60 Are you God?

After organizing matters at the Hagun Academy, Nene decided to confront Otto about Brynhildr.

"So, who is the child's mother?" Nene asked while playfully interacting with Brynhildr, who was gently massaging Nene's flat chest.

"N—"

"Nene! Nene! Nene!" Brynhildr interrupted before Otto could respond, eagerly vying for Nene's attention.

"Oh... Is that so?" Nene mused with a smile.

"I suppose I can act as her mother," she added cheerfully, enveloping Brynhildr in a warm hug. Brynhildr giggled internally, delighted by the look on Otto's face, mistakenly assuming Brynhildr's mother had abandoned them both.

'This is why you need to communicate with others more often, dear,' Brynhildr thought, recognizing Otto's struggles with social interactions.

"Oh~ that tickled." Nene jolted as Brynhildr purposely touched her crotch.

"Is mommy angry?" Brynhildr asked, her tearful eyes reflecting her distress. Nene, seeing her anguish, felt a deep pang of guilt, something she had rarely experienced before.

"Ah! No, no, no. It's fine," Nene hurriedly reassured her, treating Brynhildr as if she were a delicate object. She was unaware that Brynhildr, despite her fragile appearance, was actually far stronger physically and much older in spirit than herself.

"Anyway, what is her name?" Nene asked, turning to Otto, who had yet to introduce the child.

"..." Otto hesitated. Neither he nor Brynhildr had considered the need for a name since Brynhildr's current form was only temporary. Moreover, the true nature of Brynhildr's identity was too complex to explain convincingly on the spot.

"Brunhild," Brynhildr finally answered, recalling one of her former names from her time as a valkyrie.

"Brunhild... Hmm, that's a great name!" Nene exclaimed, seemingly satisfied. She momentarily forgot that Otto had mentioned a similar name during his speech at the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, accepting the name without further question.

"Hope she won't figure it out..." Otto thought, finding the prospect of explaining further far too troublesome.

"Anyways, shouldn't you be thanking me?" Nene asked, reminding him that she had handled his enrollment at Hagun Academy.

"But you would have done it regardless..."

"Can't you just be a little thankful at least?" she pouted, her lips forming a slight pout.

"Thank you..." Otto replied, his tone begrudgingly polite.

Hearing his reluctant gratitude, Nene moved closer.

"???" Otto was puzzled by her approach, unsure of what she intended to do next.

"Here," Nene blushed, pointing to her cheek, silently asking for a kiss.

"No," Otto shook his head firmly in refusal.

"Well, I expected so—" Nene started to say, clearly not having expected Otto to kiss her in the first place.

But then, Brynhildr decided to intervene, sensing an opportunity to help Nene out.

'Don't worry, Nene, I've got you,' she thought.

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Brynhildr pushed Nene towards Otto as hard as she could, knowing that while she couldn't match Otto's strength, she could at least create an amusing moment.

Caught off guard, Otto stumbled back until he was cornered against a wall. Brynhildr's push propelled Nene forward, and in the confusion, their lips met in an unexpected kiss.

*Chuu*

"..."

Both Nene and Otto stood frozen. Their eyes wide with surprise after the non-consensual kiss left them speechless and blushing furiously. Meanwhile, Brynhildr watched them with a satisfied grin, feeling proud of herself for orchestrating what she considered a good deed.

Nene's mind was a whirlwind as she savored the brief moment of their unexpected kiss, her lips still tingling with the sensation.

'Woooo, Otto's first kiss has been taken,' Brynhildr thought to herself, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she secretly congratulated Otto, feeling like she had orchestrated a memorable event.

However, Otto's reaction was quite different. As he pushed the two away, a wave of discomfort washed over him. He felt violated and tainted, as if this unexpected kiss had somehow sullied him.

'Am I going to end up like Ricardo?' Otto's mind raced with worries, recalling his friend's reputation for being attracted to lolis.

The room fell into an awkward silence, the air thick with tension as everyone processed what had just happened in their own way.

