"You—what are you trying to do to Onii-sama?!"
Rice Shower's gaze barely lingered on the handsome youth. Instead, she turned and stared at the other two women who might threaten Onii-sama.
The first is the ash-gray beauty straddling Onii-sama right now.
At first, Rice Shower didn't recognize her. But after a closer look, she realized this ash-gray girl was none other than Gold Ship—the one who'd stolen Onii-sama away from everyone else!
Gold Ship hadn't just locked Onii-sama in the basement. Now, before Rice Shower could even marry him, she was trying to do something improper?!
"Unforgivable…" Rice Shower gripped her little knife tighter, her horse ears twitching in utter annoyance.
Gold Ship had been her companion once, but the moment she committed the crime of stealing Onii-sama, Rice Shower had written her onto her hunting list.
The other was the golden-haired woman sitting cross-legged beside Onii-sama, just watching the chaos unfold.
Rice Shower didn't know her, but she radiated the aura of a detached deity. Still, something about her felt oddly familiar, as if they'd met before…
Rice Shower thought hard, and then it hit her!
That golden-haired goddess looked exactly like the evil goddess who'd once possessed her in a dream, the one Onii-sama had desperately driven out!
So that's it. She's the Misfortune goddess who once attached herself to me! Rice Shower narrowed her eyes, staring down the innocent-looking Fortune, absolutely sure.
Even if she didn't look like the gloomy black-haired figure in her memory, that expression—idly munching on the drama, coldly watching Mizuno—couldn't possibly belong to a good person!
With both women beside Mizuno confirmed as enemies, Rice Shower's murderous intent thickened. Her legs tensed, exploding with a speed she'd never shown before. Ghost-blue flames blazed in her eyes as she dashed straight for Mizuno.
Her first target: Gold Ship, still pinning Mizuno down.
"Crap!" Gold Ship broke out in cold sweat when she saw the sharp little knife and the murderous look in Rice Shower's eyes.
If she had a weapon, she could at least put up a fight. But she was completely naked—not even a scrap of cloth to cover herself, let alone go toe-to-toe with knife-wielding Rice Shower!
Brawling barehanded was impossible, and Gold Ship had never once thought of using Mizuno as a shield. That left only one plan: dodge, for now.
She abandoned any pretense of dignity, leaping off Mizuno before Rice Shower's knife could come down.
Gold Ship's backward leap barely dodged the slash—she spun twice in midair, pale as the moon, before landing one-handed on the ground.
"That was close!" Gold Ship eyed the empty space where Rice Shower's knife had sliced, heart still pounding.
If she'd been stabbed, she'd be dead or at least gravely wounded!
Gold Ship realized at once—Rice Shower wasn't bluffing. She'd really meant to kill, all for the sake of her precious Onii-sama.
"It's not over yet!" Rice Shower's eyes sharpened.
She hadn't stopped with a single swing. Riding her own momentum, she whipped her elbow sideways, straight at Fortune.
"Eh?!" Fortune, still spectating, could only gape as Rice Shower's elbow flew at her face.
Normally, no mere mortal could touch a goddess—unless they carried divine attributes, Fortune was an untouchable being immune to all physical attacks.
But because Rice Shower still wore the Fortune sachet Mizuno had given her, imbued with Fortune's own power, she could hit Fortune just like Mizuno could.
BAM!
"Bu-ga!" Fortune, caught completely off guard, was elbowed clear through the air, crashing down next to Gold Ship.
Rice Shower glared at the two enemies she'd driven away, eyes unwavering. She flipped her knife, holding it reverse-grip in front of her chest, and stepped protectively in front of Mizuno.
"Onii-sama will be protected by Rice!"
Her stance was cool. Her line was cool. It radiated security.
But aside from Rice Shower, every person present had a giant question mark floating above their head.
"Fortune!" Mizuno stared, speechless, at the toppled Fortune. He never expected Rice Shower to go this hard—even friendly fire didn't faze her?!
Man! What can I say?!
"Rice-chan… you hit the wrong goddess… I'm a good guy…" Fortune covered her nose, eyes brimming with tears, face full of grievance.
"I'm the goddess of Fortune, not that Misfortune one. The sachet you're wearing right now? That's mine, you know…"
"Eh?! Really?!" Rice Shower blinked, startled, clutching the sachet at her chest.
She turned to Mizuno. After getting a confirming nod, all her killer intent instantly fizzled out, replaced with deep apology.
"S-s-sorry! Kind and beautiful onee-san, I mistook you for someone else! I'm really, really sorry!" Rice Shower squeezed her eyes shut in guilt, trembling like a small frightened animal, ready for a harsh scolding.
But Fortune, instead of scolding her, suddenly shifted expression—the aggrieved look melted away, replaced by a gentle smile.
"Hey, you called me onee-san. What am I supposed to do, not forgive you? Don't worry about it."
Fortune grinned, letting go of her nose to reveal her perfectly fine, sweet face.
After all, it was just the same type of energy—Rice Shower could touch her, but couldn't actually harm her. The only real casualty was Fortune's pride from being elbowed across the floor.
But pride couldn't be eaten, nor could it be wielded against Misfortune, so she'd tossed it away a few thousand years ago anyway.
"Just don't get it wrong next time, okay? I'm Onii-sama's most reliable ally." Fortune floated over, ruffled Rice Shower's hair, and winked at Mizuno—who was hurriedly pulling up his pants.
"Uh…" Mizuno had nothing to say. He had his doubts about Fortune being his "most reliable ally," but in the end, he nodded. "Fortune's right."
"Mm." Rice Shower nodded meekly, letting go of all suspicion toward Fortune.
"Hehe~" Fortune, seeing Rice Shower was no longer on guard, boldly started rubbing her hair.
"Yoshi yoshi yoshi~"
"M-my hair… My hair's gonna get messed up…" Rice Shower covered her head, obviously not a fan of the rough treatment.
But since this was the one who'd made her lucky sachet, and also Onii-sama's ally, she'd just have to endure it, no matter how much she disliked it. She'd let Fortune mess with her as much as she wanted.
...
Gold Ship watched the scene on the other side—everyone together, warm as a family. Then she looked at herself. Still alone.
For a second, the same image that haunted her dreams flashed before her eyes: standing by herself on a desolate moon, watching people on Earth laugh hand in hand, with "Alien" echoing in her ears—
"Guh…" Gold Ship clutched her chest.
It felt like something sharp had pierced her heart, and it was bleeding, drop by drop…
---
T/N: BASEMENT IS LIMITED TO 5 BONUS CHAPS BTWWW
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys