Back in Nazarick, Naohara strolled leisurely through the corridors.
After the three of them returned from Carne Village, Herohero hurried off, saying he needed to go sort out the memories he had devoured.
Momonga, meanwhile, was dragged back to his office by Albedo. She insisted that there were countless documents in Nazarick awaiting Momonga's approval.
But judging by her expression, it was obvious that what required approval went far beyond simple paperwork.
Shalltear and Sephis each returned to their respective Guardian floors.
"So after all that, I'm the only one with nothing to do, huh?"
Naohara wandered around aimlessly, bored out of his mind. Everyone else had something to handle, and he alone was left as the idle one with nothing on his plate.
Just as he was considering whether to visit the Aura and Mare siblings, a small figure suddenly popped out from somewhere.
The petite figure wore a maid outfit, and her voice was soft and sweet, soothing to the ears.
"Good day, Naohara-sama."
"It's Entoma! Long time no see—come here and let me hug you!"
Naohara's eyes lit up. He immediately scooped her up and spun her around several times in the air.
Entoma Vasilissa Zeta—the sixth-ranked member of the Pleiades.
On the surface, she appeared to be an adorable little maid. In reality, her true form was a massive insect, her body composed of various kinds of bugs, each serving a different function.
Yet instead of finding her frightening, Naohara thought she was incredibly cute.
If anything, his sense of aesthetics was simply a little unconventional.
"Mmm… Naohara-sama…"
Her facial expression remained unchanged, but her voice softened even more, instantly lifting Naohara's mood.
After hugging her, cuddling her, and lifting her high a few more times, Naohara finally placed her gently on his shoulder.
"How about some meat? I've got plenty of different kinds here~"
Reaching into the pitch-black space suspended in the air, Naohara pulled out several slices of meat and held them out temptingly in front of Entoma.
"N-Naohara-sama, please don't… I'm dieting right now. I can't eat meat."
Sitting on Naohara's shoulder, Entoma felt tense.
To sit upon the body of a Supreme Being was something she had never even dared to imagine as a maid.
Not wanting to cause trouble for him, she didn't dare move carelessly.
The moment she saw the slices of meat, however, her gaze locked onto them. She stared blankly at the tempting food.
But remembering her diet, she forcibly turned her eyes away and refused in a strained voice.
"It's fine. Just two slices won't make a difference~"
Naohara looked at the little maid, who was clearly struggling, and continued coaxing her instead of giving up.
He genuinely enjoyed seeing her like this, torn between refusal and desire.
"R-really?"
"Do you think I'd lie to you?"
"Come on, I'll feed you. Ah~"
Seeing her resolve wavering, Naohara pressed on. While gently persuading her, he brought a slice of meat closer.
Since Entoma's face was also made up of insects, he didn't place the meat directly in front of her mouth, but instead near her chin.
"…If Naohara-sama says so, then I won't hold back."
Entoma murmured to herself as if convincing her own conscience. Then she quickly bit down on the meat near her chin and began chewing slowly.
Her two small hands held onto the piece of meat as soft chewing sounds echoed steadily from beneath her chin.
"Delicious!"
"If it's good, then eat more. You're still growing, so what's the point of dieting? In my eyes, you'll always be the cutest, Entoma."
"Here, I've even got Dragon Meat. It was harvested from a level 100 boss. Eat more, it's good for you."
"Mmm… it's delicious. Thank you, Naohara-sama."
Entoma sat on Naohara's shoulder, happily munching on slice after slice of meat. Each time she was about to finish one, another piece would be delivered right to her.
Naohara kept feeding her with a bright smile on his face, looking entirely like some suspiciously cheerful uncle.
One fed, the other ate. Before they knew it, time slipped by.
When Entoma finally came back to her senses, she noticed her belly had grown round.
"Mm… I think I ate too much."
She patted her little stomach, looking troubled. Without realizing it, she had eaten so much meat. It seemed her diet plan was completely ruined.
