Hearing the system's quest completion prompt, Hozuki Nozomi let the satisfaction settle into his shoulders, rolling the tension out of them.
"Done."
His voice carried that particular smugness that came with effortless victory.
"There's nothing one Water Purification can't solve. If there is, then another one."
The Water Purification Technique was simply the bane of demons—ancient, absolute, and utterly relentless against corruption.
And since the only thing consumed was water, Frieren, who had used her magic to summon rain this time, had expended a portion of her magical reserves.
Nozomi had no such expenditure.
Well. When he returned home tonight, he would have to thank Frieren properly—help her replenish what she'd lost. The thought of it curled warm in his chest: her slender body pressed close, that ancient mage's composure finally cracking as he fed magical energy back into her through slow, deliberate touch. Her breath catching. Her fingers curling into his shirt.
He tucked that pleasant anticipation away and turned to leave.
What he didn't know was—
By a third-floor hospital window, a girl with pink hair cut into neat, straight bangs was staring at him, lips parted in shock.
When he had performed the purification spell, holy light had poured from his form—radiant, blinding, spreading across the sky like spilled gold.
And this scene had been witnessed by Fujiwara Chika, who, on nothing more than a whim, had opened her window to catch fresh air.
The light had washed over her skin like warm water, sinking deep.
What... was that?
Her body, which had burned with fever for days, suddenly felt clean. Clear. The persistent ache in her joints dissolved like sugar in tea.
"Ah, Miss, why would you open the window? You're not over your cold yet, and you're letting the wind blow right on you. Do you want it to get worse?"
The nurse—a tired woman with sensible shoes and the faint smell of antiseptic clinging to her scrubs—walked in and immediately started scolding.
Recently, a peculiar illness had appeared throughout the hospital. It presented as a simple cold, but patients' bodies would constantly heat up, and no medicine helped. It also caused intermittent weakness, limbs going soft and useless, requiring hospitalization for observation.
However, facing the nurse's concerned greeting, Fujiwara Chika threw off her blanket with theatrical flourish and announced loudly:
"I'm already well! I can be discharged!"
The light released by that mysterious figure had enveloped the entire hospital.
Her body had naturally been illuminated.
And what was miraculous—her strange, recurring symptoms had vanished entirely. No heat. No weakness. Just the steady drum of her own healthy heartbeat.
He was beautiful, she thought distantly. Like something from a shrine painting.
The same scene occurred in patient rooms across multiple floors.
Many were discharged that evening, bewildered and grateful.
---
After resolving the problem, Hozuki Nozomi returned to the Student Council office.
The room smelled of old paper and the faint sweetness of the tea Kaguya kept in her personal cabinet—something expensive, probably imported. Late afternoon light slanted through tall windows, painting golden rectangles across the hardwood floor.
Kaguya Shinomiya looked up from her desk the moment he entered, dark hair spilling over one shoulder, her crimson eyes sharp with concern.
"Nozomi, how are things?"
She's been waiting, for me.... The realization pleased him more than it should have.
"It's already resolved, but I'm a bit tired now. Can I rest here for a while?"
He let the fatigue show in his voice—not entirely fabricated, but certainly emphasized. His gaze held hers with quiet expectation.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Since he was interested in her and had just taken advantage of circumstances to hold her in his arms, he naturally had to maintain momentum. Although being passive had its own appeal, Nozomi preferred initiative.
"Of course you can."
Kaguya's voice softened despite herself. She wouldn't refuse him—her meritorious servant, her unexpected protector.
So.
Nozomi stretched his long frame across Kaguya Shinomiya's exclusive office sofa, settling into the leather with a contented sigh. The cushions held traces of her perfume—lily and something darker underneath, like crushed violet stems.
He closed his eyes.
A lap pillow would have been better.
Her thighs looked soft beneath that uniform skirt. He could imagine resting his head there, her fingers threading tentatively through his hair while she pretended to work...
But he didn't ask. Asking for more now would be overplaying his hand. He planned to take it slow with Kaguya Shinomiya—let the tension build until she came to him.
She likes to think she's in control, he mused, breathing evening out. That's what makes the eventual surrender so sweet.
Watching the man who had closed his eyes and immediately drifted toward sleep, Kaguya Shinomiya's expression grew complicated.
The unusual feeling from earlier—being held in his arms, her cheek against his chest, his heartbeat steady beneath her ear—still surfaced occasionally, sending heat creeping up her throat.
I shouldn't think about it.
Her originally cold expression softened despite herself.
She probably already understood why both Yukinoshita sisters had been willing to marry him. That confidence. That warmth wrapped in teasing. The way he looked at her like she was something worth pursuing rather than something to be intimidated by.
Dangerous, she thought. Terribly dangerous.
Without continuing to look at him, Kaguya Shinomiya forced her attention back to Student Council matters. Budget proposals. Club funding requests. The mundane machinery of school governance.
She was busy.
Minutes passed, marked by the scratch of her pen and the distant sounds of students leaving for the day—laughter echoing down hallways, shoe lockers slamming shut.
Then—
A knock at the door.
"Please come in."
"Hehe, Kaguya-chan, I'm here to report!"
