The Leisurely Established Advertising Agency in the Other World Handles Nobles, Adventurers, and Merchant Guilds with Ease
“Ara ara, is that alright??”
“No matter how you look at it, it’s not alright…”
“Wow, it turned into bones. If you summoned us, I’d at least like an explanation.”
“Dead men tell no tales.”
“So, can the lady over there explain things? Right??”
With those words, they turned to look at the goddess-like figure who stood radiating light like a halo.
‘…’
“…”
An awkward silence filled the air. The only sound was the flapping of the expressionless goddess’s wings.
“Uh, do you understand what we’re saying?? Can you speak Japanese?”
“Hey now… didn’t you just respond in perfect Japanese a moment ago?”
“Yeah, but you blatantly ignored me, so I wasn’t sure anymore.”
“Well, true… Do you understand what we’re saying? What’s your name?”
‘I am merely an executor without individuality. Therefore, I have no name.’
“Hah, so you *can* talk. So, mind explaining what’s going on here?”
‘…’
“……Hellooo? You can definitely hear me, right?”
“Pfft… hahahaha.”
“Miss Ayano, laughing isn’t very nice, you know.”
“Hehe… sorry, sorry… It’s just that she so blatantly ignored us again. Anyway, Executor-san, right? Care to explain why we’re here? Could you give us some details?”
‘In accordance with the Summoning Execution Contract Ritual performed by the summoner, I exercised my authority as an executor and brought the target here.’
“Summoning… so it’s summoning, huh? And where exactly is ‘here’?”
‘Summoning refers to bringing forth individuals who meet the criteria specified in the contract ritual. As for where “here” is, I have no knowledge. I simply manifested you in the designated world, coordinates, and time specified in the contract.’
—
“You don’t know?! That’s impossible!! Then how did we even get here—”
“Stop, Ayano-san.”
“Ito-san! But seriously!!”
“I think… she really doesn’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“She said she’s just an executor, right? And something about contracts and conditions?”
“Yeah… surely you don’t mean—”
“Exactly what you’re thinking. She’s merely carrying out the act of ‘summoning’ as per the conditions set. Like a computer executing a program—it’s just following instructions without understanding their meaning.”
“So, does that mean we can’t get any answers out of her?”
“Not necessarily. While she might not grasp the meaning, she’s still executing the given conditions. Didn’t she mention something about a designated world, coordinates, and time? At the very least, we should be able to extract those parameters. So, go ahead.”
“Got it. Why don’t *you* ask then, Ito-san?”
“Nah, I think she dislikes me.”
“Ah, right. Then, Executor-san, could you kindly tell us the summoning conditions?”
‘Target of Summoning: 1
Exploration World: A world governed by countless gods
Exploration Coordinates: Unlimited
Exploration Time Axis: Unlimited
Selection Criteria: Possession of divine protection above a certain level
World of Summoning: Elysium
Coordinates of Summoning: 5499632.3662・1087672.4907・0000012.8112
Time of Summoning: Immediate
Abilities Granted Upon Summoning: Divine protection from original world, Physical Enhancement Level 4, Environmental Adaptation Level 4
Cost of Summoning: Remaining lifespan of the summoner based on the terms of the contract
Return Restriction: Only applicable if the contract is not established
The above are the summoning conditions.’
—
“Well, this is either extremely detailed or extremely vague… There’s so much to unpack here. Also, it’s confirmed we’re not on Earth anymore. Another thing that caught my attention is the number of targets being 1, and that last part about return restrictions.”
“Yes… We were clearly summoned together, and whether ‘return’ means going back to our original world is crucial.”
“…Oh!”
“What is it?”
“Ah, so *that’s* why she was ignoring us.”
“Why are you coming to conclusions all by yourself?”
“Think about it—the target count is 1, right? And remember what happened before all this.”
“Before all this? Let’s see… I stepped into the elevator and suddenly there was this bright light… Ahhh!!”
“Exactly. Most likely, Ayano-san is the target, and I’m some kind of irregular addition. And Executor-sama probably can only communicate with the designated target.”
“That makes sense.”
“Right? Good thing she doesn’t actually hate me.”
“Glad you’re not hated by a beautiful woman, huh?”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“Well, that’s beside the point. More importantly, what about returning? Executor-san, even with restrictions, does this mean we can go back to our original place?”
