Chapter 67: Trouble in the Beach
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[Third Person Point of View]
Immortality was nice. But boredom was not. Especially when it was the kind of boredom that stretched for millennia.
With immortality came boredom, a lack of stimulation, and excitement. Even a great blessing like Immortality could dull at some point, like a curse. Not enough to make a God suicidal, but enough to make them seek entertainment in any other way.
In search of new stimulating experiences and sensations, Gods have done a lot of things throughout the centuries.
Mainly wars—mythological wars. Clash between Chief Gods that split the world into the seven continents that exist today.
At one point, Gods came to an agreement to stop meddling in the mortal realm. If they continued fighting, the realm was bound to collapse. That wouldn't end well for any of them. It was the main reason why the supernatural aspect of the world became an alien concept instead of being a common theme across the centuries.
Gods could come down to the mortal world anytime, of course, they could come and have fun, but it was limited. Most of all, they were exclusively forbidden from using their powers in the mortal world in a harmful way. If power usage really became necessary, they would erect an Instant Dungeon to take care of their business.
Of all the Major Gods, Quetzalcoatl was a Warrior God. All of these limitations didn't suit her taste. She just wanted to fight and wreak havoc; to enjoy her days, but these rules kept her restrained. As one could expect, she had broken the rules many times across the years, though they weren't grand enough that she received worthwhile punishment. Aztecs simply fixed the issue by compensating the other Pantheons with material goods.
At last, in the recent century, she forced herself to adapt to the changing times. The Computers and Internet helped with it the most. It was a good pass time.
She liked all kinds of entertainment—games, comic books, movies, anime, novels, everything. Though a Warrior God feared by many, Quetzalcoatl spent all her time locked in her room nowadays.
…Quetzalcoatl was what Japanese people would call a "hikikomori".
Speaking of Japan, she particularly liked that country. The entertainment side of that country was extremely lavish and enjoyable for her. She was also into Korean dramas, and recently, she tried her first Japanese Reality Show. Out of coincidence, or perhaps fate, it just happened to be the show where Aqua was acting.
God-in-Spirit, Quetzalcoatl, was a fan.
* * *
'That was embarrassing,' Quetzalcoatl was in a changing room, a wooden hut, on the beach as she changed into her bikinis.
She tied her top behind her back as she wore a cute, soft frown and stared down at the floor. 'That little mortal. Was he serious or was he teasing me? How outrageous.'
She did expect a little flirting when she came here, but that expectation faded when she realized Aqua knew how strong she was. More so after he deduced her identity. Okay, fine, flirting was one thing, but who would knowingly tease her–the Feathered Serpent? Did that child have a death wish?
"..."
Wait, why was she getting so worked up by a child anyway? Unbelievable.
Quetzalcoatl quickly shook her head, the heat of embarrassment vanishing from her face. She turned to exit the hut when a ring chimed in her ear.
It was the ring of a phone call, except only she could hear it.
"Accept Call," She said and the magical call was accepted. The voice of a man, her current direct Avatar, flowed into her head.
"[Good afternoon, my lady. I have called to ask just in case. Have you found the culprits yet?]" Her Avatar's skeptical voice asked as she blinked.
Right, she wasn't mainly here to meet the cast of her new favorite show. That would be a waste of time, at least that's what her subordinates would have said. She had a more formal reason to be in Hawaii.
She grumbled. "I'm on it. I made sure the Mermaids were safe in a cave, but I have yet to locate the fools who are after them. I did find someone who I thought was a suspect for a moment, I was about to blast their head then, but it was a wrong call. It was just some kids. Uh, you know… from that show."
"[Oh,]" her Avatar went silent. A sigh came from the other side a moment later. "[I can't tell you to not enjoy yourself, but make sure to do your job too. This is an important request from Atlantis, since we are in charge of this region we can help them and secure a good relationship. Yes, I know you don't care, but it's a good thing for the Pantheon as a whole. So please take it a bit seriously. Goodbye."
The pissed man's voice died in her head and Quetzalcoatl sighed in annoyance.
"Why must I deal with little things like this?" If the flow of Fate wanted her to deal with problems so bad, then send some Chief Gods her way, dammit.
