We ran into a bit of trouble right after arriving, but for now, I was walking through the Founding Anniversary Festival venue hand-in-hand with Shiro-san. Still, seeing her strolling through streets bustling with festival-goers was a surreal sight.
"After all, this is the first time I have ever walked through a festival venue like this," she remarked.
"Well, that makes sense. In that case, should we stick to the standard stalls rather than looking for anything too rare? Shiro-san, is there anywhere you want to go or any festival food you’d like to try?"
Since I’d already been here once with Alice, I planned to prioritize Shiro-san’s requests above all else. Even though she had created mock-up stalls in the Sanctuary to get a feel for the atmosphere and had launched her own fireworks, I wanted her to enjoy the real thing as much as possible since this was her first actual visit.
"I see. In that case," Shiro-san said, "I would like some festival food with a high lovey-dovey level, please."
"...U-Umm."
That was a very "Shiro-san" way of putting it—completely straight-faced and direct—but her request left me stumped. It wasn't that I had a problem with the "lovey-dovey" part. Honestly, if I could act like a doting couple with her, I’d probably enjoy it too. The problem was that nothing immediately sprang to mind when she asked for food with a "high lovey-dovey level." I suppose sharing a single item felt like something a couple would do, but you could do that with basically any food stall.
"Hmm, I can't think of anything specific right away," I admitted.
"I see... Please, do not worry. I have expanded my knowledge base just for such an occasion."
"...Oh, uh, right. It would definitely help if you had a specific suggestion, but..."
"I have inferred that the act of finishing a soft-serve ice cream cone by licking it together from both sides possesses a considerably high lovey-dovey level."
"..."
This Goddess just said something absolutely insane... She actually wants to do that? Here? In the middle of a venue overflowing with people, she wants us to eat like the most shameless, head-over-heels couple imaginable? Because of the recognition inhibition magic inherent to her Authority, no one would notice Shiro-san herself... but I’d still be recognized as "the guy acting like a total fool with some girl in the middle of a public street"! I mean, sure, we’d move somewhere out of the way, but the sheer level of embarrassment was still astronomical.
"...Ah, well, I’d love to grant your wish, Shiro-san, but there aren't any soft-serve stalls as far as I can see. It's a hard thing to serve in a place like this, so if they don't have it, there's not much we can do..."
Fortune seemed to be on my side; I couldn't spot a single soft-serve vendor. In this world, soft-serve was made using specialized magic tools, making it a fairly pricey dessert. Since magic tools were expensive compared to mechanical machinery, the overhead for a festival stall was usually too high. You almost never saw them. If it didn't exist, it couldn't be helped. I felt a little bad for Shiro-san, but I was also immensely relieved.
However, my relief lasted only a few seconds. Shiro-san shifted her gaze slightly toward the sky and murmured.
"I find myself wishing for a lovey-dovey soft-serve stall."
Immediately, a section of the stalls in her line of sight vanished. In its place appeared a vendor decorated in gaudy pink accents that practically screamed "romance," with a large sign that read: Soft-serve Ice Cream.
D-Dammit! That’s right, Shiro-san has the absolute support of the God race! If she voices a wish, it’s fulfilled instantly. Kuh, I completely underestimated the support power of the Gods...
"Oh? Kaito-san, look. There happens to be a soft-serve stall right over there."
"...You’re right. It literally just appeared."
"And it seems to be empty. We have no choice but to go."
"Right. And the other customers are avoiding it so unnaturally that I’m almost certain some kind of Authority is being used."
I suppose I just had to steel my nerves. Besides... a member of the God race was undoubtedly the one running the shop. I wondered who it was? With that thought, we approached the counter.
"Welcome! This is the Lovey-Dovey Soft-serve Shop!"
"..................It’s been a while, Heart-san."
There, acting as the shopkeeper with an expression that defied description, was the low-ranking goddess in charge of the Hydra Kingdom.
Serious-senpai: "...Come to think of it, hasn't the gap between Heart's lines been even longer than Seigi's...?"