After wrapping up her scheduled deals, Akane started back along the path toward her mobile merchant association’s carriage, Frau trailing at her side.
"Come to think of it, those folks back home were pestering me to bring 'em back something nice. Guess I've got no choice. I'll pick up some snacks or something on the way," Akane mused.
"That sounds like a good plan. There are plenty of stalls about... Speaking of which, I just remembered—isn't the Rumored Otherworlder supposed to be living here in the capital?"
"Ah, you mean that fellow with all the wild stories trailing after him? Yeah, I've caught wind of a few of 'em myself."
"He didn't take part in the last Hero Festival. Was he a particularly impressive Hero-role?" Frau asked.
"Nah, from what I heard, there was some kind of accident with the summoning. Another Otherworlder got brought over separate from the Hero-role, and he's the one everyone's gossiping about."
Akane seemed interested in the topic Frau had raised, her energy rising as she spoke. In truth, however, the information they had was little more than hearsay. While Kaito's existence was well-known among the nobility and the country’s top officials—and bits of gossip regarding the Treasure Tree Festival had reached the commoners—it was all just vague talk. In fact, most people likely didn't even know there had been a summoning accident. As a chairwoman, Akane kept her ears open and had gathered more than the average person, but since her association rarely dealt with the upper crust, she lacked any concrete details.
"Is that so? This is the first I've heard about an accident with the summoning," Frau said.
"Well, they aren't exactly gonna go around shouting about something embarrassing like that. I only heard the story from an acquaintance myself."
"I see. However, if he wasn't the Hero-role, he must have had a fair amount of free time... which might give those rumors some credibility, perhaps?"
"Nah, I reckon the stories have grown a few extra tails by now. I mean, think about it. They say he’s close with the Six Kings, the Supreme Gods, and even the Creator God-sama. That he’s Chrome-sama's Lover and the Death King-sama's Lover... Heck, some say he's specially favored by the Creator God-sama, that he was the Treasure Tree Festival Winner, and that he's got more money than most nobles. All in just one year? There’s a limit to how much you can exaggerate a man."
"The details certainly are a bit blurry. I've heard people claim he has the Phantasm King-sama under his thumb, or that he received the Main Blessing of the God of Fate-sama," Frau added.
"If even half of that were true, we’d be talking about a monster on an entirely different level. No way a regular human like us could do all that."
"You have a point."
Ironically, every single rumor they had just shared was the absolute truth. However, the claims were so outlandish that the two women dismissed them as nothing more than inflated gossip.
"Though, I doubt it's all lies," Akane mused. "Where there's smoke, there's fire. People might be fluffing up the details for a laugh, but there's bound to be a grain of truth in there somewhere."
"Which parts do you think are real, Chairman?"
"Hmm. I'd bet my business that him being Chrome-sama's Lover is the real deal. When I gave Chrome-sama my greetings at the Six Kings Festival, she was in a fantastic mood. She kept going on about how she was looking forward to exploring the festival with a boy named Kaito-kun on the sixth day. I'm willing to bet that Kaito-kun is the Rumored Otherworlder."
"Wait, Chairman, did you not see him yourself at the festival?"
"Nope. I was strictly Bronze rank. During the Opening Ceremony, I was stuck so far out on the edge I couldn't even see the stage, let alone the guests. And I wasn't invited to the party on the final day, either."
Akane was somewhat acquainted with Kuromueina, and because she also did business with some of the World King's subordinates, she had received invitations from both Kuromueina and Lilliwood. However, she had never spoken properly with the other Six Kings, and naturally, since she hadn't attended the party on the final day, she had never seen Kaito.
"So yeah, the part about Chrome-sama is likely true. And if he's with her, it wouldn't be weird for him to meet the other Six Kings through her. Even if 'intimate' is an exaggeration, they're probably acquaintances. But the bit about him being the Death King-sama's Lover? That’s definitely a tall tale. It's basically impossible to even hold a conversation with her, isn't it?"
"Well, yes. One could say it's essentially impossible..."
"I don't know much about the God Realm stuff, but just being Chrome-sama's Lover is huge news on its own. I reckon that’s why all these tails got added as the story spread, don't you think?"
"I see. Still, it is strange. If he truly were the Underworld King-sama's Lover, I would expect the news to have spread far more widely... yet it remains at the level of a rumor, doesn't it?"
"True. If I hadn't spoken to Chrome-sama directly, I probably would’ve ignored it as some bad gossip myself."
In reality, information about Kaito had been carefully suppressed outside of noble circles. This was the work of Alice, who essentially controlled the flow of information across the world, though Akane and Frau had no way of knowing that. Consequently, their understanding of Kaito remained limited to him being a particularly "rumored" Otherworlder.
"Since we are here, shall we try to look for him?"
"How are we supposed to find him when we don't know his face or even his full name? Stop talking nonsense and let's buy some souvenirs so we can get home."
As Akane and Frau walked along, chatting loudly, a man passing in the other direction suddenly stopped and looked back. He watched their retreating figures for a moment and whispered to himself.
"Man, those leopard-patterned clothes really stand out... Wait, was that a Kansai Dialect? How can I hear a Kansai Dialect if the words are being automatically translated? Hmm, is the magic just interpreting her accent that way?"
He tilted his head in confusion but decided to let it go. Kaito Miyama set off again, heading in the opposite direction from the one the two women had taken.