"I finally took a round!"
"I can't believe you managed to score against me in such a short time. Impressive."
Victory! Round get!
Heh heh heh.
Finally.
I finally managed to take a round!
I'd been coming over to challenge D regularly, and my skills had been improving. I figured I'd been reaching a close match about one in three tries and would probably be able to take a round soon, but I actually did it!
Bwahahaha!
I should take one more round and claim my first overall victory!
"Too slow."
K.O.!
Wha... what...!?
No way. She knocked me out in an instant before I could even react!?
C-Could it be that she let me have the first round on purpose?
To build up her gauge, she deliberately sacrificed a round?!
Damn it!
But the match isn't over yet.
The decisive third round.
Both our gauges are empty.
Then what's being tested here is pure skill.
"Let me say one thing."
Before the call for the next round, D declared.
"In the next round, you will come to understand the difference in our caliber."
An aura of divinity rose from D's body.
No way.
She's going to use it!?
The power of a god that she'd kept sealed away until now!?
"If I get serious—" "Please don't."
D's words were cut off by a woman's voice.
At the same time, the game's power shut off.
Nooo!!
I looked back toward where the outlet was, and there stood the maid, who had mercilessly yanked out the plug.
Huh? A maid?
"I've been looking for you."
The maid smiled sweetly at D.
Something was off.
She was a beautiful woman with an elegant, gentle Yamato Nadeshiko vibe, but that smile of hers was terrifying.
For some reason, the word "mother" came to mind.
You know, in the sense of someone you absolutely must not defy.
"I was careless. I went to such trouble to conceal my whereabouts, yet I ended up releasing my power after all."
"You lack sufficient awareness as the Supreme God. Your little outing ends here. Now, let's go home."
Boo.
So D was a runaway girl?
My image of her was crumbling at an astonishing rate.
"And what is that, exactly?"
The maid looked at me.
She called me "that," did she? Fine, fine.
I'm irritated★ Ah, but I don't think I could win anyway.
For starters, I didn't even notice when this maid showed up.
Besides, she's this gorgeous but her presence is practically nonexistent.
Magic, no, that's not it.
I can't detect anything unnatural about her.
And yet her presence is impossibly faint.
She's probably erasing it with some technique I don't know about, but if I'm not careful, I might lose sight of her even when she's standing right in front of me.
In other words, that means I'm already caught in her technique.
An opponent who can ensnare me this easily can't possibly be weak.
"This is my new toy."
So you called me "that" and then lumped me in with toys too.
Well, I guess you're being sincere, which is why there's no mercy behind it.
"Just a clone body, is it? What exactly are you, though?"
Don't treat people like objects, please.
Oh wait, I'm not a person, I'm a spider.
"I created you to serve as a decoy to fool your eyes, and you turned out to be a mutant spider that unexpectedly became a god."
"I don't understand."
Seriously, I have no idea what she's saying.
So, let me get this straight.
I was created as a stand-in so that D's runaway wouldn't be discovered?
Wow, my existence is so low-value.
I always wondered why she'd bother making a body double, but the reason was that pathetic?
I don't quite get why having me as a stand-in would prevent anyone from finding out about her escape, though.
The world of gods is truly full of mysteries.
"In any case, let's go. Work has piled up beyond belief."
"I don't want to go home. I don't want to work. I want to just keep playing forever."
Ah, she really is my original.
"Please stop being selfish. If you don't do the work, who's going to manage the underworld in your place?"
"Hmm."
D pointed at the maid.
Wow.
I could have sworn I saw a vein pop on her forehead even as she kept smiling.
"I'm busy managing hell, you know?"
"I'm sure you could manage, couldn't you?"
"This isn't a question of whether I can or can't. Labor is a duty. Now, let's go home."
Finally, the maid resorted to force.
She grabbed D by the scruff of the neck and started dragging her away.
Taking her back with primitive methods, huh.
"Sorry, but since things have turned out this way, I probably won't be able to come back here for a while. As I mentioned before, feel free to do as you please. Well then, see you again."
As she was being dragged off, D tossed those parting words over her shoulder.
And then D vanished from the room, leaving me alone.
D, you were actually not a bad person.
I'll remember you for a little while, at least.
Now then, time to rummage around.
Since D lived here, she's probably got all sorts of hidden items stashed away, right?
After searching the whole house, I found a cursed deck of cards and various other things.
D said I could do whatever I wanted, so I'll graciously put them to use.
Speaking of maids, though.
I wonder if she calls him "Master"?
That maid seemed to be on equal footing with D despite being a maid, but...
Ah, I'd kind of like to be called "Master," actually.
Just having someone call me that would make me feel like I'm on top, and I'd probably get a real kick out of it.
Anyway, since D got hauled away, she probably won't be coming back here anymore.
Oh, wait.
I still never actually beat her.
She fled with the win!