The revelation that the person inside the kigurumi was Alice—the Phantasm King—seemed to be a massive shock to Akane and Kaori. Both of them stood frozen with stunned expressions.
It was a well-known fact among my immediate circle, like Lilia and the others, but for those who didn't know, it must have been baffling. Why on earth would one of the Six Kings be wearing a mascot costume to hawk goods?
For the moment, Akane was turning pale and trembling, so I stepped in to reassure her.
"Akane, it’s okay. I actually agree with you. Personally, I think it’s more on the creepy side than 'creepy-cute' anyway."
"Isn't that a little cruel, Kaito-san?! I'm your adorable girlfriend, you know? This is the part where you're supposed to give me a flattering follow-up!"
"...Well, in my case, my evaluation is based on what’s on the inside."
"Why would you add something even more insulting!?"
I ignored Alice’s protest.
"So, Akane, there's absolutely no need for you to worry."
"E-Er... are you sure? I’m not gonna get killed for what I said, am I?"
"...Alice, your reputation among the public is pretty terrible, isn't it?"
"It’s strange, isn’t it? I pride myself on being a being of pure compassion who loves peace, yet for some reason, I feel like I'm excessively feared."
Public opinion generally held that the Phantasm King was coldhearted and would ruthlessly eliminate anyone she deemed unnecessary. She was perceived as the Coldhearted Guardian of Order, dangerous in a completely different way than the War King or the Death King.
From my perspective, she mostly just seemed like an idiot. However, considering the power she actually wielded, I suppose such a reputation was unavoidable.
"...I mean, seriously, Kaito! What the heck are you making the Phantasm King do?! My heart can't take this!"
"The person inside the cat suit is the Phantasm King-sama? A-Ahaha, I actually took a photo... I’m amazing... Haha... My stomach hurts..."
"Look! Now Kaori’s clutching her stomach and crouching down too!"
"Believe it or not, I’m not making her do anything. She’s doing this of her own accord. She’s always wearing mascot costumes, this one..."
I had to clear up that misunderstanding no matter what. I wasn't forcing her into that suit; Alice was just wearing it because she felt like it.
However, whether they would actually believe me was a toss-up, given that they didn't know the real Alice.
"T-That’s so mean, Kaito-san... forcing me to—Gyahhh!?"
"Seriously, just shut up."
Since the idiot was about to make the situation even more complicated, I struck her without hesitation with the Toy Hammer Shiro had specially made for me. I did wonder, though, if it was even effective through the padding of a kigurumi...
"...I don't think Kaito’s lying, so is that really how it is? Man, I feel like I’m going to catch a fever. Besides, treating the Phantasm King-sama like that... you’re really something else..."
"Sigh, you really are a junior who’s bad for my health... By the way, Kaito-kun. I wanted to ask this first, but aren't the people working at this stall also incredible individuals?"
They seemed to have reached a point of acceptance for now, which was a relief, but then Kaori asked with an anxious expression while glancing toward Tre and the others.
"Er, these two are Cento and Sien. They are both Count-class High-ranking Demons."
"...Kaori, did you hear that? He just said 'Count-class' with a completely straight face."
"I mean, normally even a Count-class is a huge deal, but... it's Kaito-kun, after all..."
Certainly, come to think of it, both Cento and Sien were Count-class High-ranking Demons, making them incredibly impressive people by societal standards.
This was bad; my perspective had been skewed by constantly dealing with the Six Kings and other world-famous names. I had to recalibrate my senses to remember that being Peerage-class was an incredible feat for the average person.
"And this tall person here is Tre, and... er..."
"Come on, Kaito! You can go ahead and give me a grand, flashy introduction, okay?"
"...Tre, what kind of position do you hold exactly? I don't get any 'big shot' vibes from you at all..."
Tre wasn't Peerage-class, nor was she a Six Kings' Executive. She could do amazing things with her special magic, but I couldn't exactly explain that to them.
In that case, what was her official title? Just a demon employed by the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company?
"Eh? Me? Hmm. As for my title, I’m the Special Advisor of the Magic Crystal Department for the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company."
"...That’s a massive big shot!"
"Ehem!"
Tre held a position like that? This was the first I’d heard of it. I leaned over and whispered to Cento and Sien.
"...Is Tre actually someone important?"
"Technically, Chrome-sama is the General Manager of all the trading companies, making her the top," Cento explained. "Below her are the Special Advisors for each department, and only then do you have the Chairman. That means she holds the same rank as Brother Zex and the others."
"The Special Advisor is a bit of a unique position," Sien added. "The details are a bit long, so I'll skip them, but to put it simply, her standing is higher than the Chairman, Sei Libelstar."
...This was a shocking revelation. It might have been the biggest surprise of the day. Granted, as a member of Kuro's Family, she was the older sister to Fia-sensei and Funf, so a high-ranking position made sense. But because of her personality, I hadn't suspected she was such a big shot until this very moment.
Serious-senpai: "Given the rarity and utility of her abilities, it makes sense she’d be high up... but like Kaito said, she really doesn't give off that vibe at all, so it's a surprise."
???: "Well, Tre isn't actually involved in the day-to-day operations. Her rank is purely based on her specialized abilities. By the way, on a different note, it seems some people don't realize my kigurumi is a black cat... It was mentioned way back in a side story, though in the manga version, I usually wear the standard one."