As the car continues to swiftly travel deeper and deeper into the city, the sky starts to become blocked by the myriad of skyscrapers and tall commercial buildings. Even though the view of eroding technological advancement that has been made in the last 2000 years scares me a little—it somehow doesn’t scare me as much as the atmosphere inside the car itself right now.

“Can this thing… go any faster?”

“Do you want to go faster?”

“Um… Faster… More exciting.”

“As you wish.”

Eden and this ‘Yuu’ girl pleasantly continue their short and sweet exchange, and during all of that, I can almost physically feel the popping veins on Vena’s forehead on my own… I think she should be exploding any second now—

“If you would excuse my inquiry!” Vena yells out with a bright smile on her face as she forcefully pushes her body between the two front seats.

“Who in the Realm of Gods, are you?”

Before her passive-aggressive interrogation is answered, Eden calmly offers Vena something he takes out of the nearby glove compartment.

“Big Sister Vena… do you want some candy?”

“Eh? Um, yes, thank you, Eden.” Vena looks pleasantly surprised and quickly takes the candy off Eden’s hand and returns to ask the girl wearing black shades, "But I still don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.”

Yuu turns to face the rear-view mirror to look at Vena, then continues to drive without saying anything.  

“Big Sister Vena… this is Yuu… the delivery girl,” Eden speaks up as if perfectly timed to prevent Vena’s further outburst.

—What kind of delivery girl drives a luxury car?

“Nice to meet you, Big Sister Vena, I’m Yuu the delivery girl,” says Yuu, nodding her head a little to the mirror.

“I would prefer that you don’t call me ‘Big sister’.”

“But considering our age difference, shouldn’t it be appropriate?”

“...” The smile on Vena’s face abruptly stiffens. That must have been quite a damaging blow for she then immediately goes into a state of silent sulking and shrinks back into her seat.

“And hello to you too, Brother Altarin the low-key pervert.”

“...Ahaha~ Hello to you as well, Yuu.”

This Yuu girl seems to share the brazen deadpan temperament with Eden, that must be the reason why they are most likely getting along so well, and that’s a very good thing for him but...

I look toward Eden who is currently peeling off the wrapper on a piece of candy. He meets my eyes for a second, then turns away to look out of the window.

—But can you please, stop telling random people that I’m some kind of pervert?! This is becoming borderline character assassination!

The car continues to drive toward the heart of the city, Eden and Yuu continue to have occasional conversations, while Vena and I… just kind of sit there in silence until we arrive at our destination.

…..

Eventually, after several more minutes of driving, we are now standing in front of one of the biggest skyscrapers in the city. People in sharp suits constantly walk in and out of its transparent front door.

“Eden, take this before you go…”

Vena and I have already gotten out of the car, but Yuu calls out to Eden when he’s about to close the door to offer him some kind of business card.

“What’s… this?” Eden takes it from her and examines it.

“A way to properly contact me, in case you want something to be delivered.”

“I see…”

“See you soon… I hope.” Yuu reaches out of the car’s window to pat Eden’s head a little.

Eden puts the card inside his back and bids goodbye to Yuu, who takes the car and speeds away into the horizon in mere seconds. How does she drive like that without getting pulled over by the Valkyrian? That is beyond me.

“Eden…” Vena who has been sulking ever since then finally regains her voice. “Do you call me ‘Big Sister’, b-because I’m old?”

“What are you talking about big sister Vena…?” Eden looks back at her with his large golden eyes. “Big Sister Vena is Big Sister Vena… because you're the bravest… and most beautiful Big Sister Eden has.”

“——!!”

Vena feels a territorial hurricane of emotions inside her. And in the next second, she has already teleported to Eden and hugged him while smiling happily. Completely recovered.

“Ehehe~ Bravest and most beautiful, is it? That’s right, I'm your brave and beautiful big sister!”

“Um…”

“...”

—Vena, you’re the only big sister he has! It doesn't mean much!

“We should probably get going, people are starting to look at us weirdly."

