After my chance meeting with Elis-san, we headed toward the Nifty store since we were going the same way. There, we ran into five of the Seven Princesses, and the momentum of the situation resulted in us all entering the shop together.
Personally, I only had business with Canalis and hadn't intended to do any shopping, but I figured I might as well make the best of it.
Though she seemed composed now, I had sensed how overwhelmed Elis-san was when we encountered the Seven Princesses. I thought it might be nice to get her a little something as an apology for the stress.
However, as the daughter of a Marquis, she could likely buy almost anything for herself. If I was going to give her a gift, I wanted it to be something rare.
I figured I would consult Canalis about it later.
"I left the interior design and everything else to the person in charge, so I wasn't really involved, but seeing it like this, it feels quite spacious," I remarked.
"Every product has been given ample room, and I see subtle touches everywhere to draw a buyer's eye," Elis-san replied. "The store manager must be quite talented."
There were a fair number of people inside, but since they limited entry to prevent overcrowding, it didn't feel cramped. The shop itself was naturally quite large. Even excluding the cafe space, it was very roomy. Since it was a tea brand, there weren't many bulky items, allowing them to use the space luxuriously and maintain a high-end atmosphere.
As I browsed the items with those thoughts in mind, I noticed a tea cup set displayed like an exhibit. A sign next to it read: "Limited Resale, 3 Sets Only—Initial Model Teacup Set."
Let's see, the price was... one, ten, a hundred, a thousand... 1.2 million R!? That was 120 million Japanese yen!? No, no, no, even for a luxury store, that price was insane. Wait, was that a "Sold Out" tag? Seriously? Three sets had already sold for 120 million each? I wondered how much I had sold them for at the Arclesia Empire Founding Anniversary Festival... I was too scared to think about it, so I put it out of my mind.
The "Initial Model" referred to the initial lot—the same ones I had sold at the Arclesia Empire stall. The difference between these and the regular products was whether or not Nebula and Illness-san had crafted them personally.
The pottery currently sold at Nifty was mass-produced using techniques learned from Nebula and Illness-san. Given that the two of them had only directly made the initial lot, I suppose they were rare, but even so, that price was staggering.
"Elis-san, I'm going to speak with the manager for a moment. I'll be right back."
"I understand. I'll have a look around the shop, so please, take your time."
She was browsing with interest, so I took my leave to talk to Canalis about Kuro's cafe reservation.
I signaled a staff member and mentioned I wanted to see Canalis. I was immediately shown to the back and led into a reception room.
"Well, well, Kaito-sama. Welcome," Canalis greeted.
"Hello, Canalis-san... I could have spoken to you at home, but there was something I wanted to ask..."
I explained the situation to Canalis, who greeted me with her usual expressionless face despite the upbeat tone of her voice. I gave her the dates Kuro and I had agreed upon for the reservations at the Arclesia Empire and Hydra Kingdom branches.
"Yes, that won't be a problem at all. In fact, if it's you, Kaito-sama, it would be perfectly fine even if you just showed up on a whim. Tahaa~ It’s what they call a 'Face Pass,' isn't it?"
"I was worried about overlapping with Anima and the others if they were using the priority seats..."
"Oh, no. Even if you do overlap, we can add as many seats as we need with a little space expansion. It's really no trouble at all."
"I see... Then, I'll count on you for those dates."
"Understood. By the way, what are your plans for today? If you'd like to use the cafe with your companion, I can have a table ready for you immediately."
I secured Kuro's reservation with surprising ease, and Canalis even offered to accommodate us today. Come to think of it, Elis-san had mentioned she lost the cafe lottery and only won the right to buy goods... Inviting her to the cafe might be the perfect apology.
"I'll have to check if Elis-san is free first, but I'd love to take you up on that. Also, I actually ran into a bit of trouble before coming here. I ended up confusing Elis-san and causing her a lot of stress, so I'd like to give her something as an apology... Do you have anything suitable?"
"Hmm... Ah, in that case, that might be the best option. We have a service we're planning to launch for the nobility soon. I can arrange for something like an early-access right. Since we'll eventually offer this to the general public, it shouldn't make her feel overly burdened, yet it still carries a special, exclusive feel."
The service Canalis described was definitely geared toward the upper class. It sounded like something she would genuinely appreciate. I decided to go with that. After thanking Canalis, I left the reception room to reunite with Elis-san.
Serious-senpai: "Behold, everyone. That is the figure of the Devil of Body Blows, who punches the stomach with nothing but goodwill..."