I moved with Shiro-san to the area where Chronoa-san, Fate-san, and Life-san were gathered. No other High-ranking or Low-ranking Gods were in sight, so it seemed the three Supreme Gods would be the ones personally attending to Shiro-san during the party.
"Well, even if I call this a greeting, I already met Shiro-san before the party started, so that's already out of the way, in a sense... I guess we should just stick to light conversation?"
"I see... Then please, by all means."
With a casual wave of Shiro-san’s hand, a table and chairs materialized from nowhere. Well, I wasn't going to question it. My companion was Shiro-san, after all; it wasn't exactly shocking for something of this level to happen.
"Chronoa-san, Fate-san, Life-san—thank you all for coming today."
"Indeed," Chronoa-san replied. "I'm sure there are many things you aren't yet used to as a first-time organizer, Miyama, but make sure not to push yourself too hard."
"Kai-chaaan! I'm acting as Shallow Vernal-sama's assistant during the party, so I won't get to have a proper chat with you," Fate-san chimed in. "We’ll have to save the lovey-dovey time for later, okay?"
"I wouldn't mind if you left things to me and the God of Space-Time so you could go talk to him, but..." Life-san noted, "no, I suppose you'd just spend the whole time worrying about her anyway. You wouldn't be able to truly relax."
I exchanged brief greetings with each of the three Supreme Gods as well. It would have felt unnatural to come this close and say nothing, so I didn't think there would be any issues regarding the order of things. Still, since Shiro-san was the guest of honor, I kept my greetings concise and focused on chatting with her. As for Fate-san, I would make time for her later, just as she’d suggested. As Life-san pointed out, even if I forced a conversation now, Fate-san would likely be too distracted by Shiro-san to really enjoy herself.
"Come to think of it, even though this party involves a meal... I don't actually see you eat very often, Shiro-san. Between our trip to the sea, the Six Kings Festival, and our beach visit... it seems like we're always eating near the ocean."
"Now that you mention it, that is true. In a broad sense, one could even say we are currently at sea. To maintain proper balance, perhaps it would be best for Kaito-san to invite me to dine somewhere other than the ocean?"
"That sounds fun in its own way, but if you went to a normal restaurant, Shiro-san, it would cause all sorts of problems... Oh, but maybe it would be okay if we just ate together in my room."
The idea of Shiro-san visiting a public restaurant would be a catastrophe in a completely different sense than it was for Isis-san. No matter what, it would cause a massive stir, and the Gods would immediately enter a state of maximum alert. I could only foresee a future where both the establishment and the country itself were thrown into total chaos. That was likely why, whenever I had eaten with Shiro-san in the past, it was usually in situations where there weren't many other people around... although I did recall her making a bento for me once. Regardless, inviting her to my house for a meal seemed like a perfectly viable option. Of course, Shiro-san didn't technically need to eat, so it wasn't like we had to force the issue, but...
"I see. Then I shall look forward to it."
"...Huh? Wait. Did we just decide that I'm definitely inviting her over for dinner?"
"Yes. I am looking forward to it."
"...I-I see. Well, I’ll figure something out then."
Shiro-san’s quiet but undeniable declaration had sealed the deal: she was coming over for dinner. W-Well, it wasn't like I minded the idea; I was actually looking forward to it. In fact, maybe I should try to make her something myself... No, I can only manage the simplest of dishes. Would that be insulting? I should probably just have the Chef prepare the food instead...
"Kaito-san, I believe that what cooking truly requires is not technique, but love."
"...Huh? Oh, right."
"A meal prepared for one's lover, made with effort and creativity... that sounds truly wonderful. I would very much like to taste such a dish one day."
Talk about a direct request. There was nothing indirect about it; she was stating her desires head-on. Since Shiro-san can read my mind, she’d obviously picked up on the fact that I’d briefly considered cooking for her, and she seemed determined to make it a reality.
"...I-I understand. I’ll give it my best shot... but please, don't set your expectations too high."
"Understood. I shall look forward to it from the bottom of my heart."
Something was wrong. Our wires were clearly crossed. Even though I’d just told her not to expect too much, her response made it sound like her expectations were through the roof. Anyway, once the party is over, I'm going to have to practice cooking. I’ve been picking up bits and pieces here and there, but I think it’s time for some serious lessons.
Serious-senpai: "...Next up is the 'dangerous' God... Wait. Which way is he going? Because as far as the world is concerned, the Earth God recognized worldwide is Eden..."