These fucking Dark Pirates that dared to mess with the Mermaids, why did they have to ruin her lovely vacation?
She kicked the sand, pausing midway as she realized too much teen drama might have affected her behavior in odd ways.
"You are a Warrior God…" Quetzalcoatl reminded herself and walked out of the hut while slapping her cheeks.
* * *
[First Person Point of View]
'What's up with her?'
I looked to the hut as Quetzalcoatl walked out of it. She looked grumpy. Better not mess with her, these stupid Warrior Gods get angered easily.
Her appearance drew me, however. For a being as old as I, outer beauty didn't affect my soul. However, it's true that I was in the body of a teenager right now. I could control my urges, but my hormones acted on their own in the sight of a hottie. This woman was gorgeous; my type.
Her blonde hair streaked down her body like a fountain, her green eyes twinkling like little stars. Most of her body was now exposed; her previous pants were replaced by a red sarong skirt that left one of her long legs exposed. Her breasts were tied down by her green top, but her toned abdomen and wide torso were visible for the world to see.
[Image Here]
I took a long, good look at her. Gorgeous.
"Your eyes will fall if you keep staring," Mem-Cho said dryly from my side.
I let out a laugh and turned to her. "Your own appearance isn't helping me stop that. You look cute."
She looked adorable in her black bikini, topped with a cape. It was an odd choice of outfit, but it looked good on camera, and in real life too.
The other girls Yuki, Akane, and Mai who were chatting amongst themselves on the side were wearing similar outfits but with different colors. Akane looked the best, it suited her greatly, while Mai looked like a beautiful flower. [1]
The guys just wore Hawaiian shirts and shorts, me included. Though I and a few others kept it unbuttoned, revealing our chiseled chest. The other guys had model-type skinny build, while I was a bit bulky and had a defined chest and abs; girls liked both, but I liked mine better.
"Yeah, sure," Mem said dismissively, still managing a smile. "What were you two talking about earlier? She looked pretty flustered."
"She's a supernatural being. I was just melting the ice between us as far as first impressions went." I told her. I didn't go into the details that she was a being who could level Hawaii with ease if angered. No need to give my cutie anxiety.
"If you say so," Mem-Cho didn't buy it but nodded. She turned and began to walk towards the blonde woman. "I'll go talk to her, then. Hope she doesn't hate devils."
"Try your luck," I didn't know if she hated devils, so I couldn't reassure her. I kept my eyes on Mem-Cho as she approached the woman who was lying on a bench now. I made sure the dragon didn't react harshly at Mem-Cho greeting her, instead showing a smile, and beginning to chat normally.
Good.
Letting the two blondes some privacy to get along, I looked around in search of shifting my attention somewhere else.
"Guys, I'll go on a walk. See you later."
"Take care,"
I said and walked away, as Mai waved me goodbye. Yuki looked at me once, her eyes locking on my abs for a moment before she looked away, while Akane walked out from the chat and rushed to join me.
"Let's… walk together," she said, while a bunch of cameras rolled in the distance, catching everything.
* * *
[Third Person Point of View]
It was mid-noon, and the sun shined brightly in the sky, casting its warmth and light onto the beach. Akane walked right beside Aqua, the situation was perfect to grab each other's hands, but Akane couldn't find the courage.
Their footprints painted the sand as they walked, chatting lightly about topics that didn't matter. Akane enjoyed the fresh air and the crashing of the waves, taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the beach. The feeling of sand beneath her feet and the warmth of his presence which was always oddly comfortable made her relax.
Akane was unsure how to lead a proper conversation with him. There were cameras too, though it should be hard to pick up the conversation from this far thanks to the wind.
At one point, they stopped near a rock boulder and Akane found the courage to ask something meaningful. "You have a nice body… must have worked hard for it, right?"
Okay, that wasn't what she wanted to ask. Or what she should have asked. Now it just gave away that she'd been staring at him this entire time. She had seen him naked before when all his clothes were burned by that white flame, and since then it had been stuck in her head. Akane wasn't slow, she knew she had built feelings for him—too fast and too much. Who wouldn't fall for a man if he hugged you and withstood the blow of a dynamite with his bare back, just to keep you safe?
