After Eden-san departed, I offered Ryze-san, Chris-san, and Laguna-san quick greetings. Everything went incredibly smoothly—likely because they were still on edge after the incident with Eden-san. It felt as though they were purposely keeping our exchange as brief as possible to avoid any further trouble.
Since even Laguna-san was acting that way, Eden-san must have truly terrified them. I could certainly sympathize, though. One wrong move in that previous situation, and it felt like our lives could have been on the line.
In any case, I had now finished making my rounds with the guests who required priority greetings. Fortunately, I’d managed to greet quite a few of the Six Kings' Executives at the same time, so it looked like the rest of my rounds would take less time than I’d originally anticipated.
That aside, there was one place—or rather, one group of people—I needed to check on above all else. Gurin-san and An-san. I’d asked Aoi-chan and Hina-chan to keep an eye on them, but I wanted those two to enjoy the party as well. I planned to meet up with them immediately and take over for the rest of the evening.
"An-san, Gurin-san!"
"K-Kaito-san... You finally made it."
"Miyama-san... Oh, I'm so relieved to see you."
Using Sympathy Magic to track them down, I reached them in no time. Both An-san and Gurin-san looked visibly heartened the moment they saw me.
"I'm sorry. I intended to be here much sooner, but I had some high-priority greetings to finish first, so I'm a bit late... Aoi-chan, Hina-chan, thank you for watching them."
"No, well, the truth is, we kind of messed up too," Aoi replied.
"...We accidentally brought Sky-san and Gaia-san along with us," Hina added. "It gave them quite a shock. I guess we've just spent so much time around Kaito-senpai that his influence is starting to warp our common sense."
"I see. Well, it was a last-minute request, so it couldn't be helped. Anyway, thank you both. I'll take it from here, so please go out and enjoy the party."
The reason they’d had to rush to An-san and Gurin-san’s side in the first place was my own poor planning; I hadn't realized how hard it would be to reach them right after the party started. Therefore, I was the one responsible for the girls getting a scare from the High-ranking Gods.
After thanking Aoi-chan and Hina-chan once more and telling them I’d take over, they both nodded. They offered quick farewells to An-san and Gurin-san before heading back toward Sky-san and Gaia-san.
"...Now then, let me say it again: thank you for coming today. I'm sorry for startling you. I should have explained things better beforehand."
"Oh, no. Honestly, even if you had told us everything in advance, I think we would have just assumed it was a joke," An-san said.
"I agree," Gurin-san chimed in. "I mean, Kaito-san... Are you actually the Shadow Ruler of the World or something? Have we just been unaware of your true identity this whole time?"
"No, not at all. I'm just a normal... normal? Well, I’m losing a bit of confidence myself, but I’m supposed to be a normal human."
In my heart, I knew I was a perfectly ordinary person. However, looking at my social circle and considering how I must appear to two commoners, I realized it was getting harder to insist on my normality.
It was a bit late for regrets, but perhaps I should have introduced them to a few acquaintances beforehand. Then again, when I sent the invitations, I hadn't realized I’d have this much free time during the event. Even if the idea had occurred to me then, coordinating the schedule would have been difficult.
"Anyway, I expect you hardly know anyone else here, so why don't you come with me and I'll introduce you to some people? If there's anyone specific you'd like to meet, please don't be shy."
"...An-san, I've made my decision!"
"Gurin-san?"
Since I couldn't stay by their side forever, I first proposed making some introductions. After a moment of inner conflict, Gurin-san’s eyes widened with resolve.
"Miyama-san, if possible, I would like to meet someone wealthy with strong connections in high society... Oh, but if they're too high-ranking, I'll be overwhelmed... Someone like a Baron would be wonderful!"
"Ah, I’m sorry. I don’t actually know any nobles with the rank of Baron. I only know two Viscounts... though they’re both a bit 'unique,' for lack of a better word. How about I introduce you to someone who’s very well-versed in social circles instead?"
"I—I understand. Yes, please! I would appreciate that very much."
Truth be told, I had very few noble acquaintances. The only Viscounts I knew were Seigi-kun and Viscount Dunel. Since Seigi-kun was a fellow otherworlder, I didn’t know how much he knew about local social nuances. As for Viscount Dunel, he usually attended functions under his persona as Count Ducas, which made things even more complicated.
I decided it would be best to introduce her to Lilia-san. Lilia-san was kind, and I felt she would be someone Gurin-san could talk to comfortably.
An-san still looked like she was hesitating, so I decided to introduce Gurin-san to Lilia-san first.
Serious-senpai: "How did it come to this? Though, in fairness, Kaito really does have a pathetic number of noble acquaintances. Out of the nobles he actually knows, Lilia is definitely the best choice."