"Hiss…"
On the white fabric sofa, the long-haired high school girl let out a sharp breath, her toes curling unnaturally from the pain as she lifted her right foot—now bare after taking off her black stockings.
In front of her, Luo Shu was crouched on the floor, gently applying antiseptic with a cotton swab to the injured sole of Kasumigaoka Utaha's foot. As he dabbed the wound with red medicinal liquid, he muttered, "I mean… inviting a man you've known for less than thirty minutes into your home—shouldn't there be some line of common sense?"
"I would normally agree," Utaha winced as she tried to keep her sore feet still. "But that's assuming you're human."
Luo Shu paused, staring at her with an odd look. "...Should I take that as an insult?"
"Don't be so sensitive about adjectives, Mr. God." Utaha looked at him with a mixture of amusement and resignation, as if to say, Still playing dumb? Really?
"My auxiliary divine servant already explained everything I'm allowed to know," she added, emphasizing the words allowed to know in a way that clearly hinted she'd gotten the short end of the divine info stick.
"Divine servant?" Luo Shu blinked, visibly confused. "Wait, what?"
(System?) he called out silently.
[Your humble divine servant is always awaiting your glorious descent~~ ♡♡]
(Wait a minute. Since when did you become my servant?) Luo Shu was completely thrown off. This was the same chaotic system that had forced him to find a "main character," orchestrated a life-or-death situation to manipulate consent, and now had the nerve to call itself a loyal underling?
Do you even qualify as a servant?
[Of course I do, darling~]
[And don't worry about what just happened. Even if you had somehow died in that 0.01% unlikely scenario, your loyal divine servant had a reincarnation system prepped and ready—guaranteeing your return in eighteen years.]
[Also, your first follower, Kasumigaoka Utaha, isn't mistaken.]
[Because my full designation is the "Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System," and my ultimate goal is to build your mythological cosmos with you at its centre.]
[Her description is fully consistent with my divine mission. Please be informed.]
(Wait—are you sentient?) Luo Shu's eye twitched.
[My intelligence level mirrors your subconscious, so I'm as safe and trustworthy as you believe yourself to be~~ ♡♡]
Despite how sketchy that sounded, Luo Shu understood he had little choice right now but to trust this chaotic system—at least for now.
While he was lost in thought, a pale, jade-like foot waved slowly in front of his face. Luo Shu reflexively grabbed it and, without thinking, applied the antiseptic in a firm stroke—tracing a thin red line along her tender sole.
"Aahh—!!" Utaha inhaled sharply, eyes welling with tears. It took her a long moment to recover as she glared at him, cheeks flushed with indignation.
"Did you have to look so excited about bullying your 'follower,' oh nameless god?"
"You can call me Luo Shu," he sighed, switching to her other foot. This time, he was gentler with the cotton swab. "So… how much do you actually know?"
"That you're a recently resurrected ancient god who discovered that not a shred of belief in you remains in the modern world, and now you're trying to rebuild your pantheon from scratch," Utaha answered breezily. "With your divine power practically gone due to lack of faith, you're currently forced to work part-time in a bookstore."
She smiled sweetly. "By the way, that bookstore happens to be one I visit regularly. The manager is an acquaintance of mine. I've even hosted two signing events there. If you're lucky, next time you might get to call me Kasumi Utako-sensei."
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow at her smug grin but stayed calm as he screwed the cap back on the medicine bottle. "Title debates, huh… fine. Here's a question for you then—Miss Kasumigaoka Utaha, second year, Class B—how should you greet your third-year senior?"
Utaha froze. Her eyes searched his face, her mind racing. "Luo Shu… Luo… the Chinese exchange student in Class 3-A of Toyosaki Academy? The one who beat up that third-year upperclassman on his first day?"
"Looks like you remember."
Luo Shu tossed the used swabs into the trash, stood up, and pulled over a chair to sit down.
"Now, aren't you going to greet your senior properly?"
Utaha muttered, "Damn this country's ridiculous senpai culture…"
Then, with visible reluctance, she bowed her head and said, "Good day, senpai. Thank you for your hard work."
She paused. "By the way, senpai, how does it feel to fondle a beautiful girl's toes?"
"Meh. Average." Luo Shu shrugged. Then he looked at her curiously. "Even if you've become my so-called 'follower,' why are you acting like we're best friends already? We've known each other for less than an hour."
The two of them were perfectly aware of how fast things had moved—he'd just met her, and already he'd been invited to her home, applying ointment to her bare feet. None of this seemed… normal.
Utaha blinked at him and then gave him a very odd look. "Senpai… didn't your divine servant tell you that a follower is supposed to accompany their god for life?"
(...What?) Luo Shu immediately asked the system, which confirmed it.
His face twitched. "And you agreed to that so easily?"
Utaha glanced at her recovering foot, now smoother than if it had been polished with foundation, and mused, "Let's say… if you offered someone a contract where they could live to three hundred, stay young for life, and even gain superpowers—assuming they're willing—don't you think people would line up from here to the Pacific Ocean just to become your follower?"
"Not to mention, if I help you ascend to godhood, even immortality is possible. That's the kind of absurd miracle ancient emperors and nobles could only dream of. I'm no exception."
(To think I'd actually experience a hero-saving-beauty scenario… and end up as the heroine?) she added silently, but those were thoughts she couldn't say aloud—not out of fear Luo Shu would misunderstand, but simply out of a girl's pride and reservation.
(Is this really Kasumigaoka Utaha? She's… subtly different from how I imagined her in the real world…) Luo Shu leaned back into the chair and let out a long breath. "Fine. Let's say that's a valid reason."
"Well then," he clapped his hands, "I've finished applying the medicine, and judging by your condition, you're good now. So, I should probably head ba—"
Before he could finish, Utaha widened her eyes and cut him off: "So, shall we start planning the divine pantheon reconstruction?"
Luo Shu's expression froze.
(Why do I feel like she's more excited about this than I am?)
Wasn't this supposed to be his divine mission?
Talk about the eunuch being more anxious than the emperor…