I'm in another world, and I start out transformed into Lancelot.

Stripped of its dazzling golden cloak and the false facade of warmth, what finally appeared before Narukami Yuuko was a goddess with moonlight-like silver-blue hair, crystal-clear silver-gray eyes, and skin as pale as snow. Her features still bore a striking resemblance to Amaterasu, as if cut from the same divine stone, yet the expression on her face was entirely different. Amaterasu embodied pure, curious, and fervent passion, while the goddess before her was veiled in a cold and aloof veil, exquisitely beautiful yet lifeless.

This strikingly similar face clearly reveals her identity: just as the moon itself is a cold projection of sunlight in the universe, she is Amaterasu's shadow, a being who has returned from the depths of the moon's dark sea—Tsukuyomi, the goddess who governs deception, illusion, and trickery.

"My name is Tsukuyomi." She extended her pale, almost transparent fingers and elegantly tucked a strand of her silver-blue hair behind her ear. The goddess's gaze returned to Yuuko, her silver-gray eyes seeming to swirl with icy currents as she watched the human girl before her with a half-smile.

"I am but a phantom, returning from that perpetually silent Moon Sea, a breeding ground for nothingness and lies."

Tsukuyomi could clearly see the shock and the fleeting complex emotion of "I knew it" in the other person's eyes. But there was no anger as expected? No fury like someone who had been deceived and fooled, whose sincere feelings had been misplaced? Nor the resentment of discovering that one had almost become "substitute literature"? This reaction was beyond her expectations.

Incongruously, popular stories she had glimpsed during her travels in the human world flashed through Tsukuyomi's mind. Faithlessness, substitutes, the white moonlight and the cinnabar mole… She thought this was the perfect stage for such dramas. She was even prepared to enjoy the other person's "wonderful" expression, twisted by love and hate, and to derive a dark pleasure from it, to satisfy her morbid craving for emotional feedback, distorted by her long-term exposure to cold shadows and the brilliance of the sun.

So—since you've seen through me…then let's make a deal…or just offer it up—bring what I want before me!

Chapter 168 Tsukuyomi: Am I really that much inferior to Amaterasu?!

The silent declaration of the goddess Tsukuyomi echoed in the stillness, carrying an unyielding force.

However, the protagonists of Persona have always had unusual thought processes.

Just as Tsukuyomi was preparing for her next test or intimidation, Narukami Yuuko's next move completely shattered all her expectations.

The solemnity and wariness on the gray-haired girl's face, as if she were trying to identify someone, quickly vanished, replaced by a pure, almost academic, look of curiosity.

Under the watchful gaze of the goddess Tsukuyomi, she openly reached out and pinched the other's bare arm, which had just revealed its true form and appeared exceptionally pale and bloodless.

"Eh?" Yuko wasn't satisfied after pinching him, and even tapped the spot she had just pinched lightly with her knuckles.

She tilted her head, her eyes incredibly serious, and muttered to herself in a tone reminiscent of someone writing a lab report:

"It's amazing. Just a second ago, when it was simulating Amaterasu, it was warm and soft, and the texture of its skin was just like a real person."

“How did it suddenly become like this…” She poked at it with her finger again, her brows furrowing slightly, as if searching for the most accurate description.

"...It's become like...um...like marble that's been frozen for a long time and just dug out from the deep mountains? Cold and hard? Even the texture has changed! How strange!"

Her delicate face, which had maintained a mysterious and elegant demeanor with a hint of mockery, visibly stiffened for a moment.

A barely perceptible look of astonishment flashed across her eyes, as if Yuko's offensive actions had not struck her divine body, which was theoretically capable of withstanding the blades of mortals, but rather precisely punctured the sacred bubble she had carefully constructed, a bubble called "unfathomable."

She opened her mouth slightly, as if to say something to maintain dignity or to punish this disrespectful act with divine power.

But looking into the other person's eyes, which were overflowing with pure curiosity, and their fingers still unconsciously poking and prodding to feel the temperature changes...

The goddess felt that her expectations of complex emotions and dramatic conflicts, as well as her majesty as the master of lies and illusions, had been physically "poked" with a small hole at this moment.

