Inside Suiren, a small restaurant in Friendly City Hikari, the owner, Kaori, sat talking with Akane—a woman she had met through Kaito. Since it was still a short while before opening and no other customers were around, they were free to converse at their own pace.
Perhaps because they shared the same homeland and were both women, the two had hit it off immediately. Akane was a proactive woman who frequently used her teleportation magic to drop by and visit Kaori whenever the mood struck her.
"So, Kaori, you were summoned to the Arclesia Empire, weren't ya?"
"That’s right. When I first arrived, I was shocked by how freezing it was, especially since it should have been summer back home."
"Ah, I get that. Summons usually happen around the end of December by Japanese reckoning, and Arclesia's winters are particularly brutal. I was summoned there myself, so I know exactly how ya feel. Places like Sinfonia are a lot warmer by comparison."
"The Kingdom of Sinfonia has a stable climate all year round, after all," Kaori agreed.
They continued their pleasant conversation, trading stories about their early days as summoned Heroes.
"Back in Arclesia, Chris-san was the one who really looked after me."
"The current Empress, right? She wasn't around back when I was summoned."
"Yeah. I mean, she hadn't ascended to the throne yet when I first arrived. She helped me out in so many ways when I was opening my shop that I really owe her everything. It’s just so far away that it’s hard for me to go visit her."
"Hmm. Speaking of the Arclesia Empire, their Founding Anniversary Festival is coming up soon. You not goin'?"
"I’d love to go, but... the capital is just so far. It takes so much time and money just to get there."
There was a massive distance between Friendly City Hikari and the capital of the Arclesia Empire. Traveling by wyvern service or carriage would take far too long, leaving teleportation magic as the only viable option. However, commercial teleportation services were prohibitively expensive for an ordinary citizen like Kaori. To make matters worse, during major events, the wait times at teleportation shops often stretched into several hours.
Seeing Kaori’s dejected look, Akane gave her a broad grin.
"What are ya talkin' about? Ya got me, don't ya? I can whisk ya off to Arclesia in a heartbeat."
"Wait, really? I’d be so happy to go, but... are you sure it’s okay?"
"Sure is. I was thinkin' about poppin' over to take a look-see anyway. Stoppin' here to pick ya up isn't any trouble at all."
"Yes! Thank you, Akane-san. I’m so excited!"
With the logistics solved by Akane’s magic, Kaori’s worries vanished. She officially decided to attend the festival and thanked her friend with a bright smile.
"I doubt I’ll actually be able to meet Chris-san personally, but it’ll be enough just to see her at the ceremony."
"True enough. She’s the Empress, after all. Even if you are acquaintances, you can't exactly just walk up and say hello whenever ya feel like it."
"That reminds me, Akane-san, are you going to set up a stall? Festivals are usually the best time to make a profit, right?"
"Mmm, not this time. Tryin' to make a real profit with a festival stall is harder than it looks. If I were just doin' it for fun, maybe, but I’m not interested in doin' it for business. My merchant association and a festival stall are two very different beasts."
Akane ran a mobile merchant association, which focused on a different market than festival vendors. They dealt in substantial goods rather than food or drink, making their inventory ill-suited for a street fair. Consequently, she intended to attend the Founding Anniversary Festival purely as a guest.
"Oh, that reminds me. The stall Kaito-kun ran back during Sinfonia’s festival was something else, wasn't it?"
"I never would’ve imagined he’d have the Phantasm King-sama working as a clerk," Akane said.
"He really is unbelievable... I’m just glad I didn't happen to run into any of the Six Kings-sama who were visiting his shop. Just seeing the Phantasm King-sama was enough to make me tremble. If I’d run into the Death King-sama, I’m pretty sure my heart would have stopped on the spot."
"Hahaha, ain't that the truth... Well, I’m sure the Arclesia festival won't turn into that much of an uproar. Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves."
"You’re right!"
The two women laughed together, blissfully unaware of the truth. They didn't know that the Arclesia Empire’s festival was currently facing an unprecedented situation—an event where all the Supreme Gods would attend in person. And they certainly didn't know that the cause of this anomaly was the very man they had just mentioned: Kaito.
They wouldn't find out until the day itself.
???: "Oh? So the Supernova of the Stomach Pain World is joining the fray as well? This is getting interesting."
Serious-senpai: "Are you planning a complete stomach blow, Kaito...?"