Thump, thump, the voices of the followers echo. Voices that are now too overwhelming to hear. It would have been nice if it were the old days. Back then, I was beautiful. But that beauty ate away at my inner self. The followers only love my outward beauty. What about me, the real me?

My heart beats in a heavy, irregular rhythm. No, do I even have a heart to begin with? ...Right, a god living as a parasite in a human body. It's nonsensical. But even so.

As my breath begins to choke in my throat, I find myself bolting out through the crowd of followers. My clothes get torn as I brush through the thickets, and my appearance is, of course, a total mess. Behind me, the followers scream at the top of their lungs. But I'm not the Aphrodite you know anymore. My inside has rotted away.

Then, I met you. I knew who you were. For some strange reason, you always came out early on Tuesdays to check on my condition. You were in the thicket, holding nothing but a sword, hunting a wild boar. This is usually the time when humans who want something from me come seeking me out, the time when the most followers are gathered. Yet you were just hunting a boar in the woods. It's ridiculous, isn't it? A god standing before you in this state. But you just smiled without a change in expression.

..Do I look pathetic to you?

Then, looking startled, you widened your eyes and started waving your hands in denial, which was funny. How long has it been? And then I felt it.

Ah, she really is a shining child.