The Goddess At My University

Diana finally texted Chase around 7:00 PM, saying, "Are you still here?"

Chase replied almost instantly: "Yeah, I was afraid you might get lost going on your own. Meet me in front of the library when you're ready."

He waited in front of the library, the summer evening air warm enough to keep the night from feeling chilly. A few minutes later, he spotted Diana approaching. As she walked closer, Chase couldn't help but notice her outfit: black drawstring shorts that accentuated her perfect curves and a simple white T-shirt. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, strands slightly messy, and there were faint traces of dried sweat on her skin.

He stepped forward to meet her, his gaze momentarily drawn to the subtle confidence in her stride. She looked… almost too captivating. Shaking off the thought, he asked with a smirk, "Did you skip orientation to play sports or something?"

Diana hesitated for a moment, her nerves spiking as she realized how much she might actually like him. But the casual way he addressed her eased her anxiety. She let out a small breath of relief and answered, "Alice showed me this sport called volleyball. It was very fun and exciting! They said if I join the team, I could make this thing called varsity." Her silver eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke.

Chase chuckled at her enthusiasm. "That means you're good. If you do end up playing, I'll come watch one of your games."

Hearing that, Diana felt a strange warmth spread through her chest. She didn't fully understand why, but knowing Chase would come watch her play made her even more determined to join the team. Her eyes lit up at the thought, her smile widening.

Chase couldn't help but stare at her expression, captivated by the sheer joy on her face. At least she didn't seem upset with him anymore. Then he noticed the bag she was carrying. "What's in there?" he asked.

"My undergarments," she replied matter-of-factly. "I cannot wash the same ones every day."

Chase blinked at her bluntness but simply nodded as they began walking.

Diana, meanwhile, kept sneaking glances at his hand. She remembered how much she had liked it when he held hers earlier. Part of her wanted him to take her hand again, but Chase didn't seem to be picking up on her hints.

She debated whether she should grab his hand herself. I can always say I didn't want to get lost, she reasoned, eyeing the small crowds around them. But then another thought struck her: As a goddess of hunting, wouldn't that be humiliating? The idea of admitting she needed to hold his hand to navigate her way back bruised her pride.

Still, Alice's words from earlier echoed in her mind: "Take initiative. Boys are rather dense and stupid."

Diana had to admit, she agreed. The memory made her smile for a moment before she frowned again, torn between her pride and her desires. Ultimately, she decided it was worth it. With a determined breath, she reached out and grabbed Chase's hand.

Chase was caught off guard by Diana's sudden action, turning to look at her with a raised brow, about to say something. Before he could, Diana quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks slightly pink. "I don't want to get lost," she mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

Chase decided not to press her on it and simply held her hand, adjusting his grip slightly so it was firm but gentle, providing her comfort. Diana noticed immediately. His hand is so warm, and it swallows mine completely, she thought, trying to suppress a smile. She couldn't help the slight skip in her step, her mood lifting more than she expected.

They continued in silence, the quiet between them oddly comfortable. When they finally arrived at the apartment building, Diana expected Chase to let go of her hand. To her surprise—and delight—he didn't seem to realize he was still holding it. He walked inside casually, leading her straight to the front desk.

Chase approached the receptionist, the same one from earlier, and requested the spare key he had asked for. The receptionist handed it over, smiling widely, though Chase didn't seem to notice. He then led Diana to the elevator, still holding her hand, and they rode up to his floor.

It wasn't until they reached his apartment door that Chase seemed to realize he was still holding her hand. Much to Diana's disappointment, he finally let go, but his next action caught her off guard. "Here," he said, handing her the spare key. "Use this to open the door."

Diana took the key, examining it curiously. It wasn't like the dorm room keycards she had seen before. Chase noticed her puzzled expression and explained, "It's magnetic, kind of like a keycard, but easier to put on a keychain." He pulled out his own keychain, which held only his apartment key, to demonstrate.

Following his example, Diana held the key to the reader and, when she heard a soft click, pushed the door open. "That was surprisingly simple," she remarked, but then a thought struck her. "But couldn't anyone open your door?" she asked, alarmed by how easy it seemed.

Chase shook his head. "Don't worry. I think the system uses a proximity reader or something like that. I'm not an expert, but I know you can't just open random doors."

Satisfied with his explanation, Diana nodded, stepping inside. She immediately headed toward the bedroom, presumably to grab some clothes. Chase watched her go, then called out, "You might want to wear something decent to go out in. We need to go grocery shopping. Ordering stuff every night is way more expensive than shopping in bulk."

Diana stopped mid-step, turning back to him with a questioning look. "We're going out?"

"Yeah," Chase replied casually, pouring himself a glass of juice as he headed for the couch. "I'll wait here. Take your time." He plopped down with his game console, already engrossed in the screen.

Diana lingered for a moment, then turned toward the bedroom, feeling a surprising flutter of excitement. She couldn't pinpoint why, but the thought of going somewhere with Chase—even for something as mundane as groceries—felt oddly pleasing.

Once inside the room, Diana opened her bags, digging through the new clothes she had acquired. To her growing frustration, none of them seemed perfect. She stood there, indecisive, holding shirts up to herself and discarding them onto the bed one by one.

