"What?"
Deeply buried in Kavuri’s cleavage, I caught the news and instantly forgot about the breathtaking sensations. I scrambled out of her embrace, sprang to my feet, and stepped right up to Athena. Staring directly into her sapphire-like eyes, I asked urgently, "Sister, is what she said true?"
With a painful expression, Athena lowered her head in silence. My hand trembled as I reached out toward her arm, only for it to pass right through her body without any resistance. Gazing at my hand, I asked, "What on earth is going on?"
Athena raised her head furiously, her eyes shooting glares of rage straight at Kavuri. "It’s all because of this slut! To stop her from committing more evil, six others and I had no choice but to cast an absolute life-and-death seal, sacrificing our lives to seal her away!"
Hearing the truth, I couldn’t help but glare angrily at Kavuri too.
Kavuri pouted aggrievedly. "I’m victimized here too! Even though I still have a physical body, I’m restricted to this bracelet as well. I can only step 50 meters out, and my divine power isn’t even half of what it used to be. You guys still have at least seventy percent!"
"Hmph, you still dare to talk! Haven’t we been restricted too?!" Athena snapped. "If it weren’t for the life-and-death bond, we would have wiped you out long ago! Goddess Hera is still unconscious to this day—this is all your fault!" Athena burst into bitter tears.
"Hmph, who asked you to meddle in my business? The ones I killed were all perverts! If they weren’t so lustful, would I have succeeded so easily?" Kavuri argued back angrily. "I’ve been stuck in this damn bracelet for nearly 2,000 years, I’m going out of my mind!"
"Enough! Kavuri, go back first!" Seeing Athena crying so heartbreakingly, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Kavuri stomped her foot in annoyance, turned, and vanished from the room.
Athena sat on the edge of the bed, weeping with her head down. I paced back and forth beside her in a frantic panic. Comforting a woman was a completely new experience for me—like a bride mounting the bridal sedan for the first time. I wanted to hand her a tissue, but she didn’t even have a physical body.
"Sister, please don’t be sad," I said softly. "I’m sure Goddess Hera will wake up!"
Athena kept her head down, ignoring my words as she buried her face in her hands and continued to sob. I had no choice but to lie flat on the floor, looking up at her lowered face from below.
"My dear sister, please stop crying. Women age really fast when they cry. If you keep crying, you’re going to turn into a toothless old goddess!"
As expected, all women fear aging, and goddesses are no exception. Hearing my words, Athena stopped crying immediately. Hiccuping slightly, she wiped away the tear traces at the corners of her eyes, opened her eyes wide, and chided playfully, "You’re so annoying!" A faint blush crept onto her tear-stained face.
Seeing that Athena had stopped crying, I breathed a sigh of relief. Standing up, I patted the dust off my clothes, looked at her sincerely, and said, "Sister, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll take good care of you, chat with you every day, and never let you feel lonely!"
Athena looked at me and said, "Mm, I knew you were a good person the moment I first saw you. That’s precisely why I gave the bracelet to you. Whatever you do, don’t succumb to her temptations! We will do everything we can to help you, and we’ll completely isolate her to let her wallow in utter frustration!" Saying this, she even gave a forceful wave of her delicate white hand.
At the word "temptation," my face couldn’t help but burn with heat, and I nodded in agreement.
Athena stood up, turned toward the computer, and waved her hand. A beam of multicolored light struck the computer directly. At a speed visible to the naked eye, the computer gradually transformed, looking brand new in about five minutes. Athena waved her hand once more to retract the multicolored light, smiling at me.
"Good little brother, I’ve fixed the computer for you. I’m heading back for now—remember to chat with me often!"
I nodded happily. "How could I dare disobey your command, Sister?"
"Then I’m going back first." With that, Athena vanished into thin air with a reluctant look.
