Following the appearance of the God of Fate, Fate-san, Lilia-san set a new personal record for the fastest fainting spell yet. When she finally came to, she greeted Fate-san with impeccable (if strained) politeness and ushered her further into the room... before fixing me with a silent, heavy stare.
“...Kaito-san, we need to talk later. Yes, a very important talk. Please come to my room.”
“Y-Yes...”
While trembling under the weight of Lilia-san’s burgeoning aura of wrath, which felt as if it were seconds away from taking physical form, I prepared to explain Fate-san’s situation—only to stumble upon a glaring contradiction. Fate-san had claimed she was being chased by "bad people," but who on earth could possibly be a threat to a Supreme God? Come to think of it, I wasn't even sure if she was actually being chased, so I decided I should clear that up first.
“Um, Fate-san.”
“I want cookies, too! Give me some! ...Hmm?”
“...You’re being pursued, right?”
“Yeah, I’m in a truly critical situation.”
I mean, was this person really the God of Fate? Seeing her lounge on her cushion and stuff her face with cookies made her look like a completely different species compared to the other Supreme God I knew, Chronoa-san.
“Pursued? A Supreme God?” Lilia-san asked, her confusion mirroring mine.
“Hey, Riri-tan.”
“Riri-tan!?”
“Oh, don't bother with a stiff title like God of Fate; you can just call me Fate~”
“N-No, but... that would be disrespectful...”
“Geez, Riri-tan, you're so serious. You’re just like the God of Space-Time.”
While Lilia-san was left reeling by Fate-san’s utter lack of decorum, she still looked concerned by the claim that the goddess was being hunted. Fate-san, however, remained in her usual state, showing no sense of crisis whatsoever.
“Fate-san... just who is pursuing you? Who could possibly be chasing a Supreme God like you?”
“The absolute worst person! Honestly, if I get caught... ugh, I’m starting to shake just thinking about it.”
“I-Is it someone that incredible?”
It seemed the person pursuing Fate-san was a truly formidable existence, as the goddess was visibly frightened. Perhaps sensing that this was a situation beyond common sense, Lilia-san watched Fate-san with a solemn expression, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
“Seriously, that person is a demon! A demon! They must be enjoying themselves by bullying the innocent little me!”
“Ho... that sounds like quite a hardship.”
“It really is! They’re as stubborn as their flat chest is—eh?”
“...It seems you truly wish for death, God of Fate.”
I heard a familiar voice from behind Fate-san as she spoke. I looked over to find Chronoa-san standing there, a vein throbbing in her forehead. Fate-san heard the voice and, after a long pause, turned her head with the jerky, trembling movements of a broken tin doll. Her face turned pale.
“...C-C-C-Chronoa!? W-W-Why are you here!?”
“Fool! I can easily imagine the sort of places you would crawl to! Just how many times do you intend to run away before you are satisfied?! Enough is enough!”
“Hieee... Whoa there, easy now...”
“Today is the day I beat that rotten character of yours back into shape!”
“Gniyaaaaah!?”
We stood there, dazed by the scene unfolding before our eyes. So, the "demon" Fate-san was running away from was... Chronoa-san?
“You! What happened to the report on the Blessing?! I told you to submit it during the Month of Fire, did I not?!”
“...I... will not succumb... to the torture known as work...”
“It is your duty, you moron! Do you have no self-awareness as a Supreme God?!”
“None!”
“Do not be proud of that!!”
Yeah, I pretty much understood the situation now. Fate-san probably had some duties she was supposed to fulfill as a Supreme God, and she had simply fled from them. Wait, wasn't this entirely Fate-san’s fault?
Chronoa-san quickly grabbed Fate-san by the scruff of her neck as she tried to scramble away.
“Honestly... you have even caused trouble for Lilia. Come, we are going back!”
“I don't want to! I’m going to live here! I’m going to live here and have Kai-chan take care of me!”
“...Huh?”
Wait a minute, what was she saying? Where in the flow of the conversation did it take that turn? I was practically a live-in guest myself, and yet she wanted me to support her? Just how much did this person hate working?
Even Chronoa-san looked so exasperated that she accidentally let go of Fate-san’s collar.
“...You, what nonsense are you spewing now...?”
“Because Kai-chan’s face is totally my type! And he seems like a pushover, so if I cry and cling to him, he’s the type who would support me with three meals and a nap provided!”
“...”
I felt subtly insulted, but since I couldn't completely deny the "pushover" part, I stayed quiet. In reality, if she cried and begged me to take care of her... I’d probably end up looking after her while grumbling about it the whole time.
In the midst of the stunned silence, Fate-san, now free from Chronoa-san’s grip, quickly latched onto my leg.
“Kai-chan! Save me!”
“Huh? What?”
“If things stay like this, I’ll be abducted by the God of Space-Time, tortured, and my spirit will be completely broken!”
By "torture," you just mean doing your job, right?