"Yay—ahem," Brynhildr cleared her throat before returning to her cutesy voice with a playful giggle. She had a knack for switching between tones effortlessly, trying to imitate Otto's talent of changing voices.

"Mama, does kissing papa feel good." She asked Nene, who was still flustered, nodding in response to the question.

At that moment, Nene's heart swelled with a sense of belonging and love for Brynhildr, regardless of biological ties. She had come to see Brynhildr not just as a child she cared for but as her own flesh and blood, a bond forged through shared experiences and affection.

"How about yo—eh?" Brynhildr turned to Otto, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she tried to ask him the same question. However, before she could finish her sentence, Otto, with a mischievous grin, playfully interrupted her.

...

At the same time, back at the Hero's Village...

Basara and his father, Jin, made the decision to leave the village and move towards Tokyo.

"Do you think you can take on Otto?" Jin asked Basara, his voice filled with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"Absolutely not," Basara replied immediately, his tone reflecting a hint of doubt.

"What? That can't be. You must be at least on par with him, right?" Jin refused to believe otherwise, having made a bet with Bismarck on the outcome of a potential duel.

"Nah, I'd lose, dad," Basara said with a sigh, recalling the formidable display of Otto's skills during the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.

'It's impossible for my son to lose... I bathed him in Dragon's blood when he was a baby, and he possesses the blood of the Demon King, a goddess, and mine, the strongest hero,' Jin thought to himself, struggling to understand Basara's lack of confidence in his own powers.

"Doesn't he have Brynhildr?" Basara asked, trying to make sense of his father's insistence on his victory.

"Yeah, but the banishing shift isn't enough to defeat you," Jin replied resolutely, determined not to lose the bet he had made.

"Why are you so insistent on me defeating him? We're not even in bad terms," Basara questioned his father, sensing a hidden motive in Jin's words.

"Well... Let's forget about it for now. We have a new house waiting for us in Tokyo," Jin dismissed the conversation, eager to change the subject as they set off from the village.

'If you can beat Bismarck's son, I'll treat give and find you several wives for you.' Jin secretly thought.

Meanwhile, from a window in one of the buildings, Bismarck observed the father-son duo with a thoughtful expression.

"Hmmm... I've been idle for far too long," Bismarck muttered to himself, feeling a sense of restlessness after seven years of relative inactivity. He contemplated returning to the underworld to resume his previous work, seeking new challenges and excitement.

As Bismarck pondered his next move, his phone suddenly rang, a reminder flashing on the screen.

"It's his 17th birthday..." Bismarck murmured, a faint smile crossing his face as he imagined how far Otto had progressed in his own journey.

Another message followed, this time from an old acquaintance, triggering a smirk on Bismarck's lips.

"That old fat bastard..." Bismarck scoffed, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Perhaps this is the opportunity I've been waiting for to make my return."

...

In the Underworld of High School DxD...

"Hey, I've heard that the guy you've been after actually became a criminal in Italy," Ajuka Beelzebub shared the news, knowing it would pique the interest of Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan.

"We're aware," Serafall replied dejectedly, knowing she was the one who had sent Vincent Fabron to Italy in the first place.

"It's good that you're aware," Sirzechs said with a gentle smile, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"I'm sorry," Serafall apologized, realizing that this turn of events might have complicated their plans for forming alliances with other factions.

"Let's keep this information to ourselves for now. We don't want the Heaven faction getting wind of it," Sirzechs suggested, aware of the potential repercussions if Heaven learned of their involvement in Vincent Fabron's actions.

"What if they do find out? Eventually, they'll uncover the truth about Vincent Fabron and the stolen Holy Swords," Ajuka posed a crucial question, knowing that Heaven would likely launch an investigation into the matter.

"In that case, we'll need to compensate them somehow..." Sirzechs began, considering their options carefully.

"I propose that we offer to assist them in locating the culprit," Fabian Asmodeus, even though was the embodiment of laziness is another influential figure among the Satans, interjected with a thoughtful suggestion.

