He didn't know how long it had been before Mizuno's consciousness finally clawed its way out of the dark mire and returned to wakefulness.
When he opened his eyes, he found he wasn't in the corridor of the teaching building, nor in some pitch-black basement. Instead, he was in a room where the ceiling light flickered irregularly, as if the bulb inside was broken.
In the center stood a tea table edged with golden-pink petal patterns. Two ornate chairs faced one another. The teapot and teacups atop it were covered in dust, as though they hadn't been touched in a long while.
Though a little different from how he remembered it, Mizuno quickly realized where he was.
[Fortune Goddess's Room]
What the hell? Why was he here again?
The last time he'd come here was… the last time.
That day, Fortune had guided him, fresh from temporarily sealing Misfortune, and revealed her true identity here, inviting him to join forces against Misfortune.
That day, the two had become allies. Mizuno would fight at the frontlines, Fortune would support from behind—helping him, answering questions, and together they would gather enough Hope Energy to save the world.
But for some reason, a few days ago she had gone completely silent. Even when he was almost pounced by Symboli Rudolf, she hadn't answered.
And he remembered—just now, he had been knocked out by that golden fist that formed from Rice Shower's Fortune sachet...
Could it be she had broken their pact, and betrayed him?
As he wondered, he noticed something behind the tea table—a sofa, turned with its back to him.
From it, something flickered, like a broken flashlight, emitting weak light.
"What is that?" Mizuno narrowed his eyes.
He watched from a distance, making sure it wasn't something explosive, then crouched low and crept forward.
When he finally circled around, he realized it wasn't a broken flashlight at all.
She lay sprawled across the sofa like a broken doll, her state utterly wretched.
Her skin pale, dark circles thick under her half-open, lifeless eyes. Her once silky golden hair was dry, frayed, splitting, as if it hadn't been washed for weeks.
Her whole body was half-transparent, flickering faintly, as though she might vanish at any moment.
"What?" Mizuno froze at the sight.
He couldn't believe it. That this dim, exhausted wreck in front of him was the Goddess of Fortune?
"..." He frowned, half-kneeling beside the sofa. He reached out and shook her shoulder.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Mm?" His voice stirred her. Slowly, her pupils focused again, and she lifted her gaze to him.
Even such a tiny motion seemed to take all her strength.
Her pale face showed no expression, yet Mizuno felt a bitter smile behind her words.
"What happened to you?" he asked, uneasy.
She looked like a terminal patient—like one solid punch would finish her off.
What could possibly have reduced her to this?
"As you can see... I'm close to falling into slumber..." she whispered.
"Slumber?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦·𝘯𝘦𝘵
"Yes... it's my own fault..." Fortune let out a weak sigh.
"It started the day we sealed Misfortune...
"To gather energy faster, I guided you to appear for a few seconds before the Three Goddesses' statue. With your Uma Mint constitution, it made ten Umas feel they'd been blessed, and I harvested a massive wave of Fortune energy."
"But... though the energy came quickly, the troubles that followed were just as great... cough, cough..."
She coughed, regret heavy in her tired eyes.
"Those ten Umas, unable to see that figure again, felt their initial joy curdle into suffering.
"They thought that glimpse that day... was actually punishment from the Three Goddesses. But since they hadn't done anything wrong, they couldn't understand why.
"And so they grieved. Their lives soured, generating Misfortune energy every day.
"Too much Misfortune energy... and cracks open in the seal. Misfortune breaks free early.
"To reinforce the seal, I had to spend my own power patching it. That's why I'm reduced to this. My own mistake..."
"If not for Rice Shower bringing the sachet to you, giving me a little supply from it... maybe I'd never see you again... cough, cough..."
This time, she coughed up not blood, but shimmering specks of starlight.
Afterward, her body grew even more translucent.
"Oh?" Mizuno's brows rose as a thought clicked.
"So right now, you're completely powerless, unable to resist at all?"
He rubbed his hands together, the corner of his mouth twisting into a lewd grin under the mask.
"What are you doing?" Fortune's dull eyes slid to him, wary.
"Fufu, what else—of course I'm going to act!"
He suddenly leapt up, both arms raised, crowing like a monkey.
"?" Fortune stared, baffled.
What nonsense was this idiot spouting now?
Ignoring her look of pity for his IQ, Mizuno raised his chin, eyes filled with arrogant contempt, and jabbed a finger down at the helpless goddess.
"I've hated you for ages! Before, I only played nice because my mortal body couldn't match your divine powers.
"But truthfully, I've always been waiting for this moment—the chance to pounce on you, the so-called goddess!"
"And today, finally, you're helpless. Finally, I can overwhelm you! Isn't that Fortune in itself?"
"So grit your teeth—I'm coming!"
He climbed onto the sofa, knee pressing between her legs, his hand tilting her chin up. Their faces inches apart, as if he'd kiss her.
"..." Yet even faced with this farcical "assault," Fortune didn't panic. She only stared back at him, her gaze boring through the mask into his eyes, and chuckled faintly.
"You can't generate energy for me by just saying the word 'Fortune' while thinking the opposite inside."
"Tch..." Mizuno clicked his tongue in frustration, realizing he'd been seen through.
He'd borrowed this "pounce" act straight from Symboli Rudolf, thought it was convincing—but she'd sniffed it out instantly.
"Forget it..." He shook his head.
If the energy required genuine feeling, then there was no point continuing the act.
He slid off the sofa, sitting cross-legged on the floor with arms folded, his face serious.
"Then tell me. What do I have to do to save you?"
"..." His sincerity made her lips tremble, guilt rising thick in her chest.
She had guessed right after all. He was an ultimate good guy—just a bit tsundere.
Fortune stayed silent for a long while, then finally spoke.
"You must lower the concentration of Misfortune energy in the academy. If it reaches a certain level... something terrible will happen, and Misfortune will break the seal early."
"The simplest way is to help others, spread kindness. That can slow the increase, but it won't fix the root."
"To truly reduce it, you must go to the source. Resolve the hearts of those ten Umas, so they no longer long for that mysterious figure."
Her eyes closed. Summoning her last strength, she patted his shoulder.
"Don't hide in the male dorm anymore. Go—take the initiative. Untie their knots..."