I sat with Shiro-san, watching the sunset... or perhaps I should say, we basked in its eternal glow. We had been flirting for quite a while, yet there was still no sign of the sun dipping below the horizon.
"Shiro-san, do you mind if I ask a bit of a strange question?"
"What is it?"
"The sunset has been frozen for a long time now. Won't that have some kind of effect on the stars or the planet? I mean, I'm sure you could fix it if it did, but..."
I recalled hearing somewhere that if Earth’s rotation slowed even by a fraction, it would trigger global cataclysms. Of course, Shiro-san was practically Almighty, so she could undoubtedly handle such a trifle, but the thought had been nagging at me.
"There is no need for concern," she replied. "While I created this world using the World of the Earth God as a reference, many parts are fundamentally different. For instance, this world does not exist in the form of a planet. Since the edges of the world connect directly to their opposite sides, it may feel like a planet to the senses, but the world is not a sphere."
"It's not a planet? Wait... then what about the sun and the moon?"
"To put it simply, the sun, the moon, and the starry sky exist as part of the world’s system. It is a bit difficult to describe the exact image... but that is why there are no time zones in this world."
Now that she mentioned it, there truly weren't any time zones. Whether I traveled to a different country or to the Demon Realm, day and night occurred at the exact same moment.
I pictured a planar world where the celestial bodies functioned as mechanical systems. Thinking back, I had been told early on that this world consisted of the Three Worlds stacked in layers. It was fundamentally different from my own world’s concept of a universe filled with planets and galaxies.
"It’s... a lot to take in, but I get the idea. It’s safe to stop the sun and moon. By the way, is it actually possible to go to the sun or the moon?"
"I have made it so that they are fundamentally unreachable. Even if one were to fly toward the sun for all eternity, they would never arrive. However... someone like Kuro could reach them by nullifying those restrictions."
"I see..."
Well, I suppose I should just accept that as 'how things work.' This was an Otherworld, after all; it was only natural that my world's common sense wouldn't apply here. At the very least, hearing directly from Shiro-san that there was no risk of natural disasters put my mind at ease.
"By the way, Shiro-san... how long is it going to stay evening?"
"Oh, you’re right. Shall we move on to the night view?"
"Wait, hold on—"
Sensing the coming shift, I tried to stop her, but I was too late. The world suddenly plunged into Night.
I hadn't been fast enough. The starry sky was breathtaking, but I couldn't help but wonder what the people on the ground were thinking as their world skipped from sunset to midnight in the blink of an eye.
"...Since we're here, shall we add a meteor shower?"
Suddenly, the beautiful sky was filled with streaks of light. It was mystical and gorgeous—in terms of romance, it was a perfect ten. However, when I imagined how Chronoa-san or Laguna must feel while staring up at this sky, my heart went out to them.
It was a scene of pure miracles. The world, which had been frozen in a perpetual sunset, suddenly surged back to life as the stars appeared. The attendees of the Founding Anniversary Festival were stunned for only a moment before a meteor shower that seemed to blanket the entire sky began to fall. Everyone looked up, breathless, at the magnificent display.
Perhaps because it had already been explained as a Miracle of Shallow Vernal, the populace accepted this as yet another Blessing of Shallow Vernal. There was very little panic; instead, the vast majority of people were simply overjoyed.
"...Lady Lilia."
"...Yes."
"...The stars... are beautiful, aren't they?"
"...They are. Truly, cruelly beautiful. Um... my stomach suddenly hurts. Can I just skip the rest of the party?"
"Please don't do this to me... I'm already guaranteed to be bombarded with questions. Don't leave me to face that alone! If you stay, I promise to help you whenever you’re in trouble in the future! I swear it!"
"...I'm holding you to that."
The Founding Anniversary Festival Party was looming. Knowing they would soon be interrogated by monarchs like Ryze and Chris—as well as countless other nobles—regarding these celestial anomalies, Laguna and Lilia watched the beautiful shooting stars with the hollow eyes of dead fish.
Machina: "...Um, so, even if I build Mount Fuji, won't it be hard to see at night?"
Natural God: "Make it visible."
Machina: "...Huh?"
Natural God: "Make it so it can be seen beautifully, even at night."
Machina: "............"