After serving me the yuzu sorbet, Kaori-san put a serious expression on her face.
[……Kaito-kun, you must be really rich. For you to even have a Teleportation Magic Tool…… I wonder, if I kneel down in a dogeza and lick your shoe, would you give me at least a gold coin……]
[……Kaori-san, let’s not abandon our human dignity.]
[A- Ahaha, I’m just kidding. It’s just a joke……]
From what I felt from my Sympathy Magic though, she was half-joking and half-serious though……[Well, I’m not that I’m in that much of a financial trouble. I’m somewhat well-off, you know?]
[Is that you?]
[Unnn. Food from that world really is a big deal. Because of that, tourists often stop by my restaurant.]
[Ahh, I see. Your restaurant certainly would have many dishes unusual for them.]
Especially here in the Friendship City, Hikari, many tourists are interested in the other world where the First Hero and the people who played the role of Hero came from, so many people would like to try the cuisine from that world.
Of course, there may also be other restaurants that sell from the other world, but as an emigrant, Kaori-san has an overwhelming advantage over others when it comes to that world’s cuisines.
[Thanks to that, I’m quite busy, but I’m having a good time. Well…… It’s a bit troubling that I’m too busy to have an encounter……][Encounter?]
[N- No, you see, I’m nearing my thirties already……. and well, I feel troubled about a lot of things, or rather, I’ve been thinking it would be nice if I could finally meet my Mr. Right.]
[That means, we have a bit of an age difference between us? To be honest, with your appearance, even if we had an age difference, it would just be 2 or 3 years, so I’m a little surprised.]
Well, thinking about it again, if the people who play the role of Hero are summoned have the age range of 15 to 19 years old, the youngest 15-year-old summoned would already be 27 years old now, but Kaori-san is just too baby-faced that she looked quite young.
[Eh? Ehehe, is that so? Do I look that young?]
[Yes, you look so young that I would have believed you even if you said you were younger than me.]
[I see…… I think it’s cool how a child can say such a thing so casually. I wonder why I feel like I’m facing a veteran I can’t match…… Don’t tell me…… You’ve already had a lot of experience at your age……]
Experience huh. Hmmm, what should I say here? No, but considering that I have 9 lovers, I guess she’s right? No, but her calling me a veteran is a big misconception.
I mean, I still get flustered often……
[Hey, Kaito-kun? Why do you think I haven’t had any good encounters?]
[H- Hmmm…… I think you should first have a concrete vision of the kind of person you want to meet. I don’t think you’ll notice even if you actually have a good encounter if you just vaguely think of having a “good encounter”.]
[I- I see…… Kuhh, I can definitely feel the aura of a person who excels in love…… This child’s popular, definitely popular……]
Wryly smiling at Kaori-san’s words, I wonder why the topic suddenly shifted to love stories.
At any rate, it felt like she had been building up a lot of resentment…… No, an emotion different from that, so I guess I should just stick to listening for a while, right?
With that in mind, I take a bite of the yuzu sorbet. There’s something about this refreshing taste after eating fried food that I can’t get enough of.
[I suppose you’re right…… Hmmm, I guess I’d prefer someone younger than me. There’s a part of me that wants to feel older…… Whether or not I can actually act older is a different story though.]
[Fumu fumu.]
[I don’t really like self-centered people, so I prefer the calm and gentle type. I want someone with whom I can continue chatting leisurely. How should I say this…… Someone laid-back, I suppose?]
[The atmosphere around such conversations is quite important after all.]
It seems like Kaori-san has a lot to talk about, and once she starts thinking about this matter, she quickly puts her thoughts together, while I just affirmed her with an approving smile.
[I’m having trouble deciding here, but I suppose I’d prefer a cute ikemen over a cool ikemen? No, I guess I was aiming a bit too high by hoping for that.]
[Well, let’s just think about your ideal person for now. You don’t really have to narrow down the possibilities before you can actually have such an encounter.]
[I suppose so. Hmmm, I wonder what else…… Ahh, if it’s possible, someone rich! Or something like that?]
[Ahaha, aim to marry into money, right?]
[Unnn, unnn. Other than that, I guess it’s really important that our tastes match. It would be great to meet someone who enjoys my cooking.]
[I see……]
As I leisurely chatted with her while eating yuzu sorbet…… Kaori-san, who was talking happily, suddenly stopped moving and for a few moments, she intently stared at me.
[Is something the matter?]
[……Arehh? Wait a moment…… Younger than me…… gently followed up when I slipped up…… didn’t mind going along with trivial chit-chats…… kind, gentle, and a cute ikemen…… probably insanely rich…… and eats my set-meal like it’s delicious……]
[Ummm, Kaori-san?]
[Ahh, sorry, sorry, I was just thinking about something for a bit…… By the way, I’m changing the subject, but Kaito-kun, do you consider people older than you as love interests?]
[Well, just as much as any normal person, I guess?]
I mean, other than Anima, all of my lovers are older than me. If I were to count the time when she was still a Black Bear, Anima may also be older than me.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [A flag…… has been raised…… No, but she didn’t act on it right away. Even though she said she was in a hurry, she isn’t the type to plunge into a situation recklessly huh? N- No, I guess I’m not sure of that yet…… Let’s not lower our guard, me. This may be that pattern where they’d suddenly strike me when I’m feeling relieved.]
