After finishing my talk with Shiro-san, I decided to drop by Fate-san’s temple to check her schedule, since I was already in the God Realm anyway.
There was a chance she might have played hooky and left the premises, but fortunately, she was in. When I brought up the seaside trip, she seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea.
I told her I’d get back to her with the specific dates later and assumed our conversation was wrapped up. However, Fate-san suddenly spoke up, her expression turning uncharacteristically serious.
"…Um, Kai-chan. I have a bit of a request—or maybe more of a proposal—regarding the beach trip. Is that okay?"
"Eh? Oh, sure. What is it?"
It was rare for Fate-san to hesitate or choose her words so carefully. As her expression occasionally shifted into one of unease, she finally voiced her request.
"…If it’s possible, while we’re at the beach… I was wondering if we could make some time for everyone to talk with the people they haven’t really had a chance to get to know yet."
"People they haven’t had a chance to talk to?"
"Yeah. I mean, Shaltan is my Soul Friend, and since Shallow Vernal-sama is the head of the Gods, I see her all the time. I even get plenty of chances to talk to the Underworld King because she visits the God Realm so often. But as for the others… well, people like Lili-tan or Sieg-rin, I hardly ever get to talk to them. So I thought it would be nice if we could all become better friends during the trip…"
"…Fate-san."
"No, what I mean is… I feel like I’ve matured a bit recently, so I wanted to try and get along better with everyone in your life, Kai-chan. But look at how long it took with your parents. I don’t think things will work out if I try to force a huge social circle all at once. That’s why I thought it would be best to start with the people closest to us."
Her words were unexpected, but they made me incredibly happy. I wanted all the people I loved to get along as well as they possibly could. Of course, personality compatibility meant not everyone would become best friends, but I was thrilled at the thought of everyone becoming closer.
And more than anything, the fact that these words had come from Fate-san made me feel just how much she had grown since meeting my parents. It made me feel proud of her.
"So, I’ve been thinking. Between your eight lovers and you, Kai-chan, there are nine of us in total. There are only so many things all nine of us can do together at once, so we’ll probably end up splitting into smaller groups for most of the time, right?"
"That’s true. We probably won’t be acting as one big group all day long, so I expect that's how it will go."
"Yeah. So, my proposal is… can we make those groups… a combination different from the usual?"
"…I see."
I understood what she was getting at. If we just let everyone drift naturally, the groups would likely end up being the same pairings of people who always hung out together. By shuffling those combinations, she wanted to create opportunities for everyone to bond with the people they didn't usually talk to.
Fate-san had even worked out a specific way to assign the members, which she explained to me in detail. It was a practical, well-thought-out plan that took both my feelings and the feelings of my other lovers into account. I was genuinely impressed.
"…That’s a great method. I’m all for it. I’ll prepare everything using the method you suggested, Fate-san."
"Thanks, that helps a lot."
"No, thank you for the wonderful proposal. It really means a lot to see how much thought you put into this, Fate-san. It makes me happy."
"…A-Ahaha, w-well, I am growing day by day, you know… T-This is actually kind of embarrassing! A-Anyway, let’s just go with that. I’m counting on you!"
Perhaps out of embarrassment, her face turned bright red. After scratching her cheek a bit frantically, Fate-san ended the conversation as if to escape.
Finding her adorable reaction heartwarming, I thanked her once more before leaving the temple.
On the way back from Fate-san’s temple, I spoke to Alice, who I knew was trailing behind me.
"…What did you think of Fate-san’s proposal, Alice?"
"I think it’s a great idea," Alice replied. "Actually, I doubt she just came up with it on the fly. She’s probably been mulling it over for a while and just figured this was the right moment to suggest it."
"I see."
"Man, Shallow Vernal-sama and Fate-san are both growing up so fast. Maybe because they went so long without any changes, once they finally found a catalyst, they just surged forward… I should probably take a page out of their book, too."
I didn't say it aloud because she’d likely get embarrassed, but I felt the same way about Alice. Her aura had definitely softened lately. She’d always been cheerful, but there used to be a certain underlying coldness or sharpness to her—an edge that had become much rarer. It felt like she was finally relaxing after a long time of being wound tight.
Judging by her support of Fate-san's idea, it seemed Alice was also in favor of deepening her friendship with the others, which made me truly glad.
"…What is it?" Alice asked suddenly. "Kaito-san, your eyes are all full of warmth and it’s making me feel all itchy… Can we change the subject? Actually, can I complain for a second?"
"I guess, but that’s rare for you."
"An acquaintance of mine messed up big time right when it counted… and now she’s moping in the most annoying way possible. How am I supposed to cheer her up?"
"…Iris-san?"
"No, she’s a friend you haven’t met directly. How do I put this… she obsesses over her dignity and public image, but she’s constantly tripping over her own feet. She’s a total klutz."
"Klutz seems a bit harsh…"
"And she keeps trying to brag about her chest size. Can I just punch her? Honestly, she’s only a B-cup anyway…"
Without really understanding the situation, I ended up listening to Alice’s gripes about her ‘klutz’ of a friend for a while. Though she was complaining, she seemed to be enjoying herself. I wondered what kind of person this friend was. Based on the story, they sounded like quite the character.
~ Bonus: The Doyaaa Series Shiro is planning to show Kaito someday ~
[Doyaaa (3D)] Doyaaa Power 40 The most basic Doyaaa.
[Doyaaa Quake] Doyaaa Power 100 The Doyaaa shakes the earth.
[Doyaaa Spark] Doyaaa Power 60 The Doyaaa gushes forth.
[Doyaaa Lightning] Doyaaa Power 80 A Godspeed Doyaaa dashes through.
[Doyaaa Explosion] Doyaaa Power 50 The Doyaaa explodes.
[Doyaaa Volcano] Doyaaa Power 100 A massive eruption of Doyaaa.
[Doyaaa Sonic] Doyaaa Power 50 The wind of Doyaaa blusters.
[Doyaaa Tempest] Doyaaa Power 120 A storm of Doyaaa rages.
[Doyaaa Wave] Doyaaa Power 40 A wave of Doyaaa surges forward.
[Doyaaa Tidal Wave] Doyaaa Power 120 A great wave of Doyaaa washes everything away.
[Doyaaa Meteor Shower] Doyaaa Power 180 Doyaaa fills the entire sky.
[Doyaaa Big Bang] Doyaaa Power ∞ Doyaaa swallows the universe.