Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 155

Chapter 155: Opening Ceremony and the God

Starting today, Kurono was seated next to Sora in a spot that had been vacant for a long time.

If this were a novel, it might have begun a heartwarming romantic comedy with a genius beautiful girl who had skipped grades.

However, I’m not a lolicon, and first and foremost, I’m in charge of Kurono, whose father is a beta player trapped in ?Astral Online?.

As her father’s proxy, I’ve resolved not to betray his expectations or trust in any way.

Calm down, I need to support Kurono as her partner.

I must not see her as a romantic interest. Got it?

As I pondered this, Kurono tilted her head and asked, “Sora, is something wrong?”

“Uh, it’s nothing,” I replied coolly, taking a few deep breaths to steady my racing heart.

Before I knew it, our homeroom teacher, Satsuki, quickly wrapped up some announcements, and before we realized it, homeroom was over.

Once homeroom ended, the customary event for the students was the opening ceremony held in the gym.

After Satsuki left, Sora and Kurono were surrounded by classmates firing off questions.

For Kurono, who had a rather complex and untellable background, I simply explained that her parents were absent due to certain circumstances, and that for now, I was taking care of her along with my cousin.

Then, regarding the move to the gym for the opening ceremony, Maeda and the other classmates surrounded us with a convoluted proposal to escort her, which had far too many points to critique, so Sora just looked at them in disbelief and rejected it.

The reason was that I couldn’t allow Kurono, who was new to our school and didn’t know her left from her right, to experience something so bizarre right from the start.

So I decided to just accept their goodwill and said clearly, “Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it, but I’ll protect Kurono. I promised her father I would.”

For some reason, the girls around us exclaimed, “Kyaaa!” and Kurono’s face turned bright red.

I thought it was only natural for me, as her “brother” and partner, to protect her, but I couldn’t understand what they were so excited about.

Feeling an ominous sense, Sora decided to hold Kurono’s hand for the time being and, accompanied by her two closest friends as a minimal escort, headed towards the gymnasium.

To be able to respond quickly if anything happened, some classmates, led by the class monitor, followed a little behind.

Walking ahead were the two silver-haired, blue-eyed girls. Their extraordinary beauty attracted the attention of other students everywhere they went.

Anyone who tried to approach them quickly retreated with just a single glare from me.

There wasn’t a single person in this school who could withstand the pressure of an adventurer rated ?C rank?.

As Sora escorted Kurono, she cleared the path, allowing them to arrive at the gym smoothly without any interruptions.

Standing in line at their class’s designated spot under the class monitor’s guidance—though Kurono was inexplicably next to Sora despite the alphabetical arrangement—all the classes gathered and lined up, and the principal in a suit appeared to begin his speech.

He started with greetings, followed by advice on how each grade should conduct themselves.

He concluded by stating that given the world’s dire situation, it was a time for the youth who would bear the future, including the teachers, to reassess how they should proceed.

“That concludes my address to the general student. However, there is one more thing I must share with all of you.”

The content was, as expected, about changes to the academic paths of certain students holding ?Adventurer Cards?.

What was referred to as the ?Adventurer System? would have them attend regular classes in the morning and pursue strategies for ?Astral Online? in the afternoon at a ?Temple? built beside their home or school.

What exactly is this Temple?

As Sora pondered this, a girl appeared on stage as the principal stepped back.

She had pure white hair and golden eyes. A self-proclaimed goddess named El Aurum, who could easily be described as the most beautiful girl in the world and the ruler of the current reality.

Her image had appeared on television multiple times through the media.

Therefore, there was no one in the world who didn’t recognize El.

As expected, all the students around, including Sora’s classmates, murmured, “Is she the real deal?” and buzzed with excitement.

The only one who appears calm and uninterested in her presence is Sora, who has met and spoken with her directly several times.

“Here she comes…”

“That’s the goddess…”

Kurono and I express completely opposite feelings about the white-haired girl’s appearance.

Come to think of it, this must be her first time seeing her too.

As the girl cutely covers her mouth with her left hand in surprise, I feel an urge to point out that she’s not that impressive. Instead, I focus on El’s words.

“Nice to meet you, I am El Aurum, the goddess of this world.”

Even without using a microphone, the voice of the girl claiming to be a god is clear in my ears.

Is this strange phenomenon also a result of her power?

El talks about the “Forest of Spirits” incident that began at the start of summer vacation and the recent “Lava Zone” incident.

She explains that both could have led to the extinction of humanity if they had progressed any further and says that the heroes who stopped these events and saved the world twice should be greatly praised.

Raising her right hand to the heavens, she snaps her fingers.

Suddenly, multiple spotlights that seem to shine from the sky illuminate Sora, Kurono, Shinji, Shiro, and one other student.

“Five adventurers who receive the light of the heavens, please come before me.”

Ugh, that’s unpleasant.

I make a bitter face at the troublesome situation I want to reject with all my might, but since my two best friends and Kurono obediently comply, I reluctantly follow behind them.

When the four of us reach the stage, the last person to step up is a girl with black semi-long hair who has one eye hidden, and she has a large chest.

She seems to lack confidence, and when she meets our gaze, her face turns bright red, and she looks down.

As I try to call her name, Kurono, who noticed her appearance before I did, murmurs, “Inori-chan?”

The girl’s face turns even redder, and eventually, she can’t take it anymore and turns away.

Since I can’t explain everything in front of all the students, I ask Kurono to leave her alone for now and promise to explain later.

El, who watches the exchange with a smile, expresses her gratitude to us once again.

“You all are the best adventurers who have dedicated yourselves to protecting the world from ?Astral Online?. Therefore, I will present you with a certificate of appreciation.”

A certificate? I don’t need that.

Sora feels quite irritated about being made a spectacle of, thinking this deep down.

On the other hand, the other three had slightly different reactions.

“It’s my first time receiving a certificate!”

“Well, it doesn’t feel bad to be praised.”

“Takanashi-san, that’s great!”

Kurono and the others look a bit happy.

I think that receiving a mere piece of paper won’t be of any use.

As I let out a heavy sigh in my mind, the other four receive their certificates first, and finally, it’s Sora’s turn.

“Thank you once again, Sora-sama.”

“Yes, yes, you’re welcome.”

Since the students can’t hear my voice, I casually reply while receiving the certificate from the self-proclaimed goddess El with both hands.

Then, an extraordinary phenomenon occurs with the ordinary certificate.

As it’s distributed to the five of us, the paper suddenly emits a mysterious light, and a window screen, similar to those seen in the ?Astral Online? game, appears before us.

Surprised, I take a closer look and notice the message: ?Reward receipt is complete?.

“For this time’s contributors, you will receive a skill as a gift. The next time you log in to the game, you will be able to choose one from the gift box, so make good use of your skill slots and continue to work hard on your quests.”

“Thank you, goddess!”

Up until then, Sora had been radiating an unmotivated mood, but she changed her attitude with overwhelming speed.

In front of the entire student body, she bowed deeply to El with exemplary grace.