kscans

Chapter 93 - The Sharp Blade of an Innocent Child

"Mmph..."

As I opened the front door while stifling a yawn,

"Welcome home, my lady."

Thanatos greeted me. While he was bowing respectfully, his perverted outfit ruined everything.

(I wonder if men would be happy about this...)

You know, the naked apron thing? Opening the front door to find a newlywed wife greeting you in a naked apron. You could say it's similar to that kind of situation, but as a woman myself, I don't get it at all. It's just awkward. Painful to watch.

"Please, don't stare too much."

Don't look away bashfully like that. It must be because the curse has made his thinking more feminine. He's desperately resisting with his reason, but it seems like he's gradually becoming unable to fight it.

"By the way, my lady, what about breakfast?"

"I already ate. Could you get me some coffee or something for now?"

"Understood."

After sitting on the sofa for a while, coffee was served along with a pleasant aroma.

"You don't seem to have slept well. I suppose it's unavoidable since we're in enemy territory..."

"Oh no, it's simply because we all had an all-night movie marathon."

Thanatos's expression changed from worried to bitter. He's probably thinking that getting too friendly with our sworn enemy isn't wise, that we're being too careless.

"Hah."

I couldn't help but laugh through my nose.

"My lady."

"Well, isn't it true? Someone like me is nothing but small fry to Satou Hideo."

I'm using camouflage. I've severed almost all of my power. That's why he hasn't noticed me... except that's not it. I could tell from being around him. No, anyone could figure it out with a little thought.

"Do humans pay attention to invisible specks of dust floating through the air one by one?"

Actually, the scale difference might be even greater than that. Even Father Hades couldn't pose a threat to Satou Hideo. There's no way someone as immature as me would catch his attention. I probably didn't even need to sever my power.

"That is..."

"The same goes for all of you. You weren't eliminated because you're not even considered a threat."

In the end, we simply don't matter to Satou Hideo. No matter what we do, we can't even scratch him. How could anyone seriously engage with existences that could be erased in an instant if he felt like it?

"He's so far beyond normal standards that it's actually laughable."

Every time I try to probe even a little, I get crushed. I indirectly brought up the topic of special techniques through Rika-san, hoping she might ask Satou Hideo about it. The conversation did turn to special techniques as I planned, but... All Satou Resolution? What is that? Despite its ridiculous name, the content was truly terrifying. He casually talks about accessing the collective unconscious like it's everyday conversation. It's impossible to deal with. Though it probably really is child's play to him.

"I also brought up the topic of curses, hoping it might help you all."

"! How, how did it go?"

Thanatos looked at me with eyes full of hope.

"Even if we gathered many sacred vessels imbued with divine power from various mythologies, it wouldn't make any difference."

The more interference there is, the stronger the curse becomes? What is that? The scale of the curse is completely beyond our common sense.

"..."

"Thanatos, you told me to strike at him, didn't you?"

"Y-yes..."

"That probably got added to the total too."

The reason we can't notice it is probably because the total amount of the curse is absurdly massive. Who could possibly notice if you dumped a pool's worth of water into the middle of the ocean?

"And whatever resistance you all attempted on your own is probably included too."

"Ah."

Oh, he collapsed. No wonder. The more we learn, the more his abnormal scale becomes apparent.

"At this point, maybe we should just apologize to him directly?"

While there's only despair when it comes to power, there are results in other areas. When you spend time with someone, you get to understand their character. If we sincerely apologize and ask for forgiveness, Satou Hideo would probably forgive us.

"There's also the debt from Father's actions. We might have to prostrate ourselves in the middle of Shibuya."

If our genders return to normal, there shouldn't be a problem. If we can escape this situation by suffering some psychological wounds, it's a necessary expense. It might seem harsh, but considering what Father was trying to do, that much is reasonable.

"If anything, it's a bargain. Father's complete annihilation didn't seem to be something he was particularly enthusiastic about either."

Considering the anger of those who requested Satou Hideo to do that, prostration is cheap, very cheap.

"That person is quite tolerant."

"...My lady?"

"Yes?"

"Um, I hope I'm wrong, but... you haven't been won over by Satou Hideo, have you?"

We stared at each other silently. I was the first to look away.

"My lady?!"

"It can't be helped! Because Hideo-san is kind!"

Honestly, it's already painful to call him Satou Hideo. My parent's enemy. I've been telling myself that, but... that person keeps breaking down my walls... He treasures me incredibly...

"He hasn't done anything particularly grand. It's an accumulation of small things! But that's what makes it so... so much!!"

In casual moments when he shows consideration, each time I feel his kindness, my heart grows warm. I won't say that Father, that Hades, didn't love me. But it probably wasn't like the typical father-child relationship. That's exactly why... it touches me. His kindness does. Hideo-san's loving way of treating me does.

"It's not just me, you know? He's kind to Rika-san and Akatsuki-kun too."

He was the same way with Akatsuki-kun's sisters during our recent trip. He's kind to children. That's probably the natural way for an adult to be.

"Honestly? I want him to be kind only to me, but the fact that he's kind to other people is also what makes him wonderful."

"W-w-wait, my lady?! Are you in your right mind?! He's your parent's enemy!!"

"That whole premise is questionable to begin with. Is Hideo-san the only one at fault?"

Father Hades desired to transform the world according to the principles of death gods. That was inconvenient for humans, which is why Hideo-san opposed it with human principles. Demanding that he continue to forgive someone who repeatedly tried to cause world-scale crises would be too shameless. This isn't because I'm cold-hearted.

"Father 'raised me that way.'"

Due to his ideology, Father might seem selfish from a human perspective, but aside from his beliefs, he was a fair and just god. When there were disputes in the underworld, he wouldn't favor either side and would objectively judge the severity of sins. That way of being has been passed down to me. No, not just to me, but to Thanatos and the others as well. Despite this, our hostility toward Hideo-san comes from the pride of death gods. And because we were directly involved. But I'm different. Because of borrowed ideology, I can't fully become a party to this.

"That, that is..."

"Besides, if you want me to grow up the way you hope, there's more you should be doing."

Earn some favorability points, why don't you? Look, I'm called "my lady" and respected, right?

"But that respect isn't personal regard or affection for me as an individual, is it? It's all based on Father."

"Ugh."

"I'm not saying it's bad, okay? It would be unreasonable to expect you to respect and love a little girl who hasn't accomplished anything."

However, if you want to fulfill Father's great ambition, that won't do. What can you possibly accomplish if you can't even win over the heart of one little girl?

"If you're being seen through by a child, that's no good. Completely useless. You need to make this person think that you truly treasure me, that you love me. I get turned off by that kind of thing."

Win me over properly. Do you all have any motivation? Are you seriously trying? Really?

"Before worrying about Hideo-san, there are things you should be doing. Can't you think in a more grounded way at your age?"

"U-ugh."

"Do you know how old I am? I'm five years old. Five. Aren't you ashamed to be criticized like this by a five-year-old?"

My lecture continued until Thanatos was on the verge of tears.