So, in the next half an hour also afterward, we read books, yep, that’s all we do. Eden and I spend some time collecting the fallen papers and now we’re sitting side by side on my bed… reading books. No! It’s not like I’m not complaining or anything like that, absolutely not!

Because you see...

“Hey, Ruby… what does this phrase… mean?”

“Ah~? That one? In this context, it’s a proverb meaning ‘loving someone makes you unable to see their faults'.”

“I see.”

“Ah~! But that doesn’t apply to you at all, Eden! You’re perfect no matter what anyone says!”

I close my eyes and happily lean my head on Eden’s small shoulder.

Ahh~! I wish this can last forever without someone interrupting us.

“Hey, Ruby…?”

“Yes, yes, what can this big sister do for our cute little brother this time? Stealing? Kidnapping? Assassination?!”

I straighten my posture and send Eden a warm and confident smile, ensuring him that I will listen to everything he says.

“What’s… C***—”

I wordlessly cover Eden’s mouth with my hand before he can finish his sentence. Okay, I take it back, maybe not everything.

“How do you know that word….?” I ask him while seriously gazing into his eyes.

“Um…. ah.”

“Oh, right, sorry~!”

Lifting my hands off his mouth, allowing Eden to present me with the stacks of paper he was reading... Wait, aren’t those!?

“It was written… here.”

—My original drafts!

“I thought I put those away!”

“Eden... held on to them… because... interesting.”

“...”

Note to self: don’t provoke Eden’s curious nature or he will stop at nothing to satisfy it!

—Wait, hold on, w-what if...?

Suddenly, an idea occurs to me.

“Ruby...?”

Eden calls out in confusion when he sees me suddenly starting to inspect every corner of my room. Let’s see... the door is locked, the window is closed and the blind is lowered.

—Perfect!

I turn back to Eden... and take the original draft from his hand before he can react!

“Ah~...” Eden mutters with a deflated look of disappointment.

—Can you not respond so cutely!? Is this what it feels like to steal candy from a little girl? I didn't even do anything wrong, why do I suddenly feel so guilty?

“Um, Eden…”

I slowly close in on Eden, then gently whisper into his ears.

“If you’re really curious… should we act out, some of it?”

“...!” Eden’s golden eyes widen at my words and with an innocent look on his face. “That sounds… like fun.”

He agrees?! My heart literally just skips a beat there!

“Y-yes, it’ll be really fun!”

—This isn’t swindling, right? I’m just helping Eden satisfy his curiosity so you can’t arrest me, officer! Hold on, why am I already preparing excuses to give to the Valkyrians!?

“O-okay, I will be reading this and you will do exactly as I say, got it?” I calm my rapidly beating heart and speak to Eden again.

“Got it.” Eden adorably nods his head.

I glance over the script—I mean, the original drafts and choose a scene. Most of them should be fine if I just crossed off a few words and replaced them with something more normal, like this.

“Alright, I will be Athemyst and you’ll be—” I begin to propose...

“Don’t want to…. Nede... is a very boring character,” Eden interrupts me, frowning a little.

“Eh? But I—”

“No.”

“Okaaaay....”

I nod my head at Eden’s adamant insistence and begin to narrate a scene…

“...After escaping the pursuit of the evil assassins, wet and soaked with water and mud. Athemyst and Nede found themselves a place to rest and clean themselves at the moonlit lake of Luquana. Looking at the beautiful figure of the princess illuminated by the silver light, various emotions swirled inside Athemyst’s heart. Tonight, he had almost lost her to the grasp of death, and just by imagining the pain of that, forced certain emotions he had kept hidden to begin surfacing. Never again, he promised himself, that he shall let go of her hand—so he decided to just push the princess down right then and there!”

Eden tilts his head. “Isn’t that development… a bit too sudden?”

“Stay in character, Athemyst! Don’t ask questions!”

—Of course, it’s not too sudden! Intense passion always uncontrollably bursts out, you know?!

“Okay…” Eden nods his head and slowly climbs on my body, pressing my shoulder against the wall behind me with his hand. For some reason, this angle makes him look really cool.

“Now what...?”

“A-Athemyst said, ‘Nede, I love you, I want you to be mine’.”

Receiving my instruction, Eden looks into my eyes and says with a serious voice.

“Nede… I love you… I want you to be mine.”

