Chapter Text
Once, a god graced the realm, with locks of fair blonde hair cascading like sunlit threads, and eyes as cerulean as the fathomless depths of the sea. Few were fortunate enough to glimpse this divine figure, and those who did were enthralled by a beauty and elegance that left an indelible mark on their hearts. This celestial being, heralded as the patron of clarity and empathy, held the power to mend fractured bonds born of misunderstanding. In moments when discourse faltered, and relationships teetered on the precipice of disarray, supplications were directed toward this godly entity, beseeching for illumination and comprehension.
Yet, as eras elapsed, a lamentable shift took root, as humanity's thirst for swift resolutions led them astray. Veering away from the benevolent teachings of the god of understanding, some turned to aggression and manipulation, forsaking the sanctity of genuine connection. A somber chapter of discord seemed to have befallen, until the dawning of the 21st century heralded an era of transformation.
Scarcely did humanity beseech the divine, reserving their entreaties for the deities enshrined within ancient tomes or whispered through generations. The likes of Hirano, once held in reverence, began to witness their celestial might wane, compelling them to relinquish their divine mantles and traverse the earthly realm in human guise. Thus, it came to pass that the formidable deity found himself enmeshed in the tapestry of a high school setting, where the lofty peaks of godhood were replaced by the humdrum corridors of education.
While traversing the expanse of mortal lands, an undeniable truth revealed itself to the humble god: the attainment of a diploma, a symbol of human scholarly achievement, held the key to his integration within the intricate fabric of human society. Thus, he embarked upon the audacious journey of enrolling in a high school, where the symphony of his experiences initially harmonized seamlessly. His academic odyssey carried him through the vicissitudes of time, granting him passage into the illustrious ranks of third-year students.
Yet, as the chapters of his human tale unfolded, fate cast a shadow upon his tranquil existence. The tides of fortune shifted abruptly when his human roommate bared their heart, confessing feelings that ignited a cascade of unforeseen events.
The predicament at hand did not arise from a lack of affection on the god's part towards his roommate, Kagiura. In truth, it was quite the opposite; he found himself irrevocably captivated by Kagiura's presence. Alas, an ironclad decree had been laid down by the venerable deity Hanzawa, a regulation that all celestial beings were bound to upon descending to the earthly realm.
First, the imperative was to conceal one's divine nature from mortals at all costs. Second, the edict sternly forbade the bestowal of god-like powers upon any human, and above all else, an unequivocal prohibition was declared: refrain from entwining one's heart with humans in the realm of love.
Confronted with this moral conundrum and the weight of divine expectation, Hirano, trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place, resorted to the art of deception. His choice was akin to that of a mariner navigating tempestuous seas, opting to navigate the treacherous waters of falsehoods rather than risk invoking the fury of the gods.
"I apologize, Kagiura, but my sentiments toward you remain platonic," Hirano's words tumbled forth, a fragile bridge spanning the expanse between them. He observed the transformation of his roommate's eyes, once bathed in the gentle embrace of a summer's radiance, now veering toward an icy chasm of obsidian depths. Yet, Kagiura remained motionless, his figure a mere silhouette against the backdrop of their shared dormitory, before eventually rising and departing, his destination an enigma cloaked in uncertainty.
In the wake of Kagiura's departure, Hirano lingered in temporal stasis, cognizant that chasing after his roommate would unfurl a tapestry of heightened anguish and suffering, sensations he had, regrettably, grown accustomed to. The inexorable march of time, however, bore unforeseen fruit as their connection deepened once more, an intimacy akin to the tendrils of a fragile bond weaving itself anew.
In moments of vulnerability, Hirano unfurled his heart's secrets, each confession echoing like a refrain of unrequited desires, only to be met with the chill of rejection time and again. Yet, unbeknownst to Kagiura, every refusal nurtured an ember within Hirano's soul, fanning the flames of affection until resistance waned, surrendering to the inevitable tide of emotions he had so valiantly sought to restrain.
While their relationship possessed its share of endearing qualities, a shadow of constraint loomed over their union. Public appearances were imbued with a subtle but resolute directive—refrain from exhibiting affection that ventured into the realm of 'lovey-dovey.' An unspoken pact dictated that hand-holding and tender kisses were to be reserved for clandestine moments, concealed from prying eyes. The delicate fabric of their romance was required to be woven within the cocoon of seclusion, an arrangement that began to sow discord in the heart of Kagiura, the raven-haired young man, as the cherished milestone of their anniversary drew near.
