The yellow goddess Byerley knew when to let things go and did not continue pursuing the matter.
She crossed her arms and turned her gaze back to Kuroha. Her eyes carried a trace of barely concealed surprise.
"But seriously, it has only been two months, and the divine power inside you has already grown several times larger."
"At this rate, you should be able to truly reach the world where our main bodies are before the end of the year, right?"
Beside her, the red goddess took a few steps back from the arcade machine and stretched in an extremely relaxed manner, fully revealing the graceful curve of her waist. Hearing that, she nodded as well and gave her own estimate.
"Judging by this momentum, it might not even take until the end of the year. You should reach the critical point around October."
"I'll take that as a good omen from you two."
Kuroha smiled easily, not taking it too seriously.
To him, even if he did not become a god, his current life was already perfect enough.
Right now, he was not only an outstanding uma musume trainer with no worries about food or shelter, he also had many adorable trainees. Now, he had even entered marriage with the girls he loved, and would spend the rest of his life with them.
Whether or not he became a god was merely a bonus on top of that.
As Kuroha thought this, he spread out both hands.
His palms faced upward, and two masses of Blessing Power swirling with seven-colored radiance emerged, giving off a warm and pure aura.
"Replenish your energy first. I don't want you two turning into points of light and coming to me later."
Byerley and Darley did not stand on ceremony either. They opened their little mouths and swallowed the energy in one gulp.
"All right. That should be fine now."
Sensing that their bodies had become more solid than before, Kuroha nodded. Then, as usual, he reminded them, "Keep having fun if you want, but remember not to play too late, understood?"
"Understood."
"We'll be back before dinner, don't worry."
As if they had already grown used to Kuroha's nagging, the two goddesses responded almost by reflex.
Just as Kuroha turned around, Darley paused. As if she had suddenly remembered something, she abruptly spoke up.
"Oh, right, Yu-kun. If you and Godolphin develop feelings after spending so much time together in Ireland, don't forget that her current body was condensed from your power."
"If you want to do anything naughty, it would be better to wait until October, when you can come to the world where our main bodies are."
Kuroha stumbled. With several dark lines practically appearing over his head, he turned back and looked at Darley, who seemed entirely unaware of the bombshell she had just dropped.
"...Don't talk nonsense!"
Byerley gave Darley a light smack on the head. The red goddess immediately covered her head and cried, "Ow, ow!"
"Fine. I'm heading back first."
Not knowing how to respond to that, Kuroha shook his head helplessly, waved, and left the arcade.
After Kuroha left, Byerley and Darley returned to the maimai DX machine and skillfully restarted the blind-star song they had just played.
"...You fool. How can you casually say things like that? It goes against the image of us Three Goddesses of uma musume."
Byerley sighed quietly in resignation.
Darley, however, simply smiled without a care.
"Don't be so stiff, Byerley. It's fine for us to maintain that image in front of the children."
"But Yu-kun is different. He's about to stand alongside us."
"He's the first person to do so in these long three hundred years. Maybe from now on, the four of us will be walking together for all eternity."
Byerley's movements froze. She nearly missed a note, but immediately adjusted herself. A faint blush rose on her cheeks.
"What do you mean, 'for all eternity'? Stop talking nonsense!"
"Ah, maybe it is nonsense~"
Darley teased lightly.
After that, the two goddesses fell into a strange silence.
At the same time, in that strange otherworld, the main bodies of Darley and Byerley, who had kept their eyes shut all this time, slowly awakened.
After a long absence, they moved their bodies. Occasionally, their movements knocked against the lounge chairs or the ground, producing dull thuds.
Meanwhile, in the arcade of the human world, the two slender figures remained focused on the rhythm game.
For the Three Goddesses, splitting their attention was effortless.
It was only because the pleasures of the human world were far more interesting than this monotonous world that they usually could not be bothered to divide their attention.
This was their first time multitasking after obtaining bodies in the lower world.
After waking, the two goddesses glanced at each other.
Darley blinked playfully, while Byerley held her forehead and sighed softly.
Then, they both looked to the other side.
At that moment, the gentle girl with blue hair like flowing water was sleeping with a faint smile on her face, as if she were having some pleasant dream.
"Mm-hm. Looks like things are going very smoothly~"
Darley stood up, placed one hand on her hip, and teased with a smile.
"Based on what I know about Godolphin, she definitely only took the initiative to follow Yu-kun on his expedition because her heart had been stirred."
"Maybe the next time we meet, there will only be two virgin goddesses left."
"..."
This time, Byerley did not deliberately correct the red goddess's loose tongue.
They had been together for more than three hundred years. How could they have spent all that time sitting upright, eternally solemn, and radiating divinity?
Casual willfulness and free-spirited behavior were their true way of interacting in private.
Ignoring Darley, Byerley slowly closed her eyes, as if sensing something.
After a long while, she opened her eyes and shook her head.
"Still not the slightest response."
Just as they had said before, they, the Three Goddesses of uma musume, had become gods three hundred years ago after the world bestowed great power upon them.
After that, the world's will seemed to have died, never making another move.
Now that a fourth god was about to be born, Byerley felt that the world should at least show some kind of reaction. Yet the result was still the same utter silence.
Darley chuckled softly at that.
"Then let nature take its course. Facing the unknown with courage is also a kind of pleasure, isn't it?"
As she spoke, she glanced at the sleeping Godolphin. Then her gaze shifted toward the human world, and her expression softened.
"Besides, maybe someday... I'll fall for him after spending enough time together too..."
Byerley had long since adapted to her friend's occasional explosive remarks. She showed no reaction at all. Instead, after several seconds of silence, she suddenly raised her voice.
"You missed, Darley!"
"Hm? What... Eh, eh, eh?!"
In the arcade, Darley had been distracted for a moment and instantly dropped a long string of notes. Her final evaluation fell to 98%.
Byerley said speechlessly, "Future matters can wait until the future. I still want to try the other games. Focus, Darley."
"O-One more round!"
The red goddess ground her silver teeth and once again challenged the machine spirit.
(End of Chapter)
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