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Katsuki poured the rainwater he had collected recently into a large basin. It wasn't much, but it would be enough. He grabbed the soap bar that Asui, the goddess he worshipped, had shown she favored and thoroughly washed his hands in the basin. The ritual was one he only performed once a month (on the night of the full moon), so he was always careful to get it right. Sure, he was the one who originally created the ritual, but that didn’t mean he was incapable of messing it up.
Once his hands were washed, Katsuki opened his worn out notebook full of recipes. He had decided beforehand that he would be making sanma-no-nitsuke, and, while he had already memorized the recipe, he didn’t want to make a mistake while making it.
Katsuki would make the meal and separate it onto two plates, one larger and one smaller. The larger plate would be placed on the altar he had set up in his extra room, while he would eat the meal on the smaller plate while kneeling in front of it.
Was this ritual absolutely nerve wracking because he was essentially sharing a meal with a goddess? Absolutely, but Asui was more responsive during this ritual than any other he had done, so he continues to do it. (Katsuki should also probably point out that Asui didn’t show any malliciousness while responding to the ritual, either, which is why he didn’t think it made her feel disrespected in any way.)
Katsuki set about making the meal, rereading each step at least three times before actually doing it and taking care to not burn anything. He ignored the way his stomach growled and resisted the urge to rush the making of the meal as he stared at the different pots and pans that littered his kitchen. He hadn’t eaten anything all day in preparation for the ritual, and the sun had already set about an hour before he started. It was uncomfortable, but it was something that he believed added onto the power of the ritual.
As he started to plate the food, Katsuki pulled out two wine glasses as well, pouring a good amount of a white wine he had been working through these past few rituals into each. He ended up finishing the bottle perfectly as the second glass filled. It was always satisfying when the end of the bottle lined up perfectly like that, and he always felt that the ritual after the end of the bottle was more powerful than the ones before it.
Finally, the ritual was set up. Now, all Katsuki had to do was put the wine glass and plate on the altar and start his meal, which he did with just as much care as he had when preparing the meal. As he knelt down in front of the altar, he took a deep breath and began to pray:
“Dearest Asui, Goddess of Honesty, please accept this meal as an offering of thanks for the peace, protection, and prosperity that you have provided this past month. My gratitude is endless, and your continued blessing is always appreciated. May your power stay as strong as my faithfulness to you.”
Katsuki finished the prayer, taking another deep breath before lifting his wine glass with both hands up, towards the sky where he imagined Asui was looking down on his ritual. He brought the glass back down and took a slow, small drink of the wine. The wine was dry, but flavorful, which was something that Katsuki always appreciated when he had it. He would definitely be buying this again.
After Katsuki took the drink, he set down the glass and started to eat his meal, taking care to think of thanks to Asui for each bite. That wasn’t exactly part of the ritual itself, but more to appease his own anxieties this time around.
For some reason, it felt as though something was going to change with Asui, and Katsuki didn’t feel prepared for whatever that change might be. All he knew was that he wouldn’t act any different until the change became apparent to him. This change could be a good thing, for all he knew, and he wasn’t going to risk upsetting Asui just because of his own fear.
~~~~~
As Tsuyu watched Katsuki eat his meal, she made her way over to her own. This was the closest she had been to a human in a long time, and it made her feel slightly on edge despite knowing that he couldn’t see her unless she wanted him to. She did want him to see her tonight, but that was for after he finished eating.
Katsuki proved to be a loyal follower, never straying after proclaiming his devotion to her. How he had even found her myths and legends amongst all the others was something that she would always question, but would be forever thankful for. He was her first follower in a long time, and he was probably going to be the last as well. At least it seemed the fates saved the best for last.
Tsuyu invisibly flicked the wine glass on her altar, making the wine ripple and the glass sing. Katsuki’s head lifted before bowing once more, only more deeply. The amount of care and respect that Katsuki obviously held for her made her pleased more than anything else had in her memory.
After a few moments of bowing, Katsuki returned to eating, though there was some clear hesitance in his movements. It seemed as though Katsuki could sense the change that was about to happen and wasn’t sure what to do about it. Tsuyu had been working on her end to make sure that every ounce of devotion that Katsuki felt towards her was returned by her. This led to quite a connection between the two of them, which Katsuki obviously felt if he knew something was about to change.
Once Katsuki finished his meal, Tsuyu knew what she had to do. She slowly made herself visible to him, being sure to remain in between the altar and him so that she would be noticed quickly, even with her back turned towards him (not that it really made a difference in her omnipotence). She heard him inhale sharply, his eyes no-doubtedly widening at the sight of her.
Tsuyu knew that she could change her appearance to become more beautiful according to human standards, but that would require magical energy. Using too much magical energy to simply change her appearance would cut the time she was visible to Katsuki by a significant amount, and they had plenty that needed to be discussed if she was to continue with the plan she had been deliberating on for the past few months.
“Katsuki,” Tsuyu began, her voice steady and a bit croaky, “I’m sure that this is a bit confusing, but let me explain.
“You are my first follower in over a millenia, meaning all of my power comes from you, so the fact that I am even able to talk to you directly is quite impressive. Thank you for your devotion and worship. It has brought meaning back into my existence. However, you are also my last follower, and I honestly don’t mind the thought of not having any after you. That is why I wanted to talk to you directly, and ask if something is alright with you.”
Katsuki was looking up at her as Tsuyu turned to face him. He was kneeling still, and all his attention was on her. What a wonderful feeling it was, to have his attention. He seemed to understand that she wanted a response after a moment of silence, saying, “Ask anything and I will give my honest answer.”
Tsuyu smiled slightly at this, knowing that he would be honest with her even if he didn’t want to be.
“I would like to become mortal and live out my days with you, if that’s alright.”