[What?! No way — I just deliver the missions, I don't design the cruelty!]
[—Shion]
Ryuuto stared at the system notification like it had personally insulted his lineage.
Ten bottles of Life Potion. Reward for making Thor smile from the heart.
It was supposed to be a "super simple" task. The system clearly had a different definition of "simple."
He glanced up at the thunder-god. Thor sat on Mjölnir like a brooding statue, jaw clenched, thunderlight still braiding his hair. Loki had stolen the scepter from Asgard's vaults — and that made Thor look like someone who'd been personally robbed of all his birthdays. Smiles weren't on the menu.
Ryuuto rubbed his temple and pinged Shion inside his head.
Shion — you could've issued something normal, right?
[Normal is boring. Also, I like drama.]
Can this task be skipped?
[Must be completed. System freeze if you don't. Come on, Host. I have faith in your creative filth.]
Creative filth. Great. That was the official tone.
He mulled over options. Trading? Bribery? Planting a ticklish cloud under Thor's seat? No — Thor's laugh wouldn't come from an obvious gag. He needed something personal, a memory — something that would tug at whatever warmth the god still had left.
And then Ryuuto's plan turned a shade nastier.
Thor had a mortal—Jane Foster. They weren't sappy PDA people, but she mattered. Every time Thor came to Midgard, he visited her. If he could put a memory of Jane right in front of him — sincere, intimate, raw — maybe the god would crack a genuine smile.
Ryuuto pulled up a photo on his phone—Jane's profile, the little quirks in her expression — memorized every line. He grinned, voice small and guilty in his head.
Sorry, Shion. This is a dirty trick. But ten Life Potions, remember?
[Dirty works.]
[Ding! Mission active: Make Thor smile from the heart. Reward: 10 Life Potions.]
Perfect. The system was a sadist and an accountant.
He vanished in a blur of hand seals.
Transformation Jutsu — Perfect Form.
Where he reappeared, a woman with Jane's face, soft eyes and the same tired-but-kind smile, walked straight toward Thor as if she'd just come from a hospital shift — perfectly ordinary, perfectly human.
Thor blinked. For a second, the battlefield held its breath.
"Jane?" he said, stunned. "Why… are you here?"
Ryuuto forced a gentle smile and leaned into the role like a method actor with ninjutsu. "I came to see you. You've been so busy. I thought—maybe you needed a little reminder of home."
There it was. Thor's stern jaw loosened. He took a step forward, eyes softening with memory. Ryuuto felt the system's faint hum of approval like static.
But Shion didn't flag mission complete. The god's face had moved, but his smile wasn't honest—yet. Ryuuto pushed harder, painting on shared jokes, mentioning a trivial, private moment only the real Jane would know. He pulled every thread of authenticity he'd faked.
Thor's expression flickered — amusement, then real warmth. He actually laughed. The sound was like distant thunder settling into a calm. For one impossible heartbeat, Thor smiled from inside his chest.
[DING! Mission Completed!]
[Reward: 10 Life Potions obtained!]
Ryuuto felt equal parts triumphant and nauseous. He'd played with someone else's heart for the sake of potions. The moral squeal in his head got drowned out by the system's cheerful ping.
No time to linger. As soon as the reward confirmed, Ryuuto dropped the Transformation jutsu. The fake Jane flickered away — and his foot connected with Thor's ribs in a perfectly timed flick.
Thor's face went from gentle to furious in the space of a blink. He hit the ground, doubled over, Mjölnir slamming beside him.
"You sick—!" Thor bellowed, springing up like a coiled storm. "You dare— I'll—by Odin's beard, I'll crush you!"
Ryuuto grinned, dodging as the god lunged. In the guttering light, he muttered, half to himself, half to Shion:
Ten potions. Totally worth it. Don't judge me.
[Judge? Never. Admire.]
He sprinted off, Life Potions clinking in a small pouch, while the battlefield erupted into chaos again — Thor's roar echoing, the system's obnoxious success chime still ringing in his ears.
....
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