A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

"Who's that lady in front of us? She looks really popular." Yusuke asked slowly, his mouth stuffed full of food and his cheeks puffed out.

"Forty-one years old, not bad, looks quite young, please call me 'sister' from now on."

"Forty-one? You even know your age?"

"One of the editors at the magazine I work part-time with is a pretty good colleague. But let's not talk about that. Yusuke, how's your basketball team doing? Are you feeling any obstacles?" Aoi Natsuki was more concerned about Yusuke's recent situation than about that.

Yusuke thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't feel any obstacles. The coach always says that my jumping ability and physical strength are comparable to top NBA stars. My teammates who train with me are actually a bit unable to keep up with my pace."

"Oh, that's good. So, does that mean you're now a key player?" Aoi Natsuki laughed. Now that he thought about it, maybe during the time that Hoshimi possessed him, it was like she helped him open up his so-called Ren and Du meridians. He had already surpassed the original level of a university basketball team. If this continued... it wouldn't be impossible for him to become an internationally renowned superstar in the future!

"Haha, now, I guess so," Yusuke said, a mix of pride and embarrassment in his voice, scratching the back of his head with his right hand.

Aoi Natsuki patted his arm, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "When you become famous, don't forget your brother, okay?"

"Of course, you'll always be my best friend!" Yusuke nodded twice with a serious expression.

Whenever the friendship between the two is mentioned, Yusuke always expresses his affirmation with a serious expression. To outsiders, this might seem like making a mountain out of a molehill, but to Aoi Natsuki, it is full of sincerity.

He then asked Yusuke about his girlfriend, and Yusuke told him that everything was going well, and that Yako was now very obedient to him, as gentle as a kitten.

Kitten...

Aoi Natsuki recalled that when Blade kicked the large bedside table in the hospital, it wasn't broken, but shattered. That kind of momentum had absolutely nothing to do with a kitten.

Yako had said she would find a stronger man to conquer her. Aoi Natsuki initially thought such a man would be extremely difficult to find, but she never expected she would later encounter Yusuke, who was possessed by a god. Even the strongest body is still just flesh and blood, and Yako was likely easily taught a lesson. The weak worship the strong—this is the core principle of Yako's martial arts. Since Hoshimi left, Yusuke has also caught up with Yako. In Yako's eyes, he must still be that powerful human being who surpasses all understanding, which is why she is so obedient to him. This…

Aoi Natsuki didn't know whether this was a blessing or a curse, but since the two had been dating for a while and their ill-fated relationship had already begun, they might as well continue like this. All I can say is that if Yusuke could be like King from "One-Punch Man" and know how to subtly show off, he might be able to live a peaceful and uneventful life.

Aoi Natsuki nodded in agreement, then turned his gaze back to the stage below. He saw that the Venomous Fang lady in the center was looking directly at him. Oh no, he had been discovered. She raised her right hand, seemingly wanting to greet him. Upon seeing this, Aoi Natsuki quickly waved at her while covering his mouth with his right hand.

Ms. Venom stopped abruptly, and the clever girl continued to answer the questions from her classmates.

The problem is temporarily resolved.

An hour later, Aoi Natsuki was invited to meet in an empty corridor. The two hadn't seen each other for a while, so it was a good opportunity to catch up.

Ms. Poison Fang lit a cigarette, flicked her short, sharp hair, and said, "Aoi, you used to study at Keio University? I never knew. Freshman year... Did you just get in? That's amazing."

"She's just a bookworm. I didn't expect you to come, Sister Poison Fang. Isn't the editor-in-chief always very busy?"

"Yes, my work at Reco is over. I've resigned. I'm quitting," Ms. Venomous said cheerfully.

"You're quitting?"

Ms. Fang nodded, raised her head slightly, and continued, "I plan to start my own magazine later. I've already thought of a name for it: Ferre."

“Partner,” Natsuki Aoi murmured.

"And it's derived from the English word 'difference,' implying maintaining differences, which means keeping a partner fresh. Only with freshness can there be lasting love, and that's the mission of our magazine."

“Oh…that sounds really good,” Natsuki Aoi exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Ms. Poison Fang smiled, exhaled a puff of smoke, looked at Aoi Natsuki, and said, "So, whether you want to join my magazine or not, salary is not a problem at all."

"Well..." That sounds good, but given Aoi Natsuki's personality, she usually wants to think about it carefully for a while first.

“Aoi, you are talented,” Ms. Poison Fang continued.

Aoi Natsuki gave a bitter smile. He had heard Poison Fang say this almost ten times. He shook his head, glanced at Poison Fang, and said, "I really do get proud when you say that to me. Thank you for your recognition. I will think it over carefully, but most likely... I will give you a satisfactory answer."

“Then I’ll wait for good news.” Ms. Venom took another puff of her cigarette, and the two then began to talk about a theme from this season’s Reco magazine.

There were only two people talking in the entire corridor, but was that really the case? At the very end of the corridor, Saijo Mayumi's head slowly peeked out, the phone in her mouth trembling involuntarily. Aoi actually knew the editor-in-chief of Reco, and the editor-in-chief of Reco was chatting and laughing with him! My God... Aoi Natsuki! What kind of man are you?!

