After speaking with Rosmiel and Camellia for a while, I returned to the main hall to resume my rounds. Using the ability I'd received from Eden, I headed toward the nearest guest I hadn't yet spoken to... only to find a truly unexpected pair.
It was Akane and Elise standing together. Were they actually acquaintances?
"Hello, Akane-san, Elise-san."
"Hmm? Oh, Kaito. Making the rounds, I see," Akane greeted me with a bright smile, raising her hand in a casual wave.
Elise followed suit, her smile radiant and blooming like a flower. "Hello, Kaito-san! Thank you so much for inviting me to such a lovely party today."
"Ah, yes. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."
Her face was a picture of perfection, but the emotion radiating through my Sympathy Magic told a different story: Hurry up with the greeting and get lost.
Alice was the same way, but I still couldn't wrap my head around how they pulled it off. It wasn't as if I could actually read minds; my Sympathy Magic just allowed me to pick up on the vague feelings carried by a person's magic power. Being hit with emotions so precise that specific words sprang to mind was a terrifyingly impressive technique.
"...Um, were you two already acquainted?" I asked.
"Nah, we just met at the reception. Since we're both commoners, we found it easy to talk, so we’ve been hanging out together," Akane explained. "Apparently, Elise's shop makes all sorts of trinkets and accessories, so we were talking about maybe stocking some of them."
"Both Akane-san and I feel a bit overwhelmed by the other guests," Elise added. "But by sticking together, we have the advantage of being left alone. People are far less likely to approach us."
To be honest, Akane aside, I didn't think Elise was the type to be overwhelmed by anyone. She'd certainly acted humble during the Six Kings Festival, but the version of her I usually dealt with was so intense that it was hard to picture her being intimidated.
As I was lost in thought, Elise smiled sweetly and gave me a small beckoning gesture.
"Kaito-san, you have a bit of lint on your shoulder. I'll get it, so please crouch down for a moment."
"Oh? Like this?"
I did as she asked. Elise reached out as if to brush off my shoulder, but then leaned in and whispered into my ear so that only I could hear.
"...Got a problem with something?"
"N-No, not at all."
"Then don't waste time on idle chatter. Finish up and move on to the next one... but make sure you actually take breaks. Since you're headed to the food corner anyway, you should grab a light bite while you're at it."
Her voice was quite intimidating, but the fact that she added a caring remark at the end proved she didn't actually hold any ill will. It seemed that when she was maintaining her public persona, she simply didn't want to be seen talking to me for too long.
"There. All gone," she said aloud.
"Thank you. Well, I'm sorry to keep it brief, but I'll head to the next spot now."
"You're certainly a busy man," Akane said. "Oh, that reminds me—Kaito, have you greeted Kaori yet?"
"No, not yet."
"I see... Kaori should be with the Pope. She’s a resilient girl, so I’m sure she’s fine, but she tends to get stiff with nerves. If you see her, give her a shout and help her relax, would you?"
"I understand. I haven't greeted Olivia-san yet either, so I'll go look for them."
I couldn't help but smile at Akane’s characteristic thoughtfulness as I nodded to the pair and moved on. I wanted to find Kaori and Olivia next, but I wasn't sure if the ability could target specific people... or could it?
Until now, I'd only used it to vaguely sense the locations of people I hadn't greeted. But when I focused and wondered, I wonder where Kaori-san is? the answer suddenly became clear.
I see. If I just looked for guests in general, it would pick them at random, but if I focused on someone specific, I could pinpoint them. This was an incredibly helpful ability; I really had to thank Eden from the bottom of my heart.