A girl burst in with zero regard for propriety, pink hair bouncing, and before Kaguya could react—
Hands grabbed her face. Soft, warm curves pressed against her. Fujiwara Chika's generous chest—practically straining against the buttons of her Soubu High uniform—smothered Kaguya's protest entirely.
"Mmph—!"
The fabric of Chika's shirt was warm against her cheek. The girl smelled like strawberry lip balm and hospital soap, and that soft, pillowy pressure seemed to mock Kaguya's own modest proportions with every breath.
These stupid giant breasts—
"Ugh... I'm suffocating!"
Kaguya pushed her away with both hands, gasping, face flushed with indignation. After swallowing down the spike of resentment about the unfair distribution of certain assets, she asked with genuine concern:
"Chika, are you well? I was planning to visit you after I finished my work."
The girl before her was Fujiwara Chika.
Her proud bosom was something Kaguya could only look upon with envious despair—full and heavy, creating shadows in the afternoon light that drew the eye whether one wanted to look or not. She had pink hair cut into neat, straight bangs, a black ribbon bow adorning the crown of her head like a gift waiting to be unwrapped. Her face was delicate, heart-shaped, with large sparkling eyes and an expression perpetually hovering between mischief and genuine sweetness.
This girl was also the Student Council secretary.
Like Kaguya, she was a first-year, while Kujo Maria was a second-year senior.
Not only that—Fujiwara Chika was the granddaughter of a former prime minister; her uncle currently held a provincial ministry position; her mother served as a diplomat. Due to that international upbringing, Chika spoke five languages fluently.
Hearing Kaguya's concerned words, Fujiwara Chika happily seized her small hands, squeezing tight.
"I'm already well! I was constantly in and out of the hospital, but Kaguya-chan—let me tell you—" Her voice dropped to an excited whisper. "I saw a God."
"That handsome, charming God released holy light that enveloped the entire hospital! Besides me, many others recovered and were discharged because of it!"
Chika spoke with breathless excitement, her cheeks pink, her eyes glazed with longing.
"If only I could see him again! I wonder if he needs a girlfriend?" She pressed her palms together in a prayer gesture. "If he were to forcefully kiss me..."
His hands in my hair, pulling my head back. Those beautiful lips claiming mine without permission—
Uh. Something strange had gotten mixed into her words.
Kaguya Shinomiya's eye twitched.
She knew Fujiwara Chika harbored... particular preferences. If Chika were ever to fall in love, she hoped desperately for a boyfriend who would be more dominant—the type to press her against walls and steal her breath without asking first.
Perhaps every genius girl secretly hoped for a man who could completely overpower her in all respects.
Or perhaps, she simply wanted someone stronger than herself—better family, better abilities—to protect her and make her feel small in the best possible way.
Kaguya's expression grew increasingly strange as she listened to Chika's rambling.
"Um... this God you mentioned. Was he wearing a Soubu High School uniform?"
"Oh, yes! I was just about to say that! If I could find him and have a romantic encounter..." Chika clasped her hands tighter, practically vibrating. "Maybe he'd grab my wrist and pull me into an empty classroom and—"
"Then," Kaguya interrupted, raising one hand to point at the figure sprawled across her sofa, "see if that guy is the God you want to encounter."
"Eh?"
Fujiwara Chika froze. Her head turned slowly, mechanically, toward the indicated direction.
When she saw him—
Hozuki Nozomi's face in the warm afternoon light. Strong jaw relaxed in sleep. Dark hair falling across his forehead. Lips slightly parted, softened and inviting.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
"Ah!"
The sound escaped before she could stop it.
"It really is God!"
Oh no. Oh no he's even more beautiful up close. Those shoulders. That jaw. If he woke up and pinned me down right now I would simply die happy—
"Why is God sleeping in Kaguya-chan's office? Could it be... could it be that Kaguya-chan has already encountered God?!"
Chika clutched her chest—her magnificent, trembling chest—and sank dramatically to her knees.
Had her unblossomed love ended before it even began?
After all, she couldn't possibly compete with Kaguya-chan.
Kaguya watched her best friend spiral through an entire romantic tragedy in the span of five seconds, and the corners of her mouth twitched repeatedly.
She sighed.
"His name is Hozuki Nozomi. He's the Yukinoshita family's son-in-law. You were sick last time and didn't attend the wedding, so you don't know."
Her voice hardened slightly.
"But I should warn you—he's a philandering man. Don't think about romantic encounters."
At this, Fujiwara Chika's eyes went even wider.
"Is he the man who got engaged to both Yukinoshita's First Miss and Second Miss at the same time?"
"Yes. He is." Kaguya crossed her arms. "How about it? Do your dreams feel shattered now?"
"Hehe..."
Chika's laugh came out breathy, almost dazed.
"Actually... I think that's fine. He looks like the dominant type."
Two fiancées. Both beautiful. Both from powerful families. And he claimed them both.
Her thighs pressed together beneath her skirt.
How romantic would it be—to be forcefully kissed by a handsome God who takes whatever he wants?
Looking at Fujiwara Chika's flushed, infatuated expression, Kaguya Shinomiya found herself at a loss.
Could she really stop her best friend from falling in love?
Furthermore—
Hozuki Nozomi might not technically be a God. But he had saved Fujiwara Chika, along with an entire hospital of people, and now he lay sleeping peacefully on her sofa while two girls stood over him, hearts racing for entirely different reasons.