It was the last Saturday of November, and the Kobayashi living room was stewing in an uncomfortable mood.
Aoto got up from the sofa in the middle of the room and turned off the game console. He turned back to Shihono, still sitting on the couch.
“I mean,” Aoto said, “being lucky is great and all, but...”
“She juked out all of our preparations, acted pitifully, and her blessing is so meh. Some Witch of Yore the Goddess Lirenna turned out to be.”
The two of them sighed together in an attempt to dispel the ugly displeasure welling up inside them.
“Well,” Shihono said, stretching her back, “I’m not gonna complain about the details of a divine blessing we got for free. But still, how were we supposed to see this coming?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Aoto popped his knuckles to loosen them up after their long gaming session. “I was so tense for the final fight too... Everything that happened came out of left field.”
They had steeled themselves for the final boss fight, anxiety causing both of them to stiffen up to the point of soreness. They’d amassed the strongest party they could manage, even receiving a surprise visit from Leon, yet they had still sat frozen in fear at the possibility that someone might die.
All the while, the two of them had been praying with all their hearts for Lieselotte and her friends to get through the battle without incident. However, when the black fog had settled, they’d been greeted by a thoughtless goddess just as in love with Lieselotte as they were. Their dissatisfaction was a matter of course.
“Well, at least Lirenna’s back to normal,” Aoto said. “We got to learn a lot thanks to her...”
The boy was absolutely positive that, had the goddess gone on for any longer, she would have likened Lieselotte’s one-sided love for Sieg to his own hidden crush. He’d managed to cut her off just in time, but a cold sweat ran down his back all the same.
“But seeing the goddess like that was so disappointing... Did you see all the blank looks on everyone’s faces? Fabby-boo had to shoot the fireball he prepared into the sky like a firework, for crying out loud.”
“Come to think of it,” Aoto said in realization, “I feel so bad for Professor Leon.”
“He went out of his way to dress up in costume, even if his disguise sucked,” Shihono said. “It must’ve taken guts to show his powers in public.”
“That brainless goddess really managed to screw up every little detail, huh? Begging on her knees isn’t gonna be enough to be forgiven for all she’s done...”
Once again, the two heaved a heavy sigh in unison.
“But hey!” Shihono pumped her fist to reinvigorate herself. “Either way, we still have to go visit Kuon Kirise and peel that evil god off of him!”
“I was about to say ‘evil god’ is a bit harsh, but that sounds about right. The only problem is how we find Kuon Kirise. I guess his college is our best bet, but what do we even do if we find him? Can we peel off an evil god when other people are watching?”
“Finding a secluded spot would be for the best. I predict that Kuon Kirise’s soul will need some time to take back control of his body, so he’ll pass out for a bit after I exorcise him.”
Aoto and Shihono froze when they suddenly heard a voice that they’d previously only heard from the TV’s speakers. Aoto instantly looked over at the game console, but both it and the television were turned off. To begin with, the Goddess Lirenna’s voice was coming from straight above.
“But thanks to, ahem, yours truly, you two are super lucky!” Despite being reduced to a disembodied voice, Lirenna’s smug grin flashed in the young duo’s minds. “I’m sure you’ll run into him if you loiter around a place he frequents!”
“Blegh, the goddess is following us around. Ewww.”
Shihono’s displeasure came straight from the bottom of her heart. Aoto’s face scrunched up in a similar manner.
“So this is what it’s like to be blessed... Does this mean you were listening this entire time?”
The two high schoolers had called her pitiful and brainless, and had even referred to her other half as an evil god. Aoto worried that Lirenna would be upset with them if she’d overheard everything they’d said. However, the goddess seemed unaffected.
“I was, but everything you said was true, so I can’t be mad!”
“You can’t?” he asked, incredulous. “Well, it’s not like I planned on taking back what I said.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Shihono said in a mild panic. “I don’t mind that you were listening in until now, but does this mean you’re going to be peeping on us and commenting on our every move from now on?”
In an instant, Aoto’s expression shifted to grave sobriety.
