“Playboy.”
“?!?!”
“Eh… What do you mean by that?! Me, a playboy?!”
“Goodness, you really didn’t know? I thought you were just enjoying the attention.”
“There’s no way! Why would I be a playboy?”
“Let’s go inside and talk about this, shall we? If we stay here, another piece might be added to the playboy rumor.”
I tilted my head to check around, confirming that no one was watching us.
“Come in quickly.”
“Alright~!”
Callisa entered the room with a bright smile.
“Hmm~ So this is the top student’s room!”
Callisa, who was looking around as if amazed, had her wrist caught by me, and I sat her down at the dining table chair before sitting across from her.
“Alright, speak. Why am I a playboy? What did I do?”
“Hehe, shall I enumerate the rumors about Senior Arthur then?”
Clearing her throat, Callisa slowly began speaking.
“First, you have an unparalleled beauty as your girlfriend who flips the school upside down.”
“That’s just Lily. That alone doesn’t make me a playboy, right?”
“It could’ve, if it was just ‘that.'”
“What? What else is there…?”
“Second, good relations with Reeti Eleanor, the daughter of the Earl Eleanor.”
“Hold on, Reeti and I aren’t like that-”
“Third, excessive hide-and-seek with the royal nation’s newcomer, Lana.”
“Hold on! Excessive? That’s just… stalking.”
“Ah, stop being noisy! Fourth, the first student to receive a student council proposal from Her Highness, and you had the audacity to refuse.”
“That was just a proposition, and how does it make me a playboy-”
“Fifth, you welcomed the second prodigy after Her Highness in the entrance examination, the absolute genius magic user, Callisa, into the dormitory.”
“Hey!!”
“Hahahaha!”
Callisa grabbed her stomach and burst into laughter.
Though her laughter was annoying, it wasn’t the most important thing right now.
“… Seriously, have the rumors spread this much?”
“Of course! The last one was a joke, but the others are serious.”
“Exactly why…?”
“Well, there are various reasons, I suppose. Do you know how famous you’ve become currently?”
“Um… somewhat… thanks to Lily, I’ve gained a little recognition-”
“Somewhat? Just a little?! When you entered school, the rumors of an extraordinary third year student spread around instantaneously! Then, it was followed by the news that the third-year senior used the rare familiar magic and consistently ranks first in theory exams; you’re already quite famous.”
“… Me?”
“Yes, you!”
Even though I thought I was somewhat known within the same grade thanks to Lily, I didn’t expect rumors to have spread to the newcomers too.
And they had to be scandalous playboy rumors?
“Ah, I have heard rumors linking you with Senior Ilina as well.”
“Senior Ilina? Why her?”
“Don’t know. Maybe because you’re in the same grade?”
Now even Senior Ilina, who had only taken the practical exam, was rumored to be connected with me.
“Though, Senior Ilina already has someone, so the rumors didn’t spread much.”
As Callisa mumbled, I cradled my throbbing head.
“Mm… If Lily finds out…”
Watching me intently, Callisa suddenly added,
“By the way, where has the Queen of the Night gone? And what’s this about being sick?”
Callisa looked around and tilted her head.
Just then, I recalled why I invited Callisa into my room, and asked her,
“Anyway, first, let me ask you one thing. Lily said that Chatogwuah doesn’t regard her or me as enemies. Is that correct?”
“Yes, it is. Our Lord Chatogwuah is an extremely lazy entity who detests conflict.”
… Hey, isn’t it okay to speak about the deity you believe in like that?
Although I wanted to remark on it, I held back for now and continued asking.
“Is Chatogwuah still on Saturn?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I greeted him through our grandfather just yesterday.”
So, Chatogwuah must not have attended the Deep Meeting then.
Since Lily mentioned a meeting of Outer Gods, perhaps the Great Old Ones don’t attend it?
Still, they were called, so might they know anyway?
“Callisa, can you make a promise for me?”
“What is it?”
“Please don’t tell anyone about what I’m about to say.”
“Even to Chatogwuah or Grandfather?”
After a moment of thought, I shook my head.
“I’ll leave it at that. If they insist you tell them, you should anyway, right?”
“That’s true. Alright, then at least within this planetary system, I’ll keep my mouth shut. So, what is it?”
After taking a deep breath, I blurted out the question.
“Do you happen to know about the Deep Meeting?”
At that, Callisa’s playful expression stiffened.
