Chapter 408: It Wasn’t Anyone’s Fault

【Scram… scram?! This is the human way of welcoming a guest? How utterly embarrassing for this Lord.】

“First meeting? You’ve been squatting inside me for over a year now!”

The mere mention of it made Himekoji’s anger flare up.

He could not care less whether this thing was a god or whatever; letting out his bottled-up frustration was the most important thing.

【Over a year? Oh, I was asleep until recently. That doesn’t count.】

The self-proclaimed god System spoke in a lazy, careless tone.

Just what kind of god was this sloppy and trashy?!

Himekoji felt even more dismissive towards it.

Naturally, his tone remained unfriendly.

“And what about that guy I’ve been dealing with, who kept throwing out two perverse choices every now and then?!”

【Oh, that was just a low-budget little clone of mine. You understand, right?】

“I absolutely don’t!”

【Well, unlike you humans, a high-level being like me needs vast amounts of energy just to breathe. So, you’re allowed to feel proud.】

“Huh?”

Himekoji couldn’t find a single reason why he should feel proud.

【Talking to you this long means I’ve already wasted immense energy on you. This is undeniably an honor for a mortal like you. There’s no need to hold back your joy.】

“Joy your head! I’m the one wasting time and saliva on you!”

【Aww~… Bad. Feeling sleepy again. Seems my energy’s still a bit low.】

The System actually let out a highly human-like yawn…

Though it was a little bit cute, Himekoji’s terrible impression of it remained unchanged.

“If you’re sleepy, get lost and sleep then! It’d be best if you never woke up!”

【Oh? You said ‘scram’ again? That’s blasphemy. I’ll allow you to take it back.】

“Tch.”

Despite constantly calling itself a “god,” it possessed no sense of dignity whatsoever.

There was absolutely no way Himekoji would take this chuunibyou System seriously.

So, he just pursed his lips indifferently.

Yet this ended up angering the God-sama who had only just woken from a long slumber.

【Hmph. Akito is mean.】

That slender, clear, yet terribly familiar voice almost gave Himekoji goosebumps.

What the heck?!

Just as he thought that, the System did something it never had before—it projected a concrete image into his mind.

Slender shoulders so delicate they seemed breakable with a touch. A waist so narrow it appeared ready to snap. A beautiful face unreal yet undeniably real.

For a moment, his heart tightened; he didn’t dare breathe loudly.

Only in the next second did he realize—

“Do NOT talk to me using Shiina’s look!”

【Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!】

“Don’t do Aoyama’s either!”

【Sigh. Such a troublesome student.】

“And stop putting on Hiratsuka-sensei’s voice!”

【Onii-chan…】

“Alright, I’m sorry! I apologize! I’m apologizing, okay?! Spare me already…”

【Humans sure are amusing.】

“…Just how bored are you gods supposed to be?”

Himekoji rolled his eyes, voicing his complaint weakly.

Maintaining Akiko’s appearance, the distinctly feminine God-sama snapped her fingers with bright, energetic flair—

【Okay, time’s about up. Time to get serious!】

After saying that, the God-sama currently disguised as the imouto suddenly let the distinctive arched eyebrows on “Akiko’s” face droop.

【Wish I could play some more… but my energy is insufficient. If I’m not quick, I might fall asleep again before explaining everything clearly. Such a shame.】

“Hah?”

Himekoji felt his cheek twitch. This self-styled god thing was completely unreliable, wasn’t it?!

Always messing around and joking…

Joke your head off!

“In that case, why didn’t you start off seriously!?”

【Oi oi oi, watch your tone, Hime-Hime-kun. Show some respect.】

“Huh?!”

Seriously, this role-playing needed to stop!

It cosplayed as someone else mid-sentence?!

Although internally exasperated, Himekoji still forced himself to respond tactfully.

“I got it, I got it. Venerable God-sama, please get to the important point. Why did you make the effort to wake up this time? It couldn’t be… my sentence is already up? Don’t tell me… you woke up specifically to finally return a simple, ordinary, yet free and comfortable life to me?”

As he spoke, Himekoji suddenly thought of a possibility, causing his voice to overflow with hope.

【I woke up this time, of course, to help you. It’s truly because your utterly useless state was unbearable!】

“Huh? Help me? Could it be… you’re really here to free me?! I don’t have to be a pervert anymore?!”

He didn’t even bother being offended by the System calling him useless. His mind was instantly flooded with excitement.

【Stop being a pervert? No! Absolutely not!】

Taking on Kasumigaoka’s form, God-sama shook her head like a rattle drum.

【If you aren’t a pervert, where would my amusement… no, my energy come from?】

“Obtaining energy through being a pervert?! Are you the God of Perverts?!”

【Ah, little do you understand. Gods have their hardships too.】

Despite claiming hardships, it looked utterly delighted.

Staring at the System, Himekoji couldn’t shake the feeling it was quite untrustworthy…

【Think about it. A god like me, existing as pure consciousness, naturally requires energy on a spiritual and emotional level.】

“So it has to be ‘perverted’?!”

There were so many kinds of spiritual energy!

【Of course! Because that’s what I like!】

When this topic came up, System suddenly clenched his fists. His face showed excitement and holiness, with no gloom on his handsome face at all.

Seriously, he didn’t have to act so “holy” and “righteous” in a place like this…

And—

“Why do you have to look like me when saying this line!”

Pervert God completely ignored Himekoji’s complaint and started a new topic by himself.

“By the way, the guilt you feel lately about falling for two people, along with the sweet and bitter love mixes, plus the hurtful struggle and self-control, really satisfied my appetite. I probably got enough energy from that to wake up.”

“Huh? What kind of god are you? Don’t lie—you’re actually an S, aren’t you!”

“Hmph, I am a god! And I’m the god of love who’s going to show you the right path and grant you true happiness!”

But it felt even less believable…

Still, Himekoji chose to ask anyway.

“So, God, what’s this right path you mean? It can’t be that ‘be my wings’ thing from before, can it?”

“Exactly! That’s it!”

“Ah?”

As expected, it wasn’t believable…

Even though Himekoji had prepared himself, his disappointment showed on his face.

To be honest, even someone like him, troubled by bad luck and cursed by fate, still secretly wished for a plain and normal high school life.

“So, I told you before, it doesn’t work. It’s wrong…”

Otherwise, Himekoji would have done it long ago.

He didn’t want to let down either Mashiro or Nanami.

“Yes, it is wrong.”

To his surprise, System spoke up and agreed with him just then.

“Huh?”

So, what did that mean?

Was he messing with him?

He knew it was wrong, yet he still said it?

“Yes, it’s wrong, of course it’s wrong!”

“This world is wrong!”

“You like each other, but you can’t be together. It’s not your fault, not Shiina’s, not Aoyama’s, not anyone’s—it’s the world’s fault!”

“You can’t do anything against this wrong world, so you suffer. But I’m different. I am a god.”

“Huh? Wait, wait…”

Facing System’s sudden chuuni-like outburst, Himekoji was stunned. He blinked blankly, feeling like he was taking care of a dumb system.

He had no clue what to say for a moment.

After that, System was the first to speak again.

“Right? You like Shiina, and you like Aoyama. In turn, Shiina and Aoyama like you too. So why can’t you be together? Why not?”

“Of course we can’t! Because, because… romance can’t have three people!”

“Who decided that?”

“What? Asking me who decided it… The world, the world is just like this!”

“Then I’ll help you change it!”

“Huh?”

“Forcefully changing the world’s settings is easy for someone like me, a god.”

…