The group finally made it to the core of the jungle, but Sophia was not amused by what they found there. It seems like Mira really gave her something extra when she gifted her the jungle, namely a shrine of Canir. Not happy with that in the slightest, the tiger immediately banished the shrine from her domain. While doing that, by pouring some of her magic into it, she accidentally summoned Canir himself, though.

“You’re really invested in your domain already, huh?” They had just arrived at the cottage after having taken a portal there, and Canir took in the sights once more. “The jungle surrounding this area is especially ridiculous. One can really count on your absolute inability to hold back.” She gave the blonde a thumbs up.

“Hey!” She glared at him. “Don’t put me on the same level as Ari and Maya, okay?! They’re the ones who grew this jungle! I had nothing to do with that.”

“Oh?” He faced the cat-girl. “Really?”

“Well, they kept teasing us about being the party poopers, so, as it’s just Sophia’s domain, we decided to go wild for a change.”

“Hey!” The tiger didn’t like the just part.

“Now I’m even more upset that I can't peek into here.” Canir didn’t like having missed something entertaining. “I’d love to see more of a crazy cat-girl outside of this domain, too.”

“You’re in luck!” Sophia smiled at him. “Maya agreed to stop being my babysitter unless I seriously overdo it and will return to her usual playful side. Results of this is exhibit A.” She pointed at the jungle all around them.”

“Ohh!” He liked the sound of that.

“I’m starting to have more doubts about that, though.” Maya scratched her cheek. “Being cheered on by this overseer makes me feel like it would be a bad idea, after all.” She stole a glance at Canir during the last part.

“Oi!”

"A-Ah…" The cat-girl momentarily forgot that he was quite an important person. Not that anyone else cared about that.

“Too bad you promised already!” Sophia faced her with a grin. “You’ll lose all your credibility if you turn back now! I won’t ever listen to you anymore, either!”

“You listened to me before?” The threat didn’t have the expected effect on Maya. "Where was I when that happened?"

“…” The tiger needed a moment to come up with a comeback. “W-Well, I super won’t listen to you ever again! Nothing up to now will compare to the future!”

“Don’t you think you boosted her ego a bit too much?” Ignoring her girlfriend, Maya looked at Canir again.

“Don’t blame me for that!” He crossed his arms. “I may have helped her out at the start, but at this point, it’s 100% her own doing!”

“All I hear is excuses and not wanting to take responsibility.” The cat-girl slowly shook her head.

“Who’s the one that spent an entire year with her? You or me? I wonder what had the bigger influence on her ego.” Canir turned the tables on her.

“Ah.”

“I’m going to teleport both of you to random destinations inside my domain and make sure that neither of you can use any magic during the next three days I leave you there!” Sophia did not enjoy their exchange.

“We’re deeply sorry!” They immediately apologized.

“Good!” Her mood quickly improved again. “Anyway, let’s go and scare Anna and Ari!”

“Hmm?” Maya couldn’t follow her.

“They haven’t met Canir yet.” Her expression turned into a grin. “I think it’s time to change that~.”

“Oh, seems like the evening will be fun!” The cat-girl immediately liked the plan.

“And she made me responsible for Sophia becoming the way she is…” The male overseer let out a tired sigh.

“…” Maya had no comeback for that.

“Anyway, sure, I don’t mind meeting them.” Canir had nothing against the plan.

Once they agreed on the idea, the group finally entered the cottage after having stood in front of it for a while.

----------------

“Oi~!” Sophia went upstairs and knocked on the door of Ari’s and Anna’s room. “Get dressed and come out! There’s a guest I’d like you to meet, and being naked is not an option for that."

“…” Nothing happened for about ten seconds. “Thanks, we’re good.” Anna eventually answered her. “We’re not getting up today.”

“What she said.” Ari immediately did a follow-up.

“It’s someone rather important, so it would be quite rude not to show up.”

“No one is more important than the comfiness of this bed right now.” The princess didn't care.

“What she said!” The jaguar repeated herself.

“I feel that statement on every level possible, but…” Sophia had a hard time to be convincing here as she follows the same philosophy. “It’s the most important person possible, though.”

“Even if it would be Canir himself, I don’t care!” Ari raised her voice a little.