Seeing that our little ruckus is starting to attract a few pairs of eyes from the roadside, I casually remind the two of them.

“Ah yes, Let’s go, Eden.”

Vena leads Eden by the hand through the front door, where we predictably encounter a receptionist's desk. This could be a tiny bit problematic since we didn't exactly come here fully prepared. But not that problematic since we do have our ultimate weapon with us.

The receptionist lady looks momentarily shocked at the sight of Eden—this is normal, happens all the time—next, she'll probably start coughing and refer to Eden as a girl, maybe even while blushing slightly.

“A-ahem, hello there Little Miss… I’m sorry but we can’t allow children inside unless you have an appointment.”

The receptionist lady smiles nervously while greeting us with the usual formality. And she’s also blushing slightly as expected.

“Eden... can’t go inside?”

“I’m very sorry... But that is the rule of this place… So I’m afraid...:”

The more Eden continues to stare at the receptionist lady with his round eyes, the more troubled she looks.

“Then Eden supposed… It can’t be helped.”

“Eden, come here for a sec.” When Eden is starting to turn around. I pull him to the side and whisper some advice to him.

“We can’t have come all the way over here, and just go back empty-handed. Try asking the receptionist lady for passage first.”

“But she said… we’re not allowed.” Eden frowns a little.

“Master Casandro said ‘If you ask politely, there’s no door that wouldn’t open,’ so you have to try, right?”

—Though I’m probably using this phrase out of context.

Eden contemplates, then nods his head and goes back to talk to the receptionist lady.

“You really want to go in there. Huh?” Vena comes up to me and asks.

“You wouldn’t understand the emotional value I attached to this company, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“If I can’t understand you, who can?” Vena laughs skeptically.

“Eden?”

“That… Maybe…”

Vena pinches her chin and falls into thought.

Back at the receptionist's desk.

“I’m afraid... I, I can’t do that,” the receptionist lady stutters.

“You really... can’t?” Eden earnestly asks.

“No… I really can’t,” she responds, less certain than before.

“Really… Really?”

“R-really.”

Standing on his tiptoes, Eden reaches out to take the receptionist lady’s hands from across the desk and pleads to her with his eyes.

“Please.”

“U-uh. That’s—”

Didididididi~~!

Seconds away from the receptionist lady actually giving in to Eden's cuteness, the phone on her desk rings and breaks the intimate atmosphere.

The receptionist lady picks up  the phone and answers it

“Yes [...] that is correct, Lady Fortuna [...] Your will shall be done.”

Then she turns back to the three of us and says with a respectful smile, “Your highness Vena, your highness Altarin, and Eden of House Athena. All three of you are allowed to go meet the Lady in the penthouse.”

Vena and I share a cautious glance with each other, but before we can ask the receptionist lady more questions, a familiar voice is heard from behind us.

“—I will escort you to her.”

When we turn around to the source of that voice, we are greeted with an unexpected face.

“““Captain Tamaria?/Captain… Tamaria?”””

“Hi, I never expected to see you guys here this soon.”

Captain Tamaria's wearing casual clothes with jeans and a t-shirt instead of her uniform. Her brunette hair is also tied into a side ponytail. Despite only being in the top 60 or Anorlon’s Beauty Ranking, her stunning features and the aura of authority she exudes still easily move the heart of many fans who voted for her.

—But why is she here...?

While I'm wondering that, Captain Tamaria comes to rub Eden’s head with fondness.

“Especially you, Little Eden. What are you doing trying to charm your way into other people’s houses? And why are you falling for it, Gwin?”

“This one was beginning to think that letting a nice little girl like her inside wouldn’t do anyone any harm. Hahaha...“ The receptionist lady lets out an embarrassed laugh.

“Eden’s a boy," says captain Tamaria before starting to walk away. Leaving behind the receptionist lady whose brain has presumably just crashed judging by how frozen she looks.

.....

Inside the elevator...

“Who are we... going to meet?” Eden asks Captain Tamaria who's standing in front of him.

“You’re going to meet.” Captain Tamaria shows a difficult expression. “My mother.”

