, but I just can't keep listening to all this crap.

"It isn't," Ayanokouji nods in agreement. "But society tends to twist humanity. No matter how much people try, their path is averted from its first intended course one way or another. You name it: arrogance, cruelty, greed, frustration, hatred, stubbornness and jealousy, which are all emotions humanity transmit in a never-ending cycle of chaos and destruction. We destroy our own fates by succumbing to them."

I have to concede that he is correct by all means. History tells it multiple times. Great empires, countries at their peak, fell chaotically due the poor decisions made by their rulers based on personal feelings. Decline had been always inevitable once greed and envy grew within those with power, ultimately creating internal rebellions and destabilizing the order that once held together the civilization.

However…

"We're allowed to make wrong decisions, it's the freedom afforded to us as humans and we suffer the consequences for it. The fact is that letting our personal feelings cloud our judgment can lead us towards downfall. Fate plays no hand in it, we do it to ourselves."

Ayanokouji frowns slightly, the first notable change on his face, "That may be true, I admit…"

I look at him sternly, "People let their hearts direct their course in life, and that's where everything starts going wrong. The human mind is the ultimate weapon, while our hearts are subject to manipulation which leads to one's destruction," I take one step forward, my eyebrows furrowed. "That won't happen to me. I'll choose which path to take and what future to have by myself. Some god of time isn't going to tell me otherwise. I don't have a destiny, nor am I fated to become a god, my life is what I make it to be. No one will ever take that from me."

There was silence. Every presence in the cathedral gazed at me with surprise, my reflection included. Deus Ex Machina gave a small chuckle after a few moments.

"How very interesting… That is exactly why I chose you, Hachiman Hikigaya, for you hold a mind which refuses to be corrupted. It is not one of blind innocence, nor is it a mind darkened by spite. It is one that is capable of true impartiality should you become my inheritor." I blink in confusion at the god.

I wasn't expecting a compliment but I suppose I now know why I'm here. Ah~ I really am awesome! Wait, no, I'm getting distracted by this god's flattery.

"The wheels of fate are moving, the future is becoming more unclear. Although it is true that fate exists and is already written, it does not mean it cannot be altered. You can indeed take control of your life whenever you decide to, Hachiman Hikigaya."

I just don't know what to think of this. But whatever the case, I'll figure this out on my own, as I always have.

"…Then we'll see what happens when it happens…" Ayanokouji mutters. "Freedom isn't something easily earnt."

I nod in agreement before focusing back on the large god, "Then, let's say I find your creation. What happens then? How will you know I found it?"

The large being looked on impassively, "I will know that you have achieved your task when my creation is no more," I frown at his words. What was he saying?

"To simplify it, one of you must kill my creation once in order to win. That is how I will be notified that she has been found."

"What…?" My jaw almost falls from shock. Kill, he said? His own creation? "…You want us to… kill her?"

"Indeed, that is how this game will end. Do that and you will be back to your previous life, Hachiman Hikigaya."

I stare at him in disbelief, "You're… kidding, right? You must be insane if you think that I'm able to kill anyone. You might think I'm special but I'm still just a highschool student, I'm not a killer."

"Do not concern yourself with such trivialities. My creation will simply disperse into energy once you inflict fatal damage to it," Deus Ex Machina's tone becomes darker, and I pale because of it. "It will not be as if killing a true sentient being, unless you make the wrong choice. That mistake could very well mean the death of a living innocent."

I blink several times. I couldn't even think of killing his creation, and now I have to face the fact that if I decide to do so, there was the chance of killing an actual person if I messed up?

This was disgusting. What kind of god could think this was acceptable?

"This isn't hide and seek. This is seek-and-destroy. You're insane," Ayanokouji stated sharply, and I couldn't agree more.

How could a god be promoting such a nauseating game? I only wanted to meet the rom-com gods to curse them for their poor work! Not some deranged god of time trying to get me to kill someone and frame it as a game!

"Whether you choose to search for my creation or not is your decision, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji," The ambience in the vast room began to change somehow. "You already know what will happen should you not win the game. The option to return to your own world, that depends solely on your participation."

This was unfair, like hell it could be considered anything else! Not only do we have to find one girl throughout the whole of Japan but one of us has to kill her? Damn it! What am I supposed to do? Yesterday I was a different, albeit still average, high school student. Now, a possible killer?

How the hell did things wind up like this?

[Don't worry, I'll help you win… in my way… our way.] I turned towards the mirror, my reflection sported a dark expression. Whoa… I can't believe I can actually look that intimidating. [If you win, then I'll also get what I want. So, please take care of me until then.]

Despite his words of 'encouragement,' I can feel an ulterior motive behind my reflection. Ugh, I don't like the way he's acting. Does 'our way' mean the way I did things before?

Considering my current circumstances, I may have to return to that way of solving problems. It may not always be the best long-term solution, but they got immediate results. Besides, these new people in my life don't matter to me, even if some of them are wearing their faces. It's low, it's horrible, but it's something I've been good at for a while now.

"Hikigaya," Ayanokouji suddenly addresses me. "Well, I hope we meet again, and under different circumstances."

"I don't," I give him a flat stare. "Nothing personal, but I'm not interested enough to meet you again." Being honest is the least I can do, this guy rubs me the wrong way and he should at least know that. That facade of his, I figured out why it felt familiar and why it annoyed me.

It was like Haruno's, but he did the opposite. Where Haruno gave the impression of the perfect woman with no faults, Ayanokouji downplayed his true capabilities. How capable he was, I didn't know, I just knew that there was much more to him than he lets on.

"Too bad. We just met, so I have no information yet that would make me dislike you," He puts a hand on his hip, closing his eyes. "Although, your eyes are sort of off-putting."

"Hmph, yours are no better." I retorted.

"Seriously, is being antisocial and creepy the new fashion these days?" A young sounding female voice came from above, and I looked in that direction. "Why would you choose these kinds of humans, Deus?"

Now, the new voice belonged to a little girl that came flying down towards us from who knows where. I wasn't really surprised after seeing Deus Ex Machina in his self-proclaimed glory. She had chocolate-colored skin, purple eyes and her hair had a pale purplish tint, which resembled a thistle plant. As for her outfit, she sported a pink sleeveless jacket, long white boots, two bracelets on each arm and white…shorts…? What's with this loli magical girl?

"Are you doubting my judgment, Muru Muru?" Deus Ex Machina speaks to the tiny, floating girl. "I assure you that you are mistaken if that is the case."

Muru Muru, stupid name by the way, folded her arms while floating upside down. "Really? Why choose them? They don't look capable of handling themselves among those with powers beyond their understanding," She glanced at us, "They're not even good looking."

"I don't want to hear that from some un-cute brat," I growl defensively and she smiles gleefully in response. Stupid brat.

Ayanokouji speaks up before she does, "Whoever you are, it's kind of obvious why the god will make us go through his game. As far as I can tell, we both have trouble dealing with social protocols, like making friends… right?" He shoots me a glance, and I nod slowly. The fact itself doesn't bother me, I just don't like others knowing. But, hey, this guy was the same? Well, seeing how he's acted it's not really surprising. "Finding the fake human actually means for us to do something about that."

"Mmm?" The tiny girl blinks, confused. "What do you mean?"

For someone that apparently has supernatural powers and talks so casually to a god of time, Muru Muru seems pretty dumb. Yet she's right here, which could only mean that she is not just some random person. I sense insincerity from her, and the childishness she sports seems fake. She's not a normal kid, or maybe she isn't a kid at all.

It's just an act to hide her true demeanor.

"This game's far more difficult than it seems. At least, for someone that fails to achieve a social status among society," I explain with my eyes closed, exporting my irritation to them. "Discovering the fake human will require a process that will inevitably involve getting to know people past their superficial covers. Only by that will we be able to discover Deus Ex Machina's creation."

Ayanokouji sighs, lowering his head. "So basically, we're gonna have to deal with our social problems. I guess that's not bad, but…" Then he raised his gaze, his eyes displaying an unexpected sharpness. "You see, it's suspicious that you'd want a mere human as your replacement. Even if that person is exceptional, something I'm not, nor is he."

I click my tongue at that, but I can't bring myself to retort against it. I like myself, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm exceptional. If I'm honest, I don't really excel at anything in particular. Even if humanities are my strong suit, I'm still third place in that. Still, Ayanokouji has a point, why would such a mighty, non-human entity want a simple human for this job? Doesn't make much sense.

"We don't have any supernatural abilities, or hidden powers like protagonists in anime," I add, my voice coming out rather dry.

"While there are those that hold supernatural abilities or enhanced physical capabilities, there are also those that can direct those that fight towards the right direction. Power is nothing when you do not use it wisely, or pose it for the correct purpose." Deus Ex Machina states, hands intertwined and back leant to his throne. Wait, seriously? Super powers exist here?

"I do not desire those who are strong, or powerful, as it becomes irrelevant once you inherit my possession. I desire someone with a complete understanding of reality, one capable of seeing beyond superficiality, one capable of seeing the truth hidden beneath the mass of lies that exists within humanity. One who does not need special powers to show others the way."

"The hidden truth, huh?" Ayanokouji mutters.

"I'm still not sure if I can believe you," I say truthfully. "But you're right about one thing. I don't need power, especially your power. You said it yourself, 'god'." I look upward in defiance. "I won't become your successor. I don't care if you die and you need a replacement for the job. As a 'human', I have the right to make mistakes, even if it's because of my selfishness. I'm sure there are those that would die for this chance, but I'm not one of them. I'm inconsiderate, intolerant, pessimistic, selfish, sneaky, and a liar, but I still know what I want. And this isn't it."

The god of time stays silent for a moment as if he was pondering what I said. Hmph, he probably thinks I was acting like an unruly child. Muru Muru gave an "Eeh…" as if impressed. Though I doubt she means it.

"…There are few with the ability to change their destinies as well of those of others," The large god begins, "For example, in a separate reality, there exists a man who consistently defies the expectations of the gods that rule his world –for he is the only one that is capable of directly controlling his destiny and altering the courses of those around him."

"He's reeeeally creepy…" Muru Muru giggles to herself, "But he's really fun to watch!"

"Then why not drag him into this and leave us alone?" I ask snarkily.

"There are certain circumstances that surround this man, in fact, the same could be said of others like him and yourselves. While he is indeed capable of altering the fates of others, he is…" The god chuckles almost fondly, "Fairly narrow minded in completing his self-imposed quest. No amount of words would convince him of becoming my successor, even if I were to resolve his matter."

"He doesn't seem any different than the two of us." Ayanokouji points out. I nod in agreement.

"This man also lacks aspects to his nature that are necessary in order to succeed me," The god states before continuing, "His social capabilities alone pale in comparison to the likes of you, and they require much more work than we can afford to spend time on, to merely mend it."

Whoa, just how bad off is this guy that even I would look like a riajuu in his presence?

"I suppose that's but one thing among a myriad of issues?" The brunette boy asks.

"Indeed. Also, I believe there may be separate plans for him in the future."

"And so that leaves us," I state rather than ask.

The god nods his large head, "You both hold that same ability to change the destinies of the people that surround you. Truthfully, the two of you are but a drop in an ocean's worth of candidates. And yet, I have chosen you, Hachiman Hikigaya and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, as since your respective births, you have shown to be amusing individuals."

I grit my teeth at the god's blatant admittance that we're here just for the sport of it.

"Then as someone who can change his destiny, I'll choose my own future. I won't be a mere tool as most humans are." Ayanokouji states with utter conviction.

"That goes for me too," I say, deadpanning, "You know, I'm actually disappointed in my first meeting with a divine being. Whoever chose you to be a god must have been an idiot. Either way, I suggest you find a way to survive when we eventually don't live up to your absurd expectations." Deus Ex Machina stares at me, unblinking.

The god said nothing for several seconds. I turned to see Ayanokouji, scanning his surroundings with that ever blank gaze. I guess this is it, huh? Whatever was the true reason behind choosing us, we both rejected it. I suppose that obtaining the power of time and space would be the ultimate experience, but it was a pity that it came with a cost neither of us were willing to pay.

The sudden movement of the right hand of the god caught my attention, and I realized there was some sort of energy gathering above us. What the hell?

"Then it is settled. Go forth, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, Hachiman Hikigaya. No matter the path you decide to take, I shall observe your progress until you succeed, or die. Just remember, patience is the key. And do accept these gifts as apologies for the sudden summoning."

Gifts? What gifts?

"Bye-bye, Creepy-kuns!" Muru Muru waves goodbye to us energetically. Shut up, you stupid brat.

With that, a ball of energy was sent towards us, it looked like a dark version of the Spirit Bomb. Hold on a minute… was he going to kill us? What about the game?

Did we wind up making Deus Ex Machina angry? Shit…

I take a step back away from the ball of whatever it was. I try to glare back at him, I'm terrified but I'll be damned if anyone sees it. I always wondered how it would feel to die, and while I hoped that mystery would remain as such, It looked like I was about to find out soon enough. However, the boy next to me, as cool as ever, didn't flinch, so that helped me relax.

Ayanokouji only stared blankly at the nearing ball of energy before muttering some words.

"This is it then, Hikigaya," I responded to his dry gaze with one of my own. "You probably know, but… people are tools, which can be used to one's advantage. No matter what needs to be sacrificed, the only thing that matters is what we want, and in the end, what we'll achieve."

"No matter the method?" I inquired and Ayanokouji nodded his head.

"No matter the consequences…"

After that, I hear no more.

The blinding light over us expanded, and all I could do was raise my arms upward in a protective manner, shutting my eyes as I waited for the inevitable. Komachi, I leave you all my possessions! Vita-chan and my manga are yours! Although, do throw out the couple of indecent magazines I hid under my bookshelf if you ever find them. Don't blame me, Komachi! Onii-chan has his faults! Old man, Mom, sorry for all the trouble I gave you! I hope you someday abandon your lives as corporate slaves so you can enjoy your lives!

Wait, it's not even my world I'm leaving, dammit!

1-2

Current time: 6:45 p.m.

I jolt awake, sitting up on the bed. It was hard to breathe, I felt agitated, as if I had run a marathon. I looked down at my shirt, it was wet… Geez… I'm sweating like a pig.

I feel… Exhausted, and weirdly hyper alert at the same time. Ugh, my head's killing me…

"Ow, ow, ow… Damn, that hurts."

I instinctively close my eyes due to the palpitations in my head, holding it with both my hands. Gah! It feels like my head was being split in two with an axe or something.

As seconds pass, the sudden migraine finally begins to fade, which was a relief. In less than a minute, I finally felt at ease. At least the brief pain was able to convince me that I was still alive. Then a sudden ring erupted out of the silence.

My eyes became wide open, searching for the source of the sound. The continuous ringing of my phone was the only sound within the room. Oh, it's on my pillow… Now that I was fully aware of my senses, I took in my surroundings. Right, I went straight here after I came inside. Huh, I hadn't planned on taking a nap… My room was the same as this morning… not a sign I was hoping for.

"…" I ignored the ringing of the small device by my pillow, and walked to the closet, while turning on the light. The large… collection was still there, which meant that my previous life hadn't returned as I feared. I'm seriously going to burn this crap when I get the chance… But that wasn't the most important thing right now.

I was still in the world that was so unfamiliar, yet still insultingly recognizable at the same time.

This really was my new reality… Damn it…

My cell phone begins to ring again, illuminating the pillows by its side. I pick it up, only to frown at it. The caller's name was displayed on the screen.

Ms. Annoying Bitch

I furrow my brows. Who was this supposed to be again? The me who lived here must have hated this person for me to put that instead of a name. I press the screen to answer after a moment's hesitation.

"Uh, hello?

After several seconds, a response came, "Hello…"

"Who is this?"