‘Affirmative. Since it has been confirmed that the contract is invalid, and the return restriction conditions have been met, the target may return upon confirming their intent to do so.’
“Phew, good… I was worried about what would happen, but we can go back. Ito-san, we’re leaving immediately, right?”
“Sure, but could you confirm two things first?”
“What?”
—
“First, by when do we need to express our intent to return? Doesn’t the phrase ‘contract not established’ seem odd? It’s too convenient if we can return anytime after that.”
“You’re right. Hey, Executor-san, by when do we need to decide whether to return?”
‘If no intent to return is expressed within 2000 units of the current world’s time axis after the contract’s invalidation, the right to return will expire.’
“This ‘current world time axis’ is unclear… How much time do we have left?”
‘It has been confirmed that 1524 units of the current world time axis have passed since the contract’s invalidation. You have 476 units remaining before the right expires.’
“Whoa! That’s already quite a bit of time gone! Hmm, considering that guy turned to bones less than 30 minutes ago, it’s roughly 1 second per unit. So we’ve got about 10 minutes left? Good thing we asked. Let’s quickly check the other question.”
“Is it really that important to ask with such little time left??”
“Well, yeah. Though, Ayano-san, it might not be as important to you.”
“What do you mean? Stop being cryptic.”
—
“It’s simple. Naturally, only the summoned target can return, right?”
“Right. It wouldn’t make sense to send someone else back. But what’s your point… Wait, don’t tell me—”
“You figured it out?”
“…Huh. If the earlier reasoning is correct, then I’m the only target. Which means, if that’s true, only I can return…”
“Bingo.”
“So that’s why you said it wasn’t important to me… Don’t joke around like that! Just because only one person can return, you think I’d abandon everyone and leave alone?!”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but think carefully. Is it really wise to stay here, in this unknown and possibly dangerous place, out of guilt? If you can return, maybe it’s better to—”
“I refuse. Ah, I see. So you think it’s better if I leave? Fine. From now on, I’ll act alone. Excuse me.”
“W-Wait, that’s not what I meant… But—”
“Haha, just kidding, just kidding. Still, knowing only one person can return, I don’t feel right leaving alone. Got it?”
“Yes, understood.”
“Good. Then let’s hurry and confirm since we don’t have much time. Executor-san, am I correct that only I, the summoned target, can return? For instance, can I bring this man, who was summoned alongside me, back with me?”
‘Affirmative. Only the summoned target may return. Furthermore, since the summoning contract specifies one individual, multiple targets cannot logically be summoned.’
“But—but we were clearly summoned together! And didn’t you summon him?”
‘The summoning strictly follows the contract’s conditions; no summoning outside the specified criteria occurs.’
“Then why is he here?! This doesn’t make sense!!”
‘It does. Note that the summoned target received—’
At that moment, the goddess froze mid-sentence, staring at Ayano.
“?!”
‘Potential irregular case detected. Initiating detailed analysis mode to confirm the situation. Performing area analysis.’
In a tone markedly different from before, the goddess spoke, and a glowing magical array similar to the one during the summoning appeared, rotating around her. Slowly, the swirling light moved toward Ayano before stopping.
“!!”
After several seconds of glowing, the light vanished as if nothing had happened.
“Wait, what just—”
‘Analysis complete. Confirmed that the physical enhancement and environmental adaptation granted to the summoned target are half of the specified levels. However, divine protection has been correctly applied. Based on these findings, it is estimated that an irregular existence was simultaneously summoned, splitting the effects. Nevertheless, the system recognizes only one valid summoned target. Analysis mode terminated.’
—
“So it was irregular, huh? Considering the circumstances, I expected as much. And as predicted, Ayano-san is the sole target. One more time—still sticking to your decision not to return?”
“Yes. My answer was decided long ago. Executor-san, I will remain here.”
After meeting Taichi’s gaze firmly, Ayano declared her choice to the goddess.
‘Acknowledged intent of the target. Return restrictions unmet; return process halted. With this, the execution of the summoning contract is complete.’
With those words, a large magical array expanded around the goddess, and moments later, her figure vanished entirely.
Leaving behind the bones of the former summoner and a mountain of questions for Taichi and Ayano…