After pulling Elis-san’s name from the Garapon lottery machine, Ein-san called out to her, and she arrived shortly thereafter.
"Hello, Kaito-sama. Congratulations on your birthday. Please accept my most heartfelt blessings."
"Thank you very much. Elis-san, you made it all the way to the finals in the tournament earlier, didn't you?"
"I was simply fortunate with the brackets. To be honest, reaching the finals was a rather stomach-aching experience, but I was delighted to have the chance to experience otherworld entertainments. As the daughter of a Marquis, I strive to broaden my knowledge every day, but this made me realize how much I still have to learn. Your own performance was truly magnificent, Kaito-sama. Your match against the Underworld King-sama was quite wonderful."
"That game was popular back in my old world, so I think I only did well because I had a fair bit of experience with it."
Elis-san spoke with a gentle smile, keeping the conversation flowing naturally and without a hint of sarcasm. I had thought this before, but she was truly gifted at conversation. Perhaps it was because she had so many opportunities to hone her social skills in noble circles, but talking with her was genuinely pleasant and effortless.
I was sure her kind personality played a part, but she was simply a very easy person to talk to.
"Forgive me, I ended up chatting too long before getting to the matter at hand. Once again, happy birthday. It is a modest gesture, but I have brought a gift for you."
"Thank you... Oh? This magic tool has a familiar shape. Is this the same type as the portable villas?"
The gift Elis-san handed me was a magic tool shaped like a large bag. I owned a few similar items—one that Isis-san had won for me at the Six Kings Festival and the cottage-type one I used when I went out with Anima—so this looked like a similar category of tool.
"Yes, it is quite similar. However, it isn't a building. It might be easier to understand if you thought of it as an athletic playground where you can play with your pets."
"Eh? They have things like that too?"
"In the Arclesia Empire, partly due to the popularity of our monster race tracks, the number of nobles who keep monsters as pets is higher than elsewhere. Consequently, we have a variety of products for monster pets, and this is one of them. I recalled you mentioned during a previous conversation that your Behemoth enjoys running with you on its back, so I chose a set that includes play equipment specifically suited for mountable monsters."
Indeed, I remembered mentioning that I took walks while riding on Bell’s back during a casual chat at Nifty’s Cafe. It seemed Elis-san had remembered that and prepared something perfectly suited for it.
"This requires a fairly wide, open space to set up, so it normally isn't a very practical gift... but I judged that such a location wouldn't be an issue for you, Kaito-sama. Furthermore, while it originally consisted only of mountable play equipment, I heard you also have a white dragon as a pet. I took the liberty of adding some modifications so that both the Behemoth and the white dragon could enjoy it."
"O-Oh... that's amazing. I’ve definitely wanted to let Bell and Rin play more freely, so I'm really grateful for this. I can't wait to use it."
"If it pleases you, then I am delighted as well."
No, I was actually thrilled... Just finding out that such play equipment for monsters like Bell and Rin was even sold was a huge discovery.
In the Kingdom of Sinfonia, aside from grooming supplies, you didn't see much in the way of toys or play equipment, and even then, they were usually for small monsters. Learning that the Arclesia Empire sold equipment for large and mountable monsters was a big deal.
Bell and Rin would be so happy. I really was looking forward to trying it out.
"Ah, that's right. If you don't mind, Elis-san, would you like to come over to my house again whenever it’s convenient for you?"
"Hyu... Ah? Eh? Um... to your home, Kaito-sama?"
"Yeah. I’d like to introduce you to Bell and Rin properly... Of course, I'm not trying to force you or anything."
"It would be a tremendous honor, but is it truly alright for someone like me to visit? I wouldn't be a nuisance?"
"Of course not. I consider Elis-san a truly important friend and someone I can sincerely trust, so I’d be happy if you came to visit."
"A-Ah, um, Kaito-sama... your words... the weight of your own influence... Ah, no, thank you very much. If you are truly certain, Kaito-sama, then I would love to."
For a moment, Elis-san’s eyes went a bit distant, but she immediately returned to a gentle smile and nodded. I would be genuinely happy to have her over, and since I received such a great gift, I hoped I could provide her with some excellent hospitality when she visited.
Serious-senpai: "Those top-tier Count-class types and their lot can hear this conversation perfectly fine, right?"
???: "They definitely can, ssu."
Serious-senpai: "...If there's a noble who is trusted that much by Kaito, there are bound to be Six Kings' Executives who’ll decide they need to establish a connection with her, right?"
???: "No doubt about it, ssu. Especially those with ties to the Arclesia Empire..."
Serious-senpai: "Good grief, she’s really unnecessarily competent. She chose a gift Kaito would be genuinely happy about. I mean, while she's giving a present that delights a pet-lover like Kaito, she's also making a brilliant move by increasing his interest in the Arclesia Empire at the same time... But as a result, his favorability is skyrocketing, and she’s suffering stomach pain from goodwill... I have a feeling Elis is going to be hit with another stomach ache soon..."