It took a little while for Olivia to regain her composure, but compared to her earlier state of total confusion, she was perfectly fine now. Before long, we were back to discussing our impressions of the play.
As I had come to expect, Kaori took the lead in the conversation. It was quite a relief for me, as I could just relax and follow along with whatever topic she raised.
"That confession scene was wonderful! 'Please, sing only for me'... I knew it! When it comes to romance stories about the Spirit Race, the confession has to involve song. It’s a classic trope, but that stability is exactly what makes it so good..."
"...A confession involving song?" Olivia sounded genuinely puzzled. "This is the first I have heard of it. I was under the impression that Spirits gift a Golden Fruit created from their own magic power when they choose a mate... But then again, the High Cathedral primarily oversees formal marriages. Since there is much regarding the dating process that we do not involve ourselves with, it is possible I simply wasn't aware."
"Wait, really?" Kaori asked, surprised. "Well, I don't actually know any Spirits personally, so all my knowledge comes from books... but in romance stories about the Spirit Race, a song-based confession is the absolute standard. The plots usually involve someone singing a love song to convey their feelings, or asking a Spirit to sing for them."
This was a timely coincidence, as it touched on the very topic I had heard from Jutia not long ago. Kaori’s knowledge was clearly rooted in romance novels and theater. On the other hand, while Olivia had likely done quite a bit of research for today's date, she probably hadn't bothered with Spirit-specific romance tropes, assuming they wouldn't be relevant to our group.
In fact, since she had almost certainly used human romance stories as her primary reference material, it wasn't surprising that she was unfamiliar with the fictional clichés surrounding the Spirit Race.
"I actually learned about this recently," I interjected. "But in reality, it seems that Spirits almost never use songs for confessions, just as Olivia suggested. For that matter, romance itself is quite rare among their kind. However, because songs are sacred to Spirits, authors of fictional works used that as a springboard to make song-based confessions a staple of the genre."
"Oh, I see. Well, it certainly looks great on stage, but I guess asking someone to 'sing for you' in a real relationship would feel a bit awkward."
"As expected, Miyama Kaito-sama is remarkably knowledgeable," Olivia said, her eyes shimmering. "Your light of wisdom has once again expanded my own narrow insight."
Kaori spoke with genuine admiration, while Olivia sounded deeply moved. I couldn't help but think that their reactions perfectly reflected their respective personalities.
We left the cafe and began walking through the streets again. We had been talking for a while, but it was still far from evening. I wondered where we were headed next.
"Where are we headed now?" I asked.
"Well, we’ve already had lunch and stopped at a cafe, so I think we’re set for food for the time being," Kaori replied. "The rest of the plan is focused on sightseeing. We weighed a few options, but Olivia-sama was the one who made the final call..."
"Yes. I considered several possibilities, but since we have plenty of time, I thought we should head to the canal-themed tourist destination in the southwest. There, one can board a boat and view the rows of scenic buildings along the waterways."
That sounded excellent. The prospect of drifting down a canal while admiring a cityscape of red-brick architecture was a lovely thought.
As Kaori pointed out, we had been quite active so far—shopping in the morning, followed by the play and the cafe. Relaxing on a gently swaying boat while taking in the sights seemed like a perfect change of pace.
"That sounds fun. Come to think of it, didn't we ride a boat together the last time we went out, Olivia?"
"Yes... and I caused you a great deal of trouble then. Having reflected deeply on that experience, I made sure to reserve a boat with an autopilot function this time."
"I see. Thank you for being so thoughtful."
"H-Hahii... Y-You are too kind. Such praise is more than I deserve."
"Olivia?"
"It is nothing! I merely... had a few stray thoughts."
For some reason, Olivia had suddenly become flustered again. Since she insisted it was nothing, I didn't feel right prying any further.
Still, I couldn't help but notice that her grip on my hand grew just a little bit tighter.
???: "Oh? What have we here? Our resident Sugar Master, Serious-senpai, give us the breakdown!"
Serious-senpai: "Basically, she was in such a state of panic earlier that she couldn't process anything. Now that she's finally calmed down, she’s become hyper-aware of Kaito, and those casual smiles of his are making her heart race. Olivia’s gratitude for him has reached such absurd heights that she’s become more of a romance bottom-tier than ever. The only reason her heart wasn't thumping like this until now was because of the pure chaos of the situation. Since they're in a bit of a lull before the big evening finale, she probably let her guard down... and hey, who are you calling a Sugar Master!?"