When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 44

“Alright, today’s episode of Haruka Love Channel begins now!”

: Woohoo!
: I’m here!
: I’ve been waiting… for this day… forever…

“Okita-san! I already asked you to change that name!”

“Oh.”

Damn. Haruka had looked at me with such a serious expression when she asked me to change it… but then after that… (I’ll leave it to your imagination)… I completely forgot.

She was adorable, though.

: Sensei! Okita-kun is making a really suspicious face!
: That’s not a suspicious face, that’s a perverted face.
: He definitely did that with that!
: What exactly?
: You totally know what we mean!

“Ugh, seriously!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll change it next time!”

“You promise?!”

“(Maybe in two years…)”

: He’s absolutely not going to change it.
: Did he just mutter ‘two years’ under his breath?
: It’ll probably turn into ‘My Adorable Wife Channel’ instead… (distant look)
: Just pure bragging at this point.
: I just hope it doesn’t turn into ‘Furious Haruka Channel.’
: LOLOLOL

“Hey there. Sorry to interrupt, but Okita, let me analyze you.”

: Oh, it’s the black guy.
: Sup.
: Wait, this just started, and it’s already over?
: I was looking forward to this—come on!
: Why is Jun basically a regular now?
: You realize that’s probably a really dangerous guy, right?

I was messing around with Haruka and the chat when the Demon God suddenly appeared.

Dude, you show up way too casually.

Where’s the godly dignity? At this rate, you’re showing up more often than slimes.

“Analysis, huh? If there’s some kind of reward involved, I’ll think about it.”

“A reward?”

: Coming in with the arrogant attitude LMAO.
: Okita-san’s stance doesn’t change, even when dealing with a literal god. Respect.
: Haruka-chan seems to be keeping her distance, though.
: Can you blame her? She could literally die.

“For example… oh, I know. How about adding a respawn function to the dungeon?”

“……”

I just threw the idea out there, but he went silent.

Too much to ask, maybe?

: Okita just asked for divine intervention right off the bat!
: If this actually happens, it’s a huge deal?!
: Is he serious, or just trying to avoid being analyzed? Can’t tell.
: If this is approved, the world’s gonna change forever…
: Not just ‘gonna change’—it will change!

“Alright. If you die, I’ll regenerate your body and teleport you back to the entrance.”

“Wait… you can actually do that?”

“Of course. But I’ll take a bit of your accumulated experience points in exchange.”

: No complaints.
: None at all.
: Better than dying, right?
: No joke—this isn’t just a game-changer, it’s revolutionary!

“Judging by the comments, it seems like no one has a problem with it.”

: Uh, wait a sec.
: This isn’t something we should be deciding.

Kamiya: “Go ahead. The World Church approves as well.”

: Wait, for real?!
: Are we witnessing history being made?
: We’re literally witnessing history!

“So, does this make us friends now?”

“What are you talking about?”

The Demon God fidgeted slightly as he spoke.

Aren’t gods supposed to say something more like, ‘From this moment on, you are my vassal! Swear your allegiance to me until death! Gwahaha!’

: Okita-san, the Demon God just gave you the respawn function as a token of friendship!
: Meanwhile, Okita’s response: ‘That’s not enough, give me more.’
: His favorability rating just tanked.
: “Stay away from Okita-san! He’s mine! The Demon God can back off!”
: Uh, Haruka, I think you already won that battle…
: Lolololol

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m not saying we can’t be friends.”

: Uh… so what are you saying?
: Bro, what?

Chat wasn’t following, which made sense.

They hadn’t seen what went down last time.

“I see… So it’s still not enough, huh? I get it…”

The Demon God sighed.

“We’ve been friends for a while now.”

“Huh?”

“We talk like this, we eat together. We’re already friends.”

“Okita… then, can we shake hands?”

“Yeah.”

And just like that, I was officially friends with a Demon God.

Can you not get so close? Haruka’s looking at me like something’s wrong.

“By the way, if someone gets killed by a monster that escaped onto the surface, does the respawn function still work?”

: That’s actually an important question, Okita!
: Yeah, we do have fatalities from dungeon outbreaks.
: But if it only works inside the dungeon, surface deaths are still final, right?
: Don’t give up yet!
: It’s not about giving up—it’s just whether Okita can push the Demon God hard enough to get him to agree.

“If they make it outside, my power doesn’t reach them. So no, I can’t bring them back.”

“But I see… You lost your mother to an escaped monster, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

: Right… Ranketsu-san…

Damn. That made things a little too somber.

“But it’s not about revenge or anything. That’s just how it was. Mom saved a lot of people, and she was happy. I’m proud of her.”

: Okita-san…
: Okita-kun… ♡
: Okita-sama… ♡

Okay. Maybe I made things too emotional…