Chapter 21: How I wasted an Afternoon

The streets of Kyoto were having a perfectly peaceful day – until I decided to spice things up by clashing swords with the Demon King. You know, as one does.

"Y/N!" Akuma's grin stretches, all chaotic energy, as he swings his flaming sword, sending a streak of red fire in my direction. "You know, you really should quit this whole 'reality-bending god' thing and join me in glorious, chaotic mayhem!"

"Chaos sounds fun, but I prefer my own brand, thanks!" I shout, easily flipping over his attack. "And my brand involves being ridiculously overpowered and casually annoying everyone around me."

"Exactly why I'm here to destroy you!" Akuma slashes again, and I make a grand show of dodging. His eyes narrow, yellow and menacing. "Why aren't you taking me seriously?!"

"Because, let's face it, you're kind of just here for drama." I smirk, spinning Inochi – my ever-sarcastic, reality-forged katana – in my hand.

She sighs in my mind. "Could you please put some effort in, Y/N? Or at least make it look like you're fighting."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get to that." I flash her a grin. "But, come on, why waste a perfect Saturday afternoon not showing off?"

On the sidelines, a small crowd of my "friends" (a loose term) has gathered. Hiyori crosses her arms, watching the spectacle with an expression that says, "This again?" Beside her, Mikaboshi, our cheerful goddess of stars, is practically bouncing with excitement.

"Get him, Y/N!" Mikaboshi cheers, stars practically sparkling in her eyes. "Show that meanie who's boss!"

"Are we…actually letting him do this?" Koyasu, our alcoholic spirit friend, mutters, looking between us with a bleary expression. He clutches his sake bottle like it's going out of fashion.

"Are you going to tell him to stop?" Fukuhara, our friendly neighborhood samurai, raises an eyebrow, looking way too relaxed about all this. "Besides, maybe Akuma will actually knock some sense into him."

Soseki, our resident shadow, stands at the back, pitch black with only his red eyes visible. The poor guy doesn't even look involved, but I catch Hiyori's gaze flick over to him, and I can practically see the temptation in her eyes.

Sure enough, Hiyori gives him a swift punch on the shoulder. "This is all your fault somehow, Soseki."

"What?! I wasn't even doing anything!" he protests, holding up his hands. But it's hard to take him seriously when you can't even see his expression – just a black void where his face should be. He sighs, knowing full well resistance is futile. "Fine. Whatever."

Meanwhile, Akuma lunges at me, his sword blazing. I dodge again, putting on my best smug grin.

"Stop dodging and fight like a man!" Akuma growls.

"Who's dodging?" I shrug, flicking my wrist. Suddenly, reality itself ripples, and I split into ten different versions of myself.

Akuma blinks, looking from one me to the other…and another…and another. "Which one is the real you?"

"All of them! Or none of them! Who knows?" I wiggle my fingers at him. "I'm the God of Reality, buddy. Reality bends to my whims."

"Oh, that's it!" He slashes, slicing through two of my illusions, who promptly explode into confetti and fireworks. Because why not?

Hiyori groans. "Y/N, do you really have to make every attack so…extra?"

"But it's more fun this way!" I shout back, laughing as I finally decide to let Inochi do some actual work. "Alright, Akuma, you want serious?"

Inochi's voice echoes in my mind. "Finally. Can we finish this quickly? I'd like to go back to not being waved around like a sparkler."

I hold her up, her blade gleaming in the sunlight. Akuma's expression twists as he recognizes the sword.

"Oh, that sword…" He hesitates for a split second, and I strike.

My sword slices through the air, and Akuma barely manages to parry. Our blades clash, sending a shockwave rippling down the street, causing random shop signs to wobble and the entire row of cherry blossom trees to shower petals everywhere.

Mikaboshi gasps in awe. "Wow! It's like watching a battle scene from one of those dramas on TV!"

"It's just as ridiculous," Hiyori grumbles, but even she can't hide the slight smirk tugging at her lips.

Meanwhile, Soseki, our loyal "punching bag," sidesteps a flying piece of wood from one of the shaking signs. Just as he sighs in relief, Hiyori "accidentally" elbows him.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Soseki exclaims, looking between Hiyori and Koyasu.

Koyasu just shrugs. "You were in the way."

Soseki mutters something under his breath about "constant abuse," but he stays put, probably knowing he'd be dragged back into the fray even if he tried to escape.

Akuma brings his focus back, eyes blazing. "Enough of this!" He lifts his sword, which begins to glow with an ominous, dark red energy. "Time for my ultimate attack!"

"Oh boy," I mutter. "Here we go."

Akuma raises his sword even higher, and dramatic lightning crackles across the sky. It's… honestly impressive, I'll give him that.

"Prepare to face your doom, Y/N!" he declares, his voice booming. "This move is called – "

"The Overly-Dramatic Evil Smite of Ultimate Darkness and Unstoppable Destruction!"

Akuma's blade shines even brighter. The spectators shield their eyes, while I stand there with one eyebrow raised, tapping my foot.

"Seriously?" I interrupt. "That's what you're calling it?"

He pauses mid-swing, looking genuinely offended. "You got a problem with my naming?"

"Just saying, it's a bit much. Maybe go for something short and punchy? Like…'Doomsday Slash'?"

"Hey! My move, my name!"

"Fine, fine," I say, stifling a chuckle. "Proceed."

As he swings down with all his might, I raise Inochi, murmuring, "Let's end this, shall we?"

In one swift motion, I parry his attack with a flick of my wrist, redirecting the energy skyward. Akuma's attack sails past me, up into the sky, and bursts like a firework. I give him a smirk as he realizes what just happened.

"Better luck next time, Demon King."

Akuma stumbles back, his expression one of pure disbelief. "You…you just…"

"Yep," I reply, sheathing Inochi with a casual flourish. "Welcome to my world."

I turn to the crowd, giving a theatrical bow. Hiyori just rolls her eyes, but Mikaboshi and Fukuhara clap like I've just put on the performance of a lifetime.

"Encore! Encore!" Mikaboshi cheers, her pink eyes wide with excitement.

"Let's not encourage him," Hiyori mutters. But even she can't fully hide a smile.

Koyasu sighs, taking a long sip from his sake bottle. "Well, I'm going back to bed."

"Wait!" Soseki cries, as the rest of the group slowly turns to walk off, leaving him alone in the middle of the street, still reeling from the punches and insults he's endured. "You're just…leaving me here?!"

I shoot him a grin over my shoulder. "Better luck next time, Soseki. Maybe try not looking like such a punching bag."

He stares at me, red eyes glaring. "You're all insane. Every last one of you."

And with that, the day ends like any other – Akuma sulking, Hiyori mildly annoyed, and me? Just another god of reality, always ready for the next ridiculous adventure.

See you soon, everyone...