Chapter 163
W-w-w-what in the world...
I peeked in on Leon for the first time in a while, and what I saw left me in shock.
Lately, I've been steadily gathering divine power in my own way. The goddess's statue has been glowing regularly, which has increased people's faith, so I'm gathering it much faster than before. It'll still take a little longer before I can deliver an oracle to the king outside the divine realm, but I should have enough in about six months...
And yet, and yet... why is he developing whipped cream now!? It's not that I dislike whipped cream—in fact, I love it! That sweet, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture is so wonderful I could just bury myself in it. I ought to reward Leon for making it... But, but, this is not the time!
I can't make whipped cream right now because I need to save up divine power. Pancakes topped with whipped cream and caramel... I want to eat them. I want them so badly. But I have to save my divine power.
But I want to eat them. Would it be all right if I had just a little? No, if I eat some, I won't be able to stop at just a little. But I want them...
N-no, Mishurine, you must resist. If things go on like this, the world really will be destroyed. But they look so delicious. White, sweet, and melting in my mouth... I'm drooling. J-just one...
――No! I can't!
I have to resist, Mishurine. Once I deliver the oracle, I can eat as much as I want!
“Waaah! Why did Leon have to develop it now!?”
With a heavy heart, I made the door that let me look down on the mortal world disappear.
Haaah, haaah... I managed to hold out for now. But that delicious-looking whipped cream I saw... I can still picture it whether my eyes are open or closed!
What am I supposed to do!? Oh, I know! I need to do something to take my mind off it. What should I do...? Something I can do without using divine power. Something with the things in this space...
With that in mind, I looked around my divine realm. But there really was nothing here. I could create whatever I wanted in my divine realm as long as I spent divine power, but I was using mine for other things, so there was almost nothing here yet.
Sherifie's realm has dozens of old and modern buildings from Japan and all over the world, and lots of places to have fun. I like bowling and hot springs. Karaoke is fun, too. I even worked hard to memorize a few songs!
...Haaah. There's no point thinking about that now. I've been forbidden from going to Sherifie's realm. Sherifie and I were born around the same time, so why are we so different? I'm just unlucky...
For now, all I have here is the ground, a sofa, a table, and the big shelf Sherifie brought me.
I put some Japanese sweets Sherifie brought me on the shelf and used preservation magic on them, but I finished them all a few days ago. Maybe I should've limited myself to four a day instead of five...
I do have a few manga Sherifie gave me, but I've read them hundreds of times already. They're fun, but they can't beat the temptation of whipped cream. I should've asked her for more interesting things. I'm such an idiot for always asking for sweets!
Haaah... Gods are supposed to be able to live without eating anything, so why can't I resist this?
It's all because sweets are just too delicious. And my divine body is to blame, too. No matter how much I eat, I never gain weight or get an upset stomach, so I can enjoy them forever! And since I never feel full, I can really enjoy as much as I want.
But I'm not supposed to feel hungry either, since I don't feel full... Still, even if I'm not hungry, I want to eat delicious things, don't I? That's only natural.
I can't take it anymore... I can vividly remember the whipped cream I saw earlier. When I close my eyes, all I can think about is that white cream. Just one would be all right, wouldn't it? Just one. Just one...
Just as I gave in to temptation and was about to use my divine power to conjure up pancakes with whipped cream... a visitor arrived in my divine realm.
“Mishurine, are you doing all right? I came to see how you were doing. Though, this place is so dreary every time I visit...”
“She-She-Sherifie!”
“Whoa... What is it? What happened?”
“Ugh... hic... hic...”
“Hey, why are you crying!?”
“Leon... Leon made whipped cream pancakes!”
When I cried out, Sherifie's worried expression turned into one of exasperation.
“Leon is the boy you reincarnated from Japan, right?”
“Yes! And that Leon made whipped cream!”
“That's a good thing, isn't it?”
“But I can't eat it right now...”
“Then all you have to do is resist. You're saving up divine power so you can deliver an oracle, aren't you?”
“That's right. I'll have enough in about six months.”
“That's amazing. Keep up the good work!”
Sherifie said that casually, sat down on the sofa, and took some tea out of her storage space before beginning to drink it elegantly.
“H-hey, Sherifie! This is a huge problem for me. I've been trying to resist, but I was at my limit!”
“Then do something else to distract yourself.”
“I tried! But there's nothing here!”
“That's true... You should do more to spruce up your divine realm. It's always so dreary when I come, and you don't even have a single divine follower.”
I'd like to, too, but I don't have enough divine power. It's nice that Sherifie has so many divine followers. It must be fun to play and talk with them.
Besides, even if Sherifie herself isn't worshipped, her divine power still accumulates as long as her divine followers are worshipped. I'm jealous of how abundant her divine power is.
Seriously, why is there such a difference between us...?
“I'd like to, but I don't have any divine power. Why is there such a huge difference between us!?”
“It's because you don't use your divine power strategically, Mishurine. But if you can bear it for a little while now, eventually you'll have divine power to spare and can make your realm like mine. Oh, right. Don't you have any divine power from your previous world?”
“There aren't any humans left in my previous world. I gather a little divine power, but it's negligible. It really does take a race with advanced intelligence. Without people worshipping me, I barely gather any divine power.”
“That's true. Humans reproduce quickly, too, so they're the ideal race for gathering divine power. Anyway, you just have to hold out for now. If you do and save your world, Miyusolute, you'll be able to eat as many sweets as you want before long.”
“You're right...”
That's right. If I can just hold out now, everything should work out. Humans aren't extinct yet, and if I deliver an oracle, Leon should save the world. Then it should develop just like Earth!
I have to hold out for now, Mishurine. Keep going!
“...I'll hold out for now. If I think about what will become of this world, I can do it. I'll keep going. I can do this.”
“Well, I have a present for you, Mishurine, for working so hard.”
“A present? Really!?”
“Hehe... I really do.”
What Sherifie brought out was a shelf packed with all sorts of sweets. There were also lots of new manga and novels on the table.
“I've used preservation magic on everything. Enjoy it in moderation.”
“Sherifie, th-thank you... hic...”
“Hey, don't burst into tears over something like this.”
“But I'm so hap-py... sob, hic...”
“You're a mess. Stop crying. The manga and novels are my latest recommendations. Especially this novel! This author's books are incredibly good. If the author dies, I might summon their soul to my divine realm and make them one of my divine followers, if they want to.”
Sherifie said this with sparkling eyes. Sherifie really loves books. Her divine realm has a ridiculously huge library, and every time I visit, there are even more books.
“Good for you.”
“I know, right!?”
After that, I listened for a while as Sherifie told me what she liked about the novels. A few hours later, she was finally satisfied and went back to her own world.
I'm really grateful, and I had fun, but I'm a little tired. Still, it took my mind off things, and I got some Earth sweets, so I think I can keep going a little longer.
Thank you, Sherifie! I love you!