(Your POV)
My eyes fluttered awake to see a gray haired woman with glasses looking over me. Her eyes seemed so tired like they haven't slept in years, yet she seemed very attentive and observant. I looked around for Amaterasu, only to not feel it in my pockets and I started panicking. Forcing me to lay up from what appeared to be a hospital bed, I also looked around for my paintbrush, revealing I was in a hospital room of some kind.

"Oh good, you're awake." The woman states, noticing that I woke up from my little nap. "You've been knocked out for quite a while now."

"Where am I?" I asked while trying to straighten my clothes a bit more, then I realized that I didn't have my jacket on. "Where is my jacket? Who are you? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"

"You're in the Fraxinus, your jacket's in the wash, I'm Reine Murasame, and 364 licks." The newly dubbed Reine answered all of my questions in a calm tone, impressing me especially with the last answer.

"You're good, I'll give you that." I tried getting out of my bed, but I was met with a yellow blue suddenly hitting me and forcing me back on the bed, full force. "What the hell?"

"(Y/N)!" Angie shouted excitedly as she snuggled into my chest, confusing me for multiple reasons, but the main one was...what was she doing here?! "You're awake! I thought you died! Thank Atua you're okay!"

"It was just a rock!" I reassured the girl as a familiar maid suddenly appeared behind me, causing me to turn my eyes to see Kirumi. "Hey Kirumi, what are you two doing here?"

"Well you see, due to our experience in extreme stress and experience with two different demigods, <Ratatoskr> hired us so we could help with the spirit problem." Kirumi explained before prying Angie off of me and then handed me my jacket. "Come on now, the commander is waiting for you."

"I'm sorry, commander?" I got up from the bed and put my jacket on, noticing that all the paint stains were now gone, my pride and joys. "Okay, better question; who carried me here?"

"Gonta did, obviously." Kirumi straightened out my jacket to help me out. "He's the only person who's capable of carrying people, but he has informed us that you're a bit on the light side."

"Looks like I'll have to thank him later." I made a mental note as all four of us began walking down the halls of this Fraxinus building, oh wait, it's not a building...it's an airship. "How on Earth is this airship staying in the air?"

"It's one of the world's greatest mysteries~" Angie playfully chuckled as she walked towards the door with the rest of us in tow. "In all seriousness, how do we fly, Reine?"

"We have a generator that's powered by gravity dust that's sent over to us by a place called Atlas on the planet Remnant." Reine explained before yawning, allowing me to finally take notice at how tired she looked. "(Y/N), I understand you're a healthy teenage boy, but please don't stare at people."

"Sorry, it's just that you look in desperate need of a nap, lucky for you, I can fix that with <Amaterasu>..." I felt my pockets and realized that my paintbrush wasn't with me. "Okay then that failed miserably, Reine, When was the last time you took a nap?"

"I haven't slept in 30 years, but I'm perfectly fine thanks to these pills." Reine showed me a bottle of pills, still I was amazed that this woman was able to pull off not sleeping for 30 years, she could set a record.

"I could help you out if I just had my paintbrush...where is it?" I asked, followed by Angie rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Angie, did you do anything to my favorite paintbrush?"

"Weeeeeeeellll." Angie trailed off suspiciously before we all heard the sound of the door slamming, we looked over to see Rantaro and Kaito out of breath and holding the door shut. "I gave it to Kaito after I painted a picture of Atua with it, and it paints really well!"

"Are you all stupid?!" I fearfully shook Angie, checking to make sure she was alright. "Amaterasu is a god hunting weapon! If used by anyone who doesn't have the right signature, they could easily die! And that's just by holding the damn thing! When used, god hunting weapons eat at the soul of whoever doesn't have the right signature!"

"That explains so much." Rantaro exclaimed calmly as he and Kaito held back whatever was behind that door. "Also, Kaito, can you hand (Y/N) back his paintbrush?"

