The words uttered had left Shiro in shock.

The gods were beings who no one dared oppose. No one dared speak ill of them. And yet, despite that iron rule that had been shared through all of time, Kōkatsu had completely gone against it.

Shiro: [Kō-Kōkatsu! Are you sure you should be saying things like that?!]

Kōkatsu: [Like I said, I don’t give a flyin’ fuck if they hear me. They probably can’t even hear me with how fuckin’ senile they all are.]

Kōkatsu stood there, occasionally putting her kiseru to her lips and blowing out the smoke from it, all the while an expression of anger was hanging over her face.

Kōkatsu: [As gods, yer supposed to help people out. Cast judgment upon those who deserve it. All that divine mumbo jumbo. Ya get what I mean. But those old geezers haven’t done shit a majority of the time. They just sit there, waitin’ for somethin’ world endin’ to come along. That shit never happens though, so really it jus’ amounts to nothin’.]

Shiro: [So you’re saying…they act as if they aren’t gods at all?

Kōkatsu: [In a way, ’s like they have the seat for some higher up kinda feelin’. There’s a lot of places in the world just gettin’ screwed over, but they don’t care. Obviously, you can’t fix everythin’. There’s gonna be times where you can’t save every single person in the world. But there’s definitely a way to help the shithole kinda places. There’s some slums I remember hearin’ about, kinda near Dranilia I think.]

Shiro: [Dranilia…? Isn’t that the place with the Dragon race?]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah. Heh, not a super clever name for a place like that come to think of it. Anyways, there’s some slums near there from what I heard, and it’s the worst of the worst. People rob, kill, rape, ya name it. ’S a complete shithole through and through but the gods haven’t done shit to help. Apparently there’s a church there, which is real sad if ya think ‘bout it. Might be some poor sap prayin’ that the gods eventually help ‘em. But we know that shit ain’t happenin’.]

Shiro: [I…I see…]

Shiro casted her gaze down, thinking about the idea of a place like that existing.

She always liked imaging the best in people, but seeing this “best in people” wasn’t necessarily something she could control. To hear that a place like those slums had truly existed saddened her greatly.

Kōkatsu: [Those gods also only care about the top of the top for their selection.]

Shiro: [What do you mean by that?]

Kōkatsu: [Ever notice how they’ve been up there for as long as they have? ’S cause they only want the absolute best out there to become the next gods. People with divine chi, the ones that are absurdly strong and fast, the ones that could be completely unstoppable if they became a god.]

Shiro: [But a selection like that…]

Kōkatsu: [...would be nearly impossible]

With such specific conditions, the gods would never move down from their position. It’s not as if they hated the idea of stepping down, but if they were to step down, they would want an acceptable replacement. Acceptable, however, was a lenient term in their eyes.

Shiro: [Come to think of it…you mentioned they’re allowing you to stay here in case you decide to enroll again. Would that mean…]

Kōkatsu: [...They expect me to turn into a pretty damn strong god…like I even give a shit to do that. Well, I guess I technically do now but…oh! Right! Let’s get off this sucky topic for now and talk about some of the other shit I mentioned. My reason for coming back.]

Shiro: [Ah yes, I remember that was one of the notes. I believe it was the first one you gave me. If I recall correctly though, you mentioned you wanted to also thank me…for something?]

Kōkatsu: [Ya brought up family.]

Shiro: [Oh…oh! Oh…well…you see…I-I apologize if your family situation is not well or something of the sort that caused my comment to sound bad…It’s fine if you don’t want to discuss it-]

Kōkatsu: [Quit yer worryin’. I’ll explain some shit to ya jus’ because I don’t really care. My parents are shit, I ran away from home when I was super young and lived both for and by myself.]

Shiro: [Ah…that’s unfortunate.]

Kōkatsu: [But there’s somethin’ I always wanted. Whether it was due to my shitty family situation, or jus’ somethin’ else, I couldn’t tell ya. But I always wanted a family of my own. They didn’t have to be related or anythin’ like that, just people I could call my family.]

Shiro: [And my comment was what made you come back?]

Kōkatsu: [Yep. If I become a god, I’ll help make the world better, sure, but I’ll have my own people. My own crew. My own family. I’ll treat them all like they’re my own children, y’know what I mean?]

Shiro: [Yeah, I suppose I want that too. Though I get the feeling your desire for that is stronger than mine.]

Shiro had begun to stare at the ground and scratch her cheek after saying this, before noticing movement from Kōkatsu.

Kōkatsu was now bowing towards her. Her accent dispersed as her gesture was performed.

Kōkatsu: [Thank you, Shiro.]

Shiro: [I-I-I don’t believe I’ve done anything that big to warrant you bowing! You can raise your head Kōkatsu!]

Kōkatsu: [No. I refuse. It’s thanks to you that I realized a way for my dream to become a reality, therefore, I want to thank you.]

