We fell into a natural rhythm of sharing the strawberry candy as we walked. By the time we reached Main Street, my face was still feeling a little warm... and as expected, the crowds were massive.
The fireworks were supposed to be launched from near the Royal Castle, so we were quite a distance away, but there were still staggering numbers of people packed into the street.
"Come to think of it, do they have safety measures in place for launching fireworks in the middle of the city?"
"They use an application of barrier magic to ensure the surroundings remain safe... Many of the court mages are quite talented, you see."
"I see... Now that I think about it, Illness-san, you worked as a maid at the Royal Palace before coming to Lilia-san’s mansion, didn't you?"
"Yes... I didn't hold any special title, though. I was just an ordinary maid."
...According to what I’d heard, back when Luna-san had just transitioned from being an adventurer to a knight and knew nothing about being a maid, Illness-san was the very first person she’d thought of to teach her the basics of the trade.
That being the case, she must have been highly regarded even at the palace. Knowing Illness-san, however, she probably just kept on being an ordinary maid there, just as she does at Lilia-san’s place.
"...But man, look at all these people. Getting any closer to the castle is going to be tough. Illness-san, are you okay?"
"I am quite fine."
Worried that the petite Illness-san would struggle in the press of the crowd, I came to a stop and positioned myself as a human shield, trying to carve out as much space for her as I could.
Obviously, as a Count-class high-ranking demon, her physical abilities were far superior to mine, so it wasn't actually a problem... but call it a man’s pride or just a desire to look good in front of her, I wanted to play the part.
With the density of the crowd, moving any further seemed impossible. It looked like we’d be watching the display from right here.
"Can we even see it from here?"
"The angle might be a bit poor... The fireworks will rise just beyond that point."
"Ah... the clock tower is right in the way. Well, I think we can still see them, but..."
Illness-san was right. When I looked toward the castle, the clock tower sat precisely in our line of sight.
It wasn't a particularly massive tower, but it was positioned in a perfectly annoying spot. Well, there wasn't much we could do about it. The low-altitude or smaller bursts might be hidden, but we’d see the big ones just fine.
As I was resigning myself to the view, I felt a gentle tug on my hand. When I looked over, Illness-san was beckoning me closer with a hand near her mouth, indicating she wanted to whisper in my ear.
"What is it?"
I leaned down, minding the people around us. When I brought my ear close, Illness-san leaned in and whispered in a small voice.
"...Shall we cheat just a little bit?"
"Huh? Cheat?"
Honestly, having her whisper in such a gentle voice right against my ear sent a strange, pleasant chill down my spine. If I wasn't careful, I could see myself getting addicted to the feeling.
B-But putting that aside... what did she mean by "cheat"?
"Excuse me."
"Eh? Whoa!?"
Just as I realized she’d wrapped her arms around my back, the scenery suddenly blurred downward.
Illness-san, carrying me as she leaped to a height that looked down upon the street where we’d been standing a second ago, kicked off the air several times before landing gracefully on the roof of the clock tower we’d just been discussing.
"From here, we should have a very good view."
"E-Err, aren't we going to stand out quite a lot?"
"It is quite alright... I happen to be reasonably good at recognition inhibition magic."
When I looked around, I realized that despite being in such a conspicuous spot, no one below was paying us any attention at all.
"I have also applied magic to prevent us from falling, so you do not need to worry about your footing. It may be a little unfair, but... I, too, wanted to see the beautiful fireworks with you, Kaito-sama."
As she said that with a mischievous smile, the contrast between her current expression and her usual mature aura made her look incredibly cute.
Serious-senpai: "..."
???: "I wonder if this overflowing candy is safe to eat? Maybe I should bring some fruit and make a fondue..."