The hidden talent show was actually quite clever. Since Alice had made "unexpectedness" a key judging criterion from the start, we saw a lot of skills that really lived up to the name—abilities you would never imagine from the performers' usual personas. It was genuinely entertaining.
Following Fia-sensei and Funf-san's comedy routine, the next performer was Baldo-san, the Knight Commander of the Arclesia Empire. To everyone's surprise, he showcased his skills with a kendama, a toy brought over from the otherworld. He was remarkably good at it.
Once the performance ended, I spun the prize wheel for the next present...
"Alice."
Somehow, I had drawn another one of my lovers right after the last. With this, I had finished drawing every one of them.
"Oh, it's my turn. Kuro-san, could you take over the commentary booth for a bit?"
"That's strange. You just glanced at me and decided I was a lost cause, didn't you? Well, it's a hassle anyway, so I'm glad you didn't ask..."
There wasn't much for an announcer to do during the talent show acts, but since leaving the seat empty wouldn't look good, Alice seemed content to leave it to Kuro. As for Fate-san sitting next to her, Alice had accurately judged that she would find the work far too bothersome.
"Well then, Kaito-san, it's my turn. Wow, I'm the very last one among your lovers. Was that intentional? Did you want Alice-chan to be the grand finale?"
"No, I just thought you looked busy with the commentary..."
"Ah, so I was last because of that... but by that logic, wouldn't it be even weirder for me to be the absolute final draw? Oh, I see. You were thinking how lucky you were that your lovers kept coming up one after another, weren't you?"
"I mean, the thought did cross my mind."
"So Kaito-san's absurd luck correction went to work and pulled my name immediately after. I knew it."
Now that she mentioned it, when I had drawn Illness-san, I had indeed thought about how happy I was to have my lovers' turns happen in a row. So that had been the trigger... It was hard to argue with that logic.
"Anyway, Kaito-san... Happy birthday. Here's my gift."
"Thanks. It's a pretty big bag."
"Yeah, though the contents aren't anything particularly special. It's just a set of clothes and shoes tailored to your tastes. I made them by hand with high-quality materials, but the actual style is fairly standard. Besides, there are plenty of other eccentric people here giving you bizarre presents, so I figured I'd stick to something safe and practical."
"That makes sense. Honestly, those are the kinds of things I can accept without feeling self-conscious. I appreciate it."
I had already experienced so much "special treatment" today that a practical gift like clothes from Alice felt grounded and easy to use. Knowing her, she had probably factored that into her calculations as well, but I was grateful nonetheless.
"...By the way."
"Hold on, Kaito-san! Isn't this weird? There wasn't any rule that lovers had to do something special, right? Kuro-san started it with that stunt during the game tournament exhibition, and then Isis-san got all emotional and did something similar, and now there's this unspoken expectation that lovers have to do something extra during the gift-giving... but there's no official rule!"
"You're panicking so obviously..."
"Come on, you know how I am, Kaito-san..."
"I do, which is why I'm wondering when you're finally going to get used to it."
Alice was such a romance bottom-tier that she would loudly declare it herself. She was prone to getting flustered and embarrassed by anything romantic. It wasn't that she didn't want to do lovey-dovey things—in fact, she was a romantic at heart and likely enjoyed that kind of behavior.
But despite everything we had been through, she still had not adapted. As I watched her, Alice let out a long, dramatic sigh.
"Phew... Kaito-san, I've told you before: please don't underestimate my lack of romantic experience."
"Why are you so proud of being less capable than I expected? So, are you saying you're not going to do anything?"
"Ugh... I-I mean, well, I am your lover too, so... It's not like I'm refusing! It's just a matter of mental preparation, or the timing, or—Mmph!?"
She was babbling. I knew that if I let her continue, she would pile up excuses until the next act started. Taking a page out of Illness-san's book, I moved first. I leaned in and gave her a light kiss.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What was that for?! Why are you always so aggressive specifically with me?!"
"Because you always try to run away whenever things get romantic."
"Nngh... B-But... it's embarrassing..."
It was not that I was trying to be aggressive; it was just that with Alice, nothing would ever move forward unless I took the initiative. She protested with a bright red face, but I knew she could have easily dodged me if she had actually wanted to. The fact that she did not was her answer. I would not point that out, though—it would only make her panic more. She was as cute as ever.
Serious-senpai: "Gah! It's back! What is with this mode? I'm just out here self-destructing! Damn it... W-Well, at least all the lovers are done now. The crisis is ove—Wait, what? My body is moving on its own again..."
???: "That's what you get for setting a flag..."
Serious-senpai (Absolute Lovey-dovey Mode): "Citizens! Are you truly satisfied with this? Can we really claim this is enough? ...No! A thousand times no! As noted in the narrative, the trend of lovers performing romantic gestures during the gift exchange only started with the sequence from Kuro to Isis. Those who presented their gifts before that point were denied such intimacy! Does that not mean there is still work to be done? ...(Wait, stop it! What the hell kind of 'seconds' are you trying to order!?!?)"