I didn’t think that Tchadd really would’ve cared that much if I bothered him about something like this. He seemed pretty chill with the idea of just letting this world die earlier, so I didn’t think he would’ve suddenly changed his mind.

“Hey, Tchadd,” taking care to enunciate each letter, Tuh-Cha-Duh-Duh, “let’s talk.”

Slowly, Tchadd’s muscular figure came into view as the clouds parted to make way for his chiseled abs. 

“Hello, Emma. I see you’ve… brought company.” He looked amused as he gazed at Olivia.

“Well, I had Sally with me last time…”

“Doesn’t count.”

“Fair enough. Anyways, I’ve got a question to ask about this job.”

“Toss it.” He puffed his chest, sending the reverberations of his name throughout the crater.

“Alright. So can I let this world get destroyed, given the thing with the bank?” I asked, not wanting to waste any of my precious eternity on a futile mission.

“Yes.”

“Oh, nice...” There was a long, awkward silence. “...So, what now?”

“Well, first, a proposition to your companion over there;” He shot a glacial stare at Oliva, changing the color of the sky to match his cold eyes, “If you’d be so kind as to join our operation here, I can guarantee that you wouldn’t regret the decision.”

“For how long? I’ve got better things to do, you know.”

“Depends on the quality of your work.”

“Just lay it on me. Given your employee over here, I’d say I’d probably be one of the better Isekai Winners in the game.”

“Perhaps you would, but this isn’t exactly an ideal venue for discussion. The owner of this world is likely keeping logs on our conversation.” A large portal opened behind him, bringing powerful winds with it. “Come. Oh, and Emma, too.”

“Where does that lead, and why does it matter if this world’s owner is listening?” Olivia asked.

“It’s the door to my office. As for why it matters, I’m afraid that you’d have to come in before I could share that kind of information with you.” He stepped back into the portal, still facing our direction.

“So… you coming?” Olivia, leaving the pool, revealing herself to be fully clothed below the neck, smiley-face top hat appearing on her head out of thin air.

“Better than getting caught up in whatever the bank’s doing with the place.” I looked back at where Sally and the demon were standing. I didn’t really like him all that much anyways. This world had been a fucking trip, but I still wondered if I’d miss it. Oh well. I was sucked into the portal, with Olivia in tow.

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The office looked different this time: for some reason, the entire place was themed around some kind of Disney park, with various Mickey Mouse and Frozen roller coasters towering overhead. Others, who I had assumed to be Tchadd’s employees, were scattered throughout the area. Not many, but all wearing blue bathrobes. I hadn’t met another Isekai Winner before, but judging by Tchadd’s tastes, I probably wouldn’t want to.

I didn’t immediately spot where Tchadd had gone, so Olivia and I settled on a random gift shop to head toward. Inside, there was no gift shop but rather a large, underground cave with a gold plated dining table in the center and an overhead spotlight shining directly onto it. Tchadd sat on an impressive jeweled throne at the head of the table and invited us to take a seat.

Our chairs, while not as blinged out as Tchadd’s, were also quite something, as they had live dragon heads for armrests and cushions that were lined with smooth scales reminiscent of crocodile leather. As we sat down, several ornate plates rained from above, landing neatly on the table in front of us. Shortly after appeared a dish of beef wellington and asparagus, or at least something resembling it, the meat standing out with a bizarre green tint. A fine wine, appearing out of thin air, found its way into our glasses, its powerful aroma filling the room in an instant. Lastly, a set of silverware, glowing in radioactivity, fell perfectly into our meal, enhancing the presentation while at the same time placing the cutleries at the optimal position to immediately go to business.

“Dinner is served. These kinds of conversations go best after a hearty meal, you see.” Tchadd waved his hand and soft classical music began to play, though I could not identify its source.

“Thanks for the food. Now, what was that ‘employment offer’ you were talking about earlier?” Olivia smirked as she sipped her wine.

“There will be time for that later. First, enjoy my hospitality.” Tchadd cut into his beef, which was several times larger than the serving on our plates.

I looked up at Tchadd. “This is, for lack of better words, delicious.”

Olivia remained calm. “I’ve had better.” She looked over to Tchadd. “Don’t you think it’s a little rude to make your guests wait?”

“Have you now? This was selected based on a cross-referenced analysis of your souls I had done before you came here, so this is by all means the perfect meal for you two. As such, by disrespecting my thoughtfulness, it is you who is the rude one, Goldgetter.”

“Well, with all of that effort, seeing as how you’ve somehow managed to serve me a worse beef wellington than I could make myself, I think that makes you the rude one, bitch.”

Tchadd laughed. “A foolish argument, mortal. I observed your activity in the world you were brought here from and even a grilled fish seemed beyond your capabilities. Therefore, I once again assert that you, in fact, are the rude one.”

“Are you suggesting that I wasn’t pretending to be a bad cook for that very reason? You failing to realize such a basic thing is incredibly rude.”

“Again, a foolish argument. I just used my scrying abilities to peer into your past life, the one before you got Isekai’d. Not once in your lifetime, not even with your luck, have you prepared a quality meal. To openly lie to your host is what makes you rude, Olivia.”

Realizing that this wouldn’t end on its own. I decided to interject.

“Do you guys not realize that both of you are being rude? I’m just trying to enjoy my meal, and you guys are making that no easy task with your bickering. Let’s just eat first and then talk after.”

“Okay... bitch.” they said in unison, pausing for the exact same amount of time between each word, then resuming their unending back-and-forth. I waited for about an hour after I finished my meal before I had the chance to interrupt, as Olivia had finally taken one single breath in the middle of her response.

“Okay, okay, I already finished all of your food for you out of sheer boredom, so let’s just talk about the deal.”

Tchadd and Olivia looked down at their plates, having not realized until now.

Olivia blinked for the first time since we arrived. “Fine.”

“Well done, Emma. That could have gone on for an eternity.” Tchadd took a deep breath and put his elbows on the table with his hands together, his head resting on the back of his fingers, posing like that dude from Evangelion. “I’ll get down to it now.”