Vast plains stretched across the Demon Realm, home to herds of Emperor Bulls—monsters of such immense size that they stood over ten meters tall. Even dragons thought twice before meddling with these beasts, which reigned at the absolute apex of the plains. Or rather, they reigned at the apex as far as monsters were concerned.
"Ten, twenty... this should be enough."
Zwei, a high-ranking member of the Underworld King’s family, stood before a mountain of Emperor Bulls that had already been decapitated and drained of their blood. Though she was usually occupied with the administration of her master's territories, she had postponed every last bit of her work to participate in this emergency situation.
"Noin, Fia... take these to Ein immediately. I’m off to hunt our next ingredient, the Tyrant Fish."
"Understood!"
"Got it! We'll drop these off with Ein-oneechan and head straight for the Ancient Forest Marsh!"
After seeing Noin and Fia off as they hauled away the massive pile of carcasses, Zwei vanished toward her next destination at blinding speed.
At that same moment, within the largest forest in the central Demon Realm, Isis and Liliwood were hard at work.
"Liliwood... please."
"Of course. Since Razulia is handling the vegetables, we shall provide the fruit. My dear subordinates, I must ask for your strength."
Liliwood nodded and held her hand out toward the forest. In an instant, countless trees bore a heavy harvest. As the fruit detached and began to fall, it froze solid before hitting the ground.
"Kaito... loves... Riple Fruits."
"I see. Then we shall prepare plenty of those as well."
"Yes... I want Kaito... to be... happy."
Having secured a vast quantity of fruit while flash-freezing them to preserve their peak freshness, the two continued through the woods, repeating the process as they moved.
The activity was just as intense at the castle of the Underworld King, Kuromueina. In the kitchens, Ein—who oversaw all culinary affairs—worked alongside Shaltier, the Phantasm King.
"Has Kuro-san already left?"
"Yes. She went to prepare the gifts and secure the venue. There simply isn't enough time, so she's gone to solicit cooperation from the God Realm."
"I see. Well, the ingredients are arriving at a steady clip, so let’s get to work. We have an enormous number of cakes and courses to prepare. Can you keep up?"
"Don't be absurd. You and I are teaming up. There is no such thing as 'not in time' for us."
"Fair point."
The two individuals, who possessed the greatest culinary skills in the Demon Realm—and arguably the entire world—faced the growing mountain of supplies brought in by the procurement staff. Their hands moved at speeds that left sound itself behind, yet they worked with such surgical precision that the overwhelming volume of food was processed into exquisite dishes in heartbeats.
"By the way, Shaltier. Why are you using a split body?"
"My main body is busy flirting with Kaito-san. Besides, we want this to be a surprise, so I’m also serving as the distraction to keep him at the general store until everything is ready."
"Understood."
Even as they spoke, they finished dishes at a terrifying pace, handing them off to the venue preparation staff for transport.
The Demon Realm wasn't the only place in a frenzy. Busy hands were moving in the God Realm as well.
"Why? Why are we the 'Construction' team?"
"Because it’s for Kai-chan’s birthday, obviously! If we don’t build it now, we won’t have time to transport it to the Human Realm! Move it!"
"She is correct. If you have time to complain, use those hands, God of Space-Time. If there is even a single imperfection, we will be shaming Shallow Vernal-sama herself."
"Ugh, I know, I know!"
Under Shallow Vernal's direct orders, the Supreme Gods—Chronoa, Fate, and Life—were building the castle that would serve as the party's venue. While Shallow Vernal could have manifested it in an instant, she had delegated the task, stating she had other business to attend to. As a result, the work fell to Chronoa, who could work at ultra-high speeds; Fate, who used probability manipulation to skip time-consuming steps; and Life, who could generate an inexhaustible workforce.
As for Shallow Vernal, she was currently in her Sanctuary, facing Eden, the God of Earth.
"I believe our interests are in perfect alignment?"
"Affirmative."
"Then there are no issues with the proposal?"
"Re-affirmative. My child comes first. Restrictions, covenants, and limitations... partial release approved."
With the masters of two worlds in total agreement, they formed an unconditional alliance. In a sense, the two beings who should least be allowed to conspire together had done exactly that. Unfortunately, Kuromueina—the only one who could have reined in their recklessness—was too busy elsewhere to intervene.
Thus, it was decided that the common sense of the world would be overturned once again.
The Kingdom of Sinfonia, the intended site for the party, was also a chaotic battlefield.
"Father! The nobles have caught wind of it! They’re all begging for invitations!"
"Absolutely not! Given Miyama-kun’s personality, he wouldn't enjoy that. Refuse everyone except those who have actually spoken with him directly!"
King Ryze barked the order the moment Prince Orchid rushed into his office. Between managing the local nobility and preparing to host dignitaries from the Arclesia Empire and the Hydra Kingdom, Ryze’s workload had reached impossible levels.
Yet, while it was a trial, it was also a stroke of incredible luck. Though the God Realm was providing the venue, the event was technically being hosted in Sinfonia. The logistical burden was heavy, but the eventual diplomatic and economic benefits would be astronomical. Furthermore, Ryze was pushing himself harder than ever before to ensure that the burden on his beloved sister, Lilia, remained as light as possible.
Caught in a whirlwind that involved the three worlds and a birthday celebration of unprecedented scale, the man of the hour, Kaito, was leisurely sipping tea at Alice’s General Store.
"Ah, Kaito-san. Preparations for the party are coming along, so look forward to it. Don't worry, I've kept the guest list limited to people you actually know."
"Really? I appreciate the thought, Alice. Could you tell your subordinates 'thanks' for me too?"
"Will do!"
In Kaito's mind, he was expecting a small, cozy gathering among friends. He didn't dream for a second that an entire castle was being built from scratch just for him.
Serious-senpai: "Good grief... even I'm not cruel enough to be a jerk on someone's birthday. I mean, he is the protagonist, after a fashion. As a gift, maybe I'll give him an autograph board with my signature..."
???: "Throwing the trash in the bin! Shoooooot! How exciting!"
Serious-senpai: "Why?! That's a signature from the number-one winner of the popularity poll! It's a collector's item!"