Deep within the God Realm, Shallow Vernal had manifested a small floating island just outside the Sanctuary. There, she was meticulously crafting an entire hot spring district for her future date with Kaito.
Though the island was small, it was large enough to house a complete resort town. Shallow Vernal was taking her time with the project, currently in the process of adapting a hot spring district copied from Machina's World to better suit the culture of Trinia.
"Hmm, for a Trinian feel, maybe brick buildings would work better," Shallow Vernal mused. "The architectural aesthetic carries a lot of weight. Right now, it feels a bit too much like Japan."
"I see what you mean," Machina replied. "But we still want Kaito-san to recognize it as a hot spring resort the moment he sees it."
"What if I extended that river over there and built a bridge at this point?"
"It’s not bad, but if you put the bridge there, the view will be mediocre. Perhaps you should adjust the elevation itself..."
Taking the advice from Machina, who had been summoned to act as a consultant, Shallow Vernal reshaped the terrain of the district with a casual flick of her finger. Since both of them could rewrite geography and environmental conditions at will, the sheer volume of choices made it difficult to settle on a final plan.
"...By the way, I heard that the Gods of otherworlds are coming to visit my beloved child. Setting aside Electrone, since she was an exception, who’s scheduled next?"
"The one known as the Bipolar God is slated to visit next," Shallow Vernal answered.
"Yikes, that crazy-strong god, huh? Just out of curiosity, is the order after that fixed?"
"Normally it would be the Cyber God, but since I have already granted her permission to visit whenever she likes, I am unsure who follows. It seems the Gods of otherworlds have reached various agreements among themselves, but I do not know the details. The order is subject to change depending on my or Kaito-san's wishes."
"I see..."
Machina went silent for a moment, her expression turning thoughtful.
"Shallow Vernal, since I’m helping you out as a consultant today... in lieu of payment, there's a certain god I'd like you to let in a bit early. Could you bump her up in the queue? Oh, after the Bipolar God is fine, of course."
"I do not mind, though that is somewhat unexpected. I assumed you would ask to use this finished hot spring district for a trip with Kaito-san. Had you asked that, I would have rejected the request."
"If I wanted to take my beloved child on a hot spring trip, I'd just take him to the authentic ones in my own world."
"..."
Shallow Vernal watched Machina speak with such confidence. The question of why she assumed Kaito would ever agree to such a trip flickered through her mind, but she decided it wasn't worth the effort to ask.
"So, who is this god?"
"The Pole Star God Astrea Trist Meteor. She’s a cheeky little brat god with absolutely zero taste, but she seems to possess enough common sense to appreciate how wonderful my beloved child is. I figured I’d let her in so I can brag to her face."
"Are you two close?"
"Not at all! She has no sense and her hobbies are awful. Just the other day, I showed her that movie I made about my beloved child, and even though she cried her eyes out, she still had the nerve to say, 'I suppose thou hast crafted something marginally acceptable for once,' like a total sore loser! I’m absolutely not asking for this just because she was sulking about her turn being so far away! Not at all!!"
"I see."
Shallow Vernal swallowed the urge to point out that they sounded quite close and simply nodded. She knew that speaking up would only trigger a tedious reaction, which would waste precious time and delay the construction of the resort.
"I have no objection to changing the order. Tell her to contact me once the Bipolar God’s visit concludes. In exchange, you will continue to assist me until this district is finished."
"Sure, sure. I want it to be a nice place for my beloved child’s trip anyway, so I’ll cooperate."
"...You have certainly grown quite informal with me lately," Shallow Vernal noted.
"I’ve finally gotten used to you. Or rather, I think our interactions were so stiff before because you were too detached. It naturally made everything feel like a cold business transaction."
Having stationed two of her terminals in this world and engaged in numerous conversations with Shallow Vernal, Machina had finally figured out how to handle her. She spoke with far more ease than she once had. Perhaps she felt a sense of security, knowing that the current Shallow Vernal—who had grown through her bond with Kaito—would no longer impulsively invoke Epilogue (The End of the Story).
"...Come to think of it, what are you going to do with this island once your trip with my beloved child is over?"
"Hmm... I suppose I will give it to Lilia."
"Oh, that’s perfect. It’ll be great for tourism. If you just drop the whole island down somewhere in the Kingdom of Sinfonia as a gift, it won't go to waste."
In a tone that suggested nothing more than ordinary small talk between world-creating deities, Lilia's fate was sealed. While the rest of the world buzzed with the growth of the Rich Baron House, the rise of the Sharon Count House, the Arclesia Empire’s rapid development, and the maneuvers of global merchant guilds, a catastrophic stomach-ache was destined to descend upon Lilia Albert from a place that had nothing to do with any of them.
Serious-senpai: "The strongest is the strongest at all times... The strongest stomach pain warrior is truly on another level. For no particular reason, a super-class stomach pain flag has been planted in the most unexpected place imaginable..."