After Alice finished showing me the Basement of Pranks and a few other areas, we finally made our way toward my room.
The mansion Alice had built was surprisingly thoughtful; she had anticipated my needs in ways I hadn’t even considered. Listening to her explanations, I realized just how many practical features she’d integrated into the design.
While there had certainly been some jokes along the way, everything besides the basement seemed to have been constructed properly. It didn’t look like the situation would devolve into me having to give Alice another swift knock to the head.
“Now then, it’s finally time for your room, Kaito-san!” Alice announced with exuberant energy.
Two possible scenarios flashed through my mind. The first was that she had saved the absolute worst prank for my private quarters—the “main attraction,” so to speak.
The other was that she had, conversely, finished it in a completely sensible manner. While Alice certainly enjoyed her antics, she had never played a joke on me that she knew would truly cause me distress. Because of that, I figured the latter was more likely.
However, if that was the case, a question remained: Why had she saved my room for last? If she was going for maximum impact, she would surely save the biggest highlight for the end. Alice was exactly the type to care about that kind of theatrical presentation.
Which meant… was there something in there? Some element that surpassed everything I had seen so far?
“…Kaito-san? Are you going in or not?”
“Wait a second. I’m currently steeling my resolve…”
“Hmph, what a hurtful reaction. Is it fifty-percent trust and fifty-percent suspicion? Well, you’re more or less correct with the second thing that came to your mind.”
“…Don't just read my mind so casually.”
“Oh, I can’t actually read your heart, Kaito-san. Not with the Blessing of Shallow Vernal-sama protecting you. That was just a guess.”
“…I see.”
I really had to wonder just how high her IQ was. I’d love to have her take an actual test one of these days just to see the results.
Regardless, standing around thinking about it wouldn't get me anywhere. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, steeled my resolve, and threw open the door.
“…Wait, what?”
“How is it? It’s a pretty good reproduction, right?”
“…No, rather than a reproduction… it’s exactly the same.”
The sight that met my eyes was intensely familiar. In fact, it was a perfect replica of my room back at Lilia-san’s estate.
Truly, every detail—from the oversized bed to the specific placement of the furniture—was identical.
“Well, your own room is the one place where you should be most at ease, so I tried to give you something you were already used to.”
“I-I see… Well, it certainly is a relief in its own way. Hmm? No, wait…”
As I scanned the room—feeling a mix of pleasant surprise and a slight sense of being let down—I suddenly noticed something. I had assumed it was a perfect copy of the room I’d lived in for a year, but one spot was different. What was that thing?
“…Hey, Alice.”
“What’s up?”
“That gate-like object in the back of the room… what is it?”
“Ah, that? I asked Shallow Vernal-sama to craft that for me. It’s a unique Magic Tool.”
It seemed I had been mistaken. Of the two possibilities I’d imagined, the answer was neither the first nor the second, but a combination of both.
Yeah, that thing was definitely not normal. The moment she said Shiro-san had made it, it was a foregone conclusion that it was something impossible to replicate with anything currently existing in this world.
“…Alice, give it to me straight. What kind of outrageous Magic Tool is that?”
“Oh, it’s not that unreasonable. To put it very simply, it’s a Gate that can teleport anywhere, ignoring teleportation interference.”
“…Uh, does that mean I can teleport directly into the Sanctuary, for instance?”
“Exactly. You’ll need to register the coordinates in advance, of course. Since that part is a bit tricky, I’ll handle the registrations for you.”
“I see…”
In truth, Teleportation Magic isn't something that lets you go wherever you please. The teleportation tool I owned was capable of long-distance travel, but it couldn't penetrate a Teleportation Interference Barrier.
The Sanctuary, for example, naturally nullified such magic. When I visited Shiro-san, I usually had to rely on her inviting me, or I had to teleport to the Lower Level of the God Realm and travel up through the Middle and Upper Levels manually. The reason I had my teleportation points set to the front gates of Lilia-san’s mansion or Isis-san’s castle was because of those barriers.
Of course, a few overwhelming powerhouses like Kuro could teleport through such interference, but the magic consumption was on a completely different scale. It was said that Magic Crystals couldn't even store enough energy to power such a feat.
Then again, even if the consumption was massive, Kuro’s capacity was so vastly different from mine that it hardly mattered. If my magic was a one, hers was in the trillions or quadrillions. For her, it was probably pocket change.
“…I suppose that’s convenient? Though honestly, I can’t think of much use for it other than visiting the Sanctuary.”
“Well, consider it a little quality-of-life feature. It can also teleport to Kaito-san’s world. Only Kaito-san can activate it, but once you open the gate, other people can pass through as well.”
“…Sorry, I take it back. It really is an outrageous Magic Tool.”
It could teleport between worlds? That meant that if I felt like it, I could go from my own bedroom straight to my aunt and uncle’s house on Earth. That was absolutely incredible.
Extra: Difficulty Level of Becoming Friends with Kaito's Lovers
Kuromueina - Difficulty Level: ★ She is fundamentally friendly and wanders the world whenever she has free time, so she’s easy to run into. You can become friends with her almost instantly. The conversation will always flow smoothly if you praise Kaito.
Sieglinde - Difficulty Level: ★ She is gentle and kind even to strangers, making it very easy to befriend her. Topics involving animals or Kaito are guaranteed to make her open up.
Lilia - Difficulty Level: ★★★ While her personality is kind and approachable, her status as the Head of a Ducal House makes her difficult to meet in the first place. If you can actually secure an audience, however, becoming friends isn't that hard.
Isis - Difficulty Level: ★★★★★★★★★★ (When Alone), ★★★★ (When Kaito is Present) Her personality is lovely, but her Magic Power of Death makes a solo conversation impossible for anyone below Peerage-class. However, if Kaito is nearby, you can talk to her as long as you maintain a five-meter distance. If you heap praise on Kaito, she’ll get excited and might even give you a beautiful smile.
Fate - Difficulty Level: ★★★★★★★★★★★★ Meaningful friendship is essentially impossible. If Kaito is nearby, she will be superficially friendly and might even give you a nickname. However, truly gaining her interest is impossible unless you are powerful enough to oppose Absolute Causality Manipulation—meaning you’d need to be a God or something similar.
Alice - Difficulty Level: Don't bother She appears friendly on the surface, but she is a terrifying minefield. If you slip up even once or say something that makes her think, “Wait, is this person going to be a nuisance to Kaito-san?”, you’re headed for a dead end. Furthermore, because she is abnormally intelligent, the strategy of praising Kaito won’t work; if she senses your praise isn’t sincere, she’ll deal with you on your way home without Kaito ever knowing. Your only hope is a three-way meeting with Kaito present, where you ignore her entirely and focus on being a genuine friend to him. If Kaito recognizes you as a friend, your mortality rate drops significantly.
Shallow Vernal - Difficulty Level: If you’re looking for a way to commit suicide, you’d suffer less by finding a different method Meeting her is impossible. If you don't possess power on the level of a World-creation God class, you’ll be vaporized by the Gods before you even get close.