The conversation continued with Shiro-san—a Goddess who possessed a refined face, a perfect figure, and a voice so beautiful the Goddess of Beauty herself would likely have fled barefoot in shame. Despite those incredible specs, she was also expressionless, emotionless, and a total airhead, making her an incredibly difficult person to talk to.
"……"
"……"
No, seriously, please say something. Is this one of those situations where I have to be the one to provide a topic, or the silence will last forever?
"Yes."
"……I’d appreciate it if you denied that, even if you have to lie."
"In that case, I shall lie and provide a topic."
"……Ah, okay."
"……"
"……"
She really meant it when she said she was lying! What am I supposed to do with this Goddess? Look, since you can read my mind anyway, why don't you use that to find something to talk about?
There must be plenty of options, right? Stories about my old world, or something like that…
"Then, let us discuss a certain volume in your collection titled 'The Book of the Knee-Black: Chapter Two'."
"——!?"
Hey, stop it! Don't go excavating my middle school black history on your own!
Seriously, stop it. I’m going to die of embarrassment.
"Why did this book record the 'Jet' in 'Jet-black' using the kanji for 'Knee'?"
"~~!?!?"
Stop it! Don’t start proofreading my kanji mistakes! That’s the one thing you absolutely must not touch! My sanity is already hanging by a thread; you're going to grind it into dust!
Why did she have to read my mind and then immediately zero in on my most shameful secret with pinpoint accuracy? She has to be doing this on purpose!
I have to change the subject. A topic, I need a new topic…
"S-Speaking of which! I heard the effects of a blessing depend on the god who gives it! Shiro-san, what kind of effect does your blessing have?"
"……I wonder?"
"You wonder!?"
I felt like my mental state was going to collapse if I let Shiro-san keep control of the conversation, so I desperately scrambled for a new topic using every bit of my meager communication skills… but were my ears and eyes playing tricks on me? For some reason, this Goddess just tilted her head with a blank look and replied "I wonder?" as if she didn't even know what her own blessing did. You’re joking, right?
"No. This is the first time I have ever performed a blessing, so I do not know what kind of effect it might have."
"……This is your first time giving a blessing?"
"Yes. I rarely venture into the Human Realm."
I’d suspected as much since she was an acquaintance of Kuro’s, but it seemed Shiro-san really was a high-ranking deity who had never actually granted a blessing before.
"Then, let me ask something else. What is it that you preside over, Shiro-san?"
"I do not particularly preside over anything."
"……Huh?"
I’d assumed all gods presided over something, like a 'Goddess of Life' or 'God of War,' but apparently that wasn’t the case for her. I give up. This Goddess is too much.
What am I supposed to do? My mental fortitude is near zero… I don't think I have the strength to keep this conversation going.
"In that case, let us return to the book I mentioned earlier—"
"Wait, wait! I'll keep talking! I'll do my best to keep the conversation going, so please don't go back to that!"
"Do humans truly harbor such a deep longing for great power?"
"……Eh?"
I thought for sure she was going back to exposing my middle school cringe, but the question Shiro-san asked was actually serious.
Her voice was as flat as ever and her expression hadn't changed at all, but for some reason, unlike before, I felt as though she was genuinely curious from the bottom of her heart.
"……"
Perhaps that was why I couldn't give her an immediate answer. Whether or not humans long for power… that was likely a question only a Goddess who was born with absolute power could ask.
How should I answer? Then again, Shiro-san could read my mind anyway, so there was no point in trying to sound sophisticated. I should just say exactly what I felt.
"I think… they do. Immense power, incredible wisdom, wealth, and fame… I've longed for those things myself, many times."
"Then, I shall give them to you."
"……What?"
"It is rare for me to converse with a human. Since we have this rare connection, I shall grant you one thing you desire. Power to achieve anything you wish? Wisdom to touch the Truth of the World? Wealth that can never be exhausted? Fame enough to be worshipped? Anything will do."
"……"
"Now, tell me your wish. Even things that could never be reached by a human, I can grant them to you."
The Goddess spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She told me she would give me whatever I wanted—that she could change me into anyone I wanted to be.
Any wish could come true. If I asked this being, I could finally become 'special.'
My heart shook violently. The things I couldn't obtain no matter how much I struggled or suffered… the Goddess before me was saying she would simply hand them over.
There was no reason to refuse. No logic that said I shouldn't want it. And yet, there was something—a nagging feeling deep in the pit of my stomach.
I closed my eyes and knocked on the door of my own heart—the part of myself I’d finally started to understand recently.
