“Umm… Yuno-san.”
The day after I had gotten home from the godless city, Athena suddenly came to my room, fidgeting.
“…Kami-sama? What’s the matter?”
She was sticking her head out from behind the door frame, peeking into the room, her red eyes quivering with anxiety as she looked at me.
“…Kami-sama?”
“Erm, umm… Actually, well…” she said, hesitantly stepping into the room, then looking at me with a determined expression.
“…Something…!”
“Something…?”
“I think… I can do something…!”
“W-what!?”
She leaned forward excitedly.
A bunch of information immediately began circulating through my brain.
Thanks to having won the tournament, I, Yuno Astario, had gone up in the world. Well, probably. And thanks to that, Athena must have surely also become more famous. And there was only one thing that that could mean.
“Kami-sama! Did you get a new power…!?”
“…!”
She must’ve thought it probably too, since she broke out in a happy and slightly proud smile.
“…I can do it…!” she said, balling both her hands into little fists in front of her chest, full of motivation.
I looked on.
“…Ooh!”
It didn’t take long for the change to show itself. A warm light enveloped Athena’s body, and a pleasant wind blew around the room. It wasn’t the first time I had seen that, but I was still filled with the same joy as ever.
‘Finally, this day I’ve been waiting for for so long has come! Kami-sama has gotten a new power!’ I thought, the sense of accomplishment I felt blowing away any unease and fear lingering at the back of my mind.
The path I had walked down had most certainly not been wrong.
A short while later, the bright, shining light gradually dwindled. I idly thought to myself that when it fully went out, Athena would have a new power.
“…!”
And that moment wasn’t far off. The wind swirling around her stopped, and Athena, her eyes tightly shut, graced my vision again.
““…””
The room was silent. As far as I could tell, nothing about her had changed. I surmised that her power would be something of the same type as being able to float or emit a warm light, both of which she had become able to do earlier.
“………Yuno-san?”
“…Yes?”
Athena slowly opened her eyes.
“I… finally…!”
Her crimson eyes started to tear up.
“I finally acquired a new Skill!”
“Kami-sama!”
I also felt myself tearing up at how happily her eyes were shining.
Hold on, that means I also already have a new Skill. We can’t have this!
I immediately focused, trying to find out the nature of the Skill within me.
“H-how is it?” Athena asked worriedly, but happily.
I want to show off the new Skill and make her happy as soon as I can, but…
W-where is it…!?
I was sweating buckets. No matter how hard I concentrated, I couldn’t find the new Skill.
“Yu-Yuno-san…?”
Oh no!
Athena was trembling. She looked like she could burst out in tears at any moment.
Waitwaitwaitwait. Calm down, Yuno Astario. First ask her the name of the Skill.
“K-k-kami-sama? To tell you the truth, my knowledge of Skills is quite poor, so I don’t really know what to do with them very well yet. So, erm… could you perhaps tell me the name of the new Skill you acquired?”
“Ah! I-I’m sorry! It’s called ‘Increased Magical Power’––”
Magical power release.
Instantly, magical power began flowing out of me, filling the room, accompanied by a loud rumbling.
“…A-amazing!”
Athena’s eyes were shining as she watched on in amazement.
That’s not enough. This isn’t something so weak!
Then, right as I was about to increase the amount of magical power I was letting into my surroundings––
“Oh”
The window broke with a loud, glassy plink.
Athena jumped in surprise, looked towards the now window-pane-less window, and froze.
It appears I got a tiny bit too carried away. It’s only a matter of time until Luna finds out and gets mad at me. However.
“It’s amazing, Kami-sama!” I said, grabbing both her hands.
“…R-really?”
“Yes! Magical power just kept flowing and flowing out of me!”
In fact, I think it feels like I do have a tiny bit more magical power. It’s definitely thanks to the skill! Yep!
“A-amazing, Yuno-san!” Athena said, and I couldn’t help but smile as she began happily shaking my hands up and down.
I had boasted a large amount of magical power to begin with, so I decided that I had become unable to sense my magical power very well, which was why it had been so hard for me to notice the change. Tina, who had also made a contract with Athena, would probably feel the difference way more.
“You did it, Kami-sama! Congratulations on your second Skill!”