"Mou… Hikio baka!" I raise an eyebrow, looking at my phone, startled. It can't be… "You said you already had my number, didn't you add it to your contact list?"

I reflexively pressed the red symbol on the screen, ending the call instantly. I completely forgot.

Wait, crap. I shouldn't have actually hung up… But I can't be faulted here, right? The Fire Queen called me, she has my number… If it wasn't for what I witnessed before in my 'dream,' I'd think that I had finally gone insane with this.

My cell phone starts ringing again, catching my attention. As expected, she doesn't know when to quit despite the fact that it was pretty clear that I wasn't interested in talking to her. Wait… I need to think this through… If I'm back in this strange world, then I have no choice but to learn about it. Then how should I start?

My gaze drops to the phone, still vibrating in the palm of my hand. To my dismay, the only possible source of information available for the moment is… Miura Yumiko. And one I had no clue how to act with, she may be different but she might hold knowledge about the events that concern Sobu High and me. Besides, she fits with the conditions of the fake human, and as Deus Ex Machina stated, every person is important. I'm going to need to start with her.

Ugh… what a pain.

My cellphone vibrates again, so I touch the answer button.

---

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01 Section: Song 03

---

"…Hello?"

"Hi-kimoi!" I pull the phone away from me due to the screech, "Why did you do that!? Do you know how much effort I put into calling you?"

If it's that difficult, then don't bother calling me, woman. People shouldn't do things they dislike if they're not obligated to do them. And who the hell is 'Hi-kimoi?' Did you merge my name with 'Kimoi'? That's seriously rude, and even more so if you're the one calling me, dammit!

"I'm hanging up…" I say dryly. Hey, she called me, she didn't need to know that I probably needed her more than she does me.

…I don't like how that phrase came out…

"Eh!? Ah… No! I mean, you were being mean, you made me angry…" She stops, and I look at the screen to make sure the call hasn't cut. Then… "You can be, like, super mean for no reason sometimes, ya know?"

Me getting away with being mean?

I sigh in resignation. My new life is practically unknown to me, so I felt that I should apologize for how I treated her during lunch. No need to antagonize what might be the only person in Sobu who has a somewhat positive relationship with me.

The fact that it's the Fire Queen of all people, is still surreal to me.

"So, uh, Miura," She's silent. Good. I could speak now, "About what happened earlier…"

"Earlier?" She starts, as if slightly confused, "What are you talking about?"

Was she a masochist or something? Why wasn't she making a big deal about what I said?

"Uh, well…" I stumble on the now unneeded apology, "Nothing?"

"Suspicious…" Her tone comes out as inquisitive, "You mean what happened in class, and how totally rude you were to me?"

Oi, if you're going to call me out on my behavior anyway, don't play dumb when I try extending the olive branch first, dammit.

Caught with my proverbial pants down, I could only stutter out, "Yes?"

Why the hell is that a question, you idiot?

"Let's just… forget it," She responds after a few seconds of silence, "Thinkin' on bad stuff is, like, no good, ya know?" I notice her barely audible, nervous giggle, "And it's not the first time you treated me like that anyway."

What?

"I—" I bit back my reflex to ask about having treated her in similar manners before, "Right…"

Last thing she and I needed was me unwittingly twisting that knife by 'acting dumb' seeing as how I only 'met' her today.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, I spoke up again.

"Why did you call? Did you need something?"

"Eh… Dunno…" I blink twice, "Didn't have much of a reason… I think… Oh!" I cock an eyebrow at her sudden outburst, "Maybe… we… can… spend some time together after classes… or somethin'… like, dunno…"

The aspect of spending my free time with anyone, let alone the Fire Queen, isn't really something high on my priority list. Then again, now that I'm in this game with Deus Ex and Miura fits the criteria in every way, I shouldn't alienate her for the sake of laziness. Plus, even if she might not know my particular status in Sobu doesn't mean she doesn't know the general feel of the student body.

It's a respectable stance, but laziness loses out today, unfortunately.

"Is lunch fine instead?" I struggle these words out and I feel my past self crying out "Normie!" to my current self with the wrath of a thousand loners.

"Oh…? S-sure!"

"Do you have someplace in mind?" I ask, letting her take the lead of this… hangout?

Oh crap, now I'm getting nervous…

"Hikio, a-anywhere is fine," I started to sense something different in her voice that wasn't there before. "Oh! We can go to, like, the rooftop or somethin', ya know?" Then she went quiet.

Did she have that spot reserved already? I don't expect Black Lace would be too keen on us invading her territory if that's not the case. Then again, better her spot than mine. If they start fighting, I'd better make sure not to be close to the ledge so I don't try escaping through there.

But now that I think about it, Miura hasn't even shown a modicum of reservation at being seen with me, as unpopular as I was.

"That works fine, sure, we'll do that. We can meet at the rooftop," I say and there again, comes silence. "Oi, you still there?"

"Y-yeah… You know, I was, like, thinkin' that we could go together instead of just meeting there, Hikio."

If my eyebrows were raised any higher, they'd be attached to my hair.

My own personal discomfort at the aspect of walking together with Miura aside, I couldn't help but feel surprised at her disregard of her social status. That was something I wouldn't dare imagine with the Miura I was more familiar with. The one I knew would go so far out of her way to avoid being seen interacting with me that I wouldn't have been surprised if she spoke to me while appearing to be talking on her phone. I had to not be looking at her, as well, to help in the facade.

"Is that fine? People will start talking if they see us together," Yeah, as the Fire Queen of Sobu, I bet she wouldn't like her superficial friends talking behind her back for hanging out with a loner like me. Especially as transparently ostracized as I was now.

Mind you, I love the way I am, but I don't want to be held responsible for damaging others' reputations.

"Hah?" I blink, her tone had become haughty out of the blue, "You think I care about those other people? If they want to talk, then let them. I'll take care of them later."

Hold on a second, take care of them, how!? That's a really dangerous thing you said there Miura-san! You're scary Miura-san, scary!

"I see…" I say trying to keep my own nerves from showing.

"Thanks though… It's… nice that you'd think of me like that."

I feel a bit of heat on my cheek, hearing her say that. "It's not like that at all. I only said that because I don't want to deal with the hassle idiots will give me for spending time with one of the most popular girls in Sobu."

Was this one of those mangas where that exact situation occurs? The clichéd most-popular-girl-in-the-school-talks-to-the-loser-character'? Then the loser earns the hatred of every male, and becomes the target for the bullies due to their envy… Wait, everybody already hates me and I don't care about them anyway…

"Why do you always have to screw it up, Hikio?"

"This was your idea, so you don't get to complain." I grumble, "Well, see you."

"W-WAIT!" I pull my phone away from my now ringing ear. This girl doesn't realize the damage those shouts do to my poor, tiny hair cells in my, er, co… co… cochlea, was it?

"What is it now?" I ask, a bit annoyed.

Silence comes again for about a minute, though her breathing was still audible. They call me rotten, yet, no one sees that this popular girl has some serious issues with her behavior. And stop breathing so loudly already.

"I… hope you sleep well… Ha… Ha…" Huh? Is she laughing or something? I had a bad feeling, so I put some distance between the mobile device and my poor ear. "HACHIMAN!"

Her yell was so unexpected that I nearly dropped my phone. I couldn't respond to her embarrassing use of my name as the screen displayed that she ended the call immediately after shouting, sparing me from the awkwardness.

What the hell was that?

Whatever, what's done is done. I'm gonna have to ask her tomorrow about myself and all she knows about my class and the Service Club. I do hope she cooperates when the time comes.

I look back at my cell phone, noticing that I've received four more messages while I slept. I browse the menu, reading each one of them. The first is from:

Sakurai Tomoki.

-hey dude, you won't believe what happened to me today! better if we talked about this face to face. Remember the dreams i was having lately? Sugata-senpai wasn't lying. im chained to a girl with wings right now, dude! Can u beleve it? i'll be coming 2 Chiba this weeken. If i get rid of this chain first…

Yet another unknown name to me. A girl with wings though… is this dude referring to an angel? Perfect, more insane things aside from that time god.

The next is from… Takao?

-Hachiman… I'm a bit depressed… Call me when you have time…

What the heck?

Just as unfamiliar as the other name. It's really awkward to have people I don't know texting me this much. Worse still when the message conveys a feeling of intimacy or understanding with the use of my given name. Something I'm honestly unused to, except if it's Totsuka, I wouldn't mind being close to and understanding him.

The third message was written by Haruno… my gut tells me that I shouldn't read it. Morbid curiosity compels me to open the message. I'm such a weakling…

-Hachi-kun~ I'm no longer mad at you. So, here are a couple of pictures with all my love so you can think of me tonight. I wouldn't mind if you masturb–

I stopped reading. Sheesh…

Ignoring the text, I scroll down the message to see the pictures she referred to. I freeze immediately after that. Haruno took pictures of herself. She was wearing a purple babydoll as she laid over her bed. Whoa… Her figure was very prominent in the picture. It was both alluring but held a sense of modesty. This woman…

I slowly click for the next picture. A sense of dread building up within me. As the second the picture loaded, my eyes widened. I let go of my phone as if it were on fire. What the hell, woman!?

What…? What was that? How was she able to dress down to that degree? No, no, no! What's her damn deal!?

I proceeded to delete them all with great fervor. It felt wrong to have such things from Yukinoshita Haruno, I can't explain it properly but the thought of having them riddled me with guilt. Guilt of what, I'm not sure, but it was like the time Isshiki blackmailed me with the receipts of our mock date. I felt inexplicable guilt that the two others didn't know about that outing between my sly kouhai and I.

I was sweating again, my face completely flushed red. This is no longer teasing, she truly means it. I'll have to look into this later. As much as I don't want to.

I took a few moments to gather myself before opening the last message.

It came from another unfamiliar name, Shidare Hotaru.

-Hikigaya-kun? You didn't respond to me yesterday. Well, I'll just have to bring you all the dagashi from Shikada-san's Candy Shop. You have no idea how good they are. I met plenty of interesting people too. I'll be back in Chiba tomorrow to catch up.

Dagashi? She means the cheap candies sold in some stores right? The last time I ate dagashi was when I was 10 years old. The old man bought us so many that day since they only cost between 5 and 10 yen. I almost wound up in the hospital due to a bad stomach ache. Since then, I've despised those cheap sweets. Though, looks like I'll have to play along when this girl gets here.

Well, this doesn't matter right now.

I hear the doorbell ring, so I get up to answer it.

"Ah, I'll see who it is!" Komachi's voice echoes outside my room, causing me to smile.

However, the expression was quick to disappear as I recalled her behavior early in the morning. She was much less expressive than I knew her to be. Not only that, she's particularly timid in engaging with me in general. Her eyes displayed her hesitance that the rest of her body language amplified. Was she…? Could it be that Komachi is scared of me in this reality?

I sat on the bed, brooding for some seconds before Komachi loudly slammed my door open.

"O-onii-chan!"

I turned my head at the spontaneous intruder. Though suddenly, I had been long conditioned to expect these moments with Komachi from my world so I wasn't particularly caught off guard. Because of that, I couldn't help but treat this Komachi the same.

"Knocking is usually the first thing to do before opening a door, you know?"

She practically begins to tremble, tears in the corner of her eyes, "I-I'm sorry… B-but, there was no one outside, Onii-chan! Tou-san and Okaa-chan went to a reunion so I feel sort of sca—" The ringing bell is heard again and she begins to panic. "O-Onii-chan! I'm really scared! P-please go see who's pranking us!"

I don't like this. I don't like this at all. Seeing her uncharacteristically scared, and practically begging me to help her as if she suspects that I will abandon her otherwise.

I nod and walk to her, "Stay here. I'll see who it is." With what I hope is a reassuring smile, I pat her head.

She reddens but nods, "O-okay, Onii-chan… P-please be careful."

"Yeah."

I walk down the stairs and towards the entrance door. There, I stood before the door. Damn, why couldn't we have a bat by the door at least? Oi, old man, what are you going to do if we ever have a break-in? Well, there's an umbrella, great… Maybe I can poke one of their eyes out before I get killed…

I take a deep breath before grabbing the door knob, pulling it open in one swift motion. Then I ready myself… and nothing happens. There's no one outside. I take some steps forward into the street, warily observing my sides as I hold the umbrella like a bat. In the darkness of the night, my sight was limited.

I stood there for a minute, nothing happening, so I waited a few more moments. I could feel the night breeze chilling my body to the very core. The sweat of my body worsened the coldness I felt, but I endured it.

Looks like it was some stupid prank after all. Bastards, go blow up already.

I closed the door, putting the safety locks in place, just in case. Finally I can breathe in relief, and with that comes…

"ACHOO!" I sneezed hard and loud. I felt my brain rattle in place for a moment. We know that's not possible, but hyperboles allow people to convey thoughts and feelings more easily. Argh… That sort of hurt actually…

"I'm gonna catch a cold…" I sniffle a bit, maybe I should heat up some coffee. No, I already slept a bit so the last thing I need is to sleep even less on a school night. I should get back to Komachi before that.

Breathing into my hands, I walked up the stairs and back to my room. Komachi was there, looking worried. See? Onii-chan can be dependable sometimes.

"Whoever that was must've left," Komachi's face lightens up slightly.

"R-really?" She looks up hopefully up at me.

"Really," I nod back at her.

She alternates between looking shyly at the ground and smiling shyly at me. When she gains enough courage to stop glancing at the ground, I send her the most reassuring smile I could.

"Okay…" Her smile briefly widens as she reddens again.

"Yeah," She takes that as her cue to leave my room.

I watch Komachi enter her room, closing the door behind her. But before she does, she takes one last glance at my room. As one can expect, she jumps when she realizes I had been observing her, the red hue on her face deepening an extra shade. She's quick to retreat into her room after that. I sigh, yet a small smile creeps onto my face. She's wary of me, but she doesn't entirely fear me. She's not unlike a bunny who's nervous around humans.

It isn't entirely terrible, but I would prefer our previous relationship anytime of the day.

I turn towards my balcony window. The night sky was starry, somewhat pretty, yet I felt sort of melancholic. This wasn't the same sky I used to see, those shining stars aren't the usual ones I gaze at. It was sort of depressing.

My cell phone makes a sound, signaling that a new message arrived… As I pick it up, the screen shows exactly what I expected, however… There was no name, only a number.

-How are you Hachi? I saw you talking to that BITCH from the dojo! I may have to hurt them so they don't bother you again. Don't worry, Hachi. I'll make sure that SLUT doesn't bother you ever again. I love you so much! Don't cheat on me… or I'll rip your heart out~

I felt chills run through my body after reading that. Suddenly, the doorbell begins to sound again. That's enough of that already, bastard.

I quickly rushed to the second story windows that overlooked our entrance to catch the jester, and when I looked down at the entrance gate, I realized I would have been better off with the wool over my eyes. I saw a girl with long pink hair running away, yet she stopped abruptly and turned towards where I stood.

Every alarm in my head goes into overdrive. The lamp post behind her allowed me to see her face at night, and I swear I wish I hadn't. Her eyes lacked any sort of emotion, which were directed at me. She wasn't smiling, only looking at me neutrally. The girl seemed to be dressed in a blue shirt along with a skirt of the same color, and a pink ribbon tied over her chest. She also held a green cellphone in her left hand. She started punching away at the buttons frantically. Once done she looked back up with her head tilted and a wide smile.

My cell phone pings again, and I look at it. There was a new message from that same number.

-KYA! Hachi saw me! I'm so embarrassed! I just don't have the courage to speak to you just yet! So please wait for me, Hachi~

I raised my gaze from the tiny device, to realize that she was nowhere to be seen. Anxiety grips me. A cold sweat broke out as I frantically looked around to see where she had gone, but it was no use. In stunned silence, I slowly walked into my room and shut the door.

