Marie invited Kaito to a cafe to express her gratitude for the overwhelming generosity he had shown her. Kaito accepted, and they walked a short distance from the boutique to a nearby establishment.
As expected for a cafe in the luxury district, it was a high-end place. Nevertheless, there was no risk that the bill for a simple tea would exceed the funds Marie had on hand.
Once they were settled into their seats and had placed their orders, Kaito spoke up, a thought occurring to him.
"By the way, Marie-san, did you come to the capital with your father specifically to buy clothes? Or did you have other business to attend to?"
"Oh, the primary purpose was to visit the Temple of the Goddess of Fertility," Marie replied. "Now that we've finished our business there, we're taking the time to do some shopping."
"To the temple? It wasn't just for a regular prayer, was it?"
Kaito tilted his head, intrigued. He recalled Marie mentioning at a previous tea party that she rarely visited the capital. It seemed unlikely she would travel all this way just to pray, and it wasn't the New Year, the traditional time for seeking blessings.
While there were no strict seasonal rules for blessings, something about the situation felt slightly different.
"Actually, we were summoned by the Goddess of Fertility herself," Marie explained.
"By Erne-san?"
"Yes. It was quite a wonderful surprise. She wished to discuss strengthening the Blessing of the Rich Baron territory. Both my father and I were called in for the meeting."
"Wait... that's probably my doing, isn't it? Especially if they summoned you as well."
Kaito immediately realized his influence was at play. If it weren't related to him, there would be no reason for a Goddess to summon a fourth daughter like Marie.
"Oh, please don't let it weigh on you! It’s nothing but a boon for our house. We consider it a great honor."
"Are you sure? Well, if you say so..."
"Truly! Beyond the Divine Protection, the Earth God is also going to modify our soil. We’re expecting the quality of our Riples to improve significantly. My heart is simply racing with anticipation."
Once again, Marie’s current state of Super-optimistic Thinking was in full effect. Any emotions that might lead to future Stomach Pain were being automatically filtered out. Since she seemed genuinely thrilled, Kaito felt a wave of relief.
"At this rate, you might even be able to harvest Golden Riples," Marie added.
"Golden Riples? Is that some sort of legendary variety?"
"Oh, no, it's not actually real... It's not a fruit that's literally gold-colored or anything like that. It’s just an old marketing myth—a story about the most delicious Riple in the world, one whose value rivals gold itself."
"A marketing myth?"
"Yes. The current territory of the Rich Baron House was once ruled by a different noble family. When they fell into ruin, the land reverted to the crown before eventually being granted to my great-grandmother along with her title. The 'Golden Riple' was a brand image that the previous lords tried to establish. They worked quite hard to spread the legend for publicity."
"Ah, so it was a sales strategy," Kaito said, nodding. He had heard of such tactics before—exaggerating a product's history to drive up interest.
"The story goes that it’s the most delicious fruit in existence, worth its weight in gold. They say the Golden Riple Pie is a special dish to be shared with one's beloved, and that those who eat it together will find eternal happiness. It was a bit of a patchwork legend, borrowing elements from the Spirit Race's stories about Golden Fruit."
"Interesting. But for them to push that story so hard, they must have had some confidence in the flavor, right?"
"Apparently, the quality was only average. If they had really been that successful, the domain would have flourished much more than it did. You don't really hear about it anywhere else anymore. However, among the farmers in our territory, it’s still whispered about—a sort of urban legend representing the ultimate Riple we should strive for."
"I see. So the reality didn't quite live up to the hype. Still, those kinds of legends give a place a sense of history. It's quite charming."
It was a completely mundane conversation. A failed business tactic that had evolved into a local myth—nothing more. Kaito and Marie continued their lighthearted chat, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of the cafe.
It was just idle gossip. No such fruit had ever existed, and the current Rich Baron House wasn't actually trying to create it. It was just a "wouldn't it be nice" thought born from a pleasant afternoon.
Or, it should have been.
"Hoh... Golden Riples... A special dish for one's most beloved... shared together... hoh, hoh..."
In the Sanctuary, an existence was murmuring those words with an expression of intense curiosity. She was clearly fascinated by this mythical item.
Serious-senpai: [Stop it! Somebody stop her! That person is no joke, and she has absolutely no sense of humor! She’s going to make Golden Riples a reality! Marie isn't just digging her own grave; she's sprinting toward her demise at full speed! Someone, please!]
???: [Off we go, toward a Stomach-aching Future!]
Serious-senpai: [You... help her!]
???: [Even Alice-chan can't know what that Natural God is muttering in the Sanctuary right now. No one will realize what's happening until the other Gods start making moves.]