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“I’m glad to hear you got permission to cross the border. So, how did this turn into you buying me dinner?”

After defeating Gryps, Fujiwara and Fumitsuki were granted permission to leave the country for some reason. I wasn’t familiar with the details, as I had nothing to do with it. Though I was sure that they must’ve done something right.

Regardless, the two invited me to have dinner with them. They offered to treat me, and I happily accepted.

They were likely treating me because they felt they were indebted to me, and I also hoped that I would receive some information about the royal capital from them. After all, it was free to hope, and one would be surprised just how powerful prayers were.

So, I found myself in the diner they’d picked.

“So Fini,”
“It’s Finis.”
“Why can’t I call you Fini?”
“Because it feels like you’re mocking me.”
“Do I seem that shallow to you? Yume, what do you think about this?” Fujiwara asked.
“I-I… It’s… I do think calling her Fini does come off as shallow… I’ve thought that for a while…”

When I talked to this duo, I usually ended up speaking with Fujiwara because Fumitsuki was not a social person. So, when Fumitsuki suddenly spoke like that, I panicked a bit.

She was even saying some rather harsh things, leaving Fujiwara completely shocked.

“G-Getting back on track… Finis, we invited you today because we only got permission thanks to you.”
“Really? I don’t remember doing anything, though.”
“You’re the one who recommended us for the survey request, right?”
“That? Well, yes, I did. But I just said that it might be suited for someone who’s after making a name for themselves.”
“But it’s thanks to that we can go outside sooner. We wanted to thank you for that and chat for a bit longer as we’re going to be saying our goodbyes.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask as well, so that’s perfect.” I said, taking a bit of Gryps meat.

I was aware that you could eat Monsters, and the Gryps meat seemed kind of lean.
The more I chewed, the more the meat’s flavor came out, making it way better than jerky.

In short, it was delicious. What could I say? It was like wild boar meat but of higher quality. It would likely be a tough sell in Japan for people who like their meat with a bit of marbling.

I, in turn, had yet to try marbled meat. If I were to describe the meat with one word, it’d be meaty. A lot of novels adopted the food travel cliché in otherworld and reincarnation settings, but regrettably, I didn’t seem to have a knack for food reporting.

I could have said it tasted good and started spitting out rays of light from my mouth. It was funny because I could probably do it.

“Haha, I’m glad you like it!”
“You’re saying it as if you two hunted it.”
“Well, that would be too much. I’ve been constantly blushing due to what everyone’s been saying.” Fumitsuki said.
“They’ve been calling us the Invisible Couple and the Instant Death team.” Fujiwara said.
“I-It’s not that we’re a couple or anything… And we weren’t the ones who took down the Gryps…” Fumitsuki said it with a red face.

Standing next to her, Fujiwara, on the other hand, had a scarred smile. I prayed that he’d stay strong. I was sure he’d meet someone in the future.

“So do you not like Michihisa, then?”
“That’s not it. But I wouldn’t call us lovers. We’re more like friends. That’s right! We’re friends.”

Fumitsuki said, announcing Fujiwara’s time of death. I couldn’t help but reminisce about the times when I had been merely on standby, with no one to talk to. Just like then, I had no one to talk to in the end.

Although only a month had passed, it already felt like forever.

“Yume’s love interests aside, it seems like there’s something you want to ask me?” I spoke.
“L-Love interest… I-I guess we can put them aside.” Fumitsuki said.
“So, Michihisa, what do you want to ask?”

Fumitsuki’s teasing had taken us off the main topic, so I believe it was time we got back on track.

“I thought you’d completely forgotten about me.” Fujiwara chuckled, then turned serious. It seemed like he had something important to say.

“Finis, what made you think we’d be a good match for the request?”
“So you wanted to talk about that. I don’t mind talking about it, but I’d like to keep this conversation between the three of us. After all, this has to do with my real profession.”
“Of course. We promise.”
“You don’t need to act this mysterious about it. I just need you to keep quiet.”

I had planned on saying something more meaningful and phrasing it in a better way, yet my tongue just moved on its own. If I had been this eloquent before my death, my fate might’ve taken a different turn.

“The reason I introduced you was because of the way you walked and your habits. They were clear indications that you were skilled. You were also very careful with your breathing.”
“And what is your real profession?”
“What are you saying? I’m a hunter, of course. Do you want me to introduce myself again?”
“That won’t be necessary.”

I didn’t care that I was rejected again. I wasn’t regretful in any way. I decided I’d just create a new introduction for myself. But for now, I was still a hunter. I didn’t believe I’d go the Demigod route anytime soon.

If I were to go that route, it’d be something along the lines of “Aym Fuuuinis. Aym 0 ears old,” so I didn’t want to do it.

“So let me ask you this. What’s going on in the royal capital?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Like, were there any unusual events as of late, or something along those lines?”
“That’s…”

I wasn’t sure if they were playing dumb or simply had no idea what I was talking about. It was also possible that they didn’t even view the Hero Summoning as a type of unusual event.

They were likely contemplating whether the summoning was public knowledge or not.

“I heard from a certain source that heroes had been summoned in the capital. I thought the two of you would know what they are like, given that you’re from there.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of this. Is that information trustworthy?”
“Well… It’s my hobby to look into those kinds of things. Even people from other kingdoms are interested in the heroes.”

Although I was being a bit direct, it was mainly to try and guide the two of them. I hoped that they would think I was an agent from a different kingdom, trying to get information on the heroes.

Still, speaking with them was certainly way more embarrassing than speaking with Fraus’ royal family.

Though I had to give it to Fraus’ royal family. After becoming a Demigod I could clearly see that they were capable royals. However, the world’s hastened collapse was also their doing, so although they were competent as royals, the Fraus royals were incompetent human beings.

“So you really don’t know about the heroes?”
“What’s said here stays here, right?”
“That’s correct. Though I can see how that might be inconvenient. In this case, let’s agree not to disclose how we came by this information.”

Although I didn’t use my Contract skill, I disliked breaking promises. Perhaps that was my nature or something that came with being a god.

Upon hearing my suggestion, the two looked at each other and nodded without uttering a word. It was like they could understand each other. I found it hard to believe that they weren’t a couple.