With Kaori and Akane’s hidden talent performance finished, it was time for the scoring. Since the opening act, Olivia, had set the bar with a perfect score, Kaori and Akane’s results would likely serve as the benchmark for everyone else moving forward.
"Now then, let us move on to the judging. Judges, please raise your scorecards... Hey, Machina! I’m not counting that if you hoist a 100-point sign that huge. It’s in the way, so put it away!"
Just as Machina—who had somehow managed to produce and hoist a sign the size of a commercial billboard—reluctantly lowered it on Alice’s orders, the rest of us judges raised our scores.
"A four, a five, another five, and two more fours... for a total of twenty-two points! Oh, that’s quite good. It pales slightly compared to the perfect score at the start, but it’s a solid result that should serve as a fair standard for those following."
"Kuro-rin and Lili-tan gave fives, while the others gave fours. I’d definitely like to hear comments from the two who gave fives."
"Indeed. Then first, Lilia-san, the floor is yours."
Kaori and Akane’s score was twenty-two points. As Alice said, it was a high score, but not so high that those following couldn't overtake it. In that sense, it was a very fair evaluation.
"I was simply impressed by the sheer refinement of her magic. Despite being an otherworlder in her twenties, her magic power control technique is truly wonderful. Furthermore, considering Kaori-san's magic power capacity, it should normally be impossible to discharge such highly compressed water at that output for so long. I assume it is due to a special magical aptitude, which is often cited as a characteristic of otherworlders. I was quite surprised by that."
"I see, thank you very much. Next, Kuro-san."
Come to think of it, Aoi was able to use earth-attribute magic at a level that should have been impossible given her original magic power and mastery, and Hina could use physical enhancement at a significantly higher multiplier than normal. From the perspective of the people of Trinia, that sort of magical aptitude that defied common sense must have been quite unexpected.
Following Lilia-san, Kuro took the amplification magic tool and delivered her comment.
"I agree with Lilia-chan, but Kaori-chan is also exceptionally strong. Among the otherworlders who have moved here, she’s likely top-class. Katagiri Daisuke from thirty-six cycles ago and Tendouin Miyabe from eighty-eight cycles ago were also the combat-oriented types, but I think her magical technique is head and shoulders above them when comparing them at the same age. Well, Miyabe is a special case, so that's strictly a comparison of their youth. Since I felt a strong fledgling-like quality in terms of her talent and potential, I gave her a high score."
"Hmm? Do you intend to train her?"
"No, I might have done that if Kaori-chan were an adventurer, but her main profession is a chef, and she’s already well-matured in that regard. There’s probably no need for that. So, this is simply an evaluation of the performance. Oh, and Akane-chan's commentary was lighthearted and fun, too."
Kuro gave her comments cheerfully, but she said something that piqued my interest. She had mentioned past immigrants, but when she brought up someone named Tendouin Miyabe, she seemed to choose her words slightly carefully. That tone stayed with me.
That said, if I were asked exactly why it bothered me, I wouldn't have been able to explain it. There was probably no need to overthink it... I’d try asking about it later if the opportunity arose.
"Now, let's have one more comment from the people who gave fours... Kaito-san, if you please."
Alice called on me. I had suspected I might be asked to speak since I gave a four, so I was prepared. I received the amplification magic tool from Ein and spoke.
"It was a truly amazing performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I already knew that Kaori-san was an expert with water magic, and Akane-san had previously told me that Kaori-san was strong enough to cut through objects with compressed water streams. Since I already had that prior information, it felt a bit less 'unexpected' to me, which is why I settled on a four."
"I see, thank you. It was the same during the previous karaoke contest, but you always provide surprisingly sound and grounded feedback, don't you, Kaito-san?"
"What’s that supposed to mean, 'surprisingly'..."
"Ahaha, well, never mind that... Now, let’s hear from the performers themselves. Kaori, Akane, how did it feel to show off your talent?"
After hearing from the judges, Alice turned the spotlight back to the two of them.
