Chapter 171: Shizuka Hiratsuka: "Let's Have Another Duel—I Refuse to Believe I Can't Beat You!"
.....
The girls fell into a collective silence at Seito's declaration.
Still coming tonight? You really are...
However, no one flat-out refused. Seito, for all his eccentricities, was actually a very well-behaved sleeper.
"But it's only afternoon; it's a bit early to talk about bedtime," Seito remarked, breaking the quiet.
With the rain outside, there wasn't much to do but stay cooped up indoors. Some girls scrolled through their phones while others engaged in intense matches of Gomoku. Fortunately, dinner time was fast approaching.
I'll go take a soak in the hot springs later!
After a bit of "quality bonding" time with the girls, the dinner bell finally rang. Seito and the others stood up and headed for the dining hall. Upon arrival, Seito scanned the room and noticed that Shizuka Hiratsuka was nowhere to be seen. He packed two servings of food and turned to leave.
"Seito-kun, why are you getting two?" Maple asked, curious.
"Going to deliver a meal to Shizuka-sensei. She asked me to bring her a portion earlier," Seito explained.
Maple nodded understandingly. Seito left the hall, headed up to the second floor, and stopped at Shizuka's door. He gave it a firm knock.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Come in, the door's unlocked."
Seito pushed the door open to find Shizuka sitting on the bed. He walked over and sat down beside her, setting the trays down.
"Here's yours." He handed over her meal.
"I actually thought you might forget about me," Shizuka teased with a smile.
"As if." Seito grinned back and began to eat. Shizuka followed suit.
Halfway through the meal, she turned to him. "It seems like I'll have to stick by your side from now on," she said, a soft smile playing on her lips.
"Of course you have to stay with me," Seito said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "But I also have a little gift for you."
"A gift?" Shizuka looked intrigued.
Seito chuckled. Suddenly, a glowing orb appeared in his right hand—a Divine Divinity Pearl, its interior swirling with a dazzling, miniature galaxy.
"This is..." Shizuka was stunned.
Seito proceeded to explain the entire situation regarding his powers and the items from the game. Shizuka listened in stunned silence. A minute passed before she looked up, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.
"I knew you'd suddenly become incredibly strong, but I never imagined this was why!"
She had been dying of curiosity ever since Seito managed to catch her punch effortlessly. It turned out he had been using a "cheat code" all along! No wonder she couldn't beat him.
"Heh, don't sweat the details," Seito laughed.
"Alright then." Shizuka nodded and took the pearl.
Seito watched her closely. To be honest, this was his first time using a Divinity Pearl on someone else in the real world. He wasn't entirely sure if it would work.
A few moments later, Shizuka absorbed the energy. As the starlight within the pearl vanished, Seito's theory was confirmed—items from God's Domain could indeed be used in reality!
After a short wait, Shizuka opened her eyes. She clenched her fist, sensing the newfound power coursing through her veins. In the next instant, her casual clothes shimmered and transformed into her in-game avatar's outfit.
"What a mysterious power..." Shizuka marveled, testing her grip.
So this was the power from the game? It felt slightly different, however; she could clearly perceive an unparalleled force surging within her.
"How do you feel?" Seito asked.
"Excellent. All the soreness is gone."
Shizuka stood up and stretched. Compared to how she felt this afternoon, the difference was night and day. The fatigue and aches had vanished completely, replaced by enhanced physical prowess.
"I look forward to your guidance from now on," Seito said with a wink.
Shizuka immediately threw an arm around his shoulder. "If I weren't still getting used to this, I'd definitely show you who's boss!"
"Tch! You're only Level 60. I'm a Level 70+ Great God! To tell you the truth, with my current stamina, I could go for a day and a night without getting tired!"
"..." Shizuka's lip twitched. She realized she might still be at a disadvantage. It was a frustrating realization!
The "day and night" claim? She actually believed him. Seito was essentially a human-shaped natural disaster now. If he fully unleashed his power in the real world, the entire Sakura Province would probably suffer. If he leveled up a bit more, he might start redrawing the world map.
"Anyway, let's finish eating," Seito said, taking another bite of rice.
Shizuka stopped teasing and continued her meal, chatting with Seito about the mysteries of God's Domain. Five minutes later, she froze at something he said.
"You're saying... there's a possibility that God's Domain will eventually merge with reality?"
"Exactly." Seito nodded solemnly. He wasn't joking. He then detailed the situation on the 51st floor to her.
Shizuka fell silent, her brow furrowed in thought. "If that's the case, and you become the First Deity in the real world, does that mean you could become the Chief God of a pantheon?"
"In theory, yes," Seito replied before adding playfully, "I'll make sure to crown you as my Divine Queen when the time comes."
"Fine by me," Shizuka agreed.
In many ways, Shizuka was remarkably similar to Yukino Yukinoshita—almost like a grown-up version of her. However, their personalities and figures were worlds apart.
After finishing their meal and chatting for a bit longer, they left the room together.
Shizuka had been MIA all afternoon. If she didn't show her face soon, Sae Chabashira would definitely come looking. That would lead to some very awkward questions about what Seito and Shizuka were doing alone for so long.
The two entered the dining hall together to return their trays. After a brief, casual chat with Sae, they headed back out.
"Are you planning on hitting the bath later?" Shizuka asked.
"Yeah," Seito nodded. "Why? Something on your mind?"
Shizuka's face flushed slightly, but she quickly masked it with her usual bravado.
"Let's have another duel. I refuse to believe I can't beat you!"
"You're on." Seito wasn't about to back down from a challenge.
With that, the two of them headed back up to the second floor for a long night of "training."
....
Thank you for reading.