After having lunch with Fia-sensei, I decided to head to Isis-san’s castle. I could have stopped by Alice’s general store first, but since I was traveling via teleportation magic, the effort was the same either way. Besides, I could always access her shop from the basement of my house later, so I decided to save it for last.
Upon arriving at the castle, Polaris-san greeted me and led the way to where Isis-san was waiting.
“Oh? Is Lilliwood-san here too?”
“Yes, she arrived just a moment ago. She is currently speaking with Isis-sama. I took the liberty of checking, and she said it would be perfectly fine for you to join them, Kaito-sama.”
“I see. Is she just here for a visit?”
“I’m not certain of her business, but she appeared to be quite troubled.”
“Troubled?”
I wondered what was going on. If she looked that serious, it was unlikely she’d just dropped by for a casual chat.
Had some kind of trouble cropped up? Musing over the possibilities, I stepped into the room Polaris-san led me to. Sure enough, Isis-san and Lilliwood-san were both there.
“Hello, Isis-san, Lilliwood-san.”
“...Kaito... welcome... I’m... so happy... you’re here.”
“Hello, Kaito-san. What a pleasant surprise.”
We exchanged brief greetings, and I took a seat. Polaris-san prepared some black tea, bowed, and quietly excused herself. Once she was gone, I turned my attention back to the two of them.
“It really is a coincidence, though. Did you just get here, Lilliwood-san?”
“...Yes... she said... she had... something to discuss.”
“Indeed. In fact, your arrival might help things proceed more smoothly. Kaito-san, I wanted to confirm something: is it true that you intend to open a stall at the Arclesia Empire’s Founding Anniversary Festival?”
“Huh? Yeah, that’s right.”
It seemed Lilliwood-san was asking about the festival stall. I’d mentioned it to Isis-san beforehand, but since I hadn’t told Lilliwood-san yet, it made sense that she was just finding out.
“I’m opening it with Amel-san from the Winged Race. You remember her? We met at that tea party you invited me to.”
“...What kind of shop... will it be... this time?”
“It’ll be a general store. I’ll be selling some stock from Alice’s shop, along with some handmade accessories and things like that.”
“...Handmade... accessories?”
I hadn't decided on the specifics when I’d last spoken to Isis-san, so I elaborated for them. For some reason, as I spoke, Lilliwood-san’s face took on an expression that suggested the end of the world was nigh.
“...Lilliwood-san?”
“K-Kaito-san, just to be sure... regarding these handmade accessories... do they include pieces crafted by your own hand?”
“Yeah, just a few.”
“..................I see.”
What was with that look? It was pure, unadulterated despair. I’d seen it somewhere before... Ah, right. It was the exact same face Empress Chris had made. Suddenly, it clicked. Lilliwood-san was probably dreading the exact same scenario.
“Don’t worry, Lilliwood-san. I’ve already thought of countermeasures for Shiro-san and Eden-san. I’ve even consulted with Alice to make sure the information control is airtight.”
“O-Oh, is that so? Would you mind telling me a bit more?”
My guess was spot on. A wave of relief washed over Lilliwood-san as she asked for more details. I explained that I was crafting separate accessories specifically for my lovers and for Eden-san as well.
“What a relief. Truly... It seems my anxieties were entirely unfounded. To be honest, I came here today to try and talk Isis out of attending the festival for that very reason... but it seems I won't have to.”
So, that was Lilliwood-san’s business—persuading Isis-san to stay home. From what I could gather, she was worried about the geopolitical power balance between the three nations, exactly like Fate-san had warned.
Regardless, Lilliwood-san’s mood had clearly improved. I was glad I’d been able to clear things up when I did.
Serious-senpai: “Wait, this flow isn’t good... You totally cut it off here just to use a whole chapter for the story about giving an accessory to Isis... This is a bad flow... This is not a good flow!”