I've never experienced this feeling of utter terror before, and it must have been three times now. First, with my Reflection, then Deus Ex Machina, and now that girl… What the hell was that? Yanderes are just supposed to be fictional character tropes, though I suppose it wasn't a stretch to say this world has fictional aspects. I now understand that one of the ways for me to lose the game is to die… I bet whoever she is, she'd really kill me. That's the vibe I got from staring at her eyes.

Now it seems like I have a stalker with yandere tendencies. How much more difficult is this life gonna get? The only way to return to my previous life is to preserve this one, however, my chances of that are becoming more slim by each passing moment.

I'm just a high school student. What do they want from me? I take a few minutes to relax myself from my panic and just stare out my balcony window.

And as I wondered just that, something in the night sky caught my attention. There was this star that shone red, I hadn't noticed it before. What the hell is that?

My intrigue gradually increased to worry, as the star was rapidly increasing in size. One could easily mistake it for something such as a falling meteorite, the main issue being that its trajectory seemed to be heading straight for my house!

I stepped back and involuntarily closed the glass door. A fruitless effort in hindsight. It wasn't like it was going to do anything to dampen THE INEVITABLE DESTRUCTION ONCE IT HITS ME!

I remained rooted in place for a brief moment, before the glaring proximity of my impending doom shook me from my stupor. I backpedaled away from the window to at least get awa-

*CRASH*

I put my hands up in a feeble attempt to guard my face, which did nothing to prevent me from being swept off my feet as my back had a subsequently painful meeting with the wall behind me. Argh, that hurt. I gasped in agony as gravity pulled me back to the floor before everything faded to black.

1-3

There was an aching pain in my back and head when I awoke, accompanied with ringing ears. I could feel that brutally well despite that everything was black… but was it? Hold on a minute, I feel something soft on my face. I push it away, better. My limbs worked gently to move my body, rolling. Ugh, even doing that hurts right now. There was dust clouding around me, but it wasn't as much as I expected.

I felt around the floor, sensing with my fingertips the pieces of debris on the ground and a pillow. How was I still alive? I slowly sat up, my back screaming at me to stop moving. Gah… Shit… That hurts… I try to rub my face a bit to regain my senses before pulling my hand away, noting the blood on my skin. Well, that's not worrying…

Observing my surroundings, this was still my room, or what was left of it. The damaged door was still closed, so I could assume nothing probably happened outside. Okay, examining the damage around me, my balcony was gone along with my bed. I mean, there was a visible dent created by the impact of whatever was lying inside my room. How it didn't crash through the lower floor was beyond me.

I slowly got up, a bit hunched over in pain that was at least becoming more tolerable as time went on. Due to the cloud of debris and smoke, I couldn't see what had crashed yet. Though, if every sci-fi anime and film I've ever seen has taught me anything, it's to never approach an unknown object unprepared.

From the sky, the falling object seemed large, but from the whole I could see I can conclude that it was no bigger than a small car. However, even an object the size of the average male could have obliterated my house after passing through the atmosphere at such speed… right? I could only imagine that its speed was exponentially reduced before the impact, preventing my death and home's destruction. Still, my bedroom was a mess. Even my closet had been compromised as most of my manga, games and light novels were splattered chaotically across the room, with pieces of torn paper still falling from the ceiling. Hopefully that abhorrent 'research' material was annihilated. Aside from that, I was here, bruised and bleeding.

…

Wait! Komachi! Is she alright!? I feel a surge of adrenaline rush through me as I think of the safety of my precious imouto. Said adrenaline allowed me to stand straight and ignore the pain that was probably screaming at me. I made my way to the exit.

Just as I reached the door, I heard some sounds coming from behind me. I look over my shoulder, my eyes catching a sight that stopped me dead in my tracks. Some sort of absurdity was occurring, and I once again had no answer for it.

The dust had dispersed for the most part, so I could finally observe what caused the near obliteration of my room. I blink, noticing that not only was my somehow-still-functioning cell phone ringing, but the doorbell was going off again. Was it that stalker? Did she come to see if there was any chance of killing me?

Either way, I'm dead all the same. There was some sort of spaceship laying in the middle of my room, and probably a disgusting alien inside it ready to eat my superior brain! I take another step back, bumping my back against the door. The persistent pain briefly letting itself be known once more as the shuttle-looking thing begins to open by itself, particles dispersing from inside.

Shit! I have to get to Komachi befo—

"Hmmm?"

I blink, several times. A human-looking hand appeared out of the spaceship, alongside another. What is this? Long bubblegum pink hair suddenly becomes visible, and while the memory of that scary stalker comes to my mind, it soon is replaced by big emerald eyes and a delicate looking face.

Before me was no alien monster, but a human-looking girl wearing a costume I could only imagine makes sense in their literal alien fashion. It was white with some black details accentuating her chest and long legs. The neck though resembled a shirt, which also had a red and orange, odd-looking tie. The strangest thing about her outfit was the big white hat over her head, which had two thick swirl-shaped draws on the front and bat-like wings protruding from the sides.

Good grief, isn't she embarrassed? She looks ridiculous.

The girl lifts her arms upward, stretching herself and yawning as if she just woken up. I just can't ignore the fact of how well-endowed she is, though something else caught my sight. It was black, thin from what I could see. While I imagined that it was part of her outfit, the fact that it was moving on its own made me doubtful of that. And seeing where it was placed…

Could it be, she's a Saiyan!?

No wait, the tail's different. No fur and there's a heart shaped end to it.

---

Go to profile, SEE: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Picture 02

---

"Fuah! Escape successful!"

I blink at her unexpected announcement. She speaks Japanese… Maybe this is the true universal language instead of the failed Esperanto. Nah, no way. Probably some high-tech thing gave her the ability to understand and speak the language of wherever she landed.

"…" But I can't respond to this, seriously, who could?

She smiles brightly as she looks at me, "Hello, Earthling!"

I take a deep breath, nod to myself before promptly turning around and escaping the room. I can hear her voice calling out in surprise but I just ignore it. Now this situation seemed like a page ripped directly out of some manga... or did Deus Ex Machina contact the Rom-Com gods to mess with me? I mean, a random girl just crashed into my bedroom in a freaking spaceship!

Argh… Damn this life. Whatever, I have to get to Komachi. Oh, right, I should at least wipe the blood off my mouth. I already look like a mess, no need to scare her off with my injury.

"Komachi?" I knock on her door, "Oi! Koma—"

Wait, this isn't a moment to be considerate about privacy, Hachiman! Just open the door! And so I did, finding myself frozen from shock once again.

My jaw almost drops, if only because of what I was witnessing. Seriously, this keeps getting worse, and more insane! Why, one would ask, it's actually quite simple. One just simply doesn't see a woman coming out from a wall on a daily basis. Why are there so many people invading my home out of the blue? This can't be good.

[Idiot, that face of yours looks ridiculous… It's pathetic.]

My attention is drawn towards my left, where Komachi's desk is located. Over it, a compact mirror. It was him again, my 'other self' in the mirror. I glare at him.

[Why are you looking at yourself with such bemusement? It's simply the truth, so… why don't you focus back on our 'cute little sister?']

I look back at Komachi.

"O-onii-chan!? W-what was that tremor…?" She blinked at my ruffled appearance before the light behind her caught her attention, "Oh, look! A goddess has come to grant me a wish!"

Just a tremor? My bedroom has practically vanished! How didn't you hear the crash? Wait, that doesn't matter anymore, I have an even more serious problem to deal with now. Namely, the woman that had just emerged from the lit rectangular shape on the wall by Komachi's bed. Said shape swiftly evaporated once the being was fully situated outside of it.

She stood before us, smiling warmly. This was yet another beautiful female popping out of nowhere. The Rom-Com gods are mocking me now, of that I'm completely sure.

It was purely because of my protective nature over Komachi that I pulled her behind me as this intruder stepped towards us. Simultaneously to the events unfolding before my eyes, I could distinctly hear our doorbell ringing an absurd amount of times, enough to call it worrisome. Accompanying these series of unfortunate events, my cell phone was going off unyieldingly as well.

I regarded the woman from top to bottom. She was… she was… very captivating… But, I could feel some sort of divinity coming from her, not unlike seeing Deus Ex Machina… Maybe Komachi wasn't wrong about her. Maybe she truly was a goddess… At least, she has the looks of a more traditional one.

Her bright blue eyes observed me kindly, it was disconcerting. For some reason, there were two small triangular markings on her cheeks, with a thin diamond-shaped crest in the center of her forehead. Though, I can hardly say they're oddities in comparison to the rest of her.

Her light-brown hair was styled in two large bangs that framed her face symmetrically, with four thinner locks of hair branching out from the top of her head, curving downwards on either side like some sort of antennae. The rest of her hair was tied into a ponytail that ran down her back.

The attire she wore was just as strange as the other parts of her. It was like some sort of elaborated gown, consisting of a white robe that revealed her slender legs, as well as a white shawl alongside an outer blue garment with a yellow triangular trim that draped over her shoulders and wrapped around her upper body. This clothing in particular hung loosely over her body like a jacket and was joined in the front by a matching jeweled brooch. Heelless, open-toed, blue sandals covered her feet.

As for accessories, the beautiful woman wore golden earrings and a golden choker with five thin rectangular ornaments hung from her neckline, accentuating her striking and graceful features even more. Simple golden bracelets adorned her wrists alongside blue fingerless gloves.

Okay… this description is getting out of hand, but I just can't help it. This woman deserves all the praise possible! …Calm down, Hachiman. Think clearly and focus. Don't let such superficialities cloud your mind. She isn't the first beautiful girl you've seen.

"O-onii-chan? A-are you okay?"

I shook my head, "Y-yeah… so, uh, you said she's a goddess?"

The unknown, young looking woman nods her head, "Indeed. My name is Belldandy. As your lovely sister mentioned, I am a goddess. I have come here to grant her a wish," She smiled, a ball of light appearing on her palm, fading away to leave behind a card. Was this… magic? Or were my eyes trying to trick me? "Here, this is my information."

I look at her extended hand, before exchanging glances with Komachi. The fact that she has a business card like some sort of salesman is absurd, but I mean, anything could happen now. For instance, there was that girl who quite literally fell from space currently occupying my room.

Taking the card, I examine it. I couldn't tell exactly what the material was, but it resembled cardstock a bit. Odd designs traced the border of the card while the center held the name of this goddess, Belldandy. And beneath that was… 'First Class Goddess, Second Category'? 'Unlimited License'? What's all that supposed to mean?

"We specialize in helping people like your sister: those currently struggling with undeserved difficulties that inevitably cause troublesome strain to their everyday lives."

Like Komachi? What 'difficulties' are you referring to? And what about me? I'm clearly the one in desperate need of help here! There's a scary stalker outside and an alien just crashed into my room! I cough into my hand to keep my cool.

"We received a system access request from her by telephone."

Belldandy turns to Komachi, the latter nodding nervously under my gaze. This was no elaborate prank, especially as the self-proclaimed goddess entered this room by apparently coming through the wall. But to simply make a call, a being comes from the sky? Was it that easy?

"And that's why you're here?" I asked the obvious.

"Yes!" The goddess smiles back at me, "I am here to assist Hikigaya Komachi-sama!"

"Yay! Onii-chan! This is what I've been waiting for!" Wait, seriously? C'mon Komachi, you're better than that. You're buying all this crap too damn quickly, "What should I wish for?"

Belldandy's face suddenly becomes serious. "However, I must warn you, Hikigaya Komachi-sama. You only have one wish at your disposal, so please think carefully."

"One wish… but to what extent does this wish go to?" I can't help but ask. It's funny how I'm actually taking this seriously, but this is honestly not as absurd as meeting Deus Ex Machina. I can't lose this opportunity though, if this wish turns out to be true, then I could end this nightmare right now.

"It could be anything she could ever want, quite honestly. If she would like to be a billionaire, we will take care of it," Her focus turns towards me, making me gulp. "If she intends to destroy the world, we are capable of that as well." Seriously!? Why offer something like that so recklessly? "Of course, we prefer to avoid doing business with that sort of customer."

Well, that answers that. So that means Komachi's a customer now?

I chuckle humorlessly, "…Do you really expect us to believe that?" Despite somewhat believing that she's telling the truth, considering all I have witnessed today, I can't just come to show her my acceptance about this matter so fast and easy. "Why should we believe you?"

"Because it is the truth," Belldandy replies without hesitating. "As a Goddess, I cannot lie."

"Really?" I huff with an unconvinced tone, "And why should I believe that? Because you say so?"

"Yes!" Belldandy smiles brightly, her voice exhibiting with such certainty that it irritates me. "So, what is your wish, Hikigaya Komachi-sama?" The goddess seems eager to grant whatever she wishes. "Ask anything you desire. As part of the Goddess Assistance Agency, I will do my best to make it come true."

"Eh? So this is where you went, Earthling." I look behind me, through the still open door, and out into the hall. It was the alien girl, "Ah! More Earthlings!?" She blinks upon seeing Belldandy. "You look a little different though. But, nice to meet you all! I'm Lala Satalin Deviluke!"

Belldandy tilts her head slightly, "'Satalin?'" She blinks, "Lala Satalin Deviluke-sama, are you, perchance related in any way to Hell?" An expression of realization suddenly hits her. "Oh, no, could it be that you are actually from the planet Deviluke?"

Hell? Oh, of course. If she's a goddess from Heaven, then Hell should also exist. That seems about ri—Yeah, right! Why was she using terms from Christian religion… Not only is there a god of time controlling things, but now there's supposedly a heaven and hell also? Everything's going too fast for me to keep up.

The name of the alien girl, it sounds stupidly apt in an odd way. Though I don't recall there being a planet named Deviluke, much less that it was one that held life. I can only imagine it belongs to another solar system from another galaxy or something… That's how these sci-fi things go right?

Hah, great, I feel like I'm in one of Zaimokuza's trashy novel attempts… Gross.

"Of course! How did you know? Have you been there?" Lala Satalin Deviluke asked cheerfully, grabbing Belldandy's hands. This girl seems to be the energetic type along with being clingy. Not my cup of tea… With the exception of Yuigahama or Isshiki, probably…

The goddess was taken aback momentarily, but soon a smile found its way back again. "Not personally, but my sister has visited on a few occasions. She told me she met very interesting people there, Lala Satalin Deviluke-sama."

As their chatter continues, I can't help feeling out of place despite the fact that I was in my own home. Mm? Are these two now ignoring us? Don't they realize they are intruding in our house? Are alien girls and goddesses supposed to be this inconsiderate?

"Mou~! You were supposed to grant me a wish, Belldandy-chan!" Komachi whines, earning everyone's attention. "Ne, Onii-chan, is she cosplaying?" Glancing at… Deviluke-san(?), "Is she a friend of yours?"

Friend? Yeah right… Though how do you believe this woman being a wish-granter goddess, and not Deviluke coming from another planet? Belldandy even mentioned the planet from where this girl came from. Could it be that you only accept this self-proclaimed goddess' words because you're getting a wish granted? We only believe in what we want to believe in the end I suppose.

And it doesn't escape me how much more vocal Komachi has seemingly become with, 'company,' around.

"Nope, no idea. She just crashed her spaceship into my room." I say casually, and Komachi stares at me blankly.

"Um, Onii-chan? There was a loud crash in your room, wasn't there? You… You didn't hit your head, did you?"

"Cut that out. How can you be convinced with Belldandy and not Deviluke? Onii-chan is disappointed in you right now for not trusting him." I turn towards and interrupt Deviluke and Belldandy's conversation, "Oi, you, alien. You made a mess in my bedroom, how are you planning to fix it?"

She blinks, laughing nervously, "That was never my intention… eh…" She blinks, putting a finger under her chin, "I don't think I ever heard your name."

