It was a Thursday the next day, but for once in a long while, I woke up to the sweet aroma of syrup and chirping of birds wafting through the room instead of the blaring noise of my alarm.
“Oh, you’re finally up.”
Terasia looked up from the dining table as I pushed the bedroom door open.
“Morn…” I stifled a yawn that threatened to escape mid-sentence. “…ing, Terasia. And Sharky, too.”
She lifted the shark plushie in her lap to her mouth to cover her giggle. “You’re just in time, I just finished making breakfast and was about to wake you up. When you’re ready, I’ll bring it out of the kitchen for you.”
After going through my usual morning routine, I eagerly sat down at the dining table, where a plate covered with a metal lid was waiting for me.
“Woah, what did you make for breakfast today?”
“Go on, take off the lid and see for yourself~”
My heart thumping in anticipation, I lifted the lid to reveal a sumptuous stack of thick and fluffy chocolate pancakes—a drizzle of dark velvety ganache gracefully cascaded down the sides, while a crown of freshly-cut strawberry slices and mini marshmallows sat atop the stack to complete the luxurious look.
“It isn’t as fancy as the French toast I made last time, but I wanted to try something different,” Terasia said with an embarrassed blush on her face. “This is my first time making chocolate pancakes, so please tell me if you taste anything weird—”
Before she could finish her sentence, I swiftly grabbed a knife and carved myself a huge slice of the pancake stack.
“Even if it tastes weird, I’ll gladly savour all of it till the last bite!” I declared in an affirmative tone before cramming the entire slice into my mouth.
Immediately the richness of the cocoa-infused batter flooded my mouth, its deep and intense chocolate flavour perfectly balanced with the subtle sweetness of the ganache. Though the pancakes had a crispy crunch to it, the inside was surprisingly light and fluffy, and the combination of strawberry and marshmallow provided a burst of freshness that left a delightful aftertaste.
She twirled a strand of hair and squished Sharky nervously. “S-so, your thoughts…?”
“It’s so good that I want to cry…” I fanned my eyes with my hands as I swallowed the pancake. “Mmm…right, where’s Miho by the way?”
Terasia hesitated before dropping her gaze away. “She left early in the morning to meet up with Seraphine.”
“Oh?” I took another greedy bite and munched noisily on the pancakes. “I wonder what they are talking about right now.”
“Say, Avery,” she suddenly began. “I know I asked you this before, but are you really against the idea of going back to Eltshion?”
I paused, meeting her eyes.
“You miss that place, don’t you?”
“I mean, I did totally destroy it, but…” She gave a sheepish smile. “I’m curious to see how it’s doing now.”
Raising an eyebrow, I let out a chuckle and nodded my head.
“I guess I’d be lying if I said that I don’t miss Eltshion too…so if that’s your wish, then I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”
-
To our surprise, Miho returned with an unexpected visitor as we were cleaning up the dining table.
“Is that really you, Seraphine?” I asked in a tentative voice.
The dark-haired girl flashed a grimace of a smile.
“If you’re asking whether I am being possessed by the Deity right now, then the answer is no,” she mumbled. “Though, the Deity and Miho have informed me about you and Terasia, so I somewhat understand your situation…”
Seemingly sensing the awkwardness forming in the atmosphere, Terasia quickly stepped in and gestured for the pair to sit at the dining table.
“I made some extra chocolate pancakes for breakfast just now, please do give them a try.”
“Is that really okay?” Seraphine asked with widened eyes.
“What’s a chocolate pancake?” Miho quizzed.
“Oh, it’s a…a pancake made out of chocolate?” Terasia tried and failed to explain.
“A fluffy circular food that’s made with a rich and sweet substance,” Seraphine added.
“The most delicious thing you will ever have the luxury of eating in your life,” I chimed in.
“Fascinating…”
She regarded the plate before her with an apprehensive look; gingerly taking the first bite, her tail immediately went up in astonishment.
