After confirming that no one around them was paying attention to him and Akuto, Kusanagi Godou began organizing his words.
By this point, he had already learned from Amakasu Touma that Akuto had also slain a god.
After all, hiding that matter would bring Amakasu no benefit whatsoever. If he dared conceal the fact that "tiny Fusang actually has two Campione," then his days as the head of special operations would be over.
In short, before meeting Akuto, Godou had already clearly understood the fact that Akuto had become a Campione.
Since the two had been friends since childhood, and since Godou had always treated Akuto as his future brother-in-law, he did not think Akuto becoming a Campione would affect him negatively.
In his view, Akuto becoming a Campione could even be called a good thing.
On one hand, Godou no longer had to bear the responsibility and risks of slaying gods by himself. He had heard about Akuto's battles and knew Akuto was extremely powerful, and that his process of slaying gods had been quite effortless.
On the other hand, he might not even have to face other Campione himself. Just yesterday, a man named Doni had called him and asked whether he wanted to have a friendly exchange between Campione.
Only afterward did Godou learn that Doni was a Campione who had already been beaten up by Akuto.
When he learned that Doni had been thoroughly thrashed by Akuto, Godou genuinely breathed a sigh of relief. Since Akuto had already beaten Doni once, Doni most likely would not want to come to Fusang. Even if he did come to Fusang, Godou could just ask Akuto to beat him back, right?
...
After organizing his words, Godou sighed and slowly said, "During the few days you were gone, a hurricane that came from who knows where moved toward Fusang, straight toward Tokyo. Later, I found out that the one who caused the hurricane was Hanuman, the monkey god from Indian mythology. Hanuman... you should know him, right, Akuto? The wind god from Indian mythology."
"The moment that guy arrived with the storm, the commotion was terrifying. He almost flipped half of Tokyo Bay over."
"There was nothing I could do. I couldn't just watch him tear the city apart. Since I got caught up in it, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and go in..."
"At the time, I was using some of Grandpa's relics."
"Suddenly, a few of Grandpa's collections seemed to react. Not long after, that wind god Hanuman came looking for me on his own."
"After that, to protect the city and protect myself, I had no choice but to use Grandpa's collection to fight him."
"Thankfully, my luck was decent, and in the end, I managed to send Hanuman away."
Although Godou said "send away," Akuto naturally understood what "send away" meant. He had slain him and sent him back to myth.
After saying that, Godou leaned heavily back against his chair, as though the memory had drained all his strength. His face was filled with undisguised exhaustion and torment.
"Honestly, Akuto, this whole Campione thing... I really don't want it at all. I got dragged into this for no reason, then suddenly had to risk my life against those monsters for no reason... It's such a damn pain. I just want to live peacefully as an ordinary high school student, play some baseball, read some manga. Is that really too much to ask?"
The reason he wanted to play baseball was because after becoming a Campione, Godou discovered that the old injury in his arm had fully healed. In other words, he could restart that part of his life.
It was not as if he absolutely had to join a baseball team, but Godou did indeed want to pick up that sport he had once been forced to abandon.
Akuto listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly against the smooth tabletop, producing faint clicks.
He looked at Godou's face, which practically had "I just want to slack off" written all over it, and a faint glimmer passed through the depths of his eyes.
Once Godou finished complaining, Akuto suddenly stopped tapping and shook his head with a light laugh.
"Godou, since you're that unwilling..."
"What if I said I had a way to completely strip those troublesome Authorities from you, allowing you to escape your identity as a Campione? Would you agree?"
At that point, Akuto deliberately paused to observe Godou's reaction, a faint smile hovering at the corner of his mouth.
"Huh?"
The moment Akuto said that, Godou froze on the spot.
"Akuto, you... can strip away the Authorities inside me?"
"Of course I can." Akuto nodded.
Although he had left Doni's Authorities intact, if Akuto wanted to, stripping Doni of his Authorities was also something he could do.
The reason Akuto had not done so was because letting Doni keep his Authorities was more useful for revenge.
A born Campione's fate was far rarer than any Authority, so Akuto had deliberately preserved Doni's Authorities.
With his Authorities still present, Doni's fate would recover very quickly. When the time came, Akuto would be able to harvest him all over again.
"Godou, I can turn you back into a real ordinary person. You'll never have to worry about gods or Campione or anything like that coming after you, and you won't be forced to be a Campione anymore."
"Of course, I'll only strip away your Authorities. Your body will still retain its evolved good condition, and your old injury won't relapse either. How about it, Godou? Want to think it over?"
The moment Akuto said that, Godou wavered for an instant.
But after only a few seconds, that surprise and joy turned into hesitation.
Clearly, although he did not know why, he was not as resolute as he had imagined.