I look at her flatly, "I didn't give it," She keeps staring at me with that expectant face, it's so unnerving. I try to stay strong but now she's beginning to pout. "…Hikigaya Hachiman."

Deviluke nods happily, she's getting on my nerves, "Hachiman, then!" W-wait a second. You shouldn't start calling people by their first names after just meeting them. It's really embarrassing! "Don't worry! I'm a genius! I'll fix your room in no time!"

"Hey… What about my wish…?" Seeing my precious sister appearing so pitiful was not a welcome sight.

I turned towards the silent goddess, who was looking around in interest. Could it be that she doesn't usually see this sort of stuff? Maybe in heaven there are no… mundane things, such as the belongings decorating Komachi's room. It would make sense. But does it really matter to me?

"Oh! Yes! What is your wish?" Belldandy-san asks politely. Komachi was about to say something but I beat her to it.

"Wait, let me get something straight," The goddess blinks and turns towards me. "Why did you choose my sister to have a wish granted?"

"O-onii-chan?" Komachi whines, but I cover her mouth with my hand.

"It was not my decision," She replied. "The system notified me of Hikigaya Komachi-sama's eligibility."

A system? Why would something like heaven need a system? Should I even be bothered by how absurd this night is becoming? Ugh, quit grumbling and just get this over with, Hachiman.

"So this system, whatever it is, chose Komachi. Is that what you're saying?" She nodded happily. Seriously, does this girl love smiling or what? Not that it matters much, although she is getting on my nerves. "What made it choose her of all people?"

Belldandy tilts her head, "Hikigaya Komachi-sama's fortune is out of balance; given the fact that she is facing unwarranted misfortune despite that she is kind and always sympathizes with others, Yggdrasil has determined to grant her a wish."

"Yggdrasil?" I repeat, startled. Wait, that has nothing to do with heaven and hell. At least not for the Christian religion.

She nods her head, "Yes. Yggdrasil is the computer system in Heaven that monitors and maintains this reality. Gods and Goddesses in Heaven act as its programmers, system administrators and debuggers in order to operate it."

Yggdrasil, huh? I think I read about something like that in a couple of books. I believe it was a huge tree that connected several worlds in Norse mythology. Such as the realm of humans, the realm of the Norse gods, and others… I think.

I have to admit, I found mythologies from different parts of the world sort of fascinating in my daily readings, no matter the culture to which they belonged, and no matter if I found them nonsensical and absurd as actual practices.

However, she said that Yggdrasil was a computer of sorts, so there's probably no connection between the Norse mythology and what she's explaining, outside of sharing the same name. I suppose it's coincidental. I truly wonder how that works though, did that mean the heaven and hell she spoke of also ohave nothing to do with the conceptions humans came up with?

Putting that aside, it seems I stumbled upon a greater problem, one which stems from my younger sister. Is something bad happening to this version of Komachi? If that's the case, then I should figure out what made this heavenly system declare that she was unfortunate.

And with this worry, a new inquiry also appears, which is: Why wasn't I chosen by the system? In the course of one day, I've found that my current life couldn't be labeled as anything other than unfortunate. Maybe I haven't filled all the conditions or something? Or did it have something to do with the previous Hikigaya Hachiman? Well, I should focus on that later.

I turn towards Komachi, "Oi…" She blinks, shyly glancing up at me. "There something you want to tell me?" I'm not sure if I should already know what her problem is, as I have no knowledge about anything concerning this world. But as I expected, the reaction I got from her clearly displayed what I imagined.

"W-what do you mean Onii-chan?" She tries to feign ignorance, yet her nervous tone and shaky eyes give it away.

"Perhaps Hikigaya Komachi-sama hasn't told you of the problems she's experiencing in school?" Komachi gasps in surprise, and I narrow my gaze. Does the goddess know about it? Of course… She came here for a reason, so I assume she's at least aware of Komachi's problem.

"What problem?" I ask sharply, and Komachi begins to panic, "What's wrong, Komachi? You don't have to hide it from me."

The more I study her, the more it's being confirmed that I wasn't a reliable older brother to her. How was I supposed to know that? I'm just wandering in the dark here, dammit!

"T-t-there's nothing wrong, O-onii-chan. I..." My gaze intensifies, before someone stands between me and her. It was the pink-haired alien girl, Deviluke huh?

"Ehm… I think you should stop… I mean, aren't you scaring her?" The pinkhead is actually shielding Komachi from me? Now I can see the goddess also looking at me with disapproval. You got a problem?

Wait, why am I the bad guy here? Deviluke destroyed my room, Belldandy invaded my home and I'm not being told the truth by Komachi here. If anything, I'm the least guilty out of everyone here.

With a stoic expression and eyes closed, Belldandy speaks, "I now realize my mistake. My customer has kept her problem a secret, even to her family." She gazes kindly at my sister, and bows to her. "I apologize, Hikigaya Komachi-sama, for causing you discomfort."

It's clear now that Komachi hasn't revealed anything to me, I understand not telling our parents, but me? Wait, wait. This is a different world… She's not the problem here, it's me. She doesn't resemble much of the Komachi I knew, I should've expected as much. No that's not right… I'm saying it wrong.

She's the same Komachi of this world, but whoever she called 'onii-chan' wasn't. I'm the problem. I wasn't the same Hikigaya Hachiman she knew.

There was nothing 'wrong' about Komachi, but everything was wrong about me.

"Komachi," She gazes at me in uncertainty, and it hurts me to see that kind of expression on her face, especially directed at me. I know she isn't my sister, but she still looks like her. I can't help but feel a sting in my heart seeing Komachi not trust me. "I know I haven't been the most reliable brother, but I do care about what's going on with you," I tentatively put my hand on her head to comfort her. "I'm sorry that I made you doubt that…"

I don't know how to feel, doing what I'm doing. I'm not lying to Komachi, in fact, what I'm saying to her echoes sentiments I would have said to her in my original world. But what I am doing is treading over the life of the Hachiman I replaced. Sure, I resent him for whatever he did to leave Komachi unsure of me, but it's a weird feeling to throw away what he built up when it pertains to 'our' little sister.

Komachi drops her gaze and nods timidly, twiddling her thumbs in the meanwhile, "F-For some reason, I think I can believe you, Onii-chan. Your eyes really are different… Hehe… I-I know I already told you that… but they're better, somehow." She brightens up, and both Lala and Belldandy smile at that, "Okay Onii-chan, the thing is…"

"Hold on. I don't think you should speak about this in front of them." The alien girl pouts, but I don't really care.

"Well… I don't know about the cosplaying girl but Belldandy-chan already knows of it… Besides… my wish… I wanted to ask her to help me solve my problem…"

I pat her head, and suddenly, the pinhead approaches and envelops Komachi in a tight hug much to our surprise. I blink as my sister begins to flush red in embarrassment while her assaulter is giggling.

"Don't worry, Komachi! I want to help too, so don't you don't need to be afraid of telling me your problem!" She exclaims cheerfully. The nerve of this girl…

Oi, oi, I'm supposed to be the one saying that. Besides, aren't you an intruder? Why are you acting so casually with my sister… or me for that matter?

"F-fine…! O-okay… J-just let me go…" The alien girl giggles again, finally giving her some space, "Um, you can hear if you want to, I guess…"

"I'm completely against it," I stated with conviction, "I refuse to let some unknown girl listen in on a personal matter of Komachi's," She was already having difficulty telling me about it, so I don't want her to feel more anxious.

"Phooie, meanie…" The alien girl pouts at me once more, and again, I don't care.

"Actually…" I blink as my sister looks hesitant, "I'd like to hear the opinion of a girl my age too."

Wait… what is this…? C-could it be that her problem is about a boy!? Who was it!? It's not that bug is it!? I can already feel my blood boiling at the mere thought of that disgusting insect going after Komachi.

"Why do you feel so angered, Hikigaya Hachiman-sama? Your aura has become very aggressive. What do insects have to do with Hikigaya Komachi-sama?" I whip my gaze towards Belldandy and glare. She blinks in surprise.

Hoh… is she reading my mind now? Please stop that, seriously, cut that out. This is an invasion of privacy, you meddling goddess! And at that, Belldandy's cheeks become red, her face deviating to the side. Hey wait a minute, don't just look away coyly as if you dropped something by accident! Just get out of my head! I prefer to have at least that much privacy!

"Oh, I see… Then I will refrain from doing so from now on. My apologies."

Komachi and Deviluke exchange a glance, looking confused. And it's no wonder, considering Belldandy was having a conversation with me without me even opening my mouth. Geez… Now I'm starting to sound insane… I can only hope the goddess told the truth about not being able to lie.

Well, back to the matter at hand, I guess that Komachi would want the opinion of someone of the same sex, despite that she's an unknown. I would have thought of calling Yukinoshita and Yuigahama to help her with this, but I suspect Komachi isn't close to them.

Komachi sits on her bed, the goddess and the alien girl doing just the same. The pink head actually gives me some space to sit at her side, and while that's thoughtful at first, I quickly realize it's actually reckless. Sitting in that tiny space would mean direct contact with her, and that's out of the question.

I'll just have to remain on my feet, opting to lean against the wall here. Shoulder first to keep my back from being reaggravated.

Komachi looks nervous as she grips the hem of her skirt, but Belldandy gives her a kind smile, nodding to her. My sister soon begins to relax, and while I think that I should have been the one to calm her, it works for the purpose of allowing Komachi to feel comfortable with this situation.

I don't know if it's because Belldandy is a goddess, but her smile is indeed calming… Not that I'll ever let her know that. I hope she stopped reading my mind though…

"Well… the thing is…" Komachi starts, and I focus on her. That is until the doorbell sounds again… and again. Damn it!

"Onii-chan? Is that…?" Komachi gives me a worried look.

I interrupt her, shaking my head, "I don't think so. But I'll go and see who it is."

Belldandy is about to stand up, fully intended to head in my direction, but I raise my hand in a halting motion before she could raise herself off of my bed. "I could go with you, Hikigaya Hachiman-sama."

"Just stay here. You too, Alien, er, -san."

The pinkhead pouts childishly, "Don't call me Alien-san, I don't like it! Just call me Lala!"

No way in hell. The bell rings again and I turn around, "I'll be back in a minute."

Leaving the room, I suppress a groan at my body wailing at me to stop moving, and force myself to not noticeably hunch and limp. I didn't want to worry Komachi, which is the reason I feigned not to be worried about the recurring visitor. I was honestly afraid it was the stalker.

After walking downstairs, I slowly approached the front door, and carefully opened it. Despite my apprehension, there was no stalker. Instead I was greeted with the sight of my two neighbors, Yuuki Rito and Aikawa Ayumu, at the gate.

"Hey man! Did you feel that!?" Yuuki questions in concern when I walk up to them.

Obviously, I knew what he was talking about, since my house was the epicenter of Humanity's First Encounters With the Third and Fourth Kind. But no one in their right mind would blab about aliens and goddesses arriving on Earth and expect to be believed. So that left me with a tried and true action of any human being.

"What?"

Play dumb.

"The tremor, dude!" Aikawa raises an eyebrow in annoyance, and then glances at me, then at Yuuki. "I was cleaning the house at the time, and yeah, a lot of stuff fell when it hit!"

Yuuki nods his head, "Yeah. Mikan had to calm me down… It was short but really strong, and the news hasn't mentioned anything at all." He turns to me, "Didn't you feel it?"

I wonder if the news will wind up mentioning it since our country really does prioritize informing us about any sort of seismic activity. Then again, the crash might have set off the Richter Scales but no actual earthquake happened. Oh please don't drag in public interest to my home…

I shrugged it off, "I guess I was still sleeping, I didn't feel anything."

Both my neighbors exchange a glance of disbelief.

"This dude really sleeps like a rock," Yuuki deadpans.

Aikawa scratches the back of his hair, for some reason, "How didn't you wake up from that?"

I don't immediately respond. I was idly wondering why only these two were stirring up any noise. I imagine the gossiping housewives will have a goldmine to talk about tomorrow morning, but what about anyone else? Maybe we were that uncaring about minor tremors living in Japan and all? I couldn't even hear a single siren in the distance.

Finding nothing to say, I could only shrug carelessly.

Yuuki folds his arms, looking at me like I was some sort of weird creature, "Maybe something is wrong with him. I don't think a deep sleep woul—"

"Feh!" Aikawa cuts him off, "Let's not think too much about it, Rito. Isn't Tomoki a deep sleeper too?"

There's that Tomoki name again, doubt it'd be a stretch that whoever they're talking about is the same Sakurai guy who sent me a message about having a chained… angel…

Nope. Put a pin on that, I do not want to think about the validity of what he said right now.

"Ah, you're right!"

Suddenly, Aikawa grins at him, "Why is Mikan having to calm you down when you are the older brother?"

So that's who Mikan was… He had a younger sister just like me, huh?

Still, in response to the reminder of Yuuki's failures as an older brother, I also sent him a judgemental look in the form of a raised eyebrow.

Yuuki laughs nervously in response, "You know that kind of stuff scares the shit outta me dude…" And as expected, he tried to minimize his cowardness, "I mean, nothing really happened so I just overreacted I guess…"

"Right…" Aikawa muttered, "A couple of things did break, so I'm probably getting my ass kicked when my parents come back. No way they believe it was a quake."

Now that I thought about it, I didn't check if it was the same for me. Another thing to do, I guess. Who knew aliens could be this troublesome?

"You're fucked!" Yuuki teases, "And why the hell are you calling me out on Mikan calming me down if you were the one that came to my house to see if we were okay? You even went to Hachiman's!"

I sent a surprised look as Aikawa flinched at our shorter neighbor's taunt. I didn't peg him for the type to be so outwardly concerned for others. Heck, I'm mostly surprised that he still came to check up on me even after what happened just a while ago.

"Guess now I know who woke me up with all that bell ringing," I said with an amused snort. I could hear Yuuki chortle in response.

"S-shut up!" He looks away, slightly embarrassed, "Dunno what came over me. Since you didn't respond, I even tried using binoculars from the second floor of my house, but I couldn't see shit."

Please stop that, I don't need to worry about a voyeur alongside some insane yandere stalker.

"Well, yeah, those second story windows only show our hallway," I huff again.

And I'd gouge your eyes out if I knew you could see into Komachi's room.

Yuuki grins, "Next time, don't be an asshole."

"Whatever…" He muttered in annoyance.

And then silence came.

"Well, I really was asleep so I didn't know what happened."

"See? Deep sleepers shouldn't be underestimated," Aikawa nudges Yuuki's arm.

Yuuki shrugs, "I guess?"

"We live in Japan. Excuse me for not running for my little sister at the littlest shake," I retort sarcastically.

Aikawa laughed, Yuuki's eyes widened as he realized that was a jab towards him, "I didn't run at all! I was just scared… a bit…"

Aikawa continues to tease, but I choose to interrupt their banter, "Listen, I need to head back inside, check the damage this thing did to the house and all…"

Plus, I've left Komachi alone with two supernatural creatures now that I think about it.

"Sure pal," Aikawa responds with a nod.

"I hope your collection wasn't damaged," Yuuki says with a thumbs up. I had to suppress the scowl wanting to come to my face at the reminder of the garbage I now possess. I settled for simply nodding at the two of them and turned to head back into my house before stopping again.

Oh, right. Considering my new circumstances and the fact that these two weren't as bad as I first thought, shitty humor aside, I should probably just clear out the air.

"And…" I rub the back of my head awkwardly, looking at my new neighbors, "My bad about earlier. It's been… a really long day…"

Severe understatement.

"Yeah, shitty days happen I guess," Aikawa yawns. He always seems like he's tired. And here I thought I was a lazy guy, this neighbor of mine takes the cake on that. "That's fine dude."

"I mean, it's you we're talking about," Yuuki added with an unneeded reassuring smile, "Not really surprising that you were pissed earlier when you deal with shitty stuff at school everyday."