When the elevator comes to a stop, I glance at Vena who shares my senses.

“Vena?”

“Yes, I feel it too.”

We both place our hands on Eden’s shoulder, preparing ourselves for any unexpected things that might appear as the elevator's door begins to slide open.

“We’re entering a domain…”

“Anything could be on the other side.”

Bright light shines through the gaps between the doors. And what awaits us when we step through...

—Is a view of a vast blue ocean stretching far into the horizon.

“Huh... That’s actually not that bad.” Looking around the new environment, I can see that we’re on the top deck of a cruise ship extravagantly decorated with gold and jewelry that every part of it seems to glisten under the bright sunlight.

“Brother Altarin… Big sister Vena… Look.”

Eden, who somehow has already moved to cling onto the ship’s rails and peering down toward the crystal blue surface of the ocean, calls out to us.

When Vena and I go to observe the surface of the ocean, we can see that in its mirror-like reflection, is the bird's eye view of the surrounding part of the city of Anorlon complete with all of its visible skyscrapers. 

As if we’re sailing above the cloud, separated by a thin, transparent wall of water that prevents us from falling downward.

“No… Brother Altarin… Big sister Vena… Up there.”

""...?""

However, when we look up as Eden suggests. Instead of being met with the endless blue sky, the above view is also that of the entire city of Anorlon as seen in the reflection on the water's surface.

And If I really focus my sight, I can see the cars moving through the streets and the people walking along the roadside.

“Are we above the city… or upside-down under it?” Eden wonders out loud.

“Don’t think about it, Eden, anything goes inside these domains—especially ones of this level,” I answer from experience.

—This disorienting sense of reality is exactly why I hate extravagant divine domains.

And as if all that has happened in the last few minutes weren’t enough surprises already, another familiar voice is heard from behind us.

“I was quite baffled when I first saw it as well… but it’s also kind of beautiful, don’t you think, Eden?”

Short, silky black hair, crimson red eyes, voluptuous… figure. It’s—

“Red-eyed thief! How are you here?!” Vena's shocked voice completes my thought process.

Ruby, who somehow appears in this place, smiles proudly and pulls Eden into her embrace before sharply glancing at Vena.

“After you framed me—”

“—Actually Vena was kind of right,” I quickly insert my opinion, making Ruby stumble a little.

“...After you rightfully framed me, I was brought to the station and locked up for a few hours before Captain Tamaria came back and asked what was going on with my situation.” Ruby gestures toward captain Tamaria to show her gratitude. “The Valkyrian Guards eventually let me leave, and it turned out—Tadaa!—captain Tamaria was actually a fan of my book!”

“You weren’t supposed to tell anyone that… Kuhum.” Captain Tamaria urgently protests, before quieting down and coughing lightly when everyone’s eyes turn on her.

“Then she invited me to see her collection of rare—”

“Alright thank you very much, Miss Ruby Fairwright, you’ve said enough.” Captain Tamaria interrupts Ruby by blocking her mouth and turns back to us. “But I didn’t think you would come here to get her so quickly. How did you guys know she was here?”

“Eden didn’t,” says the little troublemaker, catching both of them off guard. 

““Eh?”” Ruby and Captain Tamaria both exclaim in surprise.

“It was a coincidence, really…” I support Eden’s statement, ignoring Vena who's been glaring at Ruby since earlier..

“—There’s no such thing as coincidences… Fate is what brought you all here to me today, Eden of House Athena. And her two blades.”

Another voice resounds as a nearby beach chair spins around to reveal a figure of a beautiful woman wearing a somewhat revealing beach dress, a wide-brim hat, and a pair of sunglasses. Her legs cross on top of one another. Gold-crescent necklace hangs from her neck.

Knowing that her entrance has successfully attracted all of our attention, the woman then continues to say in a voice shrouded in an enigmatic sense of mystery.

“You may not know who I am… but I know—”

“You’re that auntie… who gave Eden that lollipop… yesterday.”

““““...””””

.....

After a few seconds of silence.

“H-how?!” The woman jumps from her chair and lurches backward in astonishment.

