After returning home and showing Jutia-san to my room, I checked in with Canalis-sama regarding the new product. According to her, as long as I was within Trinia, she could hear me calling her name from anywhere outside the Sanctuary.
The fact that she specifically excluded the Sanctuary—Shiro-san’s domain—suggested she wasn't joking. She also assured me that she only listened when I actually spoke her name. "I don’t eavesdrop on your everyday conversations, so please don’t worry," she’d said.
Now that I thought about it, respecting privacy should have been a matter of course. But since I was surrounded by people who likely listened to my every word—like Shiro-san, Machina-san, Alice, and Kuro—Canalis-sama’s blatant normalcy actually caught me off guard.
"Canalis-sama, do you have a moment?"
"Yes, yes. Is there something I can do for you?"
I stepped out of the room and called out into the void; in the next heartbeat, she appeared right in front of me.
"Jutia-san is here right now, and I was wondering if it would be alright to serve that new product you mentioned would be released later. I wanted to check with you first..."
"Ah, I see. That’s perfectly fine. Shall I bring it to your room, then?"
"Yes, please."
"How many minutes from now would you like it? I pride myself on being a Woman Accurate with Time, so I can deliver it at the exact second you specify."
"Um, well then, how about in three minutes?"
"Understood."
After that exchange, I returned to the room and took the seat across from Jutia-san. Since my room was so large, I usually brought guests here whenever they visited... though, in hindsight, I almost never used the formal reception room. Well, if I was inviting a friend over rather than someone here for business, I supposed my own room was fine.
"Jutia-san, I actually have a new Nifty black tea that's scheduled for a later release. Would you be interested in trying that?"
"Wait, a new product?! Of course, of course! I’d love to... but are you sure?"
"Yes. I already checked with the Person in Charge of Nifty and got her permission."
"Then I'll accept, I'll accept! I'm such a huge fan of Nifty... I'm really, really looking forward to this, ze-i."
The way Jutia-san rejoiced with her eyes sparkling matched her petite appearance perfectly. She was quite cute.
As we engaged in some idle small talk, there was a knock at the door exactly three minutes after my request. Canalis-sama entered, pushing a serving cart.
"Thank you, Canalis-sama... Wait, what’s with the outfit?"
"Since I'll be serving you, I decided to try on a butler outfit. I actually put on a maid uniform first, but tahaa~ I guess it's because I'm the cool type? It didn't suit me as well as I'd hoped, so I made a last-minute swap to a butler outfit."
"I see... You have a slender figure, Canalis-sama, so those kinds of clothes might indeed suit you better. You’ve pulled it off perfectly; you look very sharp."
"Thank you very much. Such a wonderful compliment makes my heart go pit-a-pat with excitement! Oh, I mustn't forget to greet the guest. My name is Canalis. Kaito-sama has entrusted me with the management of Nifty."
Canalis-sama introduced herself with her usual expressionless face and rhythmic tone, then turned toward Jutia-san. Jutia-san sat up straight and bowed with elegant, perfect posture.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Jutia, one of World King Lilliwood-sama’s kin. I have heard rumors of you, Canalis-sama. I'm sure I'll be visiting Nifty often in the future, so I look forward to your favor."
"Ah, I appreciate the sentiment, but you can just use a casual, easygoing tone with me. I'm basically just a stray god who happens to be hanging around, so there's no need for any of that formal stuff. Especially since I'm currently acting as Kaito-sama's subordinate. That makes me his inferior... tahaa~ I'm a subordinate god, formerly a stray god!"
"...N-No, I don't think your kind is just 'hanging around' normally... W-Well, if you say so, then I'll take you up on that and speak as I usually do, ze-i."
Jutia-san had clearly heard that Canalis-sama was an almighty god, hence her stiff behavior, but Canalis-sama insisted there was no need for such formality. Interestingly, her voice sounded incredibly joyful when she called herself my subordinate. Even though her face remained as blank as ever, her emotional shifts were surprisingly easy to read.
Serious-senpai: "A stray god who happens to be hanging around... Like hell there is!?"