"This…" I muttered as we stepped out of the airport.
Dry trees lined the streets beyond the terminal, their branches dusted with thin sheets of snow. The sunlight hung high above us, bright but useless against the cold.
"…is really cold."
My breath turned white as I exhaled, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself. Thankfully, Carthanalenia had forced thick winter coats on both of us before we boarded the plane.
From the corner of my eye, I caught a faint splash of pink in the distance, early blossoms peeking stubbornly through winter.
Before I could process it further, Anathasia and Carthanalenia each grabbed one of my arms and began dragging me toward a sleek black car parked a short distance away.
"While we're in Tokyo—"
"We're in Tokyo?" I cut in.
Carthanalenia laughed softly as she reached for the passenger door.
In the driver's seat sat a woman with long white hair, her posture composed, almost regal despite the mundane setting of an airport pickup lane.
"Dad," Carthanalenia said brightly, "this is Egrathiel."
The woman inclined her head in greeting.
"She's a deity from another planet. One of my subordinates."
I blinked.
Slowly, I turned to look at Anathasia.
She had been leaning against my shoulder the entire time. At that explanation, she lifted her head just enough to glance at the driver.
"What…?"
"Your daughter's subordinate is here, oi," I muttered. "At least greet her."
Anathasia gave Egrathiel a brief nod.
Then she buried her face back into my arm.
"Or not," I sighed, opening the backseat door with my free hand and letting Anathasia slip inside first.
I glanced back at Egrathiel and offered a polite smile.
"Please don't mind her. She's probably just tired from the flight."
Egrathiel inclined her head slightly.
"Please do not worry. I do not mind."
With that, Carthanalenia and I joined Anathasia in the back.
The drive was mostly quiet, especially with Anathasia asleep beside me. Carthanalenia was the only one who spoke, her voice calm as she looked out the window.
"We won't be staying in downtown Tokyo," she began.
The scenery gradually shifted as we left the city center behind, buildings thinning into quieter suburban streets.
"Rather," she continued, "in a house I prepared beforehand."
The car came to a smooth stop in front of a modern two-story home. Clean black-and-white tones mirrored the house we lived in back in the Philippines.
Anathasia stirred awake as we stepped out, stretching slightly while Egrathiel drove the car into the garage.
"This feels… weirdly familiar," I muttered.
"I had it designed to resemble the house you and Mom have lived in for the past two years," Carthanalenia replied lightly. "It seemed appropriate."
She opened the door and gestured for us to follow.
Inside, the layout felt familiar. The same modern structure. The same clean contrast of black and white.
But something about it was… different.
I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
Anathasia, however, seemed to have reached a conclusion.
"This country," she said, glancing at me, "is kimchi land, isn't it?"
Carthanalenia and I froze.
"…Kimchi land?" I repeated.
"Yes," she confirmed confidently. "It's where kimchi came from."
"No. That's South Korea," I muttered.
Anathasia blinked.
Carthanalenia and I exchanged a slow look.
After a brief pause, I added, "Kimchi is Korean cuisine. I thought you'd know that since you read manhwa most of the time."
She frowned slightly.
"Then where are we?"
"Japan."
She folded her arms.
"Don't they both have basically the same culture? Similar language too."
"They're similar," I said, "but not the same. Japan uses kanji and kana. Korea uses Hangul. Different history. Different influences."
I reached over and gently patted her head.
"But yeah. If you zoom out far enough, they can look similar."
She stayed quiet for a moment before giving a small nod.
"Okay."
Carthanalenia clapped her hands once, breaking the lull.
"Right. I was thinking we visit a shrine nearby first," she said brightly. "Then we can explore outside Tokyo and try some Japanese cuisine."
She looked at us expectantly.
"What do you think?"
"I don't have any complaints," Anathasia said, giving a thumbs-up.
"I don't mind either," I replied, then paused. "But, Carthanalenia… where exactly are you getting all this money from?"
Anathasia blinked and slowly turned to her.
"Now that your dad mentioned it… where are you getting your funds from?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Carthanalenia replied with a small smile. "With Aunt Roselia's help."
"Roselia?" Anathasia raised an eyebrow. "That woman actually offered help?"
Carthanalenia nodded.
"Mhm. With her understanding of how human systems operate and a few strategic introductions, I was able to connect with certain influential figures."
She paused just long enough.
"For example… Fuyukawa Hinami. The sole heir of the Fuyukawa legacy. Future owner of Shuishuo International Conglomerates."
Anathasia and I stopped mid-step.
"…Fuyukawa?" I repeated slowly.
"Mhm. Fuyukawa," Carthanalenia's smile remained perfectly in place. "In fact, she's currently here as we speak."
My eyes widened.
Anathasia's did too.
"And don't worry," Carthanalenia added lightly, "she's well aware of what happened back in late July last year."
"Eh?" Anathasia and I said in unison.
But Carthanalenia had already turned toward the staircase as the sound of measured footsteps echoed downward.
The figure descending was composed.
Refined.
The first thing I noticed was the hair.
Golden blonde.
Is that even natural?
Anathasia, however, wasn't looking at her hair.
"…Fuyukawa."
Once she reached the bottom step, the girl offered a smile.
It didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance… I'm Fuyukawa Hinami—"
"So how's Mei?" Anathasia interjected casually.
The words were light.
Too light.
Hinami froze.
Her fingers curled slowly into her palms.
The faintest tremor ran through her shoulders before she stilled it.
The room fell silent.
Heavy.
Hinami lowered her gaze.
Anathasia simply watched her. Expression flat, almost bored.
As if she had merely asked about the weather.
The silence stretched.
Then—
"Wait," I finally broke in, glancing between them. "What actually happened?"
Anathasia sighed, her expression loosening.
"Mei, remember? One of Arianne's heiress friends?"
"Yeah…? What about her?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she shot Hinami a look.
"Basically, when their target shifted to me around early July, she dug a little too deep into my personal information and triggered one of my countermeasures."
She glanced back at me and gave a small shrug.
"Same thing Arianne saw. Just… smaller."
"You mean that… eldritch abomination-looking thing you have?"
"Yep." She snapped her fingers. "Exactly that."
Her gaze returned to Hinami, whose face had gone pale.
"But their memories were erased. Specifically about that thing. So they're safe."
A faint smile curved on Anathasia's lips.
"Hinami remembers well, no? About what happened to Mei."
Hinami's jaw tightened before she slowly exhaled.
"She's fine," she said carefully. "But the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her…"
"That's only natural," Anathasia replied lightly. "What Mei saw wasn't something humans were meant to see."
Hinami nodded, shoulders finally slackening.
"I warned Arianne… but she wouldn't listen."
Her gaze dropped briefly before lifting again.
"My dad always told me there were… things beyond human comprehension. Things we shouldn't try to involve ourselves with."
A dry laugh slipped past her lips.
"And yet we tried anyway."
Her eyes met Anathasia's.
"Who would've thought we were dealing with the worst one of them all…"
A pause.
Then, quietly—
"The Mentor of All Outer Gods."
Another breath.
"The First Outer God of Continuity."
Anathasia didn't react.
Carthanalenia, who now sat on the couch, simply watched. Still smiling.