“W-w-what is this flavour??”
“See, I told you that it tastes superb,” I eagerly said.
“How is it?” Terasia chimed in, her eyes shining with anticipation.
“I-I’ve never tasted something so creamy and sweet and bitter at the same time before!” Miho licked her lips and tilted her head to the side. “In truth, I don’t really know how to describe it in words.”
“What about you, Seraphine?”
“Well, it’s definitely a good chocolate pancake…I can tell that you put in a lot of effort into it.”
She exchanged an amused look with me. “I guess that’s a success?”
“You can never go wrong with chocolate, after all,” I declared. “It is one of the best inventions ever on Earth!”
Miho cracked a laugh and gasped. “Oh yes, before I forget, I brought along some tokens from home with me. Give me a moment…”
Rummaging through the folds of her robe, she produced two small circular objects which looked a lot like compact powder cases.
“This is a communication apparatus called a ‘pasofone’ in your language. It is the most common form of communication out there, hence with a pasofone, you can send and receive messages from pretty much every inhabited world in the multiverse,” she explained, handing the two devices to both of us. “We Foxians place great importance on showing our appreciation through giving presents, and so I figured that a pasofone would make a great keepsake for the both of you.”
“Oh my, that’s very kind of you,” Terasia remarked. “Thank you so much for the gift!”
Miho blushed, her tail swaying in delight. “If I had known you were such a sweet talker, I would have prepared a much grander present.”
Admiring the metallic object resting in my palm, I asked, “How do you use this?”
“It will automatically be linked to your consciousness the moment you touch it, so you can simply give it commands with your mind,” she said, taking out her own pasofone and showing it to us. “See, if I want to turn it on, I just need to send the thought in my head to the pasofone…”
With an electronic click, a floating bluish screen appeared over the device much like a hologram.
“Woah, itʼs like something straight out of a sci-fi movie…”
“Go on, you should give it a try.”
Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine the device sitting in my palm turning on just like Mihoʼs. At first, nothing seemed to happen—then suddenly, something in my mind tingled and a white floating screen flickered to life above my pasofone.
“W-wow, it really works!”
“Impressive, isnʼt it?” she said with a satisfied smile. “Itʼs certainly not as impressive as Lukterasiaʼs magic, however. As the inhabitants of this world puts it, our realm hasnʼt quite reached the stage where technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
“Huh, I wonder if I can create something like this purely with my magic…” Terasia mused, examining the holographic screen with an engrossed look on her face.
Miho giggled and glanced up from her pasofone. “Iʼve sent each of you a friend request via p-mail, it should appear in your personal p-mail inbox now.”
Almost immediately, our pasofones vibrated with an incoming message.
〔New P-mail: Friend request from Miho. Accept/Reject?〕
“And if you don’t mind…will you be willing to accept my friend request too?” Seraphine asked shyly, producing a similar pasofone from her pocket. “Miho also gave me one earlier, so I’m still learning how to use it as well…”
“Of course!”
〔New P-mail: Friend request from Seraphine. Accept/Reject?〕
I instinctively tried to tap the screen, but my finger simply passed through the hologram. “Oh, right, I just have to think about accepting it instead of pressing the screen.”
“Donʼt worry, you will get used to it eventually,” Miho said with a reassuring smile. “By the way, about the discussion that we had yesterday…”
Both Terasia and I instantly sat up to listen.
“It took some time for both of us to convince Her Holiness Goddess Irilena, but She finally agreed that there is no need for the original story of the Hero and the Demon Lord to be restored as long as the new story still takes place on Eltshion.”
I shot her a puzzled look. “Uhh, so what does that all mean?”
“In a nutshell, Eltshion is now no longer a「World Novel」, but a full-fledged world similar to Earth,” Miho explained and smiled. “And I’d like to invite both of you to create a new「World Novel」out of it. Will you accept this request of mine?”
Terasia and I shared a look of understanding before nodding our heads. “Sounds great!”
