I relied on my new ability to guide me toward Kaori-san and Olivia-san. It looked like they were together, seated in the dining area and sharing a meal.
Their backs were turned toward the direction I was approaching from, so they hadn't noticed me yet. As I drew closer and prepared to call out to them, a snippet of their conversation reached my ears.
"That’s why I’m telling you, Kaito-kun has extensive romance experience. It’s better to just be direct with him instead of overthinking things."
"C-Certainly... given Miyama Kaito-sama's wisdom, surely any shallow plan of mine would be transparent to him. It is a simple, undeniable fact that he is of an overwhelmingly higher rank than I am—especially when it comes to experience."
Wait, what? Are they talking about me? It was the same way with Ryze-san and the others; I always felt a bit hesitant to interrupt when I realized I was the topic of conversation.
Still, I couldn't just stand there eavesdropping. It felt rude to break in, but I decided to make my presence known.
"It truly is a troubling matter. How should I go about the d—"
"Kaori-san, Olivia-san, hello."
"——!?!?!?!??!?!?"
When I spoke, Olivia-san jumped so violently that her chair let out a loud, sudden clatter. She bolted upright, her spine as stiff as a board, and turned toward me with a face as pale as a sheet.
...Wait, I didn't think she'd be that startled. I hadn't even raised my voice. I started to feel a wave of guilt wash over me.
"M-M-M-M-Miyama Kaito-sama!?"
"Ah, yes. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"N-No, it is no problem at all! I-I should expect nothing less from Miyama Kaito-sama. I am deeply moved by your mastery of Presence Concealment; it truly rivals the Phantasm King herself! Despite the fact that your mere presence normally radiates a brilliance and majesty akin to the Sun that Illuminates the Three Worlds, to perfectly mask such an aura without a trace... it is proof that you hold your power under absolute and total dominion! I am honored to witness yet another facet of your greatness!"
It was no use; she was completely flustered. She had shifted into full Overwhelming Praise Mode. In reality, the reason she hadn't noticed me probably had nothing to do with me erasing my presence; she was just too absorbed in her conversation. Plus, since we weren't in the Friendly City, her natural detection abilities were likely suppressed.
"Olivia-sama, please, calm down. You’re making it look even more suspicious... Ahaha, hello, Kaito-kun. Sorry about that. We were both just so focused on our talk that you gave us a bit of a shock."
"I'm sorry for interrupting."
"No, it’s fine. It’s totally fine, but... um, Kaito-kun... exactly how much of that did you hear?"
"Uh, just the part about me having extensive romance experience or something like that."
"I see..."
I got the feeling I'd overheard something I really wasn't supposed to. From what I caught, it didn't seem like they were saying anything world-shaking, but Kaori-san leaned in and whispered something into Olivia-san's ear anyway.
"It’s okay, Olivia-sama. He only heard that part. We haven't said anything specific yet, so Kaito-kun shouldn't have figured it out."
"D-Do you really think so? This is Miyama Kaito-sama we are talking about. He possesses Wisdom Infinitely Close to Omniscience. Is it not possible for him to See Through All Creation from just a few whispered words?"
"No, he really can't. I promise you, it's fine..."
I couldn't hear what they were whispering, but the atmosphere made it clear that Olivia-san was panicking while Kaori-san tried to talk her down. It seemed Olivia-san was the one most terrified of being found out.
Well, I was curious, but if I asked about it now, Olivia-san would probably feel compelled to give me an honest answer even if she didn't want to. I didn't want to force her hand like that, so it was probably best to just pretend I hadn't heard a thing.
For now, I'd just wait for them to settle down and then carry on as if nothing had happened.
Serious-senpai: "Oh, right. Since they only talked between themselves during the Founding Anniversary Festival, Kaito still has no idea that Olivia is planning on inviting him on a date..."