Now that the gifts from Shiro-san and Machina-san were over, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. In a sense, the supernatural entities who posed the biggest threat to my sanity had been concentrated at the very beginning, which made me feel a bit more at ease.
"Actually, everyone's been focusing so much on the gift-giving, but please feel free to chat amongst yourselves if it isn't your turn. I know it's hard not to pay attention when a bunch of anxiety-inducing powerhouses were bunched up at the start, but let's take it easy from here on out!"
As I took Alice’s words to heart and tried to relax, Ein-san handed me a drink. I moistened my throat before spinning the lottery machine for the third time.
I wondered who would be next... and then a strange display appeared.
'EX3'
EX3? That definitely wasn't a person's name. Even if it was, I didn't know anyone by that name.
While I tilted my head in confusion, Alice immediately jumped in with an explanation.
"Oh! We’ve pulled a special slot! This one's a bit unique... it’s basically a gift from the outside. Canaris-san is the one in charge of this category, so I'll let her explain."
"Yes, I’ll take the microphone for a moment! To put it bluntly, Kaito-sama has an incredibly large following in other worlds. He's especially popular among World Creators—there's even a fan club! Tee-hee, but that's only natural given how charming, cool, and respectable Kaito-sama is... Ahem. Anyway, those World Creators who are fans of Kaito-sama requested to send him presents for his birthday."
The scale of this conversation had suddenly skyrocketed. I mean, I’d heard from Canalis-san that gods from various worlds were keeping an eye on me, but a fan club? That was news to me. Did such a thing really exist?!
"I certainly understand wanting to give Kaito-sama a present, but if we allowed everyone to do it, it would be total chaos. So, after setting some conditions, we held a lottery and chose five individuals to send gifts. Tee-hee, that lottery Kaito-sama spun earlier was actually the draw to select those five! I’ve already taken custody of their gifts and labeled them EX1 through 5."
Okay, I followed the logic. But if everything she was saying was true, it was terrifying. I recalled seeing a number like 170 billion on the lottery machine earlier... Just how massive was this fan club?
Well, regardless, it seemed "EX" meant a gift from a creator of another world.
"Let’s see, EX3 is... this one. I’ll transfer it to you now, Kaito-sama."
"A crystal ball? Is it meant for a desk?"
Following Canalis-san's words, a crystal ball mounted on a pedestal appeared in my hands. The ball and base seemed to be one solid piece.
It looked like a piece of home decor, but what exactly was it?
"I’ll relay the message from the sender exactly as written: 'Happy Birthday. I sincerely bless Kaito Miyama-san’s healthy growth. You may be bewildered by a gift from a stranger, but please accept this as a modest token from someone who holds you in high regard. As for the gift itself, by touching the object and focusing your mind, it will project a landscape into your surroundings. It temporarily overwrites the space within a specified range, allowing you to enjoy scenery as if you were actually there. In the language of your world, VR or hologram might be the closest terms. I have carefully selected several beautiful locations from within the world I created. I made this so you could enjoy the feeling of traveling to another world while relaxing in your own room, and I hope you find it pleasing. May your days ahead be filled with happiness.' ...That's the gist of it. By the way, the World Creator who sent this is a member of the fan club who quietly watches over your growth, Kaito-sama, since you're still quite young compared to them."
I see. So with this, I could enjoy the scenery of worlds different from both my old home and Trinia. That sounded genuinely fun—it was actually a very thoughtful gift.
I'd been bracing myself because it came from another world's creator, but it was much better than I’d expected. I was already looking forward to trying it out.
"Thank you. I can't wait to use it. Please tell the sender thank you for me."
"Leave it to me! Now, back to Alice-san."
"Right! And with that... man, we really started with a triple-threat of God, God, and God. I bet whoever's next is feeling some serious pressure, huh?"
"Shallow Vernal-sama, the Earth God, and then an Otherworld Creator... Yeah, whoever is fourth in line might feel a bit overshadowed."
Listening to Alice and Fate-san, I couldn't help but agree. Having such heavy hitters go first was a tough act to follow. With a slight sense of dread for the next person, I spun the lottery machine again.
'Lilia Albert'
...How do I put this? Even from where I was sitting, I could see the light vanish from Lilia-san’s eyes.
"Man... why does Riri-tan always end up like this?"
"It's a tragedy, ssu, but somehow it feels perfectly natural that it's Lilia-san."
I felt for her, despite the somewhat blunt words from Fate-san and Alice. It was a shame, and I'm sure it was a nightmare for Lilia-san herself, but drawing the short straw like this felt incredibly on-brand for her.
Serious-senpai: "I suspect it wasn't just Kaito. The moment the topic turned to how 'the next person is in trouble,' every single reader probably pictured Lilia."