After a while, Chase walked into the room, confused by the sight of Diana pacing around, surrounded by clothes. "Is it that hard to pick something?" he asked.

Diana jumped slightly, startled. She spun to face him with an indignant look. "Knock next time!"

"I did," Chase defended, raising his hands innocently. "You just didn't answer."

Diana huffed, quickly recovering from her embarrassment at being snuck up on. She turned her attention back to the scattered clothes, then seemed to pause as a thought struck her. "What should I wear?" she asked suddenly, her voice quieter than usual.

Chase blinked, not sure he'd heard her correctly. "Huh?"

"What's your preference?" she clarified, cheeks tinged faintly pink. She looked at him expectantly, eager for an answer.

Chase rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze shifting between her and the mess of clothes. "Uh… you mean, like, what I think would look good or—?"

"What you prefer," Diana said firmly.

Caught off guard, Chase glanced around the room before walking over to her pile of clothes. After a moment of thought, he picked out a pair of gray sweatpants, a plain black T-shirt, a gray hoodie, and some black socks. He held them up to her with a satisfied nod.

Diana stared at the clothes, then back at him, her silver eyes narrowing slightly. "This is what you like girls to wear?"

Chase froze. He suddenly felt like he was in dangerous territory, afraid she'd misunderstand his intent. "Uh, well—"

"It's so… plain," she said, cutting him off with an incredulous tone.

Chase let out a small sigh of relief, finally relaxing. "I don't know," he admitted with a shrug. "It's just… seeing cute girls in comfortable clothes makes them look even cuter." The words slipped out before he could stop himself, and as soon as he said them, he regretted it.

Diana blinked, surprised, and Chase looked away awkwardly, feeling the heat creep up his neck. Why did I say that?

"I see," Diana said thoughtfully, her expression unreadable. Without further comment, she took the clothes from him and grabbed some of her undergarments from her bag. Then, with a quiet, "I'll be quick," she walked out of the room.

Chase let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, flopping down onto the edge of the bed. "Did I just… indirectly call her cute?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

Good thing she didn't seem to notice—or at least, he hoped she hadn't.

Chase leaned back into the couch, staring at the ceiling as he mulled over his plans for the night. Groceries first, dinner, and then grinding the new FPS game that had just dropped. He'd pull an all-nighter, crash sometime after sunrise—after making breakfast for Diana, of course.

He'd already bought the game, and now the download screen stared back at him. Thanks to the LAN cable, it wouldn't take long to finish, maybe right as Diana got out of the shower. Or, he thought, in the middle of mine.

While waiting, he booted up his usual mobile game. A few daily quests, an alliance war, then some PvP matches to get his rank up. It was mindless at this point, more habit than anything. He was two ranks away from the highest tier, but he didn't really care. He'd probably drop it for a while again soon, just like always.

Back in middle school, though? That would've never happened.

Back then, he binged everything—games, novels, anime—consistently and without fail. If he liked something, he lived it. He'd spend hours grinding a game until he hit max level or cleared every achievement. Books were devoured cover to cover, sometimes in one night. Even anime marathons? Easy. Entire series finished in a weekend without blinking. He never left things halfway.

But after middle school, it was like a switch had flipped.

Now, he lost interest in everything quickly. He'd pick up a game, binge it for a week, then abandon it halfway through. Novels and anime were no different; he'd lose momentum the second something else caught his attention. The only things that had somehow stuck were this mobile game and that one anime series with over a thousand episodes. Even then, he only returned to them in phases, picking them up after months of ignoring them.

"Middle school me would be so disappointed," Chase muttered, flicking through a victory screen.

He glanced up at the console. The download bar had barely moved.

With a sigh, he stretched back into the couch and focused on his phone again, flicking through his remaining tasks.

After a while, Diana finally emerged from the bathroom. She'd said she wouldn't be long, but it was easily over an hour—the longest shower she'd taken since arriving. Chase looked up as she stepped out, dressed in an all-gray sweatsuit, her flushed face matching the steam still rising off her skin. In her hand, she clutched the hair dryer awkwardly.

Without a word, Chase stood, took the dryer from her, and gestured for her to sit down. Diana froze for a second before reluctantly settling onto the edge of the couch.

The soft hum of the dryer filled the room as Chase began to carefully work through her damp hair, standing behind her. She stared straight ahead, her shoulders stiff at first, but the gentle warmth and the feel of his fingers smoothing through her hair began to relax her.

Her face, however, grew impossibly redder. How did I fall so far as to enjoy something like this? she thought bitterly, her fists clenching in her lap. What is it about him that I even like?

She mentally listed things off, each one making her blush more: His cooking is good… his personality is… she hesitated, biting her lip, very good, too. She shifted slightly under his touch. And even though he looks like her, he somehow wears that face better.

Her ears burned at the thought, but her traitorous mind kept going. Maybe it's when he's a little forceful… that's— she cut herself off with an annoyed groan in her head.

Her hands gripped her knees tightly as her heart raced. When he held my hand earlier, it felt… calm. No—tame? she thought quickly, only to shake her head. No. I could never be tamed.

