KamiKowa: That Time I Got Transmigrated With A Broken Goddess
Chapter 110: [110] Whatever You Need Me To Be

Chapter 110: [110] Whatever You Need Me To Be

The Traveler.

The Heart.

The Bond.

The Crown.

The Choice.

The map led Xavier through a tight alley, past a stone shrine flickering with carved flames. The streets here were quieter, residential, with small houses packed tightly together. Snow muffled his footsteps as he counted doors, finally stopping before a narrow building with blue shutters.

He knocked three times, then twice more.

The door opened a crack, then wider.

"I thought maybe you weren’t coming," Naomi said, pulling him inside and quickly shutting the door.

The small room behind Naomi was lit by a single lamp, casting long shadows across walls papered with faded floral patterns. Xavier stepped inside, shaking snow from his boots onto the worn welcome mat.

"I got lost," he said, not bothering to mention his strange encounter with the fortune teller. "Vykengard’s streets make no sense."

Naomi shut the door and slid the bolt home with a solid thunk. She wore what appeared to be sleeping clothes—a loose-fitting linen nightgown that reached her ankles, with simple embroidery around the collar and cuffs. Over it, she’d thrown a thick woolen robe cinched at the waist with a braided cord.

The robe was simple but on her it didn’t look plain. The way it hugged her hips, the way the sleeves fell slightly long over her hands. It was effortless. Unintended. And it made it harder not to stare.

"The locals say the streets were designed to confuse invaders," she said, still holding his hand as she led him through a narrow hallway. "Not that it helps against the cold."

Her fingers remained wrapped around his, warm and slightly smaller than he remembered. The purple hair falling past her shoulders was different from her usual style, but her eyes held the same sharp intelligence. This wasn’t her body—not really—but her essence remained unmistakable.

The kitchen was small but tidy, with dried herbs hanging from the ceiling and a modest fire crackling in a stone hearth. A copper kettle sat near the flames, steam just beginning to rise from its spout.

"Do you want any tea? I was making some for myself." She still hadn’t released his hand, as if afraid he might vanish if she let go. "I don’t have much food, but I could put something together."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "You can cook?"

Naomi laughed. "Not well. But I can manage tea and bread without burning down the house." She finally released his hand to reach for two ceramic mugs on a shelf. "Nessa—the real Nessa—seems to have some basic skills. My hands remember things my mind doesn’t."

Xavier settled onto a wooden stool near the hearth, watching as she moved around the small space. Her movements carried a nervous energy—opening cabinets too quickly, nearly dropping a spoon, glancing back at him every few seconds.

"You don’t have to come with me tomorrow if you’re worried," Xavier said. "I understand if you want to stay where it’s safe."

Naomi didn’t turn around. "No. Safer with you than anywhere else right now."

Safer with me? Since when...?

Xavier mentally pulled up his status display, focusing on the Soul Bond section.

[Naomi] [▓▓░░░░░░░░] 19%

6% to 19%. That wasn’t random.

She’s choosing to trust me.

He wasn’t sure if he deserved it, but he wasn’t going to waste it.

"It’s getting colder tonight," Naomi said, handing him a steaming mug. Her fingers brushed against his. "The woman who owns the home next door says it might be a snowstorm. The way back to the inn will be difficult in the dark, and I don’t want you getting lost and dying of frostbite..." She trailed off, then added quickly, "Tonight, I mean. Getting lost tonight would be bad."

"Naomi."

"The streets are patrolled more heavily after midnight," she continued, words tumbling out faster now. "And there’s been talk of winter beasts inside the city walls. One of the girls at the Fox said she heard howling last night near the east gate, and—"

"Naomi."

"—I’m not normally this nervous, I swear." She laughed, the sound slightly too high. "Must be the situation. Being in someone else’s body in a frozen medieval world will do that to a person, I guess."

"Stop. Just... look at me." Xavier set down his mug and waited for her to lock eyes. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

Naomi froze. A pause. Then she set her mug down with a quiet clink, avoiding his eyes.

"...Yes."

Oh shit...

For a second, neither of them moved. The only sound being the crackle from the fire.

Naomi wasn’t seducing him. She wasn’t manipulating. She was just... tired. And didn’t want to be alone.

"It’s just... practical," she said, eyes on the floorboards. "Body heat and all that. That’s all."

"Practical," Xavier repeated, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Of course."

Naomi stepped closer, the firelight catching in her hair. "The bedroom’s through there. It’s small, but the bed is... adequate."

Xavier stood. "I’ve slept in worse places."

"I imagine you have." Her voice had dropped lower. "Though I hope this won’t be one of them."

The bedroom was indeed small, dominated by a bed with a wooden frame and thick furs piled atop what looked like a straw mattress. A single candle burned on a nightstand, casting dancing shadows across the walls. The room was cold away from the kitchen’s hearth, their breath visible in small clouds.

Xavier crossed to the window. "These old shutters never hold in wind right. We’ll need to shift the bed away from the wall or you’ll wake up frozen."He ran a hand along the sill. "And if something does come through, I’d rather be between it and you."

"Already did," Naomi replied. "Twice."

Xavier turned to find her standing closer than expected, her robe now hanging open to reveal the full length of her nightgown. The thin fabric did little to hide the outline of her body beneath.

"You’re thorough," he said.

"Always have been. It’s why I’m still alive." She reached up and touched his face. "You look different, but you still move the same way."

Xavier caught her hand in his. "So... is this just curiosity? Seeing if something’s still there?"

Naomi’s smile faded, replaced by something colder. "Don’t dissect me, Valentine. I wanted you here because everything else in this city is wrong, and you’re the only thing that isn’t." She pulled her hand away. "If that’s a problem, the door’s right there."

Ah, there’s the Naomi I know.

"No problem," he said. "Just getting my bearings."

"Good." She moved to the bed and sat on its edge, the mattress creaking slightly under her weight. "Because I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not. At least with you, I can be myself."

Xavier removed his outer coat and hung it on a peg by the door. "Then maybe tonight’s a good time to start getting to know her. If you’ll let me."

"Come on," she said softly. "You’ll get to see."