After receiving my gift from Rosmiel, I transitioned to yet another parallel world to meet the next guest. My next visitor was...
"Today is a truly magnificent day. The stars twinkle, the banquet is awash in color, and the heavens sing the praises of my Sworn Friend's birth. The myriad constellations gathered here offer their blessings, and I, too, as one of those radiant stars, join them in celebrating you."
"Thank you, Amel-san," I said.
She looked quite triumphant, her energy levels reaching a fever pitch. Even without the help of Sympathy Magic, her sheer excitement was palpable. It was just a guess, but since she was an otherworlder from the human race, she was well aware of how birthdays worked... and I suspected she'd always harbored a certain longing to celebrate a friend's special day.
She’d been incredibly high-spirited when she invited me to her home, too. Whenever she got like this, I could almost swear I saw a puppy behind her, wagging its tail with all its might.
"You were so close during the gaming tournament, Amel-san. You made it to the finals quite a few times."
"Indeed. I’d be lying if I said I felt no regret. However, the joy of competing with so many stars I’d never otherwise have met far outweighed the outcome. Glory is finite; winners and losers are a necessity of fate. What matters is how brightly one shines during the struggle."
"Yeah, those kinds of games are definitely more fun when you have a big group of people."
"Yes! It was so much fun getting to play with everyone... H-Hmph! I meant to say, I gained much from the experience."
Amel-san had reached the finals repeatedly, but unfortunately, she never actually clinched a victory. Still, she didn't seem to mind much. She seemed more delighted by the rowdy social aspect of gaming than the win itself.
Back during the shipboard party, she had been a bit of an outcast until I introduced her to Iris-san. Her unique—and often overly complex—way of speaking tended to leave her isolated in social settings. Having spent so much time with her, I could decipher her monologues with ease, but I could see how someone else might struggle to follow her.
"Now then, while I wish to deepen our bond further, this stage was not prepared for us alone. It would be unwise to squander the time. Therefore, I shall present my Sworn Friend with this Noble Treasure immediately."
She referred to her gift as a Noble Treasure. Her vocabulary followed no real logic; she usually just picked whatever words sounded the coolest at the time, so the label would likely change by the next time we spoke.
"Do you remember, Sworn Friend? On the day of our fateful encounter, I told you that for the Winged Race, gifting an item made from one's own feathers is a special gesture."
"I remember. It’s a Proof of Affection, right?"
I recalled receiving an accessory made of black feathers from her when we first met during the tea party after the Harmonic Symphony.
"Precisely. However, while delving into ancient texts of our race, I discovered an even higher tier of adornment. It is a piece whose creation was permitted only to those of high status within the Winged Race. The process was so complex that the technique had been lost to time, but as far as gifts from my people go, it is said to be the pinnacle... or so the records say."
"A secret, legendary accessory that fell out of use because it was too difficult to make?"
"Exactly. I decided there was no gift more fitting for you, so I set to work through a process of trial and error. Behold, the Noble Treasure!"
"Thank you. It’s beautiful... the shape is so intricate. Are these two feathers intertwined? I can't imagine how you processed them into such a complex form."
"That complexity was exactly why the technique had been lost. However, I recalled the mystical items the Phantom King bestowed upon me for accessory crafting—specifically, the formula that changes the malleability of objects. I suspected that if I applied that logic, the process might become possible. I succeeded, and thus, I have restored this lost Noble Treasure to the world."
The accessory she handed me featured two feathers intricately woven together. Normally, feathers would snap if you tried to bend them this way, and simply gluing them wouldn't achieve this level of detail. She had apparently completed the legendary piece by using the magic formula Alice had provided in her crafting kit—the one that allowed hard materials like metal to be worked as easily as clay.
"This piece apparently symbolizes an eternal bond," she continued. "In the ancient era, the leaders of the Winged Race reserved such gifts only for those truly special to them. It is the only item worthy of the bond between us."
"...An eternal bond? Given to someone truly special? Um, Amel-san... isn't this essentially an engagement gift?"
"Ha-wha? C-C-C-Commitment? E-Engagement!? Wait, 'special' meant... N-No! I didn't mean it like that! I-I was just trying to give a special gift to my Sworn Friend! It wasn't about marriage or anything! Y-Yes! Our bond is far deeper than something so mundane! I... T-The wind is bad! I've stayed too long! I must take my leave! Happy birthday once more, Sworn Friend! Farewell!!"
It seemed the romantic implications hadn't even crossed her mind until I pointed them out. She turned a bright, vivid red and fled the scene in a state of sheer panic. She’d done something similar when Tre-san teased her before; she clearly wasn't good with these kinds of conversations.
Serious-senpai: "First the Rose Chihuahua, now the Jet-black Pomeranian (Bird)... We're on a real streak of dog-themed girls."