It seemed the Hidden Talent Show included a ten-minute interval between each performance. Alice claimed this was for participants to prepare and for new entries to be filed, but in reality, she was likely creating windows of time specifically for me to receive birthday presents.
Grateful for her thoughtfulness, I gave the Garapon lottery machine a spin.
"Anima."
The draw produced Anima’s name, and before long, she arrived at my side, escorted by Ein-san.
"Master, happy birthday!"
"Thank you, Anima. Are you enjoying the party?"
"Yes! This celebration features many attractions related to the culture of your home world, Master, so I have been quite enjoying it myself. The exhibition rooms inside the castle were also filled with fascinating things."
"Oh, that's right. I heard people were setting up various displays in the other rooms, didn't I? I’ve been stuck here the whole time, so I haven’t seen them. What kind of rooms were there?"
Alice had mentioned that people were using their spare time to remodel the other rooms and that we were free to tour them. However, since I was the guest of honor, I hadn't left the main party venue and knew nothing about the side exhibits.
From the banter between Alice and Fate-san, I gathered that Kuro had created a room completely filled with baby castellas, but beyond that...
"Since this world is not Trinia, it falls outside the scope of the agreement between Shallow Vernal-sama and Eden-sama. Consequently, there were rooms displaying samples of mechanical products and similar technology. Apparently, for anything prohibited in Trinia by the agreement, our memories of them will fade once we return there. Seeing things I had only ever heard of in stories was a very fresh experience."
"I see. They did say some technologies had been relaxed, but mechanical products are still strictly restricted. I suppose they must seem quite novel to people born in Trinia..."
Just as I had been astonished by magic when I first arrived in this world, mechanical products must be a mysterious and captivating unknown technology to the residents here.
"Oh, but if I keep talking, we'll run out of time. Master, please—this is a present from me."
"Thank you. It's quite large, isn't it? Is this..."
Anima handed me a long, slender box. At a glance, the shape suggested it might contain something like a Japanese sword. Of course, Anima wouldn't give me a weapon, so I assumed it was something else entirely.
"It's a fishing rod. I worried that accessories or more common gifts might overlap with what others were giving, and... I hoped that we might go fishing together again, Master. That is why I prepared this."
"I see, a fishing rod... That’s a great idea. We’ve gone fishing together a few times now, but I’d love to go again. We’ve mostly stuck to rivers, so maybe we should try sea fishing next time?"
"Yes! I will look forward to that day with all my heart!"
Personally, I quite enjoy fishing, but it’s a long distance from the Sinfonia Royal Capital to the ocean. The only place near the sea registered in my teleportation magic tool was the Hydra Kingdom.
I had registered the Demon Realm's beach when we had the shipboard party, but I’d never used it for fishing. Honestly, unless you make a conscious effort to go, the opportunity rarely presents itself.
The people I’d fished with so far were Laguna, Lilia, Sieg, and Anima, I think? Since Anima and I had gone river fishing together several times, she was the first person I thought of when it came to a fishing date.
Anima herself loved fish, and I always found the time we spent together while waiting for a bite to be incredibly relaxing. I definitely wanted to go again.
"Thank you, Anima. I’m really happy."
"I am glad you like it... Ah... Um..."
"Yes?"
"Oh, no, it's just... as your lover, I thought... well, I wondered if I should do something special... But I didn't know what would be appropriate..."
It wasn't as if she was obligated to do something extra just because she was my lover, but Anima hadn't held that status during my last birthday. Since this was her first time celebrating as my girlfriend, she clearly wanted to make it count.
Still, there wasn't much she could do on the spot.
"Well... how about a hug, then?"
"A-A hug?! Y-Yes! By all means! Excuse me!"
I suggested the first thing that came to mind, and Anima accepted instantly. She stepped toward my chair and leaned down slightly to wrap her arms around me.
True to her nature, her initiative was impressive—once she decided on a course of action, she executed it immediately. I smiled and lightly returned the embrace, wrapping my arms around her back.
With time being short, the hug only lasted a few seconds, but feeling her soft presence and Anima's warm body heat filled me with a profound sense of happiness.
Serious-senpai: "Ugh... Gwaaargh... These simple, sweet moments are low-key the hardest to watch... Pant... Pant... Okay, so the remaining lovers are... Sieg, Alice, Fate, and Illness, right? Damn it, there are still so many left..."