The day before my date with Olivia and Kaori finally arrived. At dinner that evening, however, Lilia looked utterly exhausted.
That was strange. I could have sworn she had mentioned this morning that she didn't have much work and was looking forward to relaxing with her favorite monthly magazine once she was finished.
“Lilia, you look exhausted,” I said. “Was work that busy today?”
“...”
“Wait... is this one of those times where I’m the cause again?”
When I asked, Lilia turned an indescribable gaze toward me. We had been together long enough now that my past experiences immediately suggested I was the likely culprit.
Contrary to my expectations, however, she didn’t complain or get angry; she simply watched me with a conflicted expression.
“Um...”
“Oh, no, it wasn’t anything you did, Kaito. It’s just that... various things took far longer than anticipated. I’m certainly more tired than I expected to be, but that phase is over now, so I’ll be fine.”
I tilted my head as she gave me a strained smile. It was a strange way to put it. Even the emotions reaching me through Sympathy Magic weren't of anger, but they felt oddly complex.
If I had to guess, it felt as though she knew I was the root cause, but since I hadn’t actually done anything wrong, she didn't feel justified in venting her frustration on me.
Maybe something had happened regarding the nobility. Curiously, neither Luna nor Sieg seemed to know what was going on either; they both watched Lilia with puzzled expressions. Since she remained vague even when they questioned her, I figured it must be a fairly personal matter.
If that was the case, it would be rude to pry. I decided to drop it. I was planning to stop by Elise’s chocolate shop tomorrow anyway, so I’d just buy some chocolates as a souvenir for her.
Morning arrived, and with it, the day of the date. The plan was to meet Kaori at her shop first, then head to the Cathedral together. Once we met up with Olivia, we would use her Teleportation Magic to reach our destination.
I was meeting Kaori first because of her relationship with Olivia. Usually, whenever they spoke, Olivia would visit Kaori’s shop; as a result, Kaori had rarely set foot inside the Central Cathedral herself. Since it was the heart of the city and the head temple for the Human Realm’s religion, she was too anxious to go there alone, so I had offered to escort her.
I teleported to the front of Kaori’s shop and walked around to the back. She had asked me to use the back entrance and signal her using a specific magic tool. I reached the back door and touched the intercom-like device as instructed.
A short while later, I heard footsteps. The door opened, and Kaori appeared.
“Good morning, Kaito. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Good morning. I only just arrived, so I haven't been waiting at all.”
Kaori was wearing the outfit I had bought for her. Just as I’d thought when I first saw it, the style was a departure from her usual look and suited her perfectly. I noticed one other change, however, and decided to point it out.
“Oh, Kaori, you cut your hair a little shorter, didn’t you? Combined with the new clothes, you really have the air of a cool, sophisticated woman today. You look wonderful.”
“Urgh... You natural-born charmer,” she groaned playfully, blushing slightly. “Giving a perfect hundred-point reaction as easily as breathing... Noticing a girl’s changes right away definitely earns you high marks. I can practically feel your popularity aura radiating off you. But... thank you. I’m happy you noticed.”
Kaori gave a bashful chuckle, looking embarrassed yet clearly pleased by the compliment. After a bit of small talk, we set off together for the Cathedral where Olivia was waiting.
Serious-senpai: “Now I’m curious about Olivia’s status... I wonder if she actually managed to cast aside her distractions and restore her transparent spirit. Then again, even if she did, it’ll probably be thrown into chaos the second they meet...”