Elis was naturally quite excellent for a noble lady, and although she was internally bewildered by Magnawell's unexpectedly high evaluation, she quickly regained her composure.
One could say her past experiences had served her well. Although Elis still did not fully understand why Kaito had held her in such high regard from the very beginning, she had grown accustomed to receiving mysterious praise from those she met through him.
Even with endless questions swirling in her mind, she maintained the conversation by simply accepting that being highly rated wasn't a negative thing. In the end, she managed to speak with Magnawell without a single hitch.
Of course, it was that very excellence—that ability to keep it together—that ensured a never-ending stream of stomach-aching situations followed her...
Once their small talk concluded, Kaito and Elis headed home, leaving Magnawell behind to tour the gym. But as he looked around, he tilted his head in confusion at the sight of Alice sitting on a bench, elegantly sipping wine.
Approaching Alice's Split Body—which had stayed behind even after Kaito and Elis had left—he spoke with a look of mild exasperation.
"...Why on earth are you drinking wine?"
"What’s the harm? I just got hit with a K-Case, so I want to savor some good wine to take the edge off."
"Hm? Did something happen?"
"K-Case" was a term Alice frequently used; essentially, it referred to any major incident involving Kaito. Magnawell was familiar with her terminology, and when he asked for clarification, Alice let out a long sigh before answering.
"...Hah. I really wish he wouldn't accept Unknown Items that generate effectively infinite amounts of Unknown Seasoning as casually as if they were simple souvenirs. The Creators might have settled the legalities between themselves, but who do you think has to manage the fallout to prevent panic, or set up damage control for when the news eventually breaks? Honestly... And when Baby Castella is involved, Kuro-san turns into a ponkotsu with about 3 IQ. She’s not just useless; she's part of the group leaking the news!"
"Ah, dealing with a God of an Otherworld... that does sound like quite the ordeal."
"And on top of that, since he's apparently planning to visit worlds in a High Dimensional Hierarchy eventually, I’ve had to struggle through special training to adapt to high dimensions myself."
"...You plan on going with him?"
"Well, obviously! What would happen if something happened to Kaito-san while I wasn't around?!"
"I-I see, quite so..."
Magnawell managed a bitter smile. Despite her constant complaints about the hardship, it was clear Alice fully intended to adapt to high dimensions just so she could accompany Kaito as his bodyguard.
Even as she grumbled about the trouble, she was already taking precautions regarding the seasoning, and she was pushing herself to support Kaito’s dream of visiting an otherworld rather than discouraging him. He realized that she was as devoted to him as she had always been.
"...By the way, Shaltier. What is your assessment of that Elis Dia Hamilton? Is she truly the prodigy Miyama Kaito makes her out to be?"
"In a certain sense, she's a prodigy on par with Lilia-san... specifically in terms of stomach pain."
"Stomach pain?"
"Well, she is undoubtedly excellent. However, Chris-san is more resourceful, and while she doesn't quite match Lilia-san, she's definitely an Opportunity-attracting Type. Her personality is a great fit for Kaito-san, and since he's grown quite fond of her, plenty of incidents are bound to follow. You aren't wrong to keep an eye on her."
According to Alice's Assessment, Elis was certainly capable, but not uniquely so. It would be more accurate to call her a well-balanced type; her intelligence, HP, social etiquette, and management skills—all the requirements of a noble—were all at a very high level.
She was certainly a talented woman, but she lacked that single, overwhelming spark that placed her head and shoulders above all others. However, her compatibility with Kaito was another matter entirely.
Not only was her personality exactly Kaito's type, but she was a skilled conversationalist as well. Furthermore, though it was unintentional, she consistently hit Kaito's soft spots, such as things involving Nebula or his pets, which naturally boosted his opinion of her. In a way, it was a Trick of Fate, but her talent for raising Kaito's affection might truly be exceptional.
"She doesn't do it on purpose; it's all just coincidence. If anything, Elis-san herself is likely tilting her head in confusion, wondering why Kaito-san is so fond of her... but she has a strange knack for hitting Kaito-san's sweet spots. Between that and her choice of topics, she's remarkably good at boosting Kaito-san's opinion of her."
"So, it is not a calculated effort to manipulate people?"
"Exactly. I mean, based on her performance in the Social Circle, she certainly has the rhetoric and the breadth of topics to be considered a good talker, but she isn't a master of it. However, in her conversations with Kaito-san, she somehow hits the jackpot every single time. It's like she has an attracting-type constitution like Lilia-san, but it only activates during talks with Kaito-san... Well, she's certainly in for a lot of hardship from now on. Man, this wine is delicious!"
According to Alice's Assessment, Kaito was genuinely fond of Elis, and because she hit the "correct answer" so often when speaking to him, her favor would only continue to climb—bringing one seed of stomach pain after another with it. With that thought in mind, Alice took a long sip of her wine, savoring the amusement.
[Serious-senpai, Banned from Side Stories]
Serious-senpai: "Wha?! Why?! Why the ban?! WHY?!"
???: "Well, Kaito-san doesn't really appear in the Mutsura☆boshi side stories much, does he?"
Serious-senpai: "...Wait. Am I just a spirit or something attached to Kaito without even knowing it?"