After a long, intense "study session," Hayashi Maki finally wrapped things up.
Exhausted from their "lesson," Mashiro had no strength left at all.
Her damp hair clung to her cheeks, her face flushed bright red as she curled up obediently in his arms like a lazy kitten, rubbing her cheek against him every now and then.
Hayashi Maki raised a hand and gently stroked his airheaded fiancée's soft golden hair, feeling very satisfied.
Oh, and of course, he couldn't forget Mashiro's trusty helper and close friend—Rita.
Also a blonde beauty, but with a curvier figure than Mashiro, and a foreigner on top of that.
All those traits stacked together made Rita's charm completely different but just as overwhelming.
Hayashi Maki stroked Rita's hair as well, then took the two of them to wash up before they all came back to the room.
By the time Shiina Mahiru came in, Mashiro and Rita had already fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion.
"Maki-kun, honestly… you're such a pervert."
Mahiru shot him a look, but there was no real reproach in her eyes—only boundless tenderness.
Hayashi Maki chuckled. "Mahiru, my angel… I believe it's your turn to keep me company and study now."
Mahiru stared at him, speechless. "You call that studying?"
Studying in bed like this was way too indecent.
"I heard demons are the embodiment of the seven deadly sins," she muttered. "Pretty sure you're the one for lust."
Even as she grumbled, her body betrayed her, walking over to him of its own accord.
Hayashi Maki didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms.
"Can't help it. I have absolutely no resistance when it comes to cute girls."
As he spoke, his hands rather impatiently demonstrated just how good he was at undressing someone.
With Mahiru's soft gasp, the air quickly heated up.
…
After a very pleasant, "heartfelt exchange" with his little angel, Hayashi Maki finally drifted off to sleep.
Half-asleep, he felt the powers of time and space coil around him, resonating with his magic.
Somewhere, one of the world's anchor points flared with light.
Without noticing exactly when, his soul followed that guidance and arrived in a special place.
When Hayashi Maki opened his eyes, he saw a blue-haired goddess seated on a chair in front of him.
The goddess wore a blue top and short skirt; her slim legs were wrapped in blue boots.
Her waist was narrow, her chest full enough to push her clothes into an impressive curve, the blue ribbon at her chest adding a faint air of dignity.
Her large, water-blue eyes shone with intelligence, and with that delicate face and colorful feathered mantle draped over her shoulders, she radiated mystery.
The instant he saw this blue-haired goddess, Hayashi Maki felt a powerful sense of déjà vu.
"Goddess Aqua?"
"Eh? You know me?"
The blue-haired goddess blinked in surprise when she heard him say her name.
But she quickly waved a hand dismissively. "Well, whatever. Not that it matters much."
"Hayashi Maki-san, I am Aqua, goddess of water. I regret to inform you that you are dead."
"I'm dead?" Hayashi Maki's mouth twitched.
Sure, he felt a little… off, but there was none of the weirdness he associated with actually dying.
"That's right. You died from sudden cardiac arrest due to staying up too late for too long," Aqua said with a sweet smile. She stood up gracefully. "Then, guided by divine power, your soul was brought here."
"Now, you have two options."
"First, you can go to heaven. By the way, heaven has absolutely nothing in it. And no one has a physical body there, so you can't even do anything indecent. You just sit around like grandpas and grandmas, sunbathing and chatting all day. It's super, super boring!"
Hayashi Maki didn't believe a single punctuation mark of that.
But he still played along, widening his eyes in mock shock.
"What's the other option?"
"Heehee, the other option is to be reincarnated as a hero in a different world—that world is plagued by a Demon King's army. You'd go defeat the Demon King and save the world! And let me quietly tell you… there are a loooot of cute girls in that world."
That part, Hayashi Maki actually agreed with.
He'd just been to the Zero no Tsukaima world and had already contracted all three Vallière sisters.
"So, if I go as a hero to another world… do I get a cheat?"
He tilted his head, genuinely curious.
Aqua nodded happily. "Of course!"
Her demeanor remained gentle and dignified, none of that "idiot goddess" meltdown from the original.
Apparently, Aqua adjusted her attitude depending on the person.
With Satou Kazuma's ridiculous cause of death in the original story, she just couldn't help laughing and roasting him to death.
But in front of other candidates, Aqua could act perfectly goddess-like.
"Hayashi Maki-san, as a perk of being reincarnated as a hero, you can choose one divine item or skill to bring with you. With it, you'll be far ahead of all the other adventurers!"
"So, please—choose."
She lifted a delicate hand, and a spread of cards representing skills and artifacts appeared in front of him.
Hayashi Maki scanned them curiously.
"Super Regeneration…"
"A magic sword that lets you change sex?"
"Divine Shield…"
They all sounded pretty impressive on paper, but to Hayashi Maki, none of it felt necessary.
As a special kind of demon, he could gain abilities by contracting subordinates, and his own power was already more than enough. He didn't really need any outside cheat items.
"Well? Have you picked one?" Aqua asked, still smiling sweetly but with a hint of impatience in her tone. "You can pick any one of them—but only one!"
Hayashi Maki shook his head.
"These skills and items are all pretty lame. None of them are what I want."
Aqua's smile froze.
Still, considering he was at least handsome, she held on to her patience. "Then what kind of ability do you want? I can try searching for you. I'll waste my time on you for free."
The corners of Hayashi Maki's lips curled up.
"I want the power to create worlds."
Aqua rolled her eyes hard. "Yeah, I'd like that too! Don't be ridiculous, okay? Just hurry up and pick something else, and I'll send you on your way."
"Fine, fine." Seeing the goddess was about out of patience, Hayashi Maki raised a hand and pointed straight at her.
"I'll take you, then, Goddess Aqua."
"All right, I'll send you—wait, what did you say?"
Aqua's automatic agreement stalled halfway, and she snapped her head up, staring at him in disbelief.
"I said, the thing I want to bring along is you, Goddess Aqua. Those items and skills don't interest me at all. That leaves only the adorable goddess herself. Is that not allowed?"
"Of course it's not! Even if you call me cute, no way! A goddess is not something you can treat like an item and drag down with you! Absolutely not!"
Aqua's face flushed bright red as she sputtered in protest—only for a winged angel to suddenly float up out of a magic circle beside them.
"I'll be taking over the escort duty from Aqua-sama," the angel said serenely. "Hayashi Maki-san, you'll be descending to the world below together with Aqua-sama. Aqua-sama, I wish you a pleasant journey."
"Eeeehhh?!"