Olivia was serious to a fault and never neglected her preparations. Regarding their trip to the theater, she had already checked the performance times and secured the tickets in advance, ensuring they wouldn't arrive only to find themselves turned away at the door.
However, perhaps due to her inherent personality or her simple lack of experience, she had vastly underestimated the volatility of her own emotional state. She was currently aware enough to maintain some composure, but she had spent the last ten days consciously nurturing her gratitude toward Kaito. This meant her heart was far more susceptible to his charms than usual, and her affection was primed to swell at the slightest provocation.
Up until now, Kaito had been the one primarily leading them, and Olivia had managed to keep her cool thanks to the sense of security she felt being guided by him. However, the move she was planning for the theater was entirely her own initiative. Furthermore, because the idea had only just occurred to her, she hadn't been able to simulate the act in advance as she had with the "feeding" scenario.
(This shouldn't be difficult. While we're watching the play, I'll find the right moment and interlace my fingers with the hand already joined to Miyama Kaito-sama's... Interlace my fingers? Pressing our bare skin together and twining our fingers? Isn't that... practically the same as sexual intercourse?!)
The realization of this "shocking fact" sent a jolt through her, freezing her thoughts in place. While her logic was a massive leap, to someone as pure and innocent as Olivia—who was pathologically embarrassed by even minor skin exposure—the idea of lover's hand-holding was a staggering, intimate act.
(Wait, isn't this way too indecent? Too disrespectful? There's a chance Miyama Kaito-sama might misunderstand me as an indecent woman... That would be a catastrophe! N-no, but the books I read certainly said that such a way of holding hands was natural between lovers... Natural... But wait, are Miyama Kaito-sama and I even lovers yet?)
Once her thoughts began to spiral, her confusion only snowballed. Even as they walked toward the theater, Olivia processed her thoughts at high speed, desperately trying to regain her calm.
(N-no, but this is a trial the Great Shallow Vernal-sama has bestowed upon me. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that shrinking back now would be a betrayal of Shallow Vernal-sama's will. Besides, as a fundamental matter, the fact that we're already holding hands means I can assume Miyama Kaito-sama has accepted me to some extent. Of course, the anxiety is endless... but there's no growth if I only rely on his guidance! I have to be the one to take a step forward. Surely Shallow Vernal-sama anticipated this and gave me this trial for that very purpose.)
While Olivia burned with a newfound sense of determination, Shallow Vernal watched her from the Sanctuary and tilted her head in confusion. It was a perfectly reasonable "How did she reach that conclusion?" sort of doubt, but since Shallow Vernal rarely bothered to question anyone other than Kaito, she simply let it slide. There was no one left to stop Olivia's resolve.
As I walked toward the theater hand-in-hand with Olivia-san and Kaori-san, I found myself in a bit of a predicament. Since their secret exchange earlier had been conducted via magic power wavelengths—similar to how monsters communicate—I had accidentally overheard every single word.
But then, if I were to interrupt a conversation that they were having on the absolute premise of it being a secret from me and say, "Actually, I can hear you," it would just make things awkward. If the content were problematic, I might have felt the need to step in, but it was actually quite endearing. Seeing Olivia-san try so hard to pull off a "proper" date scenario was honestly a bit charming.
As for the "lover's hand-holding" thing, we were already holding hands anyway, so the hurdle didn't seem that high to me. I wouldn't have minded switching to it right then and there, but I could feel the sheer weight of Olivia-san's resolve. It felt wrong to take the initiative myself when she was putting so much effort into working up her courage.
If that was the case, all I could do was play dumb, but I had a bit of a reputation for my face being an open book. I wasn't sure if I could actually pull off the deception.
I figured that once the play started, the audience lights would dim, reducing the chances of her noticing my expression. I just hoped I could make it until then without giving the game away. I wondered if wearing the Recognition Inhibition Glasses I got from Shiro-san would help mask my reactions...
Serious-senpai: "I can easily picture that Natural God... watching Olivia's resolve to overcome the 'trial' from the Sanctuary, tilting her head in confusion for a moment, and then immediately losing all interest and shifting her focus back to Kaito because she doesn't really care..."