— — — — — —
After casually showing off with that little "cool guy" move, Ryo finally turned his attention to the mysterious new Q&A panel that had suddenly appeared.
The layout reminded him of an old site from his past life, one of those question-and-answer platforms—though this one was simpler.
{A/N: Something like Quora, Reddit's r/AskReddit, or Zhihu (China version).}
At the top was his profile picture, followed by a section labeled "Answer," then his points balance.
Below that, rows and rows of empty question slots… except for one.
A single question, posted by a user named 'Kanae-Is-So-Cute', stood out at the top of the page.
Curious, Ryo tried tapping on his profile with his mind—no response.
The "Answer" section didn't work either.
With nothing else to go on, he opened the only available question.
He skimmed the contents with ease. Maybe because of the Divinity he'd just received, he could now speed-read effortlessly while still catching every detail.
And just like that, Ryo understood why this user, 'Kanae-Is-So-Cute', had asked the question.
Apparently, a few days ago, the user had bought a little girl—about eleven years old—from human traffickers and named her Kanao.
But the child had clearly been through serious trauma. She barely reacted to anything and only followed direct commands, like some kind of robot.
Even when starving, she wouldn't eat unless explicitly told to. She'd just sit there, empty-eyed, waiting for someone to say "It's time to eat."
The user was at their wits' end and desperately wanted advice on how to help her recover.
"So... this is my cheat? A parenting advice forum for girl dads?"
Ryo couldn't help but silently roast the situation.
Still, he tapped on the "Points" section, and sure enough, a message popped up: [Answer questions to earn points.]
"Alright then. Might as well farm some points first—figure the rest out later."
In the blink of an eye, Ryo drafted a basic response:
〚I'm in Little Garden. Just became a god. Gonna answer anonymously since the question involves people I may know.〛
〚At eleven, a child's sense of self is already developed. You don't need to worry too much about that. The bigger issue is that this girl is suppressing her instincts and forcing herself to obey every outside command.〛
〚Honestly, her hostage trauma is severe—she's basically been brainwashed.〛
〚Since I can't directly observe her condition, I suggest using external stimuli to trigger her natural instincts.〛
〚Try giving her simple tools or toys. See how she interacts with them. Use that as a guide to gently awaken her sense of self.]
〚This isn't something you can rush. Take it slow and be patient. Looking forward to your next question.〛
---
As he hit send, Ryo sighed. "Man, I should've studied psychology…"
A second later, his point total jumped from 0 to 10.
"So one answer gets you ten points. Now if only I knew what the points were actually for…"
He clicked on the points section again, but this time got a message: [Not enough points. Feature locked.]
With no clear direction and nothing else to do on the forum for now, Ryo decided to put it aside. He'd wait to see if the asker replied, and in the meantime, get familiar with his newfound powers.
After all, he had just become a demigod.
Right now, his curiosity about his new divine abilities far outweighed everything else.
Honestly, if it hadn't been for the sudden forum popup, he'd have been all over exploring the Divinity the moment he got it.
...
Meanwhile, the rabbit girl—Black Rabbit—who knew what it meant when a mortal obtained a Divinity, had quietly left the room, giving Ryo some private space.
Sensing her departure, Ryo gave a little smirk, then slowly sank into a half-meditative state.
With every breath he took, tiny sparks flickered to life around him—manifestations of fire-elemental energy drawn by the divine power he now held.
And as the flames danced around him, Ryo's aura steadily grew stronger.
— — —
Demon Slayer World
Inside a quiet household…
Kanae Kocho, dressed in a simple yukata, let out a small yawn.
In front of her sat a low wooden table, lit by an oil lamp. A diary lay open on it.
Ever since her parents passed away, Kanae had gotten into the habit of writing in a diary every night.
Tonight, she had just written down her worries about the girl she'd recently adopted.
"How can I get Kanao to express her own thoughts…?" she murmured, frowning slightly.
The little girl she'd named Kanao was already eleven—almost old enough to be married in this era.
And yet, she didn't behave like a normal child at all. There was no playfulness in her, no spark. Just a hollow silence.
Sometimes, even if she accidentally scraped herself or got hurt, she wouldn't flinch or say a word—just silently follow Kanae, letting the blood drip.
Even eating required a command. She clearly knew how to use chopsticks and eat properly, but she wouldn't lift a finger unless told to.
It broke Kanae's heart.
She could heal most physical wounds. But when it came to emotional trauma… she felt powerless.
So after a long, exhausting day, she sat there writing in her diary, trying to figure out how to reach the girl she'd taken in.
"Maybe I should ask around… I heard some foreign doctors came to Tokyo recently. Maybe they'd know something…"
Just as Kanae put down her pen and spoke to herself, her diary flipped a page—on its own.
Black ink began to appear on the fresh sheet.
〚I'm in Little Garden. Just became a god.〛
"Who's there?!"
In an instant, Kanae leapt to the center of the room, a blade now in her hand.
Her sharp eyes scanned the room, searching for the hidden threat.
But all she could hear was her own breathing. The room was still and silent.
Kanae's grip tightened on her blade.
"...A demon?"
She furrowed her brow.
In her world, demons—beings that fed on humans—were very real.
So were Demon Slayers, and Kanae was one of them.
According to her training, demons could use strange powers known as Blood Demon Arts.
And the idea that one could write in someone else's diary remotely? Not that far-fetched.
It was strange for a demon to play pranks on a Demon Slayer, sure—but she wasn't taking any chances.
Right then, a soft creakcame from behind her. The door slid open.
Standing there was a cute girl with a blank expression, wearing a white yukata and her hair in a side ponytail.
It was Kanao.
She'd heard Kanae's shout and quietly come over.
Their rooms were only separated by a sliding door. Kanae was just about to go to bed, but this unexpected situation had thrown everything off.
The moment she saw Kanao, Kanae's expression changed.
"Kanao, come here!"
Without a word, Kanao walked over and stood beside her, motionless like she was waiting for her next command.
Right now, though, Kanae had no time to worry about that.
She kept scanning the room, her grip so tight that the veins on her hands were visible.
Her little sister was here, defenseless.
And there might be a demon lurking, one skilled enough to use a blood art that could manipulate her diary.
In that instant, Kanae smelled the scent of death.
But she wouldn't back down. At the very least, she had to get Kanao to safety.
Her pale hands turned even whiter as she clenched her sword.
One second passed... Two seconds... Half a minute.
Nothing happened.
Kanae stood frozen, every nerve on edge—until finally, she hesitantly called out:
"Um… Mr. Ghost? Are you still there?"
— — —
Little Garden
Ryo, who had been half-meditating as he explored his Divinity, suddenly opened his eyes.
A notification popped up in front of him.
['Kanae-Is-So-Cute' has invited you to answer a question: "Um… Mr. Ghost? Are you still there?"]
For a moment, Ryo just stared, completely stunned.
.
.
.