After talking with Mitsunaga-kun for a while about our original world and this one, as well as Aoi-chan and Hina-chan, he eventually pulled out a pocket watch. About an hour had passed. He checked the time and stood up.
"……I’m sorry, Miyama-san. I really should be going……"
"Ah, sorry. Was I keeping you?"
"No, not at all. I’ve had a great time…… but if I talk any longer, I’ll run out of time to study."
"……Study?"
I tilted my head, surprised to hear him mention studying. What kind of studying was he doing? It didn't seem like he was talking about high school subjects, and judging by his reaction, it seemed like something fairly important.
"Yes. About Aquerious…… Ah, that’s this town. I’m studying its history and local specialties."
"Wait, is that part of your duties as the Hero-role?"
"Yes."
"……The Hero-role has to do stuff like that too?"
I knew that the Hero-role went on pilgrimages and gave speeches throughout the world, but this was the first I’d heard about them studying local history and products.
"It’s not exactly an obligation…… but if I don’t know my facts, the meetings get very awkward."
"Meetings?"
"Right. Before the speech, the Hero-role always holds a meeting with the town mayor or the local lord. There’s a tacit understanding that they won't ask about our original world, so the conversation naturally shifts to my impressions of their town."
"……That sounds like a lot of work."
Just hearing about having to hold formal meetings with local authorities every time he visited a new place sounded exhausting. Moreover, Mitsunaga-kun was only a sixteen-year-old high schooler. Conversing with bigwigs like that would be enough to drain anyone's energy.
"……It is. To be honest, the mental pressure is huge. There are many long-lived races in this world, and above all, I have the legacy of the great First Hero-sama and a hundred predecessors ahead of me. No matter what I do, I’m going to be compared to them."
"……"
"The Hero-role is given one day of free time upon arriving in a city. I treat that as time for my studies. Today is that day…… Then tomorrow, I’ll meet with the town’s assemblymen, and the day after that, I’ll give my speech before moving on to the next town."
"……S-So you only stay in each town for about three days?"
"……That seems to vary depending on the person. I want to visit as many towns as possible, so I asked them to pack my schedule."
Moving to a town, studying for a day, meeting with authorities the next, and then moving on immediately after his speech…… It was an incredibly demanding schedule, yet it seemed Mitsunaga-kun had requested it himself.
He really was incredible…… I hadn't realized how much of a hard worker he was.
"Of course, I could take it easy if I wanted to. Like I said, the studying isn't forced on me. I’m just doing it of my own accord during my free time."
"……Isn’t it difficult?"
"I’d be lying if I said it was easy, but…… the Hero Summoning is a rotating duty among the three nations of the Human Realm. And no matter what, I’ll be compared to the previous Hero-role. Even if they don’t say it out loud, if they think, 'This year's Hero-role is a failure,' I’d feel terrible for Princess Cattleya and the people of the Kingdom of Sinfonia who have been so kind to me. So, I want to do my absolute best!"
"I see…… Honestly, I think that’s amazing."
"Ahaha, even then, I still mess up sometimes…… But I feel really fulfilled right now. The studying is hard, but when I learn how the people in this region live, talking to them becomes so much more fun…… And, well, Princess Cattleya is happy for me, too."
The expression on Mitsunaga-kun’s face as he spoke held a genuine strength. I suspected this was his true nature. Despite everything that might have warped his perspective in the past, the young man named Seigi Mitsunaga was a serious, diligent person at heart.
I felt like I needed to follow his example.
"Yeah…… Good luck. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know."
"Thank you. That means a lot."
"Anyway, sorry for holding you up."
"No, I’m glad I got to talk to you, Miyama-san. Oh, if you have time tomorrow afternoon, could we meet again? Princess Cattleya said she wanted to meet you as well."
"Yeah, of course. Should we meet back here?"
"Yes. I’ll be free from 14:00, so if that works for you, let’s meet then."
"Understood."
"Well then, excuse me!"
After promising to meet again tomorrow, Mitsunaga-kun left with a bright smile. His back looked much broader and more reliable than when I’d seen him before; I could truly feel how much he’d grown.
Dear Mother, Father——I believe I’ve learned firsthand that people can change. I think Mitsunaga-kun found someone precious to him in this world and grew because of it. Perhaps that’s why, having no real prejudices against him, he seemed like such a serious, hard worker to me.
In a large, luxurious guest room within the royal castle of the Hydra Kingdom, Shia and Heart were resting after the assembly had concluded.
"……As expected, we didn't finish in a single day."
"It can't be helped. There are revisions to be made; it was always going to take a few days."
"True. But the God of Fate-sama is incredible…… The discussions are moving many times faster than planned. If she were always this focused, the God of Space-Time-sama wouldn't have nearly as many headaches. She’s so capable; why does she usually do nothing but slack off?"
"……"
Watching Heart sigh over the gap between Fate's usual laziness and her current, god-like efficiency, Shia remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"……Have you not spoken with the God of Fate-sama much?"
"Eh? Well, a low-ranking god like me rarely gets the chance to speak with her directly. This was the first time I’ve ever spoken to her without a high-ranking god acting as an intermediary. Why do you ask?"
"……Let me tell you a little something…… about the God of Fate-sama."
"……Eh?"
Speaking in a quiet but clear voice, Shia slowly turned her gaze toward Heart.
"……The God of Fate-sama was the very first deity created by Shallow Vernal-sama. In a way, you could say the God of Fate-sama is the existence closest to Shallow Vernal-sama among all the gods. That includes…… her nature."
"Her nature?"
"Yes. Let's start with the basics. To the God of Fate-sama, the subordinate gods, humankind, and demons…… they are all essentially 'stones on the roadside'."
"……What?"
Heart’s expression grew serious as she listened to Shia’s blunt words.
"For the God of Fate-sama, most things in this world are just dolls she can move exactly as she pleases. They have no more value than that. They are simply 'boring existences'."
"……"
"……Make sure you remember this. The God of Fate-sama you saw today was in an 'exceptionally good mood'. It’s only because someone she finds 'interesting' is nearby that she’s acting so friendly……"
"……"
After arriving at the inn—which was so luxurious it felt a bit excessive—I dropped off my luggage and killed time until evening arrived.
I was sitting on the sofa in the massive room, wondering what to do for dinner, when I heard a knock.
"Coming~"
I walked toward the door. Since the inn was currently reserved for our group, it had to be either the staff or Fate-san’s party. I could feel Fate-san’s magic power through my Sympathy Magic, so I opened the door without a second thought.
"Kai-chaaaaaaan!!"
"Guff!?"
The moment the door opened, Fate-san lunged at me like a fired bullet.
There’s one very important thing to remember: Fate-san is quite petite. As she charged in, her head slammed directly into my solar plexus with the accuracy of a homing missile.
I doubled over in agony, the impact feeling as if every last bit of air had been squeezed out of my lungs.
"Kai-chan! I’m so tireeeeed! I did so much wooork! Heal me~ Pamper me~"
"Gah…… cough…… F-Fate-san…… wait…… let go……"
"Nooo! I’m replenishing my dangerously low Kai-chan Elements right now!"
"Gefu…… I don't…… even know what that…… cough……"
It was only my first day in the Hydra Kingdom. It seemed this day wasn't going to end quietly after all.
Serious-senpai: "Why would you do that?! My other self worked so hard to set a serious atmosphere…… Why did you have to end it with a 'sweet romance incoming' vibe?!"
The Fate of this Work
Serious-senpai: "……Is this…… true despair……?"