In the end, this goddess of lies, who had returned from the depths of the lunar sea, had all her words boil down to a single, most instinctive physiological reaction—a twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Being identified? Expected. Being called a "cold reflection"? Barely tolerable. But being handled and examined like a strangely textured object?

This completely exceeded Tsukuyomi's expectations and tolerance!

An indescribable emotion—a mixture of offended embarrassment and a growing curiosity about the human before her—exploded in her cold chest.

The forcibly maintained divine majesty shattered completely, replaced by a deeper, more aggressive, dark undercurrent.

Hmph~ Tsukuyomi let out a cold snort in her heart. Amaterasu, it seems that the human you chose has not been completely blinded by your so-called "warmth"?

She seems... quite interested in me? You've lost to me this time!

The warm spring water should have been comforting, but the rising steam felt like invisible chains, binding the suddenly tense air between the two.

Yuko withdrew her probing finger and warily distanced herself. But the next instant, a chilling hand suddenly reached out and gripped Yuko's wrist with irresistible force.

“You—!” Yuko put on a wary expression again.

In Tsukuyomi's silver-gray eyes, the last trace of her feigned "gentleness" in imitating Amaterasu vanished. Deep within her pupils surged a chilling rage and a twisted possessiveness.

Born in the shadows of the sun, her yearning for "love" and "warmth" had long been distorted and amplified into a kind of obsessive predatory desire.

She greedily wanted to seize anything that could cause this cold divine body to fluctuate, whether it was intense negative emotions or the human girl in front of her who dared to see through her and even "touch" her essence.

Without uttering a word, Tsukuyomi suddenly exerted her strength, forcefully pulling the restrained wrist toward herself.

In this suggestive hot spring dream, with an undeniable force, he pressed Yuko's wet hand against the bare skin of his waist beneath the hot spring water.

It's so cold! Even while soaking in the hot spring, the chill emanating from Tsukuyomi's skin instantly pierced through the scalding water and Yuko's palms.

Yuko was so cold that she shivered, and her struggling movements faltered for a moment.

"How does it feel...?" Tsukuyomi finally spoke, her voice low and hoarse, devoid of warmth, like an icicle scraping against a rock wall.

"Did you feel reality in this illusory warm spring? My coldness..."

She pressed down on Yuko's hand, her knuckles tightening, forcing Yuko's palm to press deeper and tighter against her waistline, which was as smooth as jade.

"At least, he's more honest and less likely to deceive you than her feigned warmth."

The rising steam from the hot spring blurred their outlines.

Yuko could even see the fine water droplets clinging to Tsukuyomi's long, silver-blue eyelashes, which made her silver eyes, which were gazing at her, appear like a deep, cold abyss.

It was filled with an obsession she couldn't fully comprehend, possessing an indescribable allure, yet also chillingly cold.

"What...what exactly do you want to do? And, Lady Amaterasu...how is she?"

Upon hearing this question, an indescribable emotion, mixed with absurdity and a slight stinging sensation, instantly gripped Tsukuyomi.

Want to laugh? A little, actually. She even slightly curled the corners of her mouth, but there was no warmth in it, only a cold amusement and an almost childish embarrassment.

Is this human... just too slow-witted? Or is he determined to only like Amaterasu?

The thought popped into her head uncontrollably, stirring up a bittersweet feeling in her heart.

This tiny human being before me—I, the goddess Tsukuyomi, the embodiment of night and lies—is standing right here, alive and well.

Not a shadow, nor a substitute! And yet this human is still concerned about others? What gives them the right?!

Is the God-King, slumbering in that radiant, luminous sun, whose very existence seems righteous, really so worthy of this insignificant human's yearning, that he completely ignores himself, who is right beside him? Does he not even have the interest to give him a second glance?

"Heh..." A short, cold laugh finally escaped from Tsukuyomi's lips, breaking the brief silence.

She slightly raised her chin, the snow-white lines of her neck revealing a threatening arrogance, her silver eyes fixed firmly on Yuko, her gaze seemingly trying to pierce through her soul and dig out all her thoughts about Amaterasu.

