I Healed the Cold Dark Goddess’s Loneliness, and Now She Won’t Let Me Go! - Chapter 33

“Haruno! Wake up, or you’ll be late!”

A painfully nostalgic, everyday voice. I don’t know how many years it’s been since I last heard it, but there was no mistaking it. It was Mom’s voice.

On days when I overslept, Mom would always come to my room to wake me up like this.

According to Lady Reine, time flows differently on Earth. Mom probably has no idea that I spent years in another world; in this reality, no high school girl ever went missing overnight.

That was a relief, and I was lucky but there was one slight problem.

Bam! The door swung open.

“Haruno! How long are you going to sle—… Who…?”

Mom froze the second she stepped into the room. Well, I can’t blame her. From her perspective, she was looking at her daughter—who had grown about a year’s worth and technically resigned from being a human—being cradled in the arms of a suspicious, peerless beauty.

I had once given up on ever seeing my mother again, and part of me wanted to leap up and hug her, but my sense of awkwardness won out. My brain started redlining as I tried to figure out how to explain—or fake—this situation.

“Ah, um, well… this person is, uh, my Mas—… Hus—…”

Oh, crap! Instead of a smooth explanation, I was digging my own grave! Calm down, Haruno! What I need right now isn’t a formal introduction of Lady Reine, but a justification for why I have a bombshell beauty in my bedroom! While I was busy being tongue-tied, things took a turn for the worse.

With a bold smirk, Lady Reine stroked my cheek.

“I am Reine. I am your daughter’s eternal companion. Do not forget it.”

“Wait—!”

She said it! Right in front of my parent!

“I… what…? Huh…?”

Facing my mother, who stood there with her mouth hanging open, all I could do was nurse a growing headache.

For the time being, I decided to resume my long-lost high school life. I managed to convince Lady Reine to stay home and look after the house.

“…Haruno, what are you doing?”

As I was savoring the nostalgic routine, someone called out to me. I looked up to see the face of an old friend. I almost teared up, but to them, we had just seen each other yesterday. I couldn’t afford to act weird and make the atmosphere awkward.

“Hmm… just reviewing the last lesson?”

“Haruno… since when were you so studious? Is this a betrayal? Have you betrayed our pact?”

“No, I mean… it’s not like we actually signed a ‘pact of ignorance’ or anything. There’s no betrayal.”

As I spoke, I felt a twinge of guilt. The reason I was being uncharacteristically proactive about studying was partly because I’d forgotten so much and partly because, after being away from it for so long, it actually felt kind of fun. But the main reason was the change in my brain.

I have a pretty good guess why, but studying again was a shock. My memory is incredible now. Everything is. My mental capacity is just different. I scared myself when I realized I could do five-digit mental math in an instant.

Since my current enjoyment of school is essentially “cheating” with divine specs, I felt pretty bad about it.

…And it wasn’t just my academics that were over-specced.

“Huff… huff… Haruno-chan, why… why aren’t you out of breath…?”

Physical Education. Today, of all things, was the “Marathon from Hell.” Come to think of it, I remember dreading this marathon the day before I was whisked away to the other world. I used to hate this event. Well, I don’t think anyone likes it, but I used to find it exhausting and miserable. And yet…

“Um, I wonder why… Maybe it’s because I slept well last night…?”

I was running with perfect posture at a constant pace, and I wasn’t tired at all. This is the power of graduating from humanity. Between this and the studying, it’s a total cheat, so I feel a little guilty… but honestly, a part of me is starting to enjoy it.

I mean, I’ve seen this trope before! With these God-tier specs, could I have a “peerless” school life? Maybe I’ll suddenly distinguish myself? Or perhaps I’ll hide my true power and bask in a sense of superiority? Maybe I’ll even get pampered and adored?

Just thinking about it made my dormant “otaku” blood boil. This is exactly what I used to fantasize about!

“Seriously, Haruno, what’s up with you? Now that I look closer, I feel like you’ve gotten prettier, too.”

“Oh, I thought so too! Haruno-chan, you look like a different person, or rather…”

“Haha, really? You’re just imagining things~”

The fact that my friends were actually reacting like that meant I was totally getting carried away. That’s why, well… I think karma hit me.

