My Goddess is Good at Pretending

The family summer cooking festival was in full swing, filling the Nature Palace with the delightful aromas of roasted meats, savory stews, and sweet confections. The pantheon's core members shed their usual aloof and regal demeanor to engage in friendly competition, each vying to create the most delicious dish of the night. Laughter and chatter echoed through the grand halls as goddesses, deities, saintesses, and divine warriors chopped, stirred, and baked their delicacies. Those who got banned from the kitchen also got the chance this time. They couldn't cook, but they received special instructions on how to make some delicacies even without any special cooking skills. Luna and Lynn brewed a flavorful tea that shimmered like the night sky. Sylvia, Darkness, and Vanessa roasted a whole divine beast with a smirk, claiming that true nutrition came from a full belly,. At the same time, Rhea grilled skewers of heavenly beast meat over a sacred flame. Yuuki was assigned the most important chores, such as making frozen food, ice cream, and other cold dishes. Since she had a lot of work to do, Yae and Nell joined in to help. Lifa, Morfina, and Dory went for the salad making as they excelled in the veggies. Meanwhile, Miko and Megami carefully arranged a platter of delicate sakura mochi and fancy rice cakes. As for the rest, they joined Elysia in the most important delicacies. They baked a lot of pizzas, cookies, and cakes, as well as many sweets. Half of them were for them to eat, but the other half would be wrapped up as warm gifts for their otherworld visit. Since it involved a lot of dishes, many assistant chefs went to help. Elena, Ai, Zera, Xentia, Ella, Evelyn, Lyla, Erina, Mio, Gaia, Fortuna, Ariel, and Yusagi shared the tasks with different roles in the bakery's kitchen under Elysia's command. As the night went on, the festival transitioned into a grand feast, with everyone gathered around long, beautifully adorned tables. They enjoyed the fruits of their labor, exchanging stories, laughter, and moments of warmth. But as the feast was over, the atmosphere took on a subtle shift. Many eyes glanced towards the pantheon's leader, Elysia. Their gazes were filled with longing yet laced with patience. Hints were dropped softly with lingering gazes, gentle touches, and flirtatious invitations. Each of them, her most devoted, wished for a private moment with her before the night ended. Faced with their silent yet expectant desires, Elysia found herself at a crossroads. She never expected they would demand it separately. Moreover, they asked for it separately, demanding private intimate moments, not just the usual polyvalent cultivation sessions and divine energy exchange. "Alright, we'll wait for you~" Elena led the girls to their respective rooms in the Nature Palace. "No, you too..." Elysia held her forehead, feeling a bit overwhelmed because her most trusted sister also played this naughty game. "So, what are you going to do?" Ai heaved a subtle sigh, not understanding why they would trouble Elysia with their antics. She was invited by Elena to join the game, but she refused to participate because of consideration for Elysia. Zera has apparently shared the same thoughts as her. "..." Zera remained silent, crossing her arms expressionlessly. However, her eyes stared unfavorably at the other girls, unhappy because they troubled Elysia. After everyone left, leaving only Elysia with Ai and Zera, she began to ponder about it. Would she favor only one and leave the others disappointed? Or find a way to grant each of them the warmth they sought? A divine glow surrounded her as she reached a decision. "Fufu~" A soft chuckle escaped Elysia's lips, filled with amusement and affection. she murmured, summoning her divine power. "Very well, you all have chosen to play me." In a seamless act of godly mastery, she created several perfect clones of herself under her authority and control. Unfortunately, in doing so, Megami and Miko who were dragged by Elena, suddenly vanished, returning to the Elysian Realm. "Wha? What happened?" Miko gasped in shock because she didn't know what happened, and she suddenly appeared in the Elysian Realm. "We got dragged, and our mama took us back from Elena's hands." Megami heaved a subtle sigh of relief. She then sat cross-legged near the bed as if guarding the sleeping Elysia's spirit. "Lady Elena isn't here. So, how about the two of us sleep in bed with mama's spirit?" Miko tugged on Megami's arm, asking with a cheerful laugh. "..." Megami replied with a silent nod. She then went to bed with Miko. The true self and two divine clones shared the warmth under one blanket and soon drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, all pantheon members were briefly stunned upon realizing what had happened. They had no idea about each other's situation, but their master went to their room, and they smiled in satisfaction and happiness. That night, none would be left disappointed. They shared whispers, laughter, and intimate warmth, ensuring their bonds remained eternal and unbreakable. "..." Elysia's face flushed red because it was a bit challenging to handle many perfect clones all at once, especially with all of those transferred feelings and stimuli. "I'll take you to bed." Ai picked Elysia up in concern, mistaking Elysia's expression