* * *

“I” am ‘happiness’!

“I” am ‘happiness’!

So everyone, let’s become “me”!

Happily calling out in my mind, “my” body, which had turned everything in the room—bones, flesh, broken machines, scattered human parts—into “me”, has become quite large.

But my mission has only just begun.

Because I’ve only turned one room into “me”.

“I” have to turn everything into “me”, and make everything ‘happy’.

That’s why I was born!

So, “I”, passing through the small ventilation duct in this room, started my journey outside this building!

This slimy body is very convenient, since it can pass through even the smallest gaps.

…I thought about turning the walls into “me” to get outside, and even tried it, but—I stopped halfway.

Because there was a path… with something crackling flowing through it, in the building’s walls.

If I touch it, “I” will be scorched and dried, and become a little smaller.

It seems that “I” need to be bigger to turn those walls into “me”.

* * *

“I” continued to spread, turning the entire forest surrounding the building into “me”.

I feel incredibly good.

If I could speak, I would surely be humming.

And then, after advancing for a while, I came across a large city.

A metropolis, with lots of cars and high-rise buildings.

And in that metropolis, there were many… pitiful people…

They were all… looking at “me”, crying.

They’re desperately pleading, ‘Help me, help me.’

They’re trembling, afraid of something…

I understand… I understand, everyone!

“I” will help you!

“I” am ‘happiness’!

So everyone, let’s become “me”!

Then everyone will be ‘happy’!

“I”, who had become incredibly large by turning the forest into “me”, quickly turned the people in the city into “me”!

In the process, I learned various techniques.

One of them is transformation!

Since “my” body is sludge, it can transform into any shape I want.

I learned this rather quickly.

…Because “I” am inevitably large.

It seems that I make everyone wary.

But that’s not good for them.

Because they should become “me” as soon as possible, and become ‘happy’.

So, “I” imitate the appearance of the people who have become “me”, and beckon them!

‘Come, come’!

And another amazing technique I learned!

I call it, ‘The Scent of Happiness’!

It’s a technique that allows me to convey how ‘happy’ “I” am… to those who smell “my” scent!

The people who smell this ‘Scent of Happiness’, no matter how much they were crying before, immediately start smiling!

And they willingly become “me”!

Why I can do that… even “I” don’t understand.

Perhaps there’s a secret to the “me” before I became “me”… but I have no memories.

I can’t think about difficult things for a long time, and I have no choice but to leave things I don’t understand… as they are.

* * *

Anyway, like that.

“I” continued to turn everything into me.

The forest, the mountains, the cities… I turned them all into “me”.

Along the way, there were some pitiful people who attacked “me” with various weapons… but I’m mushy.

Being hit or cut has no effect, and even if I’m burned… “I’m” already too big for it to do much damage.

I turned them all… into “me”.

By the way, the earth and the sea are for later.

I can turn the earth into “me” anytime, but there aren’t many living things there.

As “me”, I want to prioritize making living beings ‘happy’.

As for the sea, if I’m not careful, “I” might be diluted and become thinner.

It’s not impossible, but it’s a little difficult to turn it into “me”, so it’s for later.

Anyway, first, “I” covered the entire surface of the continent with “me”.

By secretly putting a small part of “me” on airplanes, I’ve already spread all over the world!

Almost the entire surface of the earth, except for places too cold for humans to live, has become “me”.

“I” was very satisfied with the progress of my mission.

My heart, which was already full of ‘happiness’, was enveloped in even more ‘happiness’!

* * *

But.

There’s one place I couldn’t touch.

It’s a giant, pure white tower, built near the building where I was born.

There’s some kind of strange barrier around this tower, preventing me from approaching.

Sometimes, beam-like attacks are also fired from the top of the tower.

It’s a little dangerous.

But.

“I” finally succeeded in approaching the white tower today!

The barrier that had been blocking “me”… I somehow managed to turn it into “me” too, after trying various things!

Happy, I surged towards the tower, and started climbing it.

There were people in strange white clothes inside the tower, so I turned them into “me” one after another.

It’s been a while since I turned humans into “me”!

So you were all here!

Let’s all become ‘happy’ together!

I climbed, and climbed, and climbed…

And when I opened the door to the top floor—

There were many people… and a woman who is slightly larger than an ordinary person, but incredibly beautiful!

She’s truly, truly, incredibly beautiful!

From now on, when I take a human form, I’ll use this person’s face!

I thought that the moment I saw her!

“Goddess! Please help us!”

“That sludge… has finally reached even this sacred ground!”

“Please, bring divine punishment upon that sludge!”

“““““Goddess, Goddess!”””””

The people, prostrating themselves, desperately pleaded with the large woman… the Goddess.

And then, the Goddess, smiling, said—

“I can’t do that right now.”

“WHAT!?”

“I’ve tried various things, but that sludge has become too large. It seems that my power can no longer reach it.”

“Why didn’t you exterminate it when it was still small!?”

“That’s what you all wanted, isn’t it? You all said… ‘Please protect us’. I am your Goddess. I will grant your wishes as much as possible. Even if it means dividing my power, and missing a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.”

“Useless! You… useless thing!”

“I apologize. But aren’t you the ones who made me this useless?”

The people prostrating themselves before the Goddess, their faces red with anger, started cursing.

But even after hearing those self-deprecating words, the Goddess continued to look down at them, with a benevolent smile.

And then.

“…But your ‘last’ wish. As your Goddess, I will surely grant it someday.”

Saying that, the Goddess swung the staff she was holding—Whoosh.

And suddenly, the “sky split open”, and a jet-black “scar” appeared!

“I will now travel the world, and gather power. The power to destroy that sludge.”

“““““OOOOH!!”””””

The people cheered at the Goddess’ declaration!

“But that will take a long time. Therefore, I cannot save you.”

“““““EEH!?”””””

But at her next words, the people screamed!

“But your last wish… ‘Divine punishment upon that sludge’. I will surely grant it someday. Until then… please wait, while becoming a part of the sludge.”

The Goddess, saying that, smiled, and jumped into the jet-black “scar”.

And after a few seconds, the “scar” completely disappeared.

All that remained were “me”, and the people who had been prostrating themselves before the Goddess.

The Goddess has disappeared from this world.

“N-NOOOO!!”

“My wish! Let me change my wish!! Take me to another world!”

“Help! Someone, help me!”

“““““AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!”””””

The people all wailed.

They look so pitiful…

But it’s okay.

“I’m” here!

“I” am ‘happiness’!

Everyone, let’s become “me”!

* * *

And so, humans disappeared from this world.

After that, “I”, slowly, over time, turned the sea into “me”.

And the earth into “me”.

And what’s beneath it… that hot something, I also worked hard and turned it all into “me”.

This entire world has become “me”.

A world filled with ‘happiness’ has been realized!