Seeing Fate-san clinging to me while half-sobbing, I was debating what to do when Chronoa-san spoke to me while massaging her temples.
“What nonsense... Miyama, there is no need for you to worry. There is no benefit to you in indulging her.”
“E-Err...”
“Then I’ll let you do sexy things with me!”
“Pffft!?”
While still clinging to my leg, Fate-san blurted out something truly outrageous.
“My body might be small, but my breasts are big! They’re totally different from a sheer cliff like the God of Space-Time! The God of Space-Time is so flat that even if she laid down and put a cup of black tea on her chest, it wouldn't spill! I’m a much better deal!!”
“...You truly seem to wish for death.”
“Hieee!?”
Chronoa-san now had eyes that looked capable of cold-blooded murder. She was very tall and had a slender build, but just like when she was arguing with Ein-san, she seemed extremely sensitive about her physique. As Chronoa-san approached with a murderous expression, Fate-san panicked and clung to me even tighter.
“Waaaaah! Kai-chan! Save meeee!”
“Enough! Let go of him, you fool!”
“I don't want to! Kai-chaaaaaan!!”
“...”
Regarding this entire matter, Chronoa-san was overwhelmingly in the right. Fate-san held a responsible position as a Supreme God, so there were naturally things she had to do. Even if she begged me like this, I couldn't exactly help her... I couldn't...
“U-Um... Chronoa-san, would just for today be okay?”
“What?! Hey, Miyama!”
“Kai-chan!”
“I-I know! I know what Chronoa-san is saying is right, but, well, err... I haven't even had a chance to talk properly with Fate-san yet, so maybe she could stay for just one day so we can get to know each other...”
I was hopeless. I was just too weak to those pleading eyes. Because I had spoken up to protect Fate-san, Chronoa-san took on a troubled expression.
“Miyama, you should not spoil her... She will surely just complain again tomorrow.”
“I-It’ll be fine. I’ll do something about that.”
“Do something?”
“Err... I’ll try asking Shiro-san.”
Shiro-san was surely aware of the situation, and even Fate-san would listen to the words of the Creator God. I didn't know if Shiro-san would listen to my request, but I planned to ask with all my heart...
(There is a condition.)
A condition? What is it?
(It is unfair that only Kuro gets one, so please go on a date with me as well.)
...That thing she said before, she really wasn't joking. I-I understand... if you're okay with me...
“Hey, God of Space-Time... who is Kai-chan trying to ask?”
“It is Shallow Vernal-sama.”
“Pffft!? W-Why can Kai-chan make requests to Shallow Vernal-sama?! I mean, there's no way Shallow Vernal-sama would listen...”
“No, well... it seems Shallow Vernal-sama has taken an interest in Miyama, and he has also received her Blessing. Perhaps...”
“...Eh? What's that? Kai-chan, are you some kind of monster?”
Chronoa-san answered the stunned Fate-san, but I set that aside and prioritized talking to Shiro-san.
(So, what should I do?)
Yeah. I expected as much, but she clearly understood the facts of the situation without understanding the actual problem. Um, I want you to tell Fate-san to work properly tomorrow.
(I understand.)
As soon as she said that, light gathered in the room, and Shiro-san appeared as if it were the most natural thing in the world... Ah, Lilia-san fainted again.
The moment Shiro-san appeared, the Fate-san who had been acting so lazy until a second ago immediately scrambled off her cushion, dropped to one knee before Shiro-san, and bowed her head.
“Sh-Shallow Vernal-sama.”
I had heard that for the residents of the God Realm, Shiro-san was an absolute existence, and those words were clearly no lie. Fate-san was in absolute submission. Shiro-san gave a brief look at the bowing Fate-san, then spoke with her usual toneless voice.
“Work properly tomorrow.”
“Yes! Even at the cost of my life!”
She was a completely different person. Fate-san’s transformation in the presence of Shiro-san was terrifying. Shiro-san had appeared solely to grant my wish to give a warning, so she truly just said that one thing and then vanished back into the light.
Watching that scene, Chronoa-san put her hand to her chin thoughtfully.
“...I see. If it is Miyama’s request, Shallow Vernal-sama will actually intervene... This is... hmmm. Hey, Miyama.”
“What is it?”
“If you do not return to your world and choose to remain here, speak to me. If you desire it, I shall use my authority to establish a residence for you in the God Realm.”
“...Huh?”
“Of course, I shall also assist you in other matters to the best of my ability. In exchange... though I hesitate to ask, could you perhaps ask Shallow Vernal-sama to warn the God of Fate and the God of Life to work, just once a year?”
“...”
I don't know how to describe it, but from those few words, I could deeply feel just how much Chronoa-san suffered on a daily basis.
Dear Mother, Father—Thanks to Fate-san, things have turned into quite a commotion. And how should I put it—Chronoa-san seems to have it really rough.
Kaito Scout +1