Following the receipt of Fate-san’s gift, Blossom-san was the next to ascend the stage for the Hidden Talent Show.
She wore a remarkably authentic kimono, her determination practically palpable—but what exactly did she have planned? Blossom-san was known for having rather skewed ideas about Japanese culture, so I couldn't help but wonder what she intended to do in such traditional attire.
"Now then, our next entry is Blossom-san!"
"I wonder what she’ll do? The scoring for this event heavily favors unexpectedness, so I suspect the rules are actually a disadvantage for the real powerhouses..."
Just as Fate-san said, because the Hidden Talent Show emphasized "unexpectedness" in its scoring, it was difficult for the highest-ranking Count-class level powerhouses to make an impression. At their level, people assumed they were capable of almost anything, which worked against them. Conversely, the system was far more favorable for humans or those whose raw abilities didn't quite reach the level of the high-ranking elites.
"I am Blossom, a kin of World King Lilliwood-sama. Please allow me to perform my humble offering, if only for a brief moment. Well then, I shall begin."
Perhaps because she was focusing, Blossom-san offered a quiet bow, her usual rowdiness replaced by a serene calm that felt almost unnatural. After that brief introduction, she began her talent.
The moment Blossom-san drew a folding fan from her breast and unfurled it, the air was filled with the rhythmic melodies of traditional Japanese instruments. Was this... Japanese Dance? It was my first time seeing it in person, but the atmosphere and the specific way she moved left no room for doubt.
Moving in perfect synchronization with the beautiful music, Blossom-san danced with exquisite grace, occasionally utilizing props like her folding fan or a parasol. She was breathtakingly elegant—refined and alluring. The rowdy Blossom-san I knew was nowhere to be found; in her place stood a woman who embodied the image of a polished Yamato Nadeshiko. The sheer contrast between this performance and her usual self was staggering.
The dance itself was truly masterful. I found myself completely captivated, and before I knew it, time had slipped away and the performance reached its end.
"That was a magnificent dance! Now then, judges, please present your scores!"
I hesitated for a moment when it came to my rating. Blossom-san was a direct subordinate of the World King, and as such, it was expected that she would be talented in the performing arts. In terms of pure "unexpectedness," a good dance didn't have much of a punch.
However, the sheer gap between this elegant performance and my usual impression of her was striking. Because I had witnessed a side of her I never knew existed, I raised the 4-point card.
"Oh, it looks like the scores are quite divided this time!"
"The God of Space-Time and Riri-tan gave 3 points, Kai-chan and Kuro-rin gave 4, and Canalis-sama gave a 5... This is definitely the widest spread we've seen so far. Perhaps we should hear from one person in each scoring bracket?"
"That sounds like a plan. In that case... Chronoa-san, let’s start with your comments."
The total came to 19 points, confirming that the opinions were indeed the most varied yet.
"The dance itself was somewhat unusual but undeniably excellent. However, as she is a high-ranking Executive under the World King, the fact that she is skilled in song and dance is a matter of public record. Consequently, I marked her lower on the metric of unexpectedness."
"I see... Moving on, Kuro-san, why did you choose to give 4 points?"
"Hmm... Well, while some elements felt familiar, the dance as a whole was something I’d never seen before. I went back and forth between a 3 and a 4, but I settled on 4 because of how rare it felt."
It seemed that while both Chronoa-san and Kuro held the dance in high regard, they had both docked points because it wasn't "surprising" enough for someone of Blossom-san's status. Kuro, however, had boosted her score slightly because of the novelty of Japanese Dance itself.
Their logic made sense, but that only made me more curious about Canalis-sama, the only judge who had awarded a perfect 5.
"Then, Canalis-sama, what was your reasoning for giving the only 5?"
"Tahaa~ I am simply overjoyed to have witnessed a truly historical moment. The style Blossom-san performed is known as Japanese Dance from Kaito-sama’s world. However, the details of this dance were never officially transmitted by any of the former Hero-roles. It stands to reason, as the summoned Heroes are usually youths in their teens; unless a professional practitioner happened to be summoned, the authentic form of the art would never have reached this world. Yet, Blossom-san spent years studying fragmentary information obtained from various Heroes, meticulously researching until she finally succeeded in almost perfectly reproducing the art. Today was its grand debut."
If what Canalis-sama said was true, Blossom-san had taken vague, second-hand accounts of Japanese Dance, gathered those pieces over the years, and through endless trial and error, managed to reconstruct an art form that should have been lost to this world.
"What Blossom-san performed is a relatively modern style called 'New Dance.' Compared to the older traditions of 'Kamigata Dance' or 'Kabuki Dance,' it has a shorter history and isn't quite as difficult to master—but even so, reconstructing it from mere fragments is nothing short of miraculous. It is the result of countless hours of research and infinite fine-tuning. Tahaa~ My 5 points were awarded to honor the monumental achievement of reconstructing an otherworld culture through sheer dedication and effort, rather than simply being taught."
"As expected, a wonderful commentary. It’s just as Canalis-sama said—if you just group it under 'dancing,' it’s easy to overlook. But as Kuro-san mentioned, she has effectively introduced a style of dance that never existed in Trinia until now. It was a truly superb performance."
As Alice brought the segment to a close, a wave of applause—mine included—washed over Blossom-san. She offered a quiet, humble bow in return.
I felt like I had truly seen a new side of her. When I thought about the staggering amount of effort she must have put in to reconstruct that dance, I realized just how incredible her feat really was.
Serious-senpai: "Dammit, there's another gift segment right after this... Curse it all, if only I could... if only I could use a Mode Change!"
Machina: "Hm? Do you want to use a Mode Change, Serious-senpai?"
Serious-senpai: "Gah!? Oh, right, you were here! Please, I’m begging you! Make it so I can switch into Anti-lovey-dovey Mode!!"
Machina: "...I don't really get it, but leave it to me!"
Serious-senpai: "Thank you!"
Machina: "...(I wonder why she’s so desperate to enter 'Absolute Lovey-dovey Mode'? Ah... maybe that's it? After years of watching all this romance, Serious-senpai has actually become a huge fan of the lovey-dovey stuff. But since she can't exactly drop her 'I hate romance' persona now, she wants to use a special mode as an excuse to enjoy it?)"