It was a peaceful evening. I’d just finished walking and brushing Bell and had spent the rest of the afternoon playing with him, Rin, and Sera. I was just starting to think it was about time for dinner when Alice suddenly appeared.
"Kaito-san!"
"Yeah?"
"Treat me to a meal! Thanks! Alright, I've already picked out a place, so let's get moving-ssu!"
"Wait, what? Hold on... You’re moving too fast!"
What was with this girl? She’d materialized out of thin air and steamrolled the conversation at breakneck speed. It was entirely one-sided. She hadn't even bothered to check if I was actually free.
Between her saying "Treat me" and "Thanks," I hadn't managed to utter a single word.
"N-No, things are moving way too fast—wait, why are you hoisting me up? Hey, seriously, quit messing around..."
"Blast off-ssu!"
"I’m definitely punching you later!"
And just like that, I was soaring through the sky above the Royal Capital.
A short while later, I was walking down a street bustling with the dinner crowd alongside Alice, who was clutching her head as if she were in pain. Apparently, we weren't in the Royal Capital anymore, but in a town a short distance away.
Since this was the third time I’d been transported like this, I’d actually managed to keep my composure. I’d even enjoyed the sunset during our flight. Though, honestly, I still wished she’d carry me normally.
"...That really hurt, you know. Isn't it a bit cruel to use that Toy Hammer-ssu?"
"If I don't use that, I can't actually deal any damage to you. Anyway, what was that all about? Showing up so suddenly?"
"Well, Alice-chan has been through a lot lately-ssu. I decided that for the sake of my mental health, I wanted to binge eat using Kaito-san’s money, so I brought you along-ssu."
"I admire the sheer mental fortitude it takes to say that without a hint of guilt."
She’d added "using my money" as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Still, if Alice was going on a stress-induced binge, I had a feeling the bill was going to be horrific.
With a heavy heart and a mental tally of how much cash I had in my wallet, I followed her to the restaurant she had apparently reserved just for us.
I wondered how much time had passed since we sat down. The menu was focused on meat, and to be fair, everything was delicious and the portions were huge. It didn't feel like a super high-end establishment, but it was upscale enough while still being hearty—exactly the kind of place Alice liked. That part was fine, but...
"...Seriously, how much can you actually eat? Don't you have a limit?"
"How rude! Alice-chan is a maiden so lovely she puts flowers to shame-ssu. Of course I have a limit... It’s called 'the restaurant’s inventory'-ssu!"
"..."
I was speechless. Her aggressive style of pushing a restaurant to its breaking point was something I really should have been used to by now, considering it was Alice.
"...But really, what happened? Why the stress eating?"
"It's not just one thing-ssu... I was already swamped with the Peerage-class review, and then on top of that, we get a Ten-tails Mystic Silver and a Blue Crystal Flower Spirit..."
"Ah, Spica-san, right? The one who joined Isis-san’s faction."
"Exactly-ssu. Because of her, Lilliwood-san realized there’s a chance Spirits might be dwelling in plants we thought were spiritless. Now she's launching a massive re-investigation and asked for my help... Plus, we have a Ten-tails Mystic Silver that managed to keep its sanity. I wanted to see if I could replicate that by immobilizing other Mystic Silvers and restructuring their Magic Power, but they're so rare and they die so easily that it's nearly impossible to run tests-ssu."
I see. Alice—or rather, the Phantasm King Faction—dealt primarily in information. A sudden influx of world-altering discoveries must be a nightmare for them.
"Honestly, between you and Isis-san, you've been dropping 'K-Cases' left and right. I'm drowning in work-ssu."
"...What's a K-Case?"
"In 'our industry,' the act of suddenly bringing in unknown phenomena or unconfirmed creatures is known as a 'Kaito-san's Case,' or 'K-Case' for short-ssu."
"What industry is this? And the 'K' is for me?! Wait, that makes it sound like everything is my fault! That's blatant character assassination!"
"If you can say that with a straight face in front of Lilia-san, I'll admit it's a false rumor-ssu."
"................Moving on. So you're saying you're binge eating because the stress of the new recruits at Isis-san's place gave you a stomach ache?"
Since I had no desire to go and ask for a lecture from Lilia-san, I decided to bury that previous topic immediately.
"Yes-ssu! So much has happened that Alice-chan was practically doubled over with Stomach Pain. This is the cure-ssu!"
"...People who are actually in pain don't build towers out of their empty plates."
I sighed, looking at the literal mountain of dishes Alice had already cleared. To make matters worse, it seemed the restaurant's "limit" was still quite far off. The pile looked like it was going to keep growing for a while.
"Oh, come on, it's fine-ssu! Alice-chan gets to relieve her stress, which is good! Alice-chan gets to eat gourmet food, which is good! And Alice-chan gets it all for free, which is also good! It’s a perfect Triple WIN System where everyone—well, I—benefit-ssu!"
"That's just you scoring a hat trick all by yourself! It's not a 'win' for anyone else!"
"..."
"..."
"Tee-hee—owww!?"
She gave me a "tee-hee" with the most punchable face imaginable, so I let her have it with Shiro-san's Special Toy Hammer again. After writhing in pain for a few moments, Alice suddenly snapped her head up and protested.
"What was that for-ssu?! Are you trying to add a headache to my Stomach Pain?! ...Oh, excuse me! Twenty more plates of everything from here to here-ssu!"
"...I’m telling you, people with stomach aches don't make hellish orders like that."
She clearly had no intention of stopping. She really was a piece of work.
In a way, it was the same as always—classic Alice. I watched her enjoy the food with a wry, exasperated smile. Despite everything, these chaotic interactions were actually pretty fun.
...That said, three Platinum Coins disappeared from my wallet when the bill came. Even for a reasonably priced upscale restaurant, I wasn't sure if I should be impressed that she managed to eat thirty million yen worth of food, or if I should applaud the restaurant for actually having that much food in stock.