"Sure." Kaito then reached into his pocket and pulled out <Amaterasu>, then he tossed the relic towards me. "Hey (Y/N), on a scale from one to ten, how mad will you be if we painted giant dicks on the wall and now they're trying to kill us."

"I'm sorry, what?" I caught <Amaterasu> midair and stared blankly at the two become the door suddenly burst open to reveal two 2d dicks that looked like they were drawn by immature children. "You both are idiots."

"Yup, but we're also best friends!" Kaito and Rantaro are both hiding behind me, with Kaito giving me a thumbs up. "So please be a pal and take care of our weird erectile creations!"

"I don't need to." I said calmly as I walked towards the two paintings my friends made. "After all, it's just ink, and it's a painter's job to command their ink."

I calmly stood in front of the two one-eyed snakes and used my paintbrush to paint the air in front of me. I painted fire on the palm of my hand and breathed on it, letting black flames arise from the mark as I held my hand high. The one-eyed snakes were so distracted by the flames, that they didn't notice me write "Half" on their bodies. Once I wrote the last F, I closed my hands to dispel the flames and allowed my word spell to take effect. The two 'snakes' were still for a moment before their top halves suddenly slid off, like they were cut with a sword. Once the two 'snakes' were taken care of, I turned back to everyone, who looked rather impressed.

"Well, let's meet this commander of yours, I hate to keep people waiting."

(Timeskip brought to you by (Y/N) writing "dumbass" on Rantaro and Kaito's foreheads, and the two boys not even noticing)

After some time of walking, we all arrived at a metallic door, which Reine opened to allow us to walk through. After we walked through, I was struck with awe at the sight of the room. The room was roughly the size of a gymnasium, and it was all gray with metal. There were lights in the ceiling, but there was also a large window that revealed the sky. Lining the walls were a series of computers, and in the middle of the room was a throne-like seat with a familiar imouto sitting in the middle.

"Kotori?!" I shouted in shock and surprise, but then I noticed she was wearing black ribbons instead of her usual white ones, but it must be a fashion choice. "What are you doing here?!"

"Yup, your little sis is our commander." Rantaro confirmed my fears before patting me on the back. "You must be so proud of her."

"No, I'm more disappointed in you guys for letting a little girl sit in the captain's chair." I sweatdropped before I was suddenly struck in the face with a book. "Okay geez what the hell?!"

"Listen here Big Bro, now is not the time for you to be an idiot like always!" Kotori shouted, then I heard an audible crack that was the sound of my heart breaking. "So (Y/N), since we're on a tight schedule, how much do you know about spirits?"

"All I know is that they suddenly show up and unintentionally cause space quakes, which makes them the target of attacks from organizations such as the AST." I explained honestly, since I've never met a spirit...wait a minute, I did meet one. "However, when we take things to the mental state, they're just like anyone else."

"You seem well informed, must because of your encounter with <Princess>." Kotori informed me, I guess the girl did have a name, but that honestly sounds more like a title. "But long story short, AST aims to kill spirits, and we have a different goal in mind for them..."

"You're gonna use them as slaves?!" I stepped back in fear, I had no idea my little sister was such a devil, then I was struck in the face with a fist. "Yup, that's Tenko, so are all of you guys here now?"

"Stupid male, you're getting off topic!" Tenko shouted aggressively while pushing her fist more into my face, that's when I noticed the rest of my friends walking into the room. "Please finish your explanation Lady Kotori!"

"Thank you, Tenko~" Kotori cooed smugly, like she knew Tenko would always have her back. "In any case, our goal with spirits is to allow them to survive, and the only way to do that is to seal their powers."

"I can roll with that." I said as Tenko finally removed her fist from my face. "So how do you plan on allowing me to seal them? Unless the spirit wants me to come close, I can't get anywhere near one of them."

"Well that's where everyone here comes into play." Kotori then gestures to all the computers around. "Due to each of your friend's talents and unique personalities, we can easily make the spirits like you."

