After chatting with Lystia-san and Nia-san for a while, I resumed my greeting rounds. As I moved through the venue, I happened to spot someone standing alone by the wall.
Because of the wings on her back, she was wearing a jet-black dress with a plunging open back. Standing there with a wine glass in one hand, she looked like a stunning portrait... It was Amer-san.
As usual, she was clad in head-to-toe black, but her natural beauty made the look come across as effortlessly cool.
At a glance, she appeared to be a solitary soul quietly savoring her wine... but that likely wasn't the case. If I had to guess, she was probably thinking something along the lines of, "That's strange. I'm trying so hard to talk to people, but the conversations never seem to last."
She was similar to Rosmiel-san in the sense that her inner self was at odds with her outward appearance and the impression she gave others, but there was a significant difference between the two of them.
Rosmiel-san was naturally shy and timid; her expression would freeze and she would become tongue-tied around strangers or people she wasn't close to. This often led to her being misunderstood and avoided as someone cold or unapproachable.
Amer-san, on the other hand, was quite social and frequently took the initiative to approach others. She had sought me out during the Harmonic Symphony after-party, and when we had run a stall together, she had been incredibly proactive in chatting with customers. She was someone who genuinely wanted to communicate.
The problem was that Amer-san's dramatic, chunibyo-style phrasing was so convoluted that her true intentions rarely reached people correctly. Consequently, she had earned a reputation for being "difficult."
Lilia-san felt that way, as did Chris-san—the Empress of the Arclesia Empire where the Winged Race lived. Chris-san viewed her as the type of person who would initiate a conversation but was nearly impossible to keep one going with.
So, she had likely been quite proactive in speaking to people at this party as well, but the interactions had probably fizzled out, leaving her to sip her drink in solitude.
As I made my way toward her, Amer-san noticed me. In an instant, her face lit up with a radiant smile—an expression of such pure, heartfelt joy that it was impossible to miss.
It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw the phantom image of a Pomeranian wagging its tail behind her.
"Sworn Friend!"
"Hello, Amer-san. Thank you for coming today."
"Hmph. Should my Sworn Friend call, I would hasten to the very ends of the earth. This is a glittering banquet, radiant as the heavens themselves... and yet, the stars assembled here are fierce, lending the air a tension not unlike a Sabbath."
"Ah... I see. So even you find many of the guests here intimidating, Amer-san?"
"Yeah, the Six Kings definitely make me nervous. I mean, I've met them a few times, but we aren't exactly close, so I can't help feeling anxious... I—I mean! Ahem! As the One Who Carries the Species, I cannot allow myself a moment of levity!"
The way her true personality slipped out from time to time was very typical of her. As always, she possessed a charming innocence that never failed to bring a smile to my face.
Serious-senpai: "Rosmiel = Chihuahua, Amer = Pomeranian, huh... I wonder what Anima would be?"
???: "Maybe a Golden Retriever that rushes to its master while wagging its tail?"