In the end, the wavering in Godou's eyes quickly receded like the tide, replaced by a strange firmness, as if he had some reason he absolutely could not give up.
He took a deep breath, then slowly, but with unusual force, shook his head.
"Sorry, Akuto. I can't do that right now."
Listening to Godou's refusal, Akuto's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
A refusal? And such a direct refusal at that. That was somewhat beyond his expectations.
He had thought Godou would at least hesitate, ask further questions, or even be tempted. Refusing this quickly and decisively felt abnormal instead.
Godou seemed to realize that his reaction had been too intense. He licked his lips, his eyes flickering slightly as though he were organizing his words.
"Um... Akuto..."
Godou spoke again, trying to explain his reason to Akuto. Evidently, he did not want to leave Akuto with the impression that he was complaining about being a Campione while still clinging to its benefits.
"Akuto, it's not that I don't believe you, or that I don't want to get away from all this trouble. It's just... someone told me something."
"Oh? What?" Akuto suddenly became intensely interested.
"I don't know if you experienced this, Akuto, but on my side, although the memories are a little blurry, after I slew a god, my consciousness seemed to enter a strange space."
"Ah, you mean the Boundary of Life and Immortality, right? That's Pandora's domain. The consciousness of every Campione enters the Boundary of Life and Immortality once after their first god-slaying."
"Although the things that happen and the words you hear after entering the Boundary of Life and Immortality cannot be fully retained, they always remain in the deep layers of a Campione's mind. As time passes, or as circumstances change, you will gradually remember them."
"Yes! That's it!" Godou's emotions suddenly stirred.
The information Akuto provided was far too important to him. These past few days, he had been wondering whether he had misheard something.
Now, good. The facts proved that he had not misheard. Everything he had heard was real.
...
"After my consciousness entered that white space, someone told me that I... might become... a savior."
When Godou said that word, there was not the slightest trace of pride or longing on his face. Instead, his expression was full of confusion and the heaviness of having a mission forced upon him.
"Although I'm still completely confused right now, and I don't understand what that means at all, or what I should do... until I figure out the cause of this, until I understand what this 'savior' actually means..."
"Sorry, I can't give up my identity as a Campione. Even if it's troublesome. Even if it's dangerous."
"At least right now, this power... might be the only clue I can grasp, and the only thing I can use to face those unknown problems. So, sorry, Akuto."
Godou's reasoning made sense.
If the world needed him as a savior, then that meant the survival of the world itself was definitely facing a crisis.
Under those circumstances, keeping his entire identity as a Campione was certainly the better choice.
Akuto nodded thoughtfully.
Akuto instantly locked onto the most critical point in Godou's words.
Who was it? Who had so precisely planted the seed of "savior" in Godou's heart right after he became a Campione, while his power was still unstable and his resolve had yet to harden?
This person hiding behind the curtain had successfully aroused Akuto's interest.
"I see..."
"Someone told you that you would become a savior..."
Akuto finally spoke, breaking the brief silence between them.
His voice had returned to its previous calm, carrying no emotional fluctuation at all, as though the conversation just now, which was enough to overturn an ordinary person's understanding of the world, had never happened.
He even nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.
"Savior... that really does sound like an incredible goal. You're right, Godou. When you can't confirm whether information is true or false, it's better to keep the strength you need to face problems."
With that, Akuto leaned back, returning to his lazy posture. His gaze swept casually over the blue sky outside the window. Sunlight passed through the glass and cast mottled patches of light and shadow over his face.
Akuto did not think Godou was lying. He had indeed heard something along those lines.
However... whether Godou had told him all the information was another matter entirely.
"Godou, since you have your own considerations, I won't say anything more."
Godou seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. His tense shoulders relaxed as well, and he scratched his head, revealing a somewhat embarrassed smile.
"Ah... thanks for understanding, Akuto. I know it sounds a little... uh, like I'm overestimating myself? But I feel like since someone said that, I should at least try to figure out what it means."
"Mm, I know. If someone told me something like that, I would definitely keep digging until I got to the bottom of it."
Akuto answered calmly, his gaze returning to Godou's face. His eyes were tranquil and unreadable, yet seemed to carry some kind of penetrating force, causing Godou to subconsciously avoid looking directly at him.
Godou's diverted gaze further confirmed Akuto's thoughts.
Looks like someone really did set something up around Godou...
The Boundary of Life and Immortality... was it Pandora? Or was it... some other existence?
No matter how I look at it, I've already run into this.
It's just that, judging from Godou's current state, he still trusts me.
But sorry, Godou... the reason this world might need you as a savior... is most likely because of me.
In the end, Akuto said nothing and did not admit his identity. He merely exchanged a few casual words with Godou, then returned to class.
(End of Chapter)
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