Now then, how should I describe her current state of mind… Is it like a
turtle with its arms and legs retracted into its shell, or like a curled up
hedgehog, with its hair of spike, threateningly protruding over its
body…? What is clear is that she currently has no intention of opening
up to us.
Think, I should think of a way! Due to Fate-san's character, there's no
way she would listen to me if I just tell her to work without thinking
about it. It would be more ideal if I make her work on her own accord,
but I think that is quite a difficult task.
On the other hand, if I don't talk to her, I won't be able to get a clue on
how to handle this situation. I guess I should gently approach her first
and try not to provoke her…
[…Fate-san, are you alright?]
[U- Uuuu… Kai-chan…]
When I called out to her as gently as possible, a teary-eyed Fate-san
glanced at me through the gap in the blanket.
I guess it's safe to say that she's still on MAX alert, so my first mission
here is to get Fate-san's face out of the blanket.
[…Kai-chan won't torture me anymore, right… I did my best, didn't I?]
[Y- Yes, I think Fate-san is doing a great job.]
[Right!? I mean, I've already worked two days in a row! It's the "longest
time I ever worked". I've worked hard enough!]
Isn't your longest time ever hurdle too low!? This woman really hates
working that bad huh… She has been saying that she wants to be a
NEET, but I think she's NEET enough already.
N- No, this is no good… If I say anything negative, the mission
immediately fails. This is where I have to firmly reply and lift up Fatesan.
[That's right. Fate-san worked really hard… I wasn't able to see you
personally while you were working, but you were really cool when you
entered the city!]
[…R- Really? I… was cool?]
[Yes. Of course… The usual Fate is cute and wonderful, but I also
thought the serious Fate-san had a different kind of charm.]
[R- Really… Ehehe… I see~~]
To be honest, I think I was being exaggerated and lifting her too much,
but it seems like Fate-san was happy to receive my praises, as Fate-san
looked up from under her blanket with a bashful smile on her face.
Alright! The first barrier has been breached… She had somehow peaked
out her face, so I think she's becoming a little less cautious.
However, just this is no good. I shouldn't get carried away by just
achieving this, and it isn't a good time to be on the offensive just yet…
So I should slowly lure her into my range.
[I think seeing Fate-san work would be wonderful but… Fate-san
doesn't want to work anymore, right?]
[Unnn. I don't wanna work anymore~~ I just want to laze around. Work
is boring…]
[Right? Fate-san is the Supreme God, so you would have to do lots of
work… Moreover, it's quite terrible that it's being dragged on for so
long,]
[It's really as you say! It was supposed to end yesterday!!! I really hate
the word overtime!]
As I was earnestly affirming Fate-san and showing her that I'm on her
side, little by little, she's getting on board with what I'm saying. The
flow of the conversation is good… However, I would need to make
another push here.
First of all, I think I need to get Fate-san's mind back to the point where
she might be able to do some work.
Fate-san seemed almost uninterested in others, so she wouldn't be
moved by something like the senators, Shea-san and Heart-san being in
trouble.
Then, what I should do here… is to cite something fun for Fate-san to
do!
[But, Fate-san. I need to remind you of one thing.]
[…What is it?]
[Fate-san, after you finish your job here, we're going on our date here,
right?]
[U- Unnn. That's right.]
The date is no longer an option at this point. To be clear, I don't think
she's the kind of person who would work without bait, so I think this
level of concession is a necessary expense as a bargaining chip.
[Since we're going on a date, we would want it to be fun, right?]
[That's obviously correct…]
[However, I'm just a mere human… so I think some people would be
bothered about it.]
[…Eh?]
Continuing to speak in a slightly depressed voice, I tried being careful
so that Fate-san doesn't take it as something solely her fault.
[What if Fate-san got Chronois-san mad for not doing her job… I'm sure
that I will be thinking about it while we're on our date. It would be nice
if I could properly put that aside as Fate-san does, but I think it would
be difficult for me to do so.]
[…Kai-chan.]
[That's why I'm a bit scared. I was looking forward to it so much. I was
really looking forward to my date with Fate-san, so thinking that I may
not be able to truly enjoy our date is…]
[...…]
I'm not lying at all. I may be exaggerating it a bit… but I thought that it
would be fun going out with Fate-san, so I certainly was looking
forward to it.
It's also true that if Fate-san doesn't do her job, I will be concerned
about it.
[K- Kai-chan… is looking forward to our date that much?]
As I told her my woes while showing a bit of exaggerated distress, Fatesan slowly pulls her upper body out of the futon.
It's here! The opportunity that I've been waiting for!!! This is the time I
should attack! Let's press on and push further!
[Yes… In fact, I even prepared a "present" to give Fate-san on our date.]
[Present!? Kai-chan would give me one!?]
…Sorry, that one's a lie. H- However, if I dash off to buy her one while
Fate-san was working, it won't be a lie, so there's no problem.
[Yes. I want to have the best date with Fate-san as possible. A date that
both Fate-san and I can truly enjoy…]
[…U- Uuuuu…]
[That's why, Fate-san. Just for today, will you hold out for a bit more for
me?]
[U- Unnnn… I- I don't know…]
She started wavering! Good, the flow of things is good… I need one
more push, and I need to take out one more decisive card.
However, piling up more things regarding our date would be difficult, so
is there anything else I could use?
T- That's right…
[If Fate-san comes home tired from work… Errr, should I give you a
massage?]
[A massage!? Kai-chan would touch my body!?]
[Y- Yes, well… It's just going to be a massage though…]
I feel like I've moved the conversation to some weird direction, but my
suggestion that I would give her a massage after she diligently did her
work seemed to have piqued Fate-san's interest more than I expected,
and Fate-san bounced off the blanket she was covered in and got up.
[…I- I guess it can't be helped… In order for Kai-chan to support me in
the future, I have to properly make a good investment upfront… For
Kai-chan's sake, well, I don't mind trying a bit longer…]
[T- Thank you!]
[Fufufu, alrighty, I'm motivated! Now then, I'll go quickly finish
everything!!!]
[Ah, yes. See you later.]
It seems that I was able to successfully turn on Fate-san's motivation
switch, as she ran out of the room at great speed.
It's not that I don't feel like I've exaggerated lots of things but… for the
time being, should I say that it's Mission Complete?
As I was thinking about this while looking in the direction where Fatesan departed, I felt hands suddenly placed on both of my shoulders
from behind me.
[…Eh? Shea-san? Heart-san?]
[…How much do you want? I'll pay you how much you want, and I will
also ensure that you'll be treated well.]
[…Being able to make God of Fate-sama work… What a rare and
wonderful talent you have. We can't let your talent be buried under the
ground!]
[Huh? Eh?]
While grabbing my shoulders with their firm grip, Shea-san and Heartsan turned their eyes, which were filled with tremendous vigor,
towards me.
I mean, this might even be the first time I've ever seen Shea-san make
eye contact with me.
[…If you want, it's fine if you want to be the No.2 under God of Fatesama's subordinates.]
[Yes! You'll be treated with the best possible treatment! I urge you to
come to the God Realm!!!]
[...]
Those words sound like a very sincere and sorrowful plea… Fate-san…
How often do you usually push your work towards your subordinates?
Even Shea-san was looking at me with bloodshot eyes, you know?
Dear Mom, Dad—— I feel like this has happened to me before. To be
specific, I remember being told the same thing by one of the Supreme
Gods. It really seems like everyone is feeling troubled in regards to Fatesan, and because of the same reason——– The God Realm recruited me
again.