Elise and I arrived at the General Management Office. As soon as we stepped inside, a staff member approached us.
"Welcome. How may I help you today?"
"I've come to register a stall for the Founding Anniversary Festival."
"!?"
I nearly did a double-take when I saw Elise address the worker with a dazzling, radiant smile. I knew from experience that she wore a perfect Business Smile in public, acting like a completely different person, but the shift was so jarring it still caught me off guard.
"Certainly. Please, proceed to the special counter over there."
"Thank you very much."
Elise gave the staff member a pleasant word of thanks and started walking. I bowed quickly and followed her. Once we were far enough away from the others, she spoke in a voice meant only for my ears.
"…Do you have a complaint?"
"No, none at all."
Terrifying. What was truly scary was her ability to project a low, menacing tone while keeping that pleasant smile plastered on her face. I decided it was best not to make any unnecessary comments about her public persona.
Upon reaching the special counter, I filled out the paperwork while Elise guided me through the process. When I submitted the forms, they handed me a map showing the available stall locations and told me to pick my preferred spot. I chose a location as close to my house as possible, tucked away from the main thoroughfares so I wouldn't have to navigate the crowded Main Street on my way there.
Next, because the stall would be serving food and drink, I was given a form to document the ingredients I would use and my storage methods. They said it was fine to submit this later, so I decided to bring it back once the materials were finalized.
With the registration complete, I stepped back outside with Elise.
"That was easier than I expected."
"Well, it's just a temporary festival stall, not a permanent shop. Now then, about that meal—where are we going?"
"Right. Elise-san, do you have any favorite foods?"
"..."
Elise took on a thoughtful expression for a moment before letting a very faint smile play across her lips.
"I have my likes and dislikes… but since we're here, why don't I keep it a secret and let Human-san decide?"
"Huh?"
"I'm looking forward to seeing the skills of the Human-san who has captivated so many women."
"Ehhhhh…"
With a teasing look, Elise declared that the choice of restaurant was entirely up to me and began walking. I hurriedly followed, racking my brain for a plan.
She had mentioned having likes and dislikes, so there were clearly things she hated. It would be a disaster if I chose one of those. Thinking back for any hints, I remembered the times she had cooked for me.
The menus had been varied, but one thing stood out: there hadn't been a single dish that used meat. Not even bacon. She used fish and seafood, so she wasn't a vegetarian, but it seemed likely that she simply disliked meat.
With that theory in mind, I checked Kuro's Complete Food Tour Guide and looked for a nearby restaurant specializing in seafood or vegetable-centric dishes.
"Elise-san, how about this restaurant?"
"I don't particularly mind where we go, but… out of curiosity, why did you choose that one?"
"Well, I've never seen you eat meat, so I thought you might dislike it. I tried picking a place that focuses on seafood."
"Heh…"
Elise nodded, looking genuinely intrigued.
"I suppose I should praise you for paying such close attention. As expected of someone who leads so many women around by the nose."
"Are you actually praising me?"
"Who knows? But it's a fact that my evaluation of Human-san has surged. It went from a 20 to about a 21."
"That’s both incredibly low and a tiny increase…"
"Fine, I'll make it a 22."
"Still low…"
"Fufu."
As I slumped my shoulders at the low score, I caught a glimpse of Elise laughing. It wasn't her curated Business Smile, nor was it the small, polite smiles I had seen before. It was an innocent, joyful expression. Somehow, seeing that made me think her claim about the evaluation surging might not have been a total lie.
She seemed to be having more fun than I’d ever seen before, and that made me a little happy, too.
Serious-senpai: "She genuinely seems to be enjoying herself, so I think her evaluation really did jump. For Elise, moving from 20 to 21 might actually be a huge deal."
???: "To put it simply, Elise's maximum evaluation for a normal person is 10. The levels above that are only unlocked for someone she can be her true self with."