REWRITE: Lets escape the reality

Nathaniel's Point of View

A day after arriving in this strange place and enduring yesterday's harrowing ordeal, I finally spotted Koko. Never did I expect to find her in a bustling eatery like this, casually dining as if on vacation. Her table overflowed with delectable dishes, and she savored each bite, seemingly oblivious to my presence.

"Hey! Don't ignore me like I'm invisible!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the hum of the room.

"Do you know what I went through yesterday? I nearly died, and here you are enjoying yourself!" I snapped, anger flaring.

She ignored me, continuing to eat, so I stormed over to her table. "I've been searching for you since yesterday!"

"Oh… really? Why? To beg me to send you back to Earth because you're a coward and scared?" she teased, her tone dripping with mockery.

She laughed, her words a familiar jab at my persistence, wounding my pride. Frustration twisted inside me as she belittled me, just as I'd expected. Yet she bluntly admitted she couldn't—and wouldn't—return me, as doing so would force her back too, abandoning her mission to guide me.

"But you're not guiding me! You're just doing what you want while I'm in danger!" I retorted.

"Nah, aren't you tired of that topic? I said you won't die here, so no need to fear," she replied coolly, framing her interference as a gift of a more exciting, meaningful life.

"Don't tell me you'll waste this new life as a coward and loser again?" she taunted.

Her words stung, trampling my pride, but I couldn't argue—she knew my Earthly failures too well. Before I could respond, Ataparag approached, gently urging me to quiet down. "You can't draw attention like that, especially with me on duty, Mister Nathaniel," she whispered, her voice laced with concern.

Koko noticed Ataparag, grinning slyly. "All that fuss, and I catch you on a date with a beauty this early?" she quipped.

"D-d-date?" Ataparag stammered, her cheeks flushing. "No, that's not allowed during duty!" she flustered, waving her hands.

"Don't mind this lunatic's nonsense, Miss Ataparag," I interjected, glaring at Koko.

Noticing we hadn't ordered, Koko invited us to join her feast, boasting of her tower game winnings. "Oh… so that's why you vanished yesterday—you were gaming," I said.

She didn't deny it, explaining her plan to enjoy this world after millennia in a dull cosmos and twenty-five years watching me on Earth. "I deserve this," she declared.

I struggled to process this—how could a divine angel justify this? "Miss Ataparag, let's join and eat her out of house and home as payback," I suggested.

"Is that really okay? It feels… embarrassing," Ataparag hesitated.

"Don't be shy, especially with her. She owes me big—her fault I'm here and nearly died," I insisted.

We sat, digging into the food. Ataparag, curious, asked, "Who's Koko, and what's your connection?"

Before I could answer, Koko chimed in gleefully. "I'm Koko, his mom!"

"M-m-mom? Your mother, Mister Nathaniel?" Ataparag gasped.

"Oh, actually, I'm his dad," Koko corrected with a smirk.

"Dad? B-but—?" Ataparag's confusion deepened.

I slammed the table. "Stop this nonsense, Koko! She's buying it!" I snapped, revealing Koko as an angel abusing her power.

"An angel?" Ataparag echoed, wide-eyed.

"Don't believe Nathaniel—he's a childish dreamer spinning impossible tales," Koko countered.

Her dismissal irritated me, risking Ataparag's trust in me. Koko then asked if I'd reveal her angelic nature or my knowledge of this world. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Why not tell them the truth—who caused their suffering and decreed their deaths?" she pressed.

Her words halted me. I'd shaped their fates through my story—would they learn I authored their tragedies? Koko warned of caution; if cursed in anger, my stay here would turn grim. "Don't underestimate their wrath, especially in this suffering world," she cautioned.

I saw her point but felt irrelevant without sharing my knowledge. A powerless human, I wished she'd given me tools to avoid relying on Eskapa.

"Are you joking? You want me to save lives but gave me no power to help this world!" I protested.

"Isn't it more thrilling without strong abilities? Exciting to see how you'll overcome destiny?" she teased.

I slammed the table again, rejecting her twisted logic—nothing exciting about hardship. "Mister Nathaniel, please don't shout here," Ataparag pleaded.

"Sorry," I muttered.

She sighed, unable to resist asking about our odd talk of saving Endoryo. I stayed silent, unwilling to involve her or reveal my role in their fates. "Don't mind us—it's our father-son crazy banter," Koko interjected.

"Stop ruining my image!" I snapped. "And quit claiming you're my dad—you're a woman!"

"Oh… didn't I say we're genderless, perfect beings?" Koko stood, lifting her skirt slightly. "Want proof?"

All eyes turned as she teased, and I hurriedly lowered it. "Please don't!" I begged.

She complied, resuming her meal. I sighed, resigned—her whims ruled me. Then I noticed her blue-haired, bespectacled companion—another human. "I'm Peter. I don't even know why I'm here," he said.

He'd met Koko buying vinegar that morning, and she'd dragged him to this eatery. "Oh, him? I chose him as my strongest hero," Koko boasted.

"Hero? Wait, we didn't discuss that!" Peter protested.

Was she serious? Helping Peter while leaving me to struggle felt unfair. "Shouldn't you help me?" I demanded.

A fan appeared in her hand, smacking my head. "I've helped you—stop whining, coward!" she scolded.

"Can you blame me? Give me something useful to get excited!" I shot back.

She waved her fan, conjuring a fluffy, round creature with eyes and a mouth—Melon. "Since I can't watch you, here's a partner for your quest," she said, naming it Melon.

"Tadah! Meet my pride, Melon. Get it? Koko's Melon. Cocomelon?" she grinned.

Silence fell—no one laughed. "Boring people," she huffed, snatching it back.

"Hey, I get it, hahaha—you're too sensitive!" I lied, wrestling to keep it.

I asked Melon's purpose, but she dodged, saying I'd unlock its power only by proving my resolve. "What do you want? Are you helping or just toying with me?" I pressed.

Her sly smile hinted at mischief. "Ready to prove yourself?" she asked.

Before I could reply, she fanned us away, landing us atop Agata's tower. A vast landscape stretched below, the wind howling fiercely. The height unnerved me— one misstep could send me plummeting.

She revealed we were here to test my willingness to be a hero. "What's this nonsense now?" I muttered, dread creeping in as her schemes loomed.

She promised to unlock Melon's power if pleased with my choices. "Huh?" I stammered.