With the turn of the calendar, the 1st of the Month of Wind had arrived. Inside the office of the Ducal House of Albert, Lilia, the head of the house, was fidgeting restlessly as she worked through her paperwork.
Lilia was an undeniably brilliant woman, more than capable of handling administrative tasks far faster than the average civil servant. Today, however, she was a different person entirely. Her mind was clearly elsewhere, and the stack of documents on her desk was barely shrinking.
"...Milady? You’ve been awfully restless for some time now. Is something the matter?"
"It doesn't seem like you're feeling physically unwell, at least."
Lunamaria, Lilia's personal maid, and Sieglinde, who happened to be in the room for another matter, both spoke up, clearly worried by their mistress's unusual behavior.
Lilia had been acting a bit strange ever since that party she attended with Kaito, but until now, it hadn't interfered with her professional duties. Today, however, she was visibly agitated.
Hearing their concerns, Lilia paused her work and let out a heavy sigh, her expression clouded with worry as she murmured to them.
"...I happened to see Kaito-san this morning, and he looked... well, completely drained. I can't help but wonder if he's fallen ill!"
"......" "......"
"N-Now that I think about it, the environment of this world is so different from the one Kaito-san came from. Perhaps he’s been overworking himself without even realizing it..."
"......Sigh." "......Sigh."
"...Eh?"
Seeing Lilia work herself into a lather, both Lunamaria and Sieglinde let out simultaneous, exasperated sighs.
With a look of sheer disbelief on her face, Sieglinde addressed her friend.
"If you're that worried, why don't you just go and ask him?"
"Ugh!? T-That’s... well..."
"...Ah, perhaps Miyama-sama has fallen ill from heartbreak because Milady has been giving him the cold shoulder lately. How tragic."
"T-That’s not it! I haven't exactly been giving him the cold shoulder... It’s just, um... er... is it... really my fault?"
When Lunamaria piled on, Lilia tried to stammer out a frantic denial. However, unable to fully convince even herself, her voice gradually trailed off until she was left wearing a look of deep anxiety.
"I don't know if it's Lilli's fault or not... but it is a fact that you’ve been avoiding Kaito-san lately, isn't it?"
"Th-That’s not right... That was just... I wasn't exactly... avoiding him..."
"Honestly, just how long are you going to let a kiss or two weigh on you? I understand it’s awkward, but you should be able to put on a brave face and act normal by now..."
"You’re right about that, but— Wait, Luna!? How on earth did you find out about that!?"
Listening to the two of them speak so matter-of-factly, Lilia had been shrinking back sheepishly, but the moment Lunamaria mentioned the kiss, her face turned a vivid shade of crimson.
"How could I not know? It's a bit late for secrecy. Despite not being his fiancée, you went and danced three songs in a row with the same man..."
"N-No, that’s not... A-Ah, that was only because we were trying to reach the exit..."
"Regardless of whether you decide to be honest or keep up appearances, please stop running away like a child. At least have a proper conversation with Miyama-sama."
"...Ugh... I-I’ll try."
Seeing Lilia’s shoulders slump dejectedly at Lunamaria’s lecture, the two maids shared a wry smile.
Sieglinde eventually returned to her work while Lunamaria left the room to brew some black tea. Left alone, Lilia turned her gaze toward the window, her cheeks still dusted with a faint pink hue.
"...I—I can’t say it. I can’t tell them the truth..."
In truth, Lilia had tried to do exactly what Lunamaria suggested the day after the incident. She had intended to interact with Kaito normally and act as if the whole thing had never happened. She figured if she behaved as usual, Kaito wouldn't feel the need to bring it up awkwardly either. However, she had been unable to go through with it.
The reason was simple: when she had tried to speak with him the next day, an unexpected phenomenon had occurred.
"...Ever since that day, Kaito-san has looked even more wonderful than before. I can't even look him in the eye anymore..."
That was the reality of the situation. Lilia wasn't avoiding Kaito because things were awkward; she was simply overwhelmed by the romantic feelings she had finally acknowledged.
Since that day, she found herself unconsciously following him with her eyes. Her heart would hammer against her ribs at his every gesture, and she found herself searching for his figure more than she ever had before.
"...I can’t exactly tell them now... that far from avoiding Kaito-san, I’ve actually been sneaking off to watch him. And that I didn't run away because I was avoiding him, but because I was terrified he’d realize I was staring..."
