Even a gem appraiser would be shocked by this sommelier.

"Well, setting that aside, did you really think you could fool me, the sock sommelier, with such counterfeit socks? Chaos God-san, your one and only mistake was this: you failed to prepare properly worn socks!"

"Kyaaaaaah, that tickles, that tickles, so stop it Space-Time Goddess-chan!?"

Even a gem appraiser would be floored by this sommelier. Seriously.

"Good work out there, Karina-sama."

"Oh, yeah."

The maid homunculus came up and spoke to me.

"We're both stuck dealing with our bosses' lovey-dovey antics, huh. Here, have a post-work café au lait. I like it while it's still mixing; once it's fully blended, I don't need it anymore."

"Oh. Thanks… Um, is it okay that your boss is being toyed with by my goddess?"

"It's fine. I've come to recognize this as simply how they play. My master is surprisingly weak to pressure, you see."

Hmm, watching the scene unfold before me made that crystal clear. The Chaos God's attempts to push away the goddess's hands were feeble at best. Her body language suggested she wasn't entirely opposed to the attention, either. And those flustered little yelps escaping every so often weren't fooling anyone.

"So in the end, it was just lovers flirting."

"Indeed."

"Gah, what do these gods think the world even is?!"

"A date spot? Or perhaps a love hotel."

That's way too blunt, maid-san!

"Oh. By the way, so the mastermind behind all this was actually the real Chaos God all along?"

"That's right. Which means I'm innocent, since I was simply acting on orders from the real one. My boss is taking proper responsibility as we speak, so I should be acquitted."

"So what was Kaoru in the end?"

"The same as you: a vessel for a god."

Ah, so Kaoru was still Kaoru through and through, and the real Chaos God had merely been inhabiting her the same way the goddess possessed me during my Tutorial.

"This is my domain! You didn't seriously think you could beat me while stuck in mere demi-god mode from possessing a vessel, did you? That means you wanted me to toy with you, right? Yes, yes, I understand, Chaos God-san. I'll shower you with plenty of affection tonight. Oh wait, maybe this year? Should we go for about ten years? Shall we? Shall we～?"

"N-no, that's not…! I can't leave the vessel! R-Rena! Help me!?"

"If my boss can't beat a god, how could a mere subordinate like me? Oh, would you look at that, it's quitting time. I'll be clocking out now."

"RENAAAAA!?"

"Oh, Karina-chan, you can head home for today too. Now then, let's enjoy ourselves thoroughly together, Chaos God-san!"

As if those words were a trigger, the maid homunculus and I found ourselves back in the church in Alchemia.

Kaoru wasn't there. Yeah, try as I might, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd just delivered Kaoru, the one they'd been calling the "Chaos God," right to the goddess…

If it was anything like my Tutorial, her consciousness would still be intact, so… once the goddess was satisfied, she'd probably be released and come back. The maid said it herself: everything that happened was ultimately the real Chaos God's doing, so Kaoru should be innocent too.

When she comes back, I'll give her a warm welcome. Yeah. Let's go with that.

"Oh. Welcome back nya. Huh? Why is there a maid but no Kaoru nya?"

Oh right, Misha was here.

"Well, things got a bit complicated."

"Oh. I'm completely harmless now, so don't worry. Trust me."

"Oh, is that so? Then it's fine nya. If the goddess sent you back, that means you were forgiven, so no problem nya."

Yeah, true? Wait, but following that logic, Kaoru wasn't forgiven after all…?

No, no, this time it was more like, "How outrageous! Do more of that!" That's the sense in which she wasn't forgiven. Yeah. I'll be waiting for you to come back, Kaoru…!

"Now then, Karina-san. Actually, I'm a maid handcrafted by the Chaos God, and with my master in that state, it looks like I'll be free for a while. I'm free, you know. Do you understand? I'm free."

"Umm… Oh. Want to come stay with us? Rena-chan, was it?"

"I'm sorry if that seemed like I was pushing for an invitation. I'll gladly impose on you."

Seemed like? You were shamelessly angling for one, weren't you?

I swallowed those words and pushed open the door to our base, a place that felt like it had been ages since I'd last seen.