For so many years, because of my own incompetence, many people had kept their distance from me or even mocked me. But Athena didn’t. Not only did she encourage me, but she also comforted me, helped me, and treated me with genuine sincerity. That was why I felt the most comfortable around her, completely free from any sense of inferiority. Thinking of this, my heart swelled with even deeper gratitude toward her.
A rumble from my stomach interrupted my random thoughts. Only then did I realize it was already eight or nine at night. My parents were both working the night shift this week. I pulled out the dinner my mom had prepared from the kitchen, wolfed down a quick meal, and ran back into my room. I turned on the computer, plugged in the network cable, and started reading web novels. With a VIP account, I no longer had to visit pirate sites—after all this time, today was by far the most satisfying reading experience.
Over the next few days, I spent my nights chatting with Athena and surfing the web for novels, while spending my days sleeping openly in class.
The principal summoned me once more to persuade me to transfer to the science track. I turned him down again—I truly had no interest in mathematics, nor did I possess any real talent for it. However, I did agree to his request that I apply for Tokyo University.
I didn’t know what instructions the principal had given our homeroom teacher, but his attitude toward me underwent a complete 180-degree turn. He treated me exceptionally well now, constantly asking how my revision was going, and calling my parents to remind them to give me extra nutrition. It left my parents looking at me with rather strange expressions.
This newfound treatment sparked Kozuki’s jealousy once more. She insisted on competing with me to see who would get a higher score on the entrance exam! I thought to myself: isn’t she just looking for trouble in all the wrong places—like a man soliciting a prostitute in a Buddhist monastery? I refused her outright, for which I endured endless glares from her for two whole days. Her heart was smaller than the eye of a needle; I suddenly realized how utterly senseless my past crush on her had been.
Talking with Athena over these few days deepened our mutual understanding. Thanks to my mediation, she and Kavuri no longer bickered every time they met. After all, living under the same roof, a little tolerance went a long way. Besides, what happened had already passed so many years ago; there was really no need to hold a grudge forever. Isn’t there a saying: "Forgiveness is the greatest virtue of all"? I figured goddesses wouldn’t be an exception to that!
The countdown to the entrance exam had officially begun—to be precise, less than a day remained. After handing out the exam admission tickets, the homeroom teacher wrote the schedule for each exam on the blackboard and spoke up:
"Students, tomorrow you will face one of the major tests of your lives. There are only two paths lying before you: first, successfully cross this threshold, and you will receive higher education; second, fail, and you will depart from school from then on, losing a brighter future!
They say that within books lie golden houses and faces as beautiful as jade. That might sound a bit pragmatic, but it’s not false at all! I believe there are many opportunities in a person’s life, but rare are the ones that can truly alter your destiny. Sometimes, we only need to seize a single chance. Tomorrow, that very opportunity will be placed right in front of all of you. Let us give it our all to challenge it, and make the entrance exam bow its head before you!"
The students below broke into enthusiastic applause.
The homeroom teacher waved his hand to signal everyone to quiet down. Letting out a long sigh, he said, "In this entrance exam, some might fail. But I hope those who do will not lose heart, but face life proactively instead. Perhaps the next opportunity is waiting just around the corner—all you need to do is be prepared at all times!" Saying this, he cast a deliberate glance in my direction.
"Alright, I won’t waste any more words. Good luck to everyone!" With that, class was dismissed.
I packed up all my books, wrapped them in my arms, and walked home.
My parents, who were supposed to be on the night shift tonight, were actually home waiting for me. Seeing me carrying a massive bundle of books, my dad quickly stepped up to take them from me. My mom poked her head out from the kitchen and said, "Go wash your hands, dinner is about to be served!"
I asked with a smile, "Mom, aren’t you guys working the night shift today?"
"You ungrateful little brat! Your entrance exam is tomorrow—of course your mother and I are staying home to keep you company today!" My dad patted the back of my head, scolding me with a laugh.
"Oh, I see!" I said happily. I ran to the bathroom, washed my hands, and plopped myself down at the table, watching my mom bring out dish after dish!