Arriving at the general hall with Elise-san, as we entered, a person who appeared to be a staff member approached us.
[Welcome, may I ask what business you have with our establishment today?]
[We would like to register a stall for the Founding Festival.]
[ ! ? ]
I couldn’t help but do a double-take when I saw Elise-san with a smile on her face as she told the staff member about our visit. No, I already know from previous experience that Elise-san has a perfect sales smile, wearing a facade when she’s dealing with others, but I just couldn’t help feeling surprised to see such a drastic change in the atmosphere she had before we came here.[Understood. Well then, please come to the special counter over there.]
[Yes. Thank you very much.]
Elise-san thanked the staff member with a smile and walked away, and after I bowed my head in thanks too, I followed Elise-san. When I got close to her, Elise-san whispered in a voice low enough that only I could hear.
[……You got a complaint or what?]
[I don’t.]
……That was scary…… What is particularly scary is that she can keep that smile on her face while making her whisper sound so threatening.
Well, let’s not make any unnecessary comments about Elise’ mask-wearing ability.When we arrived at the special counter, Elise-san taught me while guiding me in filling out the form, and when I submitted to the counter, the staff member handed me a map with possible locations and asked me to choose the place where I wanted to open my stall.
I chose a location as close to my house as possible, a distance away from the main street, so that I wouldn’t have to pass through the main street on my way back to my home.
Thereupon, since we were setting up a stall that handled food and drink, I was handed a document to fill out with several questions like what kind of ingredients I would use or how I would store them.
I think this was a hygiene check, but I was told that I could submit this document at a later date, so I decided to bring it to the stall first and submit it after the list of ingredients we will be using is finalized.
After the registration process was over, I walked out of the general hall with Elise-san.
[……That was simpler than I expected.]
[Well, you aren’t setting up an official store, but rather a stall for a festival. So, where are we gonna eat?]
[Ahh, that’s right. Do you have a favorite food, Elise-san?]
[………………..]
In response to my question, Elise-san looked like she was thinking about it. After a few moments though, even though it was really small, she let out a smile.
[I do have my likes and dislikes…… but since we’re at it, I’ll keep them a secret and let Human-san decide here.]
[Eh?]
[I’m looking forward to seeing that skill of yours that makes numerous women fall in love with you, Human-san.]
[Eeeeehhhhh……]
With a teasing look on her face, Elise-san told me that she would just leave the choice of restaurant to me and walked away. I hurriedly followed her, wondering where we should go.
Elise-san said earlier that she has likes and dislikes, so she would naturally have food she doesn’t like. It would be the worst if I chose one of them.
Trying to remember if I could find some hint from my interactions with her in the past, I remembered that Elise-san had served me food several times before.
The food she served me was varied, but there was one thing that caught my attention. There wasn’t a single dish that used meat…… Not even bacon, for that matter.
There were fish and other dishes, so I guess she’s not vegetarian…… but I wonder, does Elise-san not like meat?
Having that in mind, I checked Kuro’s Eating Tour Guide to find a nearby restaurant that served fish or vegetable dishes.
[……Elise-san, what do you think about this restaurant?]
[I don’t really care where we eat…… but I suppose I’ll ask why you chose this.]
[Errr, I’ve never seen Elise-san eat meat, so I was thinking you don’t like meat…… so I chose a restaurant that mainly serves fish and shellfish.]
[Heehhh……]
Hearing my words, Elise-san nodded with a slightly curious expression on her face.
[Well, as to be expected of someone who has lots of ladies in his basket, your ability to carefully assess something is commendable.]
[……Is that a compliment?]
[I wonder? It’s a fact that my evaluation of Human-san has sharply risen. Like, from 20 to 21.]
[That’s just a low 1 increase though……]
[Fine, I’ll raise you to 22.]
[That’s still low……]
[Fufu.]
When I slumped my shoulders at her rather low rating, I unexpectedly saw Elise-san smiling. That wasn’t the sales smile she would have when talking with others, nor was it the kind of small smile I have seen before.
It was somewhat like…… one you would have when you’re innocently having fun…… It was just a guess, but perhaps, her words about my evaluation of me sharply rising may not necessarily be a lie.
At least, I felt like Elise-san seemed to be enjoying herself the most…… and that somehow makes me feel happy.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [How should I say this…… With her actually looking like she’s having a real good time…… I feel like her evaluation of him really has sharply risen. Perhaps, being raised from 20 to 21 may have actually been something amazing for Elise-san?]
? ? ? : [To put it simply, Elise-san’s highest evaluation for normal people is 10. And so, she shows her true self around those who she evaluates as higher than 10.]
