I decided to create an opportunity for Fate-san and my parents to meet. It was a simple answer, but when the path to a solution was hard to see, a simple approach was often the most effective.
Acting as soon as the thought struck me, I spoke to Fate-san, Mom, and Kaito's Father, proposing that we try chatting in the reception room again, just like our first introduction.
Mom and Kaito's Father had heard the situation from me—how Fate-san was trying to reach out but failing—and they agreed to give it their best shot.
What came as a bit of a surprise was that Fate-san accepted the idea instantly. She said she would adjust her own work schedule and promised to make time the day after tomorrow, her expression remarkably serious.
"...I see. In that case, as you suspected, the Goddess must have had some feelings of her own on the matter."
"Yes. Even if we don't become the best of friends, I'd like to reach a better result than last time."
"Your enthusiasm is commendable, but not with that face..."
"Eh?"
As I reported the sequence of events to Iris-san at the bar, she gave a wry smile—one that seemed somewhat exasperated, yet held a gentle warmth. She placed several simple dishes in front of me.
"Tension has a curious way of being contagious. If you keep such a deep crease between your brows, it will be transmitted to the parties involved, who are already nervous to begin with. That will only create a vicious cycle... First, you must be the one to relax."
"...Yes."
"I will not tell you not to be anxious. When those close to you are troubled, it is only natural. However, do not rush. Haste makes waste... I believe that was a saying from your world?"
"...It is. Sorry, I was overthinking things. It’s not like this is our last chance, so I’ll try to go into it with the mindset of 'if it fails, I'll just set up another chance later'."
"Umu, that is the way."
Looking at Iris-san as she smiled and nodded, I let out a wry laugh of my own. Honestly... how should I put it? At first, I had thought a bar in the basement was unnecessary.
But this place was incredibly comfortable. The calm atmosphere allowed me to relax, and above all, the fact that the manager, Iris-san, was so attentive was a huge factor.
While her manner of speaking was similar to Chronoa-san's, carrying a sense of haughty distance, her actual personality was gentle and nurturing. She had a big-sisterly vibe; I found myself consulting her about all sorts of things because of the strangely dependable aura she radiated.
With those thoughts in mind, I sampled the delicious food Iris-san had prepared.
"...This is really delicious."
"Hmph. I have prepared ingredients I personally selected in their best possible state. Its excellence is a given... I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no need for such obvious impressions."
Iris-san spoke bluntly, but since her cheeks seemed slightly flushed, she was likely just embarrassed.
"That aside, depending on the results the day after tomorrow, a heavy burden may finally be lifted from your shoulders."
"Yeah, at the very least, the issue of my lover and parents meeting will be solved—"
"Oho? I wonder about that! You're forgetting that Alice-chan still hasn't completely trusted them yet! Of course, I intend to reach out as well, but it seems like it'll take quite some time!"
Alice’s voice cut into the conversation. It made me think, "Now that you mention it, that's right," but Iris-san merely let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"...There you go again, using such misleading phrasing. That part of you hasn't changed since the old days. Exaggerating small problems as if they were catastrophes is a bad habit of yours."
"...Uh, Iris? Um, what are you trying to say?"
"What do I mean? I mean that you trusted Kaito Miyama’s parents a long time ago, didn't you? I am saying that speaking as if they are not yet worthy of trust only causes unnecessary misunderstandings."
"...Alice?"
Having heard something rather shocking, I turned toward Alice. She immediately looked away with an awkward expression.
"Um, Iris-san? What exactly do you mean by that...?"
"It is a chronic bad habit of hers. You cannot see through it unless you have known her for a very long time... If you spend another two years with her, you will understand her core nature."
"I- I see..."
"Anyway, to the point. Since I have been acting through this split body lately, this is just a guess... but this idiot probably told you some nonsense like, '99% is fine, but I can't ignore the last 1%,' didn't she?"
"E- Yes, she said exactly that."
I nodded, amazed that Iris-san had correctly guessed almost the exact words Alice had used. Iris-san let out another heavy sigh before continuing.
"...That is precisely her bad habit. Kaito Miyama, you likely interpreted that as 'she is 1% short of trusting my parents,' right? However, in reality, what this idiot actually meant was... 'I trust them 99%, but I'm maintaining a suspicion of about 1%.'"
