High above the Hydra Kingdom, three Supreme Gods oversaw the divine operations. One of them, Fate, twitched as if reacting to something, a deeply troubled expression crossing her face.
"This is bad, God of Space-Time. We might have trouble... and it's the kind that's difficult for us to handle."
"What? What exactly—!? Don't tell me Olivia has arrived!?"
Chronoa looked puzzled at first, but she quickly grasped the reason for Fate's distress. The magic signature that had just teleported into the capital was unmistakably Olivia's. To the Supreme Gods, she was the single most difficult person to manage.
"This is a predicament. We cannot simply make contact with her carelessly..." Life murmured, her own expression clouding with perplexity as she sensed the same mana.
Olivia occupied a unique position. She belonged to none of the three realms—the Human, God, or Demon Realms—serving exclusively Shallow Vernal, the God of the World. To maintain her neutrality, an implicit understanding existed among the world's most powerful figures: the Supreme Gods, the Three Kings of the Human Realm, and the Six Kings of the Demon Realm all avoided unnecessary contact with her. This made her an incredibly delicate subject to handle.
In a way, as a special entity outside all factions, she was similar to Kaito, the World’s Singularity. Even if they noticed her presence, the Supreme Gods couldn't just descend to her side. They couldn't ignore her either, so someone had to be sent. The dilemma was determining what rank of official could approach her without violating that unspoken pact.
King Laguna of Hydra was surely suffering from the same headache at this very moment. Carelessly protecting Olivia or inviting her to the castle could be seen as a breach of international protocol.
"I mean... Oli-bin probably only made it here because she used teleportation magic from inside the Friendly City, right?" Fate said. "But once she's actually out here, isn't her strength about the same as an average human?"
"Yes, exactly. And since she almost never leaves her city, she's incredibly sheltered. Given how unpredictable her actions can be, she's actually quite terrif—wait, what's this?"
"Shallow Vernal-sama and Miyama Kaito-san are on the move," Life noted. "Based on their trajectory, they're heading straight for Olivia. That’s a relief."
Shallow Vernal was Olivia's master, and Kaito was a fellow Singularity who sat outside the world's factions. Having those two take charge was the perfect solution for the Gods, who found it nearly impossible to intervene directly.
"It's a bit of a burden on them, but it seems best to leave this to Shallow Vernal-sama and Miyama," Chronoa agreed.
"I agree. Oli-bin is much more likely to listen to those two anyway," Fate said. "I'll use my Authority to support them. I can shield Oli-bin from being recognized by the general public... but I can't do much if she starts talking to people herself. God of Thoughts, coordinate with someone nearby. Use an adaptation of Case 73 and have a lower-ranking God arrange a surprise event. That should draw the crowd away and thin out the people around Oli-bin so it's easier for Shallow Vernal-sama and the others to find her."
They quickly ironed out the details, repurposing elements of the contingency plans they had originally drafted for Shallow Vernal's own visit.
Meanwhile, Olivia was looking around, her silver hair swaying as she grew increasingly bewildered.
"Oh dear, this is a problem. I thought I would simply find Shallow Vernal-sama and Miyama Kaito-sama to offer my greetings upon arrival... but I seem to have forgotten that I cannot use Detection Magic outside the boundaries of the Friendly City. Perhaps I should ask someone for directions."
Outside her city, Olivia's abilities were lower than even an average human's. She had no way to pinpoint where Shiro or Kaito were in the sprawling capital. Within the Friendly City Hikari, she was nearly omnipotent, but because she almost never ventured outside its walls, she was semi-oblivious to her own limitations. Now that she was in a foreign city, the degradation of her power felt startlingly real.
Still, she believed it wouldn't be an issue. She could teleport back home instantly; she just wanted to finish her greetings first. However, as was typical of her sheltered nature, she failed to understand the dynamics of a crowd. She didn't realize that in places like this, there was an irresistible flow to the masses.
"Hey! Word is a God is holding a surprise event over that way!"
"Seriously? Let's go check it out!"
"Move it! If there are limited spots, they'll be gone in a second!"
Ironically, the very distraction the Gods had created to protect Olivia backfired. Hearing that a divine performance was starting, the crowd surged all at once. Olivia had no way to resist the sudden wave of bodies.
"Oh? Wait... excuse me... please wait... where are we going? Um, just a moment..."
She was swallowed by the tide. Panic flickered across her face as she realized she was being physically swept away. This was bad. At this rate, she would be dragged to some unknown corner of the city and end up completely lost. But for all her understanding of the situation, she lacked the physical strength to fight the current. Her anxiety spiked.
Then, just as she was being pulled away, a hand reached out and firmly grasped her wrist.
"Olivia-san!"
"Ah... h-huh? —!?"
Kaito had made it just in time. He pulled her out of the human tide, but the momentum of his rescue brought her right into his arms. As Kaito pulled her close and embraced her to protect her from the crowd, Olivia's mind went completely white.
Serious-senpai: "Wh-Whhaaaat!? No way!? This can't be... How could he... That was a total surprise attack!?"