“Eden has… a very good memory,” answers Eden, pinching the tip of his hat as if bowing.

The corner of the woman’s mouth twitches.

“Such impressive insight for seeing through my disguise so easily, as expected of a child from House Athena.”

While saying something that sounds like a line of a third-rate villain, Fortuna takes off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes that shine like burning embers.

“My true identity is Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune. And little Eden, I have a proposal for you, one I didn’t manage to get across during our earlier encounter...”

Stepping closer, Fortuna puts her hands on Eden’s shoulder and stares into his eyes: “Do you want to become a superstar?”

“No.”

“Ah! Don’t decide so easily, with your looks and your personality. Just think of how much money we could be making!”

As the embers in her eyes shine even brighter, the meaning of their colors almost jumps out at me.

—A fiery, burning passion for gold!

“You would get to live here with me, you know? A-and there’ll be an infinite supply of sweets and candies for you. At least let me shoot one photo album, please~!!”

“No.”

“...W-why, how could anyone turn down such a great opportunity? I don’t understand.”

Fortuna’s shoulder slumps, appearing to be genuinely distraught.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Lady Fortuna… aren’t you supposed to be in jail?” I ask, trying to be as polite as possible to the new money-crazed goddess.

“Obviously, I can't really be arrested so I just walk out…” Fortuna says, suddenly springing back to life. “Wouldn’t have been all that difficult as well if a certain unfilial daughter didn’t try to stop me.”

At Fortuna’s remark, Captain Tamaria sighs like a retired war veteran who has gone through countless battles and begins to explain her relationship with her mother.

“When I was young and had nowhere to go, Lady Fortuna scouted me and a bunch of other kids and adopted us. Little did we know that the life that she would put us all through would be no different from hell.”

“—Oh, come on! It wasn’t that bad! If you guys didn’t make enough money as I asked you, I would just make you sleep on the street without food for a couple of months!”

Ignoring the protesting goddess, Captain Tamaria clenches her fist while making an expression of immeasurable anguish.

“She tried to train us to become her successor, to learn how to lie and scam and exploit people to get the most monetary benefit. And we all learned very well how to turn on each other the moment opportunities presented themselves. ‘Betrayals make us stronger’ became our family’s motto..."

"—But you all did get stronger. Seriously, some children really don't value the care and effort of their parents."

“In the end, all my siblings and I were so sick and tired of it that we decided to go our separate ways and stop indulging our idiotic mother and being her pawns. So as an act of protest, I decided to join the Valkyrian guards.”

“—And the small hatchlings grew wings and flew away, leaving their mother alone in this cruise ship worth 2,000,000,000 Gs, only visiting occasionally to complain and scold me. It makes me want to cry every time.”

After listening to the mother-daughter duo finishing their dramatic story. I put my hand on Captain Tamaria’s shoulder and give her a meaningful look.

I share your pain about troublesome family— “Ouch! Vena! I didn’t even say anything!”

“You were thinking something bad about me...”

—Couldn’t you let it go for once!? If you’re angry at Ruby then let it out on her!

“Nee… Fortuna.” Eden’s sweet voice brings all of our attention back on track.

“Fortuna? If you’re going to address me like that…. Then I’m completely fine with it! I like your cheekiness, Little Eden. Go on.”

“We’re actually here… about Anorlon Times Magazine.”

“Ah, right. The best-selling magazine in the Realm of Gods targeted at unmarried middle-aged male angels demographic who have no romantic relationship. Are you a fan of it, little Eden? I wouldn’t have guessed…”

—My soul has been partially damaged.

“Oh! I could put you on the cover for the next volume! It will sell like hotcakes! The offer is still up by the way~✰!” Fortuna clasps her hands together with a business-like smile.

“Eden won’t do that… but can we talk… to the editor-in-chief?”

“You’re talking to her, so talk away~! Today This Lady feels especially easy to please.” Fortuna pokes her own cheek and tries to act cute.

“Then did you really contact Ruby… about her work being published… in the magazine?” Eden points at Ruby and asks.

