When Takashi Natsume heard Misuzu's words, he followed the direction he pointed and froze in surprise.
"Mr. Emiya? Why are you here?"
Hinoe, who was leaning closely against Natsume, turned to look at Emiya. "What's wrong? Is he someone you know?"
"Yes," Natsume replied. "This is Mr. Emiya. He's a traveler."
He didn't ask Emiya for permission, but he also didn't reveal the truth. He simply used the word traveler.
That choice made him feel a little guilty toward the youkai. But that was who he was. Without Emiya's consent, he would never expose his true identity.
Traveling between worlds was far too unbelievable. If that information spread, the consequences could be serious.
Nyanko-sensei had warned him about this long ago, and Natsume had taken it to heart.
Nyanko-sensei squinted at Emiya. "Yo. Why are you here today? Do you need something from Natsume?"
Emiya nodded as he walked over. "I ran into something interesting and wanted to invite Natsume to take a look. If you're interested, you can come too."
"Really?"
Nyanko-sensei's eyes immediately lit up.
Emiya turned to Natsume. "What do you think? Interested?"
Natsume hesitated.
He was tempted, but he didn't immediately agree. They were in the middle of a banquet, and leaving like this didn't feel appropriate.
Hinoe slipped an arm around Natsume's neck. "Something interesting? I wonder if we can join as well."
She didn't trust Emiya.
Even though she could tell Emiya and Natsume were on good terms, she chose to stay close out of concern for Natsume's safety.
Even with Nyanko-sensei present, she felt safer going along herself.
Emiya didn't refuse.
He knew who Hinoe was.
A powerful humanoid youkai, skilled in talismans, often acting alongside Misuzu. She usually wore a kimono and looked like a proud, mature woman, but her personality was loud and domineering.
She was also a lesbian youkai who hated men and was deeply in love with Natsume's grandmother, Reiko.
Long ago, Reiko had jumped into a lake to retrieve Hinoe's hair ornament. That single act moved her deeply, and over time, her feelings turned into love.
Later, she came to accept Takashi Natsume as well and grew extremely attached to him.
"You can come," Emiya said, "but you'll need to take human form. Ordinary people can't handle your true appearance."
"Huh?" Natsume asked, startled. "Is that really okay, Mr. Emiya?"
Emiya smiled. "It's fine. The more people, the better."
Natsume nodded after a moment.
Hearing that humans would be involved, Misuzu immediately lost interest. He disliked interacting with humans.
"I'll pass."
After that, Mustache, One-Eye, and the other youkai also declined. Their strength wasn't enough to maintain a perfect human form.
In the end, only Takashi Natsume, Nyanko-sensei, and Hinoe-who was still clinging to Natsume-agreed to go.
"It's about time," Emiya said. He nodded at the human and the two youkai, snapped his fingers, and took them back to his world.
Misuzu stared at the spot where they disappeared, his expression deep and contemplative.
As soon as they arrived in Emiya's room, Takashi Natsume noticed a red-haired woman sitting on the living room sofa.
He didn't recognize her.
Nyanko-sensei saw her and instantly leapt onto Natsume's head, his fur standing on end.
Natsume was startled.
This was the first time he had ever seen Nyanko-sensei react like this.
At the same time, Hinoe moved closer and tightly grabbed Natsume's right hand. The grip was so strong that he let out a small gasp.
That only deepened his confusion.
Not just Nyanko-sensei.
Hinoe too.
Enduring the pain, he asked, "Mr. Emiya, this girl is-"
"Natsume, be quiet!"
Nyanko-sensei cut him off sharply, his voice trembling.
"This isn't just some girl. She's a god."
A god?
Natsume froze.
He and Nyanko-sensei had encountered gods before.
Nyanko-sensei had been wary of some of them, but never like this.
This wasn't just caution.
It was fear.
No-dread.
Loki, who had been scrolling through her phone, was already aware that new guests had arrived.
Hearing her being discussed, she looked up and glanced at them.
"A human and two monsters," she said lazily. "What a strange combination."
"To be precise, they're youkai, not monsters," Emiya corrected. "They're not the same."
"Youkai?" Loki recalled the information she had looked up the previous night and nodded. "Right. By Eastern standards, that's accurate."
Emiya gestured as he spoke. "Lady Loki, this is my friend Takashi Natsume. I met him in another world. These two are Madara and Hinoe. They're his companions."
He paused, then added, "And as you can see, she's a god. Loki."
Natsume was stunned.
Her name was Loki.
And she was a god.
"Could it be the Loki from Norse mythology?" he asked instinctively. "But isn't that one-"
Emiya knew what he meant. The Loki of Norse myth was male.
"No," he explained. "Not the one from Earth. She's a Loki from another world."
"I see."
Natsume finally understood. He straightened and spoke respectfully.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Loki. My name is Takashi Natsume."
Loki nodded, studying him with interest. "You've got something interesting inside you, human."
Natsume gave a wry smile.
There was a strong youkai power within him.
It was inherited from his grandmother, Reiko, and it was the reason he had been able to see youkai since childhood.
Unfortunately, he couldn't control it freely. That was why he was often helpless against malicious youkai.
He didn't find that power interesting at all, but he wasn't foolish enough to contradict a god.
Emiya spoke up again. "By the way, Lady Loki. There's a very interesting cooking competition about to happen in another world. Would you like to come along as a judge?"
"A cooking competition?" Loki's eyes lit up instantly. "A shokugeki?"
Emiya went blank.
What the hell did Loki look up last night?
She even knows what a shokugeki is.