The moment I stepped out of the Gate, I activated my teleportation magic tool.
Lilliwood-san had accompanied me this far as a continuation of her tour through the Demon Realm, but since the path back to the Human Realm Gate didn't offer much in the way of new sights, I decided to warp the rest of the way.
The scenery distorted for a heartbeat, and then Lilia-san’s familiar mansion appeared before me.
It was convenient, certainly, but the aftereffects still left me feeling a bit nauseous. I hadn't experienced any issues using the Gate to travel from the Human Realm to the Demon Realm... perhaps it had something to do with the density of magic power?
Regardless, I had safely returned to the mansion.
I headed to Lilia-san’s room to report my return. Inside, I found her and Lunamaria-san, both of whom greeted me with gentle smiles.
“Welcome back, Kaito-san. How was your time in the Demon Realm?”
“I’ve just returned. Yes, it was a beautiful and vast place. I had a wonderful time just taking in the scenery.”
“I see, that is good to hear... By the way, there is one thing I would like to ask...”
“Yes?”
Lilia-san nodded with a sweet smile, but then her expression suddenly turned grave. I tilted my head in confusion as she slowly clasped her hands in front of her face.
“I... I know this is likely an impossible scenario, but... you didn’t happen to meet the Dragon King-sama, did you?”
“...I’m sorry. I did.”
“......”
“Milady!?”
When I answered honestly, Lilia-san—who had turned deathly pale—slumped forward until her face slammed into her desk.
“...Why... does this person... meet nothing but the Six Kings whenever he goes out...?”
“Milady, pull yourself together! The wound is still shallow!”
“T-Thank you, Luna... Kaito-san, um, er... surely you didn’t, say, become friends with him or anything like that...?”
“......”
“Why are you looking away, Kaito-san?”
Lilia-san’s voice was trembling, and her face remained ghastly pale. She was actually quite terrifying like this.
But I couldn’t exactly hide it. If I told her later, she’d definitely be even angrier.
Steeling my resolve, I reached into my Magic Box and pulled out the scale I’d received from Magnawell-sama.
“...He gave me this scale.”
“......”
All color and expression drained from Lilia-san’s face.
The atmosphere became so heavy and cold that I instinctively straightened my posture. Then, like a marionette with its strings cut, Lilia-san’s body went limp.
“...Kyuuu~”
“Milady!?”
The scale I’d produced was over five meters long—it was clearly more than Lilia-san’s heart could handle. Her eyes rolled back as she collapsed onto the desk.
Well, it looked like I had a guaranteed lecture coming my way later. Still, I didn't think I was the one to blame this time; it was definitely the Phantasm King’s fault.
After a while, Lilia-san recovered from her faint, though she ended up huddled in the corner of the room, clutching her knees.
“...Truly... Kaito-san is bizarre... He’s an anomaly... Why am I the only one... who has to suffer like this...?”
“Milady... You poor thing...”
“Why are you smiling!?”
Lunamaria-san was her usual self, grinning ear-to-ear as she watched the depressed Lilia-san, which earned her an immediate scolding.
I felt terrible for Lilia-san—I really did—but I still had one more thing to do.
“U-Um, Lilia-san?”
“Yes?”
“...Er, I have some things that Isis-san asked me to give to you...”
“......”
Hearing my hesitant words, Lilia-san made a face like she was about to burst into tears. Actually, she was already crying a little.
I felt like a bully. Despite the awkwardness, I placed the gems Isis-san had entrusted to me on the desk.
“...W-Wh-Wh-What are... th-these...?”
“They’re Blue Diamonds and Ice Crystals I received from Isis-san.”
“What a staggering quantity. And look at the depth of the color in each one. Milady... wouldn’t this be worth an astronomical fortune?”
“...I... hate this...”
Looking at the mountain of beautiful blue gems, Lilia-san clutched her head and looked down. After trembling in silence for a few moments, she snapped her head up.
“I hate this so muuuuuch! Kaito-san, you big idioooot!!”
...She began to wail.
“What am I supposed to do with this many jewels!?”
“Gueh!? L-Lilia-san, c-calm down...!”
“Why do you always, always do things that give me a stomachache!? You’re going to give me an actual ulcer!!”
“I can’t breathe... L-Lilia-san... I’m going to fall...”
She grabbed me by the collar and shook me violently back and forth in the air. Her expression was that of someone who had reached their absolute limit, making a pitiable, tearful face that made it impossible for me to resist her.
