As Sky guided us toward the restaurant, the festivities of the White God Festival continued to unfold around us. Compared to the Lower Level, the Middle Level had a much more distinct God Realm atmosphere. Rather than endless rows of stalls, the vista looked more like a sprawling theme park.
It was entertaining just to watch the various attractions, and simply walking along while chatting with everyone about what certain events might be was an absolute delight.
I’m really making the most of this festival, I thought, letting my gaze wander curiously as we walked.
However, perhaps I had been a bit too distracted by the sights, or maybe I had let the excitement cloud my focus, but I accidentally collided with someone walking in from the side.
The other person had actually tried to avoid me, but I didn't notice them until the very last second. My frantic attempt to sidestep only led us into that awkward dance where both people move in the same direction at once before finally bumping into each other. It was entirely my fault.
The impact was fairly significant, suggesting we had hit each other with quite a bit of force.
"S-Sorry! Are you okay?"
"Oho?"
"That was completely my own carelessness."
I hurriedly apologized to the person I had bumped. She was a very petite woman, standing about 130 centimeters tall, with wavy dark brown hair. She wore a slightly unusual outfit that resembled a poncho.
What caught my eye most of all, however, were the two horns growing from the sides of her head toward the back. They weren't like the horns of a Western dragon, but rather reminded me of the horns of a Japanese dragon—though on closer inspection, I realized they were actually made of wood.
The woman turned her large green eyes toward me, her expression momentarily blank with surprise. But when she saw me bowing my head, she broke into a radiant, beaming smile.
"Nice, nice! You’ve got spirit! I love kids with spirit! But you should probably pay a little more attention to your surroundings, yeah?"
"I am truly sorry."
"It’s fine, it’s fine! Don’t worry about it so much! More importantly, I’m totally fine, but are you hurt anywhere?"
"Ah, yes. I’m perfectly..."
The woman spoke with a massive, sunny grin, and the emotions reaching me through Sympathy Magic were incredibly warm and friendly. She seemed like a genuinely wonderful person.
"I see, I see! Well then, this isn't a minus, it’s a plus!"
"Eh?"
"I mean, think about it! Since neither of us is hurt, the only reason we're talking like this is because we bumped into each other! I'm happy, I'm happy! New encounters are just the best, aren't they?"
She gave me a thumbs-up as she spoke in a cheerful, cute voice. She really was an incredibly bright and good-natured soul.
"But sorry, sorry! I’d love to chat more, really, but I’ve got a place I need to be. I’ll be off now!"
"Ah, yes. I’m sorry for holding you up."
"See ya, see ya! If we run into each other again somewhere, let’s take the time for a proper chat then!"
With a smile so infectious it made me feel happy just looking at her, she gave me one more thumbs-up and walked away with a light wave of her hand.
I definitely needed to reflect on my clumsiness, but I was truly glad she had been such a kind person. She had a slightly unusual way of speaking, but there was no doubt she was good to the core.
Thinking that, I turned back to the others... and found Lilia-san on the ground with her hands and knees down, her head hanging in utter despair.
"Milady! Pull yourself together!"
"...Why? Why is this man always like this? In a crowd this massive, how does he keep finding them, one after another... I can't take it anymore. Kaito-san is terrifying."
...Huh? What was with this strange atmosphere? I was shocked by Lilia-san’s reaction, but she wasn't the only one; another person stood there with slumped shoulders, looking as if they had received a profound spiritual blow.
"Aaaahhh... I was so shocked I couldn't react... And it was such a perfect chance to speak with her..."
It was Sieg-san. Wait, what was going on? I could almost understand Lilia-san’s reaction—maybe the woman was someone famous. But what was the meaning behind Sieg-san’s utter devastation?
Confused, I called out to Luna-san, who was currently occupied with comforting Lilia-san, and asked for an explanation.
"...Um, Luna-san. Who exactly was that just now? And what’s wrong with Sieg-san?"
"That woman was one of the World King's Subordinate Executives 'Seven Princesses,' the Great Tree Princess Jutia-sama."
"Eeeehhh!? R-Really!?"
I mean, I had gathered from Lilia-san’s reaction that she was a big deal... but I hadn't expected her to be one of the Seven Princesses. I wish I had spoken to her a bit more and thanked her properly.
Well, no, she did say she had somewhere to be, so I couldn't have held her up regardless...
"Yes, I was surprised as well. Or rather, I’ve once again been forced to realize just how terrifying Miyama-sama's luck truly is. Setting that aside, regarding Sieg’s reaction... Jutia-sama is the Great Spirit of the Spirit Tree, which the Elf Race regards as a sacred Treasure Tree. To Elves, she is practically a deity. There are even legends that one can find eternal happiness just by speaking with her. To put it in terms you might understand... she is to Sieg what Nizbel-sama is to Milady."
"I see... I understand perfectly now."
In other words, she was Sieg-san’s idol, and Sieg-san was currently mourning the fact that she had missed her chance to exchange words with her despite their proximity.
I see... As expected, since this wasn't intentional on my part, I didn't think Lilia-san would actually be angry with me... but it felt like it would be quite a while before those two were ready to keep walking.
Serious-senpai: "...And so, the third girl who uses masculine pronouns makes her debut."
???: "Third? Who was the second?"
Serious-senpai: "Erina Kurusu."
???: "What about Hapty-chan?"
Serious-senpai: "She’s essentially the same person as Alice, so she doesn't count."
???: "I see..."