"Why are you asking me what I'm doing?" Her voice remained low and cold, but seemed to carry a hint of barely perceptible sharpness.

"Humans have trespassed into territories they shouldn't have, and all they can think about is that guy sleeping soundly in the sun. Do you really think you can get anything meaningful out of him?"

The spark of embarrassment and resentment ignited by being ignored quietly spread beneath her icy expression. It made her heart clench, carrying a stubborn resentment.

Could it be that right here... right before her eyes, the living Tsukuyomi, is truly inferior to Amaterasu, who only cares about her own peaceful sleep and doesn't even care about the world?!

The thought almost burst out as a question, and she subconsciously took a step forward, the invisible pressure around her quietly intensifying.

Even the candlelight in the corner of the room seemed to flicker in fear, and a thin layer of frost seemed to gather on the grass and trees outside.

"As for your Amaterasu..." She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, carrying a cruel seduction and a hint of inexplicable pleasure, as if watching Yuko suffer for the answer was a pleasure in itself.

"A sleep goddess who can't even open her eyelids? She's doing just fine now... so fine that a little guy like you has to keep thinking about her and come here to question me?"

She stopped, tilted her head slightly, and her aura, a mixture of wickedness and arrogance, reached its peak. The meaning in her eyes was crystal clear:

Instead of focusing on the ethereal Amaterasu, shouldn't you be more concerned about who you are actually facing right now?

