After finishing my talk with Jutia-san, I moved on to the next spot, feeling relieved that my greeting rounds were finally drawing to a close.
Waiting at my destination were two women: one tall, distinguished by her massive horns, and another petite with jade-colored hair. They were Tiamat-san and Phoenix-san.
Come to think of it, I hadn't greeted them yet. They weren't the sort of people with a weak presence that one would forget easily, but I couldn't deny the possibility that I had been unconsciously avoiding them.
"Hello, Tiamat-san, Phoenix-san."
"Oh? Well, if it isn't Miyama Kaito-san. Hello. This is a wonderful party, isn't it? Hearing everyone's joyful voices makes me feel quite strongly that this world is made of more than just sorrow."
"If it isn't My God! Thank you for the invitation. It is an honor to participate in a festival hosted by my very own deity."
When I spoke to them, Tiamat-san and Phoenix-san responded in a perfectly normal manner. It wasn't that they were always out of control, so their behavior wasn't exactly strange, but the memory of how they acted once their "switches" flipped was so intense that seeing them in a sane state felt slightly incongruous.
"...Wait, are you two wearing matching accessories? They look a bit too rugged for necklaces..."
"Oh, these aren't accessories. What should I call them? A type of collar, I suppose?"
"Pandora-sama put them on us. She warned us that if we tried anything strange, she would immediately seal us from afar and toss us into the sea. Personally, I love pain, but being sealed doesn't hurt at all—it's just boring, so I hate it."
"Thanks to Shaltier-sama's heartbreakingly brilliant strategy, Pandora-sama has been assigned as the Overseer of the Ten Demons for this occasion..."
Ah, I see. The reason these two were being so well-behaved—or rather, why the Ten Demons as a whole were so quiet—was because Pandora-san was keeping a close eye on them. Normally, Pandora-san had a tendency to run wild in her private life, but she was serious when it came to work. By giving her this specific mission, Alice had managed to keep Pandora's own erratic behavior in check as well.
Alice was truly impressive. She was single-handedly keeping about half of the world's biggest problem children under control.
"It is a bit sad, though, since there are so many people here I feel I could become friends with."
"That's because for Tiamat, 'people I feel I could become friends with' is a synonym for 'people I feel like killing.' As for me, it's disappointing that there likely won't be any opportunities to experience pleasure today, so I'm just putting up with it and enjoying the party normally."
"The Otherworld Cuisine was quite interesting. I rarely ever set foot outside the Black Forest, so experiencing a different culture feels very fresh."
"I personally prefer flavors with a bit more of a kick, but simple things like that are nice every once in a while too."
With their fetishes sealed away, it seemed both of them were enjoying the party in their own way, which was a relief in its own right. If I thought about it, their only real problem was that their fetishes were so incredibly abnormal. When that aspect was suppressed, they were actually quite pleasant.
"Phoenix-san, do you prefer things that are very spicy or bitter?"
"Yes. Or rather, I like things that allow me to feel pain. It feels wonderful."
"I-I see... How about you, Tiamat-san?"
"I don't have a particular preference for seasoning, but I do favor meat. I like things like Stripe Frog."
...Stripe Frog. I felt like I'd heard that somewhere before. I think Kuro used it as an ingredient for Baby Castella once. Setting that aside, I wondered if she liked frog meat because she was a snake.
"By the way, My God, you are currently making your greeting rounds, correct? Is it not difficult with so many guests?"
"It is quite tiring, but I've already finished most of them. I'll be done after I visit just a few more people, so I'll be fine."
"I see. In that case, since we've happened to meet like this, how about a moment of healing for our beloved My God? Tiamat, do you mind?"
"Ah, are we doing that? I don't mind at all."
"Huh?"
As I tilted my head, wondering what they were up to, Phoenix-san ignited a green flame on her fingertip and tossed it to Tiamat-san, who caught it and cupped it between her hands.
A pale green light overflowed from Tiamat-san's palms, turning into shimmering particles that enveloped me. It only lasted for a few seconds, but a warmth similar to a hot bath spread through my entire body, and I felt as if a weight had been lifted off me.
"...What was that?"
"I had Tiamat use her vibrations to finely diffuse my Flame of Regeneration and wrap it around My God. It's only a small comfort, but it should help recover some of your strength."
"I haven't explained this to you yet, but since I can freely manipulate vibrations, I used them to gently loosen up your muscles."
"I see. My body definitely feels lighter now. Thank you very much."
Really... as long as their fetishes are sealed away, they’re both actually good people. It’s just such a shame that their specific interests are so extreme they usually ruin everything else.
Serious-senpai: "The Pervert Stopper is working like a charm. And about Tiamat—there was talk of ultrasonic waves earlier, but she doesn't just manipulate sound; it's the Ability to Manipulate Vibrations. That seems like a pretty formidable power."
???: "Well, she is one of our executives, so naturally she’s powerful. If she really wanted to, she could even function like a microwave oven, you know?"