The process was simple: whenever I received a gift, I was transported to a parallel world. Alice’s voice would serve as the signal, announcing the transition and prompting me to spin the Garapon once more for the next guest.
This cycle continued repeatedly. I had the option to take a short breather before the next spin if I felt weary, but since I was just standing there accepting presents, I didn't feel much physical exhaustion. In fact, it seemed like my body was completely refreshed every time I jumped to a new parallel world. The only thing likely to accumulate was mental fatigue, but even that didn't seem like it would be a major issue.
"Rosmiel."
The next guest was Rosmiel-san... Come to think of it, I felt like I hadn't seen much of her today. I’d caught glimpses of her from time to time, but she hadn’t really participated in any of the entertainment, so she had been almost invisible throughout the festivities.
Of course, Rosmiel-san suffered from extreme shyness, so that was only to be expected in a crowd like this. Then again, setting aside the people from Lilia-san’s manor, most of the guests from the Demon Realm belonged to one of the Six Kings' factions. I figured she would have plenty of familiar faces around her.
If that were the case, I thought she might actually be doing okay, but...
"...H-h-h-h-happy birthday, Kaito-kun."
...She was definitely not okay. Her face was stiff, her voice was barely a whisper, and the emotions I read through Sympathy Magic made her feel like a terrified chihuahua. She was in full-blown Shyness MAX Mode.
"Thank you. Um, are you all right?"
"S-so many people I don't know... It's scary..."
"Ah, I see. Since there are so many of the Six Kings' subordinates here, I thought you might have recognized a lot of people."
"H-he-heh... Kaito-kun... Even within the World King Faction, I’m the kind of person who struggles to talk normally to everyone. There’s no way I could possibly mingle with the other factions..."
"A-ah, I see..."
Rosmiel-san’s shyness was the real deal. Even within the World King’s faction, while she could talk without issue to her own subordinates or those she worked with frequently, she still froze up whenever she encountered those she rarely saw.
It also seemed to take her quite a while to get used to new faces. For instance, she apparently still couldn't have a proper conversation with Lanza-san, a new leader serving under Camellia-san.
Then again, Lanza-san was incredibly energetic and quite pushy—very much the Blossom-san type—so it was understandable why someone like Rosmiel-san would need a lot of time to adjust to her.
"A-ah, um, I have to give you your present. Choosing one was quite hard. The only high-quality things I can easily prepare are works of art, but I haven't perfectly grasped your tastes yet, Kaito-kun. And since it’s a special occasion, I really wanted to give you something related to roses, so I spent a lot of time worrying about it."
"I suppose Flower Spirits often give gifts related to their own flower?"
Thinking back, most of the things I’d received from Rosmiel-san in the past—like rose cookies or a rose herbarium—had been themed around roses.
"Y-yeah. It seems Tree Spirits are a bit different, but for Flower Spirits like me, we often give things related to our own flower to 'someone we like.' Since I was preparing a birthday gift for you, Kaito-kun, I wanted to make sure it was something special... Here."
"A-ah, thank you. It’s fairly large... Is it a painting?"
Perhaps because Rosmiel-san was so incredibly shy, she tended to be physically very close to those she had opened her heart to. Just now, she had naturally mentioned that gifts for someone she liked should be rose-themed, speaking with such effortless sincerity that it made my heart skip a beat.
I knew she probably meant it in the sense of being a close friend, but when a beauty like Rosmiel-san said something like that, I couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
Setting that aside, the gift she handed me was a large rectangular box that required both hands to hold. It wasn't particularly thick, so when I asked if it was a framed painting, Rosmiel-san gave a confirming nod.
"Yes... I made a picture using various colored rose petals. I thought it would suit the atmosphere of your house, Kaito-kun, so if you have the space, I’d be happy if you could hang it up..."
"A picture made of petals? That sounds like it must have been a lot of work. Thank you very much. I’ll be sure to find a spot for it in my room."
"Yeah, I’d be happy if you did."
I already had a painting in my room that I’d received from Alice at a previous birthday party, but the room was quite large and still had plenty of empty space. I’d actually been thinking it might be nice to add another piece of art.
I knew Rosmiel-san had excellent taste, so I was certain this rose picture would be elegant and beautiful.
Given its size, unwrapping it right here would be quite a production, so I decided to save the surprise for when I got home.
Serious-senpai: "...That’s the one. The reason Rosmiel creates such a sweet atmosphere is that once she lets her guard down with someone, she becomes quite defenseless—or rather, she’s incredibly straightforward with her affection..."