By the time the rounds of greetings were finished, the housewarming party had reached its conclusion. I brought the festivities to a close with a short, simple speech.
Now, it was time for an event that carried just as much weight as the party itself—perhaps even more. I was about to introduce my lovers to my parents.
My mother and father were already waiting in the reception room. Even from a distance, it was obvious they were stiff with nerves.
I suppose that was only natural. The ones scheduled for introductions today were Kuro, Isis, Fate, and Alice—four in all.
Despite being my lovers, they were all tens of thousands of years older than my parents. Moreover, each of them held a rank so high in this world that they were effectively at the top of the food chain.
Shiro had already met them when she resurrected them, so she deemed a formal introduction unnecessary. Lilia and Sieg, meanwhile, had already finished their greetings.
Alice had also mentioned that since many Demons don't have parents, and the Gods were all created by Shiro, the concept of a "parent-child relationship" wasn't seen as particularly significant in this world. While they recognized my mother and father as my kin, they would likely interact with them as individuals—Akari Miyama and Kazuya Miyama.
However, since I didn't fully grasp the nuances myself, I decided to check with Alice while we were on the move.
"Well, to put it simply, just being Kaito-san’s parents isn't a free pass for rudeness," Alice explained. "Of course, since they're your family, they'll be treated more amiably than usual, and if you ask, the girls will certainly be considerate. However, that doesn't mean they’ll grovel. Depending on how your parents act, there’s a chance the public perception of them could turn sour."
"Meaning?"
"Let's use Fate-san as an example. Fate-san herself is easygoing and wouldn't care about a bit of rudeness, but the Gods are strict about hierarchy. If someone acts disrespectfully toward a Supreme God like her, Akari-san and Kazuya-san would likely start getting complaints from the lower or higher-ranking gods. In their minds, only Kaito-san is special; his parents are not. They won't resort to violence, of course, and things would settle down if you mediated, but it would leave a bad impression."
"I see..."
"I’m sure you wouldn't want that either, and there's no need to step on an obvious landmine. That’s why, as your ever-capable lover Alice-chan, I advised them to maintain a certain level of etiquette. Though, from what I’ve seen, Akari-san and Kazuya-san seem like decent people. They probably would have been perfectly polite even without my warning."
"Thanks for looking out for us, Alice."
It was true that my parents would be living in this world from now on, so there was no reason to invite unnecessary friction. Alice’s habit of looking out for the fine details was truly a godsend.
Once I finished my talk with Alice, I met up with Isis, who had been waiting for me, and we headed for the reception room together.
Our planned order was Isis, then Fate, then Alice, and finally Kuro. I had saved Kuro for last because we needed to discuss her officially hiring my parents.
Even though I’d passed Alice's advice along to my mother and father, I figured things would go smoothly with these four.
Kuro, with her incredible social skills, wouldn't be an issue at all. Isis was a remarkably gentle person as long as her magic power of death was managed, so I wasn't worried about her either.
There were slight concerns regarding Fate and Alice, but I believed that regardless of what was going on in their heads, they would act friendly on the surface. Though with Fate, my real fear was that she’d find the whole thing too tedious and try to cut the conversation short.
Lost in those thoughts, we arrived at the reception room. I exchanged a quick look with Isis before stepping inside.
The moment they noticed us, my mother and father stood up abruptly from the sofa and bowed deeply toward her. Isis waved her hand slightly as if to tell them not to worry, then gestured for them to sit.
Once the two of them were seated and Isis and I sat opposite them across the table, the introduction began. After seeing my parents looking so rigid, Isis spoke with a slightly concerned expression.
"I am... Isis... Isis Remnant... It is a pleasure."
"Ah, yes! I-I'm Kaito's mother, Akari Miyama! T-the pleasure is all mine!"
"And I am the father, Kazuya Miyama. We are honored to meet you."
My mother was visibly trembling, but my father—true to his background in sales—managed to give a proper greeting despite his tension.
"Yes... Akari and... Kazuya... I have remembered... Since you are Kaito's family... you are precious to me as well... If you ever have trouble... please, tell me."
As I expected, Isis wasn't going to be a problem at all. In fact, she seemed to be in a slightly better mood than usual. She was likely happy that she could finally speak with them now that her magic power of death was under control.
As the small talk progressed, my parents’ tension gradually melted away. After about ten minutes, they were finally conversing with genuine smiles.
The introduction with the first lover, Isis, had proceeded without a single hitch.
The next hurdle, however, was our resident problem child—Fate. I was already worried about whether she’d actually engage with them or just find the whole thing too tedious to bother.
Extra: Akari Maman and Kazuya Papan's Greeting Difficulty Level
Lilia: A complete safe bet. Although she was a Duke, she was human, younger than them, and remarkably polite. They became friendly almost immediately.
Sieg: Another safe harbor. Although Sieg was technically older as an Elf, the age gap didn't feel significant. Her gentle personality made the greeting effortless.
Shiro: Normally the ultimate hurdle. Under normal circumstances, Kaito would have had to beg Chronoa and the other Gods to allow a meeting, or ask Shiro directly (likely in exchange for something). However, Shiro considered the introduction finished after their brief interaction during the trial and their meeting during the resurrection. It was a blessing in disguise... though Akari Maman nearly fainted when Kaito casually mentioned he was dating the Creator God.
Isis: They had been assured the magic power of death would be neutralized in the room, but after catching a glimpse of her at the party and shivering for hours afterward, they were incredibly nervous. Once they spoke, they were relieved to find her kind, but her status as a peak existence of the Demon Realm meant they could never bring themselves to drop their formal tone.
Fate: In a sense, a safe bet. For better or worse, she had zero personal interest in Akari and Kazuya. She found the greeting extremely bothersome and only reluctantly agreed because Kaito asked.
Alice: A hidden landmine. While she appeared friendly and cooperative, she was secretly evaluating them. She gave advice through Kaito to be helpful, but she was also checking to see if they would become a hindrance to him. Had they been rude or tried to exploit Kaito's power, she had considered "re-educating" them in secret. For now, she’s decided that isn't necessary and has lowered her guard slightly.
Kuro: A total safe bet, but to the parents, she was their future employer and a global authority, so they couldn't afford to be disrespectful. However, since Kuro is friendly to almost everyone, their tension is expected to vanish quickly.