“——!!”

Nede… I love you… I want you to be mine. → I love you, I want you to be mine. → Ruby, I love you, I want you to be mine!

“I love you too, Eden!”

“...?”

“Ah!”

—That was so e-embarrassing!! I accidentally b-blurted out my delusion!!

I quickly pull the stack of papers in front of my blushing face and continue the roleplaying in an attempt to distract Eden.

“T-Then he took off her ‘gloves’ and began to lick her… ‘finger’”

—No, wait! What was that line!? Eden, I take it back you don’t have—wait, he’s doing it!?

Before I can take back my words, Eden has already taken one of my hands!

“Nuu-un...!!”

A small moan escapes from me when Eden gently takes one of my fingers and kisses it. The feeling of his warm and soft lips wrapping around my finger as his wet supple lips gently envelop it in a suggestive act of obscene affection is just…!

—No, no, no, I'm not that type of person, evil begone! This is just wrong!

Eventually, Eden lets go of my fingers and uses the hem of his shirt to wipe away the saliva on my finger and the corner of his lips. When he finishes with that, he expressionlessly asks me who has been unconsciously holding my breath since earlier.

“Now what...?”

“E-eh? Um, yes…”

—At this point, it's too late to stop... So I might as well keep going!

“A-Athemyst said, ‘you love me too, don’t you?’ Then started to take off her… ‘stockings’ as well.”

“You love me too… don’t you?”

Eden runs his hand up the upper part of my thigh, before going back down to pull off my sock to reveal my barefoot. The gentle tickling sensation leaves quite a provoking impression on my skin, and every part of my body feels like it’s starting to violently burn.

“Huaaa~”

—But, why does it feel like I've always wanted this?

“O-okay, now the next thing Athemyst said was, ‘aside from my own reflection, you are the cutest person I’ve ever seen.’ By gently whispering my—I mean Nede’s ears!”

“Is that… really in the script?”

“Who car—I mean, of course, it is!”

Coming closer to my ears, Eden whispers, “Aside from my own reflection… you’re the cutest person I’ve ever seen.”

—I’m going to hell! I’m definitely going to hell for this!

“A-and then he said, ’I want to be by your side forever and have babies, lots and lots of babies’.”

“I want to be by your side forever... and have babies… lots and lots of babies.”

Me too, Ede—I-I mean, Amethyst! Let’s make lots and lots of babies, okay?

“T-then he said ‘I would do anything for you, even purring like a cat!” and started to purr, l-like a cat.”

“Did that... really happen?”

“O-of course!”

Eden looks unconvinced for a few seconds, then eventually decides to trust my totally honest statement. He holds up both his arms to imitate cat-like paws and then he…

“Meooooowww~♪!”

—Does something so cute, I don’t even think it was possible within the physical laws of the whole realm of gods!

“Aaah! I can’t hold back anymore!”

“Ruby—?”

With the last sliver of conscience in my mind blown away by the destructive power of Eden’s cuteness, I give in to all of my desire and lunge at him—pushing down the little angel!

“This is your fault!”

Then without even waiting for a reply, I kiss Eden. Letting loose all of my pent-up feelings and savor the taste of those mesmerizing lips that are as sweet as the fruits from the spring of Terra.

“Fuwhaaaa~”

Even though I still want to kiss Eden more, I’m forced to separate our lips to take a breather. And before I can lock his lips with my own again, I suddenly realize...

.....

Eh—? Hold on, what am I doing?

“Ah! Eden, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. I-I lost control of myself back there…”

I don’t know what came over me all of a sudden! That was like... W-what even was that? I mean I said that intense passion always uncontrollably bursts out, but that was way too intense too suddenly!

Quickly and flusteredly, I inspect Eden from head to toe to find out if I have accidentally hurt him, or if he is angry at my sudden offense.

But while I’m doing so, Eden simply says to me.

“It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

I question my ears, but it seems like I didn’t hear it wrongly as Eden soon adds while looking at me with half-closed eyes.

“Eden… doesn't mind.”

“——!!”

—Was that a green light?! Did I really just receive a green light to do whatever I want!? C-calm down Ruby, breathe, control yourself. Aaaaahhh~! And don’t let anyone hear your internal scream!

“D-do you really not mind it?”

