Chapter 2

God's Room – Moments After Kazuki Was Sent Away

The God let out a deep sigh, rubbing his face after losing an argument with Kazuki.

"Damn it… That kid is too insolent! How the hell did I lose a debate against a brat from another world?!"

He stroked his beard and huffed.

"But at least I taught him a lesson. Hmph, now he knows what it feels like to face the consequences!"

The God chuckled smugly before turning his gaze to Reiji, who was still standing there casually, his expression as indifferent as ever.

"…Why are you so quiet?"

Reiji shrugged. "I was just watching. It was entertaining to see you lose an argument."

"Tch! You insolent brat…" The God grumbled, crossing his arms again.

But suddenly, something felt off.

The God frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. He felt like he was forgetting something… Something very important…

He tried to recall, and then—his face turned pale.

"…Oh, crap."

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What is it?"

"…I FORGOT to send you away!!"

Silence filled the room.

Reiji blinked. "Huh?"

"ARGHHH!! I MISSED THE IMPORTANT MOMENT!! I WAS SUPPOSED TO DRAMATICALLY GRANT YOU POWER!!!"

The God panicked, clutching his head as if he wanted to rip his beard out.

Reiji remained expressionless. "So… what now?"

The God took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"Haaah… Alright, alright. I'll give you your power now…"

He lifted his hand but suddenly paused again.

His eyes narrowed.

"…But what kind of power suits you?"

Reiji remained silent, waiting.

The God stared at him intently before smirking slyly.

"Hmph… Since I'm not in the mood to choose anymore, I'll give you a power based on your subconscious desires!"

He swung his hand in the air, creating golden light that swirled around Reiji.

"Now, the power most suited for you will awaken from within your soul!"

In an instant, the light enveloped Reiji's body, seeping into him.

The God smirked in satisfaction. "Hah, done! Now you both can go! Good luck in your new worl—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a massive portal opened beneath Reiji's feet.

"Oh."

That was Reiji's only reaction before he was sucked into the portal and disappeared in an instant.

"WAAAHH!! WHY SO FAST?! I HAVEN'T FINISHED MY MONOLOGUE!!!"

The God panicked again, but it was too late.

All he could do was let out a long sigh.

"Damn, I really messed up today… It must be because of that damn brat."

A Dense Forest Near a River

Kazuki groaned in frustration, kicking a rock into the river with an angry expression.

"That damned God! Does he think I'll just accept this?! He cursed me into a fox girl and even gave me a power that—UGH! I haven't even checked what it does yet! What kind of side effect is this?! The more I heal wounds, the more I… urghh!!"

He ruffled his new white hair, his tail flicking rapidly, a clear sign of his frustration. But behind all his cursing, there was one thing that worried him the most—

"Damn it, where's Reiji?!"

Kazuki bit his lip, his eyes scanning his surroundings, searching for his friend.

When he was transported, Reiji wasn't with him. That meant they might have been separated, and that was bad news.

Even though Reiji wasn't the type to panic, Kazuki knew this world was full of dangers.

"Tch… If he really got sent somewhere else, I swear I'll kill that God with my own hands!"

Kazuki was still busy ranting when suddenly, a golden light appeared in the air, swirling like a newly opened portal.

"Huh?!"

From the light, a figure gracefully landed on the ground—

Reiji.

"Reiji!!" Kazuki immediately sighed in relief, quickly running toward him.

Kazuki had never felt this happy to see his friend, especially after thinking they might be separated forever.

But as he got closer, his steps slowed.

Something was wrong.

Reiji stood there with his usual blank expression… but his eyes widened slightly, his face turning red… then—

"Hah… hah…" Reiji raised a hand to his nose.

"Reiji?" Kazuki narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Blood dripped from Reiji's nose. A nosebleed.

Then, Reiji slowly raised his hand—giving a thumbs-up with a small, satisfied smile.

"Beautiful…"

And before Kazuki could understand what was happening—

Reiji collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"H-Hey! Reiji?! What's wrong—?!"

Kazuki quickly knelt beside him, shaking his friend's shoulders in a panic.

But when he saw the satisfied expression on Reiji's unconscious face, Kazuki finally realized something.

A chill ran down his spine.

His eyes slowly lowered, then…

"…Shit."

He was naked.

Kazuki completely froze.

A gentle breeze blew, playing with his white hair and tail fur.

Silence stretched for a few seconds before—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

A loud scream echoed through the forest, startling the birds perched on the trees.

Kazuki, still naked, panicked as he frantically looked around for something to cover himself.

"Shit! SHIT!!" He ran back and forth, his face bright red, desperately searching for anything he could use.

Meanwhile, Reiji remained unconscious with a satisfied look, his nose still slightly bleeding.

"Why do I have to go through this?! Why not you, Reiji?!" Kazuki shouted, shaking his unconscious friend.

Of course, Reiji didn't respond.

Kazuki then looked around with hopeful eyes, searching for anything to wear. Leaves? Not big enough. Twigs? Useless. Rocks? Completely unrelated. Then…

Kazuki spotted something nearby—a thin cloak draped over Reiji. It looked comfortable and long enough.

Kazuki bit his lip, hesitating.

"This is an emergency, right? Yeah, Reiji won't mind…" He whispered to himself, trying to justify his actions.

Without further hesitation, Kazuki quickly yanked the cloak off Reiji's body and wrapped it around himself.

"Okay… now I can calm down a bit…" Kazuki sighed, finally feeling a little safer, even though his emergency outfit was a bit loose.

But when he glanced at Reiji, who was now left with only his undergarments…

"…Wait." Kazuki suddenly felt something was off.

"…If I wear this… then…"

Kazuki looked at Reiji, who was now lying peacefully in just his thin underwear. His body looked relaxed, almost as if he was enjoying a nap.

"…I ended up being the bad guy here." Kazuki's mouth twitched, realizing that he had just robbed his unconscious friend of his clothes.

But before he could do anything—

"Ugh… haah…" Reiji groaned softly, his eyes slowly opening.

Kazuki instantly tensed up.

Reiji lifted his head slightly, blinking a few times before—

"…Kazuki?" His voice was still a bit weak.

Kazuki held his breath.

"…Why do I feel cold?" Reiji slowly moved his hand to his body, then realized he was only wearing his underwear.

A long silence followed.

Reiji slowly turned his head toward Kazuki, who was now wearing his cloak.

Kazuki gave a nervous smile, trying to explain.

"A-Ah… well… ehehe… emergency?"

Reiji stared at Kazuki for a few seconds, then looked down at himself.

After a few moments of silence, finally—

"KAZUKI… GIVE ME BACK MY CLOTHES!!!" Reiji instantly lunged at Kazuki, trying to snatch his cloak back, while Kazuki frantically dodged.

The two best friends ended up running around the forest, one trying to keep the cloak, while the other desperately trying to reclaim it.

From a distance, the birds perched on the trees could only watch in confusion, wondering what strange creatures had just appeared in their forest.