The Goddess Who Was Left Behind
Ruko woke up slowly. Not from pain this time. Not from getting knocked across the mansion or slammed into the ground. Just… tired. He stared at the ceiling for a while, his eyes half-lidded, thoughts drifting like fog. "…How long has it been…?" A year? Maybe two? Time didn't feel real anymore. Ever since he was thrown into this world by the Sealer, everything felt like a loop—fights, chaos, moments of peace, then back to chaos again. No answers. No purpose. Just movement. Ruko exhaled and sat up, stretching his arms slightly. His body felt lighter than usual—rested, even. "…At least I'm not going to do chores today." He stood and walked into the living room. "Let's see what's everyone is doing." Empty. No Aqua yelling. No Megumin plotting explosions. No Darkness doing… Darkness things. No Kazuma complaining. "…Strange it's... quiet. And no one is here?" For once, the mansion felt too quiet. Ruko scratched the back of his head, then turned toward the door. "Guess I'll go out since I haven't smell the fresh air…" He paused.
"…Right. They don't want me in Axel." The civilians still feared him. His reputation hadn't recovered—not after everything he'd done. Ruko clicked his tongue, then grabbed his cloak hoodie. "Whatever... I'll just go anyway." He pulled it over his head, then took out his mask—the one he got from Vanir. He flipped it… and accidentally wore it upside down. "…Looks cool enough." It didn't. "Name's John Smith now." With that, he stepped outside. Axel was lively again. After months of reconstruction, the town had returned to normal—vendors shouting, adventurers walking around, people laughing. Ruko moved through the streets quietly, blending into the crowd. No one recognized him. For once, he wasn't "that guy." "…Not too bad for a mask." Then—A commotion. People gathering. Murmuring. Praising. Ruko tilted his head and walked closer. At the center stood a woman in priest robes, glowing with soft light as she healed someone. The crowd cheered. "Thank you, Lady Serena!" "You're amazing!" Ruko stopped. "…Who's that?" He tapped a random civilian. "Oi. Who's the priestess?" The man looked at him like he was dumb. "You serious? That's Priestess Serena! She's been helping everyone—healing, blessing, everything. Way better than—" He stopped himself.
Ruko already knew who he meant. "…Yeah. Got it." Ruko turned his gaze back to her. Serena. Beautiful. Calm. Kind smile. Everything a "perfect goddess-type" should look like. "…Huh." Then—A low growl. From inside his pants. Ruko froze. "…Not now. Of all times!" His hand slowly moved down, gripping his wolf tightly. The "wolf" inside him stirred—reacting, targeting. Serena. "…Tch." He clenched his teeth and stepped back. "Nope. Not dealing with that." He turned away immediately. "If I stay any longer, something stupid's gonna happen like trying to rape the priestess." And Ruko walked off. As he moved through the streets, he overheard something. "…Aqua left?" "…Yeah, heard she felt unappreciated…" "…Makes sense…" Ruko stopped mid-step. "…Aqua?" A small flicker of something hit his chest. Annoyance? No. Something lighter. "…Nostalgic, huh…" He scratched his cheek and turned. "…Guess I should find them." The Adventurer's Guild was loud as usual. Ruko walked in casually. Then—Silence. "…Huh?" Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness all stared at him. Confused. "…Who's this?" Megumin asked. Ruko struck a pose. "Name's John Smith." Silence.
Kazuma squinted. "…Ruko?" "…No." "…You're wearing the mask upside down." "…Style." Pause. "…It's you," Kazuma sighed. The girls leaned in, realizing. "Wait—you came back to Axel?" Darkness asked. "Aren't people still—" "Yeah yeah, yadiyada." Ruko waved it off. "Not the point." He looked straight at Kazuma. "I heard a rumor." Kazuma blinked. "…What rumor?" "About Aqua. Been unappreciated. What's that about?" The group paused. Then—Megumin's eyes widened. "…Wait! ...Aqua isn't here." Darkness stiffened. "…I just saw her left earlier." Kazuma clicked his tongue. "…That idiot…" Ruko folded his arms. "…So you lost her." "Not on purpose!" "Skill issue." "Shut up!" But the tension was real now. Aqua alone? That wasn't good. "…She'll cause problems," Megumin muttered. "Definitely, without us to keep her in check." Ruko added. Kazuma sighed. "…Fine. We split up and search." Everyone nodded. Ruko pulled his hood lower and adjusted his mask. "Got it." And just like that—They scattered.
Ruko moved fast. Two minutes. That's all it took. He spotted her. Aqua stood in the middle of a small crowd, waving her arms dramatically. "HEY! LOOK AT ME! I'M A GODDESS, YOU KNOW?!" No one cared. They walked past her. Ignored. Instead—They moved toward Serena, who was healing people nearby. "…That's... kinda rough," Ruko muttered. Aqua froze. She saw it too. The difference. The attention. The praise. "…Tch." Ruko stepped forward. "Aqua—" She turned. Their eyes met. For a split second—Something cracked. Then—She ran. "…Oi!" Ruko dashed forward immediately. "Damn... She's fast—!" He pushed through the crowd, tracking her movement. Left. Right. Corner. Gone. "…Damn it." He clicked his tongue and kept moving. "She can't have gone far—" Then—THUD. He bumped into someone. "…Watch it—" "…Ruko?" He looked up. Kazuma. Behind him, Megumin and Darkness. "…You lost her too?" Ruko asked. Kazuma sighed. "…Yeah." Silence. All four of them stood there. Same problem. Same target.
"…She's not just messing around this time," Darkness said quietly. "…Yeah," Megumin added. "That felt different." Ruko looked in the direction Aqua ran. "…She's actually hurt." Kazuma scratched his head. "…Great. Now I gotta deal with emotional damage too." Ruko smirked slightly. "…Welcome to my life." Kazuma shot him a look. "…You're not helping." "…I found her first." "…And still lost her." "…Shut up." A pause. Then—Ruko adjusted his mask. "…She won't go far." Kazuma nodded. "…Yeah." Megumin crossed her arms. "She wants attention." Darkness added softly— "…And reassurance." Ruko's eyes narrowed slightly. "…Then we know where she'll go." Kazuma smirked. "…Yeah." For once—They were on the same page. "Let's find that useless goddess." "…Say that again when she hears you," Ruko said. "…She's gonna cry." "…Exactly." And just like that—They moved again. Not as individuals. But as a group. Somewhere in Axel—Aqua ran. Not looking back.
Not stopping. "…I'm not useless…" Her voice cracked. "…I'm not…" And for once—There was no one there to laugh.