As gifts were being presented between the live performances, word arrived that the winner of the third gaming tournament had been crowned. This meant it was time for an exhibition match.
The champion was Vul. Even in the first tournament, she had displayed a level of skill that made it hard to believe she was a novice, but by the third round, she had evolved even further. She had apparently fought her way to a brilliant victory, defeating seasoned players and even the formidable Amel-san.
"Ehehe! Kaito-sama, I look forward to our match!"
"Same here. But wow, Vul, you’re incredible. To win against veterans like Amel-san on your very first day... that's impressive."
"I practiced as hard as I could because I really wanted to play with you!"
"I see. Well, that makes me happy. But you know, if you ever want to play, just ask. Isis-san is getting quite good, too. Maybe next time we could all hang out at her castle and play with her subordinates."
"That sounds like a blast! I definitely want to do that!"
Watching Vul talk while happily wagging her tail was genuinely heartwarming. If I brought a console to Isis-san's castle, we could play together; there were plenty of lively people there, and I had a feeling it would be a lot of fun.
The fact that so many people had gained gaming experience during this party was a huge plus. It opened up a whole new way to spend time with Vul, Isis-san, and everyone else in the future.
Still, as adorable as she was, Vul’s skills were the real deal. Considering she had beaten Amel-san fair and square, she was undoubtedly better than me.
Canalis had set the status adjustments to three times our normal attributes. While she wasn't quite at Kuro’s level, she was a daunting opponent nonetheless.
Our match was a fierce back-and-forth, leaving us almost perfectly matched. In the end, Vul managed to land a clean special move to secure the win. Since it was just a friendly exhibition match, the outcome didn't really matter—Vul seemed perfectly content just to have played with me, her face lit up with a satisfied smile.
『That was a wonderful match. Now, while we have everyone’s attention, we’d like to take a moment of your time.』
"Hm? Is this for a third interlude?"
『No, this isn't an entertainment act. I wanted to take a moment to introduce the souvenirs. We have commemorative gifts prepared for every guest who attended Kaito-san’s birthday party, which you can collect on your way out. Let’s take a quick look at what’s inside.』
Souvenirs? Well, given the staggering scale of this party, I suppose it wasn't that surprising... but I wondered who had actually put them together.
『First, courtesy of the Creator God of this world, Shallow Vernal-sama, we have a bottle for every guest of the extraordinarily delicious Wine <<K>>—the same vintage previously distributed during the celebration for Kaito-san's new home.』
『As expected of Shallow Vernal-sama. I’m sure those who missed the last party are dying to try it, and even those who did attend might have been too hesitant to uncork their first bottle. This will surely be a hit.』
So the first item was Shiro-san’s wine. I’d tried it before; it was a silver liquid that looked like mercury but tasted divine. I’d heard rumors that it was treated as a legendary "phantom wine" among connoisseurs, so I imagined many people would be thrilled to get their hands on a bottle.
『Next up, provided by the Underworld King, Kuromueina-san—or Kuro-san—is an Instant Baby Castella 3-Variety Set.』
『Ah, I’ve heard those are so popular it’s practically impossible to find them in stores.』
『Indeed. The "Instant Series" released by Kuro-san's trading company is currently on its third wave, and they’ve been selling out everywhere. For this occasion, she has provided three different flavors of baby castellas from the latest lineup.』
That was a very "Kuro" gift. It was true that her instant series was a massive sensation. I’d seen it featured in magazines multiple times, and I was sure many people here had never managed to get their hands on any. And while they were rare, they were still items meant for the common public. For guests who might find a divine wine a bit too intimidating, a gift like this was probably much more approachable.
『Finally, we have a joint contribution from the three nations of the Human Realm: a set of commemorative coins. These are gold coins featuring Kaito-san’s necklace on the reverse, and they can be used as legal tender.』
『The Human Realm has a culture of minting commemorative coins, don't they? They make them for every Hero Festival, if I recall.』
『Yes, they're relatively simple to produce. There are coins marked for specific Hero Festivals, and they're often minted for major milestones like a fifty-year anniversary. Commemorative coins are actually quite common—though they're usually copper.』
Commemorative coins?! They were going way too far. Why on earth were they minting national currency for my birthday?! It was terrifying—honestly, it made my stomach churn. I really wished they would stop... The only relief was that the design used my necklace rather than my face or name. Most people would probably just think it was a coin celebrating a magic tool or a gemstone, which spared me some of the shame... No, who was I kidding? It was still excruciatingly embarrassing!
Serious-senpai (Talking in her sleep): "...It's not just me... Kaito... is taking stomach damage too..."