My body felt like lead, every muscle screaming in protest as I made my way to our destination with Kuro.
I had gathered almost all the materials for Lilia-san’s music box. Today, I had come to a certain city in the Demon Realm in search of magic crystals, the most vital component for any magic tool.
Initially, I had planned to mine the magic crystals myself, but apparently, the process required specialized techniques that were far beyond a novice like me. I decided to take the practical route and just buy them.
"...Still, this is an incredible city. Especially that massive castle over there."
"This city is one of the largest in the Demon Realm, after all."
Kuro had brought me to the city that housed the headquarters of the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company. Given that it was the home of the world’s largest trading firm, I had expected a metropolis, but I never imagined I’d see a castle that looked several times larger than the royal castle back in Sinfonia.
"Wait, I thought there were no actual countries in the Demon Realm?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"Then what’s with that castle?"
"Ah... well, umm..."
From what I understood, the Demon Realm didn't have nations, just various towns and settlements scattered about. But this place felt like a capital city no matter how you looked at it. Of course, that feeling mostly came from the presence of the castle.
When I asked for clarification, Kuro scratched her head, looking a bit sheepish.
"...That’s my house."
"Come again!?"
As it turned out, that gargantuan castle was actually Kuro’s home. I suppose it made sense. Kuro was one of the Six Kings at the very top of the Demon Realm, and she was technically the wealthiest person in the world. It wasn't strange for her to live in a castle.
"...I told them I didn't need anything like that, but Ein and the others just went ahead and built it without asking me."
"I see... So that’s why you always looked so conflicted whenever I said I wanted to visit your place."
"Yeah. A huge castle like that is just... embarrassing."
Watching Kuro blush with a troubled expression was surprisingly cute. We continued our walk, chatting about various things until another massive, eye-catching building came into view.
Apparently, this was the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company headquarters.
Kuro stopped in her tracks and handed me a black message card.
"Here, this is a letter of introduction."
"Thanks. I remember you saying the purity doesn't need to be top-tier, right?"
"Right. A music box magic tool has very low magic power consumption, so there’s no point in buying anything excessively expensive."
"Got it."
I had asked Kuro beforehand if I could do the shopping on my own this time, and she had agreed. To be honest, if Kuro were with me, I’d probably end up deferring to her for every little decision. Thanks to her lessons, I’d learned how to judge magic crystals to a certain degree, so I wanted to choose them myself.
Besides, I was also planning to secretly buy materials for gifts for Kuro and my other lovers, so I needed to make sure she didn't catch on.
"Then, while you’re shopping, Kaito-kun... I’ll go whip up some new baby castellas!"
"—!?"
Since coming to this world, I’ve spent almost every night talking with Kuro. She is undoubtedly the person I’ve spent the most time with here.
Kuro is obsessed with baby castellas. She prepares them in different flavors almost every single night, and the number of them I’ve eaten by now is staggering.
And at some point during my time here, I’ve awakened to a certain special ability.
That ability is... believe it or not, a limited form of future prediction. You could call it super-intuition, or perhaps even a "Sixth Sense."
I shuddered to think that I had acquired such a terrifying power.
"...Kuro, wait!"
"Eh?"
"What exactly were you planning to put in them this time?"
"...Huh? That 'Tabasco' stuff from your world, Kaito-kun."
"Absolutely not! Make something else!"
"Eh? O-Oh, okay... if you say so, Kaito-kun..."
Yes, the precognitive power I had obtained was specifically the ability to sense whether Kuro’s new baby castella flavors would be "surprisingly tasty" or "pure nightmare fuel."
This was an ability forged through countless trials. Having stared into the abyss so many times, my survival instincts had evolved to dodge the most critical disasters.
Seriously, if I didn't stop her, Kuro would casually serve me castellas drenched in teriyaki sauce or stuffed with mountains of mayonnaise without batting an eye. It was horrifying.
For the first few months, I felt like I was playing a daily game of Russian Roulette. But thanks to this new power, I’ve managed to dodge disaster about one out of every three times!
I mean, I can't catch them all. Sometimes she makes two different batches, or she keeps the ingredients a secret. I'm only human.
Dear Mother, Father——I believe that humans are creatures that evolve when they face a crisis. Having survived countless scenes of carnage—specifically, being the guinea pig for new flavors—I feel like... I’ve gained a Sixth Sense.