Eris returned to her family's estate in the capital of the Arclesia Empire. It was a grand mansion, befitting the Hamilton Marquis House—one of the empire's prestigious Four Great Noble Houses. Upon her arrival, she immediately ordered her maid to arrange an audience with her parents.
Fortunately, both her father and mother were at home, currently sharing a quiet moment over tea. Eris decided to join them at once.
"Welcome back, Eris. Did you enjoy your shopping trip to Nifty?"
"I truly wish I could have gone with you, but with tonight’s party to prepare for..."
"Father, Mother, there is something I must bring to your attention immediately."
Her parents had welcomed her with gentle smiles, but they shared a puzzled glance when they saw the uncharacteristically grim expression on her face. As high-ranking nobles, they quickly surmised this was a matter of grave importance. Their features hardened as they turned their full attention toward her.
"So, it is a serious matter then... All of you, out. We will call for you if necessary."
The Marquis ordered the maids and butlers to withdraw. Once the three were alone, he produced a magic tool to prevent eavesdropping and activated it before giving his daughter a short nod.
Recognizing that the stage was set, Eris nodded back and began her report. She detailed her chance meeting with Miyama Kaito, her encounter with five members of the Seven Princesses, and the fact that she had received Kaito’s Friend Determination.
"I... beg your pardon?"
Marquis Hamilton was the Prime Minister, an elite noble whose power and influence were second only to the Emperor. He spent his days exercising his sharp wit on the political stage, yet this was the first time in his life he felt his mind simply fail to process information.
It was only natural. His daughter had left for a short trip to a tea shop; for her to return half a day later claiming to have befriended the World’s Singularity and five of the Six Kings' Executives was more than anyone could be expected to rationalize on the spot.
"W-Wait just a moment... How did this happen? No, a chance encounter with Miyama Kaito-sama is one thing. He is the owner of Nifty, after all. It is not outside the realm of possibility that he would visit the shop, and the chance of running into him—low as it may be—is never zero. But... why would that lead to him designating you as a friend?"
"Father, your skepticism is perfectly justified, but I’m afraid I have no clear answer. I don’t understand how it came to this myself."
The odds of Eris happening to cross paths with Kaito during a brief shopping trip to a foreign branch were already astronomical. Everything that followed was even more incomprehensible.
The Marchioness, as pale and bewildered as her husband, spoke up after a moment of deep thought.
"Could it not have been... a mere social pleasantry?"
"I thought of that, and despite knowing how rude it was, I confirmed it with Kaito-sama himself. He insisted that he truly considers me a friend. He even gave me a Special Ordering Magic Tool for Friends to use at Nifty."
"Is it possible that Miyama Kaito-sama desires you as a mistress?"
"I believe not. Kaito-sama was a commoner before arriving in this world, so his straightforward nature may be a result of that, but he is not a man given to double-talk. My personal impression was that he is quite honest and easy to read—a very likable man. He treated me as a friend from start to finish. Of course, I cannot rule out the possibility that he is an actor so talented he could fool even me, but..."
Eris felt that Kaito’s emotional shifts were transparent. In her eyes, there was no doubt he held a favorable impression of her, but it felt like the pure goodwill of a new friendship rather than anything born of romance or lust.
Hearing Eris state that he didn't seem to desire that kind of relationship—at least for now—the Marquis gave a slow nod. Years of high-level politics had made him resilient; his mind was already calculating at high speed.
"...However, we cannot say he won't desire such a thing in the future. We are fortunate that since you are the heir to this house, we have been very selective about your marriage prospects. You have no fiancé at present. For the time being, I will be returning the search for a suitor to a blank slate. Do you have any objections?"
"None at all, Father."
"I trust I don't need to tell you this, but this is strictly because of the possibility that such a relationship might develop one day. You must not, under any circumstances, approach him with that as your sole objective."
"I understand. That would be an insult to Kaito-sama. I intend to maintain our friendship as an individual named Eris, setting aside the interests of this house and the nobility. Of course, if I should happen to fall for him during that process, I will report it immediately."
"Good. Well then, let us move on to the next detail... The implications of this are so vast that we have no choice but to go through them one by one. This is going to be a long night."
The Marquis lightly rubbed his stomach as if to soothe a brewing pain. The potential benefits of a connection to Kaito were staggering. If handled correctly, the Hamilton Marquis House could achieve prosperity beyond their wildest dreams.
Yet, at the same time, they were dealing with a man whose influence was so vast that a single misstep could see their house erased from the annals of history. Even for a man of the Marquis’s caliber, the path forward was a harrowing one.
Serious-senpai: "Imagine the hearts of that poor couple when they hear that the daughter they trustingly sent out has come home as a friend of the World's Singularity... Good heavens. I thought it was just a bomb meant to blow up the daughter, but it turned out to be a Stomach Pain Napalm that burns everyone in the vicinity with the Flames of Stomach Pain. That Devil Who Gives Stomach Pain has even started adding area-of-effect attacks to his repertoire..."