I’d been browsing through a magazine to gather some preliminary info for our date, but it somehow ended with me going out to a high-end chocolate shop. Still, I figured I could just treat it as more research for the big day.
Besides, visiting the trade city in advance to register the location in my teleportation magic tool would make the actual day much smoother. Since I had never been there before, I normally would have had to travel through the capital of the Arclesia Empire and then use a transfer gate or a teleportation shop, but this time, that wasn't an issue.
"Well then, well then, if you're ready, let's head out, y’know!"
"Yes. Thank you for your help."
"Alright, I’m going to touch you for a second."
Since I was visiting through Jutia-san’s introduction, things were easy. As an expert in teleportation magic, she could take me there directly, bypassing the need to stop at the capital.
Jutia-san touched me lightly, and a magic circle flared beneath our feet. In the blink of an eye, the scenery shifted, and a building that looked like the shop we were searching for appeared before us.
"Whoa... this is my first time in this city. The red bricks are beautiful."
The magazine I read mentioned that the Red Brick Main Street was a famous tourist spot. There hadn't been any photos, only illustrations, but the reality looked exactly like the drawings. It had a lovely, nostalgic charm.
"That's right, that's right. The whole city has this kind of vibe. It seems they even intentionally use lighting magic tools with a lower output. It’s a nice, calm atmosphere, y’know... Oops, well then, well then, shall we head inside?"
"Ah, yes."
Strolling down the beautiful red brick street seemed like it would be fun, but I decided to save that for the actual date. For now, I headed toward our goal: the chocolate shop.
As expected of such a high-end establishment, the entrance was incredibly grand. When I opened the doors and stepped inside, a staff member waiting by the entrance approached and gave a deep bow.
"Welcome. I am very sorry to trouble you, but may I confirm your membership car—"
"Oh my? Oh my?"
"Is something the matter?"
"...Ah, n-no, my apologies! M-My deepest apologies! May I confirm your membership card? Ah, o-of course, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t have one! In that case, I will prepare one for you immediately!!"
The staff member had started with a calm and sophisticated air, but the moment they saw my face, their expression visibly shifted to one of panic. They hurriedly started insisting they would prepare a card for me even if I didn't have one.
Is this... that again? Since Elis-san is the owner, maybe word about me has already reached the staff. I’ve heard rumors that Eden-san gave the Arclesia Empire a rather severe threat, so that might be related to this as well.
"I’ve got a membership card right here, y’know. And also, and also, I wanted to introduce Kaito... but looking at this, it doesn't seem like there's any need for that."
"Thank you, Jutia-sama. I have indeed confirmed it. We will prepare a membership card for Miyama Kaito-sama immediately, so please, enjoy your shopping."
As I thought, they definitely knew who I was. They even called me by my full name. Well, for now, there didn't seem to be a problem with us being there, so I went further into the shop with Jutia-san to look at the chocolates.
But man, this place was incredible. The high-end store aura was almost overwhelming. Samples of chocolates were displayed like fine art in a museum, and the prices were staggering. There were plenty of pieces that cost 10R each—over a thousand Japanese yen—and plenty that cost much more. Some even reached tens of thousands of R for a single piece. A few were even shimmering with gold leaf, making the chocolates themselves look like solid gold.
"It looks like you would have been fine even without me here, y’know."
"No, I never expected things to turn out like this. Even without the introduction, I think I would have been crushed by the atmosphere of a place like this, so I’m really glad you’re here with me, Jutia-san."
"Is that so? Then, then, I'm glad I could help, y’know."
In truth, if I had come to this shop alone, I would have been completely intimidated. Even though I’ve made a conscious effort to visit high-end stores lately, I’m still not used to them at all. Just having an acquaintance by my side was incredibly reassuring.
While Kaito and Jutia were looking around the shop, it just so happened that Elis was in the back of the store on a surprise inspection.
Elis had been gracefully sipping tea while reviewing documents on sales trends and performance over the last few months. Suddenly, a staff member came rushing in, looking frantic.
"Owner! It’s an emergency!"
"What is it? Is there some kind of trouble?"
"M-Miyama Kaito-sama and Great Tree Princess Jutia-sama have just arrived!"
"............Eh?"
Needless to say, it took quite a while for Elis’s mind—which had entered a state of total system failure—to process the situation.
Serious-senpai: "Putting aside ordinary shops, at high-end stores for nobles, your face is bound to be known. It's even possible that children of noble houses who aren't involved in succession disputes are working there as staff to gain experience. In any case, between the staff and Elis, this first-move double stomach pain is exactly what I'd expect from a master."