Refusing My God’s Advances

"Well, I think that I like you," Anima said after a moment, and then walked over to me, and poked at my chest. "I don't normally do this, but I will assume that you are looking for a body for that little cat demon inside of you, right?"

I blinked and nodded in surprise, not expecting Anima to be able to sense Ashagan. What was more, she knew what race of demon she was. This Anima woman wasn't over 10,000 years old for nothing!

"Yeah, I mean, I hadn't really thought about it, but that is a good idea, right Ashagan?" I asked, and the black cat shadow emerged from my body.

"Only if I can pick the body, and I will not let you just have your way with me because you have fulfilled my request! I have more pride than that!" Ashagan snapped, and I put up my hands.

"Calm down, I never said I would!" I complained, but Ashagan narrowed her eyes and then pointed a shadowy paw at Scarlet Siren.

"I saw what you were doing with that one!" She accused me, and I slapped my hand to my face, shaking my head. She had me there.

"Well, you're not wrong, but that's not the point right now. Anima, do you have any golem models suitable for Ashagan?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

Anima grinned, understanding the situation. "Of course! We have a variety of golem models that can be customized to suit Ashagan's preferences. Let's find something that both of you will be happy with."

We spent the next hour exploring different golem models, each with unique features and abilities. Anima guided us through the options, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each model. Ashagan seemed to take a liking to a sleek, shadowy golem with agile features.

"Alright, how about this one?" Anima suggested, displaying a holographic image of the chosen golem.

Ashagan inspected it carefully, nodding in approval. "It's acceptable. But remember, this is just temporary until I can regain my true form."

"Understood," I replied with a smile. "Now, let's use that voucher."

Anima nodded, and with a flick of her hand, the voucher was applied to the golem customization. The holographic image shimmered and transformed, revealing the chosen golem with a new color scheme and enhancements.

The model was a beautiful kunoichi, who, like the ninja girl I had seen before, was covered in black straps of cloth but with pieces of red cloth covering most of her face. Her body wasn't hard to look at, but she was lacking in the chesticle area if you know what I mean. 

I guess that made the model more aerodynamic, but I turned and looked longingly at the Scarlet Siren model. I would be back for her!

"Well, since Hama has a few places left to take you, why don't I lend you this avatar?" Anima asked, making a copy of Scarlet Siren.

Immediately, Ashagan turned to glare at me. 

"What?! She is making you a very nice offer, so you should be polite and take it," I smiled, and Ashagan rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"Fine, but if you get any funny ideas, I will go back to being a shadow!" She snapped, and I grinned, feeling like I had won a small battle of a much greater war.

With Ashagan now having a temporary golem body, Anima led us to other sections of the Interdimensional Hamazon Shopping Reality. The virtual mall was vast and filled with a variety of shops, each catering to different needs and desires.

"Hama, where would you like to go next?" Anima asked the floating TV.

"I think it's time for Leon to explore a special shop that he already knows!" Hama cheered, and the scene changed.

When the scene righted itself, I rubbed my eyes a few times to make sure that I was seeing the right place.

"Greg Printing Supplies," I mumbled, reading out the neon sign before me. "How is this here? It thought there was nothing from Earth here?" I asked.

"Like Hamazon, Greg's shop is interdimensional. That means that every dimension has a version of his shop, but in Greg's case, he runs them all at once. He used to be a hero and retired to open this shop, and all his other shops," Hama explained, and I couldn't wait any longer, pushing open the store door.

"I wondered when I would see you again," Greg said as soon as I walked in.

"It really is you?" I asked, and Greg gave me a sad smile.

"Sorry, kid. I think that you coming to my shop so much might have put you on the radar of the arrogant god that has a hold of you. Sorry for breaking up your peaceful life," Greg explained, but I waved him off as I walked over with a big smile, Anima, Ashagan, and Hama following behind me.

"Water under the bridge, and I have been doing nothing but make the stupid god's life miserable. I also got to keep my printer, so you can guess why I am here!" I laughed but then turned to Hama with an excited expression. "Do you have a voucher for this place?"

"Fu, Fu, Fu! I was wondering when you were going to ask about this! I have one free voucher for any Epic or lower Material Replacement Filament, or it can be used on a rare or lower Arcane Coating!"

"Oh?" Greg mused. "This is your first time in this location, so all my products are different. Replacement Filament can replace any one material for printing. Doing so will give the items special effects, depending on the filament. The downside is that you will lose the bonus effect of the replaced material, making it a new item from the originally selected project."

That was pretty cool, but I was curious about the coating. "What about the coatings? What are the ups and downs for them?"

Greg laughed. "Arcane coatings are a material that is added to a project before it starts and gives bonuses to the items without taking any away. The downside is that they are expensive, and get quite ridiculous in cost after rare. They also double the print time."

"That's good to know," I replied, thinking about the options. "Let's go with the Material Replacement Filament for now. I want to try something different with my printer."

Hama nodded and presented the voucher to Greg, who accepted it with a smile. "Excellent choice! Now, let's see what you have in mind for replacement."

"I am not really sure," I said, and Greg smiled.

"Come with me," he said, and led me to a section of glowing spools of what looked to be filament, but some of the colors and patterns in them were out of this world. "Take your time and have a good look around. These ones that are glowing are the Epic-rated ones, so you might want to start there."

I perused the glowing spools, each one radiating a unique aura of magical energy. The options were mesmerizing, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of creativity as I considered the possibilities.

"Feel free to ask if you have any questions," Greg offered, and I nodded, grateful for his guidance.

After a careful examination, my eyes settled on a spool that emitted a soft, ethereal glow. It had a mix of deep blue and silver hues, with tiny sparkles dancing within the filament.

"What's this one called?" I inquired, pointing to the captivating spool.

Greg smiled. "Ah, that's the Moonlight Mist Filament. It's an Epic-rated filament that adds an enchanting misty effect to the printed items. Perfect for creating ethereal and magical aesthetics."

"Sounds intriguing. I'll go with the Moonlight Mist Filament for my replacement," I decided, feeling excited about the potential enhancements it could bring to my prints.

Greg nodded and took the voucher, exchanging it for the chosen filament. "Excellent choice! Remember, once you use it, the replaced material's effects will be lost, so make sure it's a worthy trade-off."

With the Moonlight Mist Filament in hand, I felt a renewed sense of anticipation for my next printing project. The combination of the Interdimensional Hamazon Shopping Reality and Greg's Printing Supplies opened up a realm of possibilities for enhancing my creations.

"Thank you, Greg. It's always a pleasure doing business with you," I expressed my gratitude.

Greg chuckled. "The pleasure is mine, Leon. If you ever need anything else, you know where to find me. Enjoy your printing!"

As we left the printing shop, I turned to Hama. "What's next on the agenda?"

Hama gave me a sad look. "Unfortunately, you have run out of Magical Power, and your time here is done for today, but you can visit once you have recovered again!"

And just like that, I was back in my chair in front of my desk in the golem cave, but I felt exhausted. It was all that I could do to drag my sorry ass back to bed with Shelli who cuddled into me without waking up as I also drifted off.