Chapter 169 The Goddess Who Yearns to Be Touched

A cool, delicate touch emanated clearly from her palm. Tsukuyomi's body temperature was low, like jade bathed in moonlight, but this cold, slippery sensation did not dispel the ambiguity and tension in the air; instead, it acted as a catalyst, making this strange atmosphere even more viscous. Yuuko did not look away. Even at such close range, she remained calm and focused on Tsukuyomi's silver eyes, which held a storm within them. Those eyes were no longer purely cold; the surging grievances, resentment, and even a hint of childlike stubbornness within them were clearly visible, as if the condensed moonlight had gained warmth. The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the slightly overlapping breaths of the two of them, and a silent struggle flowing between their gazes. Facing the goddess Tsukuyomi, whose emotions were complex and unpredictable, and whose style of action was completely different from Amaterasu's, Yuuko felt only a sense of helplessness. This was not like facing a devastating disaster, requiring all her strength to fight; nor was it like the warm and exploratory beauty of being with Amaterasu. At this moment, it was more like soothing a noble yet dangerous cat, baring its teeth and claws, yet yearning for attention. She understood this sudden "jealousy," simply because her unspoken concern and affection for Amaterasu had touched a sensitive nerve in the twin reflection before her. "So, what exactly do you want?" Yuuko's voice even carried a soothing gentleness, breaking the silence in the room. She didn't rush to withdraw the hand that was still being forcibly pressed between her chest and abdomen, slowly moving upwards, but instead tried to untangle this tangled mess of emotions with calm words. Tsukuyomi's movements seemed to pause slightly because she spoke. The grievance in her silver eyes deepened, as if accusing: Even after all this, you're still asking why? But she quickly regained her seductive and controlling demeanor, her slightly raised chin exuding the arrogance of the moon's mistress. "Pleasure me," Tsukuyomi's voice was extremely soft, like a feather brushing against Yuko's eardrums, her breath carrying the cool fragrance of a moonlit night. At the same time, she guided Yuko's "waiting" hand, sliding it upwards with even greater certainty, tracing the smooth, taut yet surprisingly soft skin of her abdomen. The cool, silky touch extended beneath her palm without any obstruction. "Offer me happiness as a sacrifice." Her voice held a languid seduction, with a hint of a smile: "Perhaps, when I'm in a good mood... I'll tell you... the little secret of the sun goddess that you care about~" As she spoke, her hand guided Yuko's palm, covering it with a cold, pale surface, yet possessing a fullness and softness that could overturn any mortal's rationality. Yuko felt her fingertips uncontrollably digging slightly into that incredibly soft crevice. Almost instinctively, she wanted to take a deep breath to calm her suddenly accelerating heartbeat and the rising heat in her cheeks. This surge of emotion came suddenly and overwhelmingly, a stark contrast to her composure when facing Tsukuyomi's provocation. She had to admit that it was impossible not to be moved by such an offensive initiated so closely by a moon goddess so alluring yet dangerous. Sexual desire is a basic human instinct, especially when the object of her affections is Tsukuyomi—her cold, aloof face, her slender yet powerful figure, and her silver eyes, now vividly expressive due to her emotional fluctuations, all pushed the limits of human sensory aesthetics. That allure, rooted in divine essence, possessed its own halo, filled with a forbidden temptation that could easily lead one astray. Yuuko was no naive newcomer; whether in the eight jumps of Yasaka Inaba or in her journeys in different worlds as Harunia, her romantic history was far from blank. She knew how to appreciate and dared to respond to genuine feelings. Tsukuyomi's blatant temptation, though abrupt and tinged with inexplicable jealousy, was undeniably alluring. [With her current thoughtfulness and courage, it seems she should be able to agree to this.] An invisible, undeniable frame of light, seemingly real yet merely existing in the cracks of her mind, suddenly sprang to life. It hovered above her mental vision, much like a crucial prompt popping up in a system quest, a prompt about the direction of a side quest. The "Cancel" option offered only the choice to accept the consequences, or to accept another form of consequence. Should she retreat, preserving a sliver of clarity? Or should she advance, searching for hidden answers in this cold, moonlit labyrinth? Yuuko's thoughts raced. Tsukuyomi's offer was an exchange—"happiness" for "information," information about Amaterasu. This information was crucial; she desperately wanted to know Amaterasu's specific situation. But what was Tsukuyomi's motive? Was it merely jealousy? Or did she have a deeper purpose? As Amaterasu's shadow, did she also yearn to be valued, to be recognized as an independent being? Was this awkward "sacrifice" also a twisted branch she extended, seeking some kind of connection? In a brief lull of intense thought, seemingly a natural reaction to the heightened tension, the hand pressed against Tsukuyomi's chest unconsciously tightened its grip. "Ugh!" A soft, incredulous moan, tinged with shock and disbelief, suddenly escaped from Tsukuyomi's beautifully shaped lips. The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent Japanese-style room, like ice crystals falling onto a jade plate. The usual coldness and aloofness in her silver eyes, reflecting the cold moonlight, shattered completely, leaving only a caught-off-the-cuff panic, a sense of humiliation at being offended, and a hint of bewilderment she herself was unaware of. Yuko's hand, pressed against her chest, radiated a distinct warmth through the thin, almost nonexistent fabric. That warmth, originating from Yuko, burned against Tsukuyomi's icy body like magma, bringing a strange, numbing sensation that sent shivers down her spine. After a brief silence, Yuuko didn't move. Contrary to Tsukuyomi's expectations, she didn't frantically pull her hand back and apologize repeatedly. Instead, her thumb even unconsciously clenched slightly, the light touch of her fingertips making Tsukuyomi hold her breath. "You!" Tsukuyomi wanted to shout, wanted to push her away, but all the words stuck deep in her throat, turning into a short, faint breath. A beautiful blush uncontrollably spread across her pale cheeks and neck, extending down to the edge of her delicate collarbone, creating a stark contrast with her cold silver hair and frosty white skin—fragile yet breathtakingly beautiful.

Chapter 170 One kiss and she's thrown off balance? Is the goddess really just a nobody?

Yuko watched this scene, her emotions complex and difficult to discern, and even her voice, when she tried to defend herself, became uncontrollably lower.

"Lady Tsukuyomi, I did not mean to offend you. It's just that," she paused, looking directly into Tsukuyomi's silver eyes, which were churning with emotion, "that you may seem cold and hard, but what you truly desire is far softer and more passionate than you show. Just like now."

The "fiery" sensation jolted Tsukuyomi awake. As if burned, she jerked her hand up, forcefully grabbing Yuuko's wrist, which was still gripping her. She tried to arm herself with her usual sharpness and arrogance, but her trembling fingertips and the embarrassment of having her thoughts exposed robbed her voice of its proper authority: "Insolence! Who gave you permission to speculate about my desires? My coldness is the truth!"