"...Huh?"
"There are few people anyone can trust with absolute certainty. If you trust someone 99%, you trust them more than even a common friend... And yet, this idiot speaks of that insignificant 1% as if it were a grave, insurmountable issue."
"...Alice? Look at me for a second... Also, sit in seiza right there."
She had made it sound so serious, and it was only because she didn't trust them by a measly 1%?! I have plenty of people I don't trust 100% either!!
"In the first place, this one is capable of reading hearts and peering into memories, you know. She understood whether your parents were good people or not a long time ago."
"...N- Now that you mention it..."
"Additionally, this idiot is the type to keep truly serious matters to herself until a solution is found. When she speaks of something as if it were dire, it means she has either already found a solution or the matter isn't actually significant at all."
When she put it that way, it made perfect sense. If Alice really didn't trust Mom and Kaito's Father from the bottom of her heart, she probably wouldn't have breathed a word of it to me. She would have tried to handle it in the shadows where I wouldn't notice.
"She was likely thinking something foolish, like pretending to be a villain while keeping the score at 99 instead of 100, telling herself the 'assessment is still ongoing' or 'it's time for an upward revision.'"
"N- No, surely not that far..."
"Is it not?"
"No... maybe a little... just a little bit..."
Alice had an awkward look on her face like a child being scolded by her mother, while Iris-san looked entirely fed up.
I felt like there were still layers to Alice that only someone who had known her as long as Iris-san could uncover...
"Kaito Miyama, remember this... This idiot is a contrarian. On top of that, because she has lived for so many millennia, she’s complicated—she has a persistent urge to play the villain."
"Play the villain?"
"It is true that Alice has acquired a philosophical outlook over her long life, and she can be utterly cold-blooded toward the wicked... but at her innermost core, she is an altruistic softie. She claims she has no interest in others, but in the end, she cannot bring herself to be heartless toward good people. One way or another, she finds herself reaching out to help... If she weren't like that, she would never have been called a Hero."
Iris-san's words struck a chord. Outside of her old acquaintances, the only people Alice publicly declared as important were me, Kuro, and Fate-san. She maintained a dry atmosphere, acting as if everyone else was irrelevant.
However, thinking back... while claiming it was just a byproduct of helping me, she had protected Mitsunaga-kun and Princess Cattleya from the explosion; she had offered an alternative even while refusing Aoi-chan’s request; she had worked for Isis-san’s sake... And as I’d heard from Luna-san, she was the one who suggested the current living arrangement to Lilia-san, who had been feeling lonely about our separate houses.
Furthermore, with that in mind, I felt a sense of clarity regarding Caraway-san's story during the Six Kings Festival. Even if someone wasn't a subordinate of the Six Kings, it wouldn't have been a problem for them to act as a guide, yet Alice had gone out of her way to explain Caraway-san's situation to me.
Moreover, the speed with which she prepared the companion badge was suspicious—perhaps she had anticipated that I would choose Caraway-san as a companion from the start?
"I- Iris... Let's stop already, okay? Alice-chan is actually in a pretty tight spot right now. I think her face is about to spontaneously combust. Seriously, please stop."
"If you were to investigate her past, you would likely find countless instances of her helping people in secret... While her perverseness has only worsened over the years, her soft-hearted nature remains unchanged. Come to think of it, long ago, she used a very roundabout method to save me as well..."
"Stop already! Not just this time, but last time too—why are you exposing my past like it's the most natural thing in the world, you idiot Iris?! Kaito-san is right here! Really, just stop..."
"...Was it, 'I'm only helping you because I need Iris for myself'? Ah, how nostalgic. The way you try to act tough is also the sa—mph!?"
"I told you to stop it!! Come over here for a second!!"
Iris-san, who had been trying to finish her story, was silenced as a beet-red Alice covered her mouth and hauled her off toward the general store through the back door.
Still, hmmm, I see... I felt like I had seen a new side of Alice, but when I looked back, all the pieces of the puzzle had been there all along.
I certainly understood now what Iris-san meant when she said it would take another two years to truly know her... though, well, the fact that Alice is a good person at heart was something I had suspected for a long time now.