I managed to clear up the misunderstanding with Zwei... although I couldn't help but feel my method of resolving it was a bit questionable. Still, for the time being, things were definitely looking up between us.
I spent some more time walking around the night festival with Raz and the others, but eventually, Zwei had to head back, citing work obligations.
As she left, she extended an invitation: "You must come visit the city I oversee sometime." I made a mental note to find some time once the Six Kings Festival concluded.
The city she managed was likely the one where Kuro’s castle was located. When I’d visited briefly before, I’d been so preoccupied with making a music box that I hadn't had the chance to look around, so I appreciated the offer.
I spent another hour or so exploring the festival with Raz and her group before my own dinner time approached. I parted ways with them and made my way toward the Central Tower.
Choosing a relatively uncrowded path, I reflected on the day’s events.
I really had run into all sorts of people today. We were all at the same festival, so it was bound to happen, but the sheer frequency of these encounters in such a massive venue was honestly surprising.
Meeting Zwei had been particularly jarring. Even if she hadn’t actually harbored any ill will toward me, I wasn't used to being treated with such coldness, and it had left me feeling quite bewildered.
When I thought about it that way, I realized just how much I usually relied on the kindness of the people around me...
"...Wait."
"Tch... Kaito, is it?"
My conflict with Zwei had been a simple misunderstanding—a result of her not knowing how I felt and us failing to connect. However, I did have another acquaintance who treated me with biting cynicism. And in her case, it felt like she gave me the cold shoulder with full intent.
"Shia-san... why do you click your tongue every time you see me?"
"It has nothing to do with you in particular. I am a solitary goddess. I simply dislike being bothered."
Encountered by chance on a sparsely populated path, Shia-san replied with her usual disgruntled expression. Well, with her, it wasn't that she specifically hated me; this was just her default setting.
"By Shia-san... do you mean you’re a loner?"
"I don’t know the meaning of that word, but I can tell you're mocking me. I'll hit you."
"S-Sorry. Still, what a coincidence running into you here."
"...I suppose."
At the very least, she used my name, and she would actually talk to me if I spoke first, so I liked to think she didn't truly despise me. Even if she had told me she hated me during our first meeting...
As I stood there, I suddenly remembered something. I’d been meaning to thank Shia-san for her help with Fia-sensei. Since I rarely had the chance to see her, this was actually quite fortunate.
"Come to think of it, Shia-san, I'm sorry my thanks are so late, but thank you for lending me your strength the other day."
"Hmph... It was nothing. I only helped you on a whim because you looked so pathetically miserable."
"Still, it was a huge help. Please, accept this as a small token of my gratitude."
"...Hmm? What is this?"
While Shia-san spat out insults while looking away, I gave a wry smile and pulled out a super-spicy vegetable—or something shaped like one—that Shiro-san had made for me.
For someone as fond of spicy food as Shia-san, this should be the ultimate gift... or so I hoped.
According to Shiro-san, these vegetables were hot enough that even I, who possessed Shiro-san's Divine Protection, would lose my sense of taste for days if I ate them. For a normal human, the heat would be lethal.
Shia-san accepted the vegetable, looking back and forth between the food and my face with a puzzled expression. It’s worth noting that these vegetables have no scent, nor do they burn the skin on contact.
She took a single bite... and her eyes snapped wide open.
"Wh-What is this?! This is... incredible! I’ve never tasted anything so delicious!"
"..."
Again, this was a substance that would kill a normal person.
"This unprecedented level of spice, yet it maintains such a refined, clean flavor... It’s supreme. This is the very ingredient I have been searching for my entire life..."
"Uh... yeah."
"Kaito! Where on earth did you get this?! Tell me, please!"
"Ah, well, you see..."
Caught in her intense, aggressive questioning, I explained that Shiro-san had created the vegetable and that it would grow in just three days if the seeds were planted.
Shia-san was astonished to hear that the Creation God herself had made them, but by the time she received the seeds, she actually looked happy—a rare sight for her.
"...As expected of Shallow Vernal-sama. To be able to mass-produce this flavor so easily... it is truly wonderful."
"I’m just glad you like them."
"Yes. My apologies, Kaito. You have my thanks. My evaluation of you has risen sharply."
"I-Is that so?"
"Have confidence. You are officially an 'intelligent lifeform.' You have my word on it."
"I’ve never once doubted that about myself!"
Or rather, I’d only just reached the level where she considered me an intelligent being? Just how low was her opinion of me before this...?
Dear Mother, Father—Shia-san was as foul-mouthed and roundabout as ever, but she seemed truly delighted by my gift. And as for my standing in her eyes... well, much to my chagrin, I’ve finally ranked up to the status of an intelligent lifeform.