Chapter 1: The Man and the Goddess on a Rainy Night

Onigawara Shouzou was 28 when he met her. It was on a summer night when the rain was pouring down heavily.

Being employed at a black IT company, his days and nights were fully occupied with flying around client offices. That day, too, despite it having been his birthday, he was heading home completely exhausted.

The rain incessantly drummed on his umbrella without mercy. The boiling heat of the day, instead of alleviating, had gradually developed into an altogether thoroughly uncomfortable stuffy mugginess.

Shouzou loosened his tie, then quickened his pace.

It happened when he was almost back at his apartment; his eyes were drawn and transfixed by a woman in the middle of the road who had her face turned skyward and was allowing the rain to drench her. She was a young woman, seemingly in her early twenties.

—She looked almost like a goddess.

The woman was so stunningly beautiful that Shouzou doubted his eyes for a moment. Her silver hair was dripping with rain, and her thin, white one-piece dress clung tightly to her body. Her abundant breasts were showing through, and it was immediately obvious that she wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“Umm...... is something the matter?” To think that he would be the one to initiate conversation. Shouzou was surprised at himself.

His age equaled the number of years he had been without a girlfriend. Aside from work-related instances, his experience with talking to girls was almost nil. Cursed with the triple combo of “huge body,” “fierce face,” and “rough voice,” he was feared by every single person he met. The women were no exception.

Oh, right. Suddenly being addressed on the street at night by a guy who looked like a wild beast would for sure cause her to cower in fear. In the first place, the other party appeared to be a foreigner. Whether she can communicate or not is already doubtful in and of itself. “Ah, never mind, I’m sorry for bothering you......” Shouzou apologized in a fluster, then attempted to circle around to the other side of the narrow street.

“The rain, it drenched me.” A pleasant voice that sounded like the murmur of a brook caused Shouzou to freeze in his tracks.

“Hah?” A weird sound came out of Shouzou’s mouth.

The woman turned her blue eyes toward Shouzou, then continued speaking in an amiable tone.

“It was so very muggy, so I wanted to cool down. It’s my first time getting wet with rain, but it sure feels great, doesn’t it?”

“I guess......?”

“Would you like to join me?”

Shouzou had never imagined that the very first invitation in his life from a woman would be, “Would you like to get wet in the rain together?”

“Um, but, you do know, right? That when you get wet with rain, your body temperature decreases, which weakens your resistance and leaves you susceptible to pathogens, which ultimately causes you to catch a cold?”

“It’ll be fine.”

“Um, but, you do know, right? Raindrops these days are quite acidic, and also pick up dust and other particles when falling from the sky, so the growing opinion is that it’s better to avoid getting it on your skin if possible.” Even he didn’t know what he was saying anymore at this point.

All he had was a single emotion, a single thought, that he was sure of.

“Here.” Shouzou proffered his umbrella.

A young woman was being drenched in the rain, all by her lonesome.

Surely she had a reason for doing so that no one else could, that no one should, guess.

The rain cannot wash away sorrow, nor can it make pain more bearable.

That’s why, at the very least, he wanted her to know that “human compassion” is something that is much more common and much closer at hand than she might imagine.

“Life may be bitter and painful at times, but there are definitely great moments too.” Saying it seemingly more for himself than for her to hear, Shouzou then pushed the umbrella toward her even further, paying no mind to the fact that he was getting soaked.

“You’re a kind person.”

After she accepted the umbrella, without replying to the compliment, Shouzou said “Take care” and then dashed off at full speed—

Second floor, wooden apartment. The external hallway was covered by a corrugated iron roof, but the fierce rain was having no trouble making its way in. By the time Shouzou reached the door of his own apartment, he was thoroughly soaked, down to his underwear. It felt extremely uncomfortable.

Shouzou slid his key into the lock, then turned it with a click. But then he froze.

(Did I waste a perfect opportunity......?) The chance to hold a conversation with that great a beauty would probably never come to him again for the rest of his life. And besides that, perhaps it was a bad choice to leave a young woman by herself out in the street this late at night.

(Should I go back?) He was growing worried whether the woman, who was very likely grieving about something, was planning to hurt herself in her despair.

“Are you perhaps under a misconception of some sort?”

“HyoWAH?!” Suddenly hearing a voice addressing him from behind surprised him so much that he almost actually jumped.

Turning around, he found the woman standing there, smiling.

“Err, umm......”

“I am having a lot of fun right now. I’m not feeling bitter or pained at all.”

“Hah? Haa...... umm, did you follow me just to tell me that......?”

“Mhmm,” she said brightly, as if she didn’t have a single worry in the world. “But I am in a bit of a bind, as I don’t have anywhere to stay tonight. So if it’s not too much trouble for you......”

Entranced by her upturned eyes, Shouzou could only manage a sigh-like response like “Haa......”

Seemingly having taken that as acquiescence, the woman pushed past Shouzou with a “Then pardon me” and entered his place.

(Is this all right......?) His home was just a place to sleep, so it was very tidy. To be more precise, there wasn’t much of anything in the room in the first place, so there was no way for it to get cluttered.

Despite the old age of the apartment, the bathroom alone was brand new. He hoped it was acceptable enough for a young woman to use without feeling uncomfortable.

(No no no! I’m here, though! The presence of such a bulky man should itself be enough to make her feel uncomfortable!) Shouzou hurriedly chased after her.

“May I borrow your shower?”

“Eh? Sure, go ahead. Over there is the door to the bathroom...... wait, you seriously intend to stay here tonight?”

“Of course. You’re also quite soaked, would you like to go in with me?”

“I think not!” Shouzou had never imagined that the second invitation in his life from a woman would be “Would you like to take a shower with me?”