"Well? Doesn't being full feel nice?"
"Mmm. This is the best meal Entoma has ever had. Thank you, Naohara-sama."
"Haha. If you ever want to eat again, you can always come find me."
"Mm… no. Entoma needs to lose weight. If this keeps up, my figure will get chubby."
Entoma tilted her head and thought for a moment, but in the end, she still refused the tempting offer. If she agreed now, she felt her determination to diet would never recover.
"Alright, I won't push it. But I'll say it again—if you want to eat, you can come to me anytime."
"Thank you, Naohara-sama."
"By the way, Entoma, what were you planning to do originally?"
"Mm… Entoma has to attend a meeting. The Pleiades one."
Naohara was a little surprised. The Pleiades held meetings?
Still, he felt rather pleased. It meant the maids were developing their own thoughts and weren't just rigid NPCs following preset routines.
"What time was the meeting scheduled? We've been here quite a while."
"I think… five in the afternoon."
Hearing that, Naohara quietly checked the time.
Five-thirty.
Completely late.
"I'll take you there. After all, I'm the one who kept you."
"There's no need, Naohara-sama. This is Entoma's own fault. If I hadn't failed to resist…"
"If you go now, you'll definitely get lectured. If I go with you, I can smooth things over."
"Show me the way."
Sensing Naohara's firm intent, Entoma stopped trying to persuade him and pointed in a direction.
"That way."
Following her guidance, Naohara strode forward.
After walking down the corridor and turning two corners, he arrived at the door of a secluded room.
It was originally an empty storage room for miscellaneous items. Now, it had unexpectedly become the meeting place for the Pleiades.
Knock, knock.
Naohara knocked politely. Even if they were his subordinates, basic courtesy still mattered.
As for Momonga's earlier accusations against him, Naohara maintained that he had always been polite. The only reason he hadn't knocked before was because that door had opened on its own.
Yes. That was entirely the door's fault for causing Momonga to misunderstand him.
It didn't take long before a response came from inside, accompanied by a stern voice.
"Entoma, why are you so late? Everyone's been waiting for you."
The door opened, revealing a maid wearing plain glasses, her expression tinged with reproach.
"Could you at least let—Naohara-sama?! What are you doing here?!"
Before she could finish her sentence, she realized something was wrong. Looking more closely, she saw that the person standing at the door wasn't her sister at all, but Naohara-sama.
Yuri Alpha immediately fell silent and dropped to one knee.
"My apologies, Naohara-sama. I failed to recognize you."
Yuri spoke respectfully. Mistaking a Supreme Being for someone else filled her with guilt. As the vice-captain of the Pleiades, making such a basic mistake was unacceptable.
"It's fine. As expected of Yamaiko's creation. Your personality really does resemble hers."
Naohara smiled at Yuri, who was kneeling before him, completely unbothered by what had just happened.
"Thank you for your praise, Naohara-sama. May I ask what brings you here?"
"I'm just delivering an adorable little maid to attend the meeting. She's late because of me, so I hope you won't blame her."
As he spoke, Naohara gently lifted Entoma from his shoulder and set her down in front of Yuri.
Back on the ground, the little maid stood obediently to the side.
"Entoma?"
Yuri looked at her sister in surprise. Earlier, because Naohara-sama had been standing there, she hadn't noticed that Entoma had been sitting on a Supreme Being's shoulder the entire time.
"Sister!"
Seeing Yuri's disbelieving expression, Entoma softly called out to her.
"I understand, Naohara-sama. Thank you for taking care of my younger sister."
Entoma's soft voice snapped Yuri out of her thoughts, and she immediately addressed Naohara respectfully.
"Alright, I've delivered her. I'll be going now. You can continue your meeting."
"And Entoma, if you want meat next time, remember to come find me."
"Yes, Naohara-sama."
After saying a few more words and giving Entoma a smile, Naohara turned around, waved casually, and walked away.