Thanks to Gluttony-san’s teleportation magic, we arrived at Jutia-san’s assigned area in the blink of an eye. The scene that greeted us was nothing short of spectacular.
Rows of trees lined the space, creating the feel of a forest clearing, but what truly struck me was the staggering number of spirits. There were far more than I’d seen during the Treasure Tree Festival; nature spirits from the Spirit Trees of Rigforresia, the Demon Realm, and beyond seemed to have gathered here in force.
"What a spectacular sight."
"There are so many spirits... They’re all sparkling. It’s so beautiful!"
As I stood overwhelmed by the sheer volume of flitting spirits, Hina-chan looked on with equal wonder, her eyes shimmering with emotion.
"I wonder what they do here?" Sieg-san murmured. "It looks like a public plaza, but..."
"That’s because, that’s because... everyone’s going to sing together, ze-i!"
"——!?"
Immediately after Sieg-san’s question, a familiar voice called out from behind us. It was so unexpected that we all jumped and spun around to find Jutia-san standing there with a radiant smile.
"Sorry, sorry! Did I give you a scare? I sensed someone arriving via teleportation magic, so I came to investigate out of curiosity. And then, and then, I realized it was a group of familiar faces, so I hurried over to say hello! Welcome, welcome! I’m so happy to see you all again, ze-i!"
"Oh, so that was it. Hello again, Jutia-san. Thank you for all your help back during the White God Festival."
It seemed Jutia-san had picked up on the ripple of our arrival and come to greet us personally. As always, she had a bright, gentle aura that made her incredibly easy to talk to.
"Ju-Jutia-sama! T-Thank you so much for everything the other day!"
"You are... Sieglinde the High Elf, if I recall correctly. Yes, yes! I’m happy to see you looking so well, ze-i!"
Jutia-san gave the nervous Sieg-san a warm, encouraging smile before turning back to me.
"We’re starting soon, so please, make yourselves at home and enjoy the show! By the way, by the way—to change the subject—are you planning to attend the tea party later, Kaito?"
"Ah, yes. I am."
"I see, I see! That’s great news, ze-i. I look forward to that tea party every year. I’ve even prepared a very special black tea for the occasion!"
"Actually, I’ve prepared a special tea of my own. It’s truly something else. I’m not sure if you’re aware of her, but Ein-san—from Kuro’s... the Underworld King’s household—praised it so highly she called it a ‘black tea revolution.’"
"…………Eh? Is that so? The Ein-sama said that?"
I’d mentioned it casually, though honestly, I suppose I did have a bit of a desire to show off Nebula’s work just a little.
However, the moment she heard my words, Jutia-san’s smile vanished. For the first time since I’d met her, she looked truly, utterly stunned.
"You mean that Ein-sama? I’ve met her several times, and she is a woman who has truly mastered every facet of the world of tea... and that Ein-sama praised this as a ‘black tea revolution’? Does such a miraculous tea actually exist? K-Kaito, just what is this tea...?"
"U-Ummm, I could tell you now, of course... but since we’re both going, why don’t we save the surprise for the tea party?"
"Ugh... True, true. It’s better to save the best for later. U-Urrrgh, I’m so curious, I’m so curious! But I’ll endure it for now, ze-i!"
"I’ll make sure you’re the first person I show it to at the party, Jutia-san, so please look forward to it."
"Understood! I’ll be looking very, very forward to it, ze-i!"
In truth, I had brought a tin specifically as a gift for Jutia-san, so I could have just given it to her then and there... but it felt right to let her taste it first before presenting the gift.
"Oops! Well then, well then, I need to go finish the preparations. You all have fun now!"
"Wait, Jutia-san! I’m sorry to bother you while you’re busy, but would you mind giving Sieg-san an autograph?"
"Oyo? An autograph? Sure, sure! That’s an easy favor to grant, ze-i!"
Since it looked like she was about to dash off, I decided to ask for the signature on Sieg-san’s behalf.
Sieg-san’s face lit up with joy as she pulled out an autograph board and handed it over. Jutia-san signed it with practiced ease.
"Well then, well then... See you later!"
"Yes. Thank you very much."
We thanked Jutia-san as she departed, waving with a bright smile. Then, following the guidance of the flitting spirits, we moved toward the center of the plaza to wait for the performance to begin.
Serious-senpai: "By the way, what’s the status on those popularity poll extra chapters?"
???: "Ah, it seems they’re being written in small bursts between the daily updates. As of right now, Isis-san’s extra chapter is sitting at about 20,000 words, so it looks like it’ll be a while yet."
Serious-senpai: "I see. Well, I guess that’s fair since it’s being done alongside the daily updat—wait, what did you just say?"
???: "I said it’ll take a while longer."
Serious-senpai: "No, before that!"
???: "Isis-san’s extra chapter is currently at about 20,000 words in progress..."
Serious-senpai: "...I don’t even understand. Just how many words does he plan on writing for this thing before he’s done?"