Well, if nothing else, learning that today's experience at school is normal, everyday occurrence sure sounds reassuring. Ugh…

"Right," I grunt, releasing a sigh, "I'll… see you both tomorrow then, I guess." Ugh, just saying these words feels weird when I've never had neighbors, much less friends.

"Laters, bro."

"See ya, Hachiman!"

I raise a casual hand over my shoulder and re-enter my house. I was grateful that the pain in my body had lessened significantly where I didn't have to hide my limp. I guess the cool air was to thank.

Closing the door, I sigh in relief. Not only had I managed to ease whatever turbulence I may have caused earlier. Things were going smoothly… Well, in all honesty, that's not really true… but it wasn't as bad as I previously left it.

I still had those two upstairs to worry about, make that three actually.

Seriously, what's with this suddenly busy night?

1-4

Upon my return to Komachi's bedroom, it seems the trio were engaged in an intense conversation. Mmm? Even Deviluke looked uncharacteristically serious.

"So that meanie ex-friend of yours was the one behind all that!?" The pinkhead exclaims in surprise, "She's so bad!"

"Who's bad?" I inquired the moment I returned to the room, making Komachi and Deviluke yelp in surprise, "What is it?"

"Eh? Umm… Well…" She fidgets under my gaze until Belldandy rests a hand over hers.

Belldandy gives her a calming smile, "Komachi-sama still feels uncomfortable, so perhaps it may be best if I explain this," And Komachi smiles back, and nods. Well, she already trusts this goddess, a complete stranger, over me. Great…

"…Fine." I scratch my head. Ugh… This change of relationship between Komachi and I really does bug me.

"You see, Komachi-sama had a friend who held feelings towards a boy, who was also a close friend of Komachi-sama's," Is it that bug? It's that bug isn't it? "It began with a misunderstanding, as Komachi-sama's friend saw her and the boy she liked together."

I narrowed my gaze, "And let me guess, this 'friend' accused you of making advances on the bu-… boy. " Komachi looks a bit flustered and nods, "And I guess this 'friend' was more than just upset with you about it."

"Yeah… Onii-chan, she was mad… like, really, really mad," Komachi drops her gaze, "We were best friends, but she became so unreasonable and started making my life impossible. She started talking behind my back, turning everyone against me, and…" Tears began to pool in her eyes, and I couldn't help but feel furious at the thought of my sister being put through that experience.

She technically isn't mine, but it still aggravates me.

Jealousy. The term generally refers to thoughts and feelings of insecurity over that lack of possessions, or status, particularly in reference to those with an inferiority complex. This often leads to allowing emotions such as anger, resentment, helplessness and greed to take over. Yes, it is that pathetic.

I have to admit, many times even I have fallen prey to jealousy, but I've since learned not to yearn anything from anybody as doing so only generates disgust towards oneself. 'Why am I not like him?' 'Why is he good-looking while I'm not?' 'Why is he popular while I'm alone?' 'Why does he have a girlfriend and I don't?' Seriously, even I've held such shallow thoughts before. Hindsight makes me condemn that aspect when I was younger, now at least, I've moved on from it.

I may not be the best representative, and can hardly be considered an exemplary member of society according to social standards, but I like myself and I like the way I am. I don't need to feel envious of anybody. Heck, I know most people should actually be envious of me as I could live my life without having to be molded by the regulations that conformed social convention and whatever.

"So this girl basically started bullying you," I say monotonously.

Belldandy frowned in affirmative as Deviluke hugs Komachi again. In times like this, I can see clearly how despicable youth can be, breaking bonds of trust without giving a proper examination of the causes that led the friendship to sink. In the end, jealousy and the illusion of 'love' drove that girl into becoming a detestable person that only cared for herself and didn't hesitate hurting others to boost her own confidence, or lack of it.

"Y-yeah… but if I ask Belldandy-chan to make everyone forget about this, then…"

I turn towards the goddess and she is startled to become my focus, "Say, could you actually do that?"

"Yes," Is her reply, "That is certainly within my power."

"Is that right…?" I look at Komachi once more, but now sternly, "Komachi, if you do that, then you're actually running away from the problem, you know that, right? Do you really think that making them forget will solve anything?"

She, of course, tries to retort, "B-but Onii-chan! I-if my friend forgets what she saw, then everything will be back to normal, won't it?"

The raw emotion in her voice is something I'm not used to hearing. I really don't like it.

I sigh and kneel before her, "It might, but it might also be a temporary solution, and it won't change the fact that this friend of yours will most likely do repeat her actions if this sort of thing happens again. Would you feel better knowing that this friend would pit the whole school against you just because of senseless jealousy? Would you be able to act normally if she doesn't remember anything and acts like nothing's wrong after you wish her to forget about it?"

"No… but…" Her voice fades, she realizes what I was saying.

"Just because she forgets, doesn't mean you will," With that point, Komachi is silenced. She uncharacteristically didn't have a retort and so only displayed a troubled and anxious expression, "And you might start resenting her for it."

It would be just easy to simply make the wish to solve her current dilemma, it might even make it easier for me to get rid of most of this situation if she does. But this is Komachi, maybe not the one of my world, but she's still my sister, so I have to make sure to help her solve this in the best manner possible rather than… just, eliminating the problem…

…

No, let's not think about that right now.

"Look, there's only one wish, Komachi, and you can't just depend on others, much less on some stranger, even if she's a goddess with unbelievable powers."

Belldandy looks at me in surprise, displaying some degree of disagreement. What? Did you expect me to support your wishes here? I'm a stranger to you too, remember?

"First of all, that girl isn't your friend, or else she would have never done that to you." Or so I think. I don't have friends so I'm just guessing according to what my observant eyes had gathered across the years. "Much less hurt you intentionally."

"I know… but…"

Deviluke speaks before Komachi does, "You know, Komachi-chan, love should never end friendships. If such a love exists, it's not worth it."

"Yes. I completely agree," Adds Belldandy. Oi, I'm doing the talking here.

"Aside from that," I get dual looks of disapproval yet again, "What I'm trying to say, Komachi, is that these sorts of problems should be dealt with personally," Komachi nods, yet she still looks hesitant. I put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. "Oi, I'm not saying you have to do it alone, but don't try to put all the weight on others without carrying some yourself."

"O-oh… I see…" Komachi drops her gaze, remaining silent. I bet she is thinking this through, so I give her some space to do so.

I use this time to observe the two beside my sister, and to my discomfort they are both looking at me intently, as if trying to discover something through pure observation. Deviluke was smiling, though I could tell there was something off with it compared to her previous ones, while Belldandy's kind expression was replaced by intrigue and curiosity. Man, I was never the focus of anyone's interest, so this is really uncomfortable.

I ignore their gazes, trying to muse about a matter unrelated to them when the fact that I had a game to win comes back to my attention. Now that I think about this wish, maybe this could help me with my current task…

It doesn't belong to me though, but to Komachi. I know that I could possibly manipulate her in order to give me the advantage in this game, but I can't do that sort of thing to her… Especially not her.

Although, I suspect that after this talk, she won't use her wish.

"I've decided on my wish, Onii-chan," Komachi suddenly declares, and I tense at that.

"…You have?" Does she still want one granted? "Have you thought this through?"

She nods, and for the first time, I can see conviction in her eyes. I nod my head slowly, hoping that she won't screw this up.

"I did, Onii-chan," Her voice was filled with resolution too, "My wish is… umm, Belldandy-chan... Can you... help me in figuring out the answer to my problem? I don't want to bother Onii-chan with this, because he has his own problems to focus on," She turns to me, "Right?"

Wait, is that going to be your wish? Are you serious? I can't deny that I do actually have a lot on my plate, but what does Komachi know about it? Could it be that she also knows about my situation at school? I'd love it if she could help shed some light to all this darkness that's been surrounding my life, but that would come off as weird if I don't know my own situation.

Belldandy only stared at her, surprised. Silence reigned and nothing happened. Komachi kept her focused gaze on the goddess as some seconds followed.

I sigh in relief. Seeing the stunned expression of the goddess, I can safely assume she wasn't expecting that request. This means that there is no way that wish can be accepted, right? That sure was a close call, phew!

"Komachi, I get that you might want her help, but having her watch over you until you manage to sort things out is—"

And then it happened.

Belldandy's eyes began to shine, then an intense light enveloped her. I squinted my eyes through the brightness as Komachi jumped back in fear, screaming. Deviluke only stared at the abnormal scene with widened eyes. And in an instant, a bolt of light was released upward from the goddesses's crest mark.

I looked up, realizing the light had pierced a hole in the ceiling. Strong currents of wind swirled rapidly, pushing everything within the room, including us three. And just as suddenly as it appeared, the blue ray of energy began to fade from Belldandy's forehead.

Shortly thereafter, the pulses of wind cease, scattered papers descending as the goddess stands there, immobile, her eyes lost. I blink, sensing Komachi holding me tightly. Wait, it wasn't Komachi, she was at the other side of the room. Then who…?

"O-oi, Deviluke? What are you…"

And the goddess collapses. Deviluke pushes me towards her, and I manage to catch Belldandy before she hits the ground. The chaos slowly comes to a stop around us as my chest rises and falls in rapid succession, too surprised to even react to the fact that I'm in such close proximity to a beautiful woman.

"Uh… B-Belldandy?" She remains still, her eyes closed. I can't help but truly notice her beauty up close, my breath hitched seeing her. Whoa, I have to calm down. Any longer and I could've fallen in love, confessed and gotten rejected all in one fell swoop, "Oi… are you okay?"

"Mmm…" She finally opens her eyes. They're a nice color… No! Cut it out already! "Eh… oh?" She stares at me, suddenly a kind smile adorning her face, "Ah, Hachiman-sama. Hello!" Oh come on, give me a break already with all these captivating expressions! You're not playing fair, dammit!

The goddess then blinks, having seemingly realized something. "Oh no!" Belldandy quickly stands up, and reaches for Komachi's cellphone. "Excuse me, I need to borrow this phone!"

I scratch my cheek, and Komachi blinks, "Eh? Uh… Sure?" Belldandy bowed gratefully and walked to the other side of the room. What was that all about?

"Whatever just happened, it was sort of scary," Deviluke comments, hands actively sweeping the dust from her outfit, "Does that mean that Komachi-chan's wish was accepted?"

"How could you tell?" I ask, curious at her deduction.

She looks at me like if I had another head, "Isn't it obvious that such a display of power could only mean that something important happened? Like Komachi-chan's wish coming true?"

I don't know if she's actually smart, but Deviluke reasoned that quite well. It does seem like it, much to my despair. And if that really was the case, I had more pressing matters to attend to now. Namely, this Goddess fiddling with the phone.

I observed Belldandy as she spoke into the phone, "-lo, this is Belldandy," Just who is she calling? "Yes…" She visibly frowns, "No, it's about that last transfer." A few seconds pass, and her tone raises to my surprise, "What? You mean it's final?" Now her voice seemed desperate, "Almighty One, you just can't—"

Almighty One…? By any chance, is she referring to that God? That's absurd, her system was called Yggdrasil right? That's a different mythology. But… She did mention heaven and hell before.

No, what am I thinking, someone can't just call a god with a phone. Why would any god have a phone anyway!? And even if a deity did, by some strange chance, have a phone, what number can be used to call him? I mean, if I knew about this before, I would have dialed that number to complain about making my life so miserable! Damn you! Let me curse the Gods of Romantic Comedy!

Belldandy turns to my sister, who kept her eyes fixated intently on the goddess. Komachi's probably still surprised from that light show she witnessed a minute ago, or the fact that some god had a number that someone can just call to. I honestly can't tell which was less believable.

"Hikigaya Komachi-sama's wish has been granted," Komachi remained speechless, as did I. The goddess had just confirmed what Deviluke proposed, "Oh, yes… I forgot to inquire about something else…" And then she stands up and leaves the room this time, borrowed cell phone still in hand.

Silence ensues for some seconds before Komachi's voice is heard.

"So m-my wish was granted…?" She blurted out with disbelief, pay attention idiot. Actually, you have no idea what this implies, do you?

"…So she said." I grunt out.

Deviluke hugs my sister again, "Don't worry Komachi-chan! You don't have to make another wish because I'll help you too!"

And once more, the alien girl is overstepping her boundaries. No one asked for your help as far as I recall, and what can you offer anyway? Being irritatingly supportive? This girl should learn to not meddle in the affairs of other people.

"T-thanks… I guess?"

I sigh as Komachi tries to break free from Deviluke's hug, but it looks like she doesn't have the strength to do so. I hear some footsteps as the goddess re-enters the room. She sits at Komachi's side and grabs her hands, while Deviluke still keeps her deathlock on her.

"Hikigaya Komachi-sama, I will stay with you until your wish is accomplished, so you are free to ask me for any sort of assistance. Teehee!" Ugh, please stop with the cute acts. My heart won't be able to take it if she keeps going… Wait Hachiman, think of Totsuka! She's truly the cutest girl around!

…Was it just me or was there something off with that last part? Oh well.

I raise a hand towards Komachi to shut down her enthusiasm. Then I turn to the goddess, "Hold it. What does accomplishing her wish entail exactly?"

I needed an exact confirmation so I can decide on a course of action. I wasn't completely sure if 'staying with her' truly meant the literal translation. Gotta go step by step, cautiously.

Belldandy leans her head, "It means that I will stay with her until her wish is fulfilled."

I feel the inherent twitch in my brow. Despite her previous reaction, Belldandy now seems happier about it. "Does 'stay' mean… that you're gonna watch her from the sky as some sort of guardian angel, or will you stay here… on Earth?"

She stares at me with those big blue eyes of hers. I avert my gaze. Hah! I don't need to keep eye contact to continue talking!

---

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Song 04

---

"I will remain on Earth with Hikigaya Komachi-sama until her wish is accomplished."

"Like… living with her?" I inquire.

"Yes!" She beamed.

"Are you serious?" I inquire with a suspicious gaze.

"Yes. Goddesses can't lie," She replies without faltering in the slightest. I just have no choice but to believe her.

"She goes to school, you know?"

"Yes."

"Then you also realize she's a little kid."

"Yes."

"She still depends on our parents and can't provide you anything on her own," I may need to unleash my whole attack so she can back out of this. "You don't mind that?"

"I don't."

Tch, I don't think this woman is comprehending what I'm trying to tell her, "That means that you'll have to get money so you can live here. You eat, right?" A thought suddenly occurred to me, "Or maybe you don't…" I mutter. For all I know, maybe a goddess doesn't have the needs of us, humans. "Do you even eat in… heaven?" I sigh, "Unless your anatomy…"

"My anatomy is virtually the same as that of mortal humanoids. The only difference is that we hold the power granted by the Almighty One and Yggdrasil. This allows me to do things that would normally be impossible to human beings."

Is that so? Then this god of hers made her akin to a sort of superhuman? What a joke.

"Basically, you're a human with superpowers th—"

"I am not a human, I am a Goddess." She interrupts immediately.

Hah… I don't think I'll ever get anywhere with this conversation. I'll just tactically retreat back to the previous topic, "So are you going to use your godly powers to get money or food?"

"I won't," She replies easily, giggling. Now I'm curious.

"Why?"

"Because we are not allowed to obtain any earthly possessions through the use of our powers," She responds, and I decide to not push on the subject. Heaven probably had some sort of code that all gods and goddesses had to follow. Like the Ten… er, Commandments or something close to that. That Christian religion… really… Such sticklers…

"Then you'll have to work as a normal human," I attempted my last stand to make this wish too much of a hassle to grant. I don't believe that higher beings would abide by the rules of those lower than them. If I was in her position, I wouldn't. Who would actually?

And to my disappointment, she gives me the one answer I truly wasn't expecting.

