After accidentally summoning Canir into her domain, Sophia brought him with them to the cottage and introduced him to Anna and Ari, who had yet to meet him. Naturally, meeting the overseer, the royal couple was more than flabbergasted and needed a good while and an extended explanation to wrap their heads around what was happening.

“I still can’t believe we’re in the same room as Canir.” Anna had calmed down a lot, but she still couldn't help staring at them while the group was sitting down on the sofas in the cottage’s living room.

“Yes!” Ari just nodded a few times.

"It feels like you two took this much better compared to back when you first met Mira." Maya noticed a slight difference in their reactions towards meeting the overseers.

“It helps that Canir has this sloppy and unreliable feel to him, doesn’t it?” Sophia's expression turned into a grin while she faced him.

"Is it just me, or are you extra moody today?" The male overseer wasn’t the biggest fan of her teasing.

“I-I wouldn’t go there if I were you.” Fen suddenly raised his voice as he remembered his conversation with the cat-girl over why the tiger was behaving so all over the place during their exploration. Even for her, that is.

“Oi.” Maya immediately glared at him.

“Do I want to know?” The blonde looked rather confused while she looked in their direction.

“No.” Both shook their heads.

“Mhmrn.” Sophia felt like she didn’t like their exchange.

“Ah, I see.” Canir seemed to have connected the dots. Not wanting to be punched into a pixelated red pulp, he naturally didn’t say a word, though.

“Anyway,” The blonde didn’t want them to continue, so she got back on track and focused on Anna and Ari again. “I’m sure it’s because of how he looks, right?”

“…” The couple went silent for a moment and stole a few glances at the overseer before Ari eventually spoke up. “W-Well, the Canir statues in the shrines definitely give off a way different feeling than the, uhh… real one, but not in a bad way. I guess? Definitely much more approachable.”

“Yes!” Anna nodded a few times. “Father, the school, or anyone else ever mentioned anything about this, uhh… more casual look, but I like it. Still, while you’re obviously the same person, your statues and portraits look very different.”

“How many drawings, statues, or other depictions are there of tigers?” He just looked at the royal tiger princess.

“Fair point.” She could follow his logic.

“I have about three million pictures of Ellie on my camera!” Sophia interrupted them.

“Official works.” He rolled his eyes. “From this world, too.”

“I guess.”

“Anyway,” Canir then smiled at Anna again. “Maybe don’t use Sophia as a benchmark, but in general, as most overseers, I don’t enjoy being treated as special. It’s understandable that this needs some time, but there’s no reason to act any different with me around.”

“I-I’ll try!” She reacted with a big nod while Ari also moved her head up and down a few times.

“By the way,” Being happy enough with their reaction, the overseer changed his attention to the blonde once more. “Has Mira mentioned when she’ll be here? There's still that bone I must pick with her, after all."

“Are we going to have a fight of overseers? Shall I prepare popcorn?”

“H-HUH?!” Ari and Anna really didn’t like the sound of that.

“I wonder if my domain survives the war between two overseers.”

“E-EH?!” The couple got even louder.

“Shush already.” Canir rolled his eyes. “I just want to know how my shrine ended up here~.”

“Ah, I see.” Ari was relieved to hear that.

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

They kept chatting for a good while longer, and Sophia also explained where Steph, Chloe, and Aura were, as Anna and Ari had slept through that bit happening, but after around an hour, things got even livelier.

"Ah." Mira had returned to the blonde's domain, and her expression turned quite awkward once she noticed that Canir was also there.

“A good day to you.” Fey, who had arrived together with the teal fox, lightly greeted him like it was the most normal thing for her.

“A good day to you, too.” Canir smiled at her. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It certainly has.” She reacted with a slight nod. Afterward, the full left Mira’s side and sat down on the ground next to the big sofa where Sophia, Maya, Anna, and Ari were sitting on.

“Why are you walking away from me?” Mira did not like her reaction.

“I have no intention to be in the blast zone, you know?” It seemed like she already knew what was going on. “I told you this would happen sooner or later. As we're talking about Sophia, it obviously ended up being sooner rather than later.”

