Chapter 3: Idiot Goddess

Aqua had obviously worn the hairband. Why was the task still incomplete?

"Ahh… Why is this hairband so tight?"

Where did it go wrong?

"Why can't I take it off?"

Could he have missed something?

"Ahhh! I know this must be a cursed item, right? Look at my divine purification!"

Ignoring Aqua, who kept yelling at the side because she couldn't take off the hairband, Sato Hikaru reviewed the content of the task.

'Task 4: Use the golden hairband once. There was nothing wrong. It has been used... huh?"

Suddenly recalling something, Sato Hikaru quickly shifted his gaze upwards and looked at the golden hairband's description as well as the task 3 completion reward.

[Item: Golden hairband]

[Effect: A magical hairband made of pure gold. The unworn hairband will make other people eager to wear it, but it cannot be removed once worn, except by the creator and owner.]

[Remark: The effect will be enhanced when used together with the manual.]

[Tutorial 3 completed; reward received: golden hairband manual]

'Could it be that this hairband has an additional function written in the manual, and thus I have to read it before I can use it properly?'

With this in mind, Sato Hikaru took out the usage manual and turned to the first page. There were six large characters on it.

唵(ong),嘛(mā),呢(nī),叭(bēi),咪(mēi),吽(hōng)

Looking at the six characters with their pronunciation thoughtfully marked beside them, Sato Hikaru unconsciously chanted as he read, "Om mani padme hum?"

"Waaaaa! It hurts! It hurts so much!"

"Huh?"

Hearing the already noisy Aqua suddenly scream in pain, Sato Hikaru turned his head in surprise.

He just happened to see the water goddess, Aqua, holding her head and rolling on the ground in pain.

And as she kept rolling around, her short skirt kept rising and falling.

However, the strange thing was, no matter how Aqua rolled, and no matter how much the short skirt fluttered, Sato Hikaru's sight was always blocked such that he could only see below her thighs.

"What kind of principle is this?"

"Wuuuu…"

Sato Hikaru, who was still puzzled by the strange skirt, heard Aqua's cry and quickly looked at her.

No idea whether she had gotten used to the pain or if the pain was no longer there, Aqua was no longer rolling.

She just lay on the ground with her hands on her head and cried, "Why did my head suddenly hurt so much just now? It felt like my head was going to split."

"Hiss…"

Here's the text with corrected grammar:

Hearing Aqua's words, Sato Hikaru couldn't help but take a breath.

Just now, a certain possibility flashed through his mind.

He looked at the system panel again, and indeed, [tutorial 4] had been completed.

"The golden hairband, six-character mantra, and the headache that came after reciting it. This… golden hairband. Isn't this Brother Monkey's golden hoop and its tightening spell?"

"Tightening spell?"

Aqua, who was crying on the ground, blinked her big watery eyes and looked at Sato Hikaru as her eyes slowly changed from idiotic to dangerous.

"Did you just say tightening spell?"

"No!" Sato Hikaru, who was questioned, replied with a stiff expression. "You heard wrong. What I said was, 'This golden hoop is really beautiful.'"

"Is it the tightening spell from Journey to the West?"

"Ahaha…"

Unexpectedly, Aqua also knew about Journey to the West, which genuinely stunned Sato Hikaru. So he looked away guiltily. "What are you talking about? Why can't I understand?"

"Ahhhh! You damn brat!"

Although Aqua was an Idiot, she wasn't that naive. (TL: Ehem)

Looking at Sato Hikaru's guilty expression, how could she not understand what had just transpired?

She immediately rushed towards Sato Hikaru with bared teeth and claws. "So it was you, damn brat, who did this! You are blaspheming a god! Do you know that?"

"Wait, I said it wasn't my fault."

"Do you think I'll believe you? Eat my divine..."

As Sato Hikaru, who was pushed down by Aqua, saw her raised hands clad in holy light, he was shocked and quickly recited the six-character mantra again.

"Om mani padme hum!"

"Guaaa!! It's splitting, my head is going to split!"

Sure enough, as Aqua was about to beat up Sato Hikaru, under the influence of the six-character mantra, she immediately grabbed the golden hoop on her head and rolled on the ground.

"Damn it… the anime almost harmed me. When fighting against the giant frog, Aqua's fist obviously could do nothing, but just the wind from her fist just now almost made me unable to recite the tightening spell."

Holding his heart that was still beating hard, Sato Hikaru stood up and took a few steps back. "Is this the goddess's power? I can't afford to offend her."

"Uwaaa… Liar! Liar! You still dare to say it wasn't you!"

Seeing Aqua, who was crying and rolling on the ground after the pain had subsided, the little awe in Sato Hikaru's heart was once again cast aside.

He even felt embarrassed by how he'd acted just now.

"I was actually scared by this idiot goddess… I felt like dying."