Lilia-san’s bedroom was certainly a refreshing sight, but looking around too curiously at everything felt kinda rude. After all, the main reason we were here was to discuss where to place the tabletop clock, so it was best to focus on that.
[……Thinking about it, placing it on the table by the bed seems like a safe option, but maybe it’ll look a bit cluttered with the music box there too?]
[That’s true. Besides, to make the beautiful design stand out, it might be better to place it in a brighter spot. It could look lovely in that area where sunlight streams through that window……]
[True, that spot seems ideal. But you don’t have a furniture at the right height there, so maybe getting a new mini table and placing it on top would work well.]
Normally, direct sunlight isn’t the best for wooden clocks, but Nebula’s tabletop clock has Preservation Magic casted on it, so that shouldn’t be an issue.After discussing and testing out a few spots, we agreed that the place Lilia-san suggested did indeed seem the best, so we ultimately decided to set up a mini table there.
[This spot really seems perfect. Thank you, Kaito-san. I’ll buy a mini table and set it up here.]
[No, it’s no problem at all. I’m just glad I could help……]
[Kaito-san?]
[Ahhh, no, sorry. I couldn’t help but notice your closet is about three times the size of mine…… I guess nobles need that much space for dresses and such?]
While chatting with Lilia-san, my attention had drifted to the closet, the largest piece of furniture in the room. Wondering how many outfits could fit in there, I was lost in thought when Lilia-san, smiling wryly, spoke up.
[Ahhh, no, actually, there are no dresses in that closet. The dresses I wear for evening events are stored in a dedicated room just for that. As expected, they have simply become too many to fit in this room.][Ohh, so Lilia-san has a lot of dresses too, then.]
[I am a high-ranking noble after all. With trends constantly changing, I end up with quite a few dresses. It would certainly be easier if I could create clothes with magic like High-ranking Demons can…… but with keeping connections to businesses and shops, it’s a bit tricky.]
[Being a noble sounds challenging in a lot of ways.]
[Fufufu, yes. With great power and wealth come certain inconveniences, I suppose…… Well, watching Kaito-san, an exception among exceptions, sometimes makes me wonder if there is such a thing as too much freedom……]
[A- Ahaha, true, I do get a lot of freedom thanks to the support of everyone around me.]
Wryly smiling at Lilia-san’s teasing tone, I responded. I had caused her quite a bit of trouble with the decisions I had made, but today, her expression remained gentle, with no hint of scolding him.
[Back to the closet…… this is where I keep the clothes I wear regularly. Inside, well…… they’re something like this.]
[Ahh, I see. So you have the clothes you usually wear, along with easier-to-move-in outfits for training and such, in that closet.]
When Lilia-san opened the closet, it was filled with familiar outfits, items she often wore day-to-day.
[Other than clothes, there are also some accessories. Since they’re precious metals and gems, I keep them here instead of in the dressing room. This closet is enchanted so only I can open it. Look, this section here is filled with just accessories.]
[O- Ohhh…… it’s like a mini jewelry store, so many…… arehh? You seem to have a lot of reddish-brown gemstones here? Lilia-san, is this gem your favorite?]
[Aehh!? Ah, errrr…… that is…… well……]
The accessories Lilia-san showed were all of exceptional quality, and about a third of them had the same color of gemstone, indicating a clear preference. I thought it’d be helpful to ask in case I wanted to give her a gift in the future, but for some reason, she looked flustered, her gaze darting away.
I could swear her face was turning red too…… Is she feeling embarrassed? But why?
[……Errr, umm, it’s something of a noble tradition…… I mean…… It’s like…… wearing the color of one’s fiancé or partner…… And well…… this gemstone color…… is close to the color of Kaito-san’s eyes……]
[Ah, I- I see…… So that’s how it is.]
[……Yes.]
[……S- Somehow, this feels strangely embarrassing.]
[I- I feel the same.]
Learning that Lilia-san owned many reddish-brown gemstone accessories because they matched the color of my eyes———- in other words, my color———— and that she wore them by choice, left me feeling oddly flustered.
No, of course, hearing this makes me happy, but it felt almost ticklish in a way…… Needless to say, it took both Lilia-san and me a little while to regain our composure.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [……This sweet and sour atmosphere…… it’s giving me a stomachache…… Hah!? A stomachache…… for me? Does that mean…… I, too, am a Stomachache Warrior?]
Makina : [……………………]
Serious-senpai : [Oi, the heck are you lurking there for, you gluttonous monster……]
