Two-Dimensional Heroic Girls

If there really were such a thing as a goddess in this world, then Megumi might have just met one.

Her beauty was completely different from the cute idols seen on TV, the so-called national sweethearts—there was a stark contrast. She possessed a beauty that surpassed that of humans, with long, clear water-blue hair that gave off an ethereal, gentle aura.

She looked about the same age as Megumi. Though her figure didn't seem particularly voluptuous, her proportions were perfect.

She wore a loose, light purple robe known as a "hagoromo," a divine garment.

Beneath the robe was a flowing sea-blue one-piece dress, paired with sleeveless armbands and long blue knee-high boots.

Dressed like that, coupled with her otherworldly beauty, she seemed like the embodiment of water itself—a true goddess of water. In fact, the person who appeared before Megumi introduced herself exactly as that: the Water Goddess—Aqua.

The self-proclaimed goddess Aqua told Megumi that she was the luckiest person ever.

She had an S-rank Hero aptitude and even possessed remarkable divinity. Given time, after defeating the Demon King and accomplishing great feats, there was a strong chance that after her short human life ended, she could ascend to the heavens and become a goddess.

And then came the long list of amazing things that came with becoming a goddess.

Basically, the premise of it all was that Megumi would sign a contract given to her by the Water Goddess. Once signed, she would become a hero admired by countless people—a dream within reach.

Becoming a goddess revered by mortals was just around the corner.

Ah, it all sounded too good to be true.

So good, in fact, that Megumi flatly refused to sign.

Where in the world did deals that convenient exist?

No matter how the goddess tried to sweet-talk her with tempting conditions, Megumi remained unmoved.

Eventually, after about ten minutes starting from the moment she had arrived—her soul, as a living human, was no longer allowed to linger in that place and was automatically sent back.

So what happened after Megumi returned? Well… sorry, but she barely remembered a thing. It was like waking up from a dream, and immediately forgetting almost everything that happened in it.

That's how it was.

The first time was in the morning. The second time happened at noon. She'd just closed her eyes to rest a little, and the next thing she knew, she was back there again.

Strangely enough, her nearly-forgotten memories of the dream came flooding back once more.

And just like before, the same goddess appeared.

But this time, the goddess had completely abandoned her lofty, divine air and was now desperately pleading with her, pitiful and teary-eyed, begging Kato to sign the hero contract.

If she didn't, Aqua would be sent to a terrifying world where she'd most likely die.

So, the second time was basically Aqua putting on a sob story. Megumi nearly gave in, almost signed it on impulse. She realized this goddess was a bit crafty. But before she could decide, time ran out again and she was sent back.

And now, this was the third time.

The Water Goddess Aqua, right in front of her, looked just like an abandoned little puppy, gazing at her with watery eyes and constantly sniffing—yes, the goddess was crying.

"Please, I swear on my divine name that I'm not lying!"

The one speaking—Aqua—wasn't joking this time. Actually, most of what she'd said in the beginning had been true.

At first, she just wanted to find any random person from the human world to fake the role and cheat her way through the process. But to her utter disbelief, her luck exploded.

It was as if she had used up her entire lifetime's worth of good fortune.

The human girl summoned—Megumi Kato—actually had S-rank Hero aptitude and even a compatible level of divinity.

It wasn't impossible for her to become a new goddess in the future. In fact, some goddesses in the heavens had ascended in exactly the same way.

So for Aqua, who had discovered such an ultra-rare (UR) human, she'd be granted the position of mentor and guide to this girl.

That role would count as major merit in her work record and could offset her forced transfer to another world.

A goddess promotion wouldn't be just a dream anymore.

But there was a condition—Kato had to sign the contract. Without it, Aqua couldn't justify her involvement in the guidance system, and thus couldn't avoid being sent to that terrifying world.

Of course, the contract couldn't be forced on anyone. After all, some people really didn't want to become heroes.

They just wanted a quiet, peaceful life.

"Please explain clearly… why are you going this far?"

Megumi, who had planned to stay silent, finally asked, wanting to know the details.

As she said this, the goddess Aqua wiped her tears and waved her hand. A mysterious, glowing circular screen appeared, displaying a scene that left Megumi in stunned silence.

"As you can see… in that other world, a killing machine left behind by the ancient Demon King—Icarus—has awakened..."

The colossal mechanical dragon called Icarus fired a sky-splitting beam at a certain angle, blasting off a chunk of the moon.

The shattered moon fragments, drawn by the world's gravitational pull, turned into deadly projectiles, plummeting toward the earth like a doomsday meteor shower, scorching through the atmosphere and reducing the land to rubble.

This scene left even the usually calm and pale-faced Megumi visibly shaken.

In order to prevent the world from turning into a cratered wasteland, gods, dragons, magical beasts, spirits, and humans alike were desperately trying to stop the falling moon debris.

"I'm just a water goddess. My only power is healing—I have zero combat ability. If I get sent to that world for support, it's like being a medic thrown into your world's brutal battlefield. I could die at any moment... So, if I can become your guide, I can avoid being dispatched."

As Aqua spoke, she gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

She probably expected Megumi to look down on her, but the truth was—she was just terrified. So terrified she had to shamelessly beg.

"So—"

So what?

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the place, startling Aqua as if all of heaven had been hit by some powerful shockwave.

"This is bad, Aqua-senpai!"

With a voice full of panic, a flash of white light appeared, and a girl radiating divine brilliance suddenly materialized out of nowhere in front of Kato.

Now this girl looked like a true goddess.

"Eris? What is it? Are you here to drag me away now? Nooo! Please don't! You fake-boobed—!"

"That's not it! The dispatch has been called off!"

"Huh? Canceled? So that means I'm not going anymore?"

"That's right, but—"

"Yay, yay yay yay—no need to—"

"Please let me finish, Aqua-senpai! The situation has gotten worse. That Icarus is now forcibly crossing dimensions… and its destination is Earth!!!"

"Huh? Earth? Whatever, as long as it's not—"

Just as she was brushing it off, looking thrilled that it wasn't her problem anymore, Aqua suddenly froze like a statue. Then her face broke into a waterfall of cold sweat.

"Ehhhh?! Earth?! Uuuu... I quit! I don't want to be a goddess anymore!"