Leaving him behind with an “Aw, I see,” she headed into the bathroom with a disappointed expression.

A sound of splashing water different from that of the rain began reverberating throughout his apartment.

Shouzou took off his suit, then quickly wiped his hair and body off with a towel. He then changed into his home clothes, underwear and all.

“W-What should I do......?” For the time being, he straightened up his bed. He was not thinking of anything reprehensible. With the excuse of “if she is to sleep, then it would have to be here” fueling him, he diligently took to the task.

Then he set up the folding tea table, and placed two glasses on it. He took out canned beers from his tiny fridge, then lined them up next to the glasses.

(I have no intention of getting her drunk and doing something to her, but......) Realizing that he was filled with ulterior motives already just by thinking that, he returned the beers to the fridge.

Well then, what next? The only thing he knew was that he could not manage to sit entirely still. Just when he was in the middle of wiping the dust off the TV with a tissue......

“Sorry for having gone first. It’s your turn now.”

“Ahh, then I’ll just— WHAT?!” The woman appeared in front of him, completely naked. Not a single thread on her. Completely in the nude. She was patting her silver hair dry with a bath towel, but otherwise, she wasn’t even trying to hide her ample breasts, her tight waist, nor her perfect V-line.

“C-C-C-C-Clothes! Please put on clothes!”

“They’re still wet.”

“Th-Th-Th-Then!” Shouzou grabbed some T-shirts and shorts from a drawer and threw them to her while keeping his eyes closed. “There! I don’t care which ones you choose, just put something on already!”

“Thanks, I’ll choose something then.” Hearing those words behind his back, Shouzou somehow managed to dive into the bathroom while keeping his eyes half-closed. But he did manage to stub his pinky toe on the way and it hurt.

A while later—

After coming out of the shower himself, Shouzou sat down across the table from the beautiful woman with breasts so big that they were stretching out the shirt that she was wearing. Then, belatedly though it was, they finally got around to introducing themselves.

“My name is Silvia. In human years, I’m 22 years old. I’m a goddess.”

“I...... ahem, my name is Onigawara Shouzou. 28 years old. Company employee.”

The two bobbed their heads toward each other in greeting, but Shouzou’s head was filled with question marks.

What did she mean by “human years”? And “goddess”? What’s with her? Seemingly oblivious to Shouzou’s confusion, Silvia continued talking.

“This is my first time in the mortal realm. My initial aim was only to sightsee, but it’s already turned out much more worthwhile than I had expected. I’ve already managed to meet a wonderful gentleman such as yourself, have I not?”

“I see......” Shouzou gulped down his beer. He had gone to the trouble of taking out glasses, but ended up drinking directly from the can in the end.

“Is this alcohol?” The woman stared curiously at the can sitting before her. Beside it was a bottle of tea that he had also brought out for her, but she didn’t give it even a glance.

“It is, but if you’re bad with alcohol—”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that it’s my first time. Let me take a taste.” Silvia brought it to her mouth, then tilted the can at a sharp angle. She downed the beer so heartily that Shouzou found himself nearly falling for her.

Wait, this isn’t the time to be impressed.

“Wait! If you drink it that quickly your first time—”

“Puha! It’s delicious!” Silvia had already emptied the entire can, and her white skin had a faint red flush to it.

“Umm, you probably shouldn’t push yourself......”

“Ahm fineee, ahahahaha ♪”

She’s already dead drunk?!

Silvia crawled toward the fridge on all fours, then made her way back with several cans in her embrace. After that, she continued downing beers with gusto, all while chattering nonstop, albeit with very questionable articulation.

“I’ll ’ave you know, itsh my fursh time shpeakin’ alone wi’ a guy, awrigh’?”

“Is, is that so. It’s also my first time being alone with a woman, so I am feeling quite nervous too.” While somehow processing her terribly slurred words inside his head, Shouzou tried his best to keep the conversation going.

“So wer boff fursh timersh—♪” Just as she seemed to be in a very merry mood, Shouzou heard snoring.

“Oh, she fell asleep......” She eventually splayed herself over the tea table.

She would not wake up no matter how many times Shouzou shook her shoulder, so he carried her to bed. Her thin body was light, as expected. But the problem was, this softness that he was experiencing for the first time almost threatened to vaporize his sense of reason.

(Shouzou, this won’t do, it won’t! To even think of laying hands on a drunken woman......)

After laying her down on the bed, he took a closer look at Silvia’s face.

Her beauty was such that he almost forgot to breathe. Perhaps all the stuff about her being a goddess may not have been a complete lie.

But then, blink. Silvia’s eyes opened.

Caught staring at her, Shouzou was so surprised that he felt like his heart was being clutched in a vice.

“No, um, this isn’t what it, I wasn’t trying to push you down......” His flustered and incoherent justification evoked a giggle from Silvia.

“Don’t worry, I understand. You really are a kind person indeed. I had half-expected to be attacked when I was asleep, but you did nothing of the sort.” Her speech had returned to normal. Perhaps she had woken up from her drunken stupor after resting for a short while.

Or so Shouzou thought, before quickly learning how wrong he was.

“Dash why I’ll be da one to eat chu uppp ♪” Silvia abruptly sat up and pushed Shouzou down with such a strength that even the thick-muscled Shouzou could not throw her off.

“Wait, wait a moment. I... this is my first time—”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” Silvia’s articulation had returned once again. Or so he thought when, with a bright smile, she continued, “Ish my fursh time too♪”

“Kyah—?!”

Onigawara Shouzou, 28 years old. That night turned out to be the night he finally bid farewell to the virginity that he had been protecting(?) up till then.

And after that, 13 years and 8 months flowed by—