T/N: “Small container” last chapter has been changed to “accessory case”.
I came to Rosemary-san’s home in the Garden of Myriad Flowers to pick up the rose-designed accessory case that Rosemary-san kindly agreed to accept despite my sudden request, and to express my gratitude for this unexpected favor.
I had previously given her teacups made by Nebula and Illness-san, so this time, I mainly brought small dishes for sweets.
[Welcome, Kaito-kun.]
[Hello, Rosemary-san. I’m sorry for making such an urgent request this time.][No. It’s alright…… Besides, I’m happy that Kaito-kun has come to visit me like this.]
Rosemary-san, who tends to freeze with a stiff expression on her face in front of unfamiliar people, seemed completely accustomed to me and greeted me with a gentle smile.
It’s curious how Rosemary-san, who gives off a somewhat stern impression with her flashy appearance when tense, appears to be a very kind older sister when seen smiling like this. It makes me realize how significant of an impact one’s facial expressions can have on others’ impressions.
Entering Rosemary-san’s home and sitting down at the table she guided me to, Rosemary-san puts a beautifully wrapped box on the table.
[Errr, you said it was going to be a gift, so I tried wrapping it, but I wonder if it’s alright?]
[Yes, it’s very beautiful. For you to even wrap it, it must have been a lot of work……]
[No. That isn’t the case. I’m good at things like accessory-making and engraving, so I can do it in no time.]Come to think of it, Rosemary-san is someone who has deep knowledge of art. Perhaps she made the stylish furniture and interior decorations in her home herself.
[Ahh, that’s right. I brought you this here, hoping to give it to you as thanks. I brought mainly dishes and other ceramics made by Nebula and Illness-san, just like the teacups I gave you before. Also, this is a set of products from our new tea brand that’s about to be launched.]
[Oh my, there’s no need for the thank you gift….. but thank you. The teacups you gave me before had been truly wonderful that I had been habitually using them, so receiving these makes me happy. These would also be products from Kaito-kun’s tea brand, right? It seems like you’re going full-fledged on this…… You also mentioned having an original blend?]
[Yes. If you were to take a look inside…… Excuse me. This is, in a way, the original tea blend that I created with the cooperation of Nebula and Illness-san.]
[Heehhh…… I also tried creating my own rose tea blend, but it’s quite difficult. Then, since you’ve brought it, I’ll brew Kaito-kun’s original tea blend for us, but are you fine with that?]
[Ah, yes.]
[Unnn. Then, wait a moment.]
Rosemary-san, who is making arrangements for brewing tea, how should I say this…… she exudes a remarkably high-class atmosphere. Watching her, I suddenly remembered something and called out to Rosemary-san.
[Speaking of which, Rosemary-san makes and sells products like that huh.]
[Ah, unnn. Lia recommended it to me a long time ago…… “as a first step to fixing my stranger anxiety”, I’ve been selling a small number of accessories that I made myself.]
[I see, but it’s true that having a connection with people outside those in your camp is a good way to fix your stranger anxiety…… Incidentally, how successful has it been?]
[……About that…… I started wholesaling these accessories…… well, “about 6 thousand years ago”.]
[……I see.]
If the result after 6 thousand years of doing that is her current state, it probably feels like she hasn’t improved at all.
[I mean, I only receive orders about once a month, and the people who come to me for orders…… they change to someone else before I can even become accustomed and be able to talk to them, so I still haven’t been able to talk to them properly.]
[Ahh, I see, if they only meet you when they’re placing an order, you would hardly have the time to get used to them.]
[U- Unnn. Seriously…… meeting new people feels intimidating, and also, you know, when I get nervous, my face stiffens, and that makes the other person scared, so it’s difficult to get used to each other when both of us are on edge…… That’s why this has been rather difficult.]
Indeed, dealing with someone like Rosemary-san, who had extreme stranger anxiety and has a rigid expression around people she wasn’t familiar with, and who wouldn’t initiate conversations because of her anxiety, her business partner would feel daunted when they stood before a Six Kings Executive who’s looking at her with a displeased expression on her face…… It would indeed be difficult.
I might misunderstand how things are because of how quickly she became comfortable with me, but for Rosemary-san, it can take over 10 years to open up to some people. It’s indeed a challenging situation.
[……I wish everyone was as easy to talk to as Kaito-kun.]
Listening to Rosemary-san’s words while she smiles wryly, the words expressing her trust towards me felt a bit ticklish, but it does make me feel happy.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Kuh, it does mention the original tea blend in passing, so I can’t really say it’s title fraud…… Even so, just as usual, Rosemary-san is quite the tough one with her heroine power…… I mean, here she is, unconsciously saying “you’re special”……]
