After the conversation about Rasal-san wound down and Zex-san took his leave, Isis-san produced what looked like cookies and placed them before me.
"I baked these... Here... Kaito."
"Thank you. Are these mixed berry? They look delicious. Oh, I brought some chocolate along too, so please, everyone, help yourselves."
Isis-san was already familiar with Nebula’s black tea, of course, as I’d served it to her during a previous visit to my home. Since she was a frequent tea drinker, I’d considered bringing her some tea leaves, but I’d ultimately given up on the idea because high-quality leaves are so difficult to brew properly. However, she hadn’t seen this chocolate yet. To be honest, I hadn’t even known about it myself until Nebula showed it to me a few days ago, so I figured it would have a nice sense of novelty.
While I was lost in thought, Isis-san picked up a cookie, broke it in half, and held it out to me—cupping her other hand beneath it to catch any stray crumbs.
"Open... Kaito... Please."
"Oh, uh... t-thanks."
It seemed she was going to feed me. While it would have been one thing if we were alone, doing this here was incredibly embarrassing. Still, looking at her joyful face, refusing was never an option. I opened my mouth and took a bite. The sweet and sour tang of the mixed berries paired perfectly with the cookie dough; it was wonderful.
"It’s really good."
"If you’re happy... I’m... happy, too."
I had a feeling her baking skills had improved since the last time. I glanced around briefly; thanks to her magic power of death, no one was sitting particularly close, so our display didn't seem to be attracting a crowd. However, Iris-san, Polaris-san, and Sirius-san were all at the same table, so they had a front-row seat to the exchange. They were all wearing very warm, fond expressions. Through my Sympathy Magic, I could tell they were genuinely moved to see Isis-san looking so content. I’d known Iris-san for a while, but seeing Polaris-san and Sirius-san, I got the impression that they also sincerely adored her. They seemed to have built a wonderful relationship.
"Oh, by the way, Isis-san."
"Yes?"
"Nebula asked me to give this to you when we met."
"From... Nebula?"
Before heading out for the tea party today, Nebula had handed me a small, elegant wooden box. I knew Isis-san was attending because of her Hummingbird message, and Nebula had specifically requested I deliver this to her.
"Here it is. You know Nebula has been making her own crafted sugar, right?"
"Yes... It's very beautiful... I received... an assortment."
"Well, she made some crafted sugar modeled after you."
"After... me?"
Isis-san tilted her head curiously as I opened the box to reveal a wide-mouthed jar. Inside was what looked like sugar, but unlike Nebula’s usual elaborate works, these were simple cubes shaped like crystals.
"Crystal? Or maybe ice?"
"Maybe... because I often... use ice magic?"
"Ah, that makes sense. I bet it changes once you put it in the tea. Want to try?"
"Yes... Nebula went through the trouble... I want to see."
Nebula and Isis-san got along quite well since Nebula wasn't affected by the magic power of death. In fact, though Lilia-san and the others had been terrified at first, everyone soon realized just how kind Isis-san was after spending a little time with her. This meant that people like Lilia-san—who were strong enough to approach her despite the mana—found more and more opportunities to talk. Even in my own household, Anima, Caraway, Eta, Theta, and Illness-san were all Peerage-class in strength, so they could hold normal conversations with her without issue.
"Oh... wow... beautiful."
"That really is pretty. I was wondering why it didn't look that elaborate at first, but she clearly saved all the effort for the presentation."
As soon as Isis-san dropped the crystal-shaped sugar into her tea, it transformed. A tiny sun and moon appeared, surrounded by a flurry of hearts, before slowly dissolving into the brew.
"The sun... must be... Kaito."
"Does that make you the moon then?"
"Yes... probably."
Ice melting into a sun and a moon... us surrounded by hearts... it was a perfect representation of how lovey-dovey we were. It was an incredibly elaborate touch. I suddenly understood what Nebula meant when she’d told me she was making others in sequence. She was probably creating themed sugars for me and all my lovers. It was a bit embarrassing, but seeing it made me feel warm and happy.
Isis-san seemed to feel the same. Underneath the table, she reached out and gently took my hand. I gave her hand a firm squeeze in return.
Serious-senpai: "It seems even the Great Sage of the Undead didn't realize that Rasal charged in all cocky, only to have her spirit shattered the moment she saw Isis, resulting in an immediate first-move dogeza and total surrender..."
???: "No, Serious-senpai... that was the previous chapter. Please stop trying to escape reality."
Serious-senpai: "...Stop with the lovey-dovey fluff already..."