Chapter 3

CHAPTER 2 Perfectly Prepared “He is beyond weird!” “…So what ended up happening?” I wound up complaining to Ariadoa in her room. Aria, a redheaded goddess and my senior, is taller than me and has a certain mature, sensual charm to her, despite being in the prime of her youth. She’s a seasoned goddess, having summoned Heroes to over three hundred worlds. “He said he had to prepare, but then he just started working out in the Summoning Chamber! Can you believe it? If I were him, I’d want to get out of that blinding white room as soon as possible. I mean, wouldn’t most people be excited to see another world? It makes no sense!” Aria giggles. “Rista, you’re going to be saving an S-ranked world. It’s probably a good thing your Hero is being this cautious.” “Yeah, but he’s, like, wasting his time, you know? I mean, he’d level up a lot quicker if he’d just go to Gaeabrande and start fighting monsters.” “What’s the rush? Time moves slower in the spirit world, and that includes the Summoning Chamber. You might as well let him stay here until he’s mentally prepared.” “…Sigh. I just wanted to go on a normal adventure.” Aria calmly sips her tea. Being more mature and experienced than I am, she then smiles and says: “Listen, Rista. You just need to support him. If he’s training in the Summoning Chamber right now, then you need to be there for him.” “…How?” “Well, did you remember to put a toilet, shower, and bed in that dreary room? He’s going to get hungry, too, you know?” “Ah…! Now that you mention it…!” As I begin to rush out of the room, Aria stops me one last time. “One more thing, Rista. People like him probably don’t like being told what to do, so try opening up to him and talking to him like you would to a friend.” That’s Aria for you—a true pro. After a quick thank-you, I close the door and immediately rush down the marble corridor. “Seiya! I’m so sorry for leaving you alone for so long. I…” When I open the large door to the Summoning Chamber, I find Seiya shirtless and doing sit-ups. Beads of sweat cling to his body. It’s so sexy that I can’t look away. That’s when he begins glaring at me. “Hey. Could you at least knock before you come barging in next time?” “S-sorry.” …Hang on! This is the Summoning Chamber, not your own private gym! I fight the urge to give him a piece of my mind but instead reveal the rice balls I brought. “I—I, uh… I thought you might be hungry, so I made these for you.” “…What are they?” I flash a cheery smile. “You’re Japanese, right? I actually know a lot about Japan! Look, rice balls! This one’s pickled plum, and this one’s salmon. Also—” Before I even finish my sentence, Seiya stares at the rice balls I made and snorts in disgust. “Suspicious food made by a suspicious person, huh?” “…?! How rude!” “You eat one first.” “What?!” “They could be poisoned.” …I took Aria’s advice and tried to be nice, so I made him some rice balls. And yet, here I am, already wanting to strangle him. “They’re not poisoned! How stupid can you be?! Why would I even try to poison you?!” Annoyed, I bite into the salmon rice ball. “See?! No poison! Happy now?! Ugh! Unbelievable! Do you know how hard I worked to make these for you?!” “Hmm… There doesn’t seem to be any fast-acting poison in them.” “Because there isn’t any poison in them at all, dammit!” I scream at Seiya, using crass language unbecoming of a goddess. “And just so you know, working out and doing push-ups and sit-ups in this room isn’t going to raise your abilities that much!” After screaming at the top of my lungs, I use my divine powers to instantly create a portable toilet, a portable shower, and a cot. Then I sternly shove a buzzer in Seiya’s hand. “Buzz me if you need me! You will be eating three meals a day, and they will be slid under the door! I will, under no circumstances, be coming here again until you press that buzzer!” “Good.” After slamming the door on my way out, I return to my room, stamping my feet the entire way. What is wrong with him?! Whatever. I’ll just leave him alone for now. It’s not like someone can live in that empty room forever! I give him two, three days tops before he rings the buzzer! …But Seiya never rang the buzzer. After four days went by, I was starting to doubt he was even alive, but he seemed to be eating the rice balls left for him. Despite saying that I wouldn’t be visiting him no matter what, I couldn’t help but pay frequent visits to the Summoning Chamber and place an ear to the door to make sure he was all right. …Then, after a week, Seiya finally rings the buzzer. I rush over to the chamber and open the door, only to be welcomed by the pleasant scent of soap wafting from his body. He must have just gotten out of the shower. “S-so? How did your training go?” Seiya simply mutters “status” and opens a three-dimensional window. I faintly gasp the moment I see it. “H-he gained this many levels just from training in his room?!” I’m sure his EXP Boost is helping, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect growth like this. With stats like these, he would honestly have a chance against the Demon Lord in the D-rank world I just saved. As I stand there in astonishment, Seiya casually states: “Ideally, I would like to raise myself to the max level, but…” “Do you plan on living in this room for the rest of your life?! Yes, time is slower while you’re in this dimension, but even then, you’d die before you reached the max level! You’ve leveled up enough already! Let’s get a move on! Gaeabrande is waiting for us!” Seiya quietly nods after my rant. “Yeah, you’re probably right…” While idly staring into the distance of this completely white Summoning Chamber, he says: “I’m perfectly prepared.” Wh-what the…?! Now he’s trying to act cool?! Give me a break! “Ugh. Whatever. Let’s just go.” I cast a spell, once again summoning the gate to the new world. Then I snatch Seiya’s hand and head toward it. And that’s how we end up departing for Gaeabrande a week late.