It was an exceedingly rare occurrence—in fact, it was the very first time Sieg-san had ever fainted. According to the diagnosis of Lilia-san, whom Luna-san dubbed a "Fainting Sommelier," it seemed she wouldn't be waking up for quite a while.
Consequently, Lilia-san decided to take her back to the inn to recover, meaning we would be parting ways with them here.
Fia-sensei suggested casting Awakening Magic, but Lilia-san declined. She explained that Sieg-san would need time to compose herself after such a shock and asked us to leave it to her as Sieg's best friend.
As her lover, I considered staying by Sieg-san's side as well, but I relented after Luna-san advised me, "Sieg probably wouldn't want you to see her in such a flustered state. It would be better to visit her once she’s had a chance to settle down."
I offered to help carry her, but I quickly changed my mind when I saw Lilia-san hoist Sieg-san—who stood 170cm tall despite her slender frame—onto her shoulder with one hand as if she weighed nothing at all.
To top it off, she was casually cradling the Rainbow Dragon under her other arm. If her face seemed to be twitching into a smirk, I decided it was probably just a trick of the light.
"Well, let's leave Sieg-chan to Lilia-chan and Ru-chan and head back out to see the festival."
"……Right."
"Yes…… Though I just realized something, Fia. It's unusual for you to go this long without a single clumsy mishap, isn't it?"
As we walked and chatted to lift our spirits, Noin-san spoke up with an expression of genuine surprise. Now that she mentioned it, it was true—Fia-sensei hadn't tripped even once today.
Hearing those words, Fia-sensei turned toward us mid-stride and gave a confident thumbs-up.
"Hehehe, even I grow a little every day, you know. I’m not going to stumble over just any—"
"Fia-sensei!? Look out, the sign!?"
"Eh? ——Gyah!?"
She slammed face-first into a shop sign and tumbled to the ground. The comedic timing of her blunder was nothing short of perfection.
"Ouch, ow, ow, ow……"
"Fia-sensei? A-Are you all right?"
"Y-Yeah…… My clothes got a little dusty, but I'm fine."
I rushed to her side in concern, but she seemed mostly unharmed. Fia-sensei stood back up with a sheepish, wry smile.
"Ahaha, I did it again."
"……'You did it again'? That is hardly the issue. Colliding with an object due to a complete lack of situational awareness…… Do you understand what a shameful display this is?"
"!?"
The moment the voice spoke, Fia-sensei’s smile vanished. It was quiet, yet it carried an overwhelming weight that seemed to make the very atmosphere vibrate.
Noin-san also turned pale, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The voice had come from behind me. While Fia-sensei and Noin-san could see the speaker, I was still facing the wrong way.
Just as I started to turn around to look, Fia-sensei spun on her heels at incredible speed. I thought she was about to bolt, but instead, she was suddenly pinned to the ground in a perfect seiza. The pavement beneath her had actually caved in slightly, and she wore an expression of pure agony.
It looked as if an incredible amount of gravity had been slammed down specifically on her.
The person walking slowly toward the fallen Fia-sensei was a woman I had never seen before. She had dark green hair cut into a short, perfectly level bob. Her sharp, upturned eyes were a piercing red. Dressed in a trouser-style suit with a meticulously tied necktie, she radiated the aura of a high-powered career woman.
She wore white gloves on both hands, giving her the air of a steward in men's attire.
She was roughly 160cm tall, but the atmosphere around her was as sharp as a polished blade.
The woman stepped up to Fia-sensei and spoke in a voice that resonated with cold authority.
"……And just where were you planning to go, Fia?"
"Ts-Ts-Ts-Tsu…… 'Big Sister Zwei'…… Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you h-here…… What about w-work……"
"I am the one asking the questions…… though, very well. I found myself with some spare time, so I came to pay my respects to Chrome-sama."
"I-I-I see……"
"……I am disappointed."
"Hie!?"
"To think that a family member I haven't seen in so long would be making such a disgraceful spectacle of herself—one utterly unbecoming of a member of Chrome-sama's family. Tell me, Fia. Have I not cautioned you repeatedly? Look where you are going when you walk……"
"A-Awawawa, th-th-that's……"
So this person is Zwei-san? I see—it’s no wonder Fia-sensei and Noin-san are so terrified of her. Even though I wasn't the target of her lecture, I found myself instinctively standing at attention.
To put it mildly, she was terrifying.
"It seems I must once again drill the proper mindset of a member of Chrome-sama's family into your head."
"Hieeeee……"
Fia-sensei was practically in tears at Zwei-san's intimidating declaration.
"Listen well. As subordinates of the Six Kings, we must—oh?"
"……Eh?"
Just as it seemed the legendary lecture was about to commence, Zwei-san stopped mid-sentence and shifted her gaze toward me.
Wait, she's absolutely glaring at me. Why!? Did I do something wrong?
"……You are, if I recall…… Kaito Miyama-san, correct?"
"E-Eh, ah, yes! Nice to meet you, I'm Kaito Miyama!"
Under the pressure of those sharp eyes, I introduced myself with posture so perfect it surprised even me. Zwei-san maintained her severe expression as she moved from Fia-sensei’s side to stand directly in front of me.
She pulled off her right glove and extended her hand.
"I am called Zwei. I look forward to our future acquaintance……"
"Y-Yes…… Likewise, I look forward to working with you."
"I see."
What is this tension? We’re introducing ourselves and shaking hands—it should be a perfectly normal scene. So why is she glaring at me with those cold, displeased eyes? It’s genuinely scary!
Dear Mother, Father—Just when I thought we were getting back to the festival, another hurdle appeared. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear; Zwei-san, whom I’d heard about just moments ago, has made her entrance. And just as Fia-sensei and the others warned—she is quite scary.
Zwei glared at Kaito with a gaze that looked sharp enough to kill. However, her internal state was the polar opposite of her outward appearance.
(Th-This person…… the one who saved Chrome-sama. M-My idol…… Kaito Miyama-sama!? He is m-m-many times more handsome than he looked in his portraits! Wh-Wh-Wh-What should I do? I hadn’t p-p-planned on meeting him so soon!)
Behind the icy mask that looked like pure displeasure, Zwei was in a state of total chaos. She had come to the festival to greet Kuromueina, spotted her family members along the way, and approached to discipline them. Encountering Kaito here was entirely outside her calculations.
(Ideally, I would have brought a gift and only met him after getting a completely new outfit! This is a disaster. My job requires me to meet many people, so my clothes are decent enough, but they are far too inadequate to stand before Kaito-sama! Ah, if only I had worn my new perfume!)
While her mind raced in a direction completely contrary to her face, Zwei firmly gripped Kaito's hand—having removed the white glove she almost never took off in public.
(Kaito-sama is touching my hand! It is such a blessing, and yet…… it’s no use. I’m so nervous I can’t speak properly!)
The murderous glare, the cold, displeased expression, the blunt tone of voice……
In reality, she was simply a nervous wreck standing in front of the person she admired most.
Zwei was simply the type of person whose face never betrayed her, even when she was panicking.
Serious-senpai zero: "……And here I thought we had a cool, serious character! Her heart is already completely captured! And she’s even equipped with a Maiden in Love Filter!?"