While Eingana-san and Cornelia-san were getting caught up in a discussion about music, I found myself chatting with Flare-san. We were all sharing the same table, so I could hear bits of their conversation as well. Cornelia-san seemed a bit tense, so I kept an ear out to see if she needed any support, but for the moment, she seemed to be doing just fine. I turned my full attention back to my conversation with Flare-san.
"By the way, Comrade, what brought you to this city? Are you here for sightseeing?"
"Oh, no. On Cornelia-san’s recommendation, I visited a place called the Victor Trading Company. They specialize in goods for monsters, and I went there to order some specialized brushes for my pets."
"Ho, specialized brushes? I didn't know such things existed."
"Yes. Apparently, they are custom-made to match an individual’s magic power wavelength. I haven’t received the finished products yet, so I haven't been able to try them out, but they sounded quite promising from what I heard. Oh, and they can also make brushes for the scales of the Dragon Species, so I commissioned some of those as well."
"!?"
At those words, Cornelia-san—who was sitting right next to me—whipped her head around with a look of pure astonishment.
"Oh? Cornelia-san? Is everything okay?"
"A-Ah, no... please forgive me. You mentioned a trading company that I have ties with, and I couldn't help but be curious..."
"Ah, I see..."
The Victor Trading Company is effectively a subsidiary of the Sharon Trading Company, so I suppose it makes sense that she would be on edge when the name came up. Eingana-san was also looking our way with an intrigued expression, having paused her musical discussion to listen in on our side of the table.
"...That is a fascinating concept. I use brushes when tending to my own scales, but it never occurred to me to have them tailored to my magic power wavelength. It certainly sounds effective... Comrade, would it be possible for someone like me to place an order as well?"
"I imagine it should be fine. They seemed to accept regular commissions. As long as you provide enough scales to record the magic power wavelength, it should be possible... Though, wait..."
"Hmm? Is something the matter?"
If anything was the matter, it was the sight of Cornelia-san turning pale next to me, but I prioritized answering Flare-san first. A slight concern had popped into my head while watching her take an interest in the brushes.
"No, it’s nothing serious, really. It’s just... my Rin and Sieg-san’s Sera are both young and small. Since you’re so huge, Flare-san, a brush for you would have to be quite massive. I was just wondering if they could even manufacture something on that scale."
"...H-Ho..."
If they can manage the size of a Behemoth like Bell, it's probably fine, but even though Flare-san is considered small for her kind, she is a giant compared to regular monsters. I simply didn't know offhand if they could produce a brush suitable for her.
However, as she listened to me, Flare-san began to shift restlessly, her eyes darting about.
"So, from Comrade's perspective... I... I look... huge?"
Ah, right. That was it. Flare-san has a complex about her physical size, and she had clearly reacted to me calling her "huge." I understood her feelings all too well, so I made sure to affirm her.
"Definitely. Since I'm just a human, looking up at you in your dragon form is quite a sight. You have such a dignified, powerful presence that you come across as quite enormous. To be honest, seeing you like that, I couldn't believe you were only five meters. You felt like you were seven... no, closer to eight meters."
"E-Eight meters is surely an exaggeration! ...B-But, well, I suppose it makes sense. From Comrade's stature, accurately gauging my length must be difficult. It’s only natural for me to look that way to you!"
She looked incredibly happy. Her voice had gone up a pitch, and her usual cool demeanor had melted into something surprisingly cute. I knew that feeling well—I had been ecstatic when people mistook me for being over 170 cm.
"...In that case, Miyama Kaito-san, what is your impression of my dragon form? A simple observation is fine. How did I appear compared to my actual length?"
Just then, Eingana-san chimed in to ask for my impression of her dragon form. I knew I couldn't take the same approach as I had with Flare-san; that would be a mistake. Flare-san wanted to be seen as large, but Eingana-san’s case was different.
"Eingana-san's dragon form? Well, obviously you’re massive to me, but... how can I put it? Perhaps it’s because you have such a small face and sharp features, but you seemed very slender overall. You actually looked smaller than your true length, in a refined way."
"...Magnawell-sama’s high opinion of you is well-founded. You possess a magnificent eye that perceives the true essence of things. I am impressed. Your assessment is remarkably accurate and astute."
Hearing my words, Eingana-san gave a deeply satisfied nod and praised me. I could feel her delight radiating through my Sympathy Magic. I remembered what Alice had told me back during the festival—information that Eingana-san was self-conscious about the size of her face. At the time, I didn't think it was particularly useful, but I never expected it to come in handy here.
As for the other two among the Four Great Magic Dragons, it was just a groundless hunch, but I suspected Grandireas-san would be happy to be called large. Although she chose a petite human split body to experience life as a small being, she seemed to take basic pride in her massive scale.
Fafnir-san likely didn't have much of an attachment to his physique, but I felt he would be pleased if someone mentioned his "leader-like atmosphere" or called him a "head of subordinates" in a respectful way. Well, that was really just a guess.
Serious-senpai: "Behold the predictive reading of the flag-building Capture King... the power of the Incarnation of Perfect Communication. He’s probably right about Grandireas and Fafnir, too. Meanwhile, Cornelia's stomach is basically a crime scene."