Before him, an elderly man in montsuki sat leisurely on a cushion beneath a coffee table and tatami mat, sipping on tea.
His appearance is that of an old, sagely man with long white hair and a flowing beard. His eyebrows are bushy and long, resembling a mustache above his eyes, defying gravity with their length and volume.
"Ah~… Are you pleased now that your sister is also with you here?"
"W—Who are you, old man?" Ewaan inquired, his tone cautious as he maintained his vigilance.
"Ha~, do not be like that, sit down and have a cup of tea with me," the sagely man remarked casually, taking another sip of his tea.
Ewaan hesitated at first, but upon observing his surroundings and the elderly man leisurely sipping tea without any apparent threat, he decided to step forward and took a seat on the opposite side of him.
He settles onto a cushion in front, adopting the seiza posture, mirroring the relaxed elderly man.
"Okay, I've sat down, now speak up! Who are yo—no… my question should be, which God are you?" Ewaan inquired calmly.
The elderly man chuckled softly before responding, "Ho hoh~, you caught on pretty quickly~ my boy. You are right; I am a God! And not just any god, mind you—I am the God of Creation!"
As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea for Ewaan, his demeanor calm and welcoming.
– My... boy...??
"Were you the one responsible for our transmigration to this world? Hm?"
The moment Ewaan settled into his seat, an unusual calmness washed over his mind, allowing him to observe his surroundings with clarity.
Despite the gravity of the situation, his emotional turmoil seemed to dissipate. Now noticing the subtle shift in his emotional state, he became uncomfortable.
"Oh, do not be concerned!" The God of Creation reassured, his voice gentle yet authoritative. "I have borrowed that cushion you are sitting on from the God of Desires to help you suppress any unnecessary emotions so we could converse freely… Well, I guess you do not show any emotions to speak of, but you get the point."
"You just… read my mind?" Ewaan calmly stated, his tone betraying a hint of surprise mixed with intrigue.
"Oh, I can do much more than just read minds, my boy!" He took a leisurely sip of his tea. "To answer your question, I would say... yes and no! I played a part in your transmigration, but not in the way you might imagine!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ewaan inquired.
"You will get to know when the time comes!" the God of Creation replied cryptically, taking his last sip of tea before setting the cup down.
"What about Maya, then? Why drag her into this mess?" Ewaan pressed, his tone firm yet tinged with concern.
"Oh, I did not do any such thing, rather, you were the one who made it possible!" The God of Creation responded with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"I did? How?" Ewaan's question was delivered with a calm demeanor.
Thanks to the influence of the ‹Desire Nullifying Cushion›, though confusion still lingered in his mind.
"Have you already forgotten? You were the one who told me you would not come to this world because you have a sister to look after. So, to make it possible to do both… *BEEP* made an exception!"
– What was that?
The sudden disruption in the God of Creation's words startled Ewaan, momentarily breaking his calm demeanor.
However, he quickly regained his composure thanks to the cushion's effect.
"Wait! How do you know that? I did say that, though in my dreams, refusing the woman who—!" Realizing, his eyes widened, "So, it was you?"
Ewaan exclaimed, connecting the dots with a mix of surprise and realization.
"Hahaha~ that was hilarious. I was just having a little fun with you and all. Haha~" The God of Creation chuckled, his amusement evident in his voice.
– Damn, old man! Cross-dressing at your age? Just what kind of a perverted God are you?
Ewaan thought to himself, with disbelief swirling in his mind.
"I… I did not cross-dress, just simply changed my voice," the God of Creation clarified, a trace of melancholy lacing his words.
"...I forgot you could read minds!" Ewaan stated as he facepalmed. "Are Gods supposed to interact with mortals like this?" he asked calmly, with suspicion lingering within his mind.
With a warm smile, he responded, "Oh, we have interactions with mortals when they are no longer alive! We talk to them to soothe their souls before ushering them into Heaven or Hell, or simply reincarnating those pitiful souls. But…" After a brief pause, "you are an exception!"
"Now, what does that mean?" Ewaan uttered, with a hint of apprehension.
"It's because… I have taken a liking to you, you see. After your parents' death, you closed off your heart, finding solace in video games and, of course, mainly through your stepsister. But just that! You were wasting your life away...!"
After a brief pause, he continued, "So, I have decided to grant you what you had desired and what brings you happiness,"
The God of Creation remarked. Smiling warmly while pouring another cup of tea for himself, his demeanor remained serene, with his movements graceful and deliberate.
"But I've never desired this! All I wanted was a quiet life, to live peacefully with Maya," Ewaan asserted, his tone firm yet tinged with a hint of frustration.
However, he soon calmed down again, thanks to the cushion's effects.
The God of Creation uttered, as amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Oh~? Have you forgotten about this also? You were the one who once stated that,"
Ewaan's eyes lit up suddenly, and a translucent screen materialized before them, projecting a scene from the past.
In the vision, a younger Ewaan, barely twelve, sat hunched over his Computer, immersed in a fantasy game.
His voice, tinged with frustration and longing echoed as he lamented, "(Oh God! If I could've just escaped this hell and have the opportunity go to another, mystical world, that life would be awesome…)"
As the translucent screen dissolved, Ewaan spoke, "…But…" He paused, sighing while rubbing his temples in frustration.
After collecting his thoughts, he continued. "Never mind… tell me, is there a way for me and my sister to return to our world?"
With a serene expression, the God of Creation held his cup of tea as he answered, "For your stepsister? Yes. But for you? No!" he then took the sip.
With a pondering gesture, Ewaan thought for a moment before calmly stating, "Is it because I was chosen and she was not? And for the chosen one, there's no way out?"
"Ho hoh~, you are a lot smarter than you let on, my boy," the God of Creation remarked with a smile, nodding approvingly. "Indeed, you have grasped the essence of the situation. Once chosen, there is no turning back."
As he were about to take a sip, he added, "Oh my, I have poured you that cup of tea for a while now, and you did not even taste it! Come on, take a sip, and give me your honest review."
With a contemplative look, Ewaan stared at the tea cup for a while before turning his gaze towards the God of Creation. "Then, let's make a deal,"
••• ••• •••