As the after-party drew to a close, the platters of food had visibly emptied and the crowd of diners had thinned. A mellow, slightly melancholic air hung over the venue—the unmistakable feeling that the festivities were finally winding down.
During this lull, I happened to cross paths with the leader of Black Muscat. We drifted into a casual chat.
"Your control on that final curve was magnificent," she remarked. "Luck certainly plays a part in this sport, but handling it so precisely on your first attempt is truly impressive."
"Thank you. Your team’s positioning was excellent too, An-san. Flying behind you, I struggled to find an opening to pass... Ah, come to think of it, I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I'm Kaito Miyama."
"Oh, you're quite right. We hadn't. I am Rimegite Rinoria Gisurudo Ametes An."
"...Rime... what?"
"Fufu, forgive me. My race's naming conventions are quite unique and difficult to grasp, aren't they? You may simply call me An."
I had asked because I realized we hadn't exchanged names, but the staggering complexity of the one she gave left me momentarily stunned. She seemed used to that reaction, however, and graciously told me that An was perfectly fine.
"Then, An-san... you can just call me Kaito as well."
"Understood. Then I shall call you Kaito-san."
"If I recall, your race is called the Cruel, right?" I asked.
"Yes, that's correct. The naming system for the Cruel Race is very specific. First, we take two characters each from our grandparents' names. In my case, 'Rimegite' comes from my paternal grandparents, and 'Rinoria' comes from my maternal grandparents. Then, we take four characters from each of our parents; I received 'Gisurudo' from my father and 'Ametes' from my mother. Finally, we add two characters of our own to complete the name. That is our custom."
"I see, so the total comes out to eighteen characters."
Thinking about it, it wasn't strange for a race to have such specific naming traditions. It was simply that I hadn't encountered anyone with a custom like that until now. However, following that logic, every member of her race—including her entire family—had an eighteen-character name. It seemed like it would be a Herculean task just to remember them all.
"Is 'Miyama' your family name, Kaito-san?"
"Yes, it is."
"It's a bit rare to have the family name first and the given name second. Well, I have suffixes at the end of mine, but the beginning isn't exactly a family name either..."
"Ah, I'm an Otherworlder, so from the perspective of people in this world, my name follows an unusual format."
Many people in this world didn't have family names at all. In fact, they were generally nonexistent outside of the nobility. I suspected it was a result of the polygamy system, but regardless, my name likely followed a structure that felt foreign to the locals.
"An Otherworlder... This is the first time I've met a real one. I've seen your kind from a distance before, but you really don't seem any different from a normal member of the Human Race."
"In reality, there's almost no difference. Are the Cruel classified as Humankind?"
"Yes, we are. There is a race in the Demon Realm with a similar appearance, but they are a separate species called Shadow Earth. Even we can't tell the difference if we're standing right next to each other, and since the Shadow Earth are much more numerous, it's often said that the Cruel are descendants of Shadow Earth who drifted from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm ages ago. In that sense, the possibility that we are actually Demons cannot be entirely ruled out."
"Heh, I didn't know that."
It was a fascinating bit of lore. The reverse could just as easily be true; perhaps the Cruel had wandered into the Demon Realm in the distant past and flourished there. With multiple worlds and so many different races, such migrations seemed inevitable.
"Oh? It seems the representatives of the top three teams have gathered. May I join you?"
The voice belonged to the leader of Scarlet Blue. "Um, you were..."
"Pardon me. I am Grin. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Ah, I'm Kaito Miyama. Likewise."
For a split second, I thought I heard the word "Green" and wondered if her name was just a color.
"Oh? Grin-san, when did you change out of your dress?" An asked.
"I can't afford to get it dirty, after all. And look at you, An-san—didn't you remove your robe before the after-party even started?"
"I have to. I'm playing a character when I'm in the race, you see. If I keep the robe on, my tone of voice starts to mimic it automatically."
An and Grin seemed to be old acquaintances, and they shared a light, wry smile. The hostile atmosphere from before the race was nowhere to be found; they seemed to get along quite well.
Inadvertently, one member from each of the top three teams had gathered together. Since they both seemed like pleasant people, it looked like it would be a fun group to talk with. That intuition proved correct, and the three of us spent the rest of the evening enjoying some peaceful small talk.
Serious-senpai: "Phew... This doesn't feel like a heroine encounter at all. Good! The party’s almost over, and since he’ll be visiting Shigenobu next, I won’t have to worry about any saccharine romance for a while!"
???: "And yet, when Kaito-san finishes up with the Flying Board and heads home, Pandemonium will be waiting to 'reward' his hard work..."
Serious-senpai: "Don't say such terrifying things!"