We finished the lunch preparations over some leisurely conversation, and then Alice spoke up, raising her voice to shift gears.
"Well, that about does it for the prep work. We still have a little time before lunch, so how about the three of us go for a quick dip?"
"Oh, sounds good. Come to think of it, I hadn't actually gone swimming yet. Exercising to work up an appetite will make lunch taste even better."
I had been to the sea twice already—once with Shiro and Lilia, and again with Kuro and Sieg—but my time with Shiro and Lilia had been more of a "seabed stroll," and with Kuro and Sieg, we’d spent the whole time on a banana boat. One way or another, I realized I hadn’t actually gone for a proper swim yet.
"...Wait, did you two go for a swim earlier?"
"Well, rather than 'swimming,' it would be more accurate to say I was teaching her how," Alice replied.
"Yes. Since I had no experience, I received instruction from Alice-dono. Thanks to her, I am now capable of the bare minimum," Anima added.
In this context, I had a feeling "the bare minimum" meant something far beyond my own physical limits, but pointing that out would have been tactless. I just nodded with a wry smile. Our basic physical abilities were simply in different leagues.
Well, it wasn't like we were going to race. If we were just going for a light swim, the gap in our physical stats wouldn't matter much. My only slight concern was Alice's penchant for mischief, but she usually knew how to read the room. She’d probably be fine.
"Then shall we head to the water?"
"Ah, hold on just a moment. There's something I need to do real quick..."
Muttering to herself, Alice picked up some of the ingredients she had just finished prepping. A brief flash of light pulsed from her hand, and suddenly, a serving of what looked like yakisoba appeared.
...Why yakisoba? And I wasn't even going to question the clearly plastic container anymore. It looked exactly like the kind of yakisoba you'd buy at a festival stall, leaving me to wonder why on earth she had decided to make it right now.
"Um, Alice... what's that for?"
"Well, you see, I figured I should send a little thank-you to the person who provided the ingredients."
"...You mean for Eden-dono?" Anima looked bewildered. It was only natural—I didn't quite know what to say, either.
It wasn't that I didn't understand the desire to thank Eden-san for the food. The mystery was the fact that she had chosen yakisoba of all things.
The image of Eden-san and yakisoba just didn't mesh. I couldn't even imagine someone who looked like a majestic, mythical angel eating street food... nor did I particularly want to.
"...Um, Alice-dono? Pardon me, but is that really alright? I've heard she can be quite difficult. Wouldn't something a bit more... sophisticated be better?"
Anima was clearly thinking the same thing I was. She looked worried as she questioned Alice. I understood the sentiment perfectly. If this were a gift from someone Eden-san considered one of her "children"—someone from her own world—she would probably accept it with a smile.
However, she was notoriously harsh toward residents of other worlds. Even if she respected Alice to a degree, wouldn't a gift like this offend her?
"Nah, she'll eat anything," Alice said dismissively. "Besides, she knew in advance we were going to the sea, so food at a level you can prepare at the beach is just fine. No need to go out of the way to make some fancy dish that doesn't fit the vibe."
"...Are you sure she won't get mad?"
"It's fine to be casual about it. Besides, she pretty much says everything tastes good..."
"Hmm?"
"Ah, no! I mean, a God wouldn't be so petty as to complain about food like that!"
As she spoke, a magic circle manifested over Alice's hand, and the pack of yakisoba vanished. It didn't look like she had put it in her storage; she had likely sent it directly to Eden-san.
I hoped it would be okay. Then again, she did say she liked hamburgers before, so maybe her palate was surprisingly down-to-earth.
"Actually, Alice... your attitude toward Eden-san really has changed, hasn't it?"
"You think so?"
"Yeah. How do I put it... you're treating her a lot more carelessly than before."
"Ah, well, you see... before, since she was technically the God of a world, I did harbor a tiny shred of respect for her."
"And now?"
"There's no need to show respect to a rampaging god like that."
It was just as I thought. Alice's attitude toward Eden-san had shifted significantly. She sounded harsh, but her expression and her voice were actually quite gentle—it felt like she was talking about a friend she found slightly exasperated by.
It seemed she had become friends with Eden-san, but either wouldn't admit it or was trying to hide it. Since it was Alice, she was probably just being shy. Like with Iris-san, she often got embarrassed about showing affection for her friends. It was probably better not to push the issue.
Still... yakisoba and Eden-san. No matter how many times I ran it through my head, it was a bizarre combination.