It was a close shave—literally the last possible second. As I moved toward Olivia-san's position with Shiro-san, luck seemed to be on our side; some kind of event must have drawn the crowd elsewhere, as the path was unusually clear, allowing us to reach her without any delays.
The moment we arrived, the first thing I saw was Olivia-san on the verge of being swept away by the human tide. I rushed in and pulled her to safety just in time. It had been a narrow escape; if she’d been swallowed by that crowd, finding her again would have been a nightmare.
"Olivia-san, are you all right?"
".............................."
"Uh, hello?"
In the heat of the moment, I had pulled her into my arms to shield her. Now, Olivia-san was staring up at me with wide, unblinking eyes, her entire body as rigid as a statue. She was so perfectly still it was as if time itself had stopped. Growing worried, I called out to her again, and her shoulders gave a violent start.
"Hah?! A-Awawawa! M-M-My deepest apologies! Ah, no, thank you for saving me—no, I mean, I am truly grateful! Eek, no, I must apologize for my lèse-majesté! Ah, um, you were so firm—er, no, that’s not what I meant..."
"Just... just try to stay calm for a second!"
The moment she "rebooted," she started flailing about as if she’d hit a system bug. I’d rarely seen the word "frantic" fit someone so perfectly. Her speech was utterly incoherent, and she showed no signs of steadying herself, so I kept trying to talk her down.
"...Ah, y-yes... to show you such an unsightly display... is truly...?"
"Hmm?"
My efforts finally seemed to pay off as Olivia-san regained a sliver of composure. However, the moment she shifted her gaze and saw Shiro-san standing beside me, she froze all over again.
"...Ah, Sha-Shallow Vernal-sama..."
"It has been a while."
Shiro-san spoke with her usual nonchalance in response to Olivia-san’s trembling murmur. Olivia-san’s face went beyond pale, turning a ghostly white. She slipped out of my arms and immediately dropped into a dogeza with such force I thought her forehead might crack the pavement.
"M-M-M-M-M-My deepest apologies! I-I only came because I heard that Shallow Vernal-sama and Miyama Kaito-sama were in attendance and wished to offer a brief greeting! I swear on my life that I had no intention of interfering with Shallow Vernal-sama's time! I intended to offer a single word of greeting and depart immediately! A-And yet, due to my own lack of virtue, I have not only burdened Miyama Kaito-sama, but I have committed the unthinkable lèse-majesté of delaying my greeting to Shallow Vernal-sama...!"
"???"
Apparently, she was terrified that her initial paralysis and panic had resulted in a disrespectful delay in acknowledging Shiro-san. Watching her ramble with more energy than I’d ever seen her display, I couldn't help but feel that this was very "her."
Of course, Shiro-san just looked perplexed. She was probably thinking something along the lines of "Why would that be lèse-majesté?" It was clear she didn't consider Olivia-san’s behavior disrespectful in the slightest.
That aside... we were technically in the middle of the Main Street, even if we were slightly off to the side! A display like this should have made us the absolute center of attention... but it hadn't? Wait, what?
Looking around, no one seemed to be paying us any mind at all. It felt unnatural. This was likely Fate-san’s authority or some other divine interference at work. Honestly, I was grateful the public wasn't noticing this scene, but still...
"Anyway, Olivia-san. Please, get up."
"It is impossible! S-Such lèse-majesté... a crime so heinous that even having my limbs torn off and being paraded through the streets would not be enough to atone for it...!"
"You haven't committed a crime. Shiro-san doesn't mind either... right?"
"I don't understand. Why would the exchange we just had constitute lèse-majesté?"
"Exactly. I don't really get it either... but Olivia-san is really beating herself up over it. Could you tell her not to worry?"
Olivia-san was far too earnest for her own good, and her devotion to Shiro-san was off the charts. She was spiraling into a pit of guilt over her perceived rudeness, trembling in her dogeza so violently that it was becoming painful to watch.
I asked Shiro-san to tell her directly that it was fine. Shiro-san gave a small nod and addressed the prostrate woman.
"Raise your head, Olivia."
"Hah!"
"Regarding the previous matter, I do not particularly mind. 'Your relationship with Kaito-san is also free.' However, today is my turn. If you wish to go on a festival date with Kaito-san, please do so on another occasion."
"...Huh?"
This Natural God had just let something incredible slip. The sight of Olivia-san freezing with an expression like a cat suddenly thrown into space was a memory I wouldn't soon forget.
(Lèse-majesté... I see. So she is ashamed of having interrupted my lovey-dovey date with Kaito. Come to think of it, I had not notified Olivia regarding the Super WIN System. I shall explain the details now... Shall I have it carried over to the original space-time as well?)