The Goddess Is Obsessed With Me

"Miru..."

Despite her changed appearance, I recognized her unique aura.

"Your world is truly subtle... bizarre yet beautiful landscapes, a unique feeling I never experienced in my original world. It elevates my mood."

In contrast to my serious mood, she casually observed the cityscape, then suddenly commented on my world.

"Well, if you delve deeper, there's no world more disgusting than this one..."

But her praise was short-lived as she finished her juice with a bitter smile.

"What's going on... How did you find this place and bring me here? And... that badge..."

The glossy black badge captivated my attention.

"What are you..."

I had suddenly returned to the real world, and the main suspect was Miru, now seemingly a complete human.

How did she become human and come here? And how did she bring me back to the original world?

The most puzzling part was the badge, supposedly only for high-ranking officials in the company...

Such a young girl wearing it must be someone special, like the chairman's daughter, suggesting she belonged to this world.

But Miru's origin was undoubtedly the game world I knew, and her manner of speaking seemed fitting for someone from there.

No matter what I thought or speculated, it just didn't add up...

Even skipping the process and just considering the conclusion, it was a strange situation. She seemed like an entity from the other world, yet also like a person from this world.

"Uh-huh... Harold's reaction is perfectly normal, given the incomprehensible nature of the current situation."

As if reading my thoughts, Miru nodded, seemingly understanding my state of mind.

"There are no more obstacles now, so we have plenty of time... but you seem in a hurry, so I'll explain quickly."

Then, matching my serious mood, she looked directly into my eyes. "Miru..."

Despite her altered appearance, I sensed her distinct aura.

"Do you remember when we first met Mori Onae? The time when the Goddess of Fate advised me and Erina..."

I recalled that moment... Mori Onae had whispered advice to us from a distance I couldn't hear.

What had Miru heard back then that made her bring it up now?

"At that time, I learned about power from the Goddess of Fate... It was so alien and unbelievable that I initially doubted it. After all, it was magic I had never heard of in my thousands of years of existence."

With a flourish, she pulled out a purple essence from thin air and showed it to me. Although this world lacked magic, this was certainly not some modern trick.

The purple essence seemed old and faded, unstable, and while I couldn't tell what it contained, it likely wasn't much.

"The magic Mori Onae taught me was to observe and reach another world, a type impossible by conventional means... The idea that I could go to your real homeland seemed unbelievable at first, but it turned out to be true..."

She held the purple essence in midair, her gaze filled with complex emotions.

"It was astounding... I didn't visit it personally, but I saw it clearly with my own eyes, a world where unknown creatures ironically dominate most of the earth... At that moment, I felt a certainty, though I didn't know why."

Her delicate gaze then shifted towards me.

"This is your real homeland... The place where all my feelings of foreignness resolved, and at the same time, the perfect prison to trap you. A world where no other woman but me can love Harold. There couldn't be a more perfect place than this."

She leaned back against the railing with a bitter smile, exuding an unusual sense of ease that made me gulp.

"A prison to trap me..."

Her constant references to this world as my prison were increasingly irksome.

As if giving another hint, she flicked the badge pinned to her chest into the air and caught it again. "Miru..."

Even in her different form, her distinct aura was recognizable.

"Do you remember when we first met Mori Onae? The time when the Goddess of Fate advised Erina and me..."

I recall that moment... Mori Onae had whispered some advice from a distance, inaudible to me.

What had Miru heard back then to bring it up now?

"Back then, I learned about a power from the Goddess of Fate... It was so alien and unbelievable that I initially doubted it. It was, after all, a magic I had never heard of in my thousands of years."

Suddenly, she produced a purple essence out of thin air and showed it to me. Though this world lacked magic, I was sure this was no mere modern illusion.

The purple essence appeared old, faded, and unstable, and while I couldn’t tell what it contained, it seemed to be in limited quantity.

"The magic Mori Onae taught me was about observing and accessing another world – a method to reach your real homeland. At first, I couldn’t believe it, but it was true..."

Holding the purple essence in the air, her gaze filled with complex emotions.

"It was astonishing... I didn’t visit it personally, but I saw it with my own eyes – a world where bizarre creatures ironically dominate most of the earth. At that moment, I felt an undeniable certainty."

Her delicate gaze then shifted to me.

"This is your true homeland... The moment when all my feelings of alienation made sense and also the perfect prison to trap you. A world where no other woman but me can love Harold. There couldn’t be a more perfect place than this."

Leaning back against the railing with a bitter smile, she exuded a unique sense of ease that made me swallow hard.

"A prison to trap me..."

Her constant references to this world as my prison were deeply unsettling.

She flicked the badge on her chest into the air and caught it again, as if to give another hint. "As I said before, I've trapped you in this world, which is your prison, and I've prepared myself to be its warden."

"If I had simply transitioned with you without any preparation, I too would have become a prisoner."

In essence, the situation was as follows:

Miru had learned from Mori Onae the magic to observe and reach another world. She first understood the social structure of my world to secure a beneficial position for herself, enabling her to manipulate reality.

"Looking back, it was a challenging journey. The difficulty was nearly impossible, and the ingredients were unique in the world. Even the defeat of the Sea God's offspring in the past was to obtain materials for this essence."

That explained our encounter in the sea.

"Now, this essence has lost all its power and is just an ornament. It can't alter reality anymore. But I got what I wanted, so it's no longer necessary for me."

Crack! Crash!

To prove its obsolescence, Miru clenched her fist and shattered the essence. Purple smoke billowed but quickly dissipated into the air, leaving colorless fragments scattered on the ground.

"Now you know everything, right? You're mine, Harold."

The sense of tension I had forgotten resurged, and my nerves tingled.

"The Goddess who always interfered, and all the other women, are gone. And you need my favor to survive."

Understanding the reality I faced and the thoroughness of her plan sent chills down my spine.

"In this world, where you're as insignificant as a grain of sand in a vast desert, you can't afford to be expelled from here... It's just the way things are."

Did she know about my situation? About how desperately I needed capital...

The tuition for my sister, the living expenses for my parents and my family, all relied on me.

"The effort I've put in for this moment..."

Miru gently embraced me, and like a doll, I offered no resistance to her hold. "Harold... What kind of life will you choose?"

"The simple love of a good partner with all its luxurious trappings, or a miserable existence losing even your only hope."

Truly, as Miru said... I must become hers...

"The choice is yours and I will respect it no matter how long it takes..."

Ancient dragon-turned-company owner of my workplace, Miru, presents me with an unavoidable choice while smirking wickedly.

"Whichever you choose... You must fully bear the consequences of that choice."

With those words... her soft lips slowly draw closer to mine.