After I finished touring the festival with Tre and the sisters, I returned to the stall to relieve Sieg-san and her group. I had heard they’d had a steady stream of customers, but it hadn't been so crowded that they couldn't take it easy.
I thanked them and we swapped places, beginning the second half of our operation. As expected, the foot traffic had increased significantly compared to the morning. There would likely be fireworks tonight, so the number of people participating in the festival was on the rise.
Even so, it wasn't a dizzying level of activity. It was more like a comfortable, manageable rush, which made it quite fun. Since customers didn't come in a non-stop stream, I could take breaks whenever there was a lull. It was an ideal level of busyness.
As I continued running the stall, some familiar faces unexpectedly showed up.
"Oh, look at you, hard at work."
"Akane, Frau, and Kaori-san too? You all came together."
"I invited Kaori along," Akane said. "We figured we'd come by and see how you were doing, Kaito."
"I see... By the way, Kaori-san, why do you look so exhausted?"
Our visitors were Akane, Frau, and Kaori. I had heard they had become fast friends after meeting through me, so seeing them together made sense. Akane was skilled at teleportation magic, so traveling to the royal capital was easy for her. That aside, I was concerned about the weary expression on Kaori’s face.
"Kaito-kun, be careful," Kaori warned. "Even if something seems trivial to you, that might not be the case for the other person. That’s exactly how slips of the tongue happen."
"I can tell something happened, at least."
"Just a little something," Kaori sighed. "I was given a passionate lecture about okonomiyaki. A very... very passionate one."
"I-I see..."
Kaori’s exhaustion combined with the mention of okonomiyaki let me piece it together. Kaori must have made some careless remark about the dish, triggering a heated explanation from Akane, who was incredibly particular about it. Akane was famously fussy about takoyaki, so she was likely just as opinionated about okonomiyaki.
"But you’ve timed it well," I said. "It was crowded until just a moment ago, but it’s died down for now."
"Heh, you're doing pretty well for yourself, aren't you?" Akane said. "Doing this well for your first time is impressive. Let's see how it tastes—Whoa! Wh-What is this? This is way too delicious!"
"Eh? Is it really that good?" Kaori asked. "Let me have one too... It's delicious! This is amazing. It feels like the ingredients themselves are just on a different level."
They each bought a bag of baby castella and began eating, both of them astounded by the flavor. I understood the feeling; I’d been shocked the first time I ate them, too.
"The ingredients are definitely different," Akane muttered. "They’re top-quality. I'd love to stock these myself, but they're probably from some crazy source, so it’d be too much for me to handle."
"Excuse me, I'll take ten bags of each," Frau interrupted. "The Chairman will pay."
"Hey now, Frau! Why are you casually putting your order on my tab!?"
As usual, Frau had decided to buy ten bags of each on Akane’s account, placing her order while pulling out a magic box. Akane complained, but knowing her, she would probably end up paying in the end anyway.
"Well, Frau aside... Kaito, is the cat on this bag your taste? This is a bit... off, don't you think?"
"Eh? Do you think so? I think it's cute. Akane, this is what's known as 'creepy-cute.'"
"R-Really?" Akane asked. "I feel like it could have been made to look a bit more appealing. I mean, the drawing is one thing, but that kigurumi over there is pretty rough."
"No way, it’s cute!" Kaori interjected. "I actually want to take a picture with it."
The evaluation of Alice’s cat... Personally, I agreed with Akane, but Kaori apparently categorized that cat as "creepy-cute" and rated it quite highly.
I was thinking about how much tastes could vary between individuals when Alice, still in the kigurumi, suddenly tapped Kaori on the shoulder.
"Eh? This way? Look over here... and do a peace sign? Um... Peace!"
Prompted by Alice, Kaori struck a cute pose. I wasn't sure what it was for at first, but a moment later, Alice pulled out a photograph and handed it to her.
"Wait, is this a photo?" Kaori gasped. "It’s so clear! I didn't know they had photography in this world!"
"Photos!?" Akane exclaimed. "No, no, wait, Kaori. In this world, cameras are magic tools that were only developed recently. They aren't the kind of thing you just find lying around... Ah, well... I suppose if it’s Kaito’s acquaintance, it wouldn't be strange if they had one."
"Just so you know," I added, "the person inside is the Phantasm King."
The two of them froze. Thinking it would be a problem if they found out later, I decided to use my past experiences as a lesson and tell them upfront. Akane and Kaori’s eyes widened in shock, while Frau spoke up instantly.
"Phantasm King-sama! I thought your attire was magnificent. The only one who insulted it was the Chairman, so if you're going to dispense punishment, please do so to her!"
"Hey, you...! Frau...!"
She threw Akane under the bus with refreshingly high speed. That’s Frau for you. Well, Alice probably didn't mind, and for that matter, I shared Akane’s opinion. I think Alice was just happy that Kaori was so full of praise that she wanted to take a picture together.
Evaluation of Alice's Kigurumi
Kaito: Gross Aoi: Kinda weird Hina: Ugly-cute Lilia: Is this kind of thing popular among commoners? Lunamaria: I want a plushie of it Sieg: I like normal cats, not kigurumi Kuromueina: I think it's unique and nice Isis: ...Cute Lilliwood: What is the point of intentionally giving it such a suspicious appearance? Megiddo: Not interested Magnawell: How bizarre... Iris: It's a ridiculous-looking thing Kaori: I like it a lot; it's creepy-cute Akane: ...No, it's just gross, right? Frau: Swayed by the powerful Machina: I think it's normally cute Serious-senpai: I see the black cat kigurumi version (???) so often that a normal kigurumi feels slightly out of place.