Side Story 29. Hoshimi's Grand Strategy

the next day.

As soon as Aoi Natsuki arrived at school, she sensed that the atmosphere around her had changed. She noticed that many of the people who used to ignore her were now secretly glancing at her. What was going on?

He arrived at the classroom for his major course with a question in mind. As soon as he entered, he was startled. The once noisy classroom suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes were on him. Many students who were chatting enthusiastically were also pulled by their companions. When the name Aoi Natsuki was mentioned, they immediately looked over.

What exactly is going on...?

Natsuki Aoi was very puzzled. Something must have happened again. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he slowly walked up the steps to his seat at the very back. Before he could greet Yusuke and Yuu Jōchō, Yuu Jōchō suddenly stood up and said excitedly, "Aoi! I heard that yesterday the editor-in-chief of Reco magazine specially invited you to work at her new magazine. Is that true?"

Ok?

Aoi Natsuki suddenly realized what had happened, and Shiroi Yu's words immediately shattered the delicate balance that had been maintained in the class. After all, they were all design students, especially in fashion design. The name of Ms. Poison Fang had long been known throughout Japan. Being actively recruited by such a person meant that they were no longer on the same level as the students in their class!

The next second, many students, especially girls, stood up, left their seats, and crowded around Aoi Natsuki. In their eyes, this ordinary-looking boy had extraordinary strengths and abilities that made many people feel his towering height and unique mystery.

Aoi Natsuki stumbled backward, but soon bumped into the edge of the table. He was momentarily at a loss. Although he was used to being the center of attention, those people used to look at him with disdain and disgust. But now, the eyes of this large group of people were filled with envy and admiration. They were all asking him questions, and some even reached into the crowd to ask for his contact information.

Aoi Natsuki once had a sense of being a celebrity. He had only seen the scene of being adored by fans in videos before, but now that he was experiencing it in person, the impact of this scene was just too strong!

The leap from being disliked to being liked is so dramatic, coupled with the suffocating sense of distance and pressure. Are all these girls really this bold? Several of them were practically pressed against his chest.

Just then, a pair of large hands pushed aside the girls in front of him and shoved them outwards, and a small opening actually appeared in the crowd.

Aoi Natsuki turned his head and saw that it was Yusuke who had come to his aid. The oppressive feeling eased immediately, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Yusuke is quite famous now. His height of 1.9 meters and his superb basketball skills have made many girls in his year and upperclassmen scream for him. However, many girls have confessed to him, but he has rejected them all with a serious look. After learning that he has a girlfriend he likes, the number of girls around him has decreased a lot.

He stepped forward, his tall figure standing there, immediately stopping the farce that was about to turn into an accident. But... what happened after he stopped it?

“What you’re doing is really bothering Aoi,” Yusuke said, standing in front of Aoi Natsuki.

“Yusuke,” Natsuki Aoi whispered.

"If you need my contact information, could you please join the queue?"

"Hey!"

……

Aoi Natsuki's popularity soared, so much so that he didn't even dare to eat in the cafeteria. After learning what had happened, he discovered that it was a post on the school forum, consisting of a few photos and an incomplete video. The video was not very clear because the two people were speaking, but it was clear that they seemed to be getting along quite well. With the narrator's own description, Aoi Natsuki immediately became a friend of the editor-in-chief of Reco magazine and a hot commodity in the eyes of many students.

After all, it's reality. The allure of money and status is simply too great. Getting to know the editor-in-chief of Reco magazine is like having one foot in the industry, and it promises a bright future. This is worlds apart from what a student can achieve. Even though Aoi Natsuki was shameless, she was still chased by a group of even more persistent and beautiful girls who wanted her contact information. Among them were many A-level girls, and after four or five A-level girls, she was even surprised to find an S-level girl.

However, now that the mission is complete, whether or not it's S or S is irrelevant. As for the poster, following some previous replies, clues were quickly found, which was slightly unexpected for Aoi Natsuki, since it was someone she knew. She didn't expect it to be Saijo Mayumi.

Therefore, he really needs to have a talk with Saijo.

She added me as a friend through the forum and got accepted in less than five minutes. It seems she was really enjoying replying to messages. Some people like quiet, some like noise, and she clearly likes excitement.

Having nowhere else to go, Aoi Natsuki went to the library. At least there weren't many people there. Uchida Otsuka had been working as a librarian there ever since she lost her divine powers, and she didn't seem to feel out of place, as she always did everything herself.

As soon as he entered, Uchida was organizing books behind the counter. When she saw Aoi arrive, her eyes lit up with surprise, and she reached out to greet him with her usual sweet smile.

Aoi Natsuki smiled and waved in response. She then explained the situation to Uchida and sat down at the first large table next to her. When she checked her phone again, she found that Saijo had already sent her more than ten greeting text messages, with emojis popping up frequently.

Just as enthusiastic as before, except...

Aoi Natsuki inquired about the situation from Saijo. He didn't get angry immediately. His past experiences have enabled him to deal with everything calmly. If it is a serious matter, he will also use his legal rights to protect himself.

