The shelves Alice had set up—undoubtedly targeted at us—were filled with straightforward items in the section designated for Hina-chan. They were things like accessories with cute designs or highly practical pens; their purposes were obvious at a glance.
The section meant for me, however, was a different story. Many of the items there were impossible to identify by sight alone. Take the gauntlets, for example. I knew what gauntlets were, of course, but I couldn't imagine why they’d make a good birthday gift. Even if they were for the Adventurer Profession, they seemed better suited for Hina-chan, who fought with her bare hands, rather than Aoi-chan.
"Alice, what are these gauntlets for?"
"Ah, those are Magic Tools. They work similarly to a Magic Box, but they can store up to four pre-made golems inside. They’re top-tier items that allow you to summon golems instantly without the need to manifest complex Magic Circles in the heat of battle."
"Oh... Wait, really? Alice-sama, wouldn't a standard Magic Box do the same thing?"
Hearing Alice's explanation, I realized they were indeed useful items worthy of being a gift for Aoi-chan, but I found myself sharing Hina-chan’s doubt.
Since a Magic Box could store anything non-living, it shouldn't have been unusual to store golems in one. Yet the fact that I had never seen Aoi-chan do so meant it was likely impossible.
"Actually, it's not that simple. Broadly speaking, Golem Magic maintains a Magic Power Path between the caster and the golem from the moment it’s summoned. If that connection is severed, the magic is canceled. It depends on the caster's skill, but the path usually breaks if they get too far away. Now, I said 'broadly' because there are ways to fix that, such as creating a special Magic Power Core inside the golem, but that's extremely advanced magic. It’s still far beyond Aoi-san’s current level."
"So, placing one inside a Magic Box cuts that Magic Power Path?"
"Exactly. The inside of a Magic Box is a kind of separate dimension, so the path is severed the moment the item enters. At that point, the Status Preservation of the Magic Box keeps the golem from falling apart, but the second you take it out, it collapses. Technically, you could reconnect the path in the split second after pulling it out, but that requires a level of Magic Power Control Technique comparable to Isis-san... In short, just assume it's impossible."
For instance, the more powerful a golem was, the more complex the Magic Circle became, which took more time to set up. Since Aoi-chan acted as back-line support, she usually built her golems while Hina-chan shielded her, but I was sure she’d had to make plenty of compromises because of the time constraints.
On the other hand, with these gauntlets, she could spend as much time and Magic Power as she wanted beforehand to create powerful golems, then simply summon them to the field whenever a fight broke out. It was a revolutionary prospect.
From Alice's tone, it sounded like the same feat could be achieved without these gauntlets if one possessed truly exceptional magic skills, but since she cited Isis-san—one of the top powers in the world—as her benchmark, the difficulty must have been astronomical.
"Wait... then doesn't that make this an incredible item?"
"Right? I'm certain Aoi-senpai would love to have this."
"To tell you the truth, I originally made it intending to sell it at the Weapon Shop in the Basement of Kaito-san's House. But as I’ve explained, storing and utilizing golems like this requires advanced magic. I packed that Magic Tool with special techniques and didn't hold back on using rare materials... Honestly, at the rate Aoi-san or Hina-san earn through the Adventurer Profession, I have no idea how many years it would take them to save up for it."
When I checked the price tag after hearing that, I saw it was listed as '100 Platinum Coins.' That was roughly 1-billion Yen—an absolutely staggering amount.
The items in Alice's General Store were usually priced quite low because Alice used materials she procured herself. If it still cost this much even after her discounts, there was no doubt it would be several times more expensive anywhere else.
However... well. I could easily afford it. To be perfectly honest, Nifty and my other ventures were doing so well that my wealth was increasing far faster than I could spend it. I was actually starting to run out of things to buy.
Alice had likely put this item in this section precisely because she was well aware of my financial situation.
"All right, I'll take it."
"Much appreciated!"
"Um... I knew Kaito-senpai was well-off, but exactly how much money do you have...?"
"Er, well, Anima manages the bulk of it for me, but even so, I have about 3000 Platinum Coins on hand in my Magic Box."
"Th-Three thou...!"
Hina-chan was speechless, her shock having gone beyond mere surprise. In truth, I didn't know what to do with it all myself. Anima was so skilled at asset management that my funds were constantly growing, and now that Canaris—who could simply ignore the concept of overhead costs—had joined the team, the pace of growth had accelerated even further.
...Anyway, I was just glad I managed to find such a great present.
Serious-senpai: "Equipment costs... just create them. Labor costs... just create them. Material costs... just create them... Canaris is a total Cheat when it comes to business expansion."
???: "She isn't a Cheat; she's a God, after all."