Campione: Strongest# 453: The Outer God Gets To Work

Haru glanced at Nyarlathotep and mentally shielded Azaka's hearing. 'How did you two even meet?'

‘Hehe. I ran into her in the room next door. Seems little Azaka is quite smitten with yours truly, Nyarko-sama,’ Nyarlathotep chuckled, a strange, smug smile playing on her lips.

‘See? Nyarko-sama’s charm is astounding, isn't it?’

‘No. I have a feeling it was just dumb luck. You happened to bump into this particular girl,’ Haru retorted, glancing at Azaka.

‘A girl with the Origin of Taboo, running into the ancient, forbidden Outer God. She must have sensed the raw, forbidden aura on you instinctively.’

Haru’s gaze grew sympathetic. ‘Out of everyone she could be attracted to, she had to be drawn to Nyarlathotep.’ The consequences were unimaginable.

‘A three-minute moment of silence for her, and a one-second moment for her brother, Mikiya Kokutou.’

‘Sigh, one less girl obsessed with her brother… one more for the yuri crowd.’

‘Interested in a taste of that delicate little body?’ the silver-haired Outer God’s lips curved into a strange, wicked smile.

‘Of course I am.’ Hearing her, Haru’s lips curled into a nasty smile of his own. He had no intention of hiding his thoughts. Besides, what was the point of hiding anything from an Outer God like Nyarlathotep? Better to just admit it.

‘Hehehe!’ Nyarlathotep let out a few bursts of eerie laughter, her smile completely demonic.

For an Outer God, pranking an innocent girl was entertaining enough if it amused her. As for the consequences? If the Great Old Ones cared about such things, they wouldn't be called Outer Gods. Their way of thinking was incomprehensible, often resulting in the devastation of innocents—a core aspect of the Cthulhu Mythos's infamy.

“Hmm?!” Azaka Kokutou, who was applying an ice pack to Nyarlathotep’s head, suddenly shivered and looked around nervously.

Just then, she turned and caught sight of Haru’s malevolent expression. Her dainty brows furrowed, and she said with clear distaste, “You look like you’re thinking about something terrible. Your face is absolutely lecherous.”

“You little brat. You may look exactly like my daughter, but your personality is nowhere near as charming.” The smile instantly froze on Haru’s face. His lip twitched, and he looked at Azaka with pure disdain.

Hearing this, Azaka glared back, put down the ice pack, and fiercely put her hands on her hips, launching into a verbal counterattack.

“You’re calling me uncharming? Do you really think a guy who just used the excuse ‘you look like my daughter’ to sexually harass me has the right to say that?”

“Honestly, do you even have a daughter? You probably made her up. Getting off on some fantasy in your head—that’s truly disgusting…”

As she spoke, Azaka pulled Nyarlathotep up and slowly backed toward the door, watching Haru warily. She was starting to suspect he might be one of those creeps she’d read about—the kind who buys a doll, fantasizes it’s his daughter, then goes heh heh heh. ‘Were they called "sad sacks" or something?’

‘No way, he looks pretty handsome,’ Azaka continued to eye Haru suspiciously as she dragged Nyarlathotep toward the exit.

Sensing her doubts, Haru reached into his pocket, pretended to pull out a photograph, and waved it in front of her.

“Fantasy? That’s incredibly rude. Do you want to see a picture?” Haru said flatly, his eyes deadpan. Although the picture was conjured with a temporary spell, its content was based on absolute truth—more than enough to fool Azaka Kokutou.

“Oh!” Azaka blinked. Even from a distance, her excellent eyesight clearly made out the image of a family of four.

‘That girl in the photo… she really does look exactly like me—’

A look of embarrassment flashed across Azaka’s face. Realizing she had just maliciously slandered someone, she quickly bowed deeply.

“My sincerest apologies! I completely misunderstood you!”

In terms of manners, Azaka was impeccable. Her hostility stemmed from an inexplicable dislike. ‘Did I start to hate him the moment I saw Nyarko shake his hand and jump into his arms?’

“It’s alright,” Haru waved his hand dismissively. He wasn't going to hold a grudge against a thirteen-year-old, especially one who resembled Rin so closely.

‘After all, fatherly love is like a mountain...’ (crushing her beneath its weight.)

Hearing Haru’s words, Azaka sighed in relief and slowly straightened up. She looked at the photo in his hand with curiosity. “Um, can I take a closer look?”

“Sure. Here.” Haru raised an eyebrow, flicking his fingers. The photo zipped through the air, stopping right in front of Azaka’s face.

“Hey! This is an important family picture! You shouldn’t just toss it around like that!” Azaka clumsily caught the photo and complained.

Haru looked speechlessly at the meddlesome girl, choosing not to mention the photo was a fake.

“It’s just a copy,” he brushed it off vaguely.

“Who are you trying to fool? Would you carry a copy with you everywhere?” Azaka muttered, ignoring his awkward expression as she looked closely at the photo.

She examined the figures intently, leaning against Nyarlathotep and pointing to Rin in the picture, her face full of surprise.

“Wow, Sister Nyarko, she really does look like me! If I didn’t know I’d never taken this photo, I’d think that was me!”

“Oh, wow. Yes, you’re right. You and little Rin really do look alike,” Nyarlathotep pretended to be astonished. “By the way, are you sure Azaka isn't your illegitimate daughter?” she asked, watching Haru with an amused look.

“Eh?!” Azaka’s face instantly stiffened, and she stared at the shockingly suggestive Nyarlathotep.

“Of course I'm sure,” Haru shrugged. As soon as the words left his mouth, his brow furrowed. He noticed Azaka’s hearing seemed to have been manipulated; his voice apparently wasn't reaching her ears.

Azaka’s expression grew increasingly uncomfortable. From her point of view, Haru frequently opening his mouth without making a sound seemed incredibly suspicious.

'No way—?! Did Mom really do something so brazen?!' Azaka looked at Haru in horror.

“Well then, as her sister, I have a duty to confirm whether or not my reckless older brother actually left behind a secret child,” Nyarlathotep crossed her arms, nodding repeatedly with mock seriousness.

“Since when are you my sister?” Haru raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

Unable to hear him, Azaka stared blankly. His perplexed expression, to her already biased mind, was merely proof of a guilty conscience.

“Let’s go, Azaka! We’re getting a DNA test!” Nyarlathotep pulled a handful of silver hair from somewhere and, with a quick yank, dragged Azaka toward the door. Before leaving, the Outer God looked over her shoulder and gave Haru a wicked smile.

Slam—!

The door shut violently.