“All right, let’s go catch Kuon. You won’t spy on us after we’re done, will you?”
“N-No, of course not! Uh, um, don’t worry! I bestowed my divine favor on the two of you, so I can’t even peek in if you aren’t together! I won’t and can’t invade your privacy when either one of you are on your own. Lord Endo, I swear on my name as the First Goddess to stop meddling in your world once we catch Kuon!”
“In that case, I guess it’s fine,” Shihono said. “Kinda. Er, well...honestly, this is awful.”
“It really is,” Aoto said. “Having a constant observer that adds comments out of the blue is terrible. How do Fiene and Sieg put up with this?”
“I bet it’s because they seriously believe we’re gods. I don’t think I’d mind as much if Lirenna acted more holy...”
“Oh, I feel that...”
Yet again, the pair exchanged deep sighs.
“H-Hey, this whole ‘game’ will be over once we snag Kuon! Just put up with me for a little longer! Please?”
“Fair enough,” Shihono said with a nod. “Wow, this ‘game’ we’ve been playing since the spring semester is finally coming to an end. When I think of it like that, Lirenna’s voice seems so...no, never mind. She’s annoying. Anyway, let’s catch ourselves an evil god! I can’t live with Lirenna breathing down my neck, so let’s go first thing tomorrow!”
Shihono pumped her fist with vigor. Sealing away an evil god was no small feat. Yet for some reason, the two of them were preparing with all the gravity of a pair of grade schoolers going out to catch beetles.
“Woo,” Aoto said, slowly raising a loose fist.
────
The following day, Aoto and Shihono wound up dragging their feet right at the edge of Kuon Kirise’s college campus. Although the front gate was open, they could hardly see anyone on the premises. The quietness only accentuated the size of the empty space; unable to intrude on a place like this, the two of them spoke in hushed whispers.
“I guess it is Sunday,” Aoto said.
“I just checked with my sister, and apparently there are a few classes here on Saturdays, but literally none on Sundays,” Shihono said. “Pretty much nobody comes to school unless there’s something special going on.”
“There’s no way that ‘good luck’ is going to be enough to find him when the campus is this deserted.”
“Yup.” Shihono’s phone buzzed once, and after a pause, she said, “Oh, maybe our blessing is kicking in! One of my big sister’s friends borderline stalks Kuon Kirise, and she has his full class schedule. Look!”
Shihono raised her phone so Aoto could get a good look over her shoulder. As they scrolled through Kirise’s regular itinerary, it became clear that their chances of bumping into him today were abysmal. In short, the notes said that the actor had professional responsibilities to attend to on days without class, so he wouldn’t have any reason to be around his school on a Sunday.
“I guess we’re going home,” Aoto said, ready to give up.
“Yeah, let’s come back some other time.” Shihono seemed just as dejected as she typed up a response to her sister. “Ughhh, I’m sorry. I should’ve asked sis for help before we came all the way out here...”
“Don’t sweat it. I didn’t even think about the fact that colleges don’t have classes on Sundays. Let’s just call this a scouting trip and go out for lunch.”
Aoto’s attempt to lift the mood worked wonders, and Shihono’s expression quickly shifted to a cheery smile.
At the same time, Shihono’s sister finally ran out of Kuon Kirise intel to share. With the phone still in plain view, a final message appeared on screen: You should’ve just asked me if you want to meet him. I’ll show you around if you come visit on a weekday!
Shihono only glanced at the pop-up for a moment before her fingers had typed up a response: No way.
“Pft!” Aoto failed to contain a laugh, causing Shihono to look up at him, embarrassed. Still snickering, he said, “Ah, my bad. You’re usually such an angel, but you’re really tough on your sister, and I thought that was kinda funny.”
Shihono looked down with a small pout. This little display of rebellion, combined with her spoiled, affectionate tone when she talked about her “sis,” pointed to a side of the girl that she only showed around home. Getting a glimpse at something closer to Shihono’s true self made Aoto feel warm and fuzzy inside. In fact, he’d totally forgotten all about their god-dispelling mission.