Kousuke was troubled in a room within Asura’s Mansion.
“Hmm. In the end, I didn’t figure anything out today.”
The room Kousuke was currently in was the same one he used when he stayed at the mansion before heading to Asgard.
He had used this room during his previous stay as well, and at that time, Eris had told him to use this room whenever he came to the Divine Realm.
Since the Divine Realm had a proper day and night cycle, it was already night outside.
The reason for having day and night was so that he wouldn’t feel a different sense of time compared to Asgard.
Another reason was Asura’s personal preference to properly enjoy the night, though few people knew about that.
While looking at the night scenery, he was thinking about his new powers, but he couldn’t grasp anything.
He intended to stay this time until he could get a handle on the hint from Peach’s fortune-telling.
However, he didn’t intend to waste his time indefinitely.
“Ah. This is no good. I can’t figure it out no matter how much I think about it… Should I go for a walk?”
Kousuke thought that just staying in his room would only lead to frustration, so he came up with that idea.
Once he voiced it, it seemed like a good idea, so he decided to put it into action.
Come to think of it, the previous two times he came via the transfer array, he hadn’t had the chance to calmly explore the outside like this.
Before heading to Asgard, he used to wander around quite freely, but looking back, it was strange that he hadn’t met any other goddesses then.
Of course, Asura and Eris had been working behind the scenes to prevent them from bumping into each other unexpectedly.
That wasn’t to say they physically accompanied him, but rather they would simply send out notifications like, “Don’t come into this area.”
Such occurrences had happened frequently even before Kousuke’s arrival, so no one suspected anything.
During this visit, as a regular visit had already been scheduled, no goddesses were ambushing Kousuke while he was wandering around.
Kousuke had heard about this from Eris, which was why he was able to leisurely enjoy his stroll.
When he was in the tower, he was mostly confined to the management layer, so he only enjoyed nature when he went to check on his familiars.
Because of that, perhaps sensing the natural air, he felt a sense of cheerfulness.
Carried away by that feeling, he continued to walk further and further.
And then, by the time he noticed, it was too late.
“…Huh? Where am I?”
He had been walking through a forest, not a plain, and now he had completely lost his sense of direction toward the mansion.
“Geez, is this bad?”
He had a feeling it might be bad, but he decided to remain optimistic, thinking that the range he could walk on his own would be limited anyway.
By the way, the reason he could be so relaxed was that he knew there were no monsters in the Divine Realm.
If there were monsters, he would never have considered going for a walk.
The biggest reason he wasn’t panicking further was that he had brought Jal’s Divine Union Tool with him.
He already knew it could be used without problems even within the Divine Realm.
With the Divine Union Tool as a last resort, he was able to relax this much.
“Ugh… I feel like I’ve walked a lot, but I have no idea where I am.”
He continued walking, idly thinking, “I wish I had a cheat that let me see a map,” but there was no sign of him reaching any familiar places.
Even more so, after walking for several more tens of minutes.
Suddenly, he emerged into an open area.
Even though it was an open area, the forest didn’t disappear in front of him.
It was just that one spot was clear of trees, as if something had blocked them.
It was circular in shape and about the size of a large athletic field.
For Kousuke, who had been walking through the forest, this spot, cleared of trees and directly illuminated by moonlight, felt incredibly bright.
Since he had finally reached an open area, he decided to walk to its center.
He hadn’t noticed it at first, but as he got closer to the center, he realized that a rock, about the size that Kousuke could embrace with both arms, existed in the center of the place.
Intrigued, Kousuke approached the rock.
As he got closer, his premonition turned into a certainty.
He approached the rock and touched it.
…But nothing happened.
“…Huh? That’s strange. I was sure something would happen?”
He didn’t just touch it; he also petted it, but nothing happened.
He fiddled with the rock for a while, but still, nothing happened.
“Hmm? I don’t understand. For now, I’m tired, so I’ll rest here for a bit.”
After muttering this, he sat down with his back against the rock.
He hadn’t felt it much while walking, but he had been walking for a considerable amount of time and was quite fatigued.
He hadn’t intended to, but before he knew it, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Before he knew it, he was in a world of pure white.
He was alone… or rather, there was a book the size of an encyclopedia floating in front of him.
“Nice to meet you.”
A voice suddenly spoke from the book in front of him.
It wasn’t words entering his ears through sound, but a voice that resonated directly in his mind.
“Uhh? Nice to meet you? I’m Kousuke.”
“I know. I am <....>”
“Eh? What did you say?”
“Unfortunately, it seems you do not yet have the qualification to hear my name.”
The book in front of him said that.
“Is that so? …Hmm, but I kind of can imagine it?”
“Oh. Then, try saying the name.”
“Alright, if you’ll excuse me… World Record.”
The moment Kousuke spoke the name, the book in front of him emitted light, and its pages flipped rapidly.
It stopped at a certain page.
“That is one name that represents me. It is not all of me. However, it is also a fact that no one can understand my entirety.”
“Ah. In other words, you are an existence that I cannot comprehend?”
“Who knows? Perhaps you might reach it after a long, long period of contemplation.”
“I see. By the way, did you call me here?”
“I did not call you. You came to me.”
“Huh? Is that so? Sorry to have bothered you.”
“It is fine. It is not bad to converse with others like this once in a while.”
Since it was in the form of a book, he couldn’t discern any expression, but from the tone of its voice, Kousuke felt relieved that there was no sign of anger.
“So? Do you not have something you wish to ask me?”
“Ah, you saw through me after all. But I’ll refrain.”
“Oh. And why is that? I am an existence that knows everything. If you ask, the answer will be revealed.”
“That’s why.”
“Is there no difference between asking me and asking that goddess?”
“No, for some reason, in your case, it feels like a different dimension… I can’t quite put it into words.”
“I see.”
It was a short reply, but Kousuke felt like it was somehow enjoyable.
“Cherish that feeling. Now, you should go.”
As the book in front of him said that, it emitted light, just as before.
The difference from before was that the light enveloped Kousuke himself.
By the time the light disappeared, Kousuke was no longer there.
Yes. And so, World Record has finally appeared.
But this might be the first and last time lol.
Plans are undecided! (Firmly!)
