Just as I finished receiving my birthday present from Anima, it seemed the second act of the Hidden Talent Show was about to begin. I turned my attention toward the stage and found a rather unexpected pair of contestants: Kaori-san and Akane-san.
Judging by the way Kaori-san looked like she was shrinking away in apology while Akane-san remained perfectly at ease, I had a feeling Akane-san was the one who had dragged her into this.
Since my seat was relatively close to the stage and the immediate area happened to be quiet, the voices of the two women on the dais reached my ears.
"A-Akane-san, I really am incredibly nervous! I mean, look, we have to go on right after that magnificent sculpture..."
"Don't you worry about it. Any shame you feel at a party like this is meant to be cast aside. Even if we mess up, people will forget in a heartbeat, and if they don't, it’ll just make for a funny story later. Think of the benefits! It's a chance to get the bigwigs to remember our faces for free, and there’s even a shot at prize money. It's a win-win, so it's worth the gamble!"
It was definitely Akane-san’s doing. She was quite shrewd—or perhaps I should say, as the chairman of a trading company, she had entered the contest simply because she believed getting the influential figures at this party to recognize her would lead to future profit.
Knowing Kaori-san, she certainly wasn't the type to seek out that kind of self-promotion, so Akane-san was undoubtedly the one pulling the strings. However, the fact that she hadn't entered alone suggested that her chosen talent required Kaori-san’s specific abilities.
"Our next entry features a duo of former Hero-roles: Kaori-san and Akane-san!" Alice’s voice boomed.
"Ah, they look familiar," Fate-san chimed in. "Wasn't Kao-rin the one from the year before last? And Aka-nen was a bit before that. I believe both were from years when the Arclesia Empire handled the summoning."
"Oh? It’s rare for Fate-san to remember the faces of the Hero-roles," Alice teased.
"Well, my memory is actually perfect, so I never forget a face once I’ve seen it. I just usually don't bother recalling people because I’m not interested... But lately, I’ve finally been able to take an interest in anyone connected to Kai-chan!"
Fate-san’s growth was truly impressive. Ever since that incident with my mother and father, she seemed capable of taking a genuine interest in anyone associated with me without needing to force herself. Having known how much she used to struggle with that, I felt a warm sense of pride for her.
While I was lost in thought, Akane-san stepped up to the amplification magic tool on the dais to address the crowd.
"Thank you for the introduction! The duo of Akane and Kaori will be performing a little hidden talent for you today. To be honest, that Pope-sama who went before us was so incredible that we’re shaking in our boots, but we’d be grateful if you could watch our performance as if you were watching a children’s school play. That said, I’m mostly just here to help; the real star is Kaori."
"P-Please look forward to it," Kaori-san added weakly.
"I wish she’d relax a bit more, but oh well... Now, our Kaori here might look like a cute little animal, but she’s actually a masterful user of water magic. We’d like to show you a bit of what she can do."
Despite Kaori-san’s visible tension, Akane-san remained natural. After her brief explanation, she produced a hairband with an apple—actually, a Riple fruit—attached to it. She set it on her head and moved a short distance away from Kaori-san.
Was this that act? Was she going to shoot the Riple off her head?
"Akane-san, why do you have a hairband like that?" Kaori-san asked, sounding bewildered. "I mean, a hairband specifically designed to fix a Riple to your head..."
"Oh, this? I picked it up back at the Hydra Kingdom Founding Anniversary Festival. Despite how it looks, it’s a genuine magic tool! It’s a nifty little thing—you just set a Riple on top and it locks right into place so it won't fall off."
"That’s a ridiculously specific use case..."
I recognized it immediately. It was one of the "useless" gag items Alice had invented. It was a bizarre tool that used magic to prevent anything placed on the user's head from falling, and while it seemed like it could be used for something, no practical application ever really came to mind. To think Akane-san had actually bought one...
"I'm sure you've all guessed by now, but Kaori is going to use her water magic to shoot the Riple off my head from over there... Kaori, you’re looking awfully nervous. You’ve got this, right?"
"Akane-san... just in case, shouldn't you put on a full suit of plate armor?"
"Don't say things that make me lose heart! Even if you miss, at least try not to hit me!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at their banter, which felt almost like a rehearsed comedy routine. I was sure they had safety measures in place, and since Kaori-san didn't seem genuinely panicked during the exchange, it was likely part of the act.
Once the dialogue finished, Kaori-san overlapped her index fingers and thumbs to form a square frame, aiming it toward Akane-san. A split second later, a beam of water fired from her hands like a blue laser, perfectly punching through the center of the Riple.
But she wasn't done yet. Kaori-san separated her hands and held both palms out toward Akane-san. This time, thin water lasers—much finer than the first—shot from each of her ten fingers.
Following a visually stunning display where the ten lasers moved in a complex, synchronized dance, the Riple on Akane-san’s head was transformed. What remained was the fruit, masterfully carved into a whimsical, fan-shaped rabbit. Thunderous applause filled the venue.
"Th-Thank goodness, it worked!" Kaori-san exhaled.
"I didn't think about what would happen to the water after the cut, though..." Akane-san muttered, looking down. "Now my hair’s completely soaked..."
Serious-senpai: "Come to think of it, when she hit her nose that one time, she maintained a sphere of water on just the tip of her nose while casually chatting with Kaito. Her delicate magic control really is top-notch..."
???: "After all, compressing water and firing it with the precision of a Water Cutter requires a fairly high level of magic power control technique."