"Plus they gained intel from the so-called 'King of Games' about each of the spirits that they can't seem to share for some reason." Reine further explained, allowing me to get a better idea of the situation. "However, we do things a certain way that you may not be the best in..."

"You dare insult the great (Y/N) (L/N) this way?! Hit it Miu!" I did a Jojo pose while Miu threw a bunch of glitter at me and shone a flashlight at me, showing that both of us are over dramatic as fuck.

"(Y/N), you need to date these spirits to seal their power." Ryoma deadpans as he watched the color fade from my face, causing Miu to start laughing. "Well, there is an alternative where you have to fight the spirits head on, but this job pays well, so don't take this away from us."

"Da fuq kind of bullshit is this?" I asked, not moving from my pose, then I noticed Miu was laughing loudly. "Just to be clear, out of everyone here, I'm most likely to go on a date with Kaede, but I don't have the guts to ask her out so what in the hell makes you think I can go on a date with someone I just met?"

"E-Eh?!" Kaede shrieked in surprise with a red face that rivaled Kotori's hair, then I heard a hint of glee and relief in her voice. "N-Now's not the time for talking like that."

"Well that's where we come in." Kotori giggled with her arms crossed, watching Kaede's reaction as she did so. "All of these computers will be manned by one of your friends and they will vote on what you should say."

"So this ENTIRE operation is to save a group of beings so powerful they mess with the fabric of reality, and the best way to do that is to date these same beings with the power of Dating Sim Democracy?!" I questioned everyone, which was answered by some blonde guy.

"Yep, genius right?" The blonde man proudly announces, making me sweatdrop from the fact that this operation will most likely fail miserably, killing us all. "Oh right, my name is Kyouhei, nice to finally meet you in person (Y/N)."

(This man is a descendant of Lalatina/Darkness and there's nothing you can do to change my mind)

"If I die because of this, all my possessions go to Scuba Doo, my octopus." I pulled out a piece of paper from my back pocket and used <Amaterasu> to start writing my will, only leaving Kotori with the funeral cost. "Also, Kotori, how the hell did you become the leader of the Dating Sim Democracy?"

"That's not what the organization is called..." Kirumi sweatdropped in reaction to my name for this place.

"It is now." Kaito now wore a determined expression in his face, while Gonta held up a large paper that read 'Dating Sim Democracy'. "That's the spirit!"

"No, stop, this organization is called Ratatoskr." Kotori groaned in annoyance before placing a hand on her forehead. "I knew I shouldn't have hired a bunch of highschool students."

"Well hey, it's not our fault we can't spew any information, watch." Rantaro then tried speaking again, but it was like his mouth was glitching out, making his voice inaudible and his lips impossible to read. "See? Doesn't work."

"Rantaro, do me a favor and never do that again." I kindly requested, which made Rantaro laugh a little before Kotori got our attention once again.

"So (Y/N), you have a choice to make." Kotori offered, so I listened intently. "You can go back to your normal life, free of troubles. Or, you can help save these spirits. Keep in mind if you were to back out now, the blood will be on your hands."

"Well aren't you just the party pooper." I rubbed the back of my neck. "For the record, I never planned on leaving to begin with. You see, there's two reasons I want to partake in this story."

"Mind telling us those reasons, Older Brother?" Kotori grinned in interest, so I put my hands in my pockets and sighed.

"You see, I was never a fan of tragedies." I admitted sheepishly, sounding somewhat childish. "When I looked into <Princess's> eyes, I felt a wave of despair come over me."

"What about the other reason?" Kaede asked with a curious tone, making me pull <Amaterasu> out of my pocket to show the paintbrush off. "Your paintbrush."

"Amaterasu is a god killing weapon, and that purpose alone makes it a vulgar tool." I examined my paintbrush for a bit. "Names after the very god it was made to slay, it's cruel irony. Therefore, I shall give <Amaterasu> a new purpose, one that's made to save lives, not end them."