"I agree with Fabian. This could be an opportunity for us to forge an alliance with Heaven while also tracking down Vincent Fabron," Ajuka added, seeing the potential benefits of such a strategy.

"Then it's settled. We'll proceed with this plan," Sirzechs concluded, the group coming to a consensus as they made preparations to embark on their mission to locate the mysterious masked man, Vincent Fabron.

...

Back to Otto, who now found himself alone with Brynhildr on the rooftop.

"What was that all about?" he asked, still puzzled by the stunt she had pulled with him and Nene.

"Oh, I just thought you hadn't had your first kiss yet, so I figured I'd help you out," Brynhildr said nonchalantly, sticking her tongue out as if it were a playful accident.

Otto looked at her with a mix of amusement and bewilderment.

"Nevermind that... Can you control the rate at which your body develops?" Otto raised an eyebrow, pondering whether Brynhildr was intentionally controlling her physical growth. Given that she was a homunculus created from his genes, she had the potential to age or mature at a rate far beyond that of ordinary humans.

There were moments when Brynhildr would undergo rapid physical changes unexpectedly, and then there were times when her development seemed to halt altogether.

"Well, you see..." Brynhildr hesitated, unable to provide a straightforward answer since she had indeed discovered a method to slow down her development.

"How did you manage that?" Otto asked, his curiosity piqued rather than being upset. To him, every aspect of Brynhildr's body was part of his ongoing research, especially in case of any unforeseen developments or issues.

'Could she have somehow acquired a portion of Mahoraga's adapted ability related to time?' Otto pondered, his mind racing with the potential implications of Brynhildr's already unique abilities, given that her body was created using his genes.

Otto wasn't even certain whether Brynhildr had inherited an authority like his own in this life, considering that she was technically his offspring even if she was a homunculus.

"That's right... I can, but only to a limited extent," Brynhildr explained, recalling the first time she had discovered this ability. It had been an accidental revelation, a moment of realization that she could manipulate the rate at which her body aged, a tangible aspect of her existence as a homunculus.

"It happened when I stumbled upon the realization that I could control the aging process of my body," she continued, her tone thoughtful as she recounted the experience.

"It was a surprising discovery, but also quite enjoyable and incredibly useful," she exclaimed, a hint of excitement in her voice as she discussed her newfound ability.

Brynhildr elaborated, explaining that she could now alter the form of her body to her liking, a remarkable feat that added an element of versatility to her capabilities. Now that she could change her form to Otto's preferences.

"That's certainly a first..." Otto remarked, his interest piqued by this revelation. He couldn't recall encountering any information about homunculi being able to transform their bodies in such a manner, based on the records he had obtained from Edelweiss.

"Isn't it fascinating?" Brynhildr exclaimed, clearly impressed with her own abilities.

"But why haven't you chosen to grow into an adult if you have the capability to do so? Why stay in that loli form?" Otto scrutinized her with a suspicious gaze, causing Brynhildr to freeze momentarily at the unexpected question.

"Is it wrong for me to desire the experience of being a human child for an extended period?" she replied, her voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and introspection.

"..." Otto fell silent, unable to fully comprehend Brynhildr's perspective. Upon his reincarnation, his immediate desire had been to grow up quickly. This was driven by the knowledge that Shakyamuni had informed him back then, that he would only gain the full version of his authority once he reached adulthood. To Otto, growing up quickly meant unlocking the full potential of his abilities.

'Now that I think about it... Isn't my authority getting stronger and stronger?' he noticed, realizing that he could now make simple things permanent, such as the clothes he conjured for his cosplays. This ability to make things permanent had always been the hardest part to manifest.

"Can I ask you something?" Brynhildr felt it was her turn to inquire after answering his questions.

"Of course," Otto replied.

"Are you God?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Having become his spawn, she noticed that the hidden divinity he possessed resembled that of gods.

...

-Chapter End-