While walking from the meeting spot toward the shore, Shallow Vernal, the God of the World, cast a sidelong glance at Alice. Sensing the silent inquiry, Alice drifted slightly away from Kaito and the others—making sure they were out of earshot—and spoke in a voice low enough that only the Goddess could hear.
"Oh? Do you have some business with me, Shallow Vernal-sama?"
"I was finding it somewhat difficult to gauge your intentions. Does preventing me from preparing lunch constitute your retaliation?"
"Well, that’s more like a bonus. I suppose I should stop being roundabout and just give it to you straight. To be honest, I was surprised by how much you'd grown at that recent housewarming party... So this time, I decided I’d be the one to surprise you, Shallow Vernal-sama."
"Surprise me? At present, while I feel a certain sense of dissatisfaction, I am not particularly surprised."
Shallow Vernal tilted her head, seemingly unconvinced. Seeing this, Alice wore a daring, mischievous smile.
"Hmm, I thought about saving the big reveal for lunch... but maybe it’s fine to show my hand now. Tell you what, Shallow Vernal-sama—if you can provide something better than this ingredient, I’ll take back what I said and leave the cooking to you."
As she spoke, Alice produced a small meat slab out of thin air onto her palm. Seeing it, Shallow Vernal reflexively stopped in her tracks.
"Aha, two rapid blinks... That was the sign of surprise Kaito-san told me about. Does that mean my little prank was a success?"
"Yes, I am certainly surprised. No, I am still surprised... How on earth did you persuade her?"
Looking at the meat slab in Alice's hand, Shallow Vernal understood in an instant who Alice had obtained it from. However, precisely because she understood that, she couldn't comprehend how it was possible.
Watching Shallow Vernal give exactly the reaction she had hoped for, Alice smiled with triumphant satisfaction.
The time was the previous day, during a break in the middle of training.
Training under Machina, the Omniscient and Omnipotent God, was an ordeal that pushed even Alice to her limits. If she didn't constantly exert every ounce of her mental fortitude to the absolute brink, she wouldn't even be able to move in Machina's presence. Frequent rests were essential.
"Munch... Mm, pure bliss!"
"Ah, Machina. I have drinks here too."
"Thanks! But... why did you bring me a gift today? I mean, I’m happy, but still."
As she devoured the hamburger Alice had handed her with great relish, Machina asked while tilting her head. Though she had assisted with Alice's training several times before, this was the first time Alice had ever brought a snack.
As Machina questioned her, wondering if some strange request was about to follow, Alice spoke with a gentle, disarming smile.
"No reason. You’ve been helping me out in all sorts of ways lately, Machina. Consider it a small token of my gratitude."
"I see... You didn't really have to worry about that. But thank you!"
"Not at all, not at all."
Though Alice’s phrasing was flagrantly suspicious, Machina believed her without a second thought and resumed eating with a beaming smile.
To begin with, Machina's affection for Alice was incredibly high. Fundamentally, she refused to use her omniscient powers on Alice and took almost everything she said at face value. In short, Machina was exceptionally sweet toward her best friend.
Ultimately, Machina didn't question it further. She finished the meal and spoke with a satisfied expression.
"That was delicious! What’s next? Shall we resume training right away?"
"Ah, no, I think I’ll call it a day. There’s no issue with the schedule, but I’m going to the beach with Kaito-san tomorrow, and I don’t want to be exhausted."
"I see... That sounds nice, though. Going to the beach with My Beloved Child. I wish I could go too."
"Give it up. Intruding on a date with his lovers is the textbook way to become a hated mother, you know?"
"I know. That’s why I’m staying quiet and behaving myself."
"Hmm. I suppose so. It’s hard to notice because your rampages leave such a strong impression, but you actually do think things through quite well, Machina."
While Machina was envious of the trip, she didn't try to force her way along. Despite her reputation for reckless rampages and behaving like a tyrant, she actually considered her timing quite carefully.
Fundamentally, Machina never appeared before Kaito when he was with his lovers or otherwise occupied. She prioritized his convenience above all else. In fact, during the Six Kings Festival, she had accepted a companion badge but acted separately to avoid troubling him.
Aside from accidental encounters, she essentially only appeared before Kaito at large parties, when he summoned her, or when he was simply idling at home with nothing to do.
"Of course I do. I want to dote on my child, not cause him grief. I always take my child's circumstances into account."
"Seriously, in a way, you’d be quite a normal person if you just didn't rampage."
"That, well... I don’t even do it intentionally. It’s more like my love overflows because of my child's cuteness, and my reason just goes out the window."
Yes, aside from her excessive love for Kaito and the fact that she viewed everyone else as nothing more than Talking Meat, Machina possessed a relatively sensible way of thinking. Of course, those two traits were so incredibly intense that they overrode everything else, making her appear like a complete lunatic.
After wearing a wry smile at her troublesome friend, Alice transitioned back to the main topic.
"Well, about that trip to the beach tomorrow... I actually have a small favor to ask of you, Machina."
"I don't have a good feeling about this at all, so the answer is no. You say it so easily, Alice, but if I interfere with that world too much, I’m the one who has to explain everything to Shallow Vernal later. Even helping with this training is something I'm only doing by exploiting loopholes in the contract."
"I see, I see... Ah, this is a bit of a change of subject, but... did you enjoy that hamburger?"
"Eh?"
Machina had been prepared to flatly reject the favor, but she froze at Alice's sudden question.
"I was just a little curious... So, how was it? That hamburger for which I carefully selected the ingredients and hand-made with all my heart specifically for my best friend, Machina... Was it delicious?"
"Wait... I-I mean, it was delicious, but... are you saying that was... that kind of move?"
"Pardon? I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm glad you liked it. Ah, sorry for getting derailed, I just had to know. Anyway, back to the favor..."
"..."
Listening to Alice speak with a smile so radiant it felt almost refreshing, Machina looked up at the sky with an expression of total resignation.
Recalling that exchange, Alice looked back at Shallow Vernal.
"Oh? Since you can read minds, Shallow Vernal-sama, shouldn't you know the answer already?"
"That is a malicious question. I can see that one of the tens of thousands of methods you are currently imagining is the correct answer, but I cannot discern which one is the truth. I see... so there are countermeasures like this as well."
"It’s just an application of Thought Partition. The old 'to hide a leaf, use a forest' trick. Well, anyway, I guess this is my win this time?"
"Indeed. That makes it one win and one loss, then. I see... you are quite interesting."
"I’ll take that as a compliment."
"Yes. I would like to find an opportunity to talk leisurely again. It seems there is much I can learn from you."
"I don't mind, but when the time comes, make sure you prepare some top-tier black tea and sweets as my tutoring fee."
"I understand."
Seeing Alice smile daringly, a faint smile appeared on Shallow Vernal's face as well. Thus, in an unexpected way—and yet, in the best possible form for the day's purpose—the friendship between Alice and Shallow Vernal deepened.
Bonus: Why Machina-chan is such a Ponkotsu
① (Sigh, I rampaged last time and caused trouble for my child... This time, I have to endure properly and make sure I don't scare him...)
② (Hwaaa, as I thought, my child is so cute. Hah!? N-No! I have to endure... Endure... Endure...)
③ (Nwaaaa!? I can't take it anymore!! My child is so cute I can't stand it—!!)
④ Gets blown away by Kuro → Returns to ①
*Note: There are cases where ② is skipped entirely.
While it is often obscured by her outrageous behavior and intense personality, she has been repeating the above Ponkotsu Loop ever since her first appearance.
She reflects on it every single time, she really does... But when she is standing before her child, she simply cannot suppress the sheer magnitude of her love.