"Dude it's a fucking paintbrush."

"Shut up Rantaro."

(Timeskip, brought to you by (Y/N) playing chess against Scuba Doo, with Scuba somehow winning)

I was now back at school on the next day, new and improved! Only difference was that now I was wearing an earpiece in my ear, allowing me to hear Kotori, Reine, and Kouhei. The way this little system worked is that my friends, who I have all my classes with, vote on what I should say on a special app on their phones. Only downside is the person who developed the app is none other than my friend Miu, and her 'inventions' can get a little...strange at times.

"Oi, I can tell you're thinking bad things about my great inventions!" Miu karate chopped the back of my head repeatedly, and somehow the teacher in the front of the room didn't notice. "Best not to, since I'm still slightly mad about you blabbering your feelings about Kaede."

It was now break period, so all of us were free to walk around the classroom and chat. Due to the nature of our plan, we now kind of had to wait for a spirit to suddenly show up before doing anything. One another note, all the girls seemed a bit more attracted to me since I admitted my lack of guts yesterday. Especially Miu, who won't stop bringing up the fact I should go on a date with her while we wait for the spirit to show up. As "practice", is what she usually says.

"Give it a rest Miu." Ryoma advised the inventor, who didn't look happy in the slightest at the suggestion.

"Why you little runt!" Miu was about to attack the tennis player, but I grabbed her by the collar to hold her back, allowing me to realize how light she is, then her personality did it's 180. "(Y-Y/N)...p-please be gentle."

"(Y/N), I need to talk to you for a moment." Origami suddenly showed up, scaring Tenko enough to make her fall out of her seat. "Let's go."

"Fine, Gonta, make sure Miu doesn't try to shoot Ryoma with her belt buckle." I ordered my goliath friend, who saluted in a determined manner.

"Leave it to Gonta!" Gonta shouted as I let go of Miu to walk into the hallway with Origami, who bore her usual emotionless expression on her face.

"So Origami, what is it you wanted to talk about?" I asked after the two of us finally reached the empty hallway, with Origami and I staring at each other awkwardly, well, I'm the one who feels awkward.

"Why were you with the spirit yesterday?" Origami asked in her usual blank voice, at least she's honest and gets to the point. "I saw you with that spirit, so I want to know why."

"Lookin' for my sister when I suddenly met up with the spirit and your little club of well funded ghostbusters showed up." I said with arms crossed, already having my own question prepared. "Speaking of your friends, why join the AST units?"

"Simple, a spirit killed my family." Origami bluntly informed me, causing me to raise an eyebrow in interest. "My goal is to make sure no else shares that same fate I did, so that's why I kill spirits."

"A noble goal, but a very misleading one." I commented on Origami's dream, making her tilt her head in confusion. "Origami, riddle me think; do you believe all humans should share the blame of the atrocities of one man?"

"No, why on Earth would I think that?" Origami responds flatly, not realizing the fact that she just proved herself to be a fool in the process.

"So your genius idea is to hunt down all spirits for the actions of one?" I scored the girl, who looked genuinely surprised I was defending spirits. "People like you, who think humans are unique in his world, are blind. So don't listen to orders, listen with your ears. Don't look at a command sheet, look through your eyes. That's what your senses are for, are they not?"

After I said that, I left to go back to the classroom, and to let Origami ponder what I just said. Admittedly, what I just said sounds like Early English Poet bullshit, but that's the way of an artist. I kept on walking until I passed by a window, I looked out to see that I saw the sun was black, just like always. From what the others told me, the sun's actually yellow and orange. Yet I've always seen the sun as being a black color, yet it still radiated light. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, but then I realized something just in time for the bell to ring.

I was going in the opposite direction of my class.

(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Paint a Live, and now the Ratatoskr crew is full of people we can actually identify well! I also decided to provide some insight on this (Y/N)'s character, which I'm dubbing the painter. The main inspiration for his character was literally every artist type from any anime. Stay hydrated!