After we finished enjoying Erial-san’s performance, it turned out that Flare-san and Eingana-san were planning to catch Lilie-san’s show next, so we said our goodbyes there.
Truth be told, I would have loved to have someone as knowledgeable about the festival as Eingana-san accompany us, but I felt bad about disrupting her schedule, so I didn't ask.
As for our group, we had finished visiting roughly half of the Seven Princesses—Jutia-san, Lilie-san, and Erial-san. Since it was already noon, we decided to grab some lunch before moving on to the next venue.
The restaurants were reportedly operating as usual, so we consulted Kuro’s Complete Food Tour Guide: Yugfressia Edition to figure out our menu.
“...Though I have a feeling the sit-down restaurants are going to be packed,” I noted.
“Oh, what about this place? It looks like they do takeout. We could just grab something and eat in the square,” Hina-chan suggested, leaning over to point at a listing in the guide.
It seemed to be a shop specializing in portable food like hot dogs. Just as she’d said, the guide mentioned they offered takeout. The Harmonic Symphony was undeniably crowded, so grabbing a quick bite to eat in the square sounded like a solid plan.
“We’re fine with that, of course, but... Lilia-san is a noble. Wouldn't you find it a bit off-putting to eat while walking around?” Aoi-chan asked.
“Eh? ...Ah, r-right. Well, I suppose there’s a bit of resistance to the idea, but... it shouldn’t be a problem...” Lilia-san stammered. She clearly hadn’t expected the question and looked visibly flustered.
“...Aoi-sama, you may have forgotten, but Milady is a former knight. She’s spent plenty of time eating rations on the move to save time. I doubt she feels any resistance to it at all,” Luna said.
“...I-I might have a little, you know!”
“Hardly. Your face just now said you didn’t even understand why she was asking at first.”
Luna’s words made perfect sense to me. Given her military background, Lilia-san probably didn't have the same hang-ups as a sheltered noble might. Since everyone was on board, we started making our way toward the shop Hina-chan had picked.
As we walked, a thought occurred to me. I turned to Lilia-san. “Come to think of it, I’ve never asked... Lilia-san, do you have a favorite food?”
“My favorite food...? Is it?”
“Oh, I want to know too! Is it some fancy cuisine or high-end sweets?” Hina-chan chimed in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Lilia-san usually ate everything with refined noble grace, so I couldn't recall her ever expressing a strong preference. She seemed to struggle with the question for a moment before averting her eyes.
“...Well... perhaps Roast Veal? And for dessert... a Charlotte, I suppose.”
She was lying. Lilia-san was a terrible liar; between her shifting gaze and the way her voice pitched up at the end, it was painfully obvious.
Luna looked at her with pure exasperation. “I’m impressed you’d tell such a blatant lie with Sieg and me standing right here. Do you really want to put on airs for Miyama-sama that badly? ...Alright, Sieg. Give him the real answer.”
“...Lili’s true favorites are Omelets and Strawberry Shortcake,” Sieg revealed.
Her tastes were surprisingly down-to-earth.
“...N-No, I mean, that’s not untrue... b-but I only like Omelets and shortcake because they’re nostalgic! Illness used to make them for me all the time, that's the main reason!”
“...And isn't your second favorite Beef Skewers? You make me go out and buy them for you in secret all the time.”
“...”
Lilia-san tried to keep up her defense, but unfortunately for her, Luna was a fountain of insider information who lived for these kinds of follow-up strikes.
“Wait, Beef Skewers?” Aoi-chan asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
“Indeed. Not steak, not roast beef—skewers,” Luna clarified. Lilia-san turned her beet-red face away and muttered a pouty defense.
“...Is it so wrong? Those simple things are the most delicious in the end anyway.”
I understood exactly how she felt. While her pouting was adorable, I decided it was time to step in and save her. “Lilia-san, everyone has their own tastes. My favorite food is Hamburg Steak, so yours aren't strange at all.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. Besides, I’m just happy to learn something new about you, Lilia-san.”
“...Kaito-san.”
Lilia-san’s face lit up with a joyful smile. Keeping our hands hidden from the others while they continued their conversation, she reached out, gently laced her fingers with mine, and leaned her weight against my shoulder.
Serious-senpai: “That was too fast! It’s only been one day since the last development! Stop flirting already!”