“…Eh? D-Deep Meeting?”
That she, who had been talking nonstop until then like an endless waterfall, began to stutter only confirmed she had some knowledge of it.
“You know about it.”
“Of course! The decisions made there affect all dimensions. Every time something was decided there, how much chaos there was in the dimensional realm… Surely not?!”
I nodded at Callisa, who was wearing a stunned expression.
“That’s right. Lily is at the Deep Meeting right now.”
“That’s not possible! After the last Deep Meeting, how much time has passed?!”
Upon Callisa’s words, I recalled.
Now that I think about it, the Chancellor also said something similar to what Callisa just did.
“When was the last Deep Meeting?”
“Roughly… 180,000 years ago?”
“…Isn’t that incredibly long ago?”
“Deep Meetings usually occur on a scale of a hundred million years.”
“… Wow.”
A hundred million years—maybe it isn’t such a long period when considering the age of the Outer Gods attending.
“Still, about the Deep Meeting… it seems absolutely essential to inform Chatogwuah. Another big chaos might ensue…”
Callisa muttered something while tilting her head.
I knocked on the table to catch her attention.
“Do you happen to know when the Deep Meeting might end?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure at all. The Absolute Abyss, where the meeting takes place, is a place where time stands still. It is even twisted, possibly leading people back to the past.”
“Ah…”
It was an absolutely undesirable piece of news.
So, it seemed there was nothing left to do but wait.
But, just then,
“Maybe, if the King Himself were to do it, He might immediately return.”
“King speaking… Yo-Sothoth?”
“Yes, that’s right. The real king—He, the one who took the role of the head of the Outer Gods. He, who transcends time and space, might be able to manage such an attempt?”
Seeing Lily, the Chancellor, and even Callisa affirming this, it was evident that with Yo-Sothoth’s power, He could indeed return.
But considering He hasn’t returned yet, the attempt must have failed, right…
“… Is there any way I could go to the Absolute Abyss?”
“No way. Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Completely unfeasible.”
“That bad, huh?”
“It’s not just that. You’d need to employ every unimaginable kind of impossibility to describe how unreachable the Absolute Abyss is for humans. Great Old Ones even find it extremely difficult to approach it. How can a mere human ever think of going there?”
“Even Chatogwuah find it difficult?”
“Yes, it’s hard. Even our Chatogwuah wouldn’t be able to do it without an invitation. There’s an immensely powerful presence blocking the last gateway to the Absolute Abyss…”
“Who’s that?”
“Umruhtthuul… It’s an avatar of the King Himself.”
… So breakthrough was impossible then.
Unless I received permission, which was unlikely due to my being an ordinary human besides having a contract with Lily.
“Hmph… Is there really no way…”
Just as I was holding my head and lost in thought,
“By the way, why has the Deep Meeting been convened? Haven’t you heard anything?”
“… Lily merely said Yo-Sothoth convened it.”
Callisa’s face turned stunned at that.
“Eh? He shouldn’t be able to attend meetings right now, right?”
“Why?”
“Though I don’t know the full details, the King is in charge of something extremely important. If the King stops His work, all universes might be destroyed.”
“… What?”
“So everyone calls it the ‘Sacred Task.’ But even when I asked my grandfather, he wouldn’t share more details, so I don’t know what exactly it is.”
‘Sacred Task’?
What task could be so important that it gets called that?
“But Lily said the convener is Yo-Sothoth.”
“Hmm… Since the Night Queen said so herself…”
Callisa tilted her head but didn’t seem as shocked as the Chancellor.
“Ah!”
Callisa suddenly raised her hand.
“Senior.”
“Yes?”
“I’m hungry.”
“… All of a sudden?”
“The Night Queen is worrying, so I’m using my precious lunchtime. Please give me some food.”
“What makes you so entitled… Hmph… Fine.”
It was a tiring day, and I didn’t feel like questioning further.
And I was grateful she answered honestly.
As I stood up to think for a moment,
‘I don’t want Callisa to eat Lily’s cooking…’
I was a bit jealous.
Moreover, I had this desire to exclusively enjoy Lily’s cooking.
As I opened the fridge, I wasn’t taking out prepared meals but mostly ingredients.
“Huh? Are you going to make it yourself?”
“Of course, I’ll make it for you.”
“Oohh~ Inviting a junior into your house and cooking for them—”
“Would you rather leave?”
