Kousuke, who had been lounging in the Lounge Space, widened his eyes as he saw a certain person who had unusually graced the Management Layer.
“Huh? Haku, what’s wrong?”
“Uh, yeah. Just something,” Haku replied, looking around as if searching for something.
Kousuke started to ask if Haku was looking for something, but he immediately understood what it was.
Although Haku rarely showed any change in expression, a slight smile flickered across his face.
In the direction of his gaze was Luca, who had just arrived at the Management Layer.
“Oh, Luca. Is today a day off for you?”
“Ah, yeah. Since we have this chance, I thought I’d play with Haku…”
Luca’s words were slightly hesitant, but Kousuke pretended not to notice and nodded.
“I see. Well, as long as Haku is with you, I don’t think there should be any particular issues, but try not to do anything too dangerous.”
“I know.”
Luca showed a slight hint of relief at Kousuke’s words, then immediately took Haku’s hand and headed back to the room with the Teleport Gate.
Kousuke, seeing the two off with what looked like an awkward display to an outsider, couldn’t help but murmur to himself on the spot.
“…So young.”
“What are you saying? Mr. Kousuke, you’re still plenty young yourself.”
Silvia, who had overheard Kousuke’s remark, said so with a small laugh.
It seemed Silvia had also noticed the interaction between Haku and Luca.
“Yeah, thanks. But, you know, it’s more of a feeling. Next year, I’ll be a grandfather, after all.”
If Towa and Daniela’s child is born safely, Kousuke will finally become a grandfather.
More than twenty years had already passed since Kousuke came to this world.
Putting aside his appearance and physical state, if one only considers his age, he was in an environment where he couldn’t be called young.
Silvia was about to say something in response to Kousuke’s words, but she stopped upon noticing someone approaching from behind Kousuke.
Then, the person stretched out an arm from behind Kousuke and pulled his head towards her chest.
“Is that so? Are you saying I’m not young either?”
If Kousuke was to become a grandfather, Floria would undoubtedly become a grandmother.
Kousuke could immediately tell that Floria was not angry from her tone and expression, which were full of amusement, but he shook his head.
“No, not at all! Floria, you haven’t changed at all since we first met!”
Kousuke hesitated to say “beautiful” out loud, so he phrased it vaguely, but it seemed Floria understood perfectly.
“Is that so? I’m happy to hear that.”
Floria smiled, still hugging Kousuke.
Silvia, watching them from the side, unusually decided to join in.
“Oh? Mr. Kousuke, what about me?”
“Gah!? Of course, Silvia, you haven’t changed now or in the past!”
“Is that so?”
Satisfied with the brief answer, Silvia nodded, smiled faintly, and crossed her right arm.
The rule about no excessive Public Displays of Affection in the Lounge Space was still in effect, but besides Mitsuki, only Floria and Silvia were present.
With no one to protest, they indulged in some affectionate teasing with Kousuke for the first time in a while.
♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦♢♦
Perhaps satisfied with their affectionate display, after more than ten minutes, both Floria and Silvia separated from Kousuke.
Then, as Silvia released her arm from his, Kousuke asked her about something he had been wondering about.
“Speaking of which, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask?”
Kousuke remembered that Silvia had seemed like she wanted to say something before Floria joined them.
Silvia’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and her expression turned a little more serious.
“Yes. I wanted to ask your thoughts on something, Kousuke-sama.”
When Silvia addresses Kousuke as “sama,” it’s always when she’s seeking his opinion as an Avatar.
Kousuke straightened up, ready to listen to Silvia’s story.
“Yes. What is it?”
“As I mentioned before, Kousuke-sama, you believe that the number of people with blessings will increase, correct?”
Silvia was referring to the topic they had discussed when she granted a blessing to Sarasa.
Considering the current situation, Kousuke believed that the number of people with blessings from the gods would only increase, not decrease.
“Yes. Is that so?”
Kousuke tilted his head, not understanding why Silvia was bringing this topic up again.
“Does that include blessings and such?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
What the gods call a “blessing” encompasses various things, not just direct blessings but also favors and special preferences.
While direct blessings are the strongest connection to a god for purposes like receiving oracles, other forms of divine favor signify being noticed by a god, meaning they are essentially the same.
Kousuke reasoned that since these are easier to grant than direct blessings, it would be these types of “blessings” that would increase.
Of course, Kousuke had already explained all of this clearly to Silvia.
What Silvia wanted to confirm was regarding these blessings.
“For example, if it’s a blessing, would it be displayed on the Crown Card?”
“On your status? …Ah, it would likely be displayed.”
Kousuke, sensing Silvia’s concern, nodded deeply.
When the Crown Card was first introduced, there was confusion due to the appearance of inexplicable titles in the designation slot.
As titles named after goddesses began to increase, similar issues might arise.
Floria, who had been listening to their conversation, also realized this and joined the discussion.
“Indeed, if divine names appear as titles, it would cause a stir, but would it really be that troublesome?”
Floria thought that considering some blessings had subtle effects, it wouldn’t cause a major disturbance, but Silvia shook her head.
“That’s because we know that there are blessings with little effect. Ordinary people, especially those in the temple, don’t know that.”
“Hmm… That’s certainly true.”
Silvia’s concern was precisely that point: wouldn’t people start scrambling to gain favor merely because a goddess’s name appeared as a title?
If proper information were disseminated, such things wouldn’t happen, but the problem would likely arise when these titles first started appearing.
“In that case, it would be best to release clear information.”
Floria, quickly reaching this conclusion, looked alternately at Silvia and Kousuke.
Silvia, understanding the meaning of Floria’s gaze, said to Kousuke,
“If possible, I would like to release information regarding that under Kousuke-sama’s name…”
“Ah, I see. So that’s what it is. Hmm…”
Kousuke understood their intention to minimize potential confusion.
If using his name could indeed prevent such issues, he would be willing to do so, but other gods were also involved.
Even Kousuke couldn’t give an immediate answer.
“Understood. I’ll consult with Eris or someone similar, and once we get permission, then we’ll proceed.”
This involved gods other than Kousuke.
Since both Silvia and Floria understood this, they nodded without further comment.
This was a chapter with affectionate moments at the beginning and a serious discussion at the end.
I thought this kind of structure might be good for a change.