I’m really sorry, Lilia-san.
“Milady, I’d like to ask a question before you knock Miyama-sama unconscious...”
“What is it, Luna!? I’m busy right n—”
“No, I’ve just been curious for a while now. You usually turn beet red the moment you touch any man who isn’t a relative. And yet, you seem perfectly comfortable with Miyama-sama?”
“...Eh?”
At Lunamaria-san’s blunt observation, the grip on my collar loosened, and I tumbled to the floor.
Released from the suffocating pressure, I gasped for air and looked up at Lilia-san. Her face had turned as red as a boiled octopus.
“...Wait. Was I... was I touching Kaito-san just now?”
“Just now? Well, you’ve touched him several times before. You’ve even leaned your face in so close you could feel each other’s breath.”
“Heh? Ahwa, awawawa, b-b-but, that was, um, my head was so full I wasn't aware of it at all, hawawawawa!”
Lilia-san’s face was so red I thought steam might actually start rising from her ears. She muttered in a blind panic, her eyes spinning.
Based on my experience, I knew what was coming next.
“I-I-I... t-t-touched Kaito-san... kyuuu~”
“Lilia-san!?”
As expected, Lilia-san fainted again and collapsed to the floor.
I rushed to her side to make sure she wasn't hurt, then looked over at Lunamaria-san.
“...Lunamaria-san. What’s going on?”
“Milady grew up in an environment surrounded by women, so she has absolutely no immunity to men. She usually turns bright red just from a handshake. I had been curious because she didn't seem to act that way around Miyama-sama... but I see now. Her mind was simply so preoccupied with other things that she didn't realize what she was doing.”
“...Meaning, right now?”
“My comment likely forced her to remember every time she’s ever touched him, and her embarrassment reached its limit. How pitiable.”
“...You did that on purpose, didn't you?”
“...Perish the thought.”
Thinking back, Lilia-san really did only touch me when she was in a state of utter confusion—usually right before fainting. She never initiated contact otherwise.
Since she was a young woman, I hadn't thought much of it, but it turned out it wasn't just a preference; she really had no immunity to men at all.
Dear Mother, Father—I feel truly guilty for constantly causing trouble for Lilia-san. However, this particular faint was a little different from her usual ones. This time, it was because of embarrassment.
A figure shrouded in black appeared in the general store just as the evening sun was beginning to set.
The individual picked up a single dagger hanging on the wall, wrapped it in a black cloth, and placed it on the counter.
“...A request?”
This was the signal for a request meant for the shopkeeper’s hidden identity—an Underworld Fixer.
The shopkeeper in the plush suit looked at the black-robed figure and asked in a cold voice.
“...I want you to kidnap someone.”
“...Kidnapping? Not an assassination?”
“Yes. He is an individual with utilitarian value.”
“Well, that depends on the reward—and the details.”
In response to Alice’s words, the person in black pulled a portrait and a Platinum Coin from their robe and placed them on the counter.
“Ten Platinum Coins upfront... and thirty more upon completion.”
“Well now, that’s a tempting offer. And this is the target? I don't recognize the face.”
“He is not of this world. He is a human from another world... His name is Miyama Kaito.”
“Heh... An Otherworlder. I see.”
Alice responded calmly, showing no hint of agitation. She studied the portrait for a moment before picking up the Platinum Coin.
“...I'll take the job. What’s the deadline?”
“The sooner the better. I want him transported to a designated location.”
“Transported? Not a simple hand-off? Does that mean he’s a particularly dangerous opponent?”
“...This is the data.”
Alice flipped through the bundle of papers handed to her, her expression unreadable.
“...Yeah, looks like there won’t be any problems. I’ll have it done within the next few days.”
“I’m counting on you.”
With the deal struck, the person in black turned and left the shop without another word.
Once they were gone, Alice gazed at the drawing of Kaito’s face and whispered to the empty room.
“...Well, I suppose this is a kind of fate as well. How unfortunate. I actually liked Kaito-san quite a bit, but...”
Inside the plush suit, illuminated by the fading light, the eyes of the girl behind the mask were as cold as ice.
Serious-senpai: “It’s my tuuuuurn!!”
The Underworld King has begun shadowboxing.
The Death King has begun warming up.
The Creator God has begun surveillance.
Serious-senpai: “...I’m sorry.”
Well, to put it simply, the Alice Capture has begun.