"I-I was so nervous. If I had messed up the power adjustment and missed, I think I would have easily pierced right through Akane-san's magic barrier..."
"Wait, what? Are you serious? I was feeling totally safe, thinking I’d be fine because of the barrier even if you slipped up! You’re telling me this now? That's terrifying!"
"Well, because, Akane-san, your magic barrier is... well... um... its output is a bit on the lower side... or rather, it's just barely sturdier than a slime... right?"
"If it's crappy, just say it's crappy! Being pampered like that makes it feel even worse... Oops, my apologies for being so noisy. We relied on momentum for parts of it, but all in all, we had a lot of fun. Thank you for giving us such a great opportunity."
"Th-Thank you very much."
"And please, remember the Mikumo Trading Company! Keep us in mind!"
"She’s certainly opportunistic..."
After those lighthearted and fun comments, Akane finished with a firm plug for her company. With a round of applause, Kaori and Akane’s hidden talent performance came to an end.
Katagiri Daisuke An otherworlder who served as the Hero-role thirty-six cycles ago. He was a person who seemed like a delinquent but was kind at heart. Regarding the Hero-role, he declined the position, claiming it "wasn't his style," and had a proxy stand in. However, since he felt it wouldn't be right to just dump the responsibility on them, he accompanied the pilgrimage and supported the proxy Hero-role throughout the journey. During the pilgrimage, he fell in love with the noble daughter who served as the proxy Hero-role. After the Hero Festival, he received a title and married her. Despite his earlier claims, he studied diligently and served faithfully as a noble until he passed away from natural causes.
Tendouin Miyabe The Hero-role from eighty-eight cycles ago, a daughter of a distinguished family that sat at the lower rungs of the peerage. She was a master of the naginata, and her combat power was quite high. During her pilgrimage, she hit it off with Epsilon—who had come as Megiddo's proxy to a certain festival in the Hydra Kingdom—and they became close friends. After the Hero Festival, while she wished to remain in this world, she refused a title and chose to live with Epsilon instead. The fact that Epsilon uses a naginata and wears Japanese-style clothing is due entirely to Miyabe's influence. She spent her days happily with Epsilon and eventually passed away due to old age. At the time, Epsilon intended to see her off with a calm, rational mindset. However, after losing her, Epsilon realized the magnitude of Miyabe's presence for the first time. Unable to endure life without her, Epsilon used special magic to revive Miyabe, restoring her as an Ice Demon—a race similar to a Snow Woman. Normally, the system was designed so that an otherworlder's soul would return to their original world—Machina's world—after death. However, because Miyabe's soul had unconsciously clung to Epsilon's side and refused to leave, the soul remained, making revival possible. However, unlike race-changing while still alive as Noin did, reincarnating the dead into another existence is a forbidden magic that steps into the domain of gods. Even for Epsilon, who was then at the top of the Count-class, she could not easily achieve this. She forcibly succeeded in the forbidden art by paying "ten percent of her own power" as the price. As a result, her power, which once rivaled or exceeded Agni's, has dropped to a level just behind her rival. While the reincarnated Miyabe was concerned about this, Epsilon didn't mind at all, saying, "It is too small a price for an irreplaceable friend," and "If I lost power, I can simply train to regain it." Currently, Miyabe lives in Epsilon's house and handles the domestic duties. Due to the influence of the forcibly performed forbidden art, she has lost most of her memories from the other world, but since she remembers everything since coming to Trinia, she isn't bothered by it. Because of that, she has almost no sense of being an otherworlder. Rather than an "otherworlder who moved here," she is a special case that could be described as "an existence reincarnated after losing memories of the original world." Thus, she was omitted when Alice explained the current list of immigrants to Kaito. As a side note, Miyabe harbors romantic feelings for Epsilon and fully intends to become Epsilon's wife in the future. However, until the relationship between Ozma and Epsilon progresses, she has decided to support them with all her might. While wishing they would just get together already, she provides advice for Epsilon's romantic pursuits. Ozma has noted that since she began providing advice, Epsilon's romantic advances have become significantly more "intense."