Volume 1 Chapter 10 ... The fake Tokyo morning was perfect.
Mochi was licking sauce off his whiskers.
I was halfway through my coffee, letting the silence settle like warm snow.
Then the sky split open with the sound of a cosmic beer can being cracked.
She fell through.
The same goddess who reincarnated me.
Hair in the same messy bun held together by spite and a chopstick.
Same oversized hoodie ("World's Okayest Deity"), now stained with what looked like divine whiskey.
Same mug, now reading "Death Before Decaf" with the rest scratched off.
She hit the pavement face-first, rolled, and sat up cackling like a hyena that had just discovered memes.
"YOU.
Absolute clown. Drama magnet. Useless human.
You literally look like a dog, bro. A green, stubby-legged, overacting dog."
Mochi growled low. Even he took it personally.
She took a heroic swig, wiped her mouth with the sleeve that created galaxies, and kept going.
"I was upstairs, feet on the dashboard of creation, eating popcorn, watching your entire soap opera.
Died for a puppy.
Married the universe.
Turned eleven gods into IKEA furniture.
Tail went on strike.
Fake Tokyo breakfast scene.
And now you're sitting here doing your best sad-anime-protagonist face like the world owes you an Oscar.
I made one tiny mistake (hit Calamity package instead of Fluffy package) and you turned it into the biggest circus in thirteen realities.
Even old man Shank himself is watching from whatever retirement void he's hiding in, laughing his ass off, slapping his knee, going
'Look at this idiot! Died for one dog and accidentally banged all of existence!'"
She doubled over, wheezing, tears of celestial booze running down her face.
I just stared.
The tail lifted one lazy eyebrow but refused to wag.
She finally straightened, still giggling.
"Anyway. Vacation's over, drama queen.
Tail rest-mode cancelled.
Reality and your dragon wife are having a meltdown outside of time.
Pack your takoyaki. Show's back on."
She snapped her fingers.
The fake city flickered like a bad TV signal.
The takoyaki stand started to dissolve.
Mochi grabbed my sleeve with his teeth and growled at her.
I looked the goddess dead in the eye.
"No."
She blinked.
"Come again?"
"I said no.
This morning isn't finished.
I'm staying."
She raised an eyebrow so hard it almost left orbit.
"You're giving me orders now? I'm a goddess, you little gremlin."
"Then goddess your way out of my morning.
I'm eating street food with my dog.
If you want to drag me back, you'll have to get past Mochi first."
Mochi barked once (short, sharp, final).
The goddess stared at the Shiba.
Then at me.
Then at the tail that suddenly didn't look sleepy anymore.
She took another long pull from her mug.
"Death Before…" mug.
"Stubborn little mutt."
She dropped onto the curb beside me, cross-legged, like a drunk aunt crashing a picnic.
"Fine. Five more minutes.
But I'm stealing your coffee."
She snatched my cup.
The tail lazily curled around all three of us (me, Mochi, and the very irritated creator of everything) like it had decided this was the new crew.
The fake sun stayed up.
The takoyaki guy silently refilled our boat.
And for the first time since the whole disaster started, the goddess who accidentally turned a dog lover into the final boss of reality shut her mouth, leaned back, and just watched the quiet with us.
After a minute she muttered into the coffee:
"Shank was right… you really are just a dog.
But a good dog."
The tail wagged once.
Soft.
Defiant.
The morning refused to end.
To be continued…
(on Karna's schedule this time)
### End of Chapter Stats
Tail wags: 1 (quiet rebellion)
Goddesses told to sit down and wait: 1
Coffee stolen by divinity: 1 cup
Fake Tokyo morning: extended indefinitely
Next move: Karna's