On the other hand, Mai was enlightened by Kael's words and finally understood something. From the start, Kael hadn't cared about "being hated by all gods." To her, it was a big deal. But to Kael, it was insignificant. That was why he killed the fox god—perhaps simply because he disliked him. It wasn't for her.
Realizing this, Mai's face flushed red. She felt her earlier words had been far too… self-indulgent. At that moment, she wished the ground would open up so she could crawl inside.
Too embarrassing. If anyone else knew, they would laugh at her endlessly.
Seeing her blushing and uneasy, Kael smiled slightly. "Although I didn't do it for you, since you're so serious about it… I'll agree to the dating thing."
Mai gasped. "Didn't you just say you already have a girlfriend?"
Kael nodded. "Yes, I do. But being able to date you, Sakurajima-san, is too good to miss."
Mai's face turned cold. "So, you plan to dump your girlfriend and pursue me?"
Kael shook his head. "Not exactly. I haven't decided to break up with her."
Mai's eyes widened. "You mean you plan to two-time?"
Kael looked smug. "I'm such an outstanding person. Having multiple girlfriends is reasonable, isn't it?"
Mai's heart sank. She looked at him as if he were a piece of oversized, non-burnable trash. "Lowest. Cheater. Scumbag."
Kael protested. "Cheater, fine, but lowest and scumbag? That's too much."
Mai snorted. "Two-timing isn't scummy?"
"It's not necessarily scummy. You haven't seen a real scumbag," Kael argued.
Mai crossed her arms coldly. "Oh? Then tell me—what does a real scumbag look like?"
Kael smiled and described Hirasaka Ryuji and what he planned to do.
Mai was shocked. "There are really people like that in the world?"
"Of course. Plenty. You just haven't met them," Kael said casually. "But you're a popular actress. Haven't you seen the shady tricks and dirty games in the entertainment industry?"
Mai fell silent. Kael was right. The industry was full of such people. Not just two-timers—many had multiple affairs. Couples openly cheated. Some even offered their partners to producers or directors for fame. Such filth was everywhere.
Compared to that, Kael's two-timing hardly seemed scummy.
Seeing her expression, Kael knew he was right. He had thought this two-dimensional world's entertainment industry might be different. But it was still a place of fame and fortune. Only heroines could remain pure and clear-headed. Even Kael wasn't sure if that was destiny or luck.
"Alright, let's drop this topic."
Seeing Mai silent and the atmosphere awkward, Kael said: "Anyway, thank you for staying by me these past days. I'm grateful."
Mai shook her head softly. "It's what I should do."
Kael pulled out his phone. "Shall we exchange contact info?"
Mai looked at him warily. "You're not really planning to two-time, are you?"
She admitted she was grateful. If Kael didn't have a girlfriend, she wouldn't mind dating him. But since he did, it was impossible. She knew the industry was messy, full of players. But she didn't want to join them. She wanted to find someone she loved, keep her integrity, and hold onto her dreams of romance. So two-timing was unacceptable.
Kael rolled his eyes. "You're overthinking. I won't force you. Now you know this world has more than ordinary people—there are gods, onmyoji, evil spirits, and yokai. With my contact info, if you encounter yokai, you can call me. This time, since you're Sakurajima Mai, I won't charge you. Next time, be ready to pay."
Kael remembered how much he had liked Mai when watching the anime. A beautiful paper wife—who wouldn't? Even if he changed favorites later, the fondness remained. So he didn't mind helping her within his means.
But if he said it was free, she might overthink again. So he used money as an excuse. Besides, he really needed money. After all, in this world, his parents were dead. Though he had compensation, it wasn't enough to live luxuriously.
Fortunately, with his strength now, earning money wasn't hard. For example, Jinguji Narumi, whom he controlled, was a good cash source. And he already had another plan for income.
Mai found his words reasonable and exchanged contact info with him. Through this, she now knew three superhuman beings. Her senior Shuuichi, Yato, and Kael.
She already had the first two contacts. At first glance, Kael's seemed unnecessary. But in truth, the more superhuman contacts, the better. Who knew when she might need help?
As for money, it didn't matter. She had saved plenty during her career. As long as Kael's fees weren't too high, she could afford him.
Still, she knew rare talents were expensive. She wondered how many times her savings could hire him.