"Yes," And she smiles with glee, a soft radiance being expelled. "Teehee!"

Shit.

A goddess… With Komachi, with me… In our house… I can't let that happen. I won't give up just yet! There's still a faint ray of hope in all this. Now that I think about it, Komachi has become uncharacteristically silent. I guess that she wants to be sure if her wish would really come true, and my continuous inquiries were helping her with that.

"Why are you making such a problem out of this, Hachiman?" Deviluke asks, poking my cheeks, I bat her hand away in discomfort. Is this girl as foxy as a certain kouhai? Don't touch me.

I back off from the pinkhead, "This doesn't concern you. And why are you still here anyway? Shouldn't you be taking that spaceship of yours somewhere else?"

The alien girl tilts her head, her tail waving… I'm beginning to think that as a self-proclaimed alien, that tail is truly part of her body. Not that I care anymore. I can't count the number of times I have been utterly shocked today each time something impossible happened.

So, yeah, whatever. I gain nothing from trying to find an explanation for any of this. I should probably stop before I get a headache.

"That was so mean, Hachiman. I'm actually being chased," Deviluke begins to explain, though I don't recall asking about that. Don't give information about yourself if no one's asking. Belldandy seems concerned though, not surprising seeing how nice she seems. "I thought I would be safe if I came to Earth, but my pursuers have followed me here."

"Mmmm? What is going on?" A new, synthesized voice is heard, and I raise an eyebrow as I try to find where it's coming from. My search was futile until I saw Komachi looking at Deviluke. "Lala-sama! Oh! That crash made me malfunction so my consciousness faded! The self-repair has just finished though!"

The bubble gum pink-haired girl opens her mouth, jumping enthusiastically, her green eyes directed at her… hat, "Peke! I'm so happy you're alright! I was a bit worried when you protected me from almost crashing into that asteroid!"

I exchanged looks with my sister, we both trying to understand what was going on. The alien girl was talking to her hat. Ugh… I don't even want to comment about that, for sanity's sake.

"I'm fine now!" The voice from the hat said. Again, I'm not even going to bother myself rationalizing that, "Lala-sama? Who is that dull, creepy-looking earthling?"

Even a hat is making fun of me? How low will I fall? I'm glad Yukinoshita will never witness this. I would never hear the end of it.

"Well excuse me," I growl, folding my arms. "I may look like this, but dull? I'm a great guy to be around. Don't you see? I'm the personification of awesome."

"But… Onii-chan?" Komachi looks somewhat conflicted, but has a shy smile. I sort of expected that she wasn't gonna speak in my defense. "Mii-chan says you can be really boring sometimes…" I was right… That hurts, Komachi. I've made you laugh many times, haven't I!? I don't remember how I did or when, but I'm definitely sure it's happened!

Oh right, she's not that Komachi…

And who the hell is 'Mii-chan'?

Belldandy and Deviluke begin to giggle. I feel very stupid right now. It's fearsome, the power that younger siblings have over their elder ones. They can make one look so bad with simple statements, and everyone will accept it, if only because of the sibling relationship. Who else can know you better than your younger brother or sister?

"Thanks…" My word reeks of sarcasm of course.

Pointing a finger to her own hat, Deviluke states, "This is Peke, an 'all-purpose-costume robot' that I made."

Belldandy bows slightly, "Hello, Peke-sama. Nice to meet you."

"Oh! She's so polite and cute! I like her!" Peke says with a tone of astonishment. That odd thing was complimenting the goddess already? The hat definitely had to be a 'he'. Of course a perverted hat of all things exists in this world…

The artificial intelligence of the strange invention seems pretty good though. If Deviluke created it as she stated, then she must be a genius. So why hide it with this ditzy act?

"I feel like I'm in a sci-fi show, Onii-chan!" Komachi says in awe, "I can't believe I'm seeing an actual alien…"

"In the words of your kind, earthlings, 'pretty much!'" Deviluke confirms with a wink.

I scratch my head. Well, at least as an alien, she doesn't have two mouths nor spit out acid. She is a bit annoying nonetheless, "Whatever. Just take your spaceship out of my room and get out. Before that though, be sure to fix everything you destroyed. And see what you can do about that," I point upwards at the hole in the ceiling.

"Peke, let's fix his room first!" Deviluke shouts vigorously, raising an arm upward, "Let's go!" And so, I stare blankly as she dashes towards my room. Does she have to shout all the time?

I turn towards my dear not-imouto, "Komachi, go and keep an eye on her. I don't want that girl destroying the house."

She nods at me, "Ah, okay, Onii-chan. Ah, Peke-san! I'm Hikigaya Komachi!"

I wait for Komachi to leave the room before speaking to the only person remaining in the room besides me, "Are you okay with this?"

Belldandy jumps at my words, resting a hand over her chest, "Yes, I am."

"You didn't give that impression when you were on your call," I narrowed my gaze, pocketing my hands. "You said goddesses don't lie."

The goddess frowns, "We don't. I'm fine with it, honestly. I want to help Hikigaya Komachi-sama."

Silence reigns for a few seconds until I ask, "Is there a way to cancel her wish? Or change it?"

"No, Yggdrasil has already accepted her wish. The Almighty One told me it can't be modified or nullified." Her voice is slightly tense, as if she really didn't want to delve into this subject. Was this a rule or was it because of me?

"There has to be some way to stop it," I try to argue, but it looks to be futile.

"I'm afraid not," She shakes her head, "Once it's been filed and archived, a wish acquires tremendous force. Nobody can resist it. Not even with my first class powers can I alter it," She frowns, both of her hands clasped together. "Hikigaya Hachiman-sama, are you not satisfied with the wish of your sister?"

She looked uneasy at my possible answer. No actually, she looked uneasy, period, as if she didn't want to be here with me. Why? I'm not sure, but I wasn't going to lie to make her feel better.

"I'm not," I responded bluntly. "We can't have a total stranger living with us out of nowhere. Our parents won't allow it either," She lowers her head, and I feel a sting of guilt. No, stop that, don't play that card on me. Pity won't help you. "If you want to stay on Earth, then no one will stop you. But if you think that you're gonna stay close to Komachi, or in this house for that matter, keep dreaming. It's not going to be that easy."

"B-but… No one can go against Hikigaya Komachi-sama's wish! The consequences will be severe!" She exclaims.

I ask slowly, a slight glare marring my features. "Is that a threat?"

---

Go to profile, SEE: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Picture 03

---

"N-no, it's not!" She exclaims nervously, a bit more anxious than necessary at my reaction. "I'm referring to the Ultimate Force, which is ingrained in the wishes that have been granted. No one can go against it, not even me."

Ultimate Force…?

"Yeah, right," I snort derisively, "Like I could believe that."

I blink as my eyes catch sight of the screen of my phone. It was 'him' again.

[Without her, you'll be dead before you know it, idiot. The Ultimate Force will have you killed if you become an obstacle to Komachi's wish. You should take this chance and use her. It's not like you have any means of stopping the power of Heaven.]

Another thing that my reflection apparently knows that I don't. I don't see why I should believe him either, so I just ignore him and focus on the problem at hand, which is this so-called goddess.

"Look, you seriously can't stay he—" A loud creaking of wood from behind me catches my attention.

"Watch out!" Belldandy screams, and she grabs my hand and pulls me towards her. Just as she did, the tall drawer falls where I once stood. With eyes blown wide in shock, I observe the fallen piece of furniture. That was close.

"It's the Ultimate Force," Belldandy reveals to my shock. "If you say or do anything to defy a wish, then it'll find a way to remove that obstacle. In this case, you, Hikigaya Hachiman-sama. The Force has already started working, trying to harm you so you don't try to prevent me from remaining with your sister."

Was this a coincidence, or the truth? If it's true then, what kind of system is that? That'll cause more problems than solve them!

Crap. Does that mean that my parents are in danger now? I'm sure as heck that they'll oppose Belldandy living here. Great, another problem… This goddess is only causing me headaches.

"I'm sorry, Hikigaya Hachiman-sama," The goddess said apologetically, "I never meant to cause you a headache. Please, allow me to alleviate your pain."

She steps up to me with a hand raised, glowing, but I stop her, "You're reading my mind again. Stop that." There was something off with her, but I didn't know what. She seemed hurt by my comment, but I was afraid of this damn situation. I couldn't help it.

"Because of your Ultimate Force I'll have to convince my parents to let you stay here if I want to protect them?"

Belldandy nods, and averts her gaze. She seems ashamed. Good grief, what was with this farce?

I'll admit I was overreacting. This wasn't really her fault in the end, but in some way Komachi's. Obviously, she couldn't know about the repercussions of her wish, namely forcing a goddess to live on Earth. I would be mad if I was her, yet she came to terms with it and accepted her new life. One among humans.

That has to be commendable, right?

"Belldandy," She raises her face shyly, "Look, I've had a long day. Your and Deviluke's arrivals didn't help, but I didn't mean to take it out on you," I massage my neck, my eyes directed to the side, "Sorry… I guess."

She looks surprised, but nods her head, scrutinizing me.

"Of course, Hikigaya Hachiman-sama."

I slump my shoulders, "How about you stop referring to me as that? It's awkward, and the '-sama' isn't necessary either. I'm just seventeen, you know?"

She put a thoughtful finger under her chin, "Since I have already fulfilled a wish, I don't believe I should… But as the brother of my client, I can make an exception…" She blushes lightly, "Hachiman-san."

I feel my cheeks getting hot. That caught me off guard, it just sounds so embarrassing when she says it. Frankly speaking, it would have sufficed just saying 'Hikigaya-san'. Then again there are four 'Hikigaya-san's in this household, it'd just cause mix-ups.

"Y-yeah. Then, Belldandy," I start.

"Yes, Hachiman-san?"

Ugh, then again, all she did was change the honorifics and it made it much more embarrassing. It's going to take a while to get used to this, but I have to… For Komachi and my parents' sake of course…

"Uh…" I start, "Wait here awhile. There's a pest I still need to take care of." She frowns as she probably realized I was referring to Deviluke, or maybe she just read my mind again. I'm going to have to talk to her about that later on.

Lala Satalin Deviluke. An alien girl that is allegedly being chased for some reason, an alien girl that came to Earth to seemingly hide from her pursuers, and an alien girl that crashed into my house as she escaped. My bedroom was a disaster because of it.

She's been nothing but trouble for me since she appeared. Considering that she was just an extra character that wasn't going to be of any use to either Komachi or me, it was obvious what course of action I had to take to deal with her.

As I walk into my bedroom, I come to an abrupt halt as disbelief paints my face. My room was back to normal, no damage could be seen or detected anywhere within the space. It was like nothing occurred here at all. The only thing that remained the same was the miniaturized shuttle-like spaceship that was at the side of my bed, looking as tidy as I left it in the morning.

Komachi's eyes were shining, as if bright stars replaced them. Deviluke was jumping energetically as she cheered, "Yay! You did quite well, Fix-Fix-Repair-kun!"

What kind of stupid, repetitive name was that?

As I wondered about it, a flying thing resembling a large bee, albeit mechanical, fluttered around as if dancing. I could swear its face was showing a happy expression despite only having a couple of circular black eyes.

Komachi spun around, dashing towards me excitedly, "Onii-chan! You won't believe it! That bee created some sort of field all around the room," She really looked like a tiny child getting excited over a new toy. How cute. "Then everything started shining, and then, BAM! The hole was gone! And all your stuff was all back to normal!"

Really? That tiny thing did that? …Why am I even surprised? I have a goddess in the other room… Now that I think about it, was the collection still gone at least?

"I'm not looking that bad now, heehee!" She sticks out her tongue playfully, "Fix-Fix Repair-kun was inspired today!"

I stare blankly at her. Despite having 'fixed' my room as promised, it didn't change my mind at all. She was, after all, the source of all the chaos that befell my bedroom in the first place.

1-5

I gave a gentle shove to the pinkhead's back, one that deposited the alien outside of my house. Where she belonged. Deviluke quickly turns to me, looking confused, which is weird considering that she proclaimed herself to be a genius. It's easy to tell what this means.

"You can pick up your… ship, tomorrow. See ya."

And as I'm about to close the door, she stops it before I close it.

"Ehhh!? You're kicking me out?"

Case closed, Conan…

I deadpan, "Does this look like anything else?"

"B-but! I don't have anywhere to go…" She whines, pulling out the puppy eyes, "Please! I need a place to hide… Don't be so cold-hearted! I know you are a good guy, Hachiman."

I smirk.

Already trying to appeal to me? Just because you have a pretty face doesn't mean that I'll be tricked by your charms. I already have to think how I'm going to have Belldandy stay in my house, so another girl is out of the question.

"Yeah, I'm a great guy, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid," I push on the door in an attempt to close it as I add, "I'm going to bed, I'm sure that as a genius you can figure something out," I emphasize that word to make my point clear, a self-proclaimed genius should be capable of taking care of herself after all. Besides, I don't want to put Komachi in any kind of danger, and keeping the pursuers of Deviluke away from my house is the best course of action to take. "…You'll manage to sort things out on your own, right?"

---

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Song 05

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Deviluke stares at me in silence as her eyes wander aimlessly, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Emerald eyes glittered in the dark until she finally relinquished her hold on the door. I observed her carefully as she dropped her gaze.

I could detect discouragement from her, and it was sort of startling. For someone as optimistic as you, to put that face… I mean, it doesn't really suit you, you know? Besides, I'm just a stranger to you, space girl. Why are you expecting anything from me?

Her brows furrowed slightly, a weak smile popping up, "…Okay. I suppose I'll see you around…" She steps back, "Well, here I go…"

"Don't worry, Lala-sama! You can count on me for anything!" That must be Peke talking.

However, the girl doesn't give a sign of having heard him. She only stared at me, and I blink at that. Few seconds passed and a sad smile appeared, as if some sort of cruel realization came back to her mind.

She turns around and strolls away and I close the door. Finally, I did it. That girl surely would have been trouble if she stayed here… I already have to deal with a goddess, so this was for the best. Besides, there is no space for her anyway. We only have one guest room.

[Are you sure this is the best choice? For all we know, she could be the fake being. Do you at least know her age? If we don't see that girl again and it turns out that she was the fake, then this game is over for us. That other guy can find her.]

I look at the mirror inside a glass cabinet filled with alcoholic bottles. There it was, him again.

"She's an alien, not even human," I retort.

[Remind me, when did Deus Ex Machina specify that the fake was a human? He only referred to it as a 'being' or 'creation' that resembled one. It doesn't necessarily have to be a human for it to act like one or look like one. The goddess and the alien girl herself are proof of that.]

I look at 'myself.' While I hate to admit it, he was right. I made the mistake of assuming my target was a human. For all I know, with this alien girl just now crashing on Japan then she would most likely fulfill the conditions to be deemed a suspect in the game.

And Deus Ex said every person I will meet is important, meaning that even this girl is… Argh, damn it…

I open the door with a swing, and shout, "Oi, Deviluke!" She stops abruptly, her pink hair bouncing. She turns around and looks rather surprised, "You didn't fix the hole in Komachi's ceiling."

"Eh? But I thought…"

"Don't make me wait here out in the cold," I grumble, hands in my pockets and with a tone less than pleasant. "If I get sick, I'll blame you for it. "

She smiles widely and I can't help but feel dazzled by it. It wasn't like before, I can tell. She began to approach, slow and hesitant steps drew her near. But much to my surprise, her slow pace gradually picked up speed, until she was darting towards me at a near flat out sprint.

No, no, no, no! Not unwanted physical contact again! Stop!

"Oi, don't—"

She didn't even give me time to finish my sentence before her body was lunging at me. I found myself being tackled, upon which we became a tangled mess of limbs as we ungracefully met the ground. The forgotten aches in my body made their unwelcome return as I collided with the floor. There it was again, overstepping her boundaries beyond my line of comfort. I can't even find it in me to blush anymore, so I just settle on miserably observing the starry sky as she keeps rubbing herself against me.

