Chapter 1: Down Together

"Hey, Tokarou… darling."
A young girl called out softly. She had dark black hair that reached just to her shoulders, the ends turning slightly inward in a natural curve. The front strands were cut in a stylish way, falling loosely around her face without covering her eyes, giving her a calm but sharp look. Her red eyes were focused on the slope below them as she sat on a cold metal bench. Down the hill, a small cat lay on its side. Its leg looked injured, and it let out weak, uneven cries.
"What is it… Sumi?"
The boy beside her replied in a low voice. His head was tilted back as he stared at the pale summer sky. His hair was the same black as hers, but his was messier, spiky in random directions, as if he never bothered to fix it. His red eyes half opened as he slowly glanced toward her.
"What would you do if you were that cat…"Sumi whispered the words, almost as if talking to herself.
Tokarou leaned forward a little, moving closer to her as he looked down at the injured creature. The faint breeze rustled their hair.
Sumi watched him quietly, then gave him a small, cold smile."Tell me."
Tokarou met her eyes and answered without rushing."Even if it cries, if it's weak then the world won’t pause for it. All it can do is wait until the pain stops."
Sumi’s smile grew a little as she slowly leaned closer to him, bringing her face near his.
"And what if I was that cat~"
Tokarou blinked once before replying."You would never let yourself end up like that."
Sumi seemed satisfied with that. She leaned back against the bench, stretching her legs out slightly."It's boring… we don’t have anything to do…"
Tokarou lay back beside her, copying her posture."Yeah… it’s summer break after all. Not like school is interesting anyway…"
Sumi closed her eyes, her voice flattening."High school, huh… it just sucks…"
Tokarou let out a small breath."Yeah… I thought maybe coming to this shrine, we’d see something interesting."
Sumi opened her eyes and looked toward the distance. A short walk away stood an old shrine, and behind it a large temple structure that towered over the trees.
"You mean ghosts?" she asked.
"Ghosts… they’re not that interesting. They’re just dead people." Tokarou replied.
"Right…" she murmured.
Her eyes lowered to her black skirt and her matching black hoodie. She then glanced at Tokarou, noticing he wore the same hoodie with black pants. The matching look made her lips curl slightly.
Slowly, she lowered her socks just a bit, revealing the pale white of her thigh. With a soft voice, she said,"Darling~ how about you sleep on my thighs~"
Tokarou looked at her, then replied calmly,"No. I’m not touching you like that."
Sumi moved closer, her expression shifting into a teasing, quiet smile."Oh? Or is it because it would make you look weaker to me?"
Tokarou said nothing. He just stayed silent as the warm wind passed by them.
Sumi slowly stood up from the bench, brushing the back of her black skirt with her hand to clear off the dust."Should we go pray?"
Tokarou lifted his eyes toward her and replied calmly,"Do you believe in gods?"
Sumi gave him a small smile, the kind that didn’t reveal much but still looked confident.
"Well, we don’t have anything else to do here… so let’s just pray. Who knows, maybe a miracle will happen."
Tokarou let out a slow breath, closed his eyes for a moment, then stood up beside her.
"Alright. Just because you said so."
Without hesitation, Sumi walked up to him and looped her arms around his. He was noticeably taller, so she leaned slightly toward him as she clung.
"How sweet, my darling~" she said as they started walking toward the shrine and temple area.
The closer they got, the quieter everything felt. The old wooden structure stood tall, the smell of stone and incense lingering faintly in the air. When they reached the offering box, they stood side by side.
Tokarou took out a 5-yen coin and tossed it into the offering box just like the shrine etiquette instructed. Both of them then reached up to the rope, hands ready to ring the bell—
The moment the bell moved, a bright flash of light burst out from above them. It wasn’t warm or hot, it was just overwhelming, swallowing their vision entirely. Instinctively, they glanced at each other in confusion—
And then their bodies vanished from where they stood.
Tokarou slowly opened his eyes. A faint white glow blurred his vision at first, but as it cleared, he turned his head. Sumi was beside him, covering her eyes with one hand. She lowered it slowly and blinked as she adjusted to the strange brightness around them.
"Welcome, hero from another world."
Both of them snapped their attention forward.
They stood in a massive hall. The floor was polished like glass, reflecting the distant lights above. The space felt endless, with tall marble pillars rising so high that the ceiling became difficult to see. At the far end, elevated above several wide steps, sat a throne ornate with gold patterns.
On the throne sat a woman, beautiful in the way ancient paintings described goddesses. Silver hair that reached her waist, eyes glowing faintly, a dress layered like floating clouds. She watched them with a gentle expression.
Tokarou spoke first, voice low."Where is this…"
"No idea," Sumi answered plainly.
The goddess smiled softly."It seems both of you arrived. Although…"
Her eyes shifted to Sumi."It appears the girl came along by accident. I only summoned the boy to become the hero of my world."
Tokarou’s brows lowered slightly. Sumi’s expression didn’t change much just a faint, cold smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
Tokarou asked,"So you brought us without asking?"
"It was necessary," the goddess replied.
"Your world will not suffer from your absence. And returning you… would be complicated. For now, it is better you simply accept your role."
Sumi tilted her head."What if we don’t want to?"
The goddess’s smile stiffened for a moment, but she kept her tone calm.
"It is impossible to send you back now. But the hero’s power is meant only for one person. I cannot grant abilities to both of you. Only the chosen one may receive my blessing."
Tokarou frowned."So if we go, we go together."
Sumi added without hesitation,"Otherwise, don’t bother."
The goddess blinked slowly, her polite smile slipping just a little."You two do not seem to understand the situation. I am offering salvation to my world. I cannot simply hand out divine power like gifts."
Tokarou crossed his arms."What kind of goddess can’t even manage that much?"
Sumi gave a small laugh."Sounds like she just has limitations. Kind of disappointing."
A crack of irritation ran through the goddess’s face."Excuse me?"
Tokarou looked at her with a straight face."If you can’t do something that simple, then what kind of god are you supposed to be?"
Sumi shrugged casually."Maybe she’s just pretending. A goddess who can’t even handle two humans?"
The goddess’s expression finally twisted."You two… how dare you…"
Tokarou sighed."We’re just telling the truth."
Sumi added,"Try harder."
The goddess’s voice erupted, echoing through the hall.
"HOW DARE YOU!!!Die! Go to hell burn! I don't need you! I’ll find another hero, someone more suitable! I’ll just let you both die!!"
Her hand raised, glowing with violent light.
"Go die!!"
The bright light engulfed them once again, swallowing their bodies completely.
The next moment, wind screamed past their ears.
Tokarou and Sumi opened their eyes only to realize they were falling straight down from the sky. Below them was a massive forest stretching out endlessly, treetops forming a huge dark green blanket.
Their expressions tightened for a second, but neither panicked. Instead, as they fell, they turned toward each other.
Tokarou reached out and grabbed Sumi by the wrist, pulling her close, almost into an embrace.Sumi hooked her fingers around the back of his neck, her lips lifting into a smirk that matched his.
Their red eyes met, dark, amused, fearless.
And then—
BOOM.
Both of them crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact.