You're My Goddess

[So…host. What's your next move?]

The system inquired, interrupting Eden's giggling.

"Hmm~ well, for now," Eden stopped laughing and jumped on his bed, replying with his eyes closed, "Just a peaceful nap."

[... seriously?]

Eden's response baffled the system, which had expected him to resume training, but instead, he chose to take a nap.

"Yep," Eden replied. He didn't even bother to open his eyes as he continued, "Having good health matters a lot, and since you can't remove my exhaustion for now, I'll just get some sleep. This human body is weaker compared to my angelic one, ya know?"

[I feel like you're taunting me. I remember that I told you to give the healing ability during your first training in the white room, but I can't since you haven't met that criteria yet.]

[In any case, all I can do is unlock the hidden potential that lies within you through skills.]

The system responded.

"Wait a minute," Eden opened his eyes and sat on his bed, questioning the system, "Then, doesn't that mean you can't provide me with a skill that doesn't resonate with my essence or, in simpler terms, isn't meant for me?"

He seemed to get the gist of what the system was implying.

[That's right. This is my limitation, after all.]

The system responded.

Sigh!

Hearing the system's statement, Eden sighed and laid back on his bed with an exhausted expression, commenting,

"Look, I understand what you're saying, but let me rest for now. I'm not in the right mind to talk about this heavy topic."

[Is it because of Alfred's death?]

The system questioned the cause behind Eden's tiredness.

"..." Eden was left tight-lipped for some moments before sighing and speaking in a hushed voice, "You see, I'm not sad over killing him. He deserves it since he was taking the side of that bastard, and more specifically, he was here to harm the students."

Then he held his peace again and sat on his bed, as he replied, "I'm just feeling rather empty. It's like I'm at a loss for emotions."

"Who are you talking to, Eden?"

Promptly, a voice echoed inside the room as a person was seen standing at the doormat.

Eden shifted his gaze and noticed Emilie gazing at him with a perplexed expression after noticing him talking to himself.

His expression softened upon seeing her, and he replied, "Just talking to myself, my lady Emilie."

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Emilie snorted and stormed inside while slamming the door closed.

She seemed to be in a bad mood, but her reason for anger was obvious.

"So…" Eden called out and rolled his eyes at Emilie, asking, "...you failed to destroy the barrier, right?"

Literally, he was trying to poke fun at her.

"Shut it. Hmph! I just didn't bother wasting my precious time there, that's all." Emilie snorted and averted her eyes.

Eden, however, was well aware that she had already wasted a whole two hours of her so-called 'precious time.'

Eden felt like laughing at her statement, but he restrained himself because he knew that if he laughed, he would only enrage Emilie even more.

Sigh!

Abruptly, Emilie sighed, sat on her bed, and placed her palms over her eyes, mumbling, "This world is filled with strong freaks everywhere. At this rate, I'm afraid I'll never catch up and become stronger."

Her tone carried a sense of sadness; not only that, but it was the first time she had shown her vulnerable side to anyone.

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Eden inquired with concern after seeing her in low spirits and walked towards her, adding, "Did something happen?"

He felt that perhaps Emilie had noticed the prowess that White Devil held and got despondent after not being stronger than them.

However, the case was completely different from what Eden had suspected.

"Don't you see him?" Emilie lifted her eyebrows and wearily shifted her eyes at Eden, asking in a voice tingled with amusement, "That black knight. He's the black horse in this assault, you know? He just appeared out of nowhere, slaughtered almost half of the white-hooded men, and disappeared before anyone could even ask who exactly he was."

"...Oh."

Hearing the actual cause of Emilie's low spirit, Eden's face was shaped into a blank expression, as he replied,

He faked a laugh and replied, "Y-yeah, I did see him. He's insanely strong, no?"

Sigh! "Yeah, it looks like I have a very long way to go."

Emilie sighed deeply and slouched on her bed.

As her vibrant orange hair disassembled over the sheets, she mumbled in a low voice, "I don't want to be Jesse. I want to be me, Emilie Sakurasou. I want to be recognized for who I am, not just as the second daughter of the Sakurasou family."

