It occurred in the year of the 102nd Hero Festival, 1,020 years after the signing of the Friendship Treaty.
Summonings from the otherworld had already been repeated over a hundred times. Each nation took turns hosting the event, and that year, the responsibility fell to the Arclesia Empire. It was then that the first irregularity occurred.
Though the Hero Summoning was supposed to bring only a single individual, two otherworlders appeared. One was undoubtedly the Hero-role for that era, but the other was an irregular in every sense of the word.
Since the treaty's inception, the Summoning Magic Circle had been calibrated to bring forth individuals of a similar age to the First Hero; thus, visitors were expected to be in their late teens. However, the age of this second individual was twenty-three—a presence that, by all rights, should not have existed. His name was Kaito Miyama. He was the first clear irregular since the treaty began.
The Marquis of the Arclesia Empire, who had overseen the summoning, was plagued with worry over Kaito Miyama's presence. It was an unprecedented situation, and he had no idea how to handle it.
Even as an irregular, Kaito was still an otherworlder from the same homeland as the First Hero, so he could not be treated poorly. Yet, the Marquis was at a loss for how to interact with such an anomalous being. As a result, Kaito was placed under cautious protection within the Marquis House, treated like a piece of fragile glass.
While "considerate" might have been a kind way to describe it, Kaito was never subjected to unfair treatment. On the contrary, he was hosted with a level of courtesy that was almost stifling.
Perhaps that was the problem. For a young man suddenly flung into an unknown world, that gingerly, distant caution was a blade that pierced his heart. He was not being mistreated, yet he was not welcomed either. The environment forced him to realize he was an outsider whether he liked it or not, and the loneliness in his heart grew until it became unbearable.
Cruelly, Kaito possessed a latent talent for magic that even he did not yet recognize: Sympathy Magic.
He realized he was not truly wanted.
He realized he was a burden to them.
He realized he had no place to belong.
Ultimately, Kaito shut himself away in his room and rarely ventured out. The Marquis, hoping only to survive the year-long stay without any incidents, chose to turn a blind eye.
And so, Kaito was destined to spend a year enduring a agonizing solitude—or at least, that should have been his story.
Instead, an existence found Kaito in his state of semi-seclusion and grew intrigued. It was the Creator God of this world, Shallow Vernal. Interested in the irregular, she invited him to the Sanctuary—or rather, she forcibly abducted him—so they could share tea.
On a whim, Shallow Vernal made him a proposal. "If you desire power, I shall grant it to you," she said.
In response, Kaito, his heart fragile and worn, reached out a trembling hand and turned a pleading gaze toward her—and yet, he refused the offer. He didn't understand why. He simply had a feeling that if he accepted, he would never find what he truly sought for the rest of his life.
His answer brought a dramatic change to Shallow Vernal. Enchanted by the nature of his soul, she offered him a new choice. "Would you like to stay here, in the God Realm?"
Though the offer was sudden, Kaito accepted.
At first, Kaito was bewildered by Shallow Vernal’s expressionless face and her monotonous voice, but for better or worse, she was a colossal airhead. Her way of speaking, stepping into his heart without the slightest reservation, felt incredibly comforting to a man who had been treated like a nuisance for so long.
As he began his stay in the God Realm, Kaito gradually began to change. Because he was a guest invited by Shallow Vernal, the Gods treated him with respect, but it was never excessive. The three Supreme Gods, in particular, concerned themselves with the young man caught up in the summoning and treated him with genuine friendliness.
Above all, throughout the days spent with Shallow Vernal—who showed her affection straightforwardly despite her clumsy nature—Kaito’s heart was saved. Shallow Vernal grew to cherish him more as he evolved, and when they were alone together, she eventually began to show him a soft smile.
Before long, Kaito became "special" to Shallow Vernal, and she, in turn, became "special" to him.
Having regained his original strength of heart, Kaito met the Six Kings and the monarchs of the Human Realm through Shallow Vernal’s introductions, bringing change to everyone he met. Even as the number of people who held affection for him increased and his life became filled with happiness, Shallow Vernal always remained at the very center of his heart.
And then, having shared their feelings and decided to remain in this world, Kaito stood with Shallow Vernal by his side, her face wearing a gentle smile that made her former mask seem like a distant memory.
...That was the future that should have arrived. It was the future someone had wished for, and had been working to ensure.
However, destiny advanced its gears through the intervention of a third party. The shifted cogs changed the intended future into something vastly different.
First: Kaito Miyama was not the "only irregular," but one of three people summoned together. The existence of others in the same situation provided a vital source of comfort for his heart.
Second: Lilia Albert, who performed the summoning, was not a typical noble but a kind-hearted woman. She never treated Kaito with distant caution; instead, she took the initiative to speak to him like a friend and faced him with sincerity. This greatly eased his initial loneliness.
Third: The one who saved Kaito Miyama was not Shallow Vernal, but Kuromueina. It couldn't be helped. By the time Shallow Vernal noticed Kaito's existence, he had already been saved by another.
At the Central Tower that soared over the festival grounds, Shallow Vernal stood at the summit, gazing down at Kaito as he walked toward the structure.
She had wished for it countless times. She had sought it to an agonizing degree. She had worked so hard to make it a reality. She had wanted to become Kaito's ——.
But it was already too late. The future Shallow Vernal had desired had slipped through her fingers.
"...Kaito-san. Why... didn't you... appear twenty years later?"
Muttering this in a voice that no one else could hear, Shallow Vernal vanished.
It wasn't that everything was different from the future she had envisioned. Even in this reality, Kaito had captured Shallow Vernal's interest. However, there was something decisively different. Something that she could not bring herself to give up on.
No one noticed. There was no way they could. She only ever spoke those words to Kaito.
Kaito didn't notice, either. He didn't know that the reason Shallow Vernal had started saying things like "Kuro alone is unfair" was because of his appearance in this world.
Indeed—Kaito Miyama became Shallow Vernal's ——.
But—Shallow Vernal could not become Kaito Miyama's ——.
Serious-senpai: "Th-this is it! This is the part where you write a Serious-style Route as an IF Route!"
???: "No, even if I wrote that route, it would only be serious for the beginning."
Serious-senpai: "...You're right. Yeah... I know."