“Whoa, look at that…”

“Is that a foreign model? A celebrity?”

“W-why is someone like that standing in front of our school…?”

A crowd and a buzz of excitement were swirling around the school gate. I was so lost in conversation and my own delusions that I didn’t think twice as I tried to push through the crowd to get out.

In that instant, a gale blew past, and I felt as if I were being swept off my feet. Before I knew it, I was in someone’s arms.

“L-Lady Reine!? Why!? Why are you here!? And that outfit! Where did that come from!?”

Of course, only Lady Reine would do something like this. I finally understood why there was such a commotion. It was one thing for her not to be in her usual Goddess attire, but for some reason, she was dressed like a celebrity who looked amazing in sunglasses. She probably manifested the clothes like she always does, but where did you learn about this style, Lady Reine?!

“I had time, so I researched this world. I now understand why you insisted so stubbornly that I could not go to school with you. However, I have dressed in the fashion of this world. Surely there is no issue with me coming to pick you up?”

“It’s not that, it’s just even for this world, your ‘world’ is different, or the scale is too big, or…”

While wondering if she couldn’t have picked something a bit more low-key, my heart was hammering at the fact that I was being held by her in front of everyone. Suddenly, Lady Reine’s expression turned serious.

“…I couldn’t help it. Things like this are better done sooner rather than later. If I do not let it be known as quickly as possible that you belong to me, someone might set their sights on someone as charming as you. Can you not understand this anxiety?”

“I-I appreciate the sentiment, but this is embarrassing!”

My face got redder and redder. Not wanting to be seen, I buried my face against her. Perhaps because we’d spent so much time alone together in our own world, the current Lady Reine seemed more composed than before. Showing off our relationship while being conscious of other people’s eyes… the old Lady Reine would never have done that. She probably would have just kidnapped me without a word. Seeing this new side of her made my heart flutter in a whole new way.

“Um, Haruno…? Is she an acquaintance…?”

“Haruno-chan, who is she…?”

“Hm.”

Naturally, my two friends voiced their questions. It wasn’t me, still clinging to Lady Reine, who responded, but Lady Reine herself… Oh, no. This is going to be bad!

“I am Reine. It is nothing; I have simply come to fetch my wife, Haruno.”

“L-Lady Reine!?”

“Huh…? W-wife…?”

“Haruno-chan is…?”

She. Did. It. Again!

My “success story” of rising to the top of the school was instantly overwritten by a shoujo manga plot.

“Honestly, Lady Reine, you stand out too much.”

After she let me down, we walked the path home together. I had to figure out how much to explain to my family, not to mention how to handle the interrogation I’m going to get at school tomorrow.

“…My apologies. To be honest, I did not expect it to cause such a stir. I have almost no experience showing myself before humans.”

“Ah, that’s true… Wait, why was it so easy for you to come out here? You acted like you absolutely never wanted to show your face to the people in the Domain of Darkness.”

“That is true… The humans here have no connection to divine power. Perhaps because they are unrelated, I feel more at ease.”

Come to think of it, she did show herself in the city in the Domain of Light. I guess it’s just awkward for her to face people she’s actually responsible for.

“I see… I’m glad! It looks like you’ll be able to get along here for a while, Lady Reine!”

Our life together will continue forever. But this is the only time I’ll ever get to live in Japan as a human being. So, we decided to live in this world for a little while.

Things like today are a bit of a problem, but it’s much better than Lady Reine being unable to go out in public at all.

“…Oh, Lady Reine! Just so you know, you can’t just manifest money in this world!”

“Hm, is that so…?”

“Yes! You’ll get caught! Please follow the law!”

“…Well, I am not a God here. That is only logical. …As long as I do not break the law, then?”

“Why does that sound so ominous!?”

I have a terrible premonition… but since I couldn’t think of anything to say beyond “follow the law,” I couldn’t really stop her!

“More importantly, Haruno. I heard your school is full-time and that you are expected to attend every day…”

“Eh? Yes, but…”

“A-are you serious? Do you truly intend to leave me and spend eight hours away every single day…?”

“Please, just give me that much freedom!”

Trading words like that, we made our way home.

…I eventually managed to get her to agree to let me go to school, but from that day on, Lady Reine came to pick me up every single day.