Her desire seemed to be rather inevitable, yet it often wavered when someone stronger than her, around her age, came into her life.

First, Eden had invoked these feelings, but she somewhat managed to overcome them, and now, Ray, even though Ray was Eden in disguise.

"...." Eden chose to remain silent, understanding Emilie's inner turmoil. He smiled and sat beside her, knowing altogether that she might turbulently push him away.

"..." But in response, Emilie just averted her eyes to the other side.

Noticing her silence, Eden grinned, asking playfully, "So, aren't you going to protest me for sitting on your bed?"

"What do you want now, Eden?"

In a defeated voice, Emilie asked.

Her voice carried a slight sense of frustration as he continued.

"I'm not in the mood to talk. So, stay quiet."

"Not in a mood to talk, hmm?" Eden tilted his head, and his gentle smile curved into a mischievous one as he moved his hands towards her belly, asking, "So, what if I make you talk?"

As he completed his statement, without waiting for Emilie to respond, he began tickling her playfully.

"H-hah?!"

Suddenly, Emilie burst into laughter, squirming as Eden's tickling caught her off guard.

She tried to speak, but all that came out were laughter-filled protests.

"H-hey, st-sto-"

Emilie tried to protest, but she couldn't continue her words as the tickling from Eden made her laugh.

She cracked up a lot and tried pushing Eden away, but it became difficult due to her laughing.

She was ticklish, and she couldn't help herself.

"D-damn it, S-stop already, Eden!!"

She raged in anger while trying to stop him, but Eden, in response, just grinned, replying, "What if I don't~?"

He knew that she would be enraged later on, but he was doing it for a particular reason.

"D-damn you!"

Emilie clicked her tongue while giggling, and soon she gave up on resisting and tried to stay silent.

After a while, her giggles gradually stopped as the tickling from Eden decreased.

Soon after, she looked toward Eden with her angry gaze.

"Tch!!!"

Emily clicked her tongue, pushed Eden while immediately pinning him against her bed, and glared at him with fire in her eyes as she exclaimed,

"You'll pay for this tickling, Eden White!"

In response, Eden just smirked, replying, "If this helps lighten your mood, then feel free to do as you please."

Initially, Eden thought of revealing his disguise to her, but he knew that it was a stupid idea. So, he resorted to this way to make her feel better.

"...." Emilie was left speechless as she understood Eden's intention behind this unexpected tickling.

"Y-you don't need to do this for me…" In a quiet voice, she stammered and averted her eyes, her thoughts unknown.

"Why not?" Eden asked as he sat on her bed and leaned closer to her face, explaining, "In the environment you've grown up in, you may think frame and money are everything, but they're not."

Then, he whispered in her ear like a devil's temptation, "Because in the end, you want the happiness you'll get after being acknowledged by your parents, right?"

Emilie's cheeks turned slightly red as Eden whispered in her ear.

In response to his whispers, she just nodded with her eyes shut.

Eden tittered after noticing her red face and gently caressed her head with her left palm, commenting, "You've got a long life to live, Emilie."

"Your potential knows no limit; just wait and let it unravel, day by day. Just like Rome wasn't built in one day, your full potential won't be awakened in a day."

Then he moved again a little closer to her ear and whispered, "Do me a favour, stay positive, and continue striving for your success. It'll be only a matter of time before you achieve success much greater than you've ever imagined."

"...." Emilie remained silent for a moment after hearing Eden's words, but shortly, she opened her mouth and asked, "Why are you always trying to make me feel better, Eden? What even am I to you?"

Eden paused after hearing her question, and then, lowering his gaze, he inquired,

"...do I need to answer this?"

"You do."

In response, Emilie replied in a stern voice, as if she felt an uncanny connection between them that made her uneasy about why she felt as if she had known Eden for hundreds of years.

"Because...You…" Eden finally started speaking as he rested his head on her shoulder. Concisely, he raised his gaze as his gaze started giving blue glints, and he remarked, "You're my goddess, Emilie Sakurasou."