Risha

After reading that manga called "Laughter's Reward," I just wanted to draw everyone's smiles.

I'll write until I've gone through all the characters—irregularly, of course.

Risha arrived in Akito's town all alone.

Long golden hair, a grass-green dress, a large collar that insisted on its presence.

In the reborn new world, the second (,,,) most powerful and famous Eternal Slave, upon entering the town, immediately drew eyes, and people began approaching her.

The children,

"Big sister, hello!"

friendly, casual.

The adults,

"Look, Lady Risha—see that three-story building? We built it all by ourselves."

with deep respect.

A few odd ones,

"Y-you—slave lady, please curse this pig!"

with a slightly twisted reverence.

Every single resident of the town, without exception, greeted Risha with a smile.

Risha moved down the main street, chatting with each person in turn.

Akitō (……) had grown, more than anyone could’ve imagined from the wilds it once was.

Now fixed as the town of Akitō, its people had worked tirelessly to make the name fit—now home to tens of thousands, second only to the capital, Rebeck, in size.

And perhaps the most inventive city in the new world.

“Is there anywhere I can make something?”

“It’s fine, you know.”

“Hey, no need to trouble you, Lady Risha.”

“This town bears the name of the Goddess (……), so we’ve gotta make things ourselves—no relying on DORECA or slave cards!”

That’s right, that’s right, the townspeople echoed, surrounding Risha.

Using the name “Akitō” was a point of pride. They took great care to avoid depending on DORECA or slave cards—this was their own doing.

That was good, but Risha was stuck—no real task at hand—and she let out a dry chuckle.

Walking through the crowd, she suddenly noticed a knot of people ahead, thick with tension.

Unusual air. Murmuring. Nervous.

Risha pushed past the residents still trying to talk to her and broke into a run.

Her long golden hair streamed behind her as she cut through the throng.

A boy, maybe ten years old.

He lay on the ground, clutching his leg.

Blood poured from his foot in thick, steady streams.

“What happened? You okay!?!”

The boy wailed, tears streaming.

No answer. Too much pain.

Someone else spoke up instead.

“Bit by a dog. Playing tag, running around, stepped on the dog’s tail.”

“Dog…”

Risha looked at the boy’s foot.

Bloodied, but unmistakably, a bite mark showed—deep, almost to the bone, a pale white thing barely visible beneath the skin.

“I’ll fix it.”

With a calm, steady face, Risha pulled out a black card.

The slave card entrusted with nearly all the power of the Goddess—the one granted full authority.

She used it to produce an endless supply of universal remedy from boundless magic.

Holding the bottle of the universal remedy, she lifted the boy up.

“Risha-sama, blood—”

Risha didn’t care about the blood staining her hands. She cradled the boy, who winced in pain, and poured the remedy into his mouth.

She made him drink every last drop.

The bleeding stopped instantly.

“Gh—”

“Better now. Still hurting?”

“Still… a little…”

“Yeah. The pain’ll fade soon. Just hold on a bit more, okay?”

Risha kept holding the boy, stroking his head.

She looked like a mother, tender and calm.

The onlookers couldn’t help but catch their breath at her divine presence.

☆

"Thank you so much!"

The boy, fully recovered, bowed to Risha.

"Be careful from now on. No more stepping on dog tails, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you, angel-sama!"

"Angel-sama?"

Risha tilted her head, puzzled.

"Wait—is that wrong?"

"I think so? Why?"

"Because the king became a god, right?"

"Yeah."

"So since we’re gods’ slaves, we’re angels, everyone says so."

"Is that right? But I’m not an angel."

"Then what are you?"

Staring back at her with innocent eyes, Risha thought of her beloved mistress.

"Slaves are slaves."

The First Slave smiled—like a girl in love.