[Target Character—Tohru]
[Quest: Rescue Tohru, gain her trust, and foster her dependence. Spend one month with her to obtain the Divine Fragment.]
Shichen noticed that this quest was different. This time, he had to gain her trust first, and trust wasn't exactly something you could predict. There was no telling how long it would take to complete this quest.
Possibly, the future quests for gathering fragments would also change in nature, meaning it wouldn't just be a little over eight years total. But Shichen didn't really mind. If the second world was also tied to an anime, then there was a good chance future worlds would be, too. Even if it took a hundred years or a thousand, that was fine with him.
He couldn't care less about becoming a god; he just wanted to explore the different anime worlds.
"Sorry, sorry. I got a little excited seeing a dragon."
He ignored the quest prompts and kept smiling at the huge dragon before him. He didn't bother removing his hand from under the creature's jaw.
Dragons, for human beings, are normally creatures to be avoided at all costs. They're huge, brutal, moody, arrogant, they ignore humans, and they might even eat people. They're like monsters.
Crushing humans would be as easy as people crushing ants. Building friendly relations with one would usually be a death wish. After all, humans don't bother building friendly relations with ants.
And in many settings, even nuclear weapons might be useless against a dragon.
But Shichen wasn't afraid of the dragon in front of him. Not because he had any special powers, not because the dragon was injured, and not because he was some dragon fanatic.
He simply recognized this dragon—knew it inside and out. He knew how gentle it really was. At least in this world, no one understood it better than he did.
"Human, are you not afraid of me?" the dragon spoke again, its jaws opening like a dark abyss, terrifying to behold.
Shichen took a quick sniff but smelled no bad breath coming from it.
Not bad, not bad.
"You don't have to speak to me that way. Let's just get along," Shichen replied with a carefree grin, patting the dragon's jaw.
"… …" The dragon's enormous eyes stared at him, uncomprehending.
It couldn't figure out what was up with this human—actually, he didn't quite seem human. There was something off about him that reminded the dragon of those beings it hated. But it also was clear he wasn't one of them.
"You… you truly do not fear me?" the dragon asked again, this time switching to more casual wording.
"Why would I fear you? You just told me to leave a moment ago, which means you obviously don't want to hurt me. Besides, you're a dragon! You're so awesome! I love dragons," Shichen said excitedly.
"…Strange person."
"Strange?"
"You're at least stranger than any human I've ever met."
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment," Shichen said with a wink.
The dragon didn't want to dwell on that topic. It changed the subject. "How did you get in here? I clearly put a barrier in place."
"And that barrier was to keep humans from wandering in accidentally, right?" Shichen asked instead of answering.
"I just didn't want humans bothering me."
"Come on, you were just worried you'd scare them away," Shichen said with a laugh.
"What is it with you?" the dragon grumbled. "Never mind. It's not important. Just get out of here—my time is running short."
"Your time is short?" Shichen lifted his gaze to the massive sword sticking out of the dragon's back.
Noticing his look, the dragon explained, "That weapon belongs to a god… I fought against a deity. After losing, I fled to this other world. Now I'm on the brink of death…"
"So if I just pull the sword out, you'll be fine, right?" Shichen interrupted.
"Eh? Pull it out?" The dragon blinked in confusion.
Without another word, Shichen walked around to the dragon's side, jumped lightly, and climbed up its back.
Realizing what he meant to do, the dragon hurriedly warned him. "Stop! Humans cannot touch that sword; it will destroy your soul—huh?!"
Before it could finish speaking, Shichen had already seized the hilt and, with barely any effort, yanked it free.
The blade caught the light, reflecting in the dragon's eyes. It stared in shock, mouth agape.
"You were saying?" Shichen asked with a smile, holding the gigantic sword and meeting the dragon's gaze.
"How… how did you do that?" The dragon's jaws hung open, dumbfounded.
"Maybe… I'm not quite normal," Shichen replied with a playful tilt of his head.
"…Do you believe in gods?"
"Yeah, no thanks," Shichen said with a snort.
He was the last person who would trust in any deity, even though he was technically on the path to godhood, collecting Divine Fragments.