I tried to get rid of her grip, but quickly realized that she was a lot stronger than she looked. It reminded me of that scary girl called Kazama Asuka. Maybe as an alien Deviluke naturally possesses superhuman capabilities or something. So maybe Kazama was also an alien.

Damn it, they're touching me! Stop that!

"Gehehe, Hachiman~"

"Get off already…"

1-6

I did my best not to fidget in discomfort as three pairs of eyes looked at me in quite obvious expectation. My dear sister, the invading alien girl and the goddess were sitting on the living room sofa, waiting for me to speak. if only because I had asked them for a moment of silence so I can sort things inside my head.

Besides, at the other side were an additional two pairs of eyes, gazing at me with disapproval and surprise, which belonged to my mother and father respectively. The task of explanation fell to me in this situation.

What am I supposed to do now? There are so many problems I have to deal with regarding these two visitors. One who will have to remain with Komachi until her problem is solved, or until I discover a way to overcome the Ultimate Force that made her wish irreversible. And the other, who was trying to escape from a forced marriage arranged by her father, and sought shelter in a planet not her own. Or at least that's what she babbled on about before my parents finally arrived from their slave-driving jobs.

My life had become chaotically harder, all in the course of one day, and I bet it wasn't going to improve in the days to come. My less than exemplary social life was replaced by one that was nonexistent. Funny, isn't it? And I still had a sick game to win, with only one other competitor.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

A seemingly expressionless guy, who didn't seem affected by the circumstances he was dragged into, circumstances that we both shared. I have to wonder if he's experiencing this many difficulties, but whatever the case, I can tell he is quite capable and he's trying to hide it. Not a good sign.

Wherever he is, whatever he's doing, whoever he really is, I'm confident that he won't just stand there with his arms crossed. One of us will win the game, and I can't lose anymore time.

No matter the situation, I have to deal with my problems first before focusing on the game.

One by one, steadily and surely.

Belldandy and Deviluke staying here is the first problem I have to solve, and by that I mean the fact that I have to assure a place for them to stay in my house without anyone interfering. The safety of my family and my well-being depends on it.

Now, we have a guest room that they can use, that's one possible solution. The next thing is, my parents. In Deviluke's case, she might be able to stay because she looks more Komachi's age, so they're more liable to give her a break. However, my mother will most likely oppose Belldandy living here. I know my old man will support me, if only because she appears as a beautiful young woman around my age or above (lol).

Emphasis on the beautiful part.

In the end, even the old geezer that was my father could hardly say 'no' to a pretty face. It made me wonder why my standing was lower than his in our house, I guess breadwinner goes a long way… Well, at least his shameless sleaziness will be an advantage for this.

---

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Song 06

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"So? What is this?" My mother asked, her face displayed moderate irritation alongside fatigue. "Do you realize what you're asking us, Hachiman? I was at first happy to see you making new friends, but asking us to let them live with us, that's absurd! And why are they dressed as magical girls?"

"Cut me some slack, will you?" I retort, "I'm just saying to let them stay here temporarily. They're exchange students and they don't have a place to stay yet. There were… a lot of mix-ups that led to this and their wardrobe malfunctions…"

Belldandy frowns and Lala blinks, confused. Idiots, can't you see I'm weaving together a convincing lie for you two? I wish I had more time to prepare for this conversation, but they showed up sooner than I anticipated. I barely had time to take a pain med so I could hide that I was hurt (a sure dealbreaker) from my parents' eyes. And the obvious of keeping Peke hidden because inanimate objects do not talk on our planet.

I hate that I had to say that…

I turn my head slightly towards them, silencing any bubbling protests with a harsh glare. Lala jumps then nods and the goddess only stares at me with a look of disapproval. I bet she doesn't like lies in general, being angelic and all that crap. Get over it, why do you think I have to do this in the first place?

"So they're foreigners?" Asks the old geezer, "I understand. Leaving a couple of young and beautiful women alone in some hotel or apartment isn't a good idea. Who knows what could happen?"

Hoh… You may think you sound considerate old man, but why are your eyes lingering just a tad too long?

"Still… we could maybe let one stay, but both?" My mother folds her arms, scrutinizing them, "Not to mention the food. Do you two have money to pay for your expenses at least? This is just for one semester right?"

I knew she was gonna bring up that subject, so I prepared countermeasures for it.

"Don't worry about that," I reassure them. "You won't need to waste a single yen on their food." I'll have to take care of that by myself. Damn it, I never meant for things to come to this but I might just have to search for a part-time job… for them. They're not even pets, yet I have to maintain their upkeep…

To work is to lose, and I'd much rather stick to that. But I might not have a choice this time…

"But Hachiman, I don't have any—"

I quickly interrupt Deviluke before she screws up, "I know you don't have any problem with staying in some hotel. But in these times, it would be sort of unsafe, right?" I glare at her to silence her, she bows her head meekly.

Belldandy's frown deepens, and as she is about to voice her own concern, Komachi enters the stage, "I agree completely!" She states hurriedly and I sigh in relief. I guess she understood well that we can't let our parents know the truth behind these two, "We can't just leave two possible candidates for Onii-chan's heart to their own devices."

I blink at the unexpectedly familiar words, my mother gasps and the old man folds his arms, seemingly interested. Now I didn't really expect that coming from her mouth. I gaze over my shoulder at Belldandy, who looks at Komachi in surprise, flushing lightly. She then looks at me scandalized by the lie. This is no time to exchange looks, I won't be able to play along if I keep doing so!

I look at the culprit who dug us into this proverbial hole. Unsurprisingly, my dearest imouto is completely reddened after her wild claim and is purposefully avoiding my gaze.

"Hachiman-san…" The goddess starts, but my mother stands on her feet abruptly.

"They both called you by your first name, which means there's familiarity between you three. But didn't you just meet? What about Haruno-chan, Takao-chan and Hotaru-chan? Weren't you close to them?" Her incredulous and accusatory tone is irking me. Them not following our Japanese mannerisms when it comes to our names isn't my fault! There are four Hikigayas in this room, it would be redundant if they used anything else!

Oi, wait, why the hell does she know about Haruno? And she mentioned those other girls too, how is it that my family knows about them? The ones in my world don't even know about Yukinoshita and Yuigahama outside of thinking they're Komachi's friends!

I'm prevented from voicing my very annoyed reply when she suddenly whips her gaze at Komachi. The poor girl nearly yelps at the sudden glower from the matriarch of the household.

"Komachi! What did you mean by candidates for his heart?" She then gasps, "Don't tell me that… they're both your girlfriends!?"

"Tch! Believe it woman. Why can't I have them?" I glanced at the trio on the sofa, and they gazed up at me with surprise.

…

Wait… did she mean girlfriends instead of girl… friends?

"Dear me, Hachiman!"

"Hoh… What a son I have…"

"O-onii-chan!?"

" H-Hachiman-san…"

"Really, Hachiman!?"

"N-no, wait…" And before I can make any clarification about the big misunderstanding, Deviluke has her arms around my neck as she rubs her cheek against mine. No, quit it!

"So I'm your girlfriend? That's perfect!" Deviluke exclaims excitedly, and I can't even talk due to her lock on my neck. This alien is so damn annoying! "Let's get married then, Hachiman~!"

"Oh my!" Belldandy gasps, covering her mouth with a hand.

My mother, as expected, glares at me. "What is the meaning of this, Hachiman!?" And while she continues to shout, I catch a glimpse of the old geezer that is my father, giving me a cautious thumbs up. No one needs your perverted encouragement! "You haven't finished school yet, and now you want to get married!? Oh, I see…" She folds her arms, "You wanted her living here with us for that reason, right? I'm not saying in any way that I approve of this… but what about the other girl!?"

"I am not planning to marry Hachiman-san," Clarified the goddess, raising a finger as she smiled. "Although, I do need to remain here, regardless."

To my surprise, and frankly everyone else's, my father suddenly stands to his feet while exclaiming, "Hold on a minute! Don't tell me that you're going to have her as a concubine!?" He spits out his garbage. I can hear his tone hold a jealous ring to it. Hey stupid old man, you're not helping with my case. And quit acting jealous when your wife is in the same room, you trash husband!

My mother growls, "You're in real trouble, boy. What sort of brother shows this kind of example to his sister, who's still a baby…"

"Mou, Kaa-chan! I'm not a baby anymore!" Komachi whines.

"Well, there's no way that we can let them stay if that's why your brother wants them here!" Stop deciding that on your own damn it!

My old geezer tries to calm her down, "O-okaa-san. Listen, we could…"

"I don't care!"

Shouts erupted from my parents, with the whines of my sister following them, while Lala kept singing crap about our supposed coming marriage. Belldandy only watched the absurd scene unfold, and as for me, I was just dragged about like some puppet by the alien girl. This is not what I planned, heck I just came to notice that right now, my parents were becoming an obstacle to Komachi's wish.

That meant one thing. The Ultimate Force would act, and their lives would be in danger.

My sense of foreboding proved accurate when I caught sight of the cabinet in the living room, the glass on it cracking. Shit! The Ultimate Force was about to do something again!

What can I do to convince them before things go even further south?

In that very moment, I hear a soft barely audible voice right in my ear, "Hachiman… I don't want this meanie force to hurt anybody… So let me help you, I owe you a favor… Right?"

The clingy girl had let go of me, yet she was still too close for my liking. However she sported an oddly serious expression. I stared back and nodded my head.

I looked down at her hand, which held some sort of joystick with three green buttons on it. It had two little wings at its sides and on the front, a tiny peak, as if trying to resemble a canary.

"Will you trust me, Hachiman?"

I don't respond. I honestly don't trust her, but things were getting out of control. As much as I dislike the idea, I'm gonna have to depend on her now. I gaze uncertainly at Deviluke and hesitantly nod.

She points the strange item towards my parents, who were still arguing and pressed one of the buttons using the other hand. I swear I could literally see some sort of pulse being expelled from the tiny object. My parents stopped their discussion instantly.

I blink, they just stood there in silence, looking at one another without doing anything at all. What did she do to them? Komachi was the one to ask about that though.

"W-what happened to them?"

"Don't worry!" Deviluke was back to her cheerful self, "Change-Change Memory-kun only hypnotized them."

"'Hypnotize,' huh…?"

I'm not sure I like where this is going but at least they stopped arguing. That name though, I suspect this thing actually does more than just hypnotizing people. Just where did she get that from? Considering the stupid name it has, this must be another one of her inventions.

Also, the cracking of the glass had stopped… phew…

Belldandy approaches them, observing my parents with curiosity.

"Oi, Deviluke," I addressed her.

"Mm?" She blinks up at me.

"When you hypnotized them, did you have something else in mind?" She tilts her head to the side, confused. "I mean, this thing," I look at her invention, "Can it… mold memories?"

She nods her head, "But I wasn't actually going to use that function unless you think it's necessary. I just needed to stop them from arguing, right?" I glanced at my parents, who looked like zombies… "Now we can decide on what to do without having the meanie force bothering us!"

She's scary… not like the stalker, but a different kind of scary. I appreciated the effort though. Walking up to my parents as Belldandy returns to the others, I note that the two of them didn't react to my presence. Well, even less so than usual really.

I cleared my throat, gathering the attention of Komachi, Belldandy and Deviluke. "Well, it looks like we won't be getting anywhere trying to convince my mother. Luckily," I glance at Deviluke, "We may have a chance now."

"Really, Onii-chan? How?"

Belldandy interjects before I can speak, "Are you planning on altering their minds? I don't think that is wise, Lala-san, Hachiman-san."

Hoh… she already saw what I was trying to convey? However, it's not like we have much of a choice. Besides, you're one of the reasons why it's come to this, goddess, so just let me take care of it.

"I actually have to thank Deviluke for stopping them, otherwise the Ultimate Force would have gotten them," I pointed with my thumb behind me towards the cabinet where cracks on the glass were visible, as clear as day.

Belldandy gasps and Komachi yelps.

"S-so it was true, about that force…?" Komachi whispers, just loud enough for me to hear.

I fold my arms, "Yeah, I guess that we'll have to use this invention after all."

"But—" Belldandy's disapproval is painted across her face, but I was speaking before the protest could leave her lips.

"Belldandy," I interrupted the goddess with the most serious tone I could muster. "I don't like it that much either, but if we don't solve this now, the Ultimate Force will hurt them." She drops her gaze, knowing I was correct. "Alright, Deviluke. How does this work?"

"Are you sure, Onii-chan?" Komachi asks hesitantly.

"Not really, but we still have to do it," I mutter. Deviluke points the winged joystick at my parents once more, pressing another of its buttons.

"Okay, Hachiman. They're in a mental trance. Do you want to modify a memory in particular?"

"First, I need you to erase the useless conversation we had since they arrived," I reply. We need to do this well. "Can change-change… can this thing do it?"

"Nope," She easily replies and I cock an eyebrow. She puts a hand inside her outfit from the neck and begins to shuffle. I sweat drop as she finally pulls out a similar object to the one she has with the other hand. It's only difference is that this one only had one button and there was no peck.

"Okay, it's time for you to do your job Bye-Bye Memory-kun!" Pointing the object at them she declares, "Eliminate their memories from…" She looks at the clock, "8:52 p.m. onwards! Planet Earth of Via Lactea, time zone… Japan Standard Time!"

That's probably the exact time when I told them to sit so I could begin explaining their presence to my parents. Deviluke's quite handy when she needs to be, but that device of hers is seriously dangerous.

The memory eraser emits a dim light. After that, Deviluke simply shoots at me with another smile.

"It's done!"

I blink, "Just like that?" She merely nods cheerfully in response. "…Okay? What now?"

"Now, all you have to do is tell them what you want them to believe. And Change-Change-Memory-kun will definitely mold their memories!"

Is it as simple as that? I swear these inventions of hers are something else. Well, here goes nothing.

1-7

"…and that would be all… I think." Lala pushes the only remaining button, drawing them out of the hypnosis.

My mother stared at me blankly and my old man did just the same. I look into their eyes closely, waving a hand so they would react. After a few seconds they blinked, their eyes regaining their usual light.

My mother turns to Belldandy and Deviluke, "Oh, why are you two just standing there?" They jumped in surprise, "It's time for dinner. Komachi go ahead and prepare the table." She ushers both intruders towards the kitchen, "Help me serve the food. Come now, don't let Hachiman's laziness rub off on you."

I exchange glances with my partners in crime. It actually worked much better than expected.

"Well, as long as your friends stay with us, we'll be like family." States the old geezer, before elbowing my arm playfully. "You better not sneak in on them!" He chuckles, "To think we have a goddess and an alien girl living with us. You do know how to pick 'em, right, son?"

"Whatever…" I mutter, "Just don't forget that no one can ever know about them, got it, old man?"

"Oi, I'm not that old!" He retorts, "And you don't have to remind me. They are simply exchange students living with us temporarily if someone asks. Let's just show them the best time while they're here on earth!" I nod as he smirks, "Well, better give Komachi-chan a hand, as the great father I am! Hahaha!"

Looks like he's still a shameless daughter-con here too. Well, whatever. I shrug my shoulders, and Komachi shoots me a hesitant smile. I nod back with an exasperated one of my own.

It really worked.

To think that I told them that those two came down to Earth on a mission of exploration. Determined to learn the ways of the human culture, and our duty as hosts of them was to make sure they could spend their time here without having any trouble. Which led to the fact that we had to hide their true nature.

It's so stupid, yet it worked.

