I was captivated by the mesmerizing spectacle of the meteor shower for a long while. However, we had come here specifically to drink while watching the stars, and it seemed a waste to let the moment pass without a toast, so we began our preparations.
"Oh, that reminds me—Alice gave me some wine and told me to drink it with you, Sieg-san. Let’s have this."
"My, this is a remarkably fine vintage. Why would Alice-sama give this to us? I am certainly grateful, but..."
"Hmm, she said she had intended to drink it herself but changed her plans. I think she just happened to have it on hand and decided to let us have it."
In truth, she had likely handed it over as a subtle warning. Based on my earlier conversation with Akane-san, the Arclesia Empire situation was likely the cause. Since there hadn't been any new developments regarding Marie-san yet, I suspected it was related to Cornelia-san.
Tetra-san had shown an obvious interest in the Sharon Trading Company, and the commotion had likely reached a stage where Alice felt she needed to step in and manage the flow of information.
Since I was technically the cause, I felt a twinge of guilt. However, Alice had already warned me—albeit indirectly—that she could easily settle things with information processing for now. She’d told me to stay quiet and avoid complicating matters with any more surprises. Taking her at her word, I decided to leave the politics to her and focus on enjoying the night with Sieg-san.
"I’ve prepared some light snacks as well," Sieg-san said.
"Wait, did you make these, Sieg-san? When did you have the time?"
"I had already finished my dinner by the time I called for you, so I put them together while you were eating yours. They’re all quite simple, though—nothing too elaborate."
As I uncorked the wine, Sieg-san set a tiered lunch box onto the groundsheet. Inside was a spread of bite-sized snacks that looked mouthwatering: cream cheese wrapped in raw ham, skewers of cherry tomatoes and other vegetables, and tiny sandwiches. Every piece looked like a perfect pairing for either the wine or the Riple liquor.
Though she called them "simple," the sheer variety suggested otherwise. Even if the individual recipes weren't complex, preparing this many different types of snacks must have been a lot of work.
"I see. Still, there's a great variety. It's impressive."
"Fufu, I repurposed some dishes I had already prepared, so I did cut some corners... but I believe the taste will be fine."
"Sieg-san's cooking is delicious, of course, but it also has a kind of gentle, warm flavor. I really love it."
"That’s because it’s filled with plenty of affection for you, Kaito-san. We’re about to eat, but for now, won't you try a taste of one?"
After smiling gently, Sieg-san picked up a bite-sized sandwich and held her other hand beneath it as she offered it to me. She was clearly intending to feed me. Sieg-san had the aura of a calm, kind big sister, and there was a certain warmth to the gesture—a sense of encompassing affection that made me feel perfectly at ease.
I opened my mouth and took the bite. It was a ham sandwich, I think, but with a slight kick—perhaps a touch of mustard. The rich flavor was a superb match for the alcohol.
"It's delicious. It seems like it would go well with the wine too."
"I brought snacks that would suit Riple liquor, so it's fortunate that many of them match the wine as well."
"Still, you provided the drinks and the snacks, and the wine was just something Alice happened to give me... Maybe I should take something out of my Magic Box too? No, but then the amount might become too much."
"That's true. Neither I nor you, Kaito-san, drink or eat that much, so I think we don't need to add anything else."
I had food and alcohol in my Magic Box, so I could have taken them out if I wanted to. However, just as Sieg-san said, neither of us were heavy drinkers. Rather, the atmosphere suggested we would enjoy the alcohol slowly while focusing on conversation, so preparing anything more would be excessive.
"Therefore, if you have a desire to do something for me... how about focusing it toward, say... pampering me instead?"
"Ahaha, I see. You're going to have to take responsibility for saying that, Sieg-san."
"Oh my? Is that so? Well... I look forward to it."
To Sieg-san, who said such a lovely thing about wanting me to focus my energy on acting like a proper couple, I replied by mimicking her own phrasing from a while ago. Sieg-san let out a delighted laugh and leaned her weight against my shoulder.
Serious-senpai: "T-They’re flirting again! Dammit! The sugar erosion is moving too fast—half of my body is already konpeito!"
Machina: "Munch, munch... It’s like little clusters of candy forming the shape of her body. The colors even match her original self. Crunch, crunch... It’s weird how the clothes turned into candy too. Gulp. I guess they're part of her physical identity?"
Serious-senpai: "Why are you eating me like it's your divine right, you crazy god!?"
Machina: "Hmm, it tastes good, but since it's based on the original Serious-senpai, the color scheme is a bit... well. I think konpeito should be a treat for the eyes as well as the tongue. I’d prefer it to be more colorful."
Serious-senpai: "You eat my body without permission and then have the gall to complain about the aesthetics? You're a total tyrant!"
Machina: "Alright... Serious-senpai Colorful Beam!"
Serious-senpai: "What? Gyaaah! The rest of my body has a rainbow coloration! What have you done to me!?"
Machina: "Now I can enjoy colorful and vivid konpeito."
Serious-senpai: "Are you kidding me? If you're going that far, just manifest your own candy! That would be a million times easier and faster!"
Machina: "Sigh. Serious-senpai, the most efficient path isn't always the optimal solution."
Serious-senpai: "At the very least, coloring my body in a rainbow is definitely not the optimal solution..."