Whatever was in his head definitely wasn't a god. He'd rather trust it, though, seeing as it was the one letting him travel to these worlds.
"Ah, I see. Perhaps because you hold no faith in the gods, you were able to pull out that sword," the dragon muttered.
"Maybe." Shichen didn't bother explaining further. He tossed the giant sword onto the ground and hopped off the dragon's back.
"So, you're not going to die now?"
"Indeed, thanks to you, I'll live. I'm very grateful."
"Why are you suddenly being so polite?" Shichen frowned. "I told you we should get along like friends. And aren't you a dragon? Where's your dignity?"
"Ah, er… you're… you're right."
The dragon suddenly grew awkward, making Shichen shake his head in amusement.
"My name is Shichen," he said, introducing himself.
"Shichen-dono, pleased to meet you. I am Tohru."
"'Dono'? Really?"
"You're my savior; please allow me to address you respectfully."
"You really aren't much like a dragon, are you?" Shichen said, shaking his head.
"Um…"
"Never mind. Whatever makes you happy. So what will you do now?"
"Me? I don't want to go back…"
"You don't want to go back?" Shichen's eyes lit up. "Then how about sticking with me?"
"Eh?" Tohru stared at him in confusion.
"Not gonna lie, I'm on my own right now. It'd be great if I had some company."
"But I'm a dragon…"
"Can't you, like, shrink yourself down? Or transform? That's what they do in anime."
"Anime? Well, I have studied transformation magic… I get it."
As Tohru spoke, she was suddenly bathed in golden light, body and all. Through the glow, Shichen could only make out her dragon silhouette as it began to shrink, floating in midair, steadily changing shape. Finally, it took on a human form.
Shichen didn't blink, watching every second of the transformation.
The figure slowly descended. The golden light dissipated, revealing a pair of dainty, exquisite feet with small, round toes… then slender, smooth legs, skin so fair it was practically glowing… next, a taut, flat belly with a tiny navel, and a peek of a pale bosom only partially covered by a rough cloak, leading up to a cute face with bright blonde hair. Two dragon horns sat on her head, and a thick green tail extended from behind.
It didn't look out of place at all. Instead, it made her seem cuter, like a petite dragon girl.
The former dragon—Tohru, that is—looked embarrassed in her new humanoid form. She stood there demurely, eyes closed, cheeks flushed pink.
Her shyness wasn't because she was practically naked in front of Shichen, but because taking on a human form felt a bit awkward.
Shichen had no qualms about examining Tohru from head to toe. Not out of lust, but because he wasn't seeing her through a screen or across a dimension anymore. He wanted to take her all in, memorize every detail.
To be fair, it really was perfect. Dragons sure do transform nicely—her skin was flawless, soft and pink.
"So Tohru was a girl all along," Shichen commented after a moment's observation.
"Ah… yes," Tohru mumbled, eyes still closed, voice nervous. "This is the transformation magic I learned from the Dragon Elders."
"Is that so? Well, you look adorable," Shichen complimented her with a thumbs-up.
"I'm glad you approve, Shichen-dono." Tohru breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Well then… do you want to come with me?" Shichen asked again gently, gazing at Tohru.
"I…" Tohru hesitated.
"Want to move into my place?"
"Yes! I want to go to Shichen-dono's home!"
"Then let's go." Shichen offered her his hand.
"Right! Shichen-dono!" Tohru dove toward him, wrapping him in a tight hug.
Shichen felt her pressing against him, her body surprisingly soft. "Wait a second—can't you conjure some clothes?"
"Huh? Shichen-dono doesn't like me like this?"
"I mean, I do like it… but isn't this, like, super forward for just meeting someone?"
"For Shichen-dono, it's totally fine!"
"C'mon, no—just put on some clothes, please."
"But why?"
"Just do it!"
"All right. If Shichen-dono insists… what kind of clothes should I wear? Something like yours?" Tohru asked, looking at his outfit.
Shichen shook his head. "Nah, mine won't do—these are men's clothes. But I know the perfect outfit for you!"
"Oh? What is it?"
"It's a… maid outfit!"