“Pfft!” The blonde couldn’t hold back her laughter. “I love you." She was a big fan of the jaguar. "Anyway, you have no choice! I'll give you a minute to get ready, or I'll come in and get you! I don’t care if you’re still naked by then!”

“B-But!” The couple didn’t like that.

“The clock’s ticking~.”

Immediately after, all that could be heard for a little while was the rustling sound of bedsheets and clothes being tossed around and hastily put on.

"I hate you." Extremely upset-looking, the two glared at the blonde as they opened the door.

“Happy to see you, too~.” She just smiled back at them.

“Who could be so important for us having to leave bed?!” Anna was in a bad mood.

“Exactly!” So was the jaguar. “My legs are still sore from yesterday! I want to lie down again!”

“Same!”

“Wow, you two are whinier than I ever was!” Sophia just rolled her eyes.

“No.” They did not agree with her claim.

“Ahaha.” She decided not to go into details here. “Anyway, let’s go!” She grabbed both their hands and dragged them downstairs.

“Slow down a bit!” Ari’s tired legs couldn’t keep up. “Also, how did you know we were naked earlier?” She got curious about that part.

“I didn’t, but thanks for the confirmation~.”

“A-Ah.”

“Hehe~.” Sophia liked her embarrassed expression.

----------------

“W-W-WHAT?!” The moment the couple entered the living room and saw the special guest, their fatigue and grumpiness from having had to leave the bed were blown away in an instant. Instead, pure shock and confusion were written all over their faces.

“I am pleased to meet such lovely young ladies.” Not bothered by their reaction, Canir greeted them with a perfect business smile.

“I hate how this guy can switch gears so fast.” The blonde lightly shook her head.

“Shush!” He glared at her for a moment before focusing on the couple again. “There’s no need to be so stiff. I won’t do anything to you.”

“Yeah, because I would punch you into a different dimension if you would.” Sophia had no intention of staying quiet.

“Oi!” Canir glared at her again. There was the slightest hint of being intimidated in his expression, though. “You also warmed up to Mira, right? I'd like to get the same treatment because I don't enjoy those stiff formalities."

"B-But you're C-Canir!" Anna had a hard time complying with his request.

“I definitely am~.”

“S-Sophia!” Ari then faced the blonde. “W-Why is C-Canir here?!” Her voice cracked a few times. “W-Why is there another god here?! As if Mira wasn’t enough!”

“Overseer.” Canir and Sophia did not appreciate that.

“A-Ah! I-I’m very sorry!” She instantly apologized once she noticed the scrunched and disapproving expression of the two. “Wait, why do you have the exact same expression, Sophia?!”

“Just because!” She didn’t feel like explaining it.

“S-Still, again, why is the greatest of overseers here?!" The princess tried to stay on topic. "What did you do, Sophia?!"

“Why is it always my fault?!”

“BECAUSE IT ALWAYS IS!” Maya, Fen, Ari, Anna, and even Canir unionized.

“Hey!” Her cheeks puffed up as she started pouting. “I’m innocent!”

“You did kind of remove his shrine and accidentally summoned him this way, though.” Maya wasn’t on her side, either.

“That was an accident!” The blonde glared at her. “Also, Mira was the one who hid the shrine in there in the first place!”

“Somewhat of a fair point.” The cat-girl was okay with that excuse.

"Nothing would've happened if you just let my shrine alone, though." Canir, on the other hand, was not okay with the excuse.

“There’s just no way that would’ve been an option!” Sophia vehemently shook her head. “As I mentioned before, this is my sanctuary!”

“And how would my shrine intervene with your sanctuary?”

“Me knowing it's there is enough to interrupt my inner peace!"

“You’re the worst!” Canir glared at her again.

“As if that’s news to anyone here!” She just rolled with it.

“…” No one had anything to add here.

“Could we stay on topic, please?!” Anna, once more, raised her voice. “Why is the C-Canir here?!”

“E-Exactly!” Ari nodded a few times.

“Well, accidentally summoning him aside,” Sophia scratched her cheek before continuing. “I think I already told you that Canir’s the reason I ended up in the world where I met all of you, right? Every now and then, we meet up to have a chat and stuff. His kinks and the way he handles stuff aside, it’s actually quite fun when he’s around.”

“I love you, too.” He tried to sound as sarcastic as possible when smiling at the blonde.

Afterward, while they continued to bicker a whole lot, the duo explained what was going on in the most illogical way possible.