Saijo Mayumi's replies came faster and faster; if you didn't look closely, there were more than ten replies.

They actually said they've been paying attention to me ever since the start of the semester?

She admitted that she had some ulterior motives, but she always hoped to become friends with him.

Have you been tracking this all along?

A stalker?!

Aoi Natsuki was taken aback, and Sakurajima Anne quickly came to mind.

I don't want to encounter another one; having Sakurajima is enough.

"So? Should we report her to the school?" Uchida Otsuka walked over with a can of drink, placed it on the table, and then moved to his side. Aoi Natsuki didn't shy away and showed Uchida everything she had posted.

Uchida swiped quickly, his dissatisfaction slowly turning into consideration. After returning the phone, he lowered his head and said, "I feel like she's a bit like me. She was stalking you, while I came into this world with you. In terms of madness, it seems I'm much more serious than her."

“That makes sense.” Aoi Natsuki smiled awkwardly. After thinking it over carefully, he decided not to mention it to the school. Since the person in question didn’t seem to care, the incident should die down soon. Seeing that Saijo was apologizing the whole time and hadn’t mentioned Ms. Poison Fang, he didn’t ask any more questions.

He closed his phone, stretched, and realized he had more important things to do.

"How's it going with Kayano? Any progress?" Uchida asked with concern.

"There's still no progress. She's different from you. I think she just has a soft spot for games," Natsuki Aoi sighed.

Uchida pursed his lips, then sat down next to him and said, "I haven't met this Kayano before, but from your description, Aoi, he seems to be someone you shouldn't mess with."

“That’s what I thought before, but after spending more time with her, I realized she’s actually someone who’s willing to change. I told her before that to become an ordinary person, you have to get used to human lifestyles and social interactions, and she actually listened to that,” said Natsuki Aoi.

"Oh, I see. That's quite nice. Hmm... When I first came to this world, it took me a long time to get used to it. After all, the world created by Hoshimi is so detailed. I don't know who this world was based on. Later, many gods created worlds based on her world background, and some of them were quite interesting experiences." Uchida Otsuka looked up and recalled.

Aoi Natsuki smiled faintly and continued, "Then she improved your divine realm by adding some interesting elements to the dull and boring process. With such a vivid imagination, it's no wonder that she has been able to maintain a positive and optimistic attitude for so long. I admire her quite a bit in this respect, except for her own slight recklessness."

"A little recklessness?" Uchida Otsuka asked, puzzled.

"To call it a minor act of recklessness by calling your intrusion into this world is already putting it mildly. You're clearly a senior figure, yet you're still so careless in creating a world," Aoi Natsuki said, gently shaking her head.

"Well, speaking of this, I didn't really do it intentionally. I just remember that day, I just wanted to see what was happening in this world as usual, and then I found that my consciousness could slowly seep into it. This is something that has never happened in other worlds created by gods. Anyway, it just felt like a coincidence. Before long, I entered this world."

"There's such a thing?" Aoi Natsuki said in surprise in a low voice.

"Well, I don't know about Kayano's side, but this is how it is on my side. I originally thought that there were at least a hundred gods who entered this world besides me, and I thought I had no chance of becoming the lucky one. But I didn't expect that only Kayano and I entered this world, which I found a bit strange." Uchida cupped his cheeks in his hands and slowly told the story.

Aoi Natsuki hummed in agreement, then nodded. This explanation did sound rather strange. Could the programming of a deity possibly malfunction? It seemed unlikely.

He then thought of something else and his brow furrowed instantly. Could it be that Uchida and Kayano were deliberately placed into this world by Hoshimi?

The birth of this peculiar idea caused my previously stalled thoughts to gush forth like a spring. First of all, I didn't need to think about whether it was reasonable or not, because if this happened to Hoshimi, she wouldn't do anything reasonable.

Did she specifically seek out two deities to create a sense of crisis for herself and add some fun to her life?

No, no, no, Hoshimi isn't that extreme, it's...

Natsuki Aoi was deep in thought, with Uchida quietly keeping her company.

He opened the beverage can, took a big gulp, and as the carbonated drink made a popping sound in his mouth, a completely new possibility suddenly occurred to him.

Information from the past began to come together: the rules of divine punishment, the tasks assigned to him, the precise target—it all seemed like a meticulously planned arrangement by the star-seeker.

The punishment from the gods is that if a god falls in love with a human, that god will become human. Hoshimi wasn't lying about this, because it had already come true for Uchida.

Kayano also mentioned that many gods in the divine realm, with lifespans of thousands of years, chose to lock themselves in independent spaces due to dissatisfaction with their current situation, gradually losing their personal consciousness. Kayano also said that being human is actually happier than being a god, because the desire to pursue what one does not have is the very source of happiness.

What Aoi Natsuki was thinking was whether Hoshimi had deliberately arranged for the two of them to enter the world, and then used this rule of divine punishment to turn herself into an ordinary person! The world needs a god to operate, so such an arrangement is indispensable! This, this, this is a grand scheme!

Aoi Natsuki was startled by his own thoughts. It was the first time he had pieced together fragments of events into a complete picture, and his heart was pounding.

Hmm? Wait a minute, there's something wrong with this.