"Why must our affection be shrouded in secrecy?" Kagiura's voice resonated with a mixture of exasperation and vexation as he confronted his beloved, his countenance marred by a storm of emotions. A quiver of frustration laced his words, like thunderclouds brewing on the horizon. "I've shared my reasons with you, my dearest," Hirano, the god, responded in haste, a palpable urgency infusing his voice. His words sought to quell the brewing tempest, a gentle touch attempting to soothe the tempestuous seas of his lover's ire.
"Once more, your words are a veiled facade, and your hands betray your charade," Kagiura asserted, his gaze ensnared by the intricate choreography of Hirano's fingers, a dance that had become a telltale sign of his deceit. His scrutiny oscillated between Hirano's fidgeting hands and his searching eyes, a testament to Kagiura's astute perception. An unwitting compulsion gripped the god, his fingers entwining and twirling as if possessed by their own volition, a confession manifesting through motion.
In the face of Kagiura's perceptive revelation, Hirano hastened to shroud his hands behind his back, a reflexive maneuver aimed at shielding his unintended disclosure from further scrutiny. He found himself on the precipice of response, a heartbeat suspended in the silence as he weighed his words, mindful of the delicate equilibrium that held their bond. "I beseech you to believe, Kagiura, my intentions are not steeped in falsehoods. Rather, my hesitance stems from a place of unreadiness.
" Hirano's voice resonated with a blend of sincerity and internal conflict, a restrained torrent of emotions fighting to breach the confines of his composed demeanor. Suppressed urges surged within him, yearning to find form and shape, mirrored in the fleeting embodiment of his divine essence that surged through his hands, mirroring Kagiura's own emblematic gesture. As Kagirua's steps carried him away from their shared sanctuary, the tension of unresolved emotions lingered like an unfinished symphony, a recurrent theme woven into their narrative of love and strife.
Yet, beyond the cuts inflicted by Kagiura's uttered sentiments, it was the subtle barbs of anguish that truly gnawed at Hirano's soul. They were those moments when he bore witness to Kagiura's whispered supplications, directed towards the divine realm, beseeching for guidance in unravelling the tangled threads of their misunderstandings or yearning for a glimmer of insight into his innermost emotions. Unbeknownst to Kagiura, he was petitioning the very god he was embroiled in dispute with, beseeching for clarity and understanding that remained agonizingly elusive.
Hidden beneath the veneer of divine detachment was a truth that festered within Hirano's heart like a dormant ache: he was not just any god, but one ensnared by the shackles of forbidden affection for a mortal, Kagiura. This poignant irony, like a jagged thorn, hindered his ability to fulfill his celestial duties, shrouding him in a web of self-inflicted impotence. So, with the weight of this clandestine truth bearing down upon him, Hirano would retreat to the solace of his bed, a sanctuary where the torment of his emotions could be released. Beneath the sanctuary of covers, silent tears would fall, a poignant testament to his perceived failure, an acknowledgment that he had let down his beloved not once, but twice, in both divine and human capacities.
Yet again, their bond reconvened, imbued with a subtle fortitude borne from their collective trials. However, this newfound strength faced its ultimate crucible when an irrevocable summons echoed through the celestial realm. Hanzawa's decree, a call to congregate at the heavenly gates for a comprehensive evaluation, cast a looming shadow over their resilience. Typically, Hirano would have embarked upon this return without trepidation, but this time, a tempest of apprehension swirled within him, a tempest of unprecedented proportions.
The crux of this unease stemmed from an imperative facet of the evaluation process: a face-to-face encounter with Niibashi, the god of knowledge, whose power transcended mere reports and delved into the recesses of reality. Niibashi's ability to unravel the tapestry of one's actions, a mere flicker of his omnipotent insight, was all it took to ascertain whether the sacred boundaries had been transgressed. And therein lay the rub, for the humble deity, now estranged from the dictates of detachment, had transgressed the paramount rule that bound his celestial brethren, a transgression that had unfurled the veil of forbidden love. The chilling specter of divine retribution hung heavily in his mind, casting a pall of foreboding over his future. The gods' retribution for such breaches was a malevolent force whispered among the stars, and Hirano was acutely aware of the perilous precipice upon which he now stood.
Despite the tremors of fear coursing through his being, Hirano was resolute in the knowledge that the inevitable reckoning awaited him, transcending the frail veil of deceit. With a heart weighed down by both dread and determination, he embarked on the solemn pilgrimage to the celestial gates. As he traversed the ethereal threshold, a symphony of trepidation resonated within, each step a reminder of the impending revelation that would shape his fate.
