kscans

Chapter 64 - Hang in There, Five-Year-Old! A Perverted Journey

"...I'm exhausted."

"...I am truly, deeply sorry."

Thanatos bowed her head with genuine remorse at my complaint. She's absolutely right to feel that way. In fact, I think she should look even more apologetic. Today is August 2nd. Four days have passed since I received Thanatos's report on the 29th of last month. What have I been doing for these four days? I've been pouring all my energy into providing mental care for the death gods who participated in that battle.

(It really was a terrible sight.)

Since they're targeting Satou Hideo, it's natural they'd have a base of operations in the area. While I have a base on the surface, Thanatos and her group have been using a renovated abandoned Imperial Army underground facility. After their defeat by Satou Hideo, they retreated to that facility, but... well, it was awful. Just awful. Everyone had suffered massive mental damage and become shut-ins. Thanatos somehow managed to pull herself together... no, she hasn't actually recovered. She just forced herself to muster up her sense of responsibility to come report to me.

In any case, having our forces completely unusable after Thanatos and the others' defeat is not good. Even if I can't get them fully recovered, Thanatos begged me to at least counsel them so they could manage daily life. As Hades' successor, I couldn't just abandon my father's subordinates, so I reluctantly agreed. Though my existence had only been known to a few before, it couldn't be helped. So I went to the base and visited each room one by one, offering words of encouragement, but... I'll say it again: awful, just awful.

(Beautiful women and girls in ridiculous outfits sitting curled up in corners of their rooms, staring into space and muttering to themselves...)

It was like something out of a horror movie. Well, they are death gods, so it's not technically wrong. I thought to myself: at least put on a cloak or wrap yourself in a blanket. Don't show me such a sight. It's bad for a five-year-old's moral education. I was naive. Utterly, completely naive. I should have properly considered why Thanatos remained in that state after exposing herself to me. I didn't want to think about it, but... if I was going to face this, I should have considered it. It was when I visited the fifth room. That death god was covered from head to toe with a blanket, but...

"Y-you..."

Thanatos, who was accompanying me, quickly covered her mouth with her hand and looked away. Just as I was wondering what was happening, the blanket burst away.

"Ah, ahhhhh... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

The death god screamed while desperately trying to gather up the blanket fragments that had scattered everywhere. I was speechless. What exactly was I being shown? Thanatos said to me as I stood frozen:

"...This is one of the curses that wasn't mentioned in the records."

You'd naturally think that even if you can't take them off, you could at least cover yourself with something from above. In fact, Thanatos and the other death gods had apparently hidden their skin with work clothes (dark cloaks). At that stage, their spirits hadn't been completely broken yet. They were in the middle of discussing how to explain the situation to me after retreating to the base. That's when one death god's cloak burst away. Yes, "one death god's."

"It doesn't just burst away randomly... it's random..."

Starting with one cloak bursting away, it began. Some burst away after a few seconds. Others after a few minutes. Some after hours. There was no pattern. It was completely random. That's what completely crushed their spirits. When I heard the explanation, I shuddered.

(Bottomless malice that doesn't even grant a handful of mercy...)

What does someone have to eat to come up with something like that? Also, how did my father manage to fight such an opponent and die normally? Considering how many times he was unreasonably challenged to death battles, Satou Hideo would have been justified in harboring even more resentment toward Hades.

(Well, having death gods obliterated by the light of life is quite the dignity-destroying experience too...)

Still, given my father's personality, the method used on Thanatos and the others would probably be more effective than that kind of defeat. The King of the Underworld being turned into a moe character could literally cause him to die of rage. I don't think that even Satou Hideo couldn't handle an opponent like Hades. He's an irregular who casually deflects even the authority of death. It would be far too naive to think he couldn't do it.

"...My lady, here is your tea."

"Ah, thank you."

I accepted the black tea Thanatos offered me. I've returned home, but I'd prefer if you didn't wander around inside the house in that outfit.

"...By the way, Thanatos."

"? What is it?"

"All of you, including yourself... were given bodies resembling humans, weren't you?"

"...Yes."

"Um, what about biological functions and such?"

Death gods come in various forms. Some had appearances close to humans, while others were exactly what humans imagine death gods to be like - all skeleton. Those with skeletal appearances had no connection to biological functions, but... everyone, while retaining their power, now had human-like forms.

"When you need to relieve yourself and such, can you take them off?"

"..."

Ah, apparently not. Thanatos's face instantly turned stormy.

"...It..."

"Yes?"

"...It o-opens."

"Opens?"

What does that mean?

"When it detects biological functions... the, um, the parts for elimination... go 'pop'..."

"Ah."

Horrible. Was there still more depth to this? What's horrible is that the perversity has actually increased.

"Furthermore, if I may say..."

"...Yes."

"Apparently, hygiene is also... p-perfectly taken care of..."

According to her, they're kept in a constantly clean state. This isn't consideration by any means. It's harassment of an incredible level.

"...I see."

I've had enough. Honestly, I don't want to get involved. I truly want to live a normal life, but... I can't just abandon Thanatos and the others in this state.

"It seems we'll need to get closer than ever before to break through this situation."

"My lady?"

Looking for weaknesses... no, do such things even exist? Anyway, I'll set that aside for now. To lift the curse placed on Thanatos and the others, I need to become more intimate with Satou Hideo. I can't accomplish anything from the position of a "civilian."

"Among the information you gathered before this happened to you, there was information that Satou Hideo would be teaching, wasn't there?"

"Yes... surely you don't mean!?"

"I'll infiltrate the Mutual Aid Society in the guise of a civilian who was caught up in supernatural events and awakened to power."

Given the timing, classes should be starting soon, and I might be able to successfully infiltrate the classroom where Satou Hideo serves as instructor. I don't have a plan yet for how to get him to tell me how to break the curse, but it's better than doing nothing.

"Th-that's far too dangerous! If you're discovered, my lady, you won't get off lightly either..."

"With all of you in this state, nothing will change if we just sit and wait."

"That is true, but..."

"It's fine. Trust me. I'll definitely restore everyone to normal."

"M-my lady...!!"

Sorry to interrupt your emotional moment, but this isn't particularly out of goodwill.

(...Constantly interacting with acquaintances in perverted outfits is quite stressful, you know.)

It's for the sake of my mental health.