Yuko didn't back down. Her wrist ached from being squeezed, but she still looked directly into Tsukuyomi's eyes without flinching. She even slightly adjusted her posture, bringing herself a little closer to the divine body that exuded a cool fragrance, feeling the subtle yet real fluctuations brought about by its constant rise and fall.

"Truth doesn't have only one face, Tsukuyomi-sama." Yuko's voice was soft, almost a sigh. "Is the pleasure you demand from me just a bargaining chip to toy with me, or..." She didn't finish her sentence, but the unspoken meaning filled the air between them.

Is it a longing you yourself haven't realized, frozen by loneliness? Is it the resentment of envying Amaterasu for having companionship while you can only admire yourself in the shadows?

Tsukuyomi's eyes trembled violently. Yuko's words were like a scorched dagger, precisely piercing through her layers of disguise. Anger, grievance, the bitterness of being misunderstood, and a secret expectation that she herself could not name, all intertwined and clashed wildly in her chest.

The grip on Yuuko's wrist loosened, but she stubbornly refused to let go completely. Looking at the face of the deity before her, made even more vivid by shame and anger, revealing complex mortal emotions, Yuuko took a deep breath. A slight touch stirred within her. She chose to follow her intuition, turning her wrist over to make her fingers a gentle invitation.

She gazed into Tsukuyomi's silver eyes, still swirling with a storm of emotions, and spoke in a soft voice, with a solemn promise: "It is your wish, isn't it? If this is the way to please you, if you really want to know... what happiness tastes like."

Yuko leaned forward slowly, her gaze finally settling on Tsukuyomi's slightly parted lips, which seemed covered in frost. Her eyes became deep and focused. The icy moonlight mingled with the warm breath of a human. As they drew closer, Tsukuyomi could even clearly count Yuko's trembling eyelashes.

The presence so close yet so unfamiliar, carried a strange warmth that drew her in. She should have refused, should have rebuked, even used her divine power to push this audacious mortal a thousand miles away. But her body was paralyzed, rooted to the spot, and deep within her heart, a string seemed to loosen uncontrollably under Yuuko's gentle yet unwavering gaze.

As if bewitched by that deep gaze, Tsukuyomi subconsciously held her breath and slightly closed her eyes. Her long, silver-blue eyelashes trembled fragilely like butterfly wings, casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. The fingers that had been gripping Yuko's wrist finally released completely, silently sliding down onto the hem of her dress beside her, revealing their owner's inner helplessness and tacit expectation.

It was neither an order nor a threat; it was a silent permission revealed by a deity who had walked in solitude for countless years, amidst panic and shyness.

And so, there was no more hesitation. Yuuko tilted her head slightly and placed an extremely gentle kiss on that soft spot forever covered in the chill of frost and snow. Tsukuyomi's lips moved slightly, emitting an almost inaudible whisper. There was no rejection, no disgusted push; her body simply stiffened for a moment, then softened uncontrollably.

The kiss was fleeting, as gentle as moonlight brushing across water. Yuko pulled away slightly, gazing down at the bewildered and vulnerable face in her arms. Those silver eyes opened again, all the sharp icy thorns within them seemingly melted away, leaving only a hazy, watery hue, a taste of something new and unknown. Beneath that hue, undercurrents surged: shame, anger, confusion, bewilderment, and perhaps even a flicker of yearning for more after a moment of instant satisfaction.

"How are you feeling?" Yuuko's voice was still soft, carrying a hint of inquiry after exploration, her eyes filled with concern and searching. She didn't immediately ask for an answer, but her fingers naturally moved upwards, gently brushing aside a stray strand of silver-blue hair from Tsukuyomi's forehead. Her fingertips lightly brushed against Tsukuyomi's slightly warm earlobe, causing the other's body to tremble slightly again.

Tsukuyomi didn't answer immediately. She seemed to still be savoring that strange feeling. A warmth that wasn't her own lingered on her cold lips, a warmth like a tiny electric current, but not as painful as when she was affected by the power surge of Susanoo. Instead, it seeped into the depths of her body in strands, a strange touch she had never experienced in a thousand years, a sensation that made her heart tingle.

