Chapter 156.1

Chapter 156.1. December Is For Preparation

Despite tomorrow being New Year’s Eve, it sure is busy, sighed Takano Miu as she slipped into bed and teleported to My Room, leaving behind a dummy decoy.

I set My Room to a nighttime setting, which was completely dark outside the window.

“You’ll ruin your body if you drink wine, Grandpa.”

I warned Odin, who sat on the sofa reading a complex grimoire, while the living room exuded a much stronger sense of everyday life than before.

“I’m fine with just wine. After all, I am a god. You know that, young lady.”

Odin replied, glancing up from his book and shrugging his shoulders lightly.

“Well, to an outsider, you just look like an alcoholic.”

Miu pouted, diving onto the sofa and lying down with half-closed eyes, gazing at the table filled with empty wine bottles.

Besides that, the room was cluttered with books, machine parts, blueprints, and various other things, creating a chaotic atmosphere.

“We should get someone to clean up.”

“And who would be Odin’s maid?”

Nonchalantly, Odin responded as he stretched his arms behind his back. I had never heard of any maid in Norse mythology. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Um… I can clean up for you.”

“Thank you, Freya.”

Freya, who was eating mochi in the corner of the sofa, timidly offered to help, so Miu asked her to take care of it.

The once neatly arranged My Room had become a cluttered laboratory, with books piled up, intricate magical circles drawn on parchment hanging on the walls, and engineering devices placed haphazardly. It was no longer My Room but Odin’s domain.

Efficiently, Freya and the ants began cleaning, and by the time the messy My Room had been tidied up, the final person teleported in.

“Oh, everyone’s early. Am I late?”

Frigg, her golden hair shimmering gracefully, sat on the sofa with a seductive smile and crossed her legs. Her voluptuous figure was enchanting.

“In the calendar, December is called ‘Shiwazu,’ which means preparation, but I don’t have any reason to run.”

Takano Miu casually brushed back her gray hair and narrowed her ice-blue eyes.

“As for me, I don’t have any debts or outstanding dues. I have no reason to run.”

“Oh, so that’s what ‘Shiwasu’ means. Ah, here’s your tea.”

Freya placed a warm cup of tea in front of Frigg, who smiled lightly. She’s such a good girl.

“Japan seems to have many interesting expressions. It’s a mysterious country.”

Odin remarked, closing his book and turning towards us. Freya, having finished serving tea to everyone, also took a seat on the sofa.

All four of us were present, so I sat down and crossed my slender arms.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin the meeting.”

Miu, her eyes filled with a dangerous glint, pounded the table with her small hands.

“No, my lady. No matter what, there’s simply no aura of intimidation. It’s like a puppy growling.”

“Woof woof!”

Frigg-oneesan teased and laughed.

With her short stature, slender limbs, ash-gray hair reaching her waist, and adorable features with ice-blue eyes, Miyu lacks any sense of intimidation, no matter what she does.

“Well, as long as my displeasure is shown.”

Miu puffed her cheeks and shrugged her flat chest. Miu indeed lacks any sense of intimidation. The main reason is that she looks small and like a small animal. But that’s okay. She expresses herself through her attitude and words.

“W-Why are you so displeased?”

Freyja asked timidly, looking up at Miyu with a rabbit-like demeanor. Frigg sat next to her, grinning. She knows the reason for my displeasure.

“It’s because her family gets targeted, Freya. Isn’t that right, young lady?”

“W-Well… but you’re always being targeted, right?”

Freya tilted her head in confusion at Frigg’s teasing remark. Indeed, people always target me. That’s true, but…

“Hmm… Do you know about it, young lady?”

Odin focused his one eye on me. He might have noticed. My attitude might have been too obvious, but I don’t mind.

“Before that, Frigg-oneesan, can you show us the trademark of Washizu Shipping?”

“Sure. Just a moment.”

Frigg touched her wrist device, and a hologram appeared in the air. As I recognized the trademark, I made a small tongue click resembling a bird’s chirp. I wish I could make a cooler sound, but it’s inevitable.

“Somehow, um, it looks like a trademark that combatants would use, doesn’t it?”

“I thought the same when playing the game.”

The Washizu trademark featured an illustration of an eagle facing forward with its wings spread. It does resemble the emblem of some secret society.

“Saw it in the game… Young lady, in which scene did you see it?”

Frigg asked with narrowed eyes, seeming interested. She must have been curious about it.

But it wasn’t during an event scene.

“Well, it wasn’t during an event. You know, when you encounter enemies? When the random mobs like Thief A appeared, the car in the background was unnaturally shown, and its trademark was that.”

“I see… It wasn’t during an event.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t. I thought it might appear in some secret society or something, but it didn’t. Do you understand the significance?”

I looked at Odin and the others with a serious gaze. This was a highly important matter. In the game, the car had a distinct symbol on it, so I thought there must be an explanation. But there was nothing.

“Um, I-I understand. It was merely used for transportation, right?”

“I got it. So NPCs were working in the transportation business? The type you can’t mess with.”

Frigg would understand, and even Freya, though she waved her hands flusteredly in front of her face, seemed to have grasped the meaning.

“I see… As you said, there’s something strange about it. The Washizu family, which only engages in shipping transportation, is somehow involved in land transportation in the game. What happened to the Takanos? Where did they go?”

Odin spoke while stroking his white beard, a mischievous expression on his one-eyed face.

“They didn’t disappear… because Zephyrus was there. The Takanos existed. Why did the Takano get replaced by the Washizu family?”

With a solemn nod, Miu agreed and then cutely nodded. She was the least intimidating beautiful girl you could imagine.

However, the content of the conversation carried significant meaning. When it came to discussions about the game, I couldn’t ignore it. I felt that there was something I couldn’t overlook.