“Hehe!” The blonde took it as a compliment.

"So, what do you have to say in your defense, my highly regarded colleague?” He turned uncharacteristically serious.

“Well,” Mira awkwardly scratched her cheek. “I thought it would be a fun prank.”

“Ha.” The seriousness was instantly gone. “I can’t fault you for that.” Canir nodded a few times.

“Why did I not see that coming…?” Fey let out a sigh. “I hate overseers.”

“Hey!” Mira didn’t like that, either.

“So you didn’t want to get rid of my shrine, but playing a prank on Sophia was more important, huh?”

“Oh, I absolutely wanted to get rid of it!” Mira smiled at him.

“I know that!” He rolled his eyes. "You could've just played along!"

“You know that I’m an honest person~.”

“Ah, is that so?” Canir didn’t believe her.

“Absolutely!”

“Why do I not believe you?”

“Trust issues?” She just smiled back at him.

“I wonder why?!” He got louder again.

“They got along surprisingly well, huh?” Maya leaned to the side to address Fey next to the sofa.

“Why do you think it’s surprising?” She couldn’t follow her. “They’re both stupidly playful and obnoxious.”

“Fair enough.” There was little Maya could say here.

"Hey!" Both overseers glared at the duo.

“That’s also why those sisters have such good aptitude to overseer powers.” The full then stole a glance at the blonde tiger. "Especially that one."

“Hey!” A third complainer joined Mira and Canir.

“I can’t fault her for that observation, though.” The full overseers suddenly synced up.

“Oi!” The half-one then glared at them instead. "Not cool!"

"O-Overseers are way different from what I've imagined!" Anna eventually joined the conversation. “I mean, we already got to know Mira by now, but the Canir seems to have a similar personality.”

“Yes!” Ari nodded a few times. “It’s quite the shock that overseers are so… so… like you all are!"

“Hey!” They stared at the jaguar with a stern expression. For some reason, Sophia had joined the duo, as well.

“I-I am VERY sorry!” She immediately apologized to them once she realized her casual rudeness. “Wait, why are you having the same reaction as them?!”

“Because you compared me to them! I saw you glancing at me when you made that statement.” The blonde pointed at herself and then at Canir. “I’m the most offended here! Being compared to him!”

“That’s not nice!” Mira was the one who got upset first.

"Yes, yes, you're the close second on the list to be offended here!" Sophia wasn’t going to step down more than that. “Ari, you better apologize!”

“I hate you.” The jaguar had no intention of doing that.

“I very much agree.” Canir had the same opinion and smiled at Ari.

“Anyway, enough of that!” The blonde didn’t want to continue the topic. “Though, my dear Canir, how about giving Mira an extra big and fancy shrine of yours to make up for the lost one? I think that’s only fair.”

“Best idea you had today!”

“Worst idea you had today!” Canir and Mira had different opinions on the matter. “Since when do you hate me?” The teal fox then stared at Sophia.

“Who’s the one that snuck his shrine into my sanctuary first?!” She stared back at her. “It’s only fair that you get to suffer a bit here!”

“Could you two stop making it sound like my shrines are the worst things in existence?” The male overseer was not a fan of their conversation.

“But they are!” The duo was getting along great, all things considered.

“I think Sophia will also get a new shrine.” He had enough. “One that is immune to all sort of tinkering, including applied magic, once it’s placed.”

“NOOO!”

“Serves you right!” Canir greatly enjoyed their reaction.

“I’m sure there’s something we can do against that atrocity later on, right?!”

“We have to give it our best!” The blonde tiger and teal fox only ended up bonding more over it. “There’s just no way I’m going to accept it just like that!”

“Good!”

Afterward, they kept chatting for a good bit longer, mostly Sophia and the overseers bickering over pretty much anything, which thoroughly destroyed any bit of awe that was left in Anna and Ari towards the overseers. Some time later, Chloe, Steph, and Aura also returned after having put a pause on their hobby for the time being.