As you saw in the previous chapter, our questionable goddess had to get to work to save her world from the worst possible ending… cancellation due to lack of budget.
Meanwhile, in a lake surrounded by pine trees and a beautiful blue sky, one of those backgrounds older ladies used to put on their screens…
A man whose hair had seen better days received the sunlight on his bald spot while he fished carelessly on a boat.
"Ah, hello! It's you guys…" said that man who looked like an office worker worn down by years of work.
"I am the omniscient narrator of this pseudo-novel. Although you can call me Norbert," he said while pulling in the line and taking a branch out of the lake.
"Maybe you remember me from other unsuccessful novels like Stellar Vending Machines, Astral Resonance, or the most unpopular of them: My girlfriend is a Yandere who runs an intergalactic empire and now wants to have children with me so they can save the universe from herself."
"Yeah… long novel names, crazy, right?" he said, throwing the line back into the lake.
"And you might be wondering… why is there an unnecessary introduction like this?"
"The magic word is… 'filler'… and I still haven't been paid my salary."
"So, celebrating chapter 20, I leave you with your favorite rabbit."
"See you next time, friends!"
Lastly, it could be seen that he pulled a boot out of the lake with some irritation.
"Well… guess it'll be boot soup again until Uzaki pays me."
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Back to our protagonist…
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He was sitting on the floor, face to face with his pursuer.
Yeah, like that toxic girlfriend who checks your social media… but miniature… and muscular.
"What did you want to tell me? I feel like I've been waiting two chapters…" Akira said calmly.
The brunette girl was sweating a lot, and her eyes looked like whirlpools of nervousness.
"I… I… um… I'm sorry! I'm not used to talking much!"
"Alright, alright, don't worry," he replied, trying to calm her down.
She grabbed a strand of her pink hair and began to curl it with her fingers.
"I… wanted to apologize, chi. For running you over, chi!"
"Chi?" he murmured, almost mocking her.
"Don't make fun of me, chi!" she said, hitting the ground.
CRACK
A crack opened beneath their feet.
Akira straightened up immediately.
"Y-Yeah… sure… sorry."
The dwarf's face was completely red with embarrassment, but Akira only felt tenderness.
It was hard to describe, but in contrast to Aoi, Momo seemed like a sweet and gentle girl… the kind you would build a family with…
…and she would break a few bones in the process.
"Don't worry, accidents happen," Akira finally said, trying to sound cool.
"Thank you, chi!" she said, hugging him tightly.
Akira could feel several of his bones crack from the wild hug.
"S-Sure… Momo… you're suffocating me…" he said, turning purple.
She let him go suddenly and stepped back.
"I-I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to!" she replied, hiding behind the chair.
"Huf… huf… don't worry…"
The SPN opened immediately.
"SPN: DANGER! Low HP."
Akira could see his HP bar… and it was below 10%.
"One hug and she almost sent me to the next isekai…"
"SPN: Using 'Heal'. Restoring HP in exchange for Flux."
"What?"
"SPN: Public debt increased: 10,000 Flux."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
"Are you charging me for healing!?"
"SPN: Welcome to capitalism… and to having no health insurance."
Akira grabbed the floating panel and started pulling it in opposite directions.
"I'll give you capitalism, you damn panel!"
"you better remove that debt or you'll have to deal with aoi!"
Momo could only watch as that young man fought with his floating panel… and she felt something change inside her.
But before she could say anything, a hole in the wall burst open with explosive force.
A curtain of smoke filled the area, and Momo ran toward her armor.
Akira was sent flying and slammed into a wall.
All of a sudden, this had turned into a typical shonen scene…
if we had the budget, of course.
When the smoke cleared, Akira could see Aoi wrapped in flames, and the main strand of her hair was sparking like a lit fuse.
Cecilia stood beside her with her massive club and that typical troublemaker look on her face.
"AAAAAAKIRAAAAAA!" Aoi shouted.
"I swear she's just a friend…!" he said, looking to his right.
But Momo was already gone.
"A friend?" Aoi said, confused.
She shook her head and looked back at him with fury.
"My administrative senses are fluctuating!"
"i'm sure you did something stupid that cost us public debt!"
Akira froze, not knowing whether to feel impressed, confused… or just give in to fear.
"N-No… how could you even think that…?" he said nervously.
The panel floated above Akira with a notification: –10,000 Flux
"Yooooou idiot!!!!!"
"You spent 10,000 flux!"
"Chronic debtor!"
"You traitor panel!" he said, glaring at the panel with hatred.
At that moment, Aoi intensified her flames and focused them into her fist.
"I'm gonna fry you for that!"
"Flame fist!"
Akira covered himself as best he could while Aoi charged forward with her fire-loaded punch.
A pillar of earth rose up and shielded Akira from the blow.
"What…?" Aoi said, confused.
"Watch it, crazy tsundere," Cecilia's serious voice distracted her.
"Who are you calling a tsundere, you degenerate vampire?" Aoi shot back.
Cecilia blocked with her club a giant steel fist that was heading straight for Aoi.
The impact sent her flying into a wall… crashing through it… and knocking down several houses along the way.
"What the hell…?"
Aoi turned around.
And there it was.
A gigantic armor… that had sent the maid flying with a single punch.
"I won't let you hurt Akira."
In the middle of the nearly destroyed house, Aoi stared at the armor seriously.
As if she were facing the final boss of a dungeon.