Shiro had been blushing the entire time, trying to find a way to change this situation that felt slightly embarrassing to her. But after hearing Kōkatsu’s words, her expression had changed to one of happiness.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Shiro: [Well, if I was able to help, I’m glad. You’re welcome, Kōkatsu!]

Kōkatsu: [Heh. Who knows, maybe I’ll even take care of yer future kids!]

The blushed expression that was previously on Shiro’s face had once again returned.

Shiro: [My-My kids will be my kids! I’m gonna be the one to raise them!]

Kōkatsu: [Yahahahaha!]

After once again feeling embarrassed, Shrio had begun to think about something regarding Kōkatsu’s statement.

Shiro: [Hey, Kōkatsu?]

Kōkatsu: [Hm? Sup?]

Shiro: [Sorry if it’s a bit rude of me to ask, but if you want a family, part of that would be having children of your own right?]

Kōkatsu: [...]

There was no audible response from Kōkatsu, only her gaze moving down, her face being filled with a saddened expression, and the fox ears on top of her head that once pointed up to the sky, had now moved down slowly as if disguising itself with her hair.

Kōkatsu: [...That’s a topic I’d rather not go into right now. Sorry, Shiro.]

Shiro: [A-ah, I see! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring up anything traumatic for you or something!]

Kōkatsu: [‘S fine. Jus’ a topic I don’t know that I’m ready to talk to ya ‘bout. Got a feeling the two of us will be close though, so maybe one day I’ll let ya know.]

Shiro had then begun to shuffle through the small papers she had.

Shiro: [Let’s try to get off this topic for now. Let’s see what we have left. We talked about that one….that one is done too…oh, we still haven’t talked about the steps to becoming a god!]

Kōkatsu: [Right right, ok so how do I sort this all out. Well to start, we got our written stuff that ya already know about. It’s real simple and honestly, if the two of us help each other out, then we’re all good.]

Shiro: [Ah, you’re right! Helping each other out can give us a huge advantage here! Although, you said you basically raised yourself, right?]

Kōkatsu: [Don’t ya worry one bit! I might not be the best writin’ wise, or work wise, or anythin’ that might be borin’ wise, but I educated myself all on my own! I’m not the smartest in the world, but I got enough smarts that we’ll be all good.]

Shiro: [Ah, perfect then! Anyways, please continue.]

Kōkatsu: [Right, so we got all that stuff, ’s fine. And we’re skippin’ the divine chi step since we already got that, so we’re all good there. But then we have our final step, the thing they call The Five Trials.]

Shiro: [The Five Trials?]

Kōkatsu: [’S a few steps to prove if we have what it takes. We prove ourselves, and from there we become gods. ‘S that simple. There’s a catch though. The first one tests yer power, the second for speed, the third is a test situation for ya to solve, and then there’s the fourth one.]

Shiro: [All of that sounds fairly simple so far, but what does the fourth entail?]

Kōkatsu: [You’re put into a real situation.]

Shiro: [Wha-What?!]

Kōkatsu: [When ya get the fourth trial, ya get a few tasks to perform. Usually, they’ll group ya up with a few other students so ’s not as risky, but yer to go out into the world and accomplish the list they give ya. ’S not some easy shit either like helpin’ some farmers or takin’ care of the elderly. ’S actual tough jobs. Ya go out, prove that ya can do it, report yer results and from there yer done. There’s no guarantee that you come out unscathed though, or in the worst case scenario, alive.]

Shiro: [Bu-but isn’t that unfair to the students who aren’t prepared for something like that?!]

Kōkatsu: [This is a test to become a god, Shiro. Unfair as it may be, the moment ya step into these grounds, ya gotta prepare yourself to get the best odds of survival. If ya want to help people, then ya also gotta get ready for what might come with that.]

Shiro: [I-I suppose that’s true…]

As harsh as it may be, that is the fate of a god. Though you may be able to save many, and rid the world of evil, there will be scenarios where you must defeat that very evil. A scenario such as that might leave you with scars or even death, but as a god, the duty of that role was to always strive forward with the justice it carries on its back.

Shiro: [So, what about the fifth trial?]

Kōkatsu: [Don’t know.]

Shiro: [Huh?]

Kōkatsu: [All I know is that “certain group of people” is involved with it.]

Shiro: [Right, I remember the teacher bringing that up. So it involves them huh…]

Kōkatsu: [‘S all I gotta say ‘bout that stuff. Anyways, I gave one more note regardin’ what I wanted to talk ‘bout, right?]

Shiro: [Oh! Right! Yeah, let’s see…this one! The one about matōki.]

Kōkatsu: [Right, right, matōki. Matōki is kinda weird when ya think about it.]

Shiro: [Huh? How so?]

Kōkatsu: [Well, don’t ya think it’s weird how we all have it? It’s never really been documented by our ancestors, though it’s hard to prove that type of documentation. But despite it bein’ this big “demon” related thing, we all got it. Hell, even humans have some weird pseudo version of it, which isn’t the exact same, but still. ’S all weird.]