“No, thank you for the meal.”
I pinched my aching temples.
Sometimes I get mad while conversing with Callisa.
It’s like talking with Reeti…
Since most ingredients available in the fridge had been used in Lily’s cooking, there was almost nothing left but scraps.
I gathered them, cooked them together here and there and quickly prepared the dish.
“Here you go.”
“Wow~ Thanks for the meal!”
When Callisa took a big bite of the food,
“……?”
She looked baffled.
“Why? Is it bad?”
“No… Just surprised that it tastes better than I imagined.”
Until Lily came, I was doing reasonably well cooking meals for myself.
I had a vague idea about mixing stuff together.
“What’s the name of this dish?”
“… Mixed leftovers stir-fried.”
“… Senior, if you ever have kids, please let the Queen of the Night name them.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
As for my naming sense, I knew it was bad, but not that bad.
Besides, what’s this talk about children anyway?
“… But, Callisa, do Outer Gods and humans—”
“Senior, I’m eating!”
Did she guess my question? She glared at me sharply.
Regretfully, I licked my lips again and went back to the fridge and took out an Elden Roast.
“What’s that?”
“My meal.”
“But why something different from mine?”
“Because it’s mine.”
“Wow… Is that made by the Queen of the Night?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it good?”
“Obviously!”
“No, no, objectively, how is it?”
“Objectively, it’s better than any food on this planet.”
“… That doesn’t sound objective no matter how you look at it.”
I said nothing and peeled off the tightly wrapped cling film.
The savory aroma wafted up.
Callisa’s eyes brightened at the smell.
“Senior, can I have just one bite?”
“Uh, no.”
“That’s so stingy.”
She grumbled, but she finished her mixed leftovers stir-fry in a flash.
Her table manners were just as lacking as Reeti’s.
Could they be distant relatives or something?
‘No, since she’s from a different planet, it’s unlikely.’
Just as I was thinking that, Callisa asked:
“What’s the name of that dish?”
“Elden Roast.”
“… Pardon?”
When I mentioned the dish name, Callisa’s face completely fell.
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely serious, Lily named it that.”
“Eh! You mean, the actual…?”
“Old One? It’s the one that looks like asparagus made of iron.”
“… For real? I mean, how could they have ingredients for cooking?”
“I’ve eaten dozens of them so far, and it’s incredibly delicious!”
Callisa, stunned, stared blankly at the Elden Roast which I was about to consume.
She slowly raised her hand, grabbing her head.
“Oh no… this is a collapse of common sense… cooking with Elden Ones…”
Just for food, she made such a fuss.
Due to my extreme hunger, the Elden Roast disappeared in no time.
“Well, finished? Let’s go now.”
Looking at the clock, I realized lunch time had passed while we were talking.
“Yes, thank you very much.”
“At least you understand.”
“Senior, you invited me in first!”
“You’re right.”
While I was putting on my shoes, I heard Callisa’s voice.
“Senior, don’t worry about the rumors. I’ll work hard to spread the rumor that you’re not involved at all. That Arthur Senior only looks at one woman his entire life—an unwavering young man.”
“… That’s also kind of burdensome, though?”
“Still better than being a playboy, right?”
“That’s obvious.”
Just as I walked out of the dormitory with Callisa to bid farewell,
Whistle!
A sharp whistle echoed,
Flap-flap-flap!
Violent flapping wing sounds followed.
Curious about what was going on, I turned my head—
Flap!
Right at my face came a cluster of blue feathers.
“Cough!”
“Senior?!”
Startled, I struggled, and Callisa rushed over to help remove the feather bundle.
Whistle!
“Did I do something to upset you…?”
While spitting out the feathers that had gotten inside my mouth, I spoke, and the turtledove dropped a letter.
No, not just one—it literally grabbed with its beak and dropped it.
What’s more, the number of letters thrown at me wasn’t just one or two.
After pelting me with what seemed like a dozen or so letters, the turtledove made a sound akin to a human sneeze before flying back into the sky.
Taken aback, I picked up the tossed letters and sighed.
Seeing the letters in my hand, Callisa murmured from the side,
“Uh… Isn’t that the Chancellor’s official seal?”
These letters, as if sealed with the Chancellor’s insignia, contained a simple message:
“To the Chancellor’s office
-Hurry
-Hurry
-Hurry
-Hurry
…”
… Why exactly is he doing this…?
