Only one accessory remained for me to give—the one for Alice. Looking back on it, the fact that hers was the last one was a bit strange in itself.
Thinking about that, I headed down to the basement to visit her shop. On a whim, I checked the weapons shop instead, but a sign written in Japanese hung on the door: Closed for Preparations. Apparently, she wanted me at the general store.
With a soft sigh, I touched the wall at the T-junction. It hadn't been mentioned during the initial tour, but if an authorized person touched the wall between the weapons shop and Iris's bar, a door appeared leading straight to the general store, bypassing the bar entirely. My house really had far too many hidden gimmicks.
"Oh? If it isn’t Kaito-san! Welcome! What brings you here today?"
"You’re being... incredibly transparent."
When I stepped through the door, Alice was sitting at the counter, wearing an exaggeratedly surprised expression.
She was laying it on thick. After all, her main body was sitting at the counter instead of the cat mascot suit that usually minded the shop—that alone made her act painfully obvious.
"Pardon? Whatever could you mean?"
"I mean, you were right there while I was making them..."
"Making? Did you make something, Kaito-san? How unexpected! I didn't think you had a creative bone in your body... So, what did you make?"
"..."
It seemed she intended to double down on the clueless routine. Given that she was the one who had provided the accessory-making kit in the first place, her feigned ignorance had reached its absolute limit.
She knew exactly how obvious she was being and was just messing with me, but I suppose that was just like her.
"...Actually, I made some accessories to sell at my stall for the upcoming Arclesia Empire Founding Anniversary Festival..."
"What?! You’re opening a stall at the festival, Kaito-san?!"
"Don't you think playing dumb about that part is a bit of a stretch?"
"Ah, fair point. I was the one who provided the stock, after all... Well, shall we put the jokes aside for now?"
Alice chuckled, signaling the end of her little performance. I pulled out the gift I’d made for her.
I’d agonized over Alice’s accessory quite a bit during the crafting stage. Since her image colors were yellow and gold, the materials were an easy choice, but I’d struggled with the motif.
If I’d followed the logic I used for Isis’s Blue Crystal Flower, the motifs for Alice would have ended up being things like knives, masks, or mascot suits—hardly suitable for jewelry.
"...In the end, I decided on a star shape. Sorry if it's a bit simple."
"No, not at all! I’m delighted. A simple design doesn't mean your affection for me is small, Kaito-san. If anything, it’s proof of how much thought you put into it."
"I wanted to make different types of jewelry, but I ended up with a lot of necklaces and brooches."
"Well, when you consider how easy they are to craft and how easy they are for the recipient to wear, it’s only natural."
What I’d prepared for Alice was a star-shaped necklace. Ultimately, I’d decided that a necklace was the safest, most reliable choice. And as she said, as an amateur, brooches and necklaces were easier to shape.
"...But why did you go out of your way to wait? You could have just accepted it back then."
"No, no, Kaito-san. Things like this require the right atmosphere, mental preparation, mental preparation... stuff like that."
She said 'mental preparation' twice. So that was definitely the primary reason. Knowing her personality, it was easy to guess why she hadn't taken it earlier.
"...Was it just that you were too embarrassed to accept it in front of Amel?"
"............No, of course not. It definitely wasn't because I felt shy receiving it at that moment, or because I felt like I wouldn't be able to stop myself from grinning like an idiot. It was strictly a holistic decision based on many factors..."
"I see... Well, that necklace really suits you, Alice. It’s cute. And I like that bashful side of you, too. It’s charming."
"Why would you say that?! You’re clearly trying to make me blush on purpose... Though, obviously, it worked!! Don't you dare underestimate my romance bottom-tier nature!"
"...Wait, is that really something you should declare so proudly?"
Alice shouted, her face turning a vivid shade of red at my compliment, but she looked genuinely happy. Seeing her so delighted made me break into a smile as well.
???: "By the way, Sugar-senpai."
Serious-senpai: "...Wait, are you talking to me? Don't be ridiculous. I am the most serious of the serious—"
???: "It's hard to sound convincing when half your body has turned into sugar. Besides, your true identity was basically revealed in the last chapter's afterword..."