for a drunk girl. "Heehee, Ai, my good sister. I won't let you sleep tonight~ I still need to cultivate my divine curse and chaotic darkness mastery..." Elysia winked at Ai and Zera. It had become her weekly routine to delve into divine curses and chaotic darkness from Zera and Ai. Therefore, she might as well delve into it now since she decided to leave none behind. "I see... So, you chose me over Elena. That's good." Ai nodded in satisfaction. "!" Zera immediately stood up and followed Ai to the nearby bedroom in silence. She was looking forward to the divine curse mastery session. That night, Elysia shared some steamy skinship and passionate moments with Ai and Zera to cultivate deeper into the chaotic darkness and divine curse mastery. --- The late morning next day, Elysia adorned in her divine ceremonial robes, stood at the dimensional gateway to the otherworld. Her pantheon members sadly were still asleep in the Nature Realm, thanks to last night's passionate cultivation session. Only Miko, Sacred Sakura's disciples, and representative elders of the Sacred Sakura were present to witness the departure. The summoned heroes, standing before her, had a mix of emotions in their eyes... relief, gratitude, longing, and uncertainty. They had fought many battles over these four months and survived unimaginable trials. Yet, their home called for them. "You have all walked a path filled with hardship and growth." Elysia spoke, carrying both divine authority and benevolence. "I will talk to the Glorious God if he expresses dissatisfaction. Although you still need to resolve the matter with him in the future, you don't have to worry about his anger." "Wha- wait... please forgive me for my blunt inquiry, but is he possibly going to bring us back to this world?" Mashiro gasped in surprise and quickly asked for clarity. "The possibility is still there, and that is a matter between you and him." Elysia closed her eyes. "Although he can't send you back to your home world, he asked you to wait so he has more time to figure things out. Yet, you left without a word. Even if you are suspicious of something, at least please find out the situation first. He is a proper righteous god who protected you during your heroic journey, and also the one who blessed you with otherwordly power." Miko heaved a subtle sigh as she shook her head. "..." The six heroes went silent as they had nothing to respond to that. "Now, as per our contract, I shall return you to your homeworld." Elysia raised her hand, and golden light swirled around the six heroes. The contract of heroes got activated, gently stripping them of most of their otherworldly powers, ensuring they would not disrupt the balance of Earth. Their spiritual energy was also drained to zero, but they wouldn't suffer mana deviation or any repercussions. Miko placed her hand over her heart. "Live well, heroes. Though you depart, know that your journey here will always be remembered." The heroes bowed deeply, not out of obligation, but from the depths of their gratitude. "Thank you... for everything." "It is a necessary precaution. In return, we'll bestow upon you with Earth's spirit stones. Cultivate well, and protect the Earth as you see fit." Elysia bestowed the six heroes with a bag full of spirit stones, enough to recover their mana pool with Earth's spiritual energy. Then, with her final blessing, the dimensional portal flared with divine radiance, engulfing the heroes in light. Their figures shimmered, dissolving into golden motes, carried across the boundless space between realms. And just like that, the summoned heroes were gone. The dimensional gateway faded, leaving behind only the quiet rustling of sakura petals in the wind. Elysia gazed at the sky. Her divine senses briefly followed the heroes to ensure their safe arrival on Earth. Seeing that the disturbance had left, Jophiel went closer to her master and Goddess Master, pleading with a hopeful gaze. "Esteemed master and Goddess Master, could you please take me with you for this otherworld visit?" "Hm, the purpose of our visit this time is the farewell before the Nirvana Great War. It would be rather inappropriate to bring so many people. Also, Sacred Sakura requires your presence here." Miko put her hand on Jophiel's head, refusing gently. "Mm..." Jophiel felt like crying, but she nodded in understanding as she was always her master's most obedient sweet child. "It won't take long for us to return from this otherworldly visit. We'll be back in two days at most. We'll leave Sacred Sakura in your hands." Elysia smiled tenderly to the disciples and representative elders. "Please leave it to us, master." Gabriella stepped forward with a hand on her chest, replying with a resolute gaze. "We can rest assured to have reliable disciples and elders here." Elysia looked at everyone, but her gaze landed on Gabriella and Alicia longer than anyone else. Understanding the implied meaning, Alicia nodded silently. "We'll be back in two days." Miko repeated her mother's words. "Mm, Jophi will wait for the master to return." Jophiel nodded in understanding and stepped back. After the brief farewell, Elysia brought Miko with a dimensional warp to outer space. After bringing Ai and Zera out of her shadow, they went to Earth through the same dimensional path as the heroes, but she ensured they wouldn't meet.