Asherah's voice cracked.
Her grip on my shoulders weakened. Her shoves turned into trembles. A soft, involuntary whimper slipped past her lips.
Eh?
Ehhhhhh?!
Is she… enjoying this?
What kind of horny goddess is this?!
My evil plan was backfiring spectacularly.
I tried to pull back—really, I did—but before I could, her golden nails dug into my cheeks and yanked my face upward.
"C'mere, you fucking ugly pig!"
I braced for the divine smack that would end my life.
Instead, her mouth crashed against mine.
It wasn't gentle.
Her lips were plush and scorching, tasting of sun-ripened fruit and something dangerously sweet.
Her tongue pushed past my teeth without asking permission, curling around mine in slow, wet, possessive strokes.
She sucked hard—greedy—drawing a muffled groan out of me before I could stop it. One of her hands fisted my hair; the other slid down my back and shamelessly palmed my ass, pulling our hips flush so my erection ground helplessly against her thigh.
My brain short-circuited.
When she finally broke the kiss, a glistening string of saliva connected our lips for one humiliating second before snapping.
Shizuka floated gently back down to the pavement, skirt settling around his feminine thighs.
I stumbled backward, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, face burning.
"H-How dare you steal my first kiss?!" I was shaken. "I was saving it! So that Shizuka and I could lose our first kisses to each other! Any more than that would basically be incest!"
Shizuka made a small, startled noise. "Eh?"
I turned to him immediately. "Hm? What's wrong?"
He grabbed the hem of his skirt with both hands, twisting the fabric nervously. His cheeks were vivid pink, eyes darting away.
"Uhm… so Onii-chan wanted to take my first…?"
He looked up at me through long lashes, voice tiny.
"Aoi… kissed me the other day. And said we should go out. I… agreed. Sorry."
My heart didn't just sink.
It plummeted into the Marianas Trench and kept going.
ba-dum!
ba-dum!
ba-dum!
Each beat felt like someone was hammering nails into my ribcage. My first son had just died. No—my entire lineage. My dreams. My future. Everything.
That blue-haired bitch Aoi. That non-cute, but annoyingly beautiful girl who'd been hovering around Shizuka for weeks. I let her get too close. I even smiled at her once like an idiot.
I'm such a failure of an older brother.
Asherah cleared her throat, suddenly sounding almost… impressed.
"Fine, mortal scum. I see your resolve." She crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up in a way that should have been illegal. "I'll compromise with your hideous face."
"Uhm, I'm actually just average—"
"I'll take you instead of your brother. Say your last farewells. You may never return to this world again."
I stared at her.
I can't believe this is actually happening.
Does Earth not have its own gods? Are they just slacking on the job? Hello? Divine labor laws? Anyone?
I turned to Shizuka.
He was already crying—big, sparkling tears rolling down his flushed cheeks.
His lower lip wobbled. His little hands clutched the front of his sailor uniform so tightly the fabric creased.
I dropped to my knees and pulled him into the tightest hug I could manage.
"Bye for now, lil bro. I love you, okay? And I love Mum and Dad too. But I love you the most. Please grow up healthy. Don't become a scum like your big bro, alright?
"Tell Sumire—your idiot big sis—that I still hate her… but she'll always be my himouto. I really regret not being able to watch you grow up till you're thirty-five before I hand you off to your groom—I mean bride—but… this is for the best."
Shizuka sobbed harder, tiny fists grabbing my shirt.
"Onii-chan has always been helping me since I was little… I love Onii-chan too. Very much. If not for the beautiful Onee-san there, things might've been different. But before you go, Onii-chan…"
He pulled back just enough to look up at me.
His red eyes shimmered with tears and something else—something soft and unbearably sweet.
His cheeks were flushed dark pink. His glossy lips parted slightly, trembling.
"Let me give Onii-chan his second kis—"
THWUP!
The world blinked.
One second we were in the alley.
The next I was standing on warm white marble that stretched endlessly in every direction.
Golden clouds drifted lazily overhead. Massive pillars carved with twisting vines and sunbursts rose into a sky that glowed soft amber. Distant harps—or maybe wind chimes—played somewhere far away.
I spun around.
Asherah stood a few steps away, arms crossed, looking extremely smug.
"Why?! I was this close!"
"Sorry, mortal scum—"
"My name is Shirogane Yanen."
"—but the author tagged neither incest nor BL in the novel, so none of that now... Anyway. You'll have all the women you want to enjoy in this new world. Welcome to Euphoria."
"The world's name is Euphoria? That's… fishy. And why are you talking about 'enjoying women' like that's my sole purpose here? What about the Demon Lord?"
"Oh, shut up for a sec."
She began muttering in what sounded like ancient Greek—liquid, rolling syllables that made the air shimmer. Golden fog rose from the marble and wrapped around me like warm silk. It smelled like her.
When it finally dissipated, I felt… good.
Weirdly good. Light. Energized. My skin tingled.
And... what's up with her now?
Asherah's golden eyes sparkled. She was actually drooling a little at the corner of her mouth.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm your favorite idol, you perverted goddess?"
She scowled, wiping her lip.
"So it doesn't change the rotten personality inside, huh? Well… we can manage."
"What are you talking about?"
She snapped her fingers.
A full-length mirror of pure light appeared in front of me.
And I looked at it...