I arrived at Suiren and pulled open the door. Having killed a bit of time beforehand, we had missed the peak dinner rush, but that meant the shop was comfortably empty.
"Welcome—Oh? Kaito-kun and Olivia-sama?"
"Good evening, Kaori-san."
"Pardon the intrusion."
After exchanging brief greetings, we took our seats at the counter. Kaori-san set down glasses of water for us as she spoke.
"How unusual. Olivia-sama visiting without a reservation, and Kaito-kun, you usually come much earlier in the day. Plus, look at you two... those clothes look incredibly expensive."
"Well, actually—"
It was true that I frequented Kaori-san’s restaurant, but I usually visited around lunch or early in the evening, so my timing today was a bit of a departure from the norm.
I gave her a quick rundown of the situation—that we were on our way back from a wedding, and after talking with Olivia-san, the subject turned to food and we decided to head here.
Kaori-san nodded as if she understood.
"I see, a wedding. That explains the formal suits... Wait, hmm? You attended together? Olivia-sama did?"
"Yes. As the Pope, I wished to observe a wedding ceremony led by Shenism firsthand, so I essentially made an unreasonable request of Miyama Kaito-sama."
"I see, I see. And how was it?"
"There was much to learn. I was even permitted to officiate the proceedings myself, so it proved to be an excellent experience."
"...I’ve been hearing snippets of things that defy common sense for a few minutes now, but I think my stomach is going to start hurting if I dig any deeper, so I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that."
Kaori-san’s eyes went a bit distant for a moment, but she quickly shook it off with a bright smile and presented the menus.
"Anyway, what can I get for you?"
"Ah, I’ll have the Chicken Tomato Stew Set Meal."
"I will have the same, please."
"Ho, you have a good eye! I’ve recently started sourcing better chicken than before, so you can go ahead and set your expectations high. Well, high for a diner, anyway!"
"Ahaha, I look forward to it."
I had only chosen the set meal because it was Olivia-san’s recommendation, but it seemed Kaori-san was genuinely proud of the dish. That aside, she mentioned getting better chicken? I wonder if she found a new supplier.
"Since you're getting better chicken now, does that mean you found a new business partner?"
"Yeah. Well, I didn't find them myself; Akane-san introduced me."
"Eh? By Akane-san, do you mean Akane Mikumo-san?"
"That’s the one. She came by the shop because she heard about it from you, Kaito-kun. Since we’re from the same neck of the woods, she’s been helping me out with all sorts of sourcing."
"...I only met Akane-san very recently, though. She really didn't waste any time, did she?"
"Akane-san is action personified, after all."
"That’s true..."
If she visited, helped with the sourcing, and actually finalized the deal for the chicken... Akane-san must have made her way to Kaori-san’s shop within just a few days of meeting me.
"But still, a wedding, huh..."
"Kaori-san?"
"No, it’s just... in this world, there are so many long-lived species, and very few people seem to worry about 'marriageable age.' It’s not like everyone around me is getting married in waves... but being nearly thirty myself, I do have some feelings on the matter..."
"I-Is that how it is?"
"That’s exactly how it is. Even when you tell yourself there's no need to rush, there are moments when the anxiety just hits you."
I... I see. At the very least, I realized this was a topic I shouldn't tread upon lightly. The aura of melancholy surrounding Kaori-san was immense; I felt like I’d trigger a catastrophe if I tried to console her half-heartedly.
As I was hesitating, Olivia-san tilted her head curiously.
"Mizuhara Kaori-san, may I ask a question?"
"Eh? Oh, yes. What is it?"
"Why does being close to thirty years of age create such anxiety regarding marriage?"
"That’s... hard to explain. How should I put it? It’s the weight of being single even at thirty..."
"If that is the criteria, then what of me? I am over a thousand years old."
"Exactly! That’s why it’s so hard to explain this feeling to people of this world!"
Olivia-san had no ill intent—she was surely asking out of pure curiosity—but it was an incredibly difficult question for Kaori-san to answer.
After all, if she tried to justify it by age, Kaori-san was young enough to be considered a mere child from Olivia-san’s perspective.
"Um, Olivia-san. In the world we came from, humans were the only race, and our lifespans weren't nearly as long as the people here. Because of that, reaching thirty was a major milestone, and many people were concerned about it. I think Kaori-san still carries that perspective..."
"I see. So it is a difference in the common sense of our respective worlds."
When I stepped in to help, Kaori-san looked visibly relieved.
"Well, even so, there’s only so much you can do by worrying about it."
"That’s true. Even if I know that logically, my heart is another matter... You’ll understand once you get close to thirty too, Kaito-kun. You’ll definitely start feeling like you’ve aged quite a bit."
"Actually... um... because of the influence of the Blessing of the Creator God I received from Shiro-san, I’ve become ageless... Sorry."
"Agelessness?! You don't age?! That’s... That’s totally cheating!!"
Kaori-san’s soul-piercing scream echoed through the restaurant.
Serious-senpai: "That’s the thing. In the thirties, you’re actually so young that you’d be among the first if you counted from the bottom of the cast list."
???: "In terms of Kaito-san’s lovers, excluding Anima-san, Lilia-san—who is twenty-five now that two years have passed—is the youngest of them all, after all."