In the presence of the looming Niibashi, the arbiter of truths woven into the fabric of existence, Hirano felt his resolve teeter on the precipice of surrender. The inexorable march toward his own undoing cast a disquieting shadow, an impending dance with his own mortality. Yet, as if fate itself had conspired to set the stage for his confession, he stood in the very presence of Niibashi, whose fingers seemed poised to unfurl the tapestry of his past transgressions.
A surge of audacity, akin to a tempest breaching the confines of his being, propelled Hirano to seize Niibashi's hand. In a moment both defiant and cathartic, the truth tumbled forth from his lips, a confession unleashed upon the celestial canvas. As his words hung in the air like a solemn oath, Hirano's gaze lifted skyward, unflinching and unyielding. In the face of impending retribution, he unburdened his soul, a declaration echoing through the heavens, unwavering and unashamed. "I have transgressed the sacred bounds, yielding to love's forbidden allure with a mortal. Though this path strays from the celestial script, I embrace accountability, ready to confront the consequences."
A hush descended upon the celestial assembly, an echo of awe rippling through the gods as they cast their gaze upon the fair-haired deity. Their expressions ranged from gaping astonishment to wide-eyed disbelief. A transgression of one of the sacred trio of heavenly decrees had remained dormant for over ten millennia, an unfathomable rarity. The very air seemed to hum with the weight of history as the divine congregation bore witness to this unprecedented admission, a truth unshackled from the confines of secrecy.
As the monumental moment unfolded, a seismic shift in the heavens materialized, heralding the descent of none other than the venerable Hanzawa. The earth itself quivered beneath the weight of his celestial presence as he alighted before the blonde deity, a bemused smile playing upon his lips. The arrival of the almighty Hanzawa, an event so rare as to be a myth, underscored the gravity of the situation.
"Well, well, this is indeed a departure from the norm," Hanzawa's voice resounded like a melody intertwined with mischief, a cadence that danced upon the edges of laughter. His eyes crinkled with amusement, the humor of the situation etched across his features. "A god, confessing to breaches of the sacred laws. Now, that's an occurrence that warrants some attention, perhaps even a taste of heavenly retribution." The raven-haired deity, his countenance suffused with a serene confidence, responded to Hanzawa's proclamation, his smile a testament to the audacity that thrived within him. "Indeed," he countered, exuding an optimism that shimmered in his eyes. In that suspended moment, hope flared like a beacon, kindling the possibility that he might indeed escape the anticipated wrath, daring to dream of a reprieve from the inevitable consequences.
"Ha- No," Hanzawa's command pierced the air, an incantation of dismissal that reverberated through the chamber. In that fateful utterance, the spark of hope that had ignited within Hirano's eyes withered, its flame extinguished, leaving in its wake an abyss of disillusionment. As the echoes of Hanzawa's decree waned, the mighty deity departed, his presence a fleeting memory that lingered in the recesses of Hirano's mind, leaving him dumbfounded and bereft of words. The encroaching guards, like shadows given form, closed in around the blonde deity, their inexorable advance spelling a fate beyond his control. Resisting the onslaught was a futile endeavor, an acknowledgment that the balance of power had tipped irreversibly.
Silently, Hirano acquiesced to the inevitable, his voice rendered mute, his limbs immobilized by the inexorable grip of the guards. An enigmatic transition unfolded, an ethereal journey that led him to an idyllic oasis nestled within the celestial realm. This paradise, awash in vibrant hues of flora and resplendent fruit, held a serene allure that offered solace in its beauty. A bed woven from the petals of roses cradled the promise of restful reprieve, while a crystalline lake mirrored the heavens above, a breathtaking testament to divine craftsmanship.
Perplexity and gratitude mingled within Hirano as he surveyed this exquisite sanctuary, the question of how this garden could possibly constitute a punishment tugging at his thoughts. As the passage of time flowed, a subtle revelation stirred within the confines of the garden. An ornate timepiece, suspended upon the wall, unveiled a countdown, its numerals etching the promise of a decade. This enigmatic timer held the key to a future that unfolded in the delicate dance between moments and eternity.
While not possessed of profound intellect, Hirano comprehended the span of a mere decade was but a fleeting instant in the realm of divinity. However, a veil of puzzlement shrouded his perception, for the true dimensions of his ordeal remained elusive. The nebulous essence of his punishment remained an enigma until, like a dormant ember stirring to life, it sparked to vivid illumination on the fifth day of his secluded sojourn.