To my question, Eden simply nods without saying anything. But that alone is enough for me to almost lose control of my excitement. Which I can’t. No matter what, I need to be gentler than before.

So slowly, gently, I move my lips closer to Eden’s… and he doesn’t try to avoid or resist me. When our lips are only a few centimeters apart, it finally dawns on me that I really am the luckiest person in the world...

BAANG——!

“—Miss Ruby Fairwright, you’re under arrest for the crime of sexual assault! You have the right to remain silent, Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!”

“E-Eh!?”

The door to my room is forcibly barged open and multiple angels dressed in Valkyrian uniforms flood in!

—What is going on? Why are you people even here!?

“We were initially sent to patrol the city to investigate the rampant disappearance case. But then we were distracted by that book you wrote and—”

“We weren’t distracted, we were just trying to study the mind of the kidnapper!”

“Yes! But whether it was the kidnapping or the disappearances—none of them are worse than the crime you’ve committed, Miss Fairwright! We have been secretly listening to you this entire time!”

They point their fingers at me and announce.

Eden, the sweet little angel he is, tries to stand up for me by saying, “But Ruby didn’t do... anything wrong.”

“Little Eden… how old are you?”

To the question asked by the Valkyrian, Eden pinches his chin and furrows his eyebrows cutely before looking back at everyone.

“Eden is... at least three.”

"""...."""

The entire room falls silent, then one of the Valkyrians turns to me, and shakily declares, “...Arrest her.”

“But Ruby... didn’t force Eden… to do anything… Eden consented.”

When Eden tries to help me, the Valkyrians shout even louder.

“““ARREST HER—!”””

“Roger, Lieutenant Mira! Miss Ruby Fairwright, you’re under arrest for the crime of 'lewding the lol*'—and the crime of making everyone jealous!”

“E-Eeeh?!”

“Little Eden, do you understand? This woman is getting too lucky that she ruins the balance of the realm, she needs to be punished for it to be restored.”

“Is that so... big sister Vena?” Eden turns to ask the crazy woman who just appears out of nowhere.

She hugs Eden and says with absolute certainty, “Of course, the red-eyed thief is pure evil.”

“I see… “ Eden turns to me and tilts his head. “Ruby… Evil?”

"..."

—It’s over, I don’t want to live anymore!

“N-no, Eden… I’m not that kind of girl. I promise!”

“But you have pushed Eden down and kissed him,” Vena objects to my defense.

“U-um—t-tt-that!!”

“She even wrote those stories with Eden as a model…” Vena continues, presenting my original drafts to the Valkyrian.

“U-uh—-t-tt-this!!”

“And lastly,” to deliver a decisive piece of evidence, Vena turns to me and asks, “Do you deny that you have a romantic interest in Eden?”

"?" Eden gazes at me with his innocent round eyes.

“——!!”

—She got me!

“The verdict is out! The defendant has been declared—guilty!”

And just like that, my hands are cuffed.

“Noooo~! Eden, help me!” I cry for help from Eden one last time while being dragged through the door.

“Ruby…” Eden runs up to me and, with a sincere voice, says, “Eden will visit you… often.”

“...”

And that is the last I see of Eden before the Valkyrian angels take me away...

—————..........

[ The Mansion of House Athena ]

Ever since the beginning, gods have existed in the world of Astrea. Beings of divine concepts who are granted power and authority to perform miracles based on the concepts and jurisdictions they are the representatives of.

Faith and belief govern all that there is in the planes of this world. The more faith and belief that the mortals give to the gods, the more powerful their authority becomes.

With faith, even a powerful mortal could obtain their divine concept and ascend to godhood without having to be born a god.

But having too much faith would turn a god into a True God—a powerful but formless selfless automatic divine interface that's simply an absolute representation of their divine concept.

In all of history, there was only one being who did it by choice.

To end the holy war, the Judgementor of Gods willingly ascended into this state on his own. Sacrificing his self-awareness for the peace of the world...

Something I never could have done.

As the Goddess of Wisdom and War, I advise those who pray for my strategy and guidance to maintain faith.

—For even in times of peace, war hasn’t disappeared… it just changes form.

I put down the stack of papers I’m holding and wipe away the floating transparent HUD in front of me then call out to the small presence standing on the other side of the door to my office.

“How long have you been standing there for?“

Receiving my recognition, Eden comes through the door and answers me.

