At the area right in front of the stage of the ship party, Kaori, one of the invited guests, was restlessly moving her gaze around.
(What should I do? I was avoiding the people who looked like big shots, and before I knew it, I was in front of the stage. This place stands out, doesn’t it? If I don’t quickly move out of here…… Uuuu, Akane-san is off to greet someone who has helped her with something related to her trading company, so we’re temporarily separated and I can’t help but feel anxious. I can’t find Shige-san or Hannah-san either…… T- Thinking I’ll be approached by someone distinguished…… Uuuu, my stomach hurts.)
Up until a little while ago, Akane had been acting together with Kaori, but being the head of her trading company, she knew some of the participants to a certain extent compared to Kaori. She had acquaintances among the participants, including those she had business dealings with, such as representatives from Kuromueina and Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company. Therefore, she decided to go around and greet them briefly, leading to her and Kaori splitting up.
Left on her own, Kaori didn’t know what to do in the venue filled with people who clearly held high positions no matter where she looked, so she ended up wandering around aimlessly.
There was the option of visiting acquaintances such as Chris, but as the Emperor, Chris would surely be greeting and conversing with distinguished people, so Kaori felt hesitant to approach her in such a situation. Therefore, she was looking for the ordinary people she knew, such as Shigenobu and Hannah, but that was a difficult thing to do in the spacious venue.At that moment, Caraway came up on stage and began to give information about the sideshows.
(Ahh, so there are sideshows. T- Then, I guess it would be just right? If I watch the sideshows until Akane-san comes back…… Fortunately, I can see the stage well from…… this…… position?)
Kaori felt a sense of relief at the thought that the start of the sideshow would soon free her from this indescribable unease, but just then, she sensed someone nearby and turned around…… and there, before she knew it, Rosemary had appeared and was gazing sharply at the stage.
(Ababababa, R- Rose Princess Rosemary-sama!? H- H- H- How!? Since when is she…… U- Uwahh, looking at her this close, she’s incredibly beautiful…… As expected of the Aloof Rose, she has the atmosphere of a very dignified, cool and mature woman…… b- but…… she’s scary…… S- She’s glaring hard at the stage.)
As Kaori inwardly panicked at Rosemary’s sudden appearance, Rosemary seemed to notice Kaori nearby and turning to look at her…… Rosemary glared at her with her sharp eyes.
Of course, Rosemary wasn’t really glaring at Kaori. She was simply tense because of the presence of someone she was meeting for the first time nearby, causing her face to stiffen, but Kaori had no way of knowing this.
(Hiiihhh, s- she’s glaring at me…… Ahh, a- a- am I being a hindrance!? I- I should get out of here……)Completely intimidated by Rosemary’s sharp gaze, Kaori, drenched in sweat, gave a slight nod and slowly backed away without a word.
Understanding that she couldn’t afford to be disrespectful, keeping her eyes on Rosemary, Kaori continued to back away…… That is to say, she was essentially in a state where she couldn’t see what was behind her.
As one would expect, after moving a few distance away from Rosemary, Kaori ended up bumping into someone behind her.
[Ahh, I- I’m sorry, are you al…… right…… Ahh, ahiii……]
[……………..]
Apologizing as she turned around, Kaori found herself face to face with an ox-headed monster…… a Minotaur in formal attire, and her face drained of color at their striking appearance.
[No, I should be asking you that, young lady, are you not hurt?]
[Ah? Eh? I- I’m alright.]
To such a Kaori, the Minotaur…… the Demon who serves as an assistant to one of the Ten Demons, speaks to her in a polite tone.
(Eh? The voice…… She’s female? I have my own guesses, but what species is she from? ……A- At any rate, I’m glad she doesn’t seem as scary as she looks.)
Feeling a slight sense of relief, Kaori apologized to the Minotaur once again before quickly hurrying away from the scene.
(Uuuu, can someone I know…… can someone I know appear……)
Kaori’s anxiety had grown significantly due to the consecutive troubles she had encountered, but at that moment, she heard a voice that brought her a sense of relief.
[Ahh, there you are, Mizuhara Kaori. My apologies, but I’m new to the cuisine over there and I don’t know how to eat some of them, so I was hoping you could give me some advice……]
[O- Olivia-sama……]
[Unn? Is something the matter?]
[N- No, I’m just relieved to finally meet someone I know. Ahh, errr, the cuisine, right? Well then, I’ll teach you about them, so shall we go together?]
[I’m sorry for troubling you. That would be great.]
Olivia is a regular customer of Kaori’s who usually visits her restaurant at a high frequency, and putting aside their start, she’s now someone she knows well.
Furthermore, Olivia held a position as the Founder and representative of Friendship City, which provided a sense of security for Kaori in terms of status…… As she’s someone of incredibly high status, being with Olivia provided Kaori with a certain level of reassurance, even if they were to unexpectedly encounter powerful figures, so Kaori had a look on her face from the bottom of her heart.
[……Speaking of which, Olivia-sama. Is the plan to ask Kaito-kun out on a date making progress?]
[Progress itself is being made, but the plan has not yet been finalized. At the moment, the plan is only about “186 pages” long, so you could say it’s still incomplete……]
[No, no!? Too much, isn’t that too much!? Why would you need a 186-page plan just for a date…… or rather, how many days would that even take to carry out……]
[With my current plan, 15 days.]
[……I feel like a date isn’t what you’re aiming for anymore……]
Feeling relieved and regaining her composure after meeting Olivia, Kaori chatted happily with Olivia as they moved along.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [⑬……!?]
? ? ? : [Author-san had apparently swapped computers for writing, and it seems like he now got one that can go above ⑫.]
