During their shopping spree at Alice's weapon shop, Aoi-chan picked out a staff about a meter long, while Hina-chan chose a pair of greaves as her weapon. For protection, they followed the advice of Alice and Hapty-san, selecting garments made from special thread that, despite being light, offered exceptional defensive capabilities.
The weapons were the most affordable items in the shop—what Alice dubbed beginner-grade—but the girls splurged on armor that was significantly more expensive by comparison.
Once the payments were confirmed, Alice's main body manifested behind me and addressed the two of them.
"Now then, ladies. You've secured your equipment, and your field training—disguised as your first job—is officially over. I'd usually wrap things up by saying I look forward to your future success, but since you've both been working reasonably hard and you're close with Kaito-san... I'll offer a special service."
Aoi-chan, Hina-chan, and I all tilted our heads in confusion at Alice's preamble. Since they had already paid, her "special service" clearly wasn't a discount.
They were already fully equipped with weapons and armor, so it likely wasn't a gear upgrade either... which led me to believe it was probably some kind of useful magic item.
But despite my guesses, Alice's next words were completely unexpected.
"I've decided to grant you both 'Heart Tools'."
I was stunned, but Aoi-chan and Hina-chan just looked puzzled. They likely had no idea what a Heart Tool even was, so their reaction was only natural.
Alice proceeded to give them the same explanation she had once given me.
"And well, that's the gist of the power. Since you're both human, you're capable of harboring them... assuming my opinion of you is high enough to let the power take root, of course."
She played it off like that, but judging by her earlier mutterings, she had already determined they were compatible before bringing it up.
"That said, Heart Tools are an otherworldly power. If this ability spreads recklessly, it will shatter the world's power balance. Not to mention, much like with modern machinery, spreading foreign technology too freely might invite complaints from Shallow Vernal-sama. She'll likely look the other way this time since Kaito-san is involved, but I'm going to harbor these within you under one strict condition: you cannot create new Heart Tool Users."
"Alice, you can really do something like that?"
"I can do most things. To an average person, I appear practically almighty."
"Is it all right that you didn't place a similar restriction on me?"
I still hadn't awakened mine—and there wasn't the slightest sign of it happening anytime soon—but I did harbor a Heart Tool. Since I had Shiro-san's Blessing, it might be difficult to restrict me with magic, but I figured it wouldn't be an issue if I just asked Shiro-san directly.
"No, Kaito-san's Heart Tool is the intangible type, so it isn't an issue."
"I see. Wait, Alice... do you already know what kind of Heart Tool I have?"
"I do. Even if you haven't awakened to it yet, as long as it's harbored within you, I can access it through my Hecatoncheir. It wouldn't be any fun if I spoiled the surprise now, though. Just look forward to finding out when you finally awaken it yourself."
"I'm not so sure. There hasn't been the slightest sign of it waking up yet..."
"Individual differences vary wildly. For perspective, I've been in contact with Heart Tools since the moment I was born, yet I didn't awaken mine until I was twelve. It's better to just wait with the mindset that it'll be a nice convenience if it ever does manifest."
Smiling wryly, Alice had Aoi-chan and Hina-chan touch the Heart Tools.
"How does it feel?"
"Ah, yes. I feel like something has... settled in, somehow."
"It felt like something just slid right into place."
It seemed the Heart Tools had successfully taken root in both of them. While the abilities weren't guaranteed to be combat-oriented, they would surely be a massive asset to their future as adventurers once they awakened.
I watched them with a warm smile as they thanked Alice and excitedly discussed what kind of powers they might have received. Then, Alice spoke to me again.
"By the way, speaking of pure humans in your inner circle, there's also Lilia-san."
"Are you going to give Lilia-san a Heart Tool too?"
"I won't say I can't, but she doesn't exactly need any help in the combat department. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"It's not like a Heart Tool harbors a powerful ability just because the person is talented or strong, and many abilities aren't suited for fighting at all. But how should I put it? I have a feeling that if I gave her a Heart Tool, she'd awaken to something so absurdly overpowered it would be a nightmare. So, I'm putting that idea on hold for now."
Somehow, I completely understood that feeling.
Bonus: Character Heart Tools
Achilles (User: Hina Yuzuki) A greave-type Heart Tool that allows the user to run freely on walls or even in mid-air. While it lacks direct offensive power, its synergy with Hina's speed-oriented combat style is perfect, offering extreme versatility. Despite the name, it does not give the user a weak point in their heel.
Asgard (User: Aoi Kusunoki) A giant staff-type Heart Tool. It allows the user to manifest any magic they recognize as 'earth-attribute' while ignoring all normal restrictions. As long as Aoi perceives a spell as earth-attribute, she can cast magic that would normally be far beyond her capacity or technique. However, each use consumes 25% of her maximum magic power, which does not recover for a set duration. Unlike Hina's versatile tool, this is strictly a trump card.
Hauteclere (User: Lilia Albert) A greatsword-type Heart Tool. It forces any attack launched with it to reach the 'theoretical maximum power achievable by the individual's talent.' Alice's prediction was correct; it is a terrifyingly powerful ability that could be described as a Limited Critical Point of Fate. The effect is only valid for a single strike and has a one-hour cooldown. However, since Lilia can use time acceleration to bypass this cooldown, she would possess offensive power comparable to the Six Kings if she ever obtained it. Putting it on hold was definitely the right choice.