What is it that I really want? What do I truly desire? I quietly questioned myself, then slowly opened my eyes. I looked into the Goddess's all-seeing eyes and voiced the answer I had found.
"……No, thank you."
"Why?"
"……Because I think you probably can't give me what I really want."
"……"
It was probably incredibly rude to say that to a Goddess with such overwhelming power. Even so, I just didn't feel like this was the way my wish should be granted.
I wasn't denying the desire for power. I’d wanted it plenty of times myself. To be invincible, to have a harem, to live exactly how I wanted… that would surely be satisfying. It was definitely one of the things I’d dreamed of.
But… the image that flashed in my mind was Kuro’s innocent, beaming smile.
"……She told me. That girl told me… that it was okay to be who I am for now, and that I should just search for my answer from here on."
"……"
"I was so happy. She gave me a push when I was struggling, suffering, and flailing about in such a pathetic way."
"……"
"I’m just a weak, helpless human. Maybe I'm acting above my station? But the things you’re trying to give me feel a little too heavy for me to carry."
"……Other than the money, none of those things possess physical weight."
I couldn't help but give a wry smile at her flat response. Shiro-san was actually a pretty interesting person, wasn't she?
"Well, anyway… I don't need invincible power, or absolute wisdom, or a mountain of gold, or never-ending applause. What I want from the bottom of my heart is… something I grasp with my own hands, even if the process is painful, ugly, and pathetic."
"……"
I realized this was an answer I could only give because I was in a privileged position. Yes, I was truly lucky. It was only because I was so blessed with the people and environment around me that I could voice such a naive, idealistic wish.
However, this was the answer I had found for myself. Even if my opponent was a Goddess, I wasn't going to take it back.
"I appreciate the offer, really. But my answer won't change. I have to decline."
"……"
Shiro-san said nothing. She just silently listened to my confession and watched as I bowed my head.
When I raised my face and met her eyes again, the atmosphere surrounding her had completely transformed.
Her golden eyes, which had previously seemed to be looking at nothing, were now clearly reflecting my existence. And though it was so faint I would have missed it if I weren't focused, her expression—which had been devoid of all emotion—shifted. The corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.
"……I have changed my mind."
"Eh?"
Speaking in that same monotone voice, Shiro-san stood up and lightly flicked her finger.
My body glowed faintly once more, followed by a sound like shattering glass.
"I accepted Kuro’s request only as a favor, but I personally had zero interest in you. I performed a blessing by merely imitating a low-ranking god… however, since I have changed my mind, I have revoked it."
"Uh, well……"
So that sound was the blessing being canceled. Did I make her angry? I couldn't really argue if she called me rude. I felt bad for Kuro, though. She’d gone out of her way to ask for this favor…
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the scenery transformed.
"——!?"
We weren't in the Hanging Garden anymore. We were literally in the sky. Beneath us lay green lands and a blue sea. Above, the sky was split perfectly down the middle, showing a bright blue day on one side and a sea of stars on the other.
In this surreal world that looked like different dimensions stitched together, I was suspended in mid-air. Shiro-san stood a short distance away.
"I have now developed an interest in your existence. Therefore, I shall perform this properly."
"!?!?!?"
As she muttered those words, Shiro-san released a pressure so immense that words failed to describe it. The entire world before me seemed to tremble in response.
"In my name—the name of Shallow Vernal—I declare to the world."
The air vibrated and the earth pulsed with the weight of her words.
"This man—Kaito Miyama—I recognize as worthy of receiving my blessing."
She wasn't shouting, nor was she using any kind of magic tool, yet her voice resonated as if it were reaching every corner of existence.
"Therefore—in my name—the name of Shallow Vernal—I command the world."
The earth shimmered, the sea glowed, and the sky intensified its brilliance.
"Earth—become the cradle that protects him. Sea—become the raiment that nurtures him. Sky—become the wings that enfold him. Stars—become the guidepost that leads him."
Thousands upon thousands of lights shot up from the earth, the sea, the sky, and the stars. They spiraled around me like a vortex of falling stars.
"In my name—the name of Shallow Vernal—I permit this name—the name of Kaito Miyama—to be inscribed upon the world alongside my own, as one who stands under my divine protection."
The light became so intense I had to shield my eyes. As it began to converge, I saw it clearly.
A smile. The smile of a beautiful Goddess, looking as if all the beauty in the world had been condensed into a single moment.
"Kaito Miyama—the Lost Child from an Otherworld whom Kuro chose. That was magnificent. Just as you declared, you have won a tangible result from me with your own hands: my interest. Therefore, I grant it to you—the Blessing of the World."
Dear Mother, Father—I finally found my own wish. And I was blessed by a Goddess.