Aqua looked confused at the question but nodded. "Yes- ah, are you asking this because you are curious if my powers help make my body look better?" That wasn't what she meant, but she quickly nodded anyway. It was better if he thought that. "I guess when I grow in a Rank, my body receives boons. It gets cleansed. But no, you have to work for the muscles. Train physically, and all that. Raising your Qi or Mana can boost your physical growth though."
"Oh, I see." Akane nodded, taking this chance to take a proper long look at his chest and abs behind his unbuttoned shirt.
"You've been looking for a while, Akane." he suddenly said, making her freeze as all the blood rushed away from her forehead and focused on her cheeks. "Do you want to touch it?"
"…?!" Akane's head snapped to lock eyes with him. 'Is this a joke?'
There were cameras locked on them. If the microphone didn't pick up on their conversation, it didn't need to. If the camera picked up on her touching him in open daylight, how could she show her face to…
Akane cleared her throat and shook her head. "N-never mind…" She hesitated. "M-maybe some other time. It feels odd to do it in front of a camera. Can we change the subject?"
Aqua smiled, holding back a laugh. "Sure, ask me anything."
Akane sighed in relief and pondered. Anything, he said. Should she ask what she was about to ask, instead of complimenting his body? Deciding to do that, she looked at him. "About what you said in Fuji, Aqua. How am I special?"
Aqua hummed, pondering. "You are a lovely girl with a cute face and interesting hair color. I'd say appearance-wise you look exotic. You are also observant, very smart—and yet somehow still so cute. You are also very understanding, and-"
"I- I didn't mean it that way!" Akane interrupted him quickly, her face a blushing mess. She looked to the side, took in a deep breath, and looked back. "I meant. That magic thing. You sent everyone to sleep, but you said I, Mem-Cho, and Mai Senpai could stay because we weren't normal. I talked to the two of them and confirmed they are magical people, but how am I?"
Aqua stroked his chin. "I don't know if I should wait to reveal this, but you have a book stored inside your soul. It's a magical book sealed within you. You aren't magical yourself, but it seems your family is a line of mages. If they aren't one right now, then maybe a couple of hundred years ago. I'm unsure about what the book is about, but if you manage to awaken it, it should allow you to become a mage. A Dark Mage, to be precise. Right now, you're normal."
"Ah." Akane blinked.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," suddenly, he walked closer to her, putting his arms on her hair and ruffling it. "I'll take care of you if you need any help with it. You have my number, so just give me a call any day, even if we don't meet after LoveMy ends."
"...." Her excited eyes lost their color at the last line. There was only one episode, and from the looks of it, she wasn't going to be picked by him tomorrow.
Akane's heart thumped. She lowered her head and opened her mouth. She closed her mouth again and sighed. Raising her head back up, she looked at him.
"Hey, Aqua. What type of woman are you into?" She wouldn't have had the courage to ask that before; even right now, her heart thumped. But if she was going to shoot her shot, she needed to give it her best. If she knew what kind of woman she was into, she could become that. At last, her talent could be put to some real use. "Just referencing a celebrity or even a fictional character will do."
"Hm," he tilted his head. "I am into many kinds of women. You'd be surprised. Tall goth, short patooties. Tall cuties, short emos. Every mix you can think of. Uhm, except for overweight girls."
"..."
Seeing her silence, his gentle hand on her head suddenly moved to grab her face. Her eyes widened and she blushed. "If you were asking personality-wise, the same goes. But if you're planning to pretend to be someone else to steal a guy's heart—not talking about myself, of course—all guys have some women in their mind that they'd want to see. So it's not a bad strategy. But I don't think you'd like that. If you think you yourself are not interesting enough for a guy, then make yourself interesting. But don't become someone else entirely, that ruins the purpose. If you can pick other people's characteristics so well, pick some interesting ones for yourself and upgrade yourself. But don't just become a copy of someone else, that's not fun, is it?"
"...."
He smiled. "See you later, Akane."
Aqua didn't let go of her face yet. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. The pondering Akane blushed but said nothing.
Aqua walked away.
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