Enticed by the crystalline embrace of the garden's lake, Hirano embarked upon a ritual of cleansing, harnessing his celestial powers to invoke a tide of purity that enveloped him. Yet, a spark of curiosity kindled a deviation from his customary course, compelling him to withhold a portion of his divine essence. In the midst of this cleansing reverie, as droplets cascaded like liquid crystal, his gaze, entrapped by the mirrored waters, alighted upon an unexpected apparition. Reflected upon the lake's mirrored surface was the visage of Kagiura, an ephemeral specter that stirred a symphony of emotions within Hirano's heart.
Struggling against the tides of frustration and yearning, Hirano endeavored to bridge the ethereal chasm that separated them. His voice was but a whisper lost upon the cosmic winds, and his outstretched hand met only the resistant barrier of the otherworldly veil. The sight before him unfolded like a tableau, a bittersweet vignette wherein Kagiura's existence continued in ceaseless rhythm, untouched by the tether of connection.
In this heartrending moment of realization, Hirano's epiphany unfurled like a blooming flower. The garden, the idyllic expanse that had appeared a haven, was unveiled as a prison of a different sort, where the punishment lay not in the passage of time, but in the irrevocable divide that sundered him from the realm of human interaction, an ephemeral distance he could traverse in vision and observation, but not in the palpable embrace of touch and speech. In this realization, the true depth of his exile was laid bare, and the bittersweet truth etched itself into the tapestry of his existence.
In the wake of this revelation, a torrent of tears cascaded down the cheeks of the blonde god, mirroring the shimmering ripples upon the serene surface of the lake. A heartrending tableau unfolded before him, a poignant and unrelenting narrative of a lover's separation and the inexorable passage of time. With each passing day, Hirano's gaze became an unbroken vigil, a silent witness to the unspooling tapestry of Kagiura's existence, which threaded its way through the labyrinthine corridors of time.
Weeks folded into months, and the cascade of moments flowed like a river, eroding the boundaries between days and nights, until an entire year had elapsed, its reverberations etching an indelible mark upon the tender fabric of Hirano's heart. Yet, amidst this temporal procession, a gnawing void persisted within the depths of the young god's soul, a cavernous emptiness that defied solace or repair. Even as he bore witness to the fading embers of Kagiura's memory, a profound yearning lingered, a desire for their connection to transcend the boundaries of fleeting mortality.
While human lives ebbed and flowed like currents in the cosmic sea, leaving behind the wake of impermanence, Hirano clung to a fragile hope. He harbored the whispered wish for a fleeting interstice, a transient rift in the fabric of existence, where the world might stand still for a fleeting heartbeat, allowing their spirits to converge once more. A wish, like a fragile ember in the night, illuminated the expanse of his longing, casting a faint glimmer against the backdrop of cosmic indifference.
The veil of divine retribution gradually lifted, freeing Hirano from the confines of his celestial sanctuary. Yet, as he emerged from this isolated exile, he confronted the harsh truth that the past he yearned for could never be fully rekindled. The memories that once glowed with affection had dimmed, and the fervent love they had shared seemed consigned to the annals of forgotten moments. With a heart heavy and burdened, he embraced a path of departure, a heartbroken odyssey that led him to distant shores, to the bustling realm of America.
In the heart of this unfamiliar land, Hirano sought refuge, his steps guided by the allure of a small but esteemed recruitment agency. As he endeavored to reconstruct his life, an unexpected opportunity materialized, a chance to draw closer to his enigmatic boss, an avenue through which he aspired to secure the prospect of advancement. Amidst the ebb and flow of life, the promise of professional growth beckoned, and with it, the possibility of escaping the throes of heartache.
However, a new twist unfurled, demanding Hirano's attention as he received a message bearing the name of a promising Japanese basketball player. The prospect of seizing this chance to curry favor with his boss, intertwining professional aspirations with personal motivations, could not be ignored. Arrangements were made, and a rendezvous was set in a quaint downtown café, where Hirano awaited the arrival of his prospective recruit.
Seated in anticipation, the blonde deity's gaze swept the surroundings, and in a moment that resonated with destiny, his attention was drawn to an approaching figure. A voice, soft yet resonant, broke the silence, the first utterances that heralded the advent of a new chapter, a chapter where the currents of fate and desire converged once more.
"Are you the recruiter from Japan Cross Company?" the unfamiliar voice queried, interrupting Hirano's moment of reflection as he perused the menu. Startled, he lifted his gaze, meeting the gaze of the stranger, his eyes locking onto the enigmatic figure before him. A heartbeat's pause bridged the gap before Hirano responded, his voice carrying a subtle inflection of recognition and surprise. "Indeed, that would be me. I'm Hirano from—Kagiura."