Riku, who was working on documents in the office of Crown Headquarters, noticed a voice coming from beyond the door.
“Supervisor, is now a good time?”
“Ah, come in. What is it?”
Following Riku’s voice, the door opened, and one of his assistants entered the room.
Riku immediately noticed that the assistant’s face wore a bewildered expression for some reason.
“Did something happen?”
If, for example, a Great Flood had occurred, he wouldn’t have that kind of expression.
Not understanding the meaning of his assistant’s expression, Riku genuinely tilted his head.
To Riku, the assistant, still with a bewildered face, said,
“Um, well. We have a guest… Not Angel-sama, though.”
Today, he had an appointment to meet with Angel.
However, upon hearing the report that someone other than Angel had arrived, Riku frowned.
“Did we have an appointment like that?”
“N-No. It’s not like that. It’s just that Eddie-sama is here with someone named Kou.”
Upon hearing the last name, Riku stood up with a clatter.
At that moment, Riku’s mind was filled with the thought, “What in the world happened?”
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Guided by his assistant, Riku entered one of the meeting rooms and, seeing Kousuke (and Kouhi & Nana) there in addition to Angel, whom he was supposed to meet, let out a grand sigh.
“What in the world is going on?”
“Oh, Riku. You’re back to using polite language, is that okay?”
Kousuke teased Riku, whose habit of using polite language when speaking to him hadn’t faded.
Especially when surprised, his old habits would resurface when he reverted to his normal self.
By the way, since only people involved were in the room, there was no need to worry about misunderstandings or suspicions.
To Kousuke, who was looking at him with a cheerful smile, Riku sighed again.
“Never mind that, could you tell me what happened?”
“Well, even if you ask me what happened, there’s not really anything in particular. If I had to say something, I just heard that Angel was meeting with someone and that you were unusually working in your office, so I decided to come by?”
At Kousuke’s words, Riku’s shoulders slumped.
“…That was half a joke.”
Seeing Riku’s reaction, Kousuke added.
“Half?”
“Yes. Half. I just stopped by your house on the way, and I thought it would be nice if I could meet them casually. Oh, it was fortunate that Angel was here.”
As Kousuke said that and glanced at Angel, the person in question somehow grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
Riku, who had known him for many years, realized from Angel’s expression that something interesting was about to be seen.
With a sigh inwardly at Angel’s unchanging nature, Riku looked at Kousuke and asked.
“So, what about that matter?”
“Ah, I happened to overhear something, but I heard there’s a skilled Tamer here?”
As Kousuke said that, he stroked Nana’s neck, whom he had brought along.
Seeing that, Riku couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
“Please, whatever you do, don’t start a fight.”
“No, wait a minute. That’s a strange assumption. Have I ever been that aggressive?”
As Kousuke retorted, Riku nodded, remembering.
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. I tend to cause trouble wherever I go.”
“…I don’t want to hear that from you.”
Realizing he couldn’t argue, Kousuke shifted his focus and decided to involve Riku.
And it seemed that his strategy (?) was a complete success, as Angel, who was listening to their conversation, let out a snort.
As a result, Riku, unable to retort, glared at Angel.
“What did you come here for?”
“Well, that’s quite a statement. I came here to deliver the results after completing the Leader’s request.”
Even as he said that with a shrug, Riku didn’t soften his gaze.
“What are you talking about? It’s natural for adventurers to complete requests. It’s wrong to try to satisfy your own desires using that as an excuse.”
The desire in this case was curiosity, the feeling that Kousuke meeting Riku would lead to something interesting.
Showing no sign of being affected by Riku’s gaze, Angel silently handed over the request form.
Riku silently accepted the document and confirmed that it was properly marked as completed.
“Confirmed. …So? What does Father intend to do after hearing about that Tamer?”
“What do you mean, there’s nothing in particular decided?”
“Huh?”
“Well. I haven’t even decided if I’m going to meet him. If Riku has met him, I was thinking of asking for his first impression.”
If the person meets Riku’s standards, Kousuke is thinking of going to see them himself.
However, Kousuke wouldn’t bother meeting someone whom Riku avoided.
Finally understanding Kousuke’s intention, Riku looked thoughtful and said.
“The Tamer in question, huh? …Well, good or bad, he’s ‘ordinary’.”
“Ordinary… ordinary, huh.”
To Riku’s words, which seemed to carry some implied meaning, Kousuke muttered and nodded several times.
Adventurers with real strength, good or bad, are a motley crew.
And Riku’s “Flame Wolf” is no exception.
In that context, Riku’s assessment of “ordinary” means that person maintains their ordinary self regardless of what happens.
Thinking that, Kousuke unintentionally muttered softly.
“How can one reach that kind of state…?”
“I doubt that Tamer would want to hear that from Father either?”
Riku pointed out, watching Nana rub against Kousuke’s body.
Even though she is his Familiar, Kousuke, who doesn’t lose himself even when surrounded by such a large number of monsters, has reached a level that Riku considers monstrous.
In reality, he is a god, not a monster, but Riku heard that Kousuke was similar even before becoming an Avatar, so that’s irrelevant.
Kousuke laughed it off after hearing Riku’s words.
“Anyway, I’ve heard what Riku had to say, so is that all for today?”
“Are you returning to your place?”
“Well, yes. Since I’m here, I thought it might be interesting to bring Silvia or Floria along.”
Fortunately (?), Riku didn’t voice the thought that such actions would cause trouble.
Instead, Riku clasped his hands together exaggeratedly and offered words of “my condolences” to the Tamer in question.
Riku, who has taken on the position of Supervisor, has a mix of different speech patterns, causing confusion. It is assumed that since he has taken on a position of authority, he has returned to the polite language he used as a child.