Happiness? She didn't know if it counted. But the feeling of being instantly filled with warmth and treated with care gave even her hardened and cold divine nature an indescribable, almost...melting illusion.

Tsukuyomi turned her head slightly in a panic, trying to avoid Yuko's overly focused and knowing gaze, and also trying to hide the rapid beating of her heart. "However... that's all." The goddess squeezed out a few words with difficulty, trying to find her usual cold tone, but the voice that came out had a weak ending tone that even she herself found unfamiliar.

She turned her face slightly, completely exposing her beautifully sculpted, fair neck and her earlobes, flushed with a captivating blush, to Yuuko's eyes. It was an extremely alluring yet unconsciously inviting gesture, silently revealing the inner turmoil and unspoken consent of the goddess Tsukuyomi.

Yuuko understood the other's signal and didn't give Tsukuyomi any more chance to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich. The human girl leaned in again, covering the goddess's cool lips with a deeper inquiry and comfort, even a hint of response to the silent, tacit guidance. Her arms quietly encircled Tsukuyomi's slender waist, her palms pressing against the cool, delicate skin of her lower back, gently pulling her towards her, forming a tender yet irresistible embrace.

It was no longer a tentative touch, but a patient guidance and a tender rhythm.

Chapter 171 After being offended by mortals, there's no going back...

Tsukuyomi's body tensed instantly, like a fully drawn bowstring.

But then, surrounded by Yuko's gentle yet firm warmth, her proud, cold rationality was completely overwhelmed by the gentle warmth.

The hand, which had nowhere to go, finally hesitantly and slowly rose up, as if grasping the only piece of driftwood, and timidly wrapped around Yuko's back.

With a slight grip on the fabric of the other person's shoulder, she solemnly conveyed their bewildered and helpless response.

Her response was awkward and almost clumsy, yet it revealed a deep-seated longing to break through the ice and cautiously reach for the warm light.

The initial chill, gradually rippled with subtle yet vibrant waves under the continuously permeating warmth, was no longer just a silent stillness.

The cool breaths and Yuko's warm breaths blended silently, weaving a hazy, misty veil in the quiet hot spring.

Occasionally, a subtle change in breath escapes from this extremely close distance, carrying indescribable emotions, gently rippling in the tranquil mist, creating layers of intoxicating and captivating waves.

The cold, solid divine body, under the warm and persistent ties of humanity, gradually loosened its unchanging defenses, as if the eternal permafrost had finally felt the call of the warm sun, quietly melting away its invisible boundaries.

It was a profound connection that transcended any divine magic or power, originating from the most primal and genuine contact.

Tsukuyomi's tightly closed eyelashes trembled incessantly, like the wings of a butterfly shivering in the night wind, struggling between the torrent that was drowning her and the clarity she was trying to maintain, bobbing up and down in the invisible waves.

As that extremely close, soul-stirring breath finally receded and the distance quietly returned, before Tsukuyomi could even recover from the warmth that had been abruptly withdrawn, the heat from Yuuko's palm suddenly penetrated through her clothes, conveying an undeniable pulling force!

"Splash!" The water suddenly burst open, and Tsukuyomi was caught off guard and lifted out of the water.

The flowing black veil clung to her exquisite curves, and glistening water droplets rolled down her long, silver-blue hair. She struggled in shock and anger: "How dare you! You mere mortal—"

“Precisely because I am a mortal…” Yuko gasped as she hugged the divine body in her arms tighter, stepping barefoot onto the smooth bluestone slabs by the pool, “that I understand that cold gods need to be warmed up even more.”

Tsukuyomi tensed up the moment her back touched the cold ground. The water droplets that had condensed on the stone slab evaporated into fine white mist from her body heat, as if broken ice was silently melting away.

Yuko knelt above her, her wet hair falling across the red mark on her chest where she had been pressed hard.

“Now,” she brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to Tsukuyomi’s cheek with her fingertips, placing her palm on the goddess’s cool abdomen, “it’s my turn to check… if this feels as sour as your voice does~”

As the water dripped, Tsukuyomi let out a short gasp. The warm water stains on her ankles mingled with the cold air from the stone slab, causing her toes to curl up.