Kiyoshi Nagasaki's new party member was named Shoko Toyokawa.
She was the archetypal ojō-sama, the kind who greeted people with a prim "Good day," and ended her sentences with a ladylike "desuwa."
Compared to Kiyoshi, her circumstances were actually a bit better.
Due to some vaguely explained metaphysical logic that Goddess Aqua couldn't quite articulate, the passage of time between Shoko's world and the otherworld they were about to enter differed dramatically, at minimum, it worked like some sort of spiritual Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
When Aqua brought up the analogy, Miss Toyokawa looked thoroughly puzzled.
She had never read a manga.
…Turns out she was a real ojō-sama.
In any case, her world-saving journey might only last a month or two on Earth. And if things followed the arc of a hot-blooded shounen manga, she might be done by the day after tomorrow, after all, saving the world before turning eighteen was just common sense.
But she didn't look very reassured.
"I still have work… and my father's all alone at home. Without me there…"
"Relax, no one's dying from being gone a few days," Aqua said, squeezing ketchup into her palm and munching on a handful of fries. She passed one to Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi received it with both hands and dipped it respectfully into the ketchup before eating. Afterward, he used a napkin printed with a big "M" to wipe his hands.
Aqua licked her fingers clean as she spoke.
"That was just a guess. It could actually take longer. Two or three years, even. I've never had the patience to run a full-day test… If you don't beat the Demon King, it's back to reincarnation for you."
Kiyoshi leaned in and explained to Shoko that this line was a meme from another series. The goddess meant no harm, she just had a habit of throwing around pop culture references.
Shoko had already come to terms with her situation. Her death had only happened because she'd neglected her health.
Why? Why did pulling a couple of twelve-hour shifts, cleaning the house, prepping meals, and staying up late studying for a school transfer… why did that end her life?
She needed to do better.
Just getting a second chance at life was already more than she could ask for.
And most importantly,
Aqua had glanced at her profile earlier and let out a surprised:
"Oh, your mom's gone too, huh?"
, She could bring her mother back.
That gentle, encouraging, springtime warmth of a mother… The goddess really did have divine power.
On their way to get food, Aqua had casually restored a deaf girl's hearing, healed a student's broken bone after he got hurt saving a puppy, and even rushed to a hospital to revive a woman who had died during childbirth.
Those miracles, so visible and tangible, were what finally convinced Shoko to believe.
Aqua was smug at first, but before long, she was nearly in tears, wailing that she'd broken too many divine rules and would be forced to work through her vacation time for the next few centuries.
Totally unreliable.
But still, a goddess worthy of respect.
There was only one answer.
"I accept," Shoko Toyokawa said quietly, bowing her head.
"I will dedicate the rest of my life to you."
"Be sure to call me 'Goddess-sama,' and sign here." Aqua pulled out two books titled Otherworld Reincarnation: A Guide and Contract Breakdown, and handed one to each of them.
"Everything about the other world is explained in these.
Also, to protect you, I've bound the Adventurer Card System to your souls.
It'll make things easier."
"There's a short loading time, so once you arrive, just think the activation keyword and the interface will appear. It'll show your resurrection progress, settings, and other details. You can check it anytime."
The handbook was impressively detailed. It even mentioned adaptations like "Base-Level World Resistance," so they wouldn't drop dead from foreign bacteria the moment they arrived.
It also explained the Rebirth Service, in case they died in battle, their souls would be reincarnated into a peaceful, ordinary world to live out a happy life. Quite humane, really.
Except for one page.
"…Goddess-sama, I have a question."
Kiyoshi pointed to the section labeled "Automatic Language Acquisition." Shoko flipped to the same page and read the fine print aloud.
"During the language infusion process, there is a small chance the brain will become 'unusable mush', huh?! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Aqua was chewing on a chicken nugget and just shrugged. "It means what it says. If your luck's bad, nothing you can do. People choke on water sometimes, y'know?"
Kiyoshi stared at the goddess he respected.
"…Can it be fixed?"
"Oh, sure… We'll reserve you a spot in heaven. Don't worry. But your luck's good, Kiyoshi, you'll be fine. Shoko, you too… probably."
They both refused.
"Then you'll have to learn the language yourselves," Aqua muttered as she took the documents back and scribbled some notes with her grease-stained fingers.
"Final step, "
She handed them a stack of papers.
"Before heading to the other world, you each get to choose one ability or powerful item. All of them are busted, so pick whatever."
Each page listed a skill or item, most of which looked like they came from some janky pay-to-win RPG.
After browsing for a while, Kiyoshi frowned. "…With all these blessings, no one's beaten the Demon King?"
"The user still matters," Aqua said, sipping her cola and crossing her legs.
"Most people can't even use their gifts properly. Some let power go to their heads and crash before even reaching the Demon King. Others just make everything worse. Recovering their gear after they die is a real pain."
"I see."
Kiyoshi fell into deep thought.
Even with all this absurdly strong gear, they still couldn't defeat the Demon King. Which meant the enemy likely possessed even more terrifying powers, or counters designed specifically to crush adventurers.
In that case, he needed to prioritize survival.
He had to live long enough to find a way to win.
"Then I'll take this one, Adaptive Evolution."
Enhances all basic physical parameters. Massively increases compatibility with various power systems. Records hostile environments to evolve against them, with the ability to revert adaptations to prevent skill interference or side effects.
"Ooh, good choice. And you, Shoko?"
"I'll take this."
She selected a card labeled:
Transcendent Comprehension
Greatly increases understanding and learning speed. Allows unfamiliar knowledge to be rapidly processed and converted into usable mental frameworks.
Shoko wasn't particularly familiar with otherworldly stories, but she had heard of fantasy, swords and magic, after all.
And since her "partner" seemed to be going the physical route, it made sense for her to specialize in magic. Magic required knowledge, and knowledge demanded comprehension.
A staff, a cloak, elegant incantations…
Just imagining it made her heart flutter, though she did her best to keep a composed exterior.
"Not bad," Aqua nodded. "Not direct combat strength, but that's fine. Axel, the starter town, is super safe. Now then, reincarnation begins!"
She raised her hand. A magic circle lit up beneath them, wrapping them in light.
Tears welled in Aqua's eyes.
"I pray that you will be the ones, the heroes who finally defeat the Demon King.
May my blessings go with you…"
A brilliant, dazzling farewell.
The lights dimmed.
"…Jackpot pull," Aqua murmured to herself, patting her belly and grabbing another soda.
"Hmm? Still more work? Ugh, whatever, let's half-ass it, pffffft! What is this?! Hahahaha! Hospitalized… from being scared by a tractor?!"
Moments later…
Having just processed a UR (Ultra Rare) and an SR (Super Rare), Goddess Aqua's service quality plummeted by a factor of ten, no, wait, nine. Back to her normal level.
And as karmic revenge, she was randomly selected to be the next one sent to the other world.
But she wasn't worried.
She had backup.
"Aqua-senpai."
Her replacement quietly whispered to her.
"Those two? You, uh… sent them to the wrong place."
"…Huh? No way!"
"It's true. We ran a check, turns out you accidentally altered the world coordinates when you were scribbling over the language protocol. I only had time to do a quick patch on the system."
"…NOOOOO! Kiyoshi! Shoko! Come save meeee!!"