Shiro: [Hmmm. I guess it does seem kinda odd.]

Kōkatsu: [There’s also this thing some people have. I forgot what ’s called, but ’s like an extra matōki ability, ‘cept ya don’t really get to determine it, and there’s a higher risk of death with it or somethin’. Oh, Innate Ability. ’S what it was.]

Shiro: [Oh. You mean this?]

All of a sudden, the notes that were in Shiro’s hand had faded into a small explosion of smoke.

Kōkatsu: [Gah! The hell was that?!]

Shiro: [It’s an ability I’ve had since I was a kid. I call it my Illusion World. It doesn’t really serve much of a purpose for me, but it does serve as a massive storage space! Oh and…I guess it serves as a place for me to go when I want to just be by myself…]

Kōkatsu: [Jeez, talk about depressin’. But wait, if ya can go in there, wouldn’t that be mega powerful?]

Shiro: [It works in a kind of odd way. Nobody in the real world can interact with me, but my positioning is kinda coordinated with the real world. I can’t see or hear anyone else on the other side, so I’m basically as blind as a bat while in there. If I were to come back to the real world while in a wall or something similar, I’d likely suffocate and die.]

Kōkatsu: [Man, this went from depressin’ to scary real quick. Still, I think ya could get some good usage out of it with enough practice.]

Shiro: [I’m not entirely sure myself…]

After blowing out more smoke from her lips, Kōkatsu had then turned her head to face Shiro.

Kōkatsu: [Hey, speakin’ of worlds, do ya know about the third world theory?]

Shiro: [Third world theory?]

Kōkatsu: [There’s a lot of people who believe a third world exists. Take for instance what I just mentioned, matōki,. ’S weird how everyone has it, but when ya consider the idea of some strange third world mergin’ with the other two from those old ass documentations, it starts to make sense. On top of the fact that there’s the innate ability stuff, and there’s been some strange sightin’s over time, there’s a good chance there may have actually been another place all along.]

Shiro: [I could see a small possibility of this, but I’m not entirely sure it would be true.]

Kōkatsu: [Fair enough. I jus’ always liked lookin’ into the idea of somethin’ like that. Gets the brain workin’ in a fun kinda way, y’know what I mean?]

Kōkatsu took one last puff from her kiseru, before pulling out a pocket watch she had in the obi of her kimono.

Kōkatsu: [Well, looks like we should probably head back. Feel kinda bad for Nero and Mena, they were waitin’ for us and now we gotta get back to class before goin’ to see ‘em again.]

Shiro: [That is rather unfortunate. Still, I’m sure they understand. Anyways let’s head back. I’ll try to hit up the library as quickly as possible once we’re done so we can start studying at home before anyone else.]

Kōkatsu: [I don’t think we gotta rush too much there, the only bookworm here seems to be ya! Yahahahaha!]

And with that, the two of them had departed back to their classroom, where their work would once again begin.

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼

Shiro: [This one, this one, this one too maybe, Kōkatsu might want this…hmm…this one as well.]

After class had ended, Shiro had headed straight to the library of the school, where a massive array of books had been spread across the whole room. It was quite the large room, which was to be expected given how important the role that a student going here would attempt to take on.

However, not only was there a large array of books across this library, but in Shiro’s very own hands, was a tower of books slowly being built up. Her ability to perfectly carry them was impressive in and of itself.

Shiro: [Haaaah…this is taking a bit. Hopefully they don’t mind how much I need to take out.]

???: [You need not worry about that. They have enough bookssss here to accommodate every sssstudent’ssss needssss. Unlessss of coursssse, you’re sssssabotaging thissss library?]

Shiro: [Ah!]

Shiro had gotten surprised by the voice now speaking to her. While trying to maneuver her head around to see where the person had been since she could not look in front of herself with her book tower, she couldn’t quite seem to find the person who was speaking to her.

Shiro: […Sorry if it’s rude of me to ask. Maybe my books are screwing me up and I just can’t see you at all, but where are you?]

???: [Ahhhhh, I apologizsssse. It’ssss quite rude of me to be where I like to travel while attempting to sssspeak to ssssomeone. Allow me to come down to your level.]

All of a sudden, something with a dark purple color had flung itself down from the ceiling, now in front of Shiro’s position.

There was a girl with dark purple hair. She had a large, dark red puffy coat, and past her coat, had oddly been nothing else. Though nothing that shouldn’t be seen was visible, luckily.

But it made sense, given what closely followed behind the girl, attached to her, was a long tail, covered in dark purple scales on top, with a rattle at the end.

Silvia: [My name is Ssssilvia. Ssssilvia Hemobi. It sssshould be rather obvioussss on what I am, but the part that may not be sssso obvioussss issss that I enjoy moving along the sssseiling. It’s a much more quiet and calm plasssse for me.]

The girl who had now appeared before Shiro, was a snake girl with dark purple hair with the name Silvia.

△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼△▼△△▼△▼