Prologue; Déjà Vu
"...Miss Kofuku," began a gentle but strained voice,
"is this, uh... really necessary?"
Shifting awkwardly on her feet within the confines of a dressing room was a young woman, no older than perhaps twenty. Her bangs hung in her eyes as she contemplated just why the universe sought to torment her like this, and she silently willed her master to reconsider the matter at hand. But of course, there were better chances for a snowball in hell than
that happening. So when she heard a giggle not far off, she would've been lying if she said she was surprised.
"Don't be modest, Kuga-chan~ C'mon, c'mon~ I wanna see~"
Was it a little mean for Kofuku to goad her regalia into trying on cute dresses? Probably. Was she aware of that? Hard to say. But truth be told, the goddess wasn't
trying to torment her companion; she just wanted to do what she could to help the girl live a little. The pair of them couldn't exactly make lasting friends thanks to the gods' curse of being forgotten by dwellers of the Near Shore, but if Kofuku could find at least small ways to help Daikugane feel normal and happy while the pair of them were around, then what would be the point of surviving at all?
Granted, she probably should've found ways that didn't involve exorbitant shopping trips. But her heart was in the right place. That was what counted in the end, right? The only problem was that mere moments after her excited cooing, the goddess of misfortune felt a sudden wave of dread. Her blood ran cold as her body froze mid clap, every iota of her being suddenly screaming
danger. In an instant, her smile was gone, and she whirled around to face something unseen while simultaneously calling out for her weapon.
"Come, Kiki!"
With a flash of light that shot out of the dressing room and right into Kofuku's palm, the staff manifested in her hand. Totally prepared, she readied herself to break into a fight, except. Uh.
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...
A beat passed. She blinked. The clothes outlet still looked exactly the same. She could feel Kugane's surprise and confusion, even as she wrestled with her own. Maybe nothing was wrong, after all? Perhaps this period of utter dormancy after losing everything she'd loved had set her on end. Maybe her instincts were simply dwindling.
"...Is everything okay?"
Another moment of silence. Kofuku was still looking around with confusion, only managing to snap out of it after a couple moments longer.
"Ah." Several employees were staring at her. She already had a bad enough reputation thanks to the way disaster followed her wherever she went. Sheepishly, she relaxed her stance.
"...Haha, my bad~ Everything's fine. You can come back out, K--"
The words died in her throat, torn away by the violent rippling and reforming of reality itself. It was over before she could even comprehend what had happened, her head spinning and prompting her to momentarily sway unsteadily on her feet as she simply manifested somewhere new. It was definitely a baffling experience, but she couldn't say it was the strangest thing she'd been through. What she could say, however, was that she wasn't a fan of it. As she appeared in the strange, doorless room among the others, she suddenly felt out of her element. Surely, this couldn't be what she thought it was, right?
A single word from this Callum fellow proved her wrong. 'Game'. This was a game. All of the terrible things that had happened to her and her friends, she felt an overwhelming sense that they were all about to happen again. And this time, she was utterly
alone.
Or at least, that's what she thought at first. And yet, unlike the last game she'd found herself in, the goddess was surprised to find that the weapon she'd called to hand mere seconds before still remained grasped in her palm. Kugane's voice rang out in her head, startled by the sudden change in environment, but Kofuku was too distracted by
other familiar company to make out what her regalia was saying. She lowered her hands and her staff, her mouth falling open just slightly as her gaze landed on familiar white hair, pale skin, and purple eyes. It couldn't be. It seemed too good to be true. And yet...
"...Addy-kun?" she murmured, her dazed demeanor shifting to one of overwhelming emotion. A smile spread across her lips like a wildfire, her eyes glimmering with unadulterated joy. The worry about their situation could wait for just a moment; right now, she was just ecstatic to find herself face to face with an old friend. He looked a little older than she remembered, and he apparently hadn't noticed her yet, but that wasn't enough to sway her. Without a second thought, she began to move, attacking the poor man with a joyful hug and momentarily allowing herself to ignore the weight of the situation at hand despite having full knowledge it was there.
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"Addyyy-kunnnn! I'm so happy to see you! Say, how long has it been...?" She hadn't thought full years had passed, but then, maybe that was simply the varied flows of time of the multiverse at work. Regardless, she had snuggles to give and an old friend to love on!
"Ah, and where's Addy-chan...? I thought the two of you went home together?" she added, tilting her head curiously. If it weren't for her friend's presence, she likely would've tried to familiarize herself with some of the others and get answers on their situation, or even just revert her regalia, but as it were she was a little preoccupied.
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