A brief silence settled between us after Noin-san finished explaining the inner workings of Kuro's Family. It wasn't exactly awkward, but I felt a strange sense of restlessness. After mulling it over for a moment, I called out to the woman sitting behind me.
"Noin-san, what kind of food do you like?"
"Pardon? What brought this on so suddenly?"
"Oh, nothing specific. It just occurred to me that I only really know you in a general sense. I realized I want to get to know you better."
"Fueh!?"
It was true that I hadn't spent much one-on-one time with Noin-san. While I considered her a dear friend and understood her basic personality, talking to Fia-sensei, Laguna-san, and Falce-san had made me realize how much of her life was still a mystery to me.
Was that why? The urge to learn more about her had just bubbled up naturally.
Noin-san sounded bewildered by the sudden inquiry, but after a moment's hesitation, she offered an answer.
"Anmitsu, I suppose."
"Anmitsu, huh? I haven't had it much myself. Does it exist in this world too?"
"Yes, it does. Actually, I often make it at home. What about you, Kaito-san? What do you like?"
"For me, it's Hamburg steak and apple pie."
So, Noin-san was an anmitsu fan. I made a mental note to remember that. I’d have to check Kuro's Food Tour Guide for any highly-rated shops. I still owed Noin-san a massive debt of gratitude for the rice she’d given me, so taking her out for anmitsu on my tab sounded like a perfect way to show my appreciation.
"Let’s keep going with the clichés. Do you have any hobbies?"
"I enjoy Shogi. Have you ever played?"
"E-Eh, well, yeah..."
"Perhaps we could play a match if the opportunity arises?"
"I don't mind, but consider yourself warned. If you play against me, you'll end up tasting the 'same despair as Alice'."
"I see. You sound quite confident. That’s exactly what I like to hear. I’m fairly proud of my own Shogi ability, so you'll find me a worthy opponent!"
Unfortunately, she was going to find me "worthy" in a way she never expected.
"No, it's the opposite of what you're thinking. If we play, you'll be driven to despair by just how incredibly weak I am."
"Eh?"
Alice had certainly felt that despair. She’d practically thrown her hands up and sworn off ever playing with me again. But wait—could it be that the match with Alice wasn't actually proof of my incompetence? What if Alice was just an absolute monster at the game?
The more I thought about it, the more likely that seemed. Alice was a genius at everything she did, so her Shogi skills were probably world-class. If I’d managed to put up even a semblance of a fight against her, didn't that actually make me fairly competent?
"No, never mind. Yes, I'd love to play sometime."
"Y-Yes, of course."
"So, next question... what do you usually do with your time?"
I pushed the mystery of my true skill level aside and moved on.
"Well, I train to keep my skills sharp... and occasionally accompany Chrome-sama on international visits. Sometimes I help Raz-sama with her gardening as well."
"I've been curious about this, but how do you, Raz-san, and the rest of Kuro's Family earn a living?"
"We're on... an allowance system."
"Huh?"
I’d assumed she might be involved in something like Zex-san's magic tool business, but Noin-san's voice dropped into a troubled, hesitant tone.
"Um, the truth is, Chrome-sama gives each of us 1 Gold Coin every month as an allowance. We use that for our personal expenses, so as for actual work..."
"Oh, I see. Sorry for asking."
Kuro was incredible. A million-yen allowance every single month? That was the kind of lifestyle Fate-san would sell her soul for. Come to think of it, since Noin-san was hiding her identity as the First Hero, finding traditional employment might be quite difficult for her. No wonder she looked so awkward. I felt bad for bringing it up.
"N-No, it’s fine! I’ve been thinking I should do something about it myself. Raz-sama already earns an income selling her produce, after all."
"I see."
"Actually, Kaito-san... if you ever need an escort for going out..."
"I-I'm already covered on that front."
She must have really been worried about it if she was trying to pitch herself to me. Unfortunately, I already had a literal cheat-level entity handling my security.
This topic was clearly dealing too much psychic damage to her, so I decided to pivot. But first, I needed to smooth things over.
"On a different note, your clothes today are very cute, Noin-san!"
"Eh?"
"You're a naturally beautiful woman, so these outfits really suit you. They have a refined, elegant feel. That calm femininity is very much your style, and I think it’s wonderful."
"Wait, what? K-Kaito-san... what are you... um, I mean..."
Wait, what was I saying? I’d just been trying to boost her spirits, but cheesy compliments were suddenly pouring out of me like water. Well, the words were flowing, so I might as well roll with the momentum.
"The cherry-blossom hair suits you perfectly too. Then again, you're so pretty that any hair color would look good on you."
"Haeh!?"
"I feel like a lucky man, getting to talk one-on-one like this with such a lovely woman."
"Myaa!? Wh-Why are you suddenly saying these things... I wasn't mentally prepared..."
This was bad. I’d failed. Letting the momentum take the wheel was a terrible idea. I wasn't cheering her up anymore; I had accidentally slipped into Seduction Mode. This was a disaster. Telling someone as shy as Noin-san things like that was bound to make her short-circuit. I had to fix this immediately.
"I-I'm sorry! I said something weird—"
I turned around to apologize for the sudden flirtation, only to hear a dull "thud" at almost the exact same moment. Needless to say, there was only one thing that sound could have been.
"Noin-san!? Bell, stop! Sto-o-o-o-p!! Noin-san fell off!!"
"Gau?"
Dear Mother, Father—this was entirely my fault. Somehow, the atmosphere took a very strange turn. I was the one who was actually panicking. Between the reverse marriage proposal yesterday and everything else, I hadn't even realized it, but in this situation where I was alone with Noin-san—I seemed to be quite nervous.
Noin has Fallen!
Serious-senpai Zero: "Wait, so whenever he panics, he just defaults to Seduction Mode!? This protagonist is literally my natural enemy! Anyway, putting that aside... how did the Shogi match actually go?"
???: "I took it seriously, but I definitely didn't go all out."
Serious-senpai Zero: "How much did you hold back, exactly?"
???: "I played as if I were against a 5-year-old who just learned the rules."
Serious-senpai Zero: "Oof..."