I was of course careful to not mention anything related to the god of time, or what was happening to me. I think I made the right call by not saying anything about the fact that I couldn't recognize this world. Everyone was a suspect now, and I couldn't trust anyone…

The fake being was supposedly a female, so why not trust males? It's quite simple, what if the fake female was using males to her advantage? I forgot to ask Deus Ex Machina about that, and it's too late now, so I have to take that possibility into account.

I can't blindly trust anyone. Not females, males, teens, children, or even adults. No matter the age, no matter the sex, no matter if they seem good or bad, guilty or innocent. I can't trust a single one, for they're all unknowns to me.

But… does this also apply to my family? Can I trust them?

I just can't put up this line of thought only to be biased towards my family, they're all foreign elements that belong to this world. I can't trust them for the default reason that I don't know them. There are a lot of similarities but there are also differences among my parents. It may be hard, and it makes me angry but I have to remain objective under these circumstances and not let my personal feelings cloud my judgment.

No ties to anyone, not even with… Damn it, not even with Komachi. She's a female that fits the category of the fake just fine... Give me a fucking break.

"Hachiman! Give us a hand, would you?"

I turn towards the ever frowning woman that is my mother, who doesn't appear to be any different from the one of my own world.

Maybe I'm rotten because of her. Perhaps she always tried to find a problem to fix to boost her self-confidence, or she was simply embittered and always thinking the worst? Could it be that she had as 'rich' a past as I did? Even as her son, I don't know much of her life before me as she was never one to delve into such things, and I never had access to any informative object that would shed light upon her cloudy life as a teenager. No photo album, nothing. It didn't help that they've always had their corporate slave jobs that kept them away from the house for long stretches of the day, even back when I was a kid.

On the rare days I was able to ask her, she wouldn't really answer. And the old man had shown reluctance every time I asked him, simply saying 'Your mother would kill me, boy, so don't push the subject.' I can only imagine it was bad, hence that dry personality she has and the need to hide her past. Though funnily enough, while my personality could very well be a byproduct of my mother, I share my looks with my old man. She, fortunately enough, didn't suffer from these 'dead fish-eyes' everyone's so kindly attacked lately.

"Oh, Belldandy-chan, you can sit here!" Komachi tells her, drawing a string of giggles from Belldandy.

"Of course."

Alright… I'm already being replaced… I know that females get along better, but it still hurts Komachi. I guess I was never good enough for you. That's too bad. But in the great spec of things it's not really that world-shattering, considering that she's another Komachi… Who am I kidding? She probably thinks just the same in my world.

"Otou-san, stop eating before everyone is at the table!" My mother growls, and my father gulps. Then she looks at him with resignation, and sighs before smiling in exasperation.

"It's no secret that I can't resist your food," He grins sheepishly at her. Deviluke, who is already sitting at the table, giggles at the interaction. "You know how much I love your home cooking, Okaa-san."

Good, reasonable, manipulating and calculating old geezer sure knew how to handle her. Despite that he acted dumb most of the time, he was unexpectedly sharp. But stop flirting in front of the guests already.

Huh… I guess that old geezer is the part of my life that allowed me to see beyond superficiality and actually allowed me to create a shield against the crappy social life I had in middle school. He always overlooked covers and focused on problems on a larger scale, always finding the best solution for all parties involved without getting affected by these whatsoever.

I don't know why I'm thinking about this, homesickness, maybe? They hold similarities, but there are still some differences between these two counterparts and my actual parents. They talked to me for one (lol).

I sat at the table, between Deviluke and my mother-not-mother. This is going to be the strangest dinner I've gotten stuck in.

1-8

My body sinks into the cushion of the sofa. Reclining lazily against it, I take another slurp of the hot caffeinated elixir provided by none other than Belldandy. I close my eyes, letting myself relax.

My mother and the goddess were washing the dishes, while Komachi and Deviluke were still sitting by the table, listening to the dumb stories of the old geezer. Seemed he was thriving with his attentive audience, both of the girls were hanging onto his words, seemingly having a good time.

As for me, I only stared in silence at the TV, which was showcasing some idiotic competition with a cast full of idols. Despite my eyes being directed at it, my attention was focused on my current circumstances. There was so much to think, analyze and mull over. I had to really process all the information at hand, this was an awful lot of change to take in all within a day.

Hmm… There are other races apart from humans, which so far are made up of celestial goddesses and human-looking aliens. The first confirms that another sort of god exists, the latter that there is life in other planets or galaxies… Whatever. Not to mention other deities that don't fit into the category of religion, such as Deus Ex Machina.

Well, if I could just call The Almighty One like Belldandy did, then I'd be able to ask that fellow for divine assistance. Maybe he could overpower Deus Ex Machina and send me back to where I belong. I guess I'm gonna have to keep this idea in mind until I discover how to actually make that call, though I suspect that only goddesses can do it. Maybe if I talk her into doing it for me…

Anyway, there's a lot of stuff going on. Haruno with her… scandalous acts, the hatred directed at me in Sobu, the fact that I don't have any acquaintances in my school, or that Hayama has replaced me in the Service Club. Not to mention the unknown number of people that I apparently should know…

This life was not mine, but the god of time had dragged me into it. Before deciding on any course of action, first I have to gather more information. Miura might be my first step to shedding some light on past events of interest, my class and of course, information about myself and my social life… or lack thereof.

As for the game, I'm gonna have to come up with an effective approach to reduce the number of suspicious people, which is actually an absurd plan considering what Ayanokouji mentioned.

"The female population of Japan rounds up to 10 million people even if we take into account those whose ages fall between 12 and 17. That number is still too large to find her."

However, Deus Ex Machina stated that one of us would win the game and that every person was important.

I don't believe in an inescapable destiny, but I do believe in the god of time's words. And if he said that, then it must be true. Fates can change, and I won't take the risk of losing, I'll find the fake no matter what. My future life as a househusband depends on it!

Jokes aside. Finding the fake will be hard as hell considering how difficult it is for me to interact with people beyond superficiality, even more so when I'm continuously encountering absurd and crazy individuals. Whatever the case, every female I know that meets the requirements is a suspect, and I'll have to find a way to earn their trust and make them show their true colors.

No exception. But…

"Hah… I just can't help but feel miserable."

[You're miserable, which makes me miserable. That won't do.]

I looked at Komachi's cell phone over on the table, whose cover had a mirror at the back that she used to keep her looks in check. There he was again.

[If you truly care about the life you had before, then we must win the game. It doesn't matter what we have to do, but let's do this the way we know how.]

I stare at my reflection in silence.

---

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in Logic Is My Sword: Chapter 01Section: Song 07

---

Despite that I strongly disliked the 'me' in the mirror, he had a point. I had to get myself together if I wanted to succeed in finding the fake being. The way I know is to act according to the weaknesses and defects of people, using these as the foundation for my plans. Whether I'm indirectly involved or not, and regardless if I have to face repercussions.

I'm completely sure my quest to find something genuine was put on an indefinite hold. For me, that's a given. I'm living the life of another person, someone that has made their own enemies and friends, that has created a story of his own, be it good or bad. None of this is mine, and I don't have the right to take it, however, I'll create a new path from this point on.

This is my new reality, which I still see as unreal. I'm not speaking literally anymore, but with a sense of fickle, selfish mentality. While I may possess the body of someone that belonged to this world, my mind and soul are unknown elements that shouldn't exist here.

False relationships are all I have now. Whether those are with neighbors that are supposedly my friends, with goddesses from heaven or alien-girls from space. Or may it be with people of a past that doesn't belong to me, which is now shadowing my every step, the goal is only to retain them.

Sometimes one hits a point where one either changes or self-destructs, and thus I have reached my conclusion. I will no longer mutilate and destroy myself in order to find the secret behind the ruins. I'll be the flame, not the moth.

I won't strive to understand the laws and elements that conform to this new world. Since I accept my new reality, I let go of my wish of finding something genuine, and I'll keep that as the foundation of my determination to leave the nightmarish destiny I was subjected to. No sincere ties, or relationships… I won't seek any of that.

I'm probably being presumptuous by thinking this way… Yeah, probably… I never was a modest person. I lied… a lot. I was either one extreme or the other.

I sighed and covered my face with the crook of my arm.

How did I get here? Last night, I was living a more normal life with the two girls that I was close to.

I had truly wanted to help Yukinoshita fulfill her request, and support her as she freed herself from the chains that held her wings, given by none other than her own family. I wanted Yuigahama to be there so we could all struggle, writhe and agonize over the answer. I wanted us to all face this problem together, but the chance of doing so was now gone, and all I can do is try to return to the point where that chance existed.

Yukinoshita Yukino hated me in this world, so my hope of saving her wasn't within the realm of possibility. Yuigahama Yui fears me, so counting on her was also ruled out. This is why I have to return to my previous life.

Am I making a fool of myself for still hoping that?

I'm pathetic. I was just using them to atone for my own sins, my failures in life. Yet, I just couldn't help myself feeling somewhat happy as I was finally getting closer to understanding both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. They sought the same as me, something… genuine, something that could be meaningful.

Yet... none of that matters anymore.

I won't feel depressed though. I have a game to win, and I won't accept becoming the successor of Deus Ex Machina. You'd better do your best on your end, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

I am a veteran in this battlefield of life, one that has gotten used to losing… but not this time.

I'm not losing.

I won't. Not again.

…Not again.

But I still had to wonder…

Will I really be able to kill someone when the time arrives?

---

Chapter 01 END

---

GTO, the Host 02

A man with short, blond hair, dressed in blue trousers and a white shirt, rose from a plush chair within an ambiguous classroom. Balancing a lit cigar in one hand and clutching a book in the other, he casually observed the Readers with a lazy stance, as was usual. His gaze drifted across the spectators before speaking.

"Hello again, visitors!" He began, tossing the book behind him. "Good to see you here. I'm Onizuka Eikichi, 22-years-old, still single." Taking a puff of his cigar, he continued, "I'll keep introducing every important character not related to the show of the protagonist. So let's begin!"

Having said that, the classroom door was opened, revealing a plain-looking boy dressed in a red blazer, his entrance marked by hushed footsteps.

The readers were met with the distant gaze of a brown-haired boy, his keen golden eyes carefully taking them in, "Uh… I'm Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Eh…" His gaze shifted from side to side, "I'm just some character from the light novels Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijō Shugi no Kyōshitsue, or Classroom of the Elite, in English. Um… Ah… I'm not good at anything in particular, so I'm probably the most unpopular character of the light novels… I guess…"

"Man, you're someone I would call dead inside," Onizuka made a comment, but there was no reaction from Ayanokouji. "Though I bet you're hiding something interesting."

The boy looks at him unfazed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Onizuka scrutinizes him, suspicion etched on his face. But before long he gives up, shrugging his shoulders, "Whatever, who's next?"

Afterward, a man elegantly dressed, appearing to be in his late fifties, entered the room.

"I'm John Bacchus," The old man stated, his tone firm. "I'm the antagonist of the anime and manga series, Mirai Nikki, or Future Diary, in English."

"What's an old geezer doing here?" Onizuka commented, swiping at his nose with a sniff.

"Well, excuse me," The bespectacled man furrowed his brow. "I'm the mayor of Sakur—"

"NEXT!" Onizuka interrupted with a shout.

"I'm not done, you useless—"

Then, through the door emerged a tiny girl, suspended upside down in midair. Onizuka stared at her in sheer shock, his face contorting with astonishment, "What sort of trick are you doing…?"

"Who knows?" The girl smugly smiled, "So, I'm Muru Muru. A character from the same anime and manga, Future Diary. Same as Deus Ex Machina. He didn't come but he's watching us from the Cathedral of Causality. Just imagine he's here with us."

Onizuka scratched his head, "Okay? Whatever you're talking about. This manga is about the fact that some powerful thing gives the ability to know the future via diaries to a group of people. So who comes next?"

In response to his words, a stunning girl, adorned with intricate blue markings on her face and wearing an elaborate ensemble, stepped into the classroom. Her welcoming smile epitomized purity and radiance. Everyone gazed at her in admiration, a few even shielding their eyes from the brilliance that seemed to emanate from her smile.

Overreactions, these were, obviously.

Ayanokouji remained unmoved by it all though.

"Wow… now who is this?" Onizuka inquired, his gaze carefully studying her from top to bottom.

"My name is Belldandy, a goddess! First class, license unlimited," She declared before releasing an adorable giggle, then bowed gracefully to the readers.

Gasps of amazement resounded throughout the class.

"How old are you? Maybe after this you would want to…" Onizuka began to say.

"Ehh…" Ayanokouji cut him off, scratching his head, "I don't think it's a good idea to try to hit on her. While she may be older than 18, she is way too naïve and kind-hearted for someone with a perverted face like yours," Onizuka cringed at his statement. "Not to mention that she is a goddess, a being that could probably wipe your existence in a matter of seconds should you give her a reason to do so. Probably."

Onizuka sported a dumb expression, which prompted Muru Muru to burst into laughter, "…I never intended to hit on her… I was just curious… that's all…" Everyone regarded him with suspicion, except for Belldandy, who appeared genuinely perplexed, "What? I mean it!" He scoffed, and cleared his throat, "Anyway… continue, if you would?"

Belldandy nodded, giggling again, "Of course! I'm one of the main characters of the manga series, Oh My Goddess! The manga was adapted to two anime seasons, several OVAS, a spin-off and a movie."

"Oh right," Onizuka blinked twice, "Yours was about being forced to live with some loser after he asked you some clever wish, right?"

Belldandy frowned, "Loser?"

Ignoring her, the blonde teacher yawned, "So who's the last? This segment is getting too long and I'm hungry as fuck."

"Oh my, that way of expressing yourself…" The goddess gasped, covering her mouth.

"Meh… this girl is sooooo boring," Muru Muru comments, flying above Ayanokouji. "Though, you seem rather interesting… for a mere human…"

Ayanokouji waved his hands dismissively, "How so? I don't remember doing anything that would classify me as interesting. You're talking to the wrong person, flying… weird girl."

As Muru Muru laughed again, a girl made her way to the gathered group. She sported an eccentric outfit that, truth be told, seemed rather comical to the onlookers. Onizuka couldn't contain himself, holding his stomach as he erupted in laughter.

"Hahahaha!" He pointed a finger at the pink-haired girl, "Okay, that outfit looks stu—"

The girl spun around, facing him.

*Boing Boing*

Onizuka was utterly stunned, his eyes clinging to the mesmerizing motion influenced by gravity and breast physics. A droplet of sweat trickled down his forehead as he contemplated the magnificent sight presented before him.

"Hi!" She turned to the readers, "How are you guys doing? I'm Lala Satalin Deviluke. I'm the lead heroine of the manga series To Love Ru," She puts a thoughtful finger under her chin. "Although I became more of a secondary character in To Love Ru: Darkness," She shrugs her shoulder. "Oh well…"

"Damn… this girl is so well-endowed… What the hell is with these kids nowadays…?" Onizuka muttered under his breath.

Ayanokouji's dry and bland voice was heard, "She's underage despite being an alien. I bet you could still be charged and arrested if you keep that up. Your life as a teacher will be over if you ever lay a hand on her."

Onizuka gritted his teeth, "I know that, idiot! Damn how I hate clever kids!" He gazed at the readers, "Okay, that's all for today. See you in the next installment: GTO, the Host! This is Onizuka Eikichi, 22-years-old, single."

As the Great Teacher Onizuka flashed a smile, everyone else's face contorted in disgust.

Ayanokouji sighed, and whispered to himself, "Well… I bet there's someone out there that would be willing to accept this desperate person."

…

In a certain teacher's office, a dark-haired beauty sneezes hard. The old woman at her side looks at her in concern.

"Did you catch a cold, Hiratsuka-sensei?"

She shakes her head, "Not really…" Hiratsuka responds, "Someone must be talking about me, I guess…"

---

Author Notes:

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji will be mainly based on the anime, although several LN only elements will still be implemented.