“Ever since… Eden came back.”

That was three hours ago... Did I not hear the knocking again? This is not the first time I have accidentally ignored him like this. Whenever I’m too focused on my work, I always tend to overlook the ongoings inside my domain of the mansion.

“Sorry...”

“Eden is... used to it.”

Ouch. Sometimes his concise way of speaking can really hurt.

One of the reasons why I allowed Eden to play outside is that I worry about him being too lonely when I don’t have time to spend with him. He needs friends, and Vena and Altarin can’t be there for him all the time even if they want to.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Miss you.”

“Cheeky… asking to get pinch?”

Eden simply ignores my threat and climbs up to sit on my lap like usual.

“Were you… waiting for Eden?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Really...?” Eden’s monotonous voice becomes a little dejected.

“Because I know you will always come back.”

“Eden will always... come back to you.”

Blushing a little, Eden cuddles up against me...

And whispers in a small voice.

“Meoow~”

“Pfft~..."

And the unexpected noise makes me almost burst out laughing.

"W-what was that?”

“Eden read in a story today… that lovers do that.”

“Really?" I chuckle. "What kind of stories have you been reading?”

“Ones that Ruby wrote… it was Interesting… but Brother Altarin seems to think… that there was something going on.. with the offer she got… from Anorlon Times Magazine.”

“Why did he think so?”

“They usually don’t accept a story like hers… so he thinks that... either they’re trying to branch out… or she was lied to.”

“Well, what do you think?”

“There is only one truth... So we’re going there… to find out tomorrow.” Eden says and points his finger at nothing in particular. Is he trying to imitate someone, perhaps? If so, then I don’t quite get his reference.

“So how else was your little adventure today?”

Eden pinches his chin, showing an impression of deep thought. "Eden got free sweets again.”

“So that’s why Vena ran off earlier.”

“Are all sweets giving people… bad people?”

“Kind of?”

“But Big Sister Vena… is very kind.”

“To you? Maybe. But I didn’t choose them as my vessels because they were kind.”

“I see…”

“Every single being who somehow found their way to the Realm of Gods has their pasts, you have yours. One day even you will have to fully open up to us.”

“...”

Eden goes into silence for quite a while.

“Athena…” Then softly, a voice that sounds as pleasing as a musical instrument calls out to me.

“Yes?”

Eden looks up and I meet his eyes, the golden radiance that shines through his half-closed eyelids illuminates the dimly lit office with his color.

He parts his small lips a little as if to say something but then closes them again.

Eventually, he looks away from my eyes, leans closer to my chest, and mutters in a small voice.

A small voice that I can hear clearly nonetheless.

“I love... you.”

...And with those words reverberating in my ears, the sounds of Eden’s breathing become slow and gentle.

—He has fallen asleep.

"..."

As always, I pick up Eden's light body in my arms and carry him to my bedroom. Even though it's been used as his for as long as he was here because I never have to sleep, and also because he seems to like it.

I quietly put him down on the bed and try to walk away—only to be prevented by a small hand that is latching onto my own.

"Mmm..."

I look back at Eden. He never outright tells it to anyone, not even me, but we all know that he fears sleeping alone. He fears it so much that sometimes he would rather read in the library until passing out because of tiredness. But there is not much we can do for him to help with that.

“Sweet dream… my child.”

So, I can only kiss his forehead and bless him good night... but for some reason that makes him smile?

“...You’re still awake, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Eden wasn’t… pretending to be asleep... so that Athena would come out of her office at all.”

“...”

"It hurts! A-Athena... S-sorry."

"Getting cheekier and cheekier every day, huh?"

I pinch Eden's cheek a little out of spite and after seeing that nothing else seems to be wrong, I turn around to leave. But when I try to walk away again, Eden grabs my hand to prevent me from doing so.

“Athena… can you stay with Eden… tonight?”

Looking back at the troubled expression on Eden’s face, I consider it for a second, but then quickly dismiss the idea for it’s simply too risky. So I kiss his forehead again.

“It’s fine, you won’t have any nightmares. Go to sleep, Eden.”

“Eden is not a child,” he frowns and murmurs. But doesn’t try to stop me anymore and I'm allowed to leave.

Looking through the gap between the doors to see him covering himself in blankets, I close it and go back to my office.

—————……….