But with the way her chest tightened, she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Diana, are you okay?" Chase's voice came from behind her, cutting through her thoughts.

She jolted slightly, her back straightening. "I—I'm fine!"

Chase paused, staring at the back of her red ears. "You're bright red," he said, amused but still concerned.

"I said I'm fine!" Diana snapped, her voice higher than she intended.

Chase shrugged and went back to drying her hair, while Diana sat frozen, completely mortified by herself.

When Chase finished blow-drying Diana's hair, he told her he was going to shower and then they could leave. He walked to his bedroom to grab some clothes, but when he turned around, Diana was standing in the doorway, staring at him.

"What do you want?" he asked, bewildered.

"I'm going to choose your clothes since you chose mine," she declared, her silver eyes blazing with determination.

Chase looked alarmed. "You don't have to—"

She cut him off with a fiery look that told him there was no use arguing. Sighing in defeat, he let her rummage through his wardrobe. Diana quickly found a gray hoodie and matching sweatpants—identical to what she was wearing. To her satisfaction, she even located a matching shirt and socks.

Chase glanced at the outfit. It seemed simple enough, so he shrugged and grabbed a pair of underwear before disappearing into the bathroom.

Diana grinned. Now we match. Alice had told her that couples in relationships sometimes wore matching clothes. The thought stuck with her, though she didn't fully understand why it mattered. Alice knows too much about these things, Diana mused. Is she also a child of Aphrodite?

Back in the living room, Diana sat down and noticed something flash on the TV screen. It said, "Ready to Play." Below it, a strange black device with glowing lights caught her attention. The screen instructed her to "Press a Button to Open." She spotted a button on the glowing controller that looked the same as the one on the screen, so she pressed it.

The system beeped, startling her, but nothing else happened. Tentatively, she watched the screen as it loaded a scene. Another message appeared: "Press Any Button to Start."

Diana frowned. "Any button?" she muttered, scanning the controller. She didn't see one labeled any. Frustrated, she pressed "Start" instead. To her satisfaction, it worked—though she didn't realize most buttons would have.

The screen came alive with a cinematic opening that completely captivated her. Her silver eyes were glued to the story unfolding before her until the screen shifted. A first-person view appeared, with text telling her to "Use L to Move" and "R to Look Around."

"L? R?" Diana muttered, flipping the controller over. She found the two sticks and hesitantly pushed the left one forward. To her surprise, the character began to move. "Aha," she said softly, then nudged the right stick. The screen shifted, letting her look around. A grin tugged at her lips. This isn't so difficult.

Gripping the controller tightly, she adjusted her thumbs on both sticks and started experimenting.

The tutorial advanced quickly: run with L3, jump with X, and aim with L2 while firing with R2. She smirked as she fired her weapon, the recoil satisfying. When the game prompted her to throw grenades and use melee attacks with R1, Diana nodded approvingly. So many tools for a single hunt.

By the time the tutorial allowed her to use grenades and flashbangs, Diana's hunter instincts were fully engaged. She moved through the prompts with precision, already analyzing how the tools could be used in a real fight.

The tutorial ended—much to her disappointment—and the screen displayed new options: Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.

Diana's eyes narrowed at the last one. Zombies? That sounded suspicious. What kind of abominations had mortals created in their games? She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Instead, her attention drifted back to Multiplayer, sitting safely in the middle. Neutral enough. It sounded like the better option. She clicked it.

A new menu appeared, offering something called Quickplay. "Quick play," she murmured to herself. "That sounds fast." Without further thought, she selected it.

The screen prompted her to choose a "class." One option displayed a long-range weapon, bulky and metallic. It reminded her of her bow, though far less elegant. She selected it anyway.

Moments later, her character dropped into the game, and Diana spotted movement in the distance. Instinct kicked in. She scoped in, held her breath as if she were lining up a shot with her bow, and fired.

Headshot.

Diana blinked. "I killed him?"

Her satisfaction was short-lived. Another player slid at her feet, shooting her down. She frowned. "What sorcery is this?"

But then—she respawned. Her frown flipped into a grin. "Infinite hunting? This game is incredible."

From there, the kills piled up. After each death, she watched how her opponents moved and fought, unknowingly analyzing them in the replay. Her accuracy sharpened. Her reaction time grew inhumanly fast. By the end of the match, she had 48 kills—leaving most of the other players stunned and speechless.

Chase was still in the shower when Diana queued up another game. Her confidence soared as she destroyed her competition. She grumbled when players began sliding around or attacking with sticks, but even that didn't deter her for long. Her second match ended with an 85% accuracy rate—lower only because of a few surprises. By the third game, her accuracy climbed to 97%. Only a player wielding a "metal shield" managed to throw her off.

"Coward," she muttered, frowning. Why would anyone use such an abomination in a ranged fight?

Her frustration melted when the match ended. Victory felt good. She could hear voices coming from the controller—venomous words she didn't understand. Diana tilted her head. "Are these their last words before dying?" she wondered aloud. "Strange."

She queued another match, already imagining herself dominating once more. This game is fun, she thought with a sharp grin. They come back to life, so I can hunt forever.