My main goal of introducing An to Tre was complete. As I stood there wondering what my next move should be, Tre spoke up with a bright smile, almost as if she’d read my mind.
"Kaito, you still have to finish your greeting rounds, don't you? How about I take An under my wing for a bit? We can just hang out together."
"Oh? Are you sure?"
"Of course. We can talk about the specifics of the contract schedule while we're at it, assuming An is okay with it. What do you think?"
"Y-Yes. That would be fine. I'm... a little nervous, but..."
Tre was incredibly perceptive. She’d likely deduced An’s position and realized I had other people to see, prompting her to offer to look after her. I was truly grateful, yet a small seed of worry remained. While An seemed comfortable enough talking to Tre now, accompanying her meant she'd inevitably run into various other high-profile guests. Her anxiety probably wouldn't vanish that easily.
"It’ll be easier on you if you have someone else to talk to besides me, right? Hold on just a second. I’ll call in a professional..."
"A professional?" we both asked in unison.
After sensing An’s unease and offering a reassuring smile, Tre scanned the crowd as if searching for someone. Soon enough, she spotted her target and called out at the top of her lungs.
"Hey, Raz! Come over here for a sec!"
"Comiiing! What is it, Big Sis Tre? Oh, Kaito-kun-san! Hello! Raz is so happy to see Kaito-kun-san!"
"Hello, Raz-san. Thank you for coming today."
Ah, I see. I understood the plan perfectly now. Enter Raz-san, the communications wizard. If anyone could get An to open up and feel at home, it was her. Tre waited for us to finish our greetings before introducing An.
"Raz, this is An. She’s from the Cruel race."
"Oh my! It’s nice to meet you! My name is Razulia, but everyone calls me Raz! Please call me Raz too!"
"A-Ah... My name is Rimegite Rinoria Gisurudo Ametes An. You may call me An."
"It’s a pleasure! I’ve heard about you from Big Sis Tre. The Cruel are the masters of mining, aren't they? Tell me, tell me—do you mine things like Magic Crystals too?"
An nodded, looking a bit overwhelmed by the tiny fairy's energy. "Yes, we mine Magic Crystals as well."
"Ooh, incredible! Raz doesn't know much about it, but wasn't mining Magic Crystals supposed to be super hard? I think I heard somewhere... like, if you scratch them while digging them up, it's a huge disaster!"
"That's right. If a Magic Crystal gets damaged during extraction, it becomes difficult to engrave the Magic Formula properly, which causes its value to plummet. Once the formula is set, a scratch doesn't matter much, but during the initial stage..."
"Whoa... that sounds so technical. You're amazing, An!"
"N-No, I'm really not..."
"Yes you are! Raz could never do something like that. I'm so glad I got to hear about it! I want to know more. Is mining Magic Crystals different from mining gemstones?"
"Well, for instance..."
Watching Raz-san ask her adorable questions, I saw the tension start to bleed out of An, replaced by a budding smile. This was Raz-san’s true talent. She broadcasted such genuine, heartfelt enjoyment of the conversation that it was impossible for the other person not to feel the same way. With her constant smile, cute reactions, and obvious delight in listening, people just naturally found themselves opening up to her.
She’d hit it off with Kaori-san just as quickly. Her social prowess was truly unparalleled. Indeed, as the chat continued, An’s nerves seemed to melt away, and their conversation became increasingly animated.
"Alright then, Kaito," Tre said. "We’ll look after An, so go ahead and finish your rounds."
"Thank you. I'll leave her in your capable hands. An, Raz-san, I’ll be off to see the other guests. I'll check back in later."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much."
"Understood! Let's talk again soon!"
I felt a sense of peace watching Raz-san wave goodbye with her entire small body as I began my trek toward the next group of guests.
Serious-senpai: "I suppose if a twelve-inch fairy listened to you with sparkling eyes and looked that happy to be there, the conversation would naturally take off..."
???: "Raz-san’s social skills are on a whole different level. She makes friends with total strangers in the blink of an eye. The most impressive part is that she isn't being calculated about it. There's no ulterior motive or artificiality—she just naturally slips right into people's hearts."