Thanks to Eden-san, I was able to conduct my greeting rounds with remarkable efficiency, and I set off again in high spirits.
Focusing my mind, I detected a cluster of several people I had yet to greet. The ability only alerted me to their location without revealing their identities, so I wouldn't know who they were until I actually reached them.
It looked like three people were gathered together, and based on the distance, I was sure to see them any second now... Ah, right, it was Til-san, Erial-san, and Blossom-san.
"Ah! It's Kaito-kun-san!"
"Hello, Til-san, Erial-san, Blossom-san."
They had happened to be away when I visited Lilliwood-san's group earlier. If I recalled correctly, they’d been off eating, so they must have just finished their meal and were currently on the move.
I returned Til-san’s happy smile with one of my own as she bounded toward me.
"Greeting—which is to say, hello, Kaito. Gratitude—which is to say, thank you for the invitation."
"Oh! Master! This humble one is truly overcome with emotion at being invited to such an auspicious occasion! So, those are the legendary Sushi Tenpura Sukiyaki I have heard so much about!?"
"...Well, we had sushi, but I don't recall there being any tempura or sukiyaki..."
There was certainly sushi, but I was fairly sure we didn't serve tempura or sukiyaki. Then again, we did have kushiage, which was somewhat close, I suppose? No, best not to dwell on it. I had a feeling Akane-san would give me an earful if I tried to claim they were the same. There was no tempura or sukiyaki; I’d better just leave it at that.
"Master? Kaito-kun-san is a master?"
"Indeed! Master is... a Samurai Master!"
Oh boy, Blossom-san was starting up again. It was all a complete misunderstanding, but the image of me as a Samurai Master was already set in stone in her mind. Whenever the topic of samurai came up, her excitement reached such a fever pitch that she completely stopped listening to anything I had to say.
"A-A-A Samurai Master?! Til had no idea..."
And just like that, the pure-hearted Til-san bought into it, staring at me as if she’d just discovered some Shocking New Fact.
"Blossom talks about samurai all the time! Since Kaito-kun-san is a Samurai Master, does that mean you're an even more incredible samurai than Blossom?"
"Exactly. This humble one could never hope to match Master’s level."
"Hawawawa! That’s amazing! Til doesn't really understand much about samurai, but you must be incredible to be called a Master! Kaito-kun-san, you're really, really, reaaaally amazing!!"
Faced with Til-san’s sparkling, hero-worshipping gaze, I couldn't help but offer a strained, twitchy smile.
When someone looks at you with such Pure One eyes, it’s remarkably hard to correct them. I felt like a villain about to crush a child’s dreams... even though Til-san was actually much older than me.
As I stood there feeling awkward, Erial-san gave my shoulder a gentle pat.
"I will not misunderstand—which is to say, I believe Blossom is simply speaking on a whim. Being the subject of a misunderstanding is difficult—which is to say, Kaito, you have my sympathies for being caught in such a strange spot. Resolution later—which is to say, while Blossom is likely beyond help, I’ll find a quiet moment later to set the record straight for Til."
"Thank you, Erial-san. You're a lifesaver."
While Blossom-san and Til-san were getting worked up over their samurai talk, Erial-san saw the situation for exactly what it was. I was profoundly grateful for her.
Being stuck in a conversation where I felt completely left behind, having even a single ally who understood the reality of the situation was incredibly reassuring.
Serious-senpai: "Tiltania doesn't really get it, but she seems to have settled on the vibe that he’s just 'somehow amazing.' Blossom is a Runaway Locomotive as usual, but I suppose she's still more manageable than those perverts from the Ten Demons..."