“T-thank you…! I hope I can be even just a slightly bit more of help to you and Tina-san now…!”
“Of course! I’m sure Tina-san is shedding tears of happiness right now!”
“…! Yuno-san!”
“Kami-sama…!”
We held our palms against each other’s. I was gripped by a festive mood as I watched her smiling happily.
She was smiling. And that was enough for me.
“A-also, Yuno-san?”
“Yes?
Suddenly, her face turned red and she began to fidget again.
“A-actually, I got something else too…”
“…Eh?”
Does that mean she got some other power than ‘Increased Magical Power’ as well?
“P-please watch!” she said with a determined look on her face, and turned around so that she was facing away from me, her silvery-white hair swinging as she did so. I couldn’t help but think to myself that she really was pretty.
“Uuu~…!” she let out a small groan, her body shaking.
“…!”
That moment felt familiar. It was the same as when she had become able to emit light.
…I wonder what she’ll be able to do this time?
My expectations swelled.
‘If it would be possible, I hope it’s a wonderful change,’ I wished silently.
“Hayyah!”
A pair of white wings suddenly appeared on her pack, popping into existence.
“K-kami-sama! You have wings!” I said, and the wings on her back, somewhat larger than the palm of my hands, flapped.
Then––
“…What do you think?” Athena asked, looking at me over her shoulder with a confident face. Perhaps calling it a smug face would have been more accurate, and it was an expression I had never seen her make before.
“A-amazing…! You’re amazing, Kami-sama!”
The moment I said that, her wings flapped happily. The wind they created gently stroked my cheeks.
“Ehehe…” Athena smiled happily.
Isn’t this… an incredible change? The goddess Athena finally has wings!
“Can you fly?” I asked.
“…!” she shivered.
“…I’ll try…!” she said, flapping her wings.
“Uu~!”
Her small wings flapped harder than ever before.
Hmm, what a nice wind!
As if showing off her kindness, the beautiful and delicate wind ruffled my hair slightly.
Athena kept on flapping her wings for a while after that, her face red from concentration.
Gradually, her wings slowed their movements, eventually stopping, and she turned towards me, trembling slightly.
“…Yuno-san…”
Tears threatened to overtake her eyes. Then, when they finally began streaking down her cheeks––
“…I can’t fly.”
“––––”
I was so shocked I forgot to breathe, frozen in place.
She can’t fly… so she means to say that the only thing she can do with those wings is flap them.
“T-…that’s…”
That’s… that’s…!
“C-cute…!”
“Eh…?”
“What are you talking about!? You can already float in the air, can’t you!?” I said quickly to cover up my true thoughts on the matter.
“! R-right!”
Athena began to float, her small wings flapping away.
She looked so adorable I couldn’t help but grin.
“W-what do you think!?”
Perfection.
“You feel even more divine and goddess-like!”
“R-really?” she said happily, her wings flapping away.
As I watched her, I suddenly had a thought.
“Umm, Kami-sama?”
“Yes?”
“Could I, umm, touch your wings?”
“…! O-of course,” she said, nimbly landing and turning away from me slightly embarrassed.
I gulped.
Then, I gently poked one of the trembling white wings with my index finger––
“Hyau…!” she let out a voice I had never heard her make before, which caused not just my eardrums but also my heart to tremble.
“I-I’m sorry! It tickled so I…”
“––––”
I gently stroked her left wing with my hand.
“…Nnn…!”
“––––”
On the verge of death due to the goddess-combo, I lastly, and rather rudely, began to pat her head.
“…Yuno-san?”
“Kami-sama…… this is the best!”
The moment I said that, a smile lit up her face.
“I’m glad you liked it!”
‘I’ll make you smile even more and even more, so much that you’ll have had enough of it,’ I thought to myself as I watched her wonderful smile.
And for that––
––I’ll get even more serious.
TN: this is the last chapter (hopefully only for now though)
as far as I can tell, the author is focusing on the manga and a light novel (?), which is why the web novel version hasn’t been updated in over a year
I will, of course, continue to translate this series as well whenever (if ever) it gets a new chapter
other than that, all I have to say is Thanks for reading, and have a nice day
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