The sun beat down on the white sandy beach, and the sea stretched out before my eyes. Surrounded by a scene that screamed "summer," I didn't feel the stifling heat at all thanks to Shiro-san's Blessing. In fact, the ice parasol Isis-san had conjured provided a wonderfully cool atmosphere.
Spending time like this, working on stylish crafts with two beautiful women... it was a remarkably luxurious way to pass the hours. Everything in sight was beautiful—provided I ignored the one thing I had created myself.
"Hey, Kai-chan? Is that... is that some kind of high-level art that I just don't understand?"
"Do you really think that?"
"Nope."
"Then that's all there is to it. And what about yours, Fate-san? I don't suppose this is some new trend in the God Realm?"
"Hardly. Even as the creator, I’m looking at this and thinking, 'What is this monstrosity?'"
It was time to stop my denial and face the reality of my work. Resting in front of Fate-san and me were our finished sandglasses. To put it bluntly: they were not good.
It wasn't that they were eyesores; we hadn't built them from the ground up, after all. If I had to sum up their quality in a single phrase, it would be "painfully mediocre." We had simply decorated them, so they weren't nonsensical, but I couldn't shake the feeling that they could have been so much better. While I was making it, I had felt pretty good about it, but the final product didn't match the vision in my head.
Fate-san seemed to feel the same way, staring at her own creation with a conflicted grimace.
"...I think... you both... did a good job... though?" Isis-san offered gently.
Fate-san and I shared a look before simultaneously turning our eyes toward what Isis-san held in her hands.
"Hey, Kai-chan... Ai-chan's sandglass is stunning."
"Yeah. The overall balance is perfect. She really has an eye for this."
"That's it! Balance! Look, Ai-chan's right—mine isn't exactly bad—but I just feel like it could be so much prettier. I just can't figure out exactly what's missing."
"I feel the same way. It feels like one tiny tweak would make it pop, but I have no idea what that tweak is."
It appeared the gap in our artistic senses was coming to light. While we were likely equal in manual dexterity, Isis-san was in a league of her own when it came to color palettes and composition. Her sandglass looked like something that belonged in a high-end boutique. Ours, however, radiated a distinct "summer vacation project" vibe.
"Ai-chan definitely has an eye for beauty. Even her usual clothes are so intricate, even if they’re a bit unique."
"Oh? Isis-san's clothes... those are made of magic power, right?"
"...Yes... I use... materialization of magic power... to make them."
I remembered Kuro saying she did the same. Thinking about it, since the fashionable Isis-san was constantly adjusting the colors and ruffles of her outfits herself, her aesthetic sense had to be top-tier.
"Actually, we gods are granted ritual robes by Shallow Vernal-sama when we're born, but most peerage-class high-ranking demons create their clothes by materializing magic power," Fate explained.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. At that level of power, anything that isn't made of your own magic is too fragile to be practical."
"I see."
"...But... there are... exceptions."
When I thought about it, ordinary fabric probably wouldn't survive the movements of powerhouses like Isis-san or Kuro. That was likely why the Six Kings and Supreme Gods usually fought barehanded without weapons. Alice used knives, though...
"Oh, right. There's an executive in Shaltan's group—I forget her name, but she's a very rare species. Her magic power is so corrosive that she can't use it to make clothes."
She probably meant Catastro-san. She had mentioned her gloves rotting off before. I see—so even for high-ranking demons, some find it hard to create clothing for practical reasons. Perhaps they only materialize outfits for battle. Even if it's a nuisance in daily life, an outfit made of corrosive magic would probably be a formidable defense-and-offense combo in a fight.
"And Shaltan doesn't use magic to make her clothes either, does she?"
"...Really? ...I didn't know... I thought... Shaltier... used magic power too."
"I don't know the full story, but apparently Shaltan's clothes are made from materials taken from things called Seven Star Magic Beasts—beasts born from a star, or something? The outfit itself has seven unique characteristics. It's supposed to be very handy."
I vaguely remembered Alice mentioning that. A "Wonderful Monster," wasn't it? A beast born from a star sounded like a major raid boss, and gear made from one sounded incredibly cool.
I felt like I knew a lot more about Alice than I used to, but she remained as mysterious as ever. She’d probably tell me if I asked, though. I should get the full story from her sometime.
Bonus: Relationship Ranking of the Six Kings' Executives
6th Place: Phantasm King's Executives, the Ten Demons To put it bluntly, they don't get along. Most members believe they are the only "normal" person in the group and that everyone else is a pervert, completely failing to look in the mirror. Since they are stationed all over the world, they rarely see each other anyway.
5th Place: War King's Executives, the Five War Generals It's not that they dislike each other, but their relationship is defined by being rivals as much as allies—comrades who write "rival" but read it as "friend." Only Ozma occupies a special position; the other four look up to him as a reliable big brother figure.
4th Place: Dragon King's Executives, the Four Great Magic Dragons While they don't have a bad relationship, their massive sizes make it difficult for them to gather in one place. Each commands a huge number of subordinates, so the executives themselves rarely have the chance to sit down and chat.
3rd Place: World King's Executives, the Seven Princesses They generally get along well, and with mood makers like Tiltania around, the atmosphere is positive. However, Lilliwood is one of the busiest Six Kings, and as her assistants, the Seven Princesses stay busy as well. They rarely all gather at once and usually stick to their own small cliques of two or three.
2nd Place: The Underworld King's Family They are very close, functioning more as a family or group of friends than subordinates. They gather for big family events like the end of the year, and Kuro's own personality ensures a warm, homey environment. However, because their numbers are so vast and some members like Zwei are constantly away on business, they take second place.
1st Place: The Six Stars of the Death King (Future) They are in a league of their own. Aside from Iris and Vulpecula, they spent ages rejecting recruitment offers from other Kings and nations; they simply have no interest in status or fame. Every single one of them was charmed by Isis's character and chose to serve her of their own free will. In short, they are a group of friends who adore Isis. By Isis's own request, everyone except those with urgent business eats breakfast and dinner together every day. Even during meetings, they sit around with tea and snacks, chatting like a family. (Eating is purely a hobby for them, so they often skip lunch, but they never miss tea time.)
A few individual notes: Iris: The group's "Mother" who prepares breakfast and dinner. At night, she works as a bartender at Kaito's house.
Polaris: She loves to relax, but she's also a bit of a clean freak. When she has free time, she's usually found cleaning the castle with a broom.
Vulpecula: She often helps her close friend Spica, but her real passion is interior design. She frequently rearranges the furniture in the castle.
Spica: She peacefully manages the fields of Blue Crystal Flowers. She often has tea with Vulpecula while watching Sirius and Lasal bicker.
Sirius: When she isn't training with her sword or arguing with Lasal, she handles physical labor like dismantling abandoned mines or maintaining roads.
Lasal: When she isn't arguing with Sirius, she's usually holed up in her lab. She has already mastered Necromancy to the highest degree, so these days she spends her time researching "household conveniences" like new soaps and detergents for the other members. Since she just loves the act of research, she's happy as long as she has a project.
In the end, they are just one big, happy family.