Fortuna holds her chin. “Ah, Nede of the Exiled? Truth be told we actually wanted it in our magazine. But we couldn’t because of the rating.”

“Eh? Then how do you explain this mail I received?” Ruby takes out what looks like a [Pyromancy Tome] and pulls out a letter from between the pages.

—But unexpectedly, it’s Captain Tamaria who shows interest in the letter.

“Wait, can I take a look at that?”

“U-um.”

Ruby gives the letter to captain Tamaria, who takes it and gives it a long, hard look before muttering softly.

“I knew it…”

She then takes out a book of her own and the familiar cover jumps out at me immediately.

“Isn’t that… How to make a girl’s heart yours. By Mister Casandro Casanova?”

“You recognize it? Well, it’s actually the reason why I’m here to talk to you today… mother.” Captain Tamaria presents the book and the letter to Fortuna. “Are any of your publishing companies responsible for publishing this book?”

“Ah, I can see why you guys are confused.”

““Confused?””

Fortuna follows up her claim by taking the letter and a volume of Anorlon Times Magazine that's lying nearby and holding both of them up for comparison.

“Can you see the differences in the logos?”

Ruby and captain Tamaria carefully look over each of them, and look over them again, and then again until Ruby suddenly yells out.

“Ah~! There’s a small U in front of my letter!”

“Yes, you’re right… that’s a really, really small U. I thought it was misprinted,” Captain Tamaria agrees with an unfathomable expression.

“It’s not from Anorlon Times Magazine. It’s from Undercity Anorlon Times Magazine. A branch of the company that operates separately in the Undercity. That book was probably bought from that place to sell on the surface.”

““The Undercity?”” Ruby and captain Tamaria sound even more confused at the mentioning of the name they obviously have never heard of.

“It’s normal that you’ve never heard of them. There’s a scent of secrets about that place, and no one really knows where it is or how to get there. At least it’s not something you can stumble upon by asking random strangers about it.”

Vena and I have both heard of it before, of course. Though not much information about the Undercity is known to us, we’re sure that no matter how secretive this place supposedly is—it’s definitely not beyond the capability of Lady Athena to find out.

No, what we’re more perturbed by, however, is….

“Brother Altarin… Big sister Vena…”

—Exactly that!

““Eden...”” we both call his name cautiously, but Eden’s eyes already appear to be almost sparkling with excitement.

“Secret… Underground... City?”

““No!””

“Eden will go ask permission from Athena… then we’ll go there… immediately.”

He’s not even listening anymore! Eden points toward the sky and rushes to the elevator like the wind. Only to be stopped by the voice of Fortuna herself.

“Little Eden, you’re leaving already?”

“Secret… Underground… City.”

“Well it’s good that you’re excited but I can’t help but feel a little worried about you…”

Fortuna walks toward Eden and crouches down to meet his eyes.

“So as a token of apology for yesterday’s event. Let me grant you a blessing.”

Then she kisses him…!

"""...!"""

Captain Tamaria’s mouth opens wide in total bewilderment. Ruby instantly blushes in embarrassment. And Vena, I think Vena has a heart attack… which means I also have the misfortune to share the sensation. Why—every single time!

Eden and Fortuna's lips continue to lock for a long time. Eventually, it’s Fortuna who pulls back from Eden while gasping for breath.

“Y-you weren’t—supposed to do that...”

“But you were the one… who kissed Eden.”

Looking into Eden’s innocent eyes that seem infinitely calmer than her own. The goddess of fortune’s face slowly turns into a light shade of crimson. She stands up abruptly and distances herself from Eden.

“T-then there’s nothing else… s-so...”

“See you later… Fortuna.”

“S-see you later, Eden.” Fortuna slightly adjusts the position of her wide-brim hat to hide her blushing face.

Eden walks unhindered into the elevator. I regain my composure and pull along the frozen statue of Vena. Ruby and Captain Tamaria have also recovered from their stupor and get inside the elevator with the three of us.

Then, Eden pushes the ground floor button on the panel.

—————……….