Lying in the Sea of Cushions was an oddly surreal experience. It wasn't like lying on a single large cushion, yet it was nothing like lying in a bed. It felt exactly as the name suggested: I was quite literally buried in a massive sea of cushions.
Fate-san seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood as she clung to me. At her request, I had eventually tucked my arm under her head to give her an arm pillow.
She seemed completely unconcerned as she snuggled up to me, but on my end, I was acutely aware of the soft sensation of her body. She was so incredibly defenseless that it was honestly a bit of a struggle to keep my composure.
Had she been making a deliberate romantic approach, I might have known how to react, but the truth was that for Fate-san, this was simply her "normal operation."
"By the way, Kai-chan, what brings you to the God Realm today? Were you visiting Shallow Vernal-sama?"
"Ah, no. I came to give Shia-san a Coffee Sample of the new coffee being released by Kuro's Trading Company. Kuro asked me to help promote it if I knew any coffee lovers."
"Ah, I see. Kuro-rin is as busy as ever, isn't she?"
Indeed, even while she was using me as an arm pillow and clinging to me with her entire body, Fate-san was so much her usual self that she could launch into casual small talk without the conversation ever turning suggestive.
In fact, ever since we became lovers, I’d realized that Fate-san was naturally very fond of physical contact. Now that I thought about it, she’d been quite clingy even before then, but the frequency had spiked recently.
Whenever we were together, she was almost always pressed against me like this, or using my lap as a pillow, or climbing onto my back for a piggyback ride. She was definitely the type who wanted to be as close as possible to the person she loved.
While that was bird-like and undeniably adorable, her frequent surprise attacks made things a little difficult for my heart rate.
"By the way, Fate-san, do you prefer black tea or coffee?"
"Hmm, I don't really drink much of either, to be honest. It’s not that I dislike them... I’ll drink whatever is put in front of me, but making it myself is such a pain, you know?"
"That sounds just like you, Fate-san."
"But since I have the Authority of Fate, I bet I’d be great at brewing it. Not that I’ve ever tried... but hey, I managed to make those cookies perfectly on my first attempt, right? I can do anything if I put my mind to it... I just usually don't."
"Hearing you say that about yourself is... something. But it’s true, you really are capable of anything."
Just as she said, Fate-san was fundamentally capable of anything, she just chose not to do it. The same went for her work. She had the power to finish a massive backlog in mere minutes, as she’d proven earlier, but she usually refused to lift a finger.
I often thought it would be easier to just work for a minute or two and then slack off for the rest of the day, but being as lazy as she was, she wouldn't even commit to those few minutes. I would have thought that running away and being chased by Chronoa-san was more work, but she still wouldn't change her ways.
"Well, I'll brew some for you eventually, Kai-chan... if the mood strikes me."
"I'll look forward to it. Even if I'm not sure that day will ever actually come."
"Mmm, I think it will. I'm actually pretty hardworking when it comes to things involving you, Kai-chan. Hehe, I guess I just can't help wanting to do things for the person I love."
Indeed, there were only two exceptions to Fate-san’s extreme laziness. The first was anything involving the absolute existence, Shiro-san. As Fate-san often said, as long as she could serve Shiro-san, she didn't care about being a Supreme God. Consequently, she worked seriously when Shiro-san was involved—though that was likely true of all the Gods.
The second exception was me. The fact that she had started working somewhat regularly—much to the relief of Chronoa-san and Shia-san—was solely because she didn't want Chronoa-san interrupting our private time together.
On top of that, she had made those cookies for me, and as she said, she would occasionally do something for me on her own initiative when the whim took her. It felt like her own unique way of showing affection, and it made me genuinely happy.
"Hey, Kai-chan, you don't have any more plans for today, do you?"
"No, I’m free."
"Then we can take it easy together for as long as we want. You could even stay the night if you'd like."
"That sounds nice. I think I’d enjoy just relaxing and doing nothing for a while."
"Right? Being lazy is the best. Oh, that's right... Kai-chan, Kai-chan."
"Yes?"
Mwah.
"?! Wait, Fate-san, what was that for?"
"Nothing really, I just felt like kissing you!"
After leaning in for a surprise attack and pressing her lips to mine, Fate-san simply wore a relaxed, carefree smile.
She was truly whimsical and prone to acting on impulse, which never failed to startle me... but despite the surprises, I felt that the time I spent with her was truly wonderful.
Doctor M: "...Um, what was I saying?"
Serious-senpai: "Tell them I need about three chapters to recover! Please!"
Doctor M: "It seems Serious-senpai has a sugar overdose and it will take three chapters for her to recover... I suppose it can't be helped. To make sure you heal up quickly, I'll spend the next three chapters telling you Stories of My Beloved Child in exhaustive detail..."
Serious-senpai: "I'm cured! I'm cured, I'm fine! We don't need that treatment!"
Doctor M: "Oh? Is that so? Well, if you're cured, we can skip the treatment. In that case, I'll just tell you Stories of My Beloved Child because I want to..."
Serious-senpai: "...Wait, what? Hey..."