Alice called it the highest-difficulty challenge to distinguish Shiro-san's expressions, but truthfully, I was quite good at it. In fact, just a single glance at the four options was enough for me to tell exactly what each face represented.
"Alright. And with that, the answering period is over... My, the atmosphere among the Gods is heavy. It's as if they're awaiting a final judgment."
"Well, the truth is that judgment is being handed down. Judging by those nearly prayerful looks on their faces, most of them probably didn't have a clue and had to rely on pure luck in the end... Thinking about being in their shoes gives me the chills."
"I see. Well, it was a truly formidable question... and yet, we had someone answer with overwhelming speed. Or rather, Kaito-san was the fastest to submit his answer, and since it's correct, let's have him announce it himself."
"Wait, Kai-chan, you actually... you can tell them apart?"
Feeling like the flow of the event was taking a strange turn, I took the amplification magic tool Ein-san silently offered. I brought it to my lips and began to speak.
"Um, well, since I have the chance, I'll go through them one by one... Actually, all four of these expressions are smiles."
"They are?!"
"Yes. First, regarding Expression 1: the corners of her mouth are raised higher than the others, but her face is tilted at a slight angle. This is her smug... er, her triumphant smile."
Quite a few people might have been tripped up by Expression 1. While her mouth was turned up the most in that photo, that tiny shift in the angle of her face was the tell-tale sign of her acting smug.
As a side note, this wasn't the "maxed-out" smug face she made when her tension was through the roof while using stereoscopic text; it was the specific face she made when she was teasing Kuro or someone else. When she actually used her floating text magic, the tilt of her head became even more pronounced.
"Next, Expression 2. The corners of her mouth are slightly raised, but the outer corners of her eyes are lowered—specifically, the right eye is lower than the left. This is the face she makes when she's giving a slightly exasperated bitter smile."
She usually made this face when replying to topics she didn't care about, like Kuro's baby castella. The position of her mouth was almost identical to a standard smile, but because the movement of her eyes was so distinctive, it was actually easy to identify.
"Expression 3 is the one most easily mistaken for a true smile. It's almost identical, but when the corners of her mouth are asymmetrical and the right side is slightly higher, it means she's amused by something and laughing."
She occasionally looked like this when we watched plays together, so Expression 3 was actually quite rare. If her mood improved any further than this, she would transition into what a normal person considers a full smile. This specific look was the exact midpoint between a faint smile and a full laugh, which made it a rare find.
To put it in perspective, I felt like she made this face when something was "fairly fun" but didn't involve me directly, so I didn't see it often. Whenever I was involved, she usually skipped right past this look and went straight to a full, happy smile.
"So, the correct answer for the standard smile is Expression 4. The distinctive traits are that the corners of her mouth are raised evenly on both sides and her eyes are slightly narrowed."
"I-I see... That’s actually really educational. I’m going to memorize that with everything I’ve got. Thanks for the tips! Honestly, even looking at them again, I still can’t quite catch those tiny differences in the angles, but I’ll do my best to learn. As expected, Kai-chan, you're just amazing."
"What a magnificent explanation. I mean, the changes are literally measured in millimeters, yet you can tell them apart so easily. Well, the answer is indeed 4... but what is it, Shallow Vernal-sama? Do you have something to add?"
"That appearance of yours, overflowing with the confidence of the one who knows me best... I like that very much. You may go ahead and make a 'Shiro-san is Mine' Declaration right now, if you wish. I give you my permission."
"No, if you want to flirt, do it later. Alright, moving on to the next one!"
While nodding with a deeply satisfied look, Shiro-san spoke words that Alice flatly shut down as she hurried the event along to the next question.
As the focus of the quiz shifted, Olivia sat in the venue, gazing at Kaito with eyes shimmering with emotion.
How truly magnificent he is... I feel like clutching my head in shame over my own inadequacy for being unable to distinguish Shallow Vernal-sama's expressions, but how marvelous is Miyama Kaito-sama's mercy? Not only is his insight into the Goddess's heart remarkable, but his willingness to teach and lead those of us who are the Ignorant Ones... it moves me to tears. Should we not record his words just now as holy scripture...?
Olivia had failed to identify Shallow Vernal's expression herself. She had relied on luck and chosen incorrectly, leaving her spiraling into self-loathing. However, seeing Kaito provide a perfect answer—and even share the secrets to reading the Goddess—left her as moved as if she had received a divine revelation.
She was about to sink into a posture of prayer, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed upon him, when a nearby conversation caught her attention.
"Milady, isn't that wonderful? You got it right."
"It was just a fluke, I assure you."
When Olivia shifted her gaze, she saw Lilia, Lunamaria, and Sieglinde. Lunamaria was praising Lilia for her correct answer, while Lilia could only offer a bitter smile in return.
What? Lilia Albert correctly answered that impossible question...? Did she simply happen to pull one correct choice out of four? No... Lilia Albert is the one who received Chronoa's Main Blessing, a woman highly evaluated by Shallow Vernal-sama herself. If that is the case, then she must have distinguished the expression just as Miyama Kaito-sama did... It seems I must further upwardly revise my evaluation of her.
Of course, Lilia hadn't distinguished Shallow Vernal's expression at all; she had simply made a random guess that happened to be right. The idea that she shared Kaito's unique insight was a complete misunderstanding.
...Perhaps the Holy Church should seek to deepen its relationship with Lilia Albert? While showing favoritism to a specific nation is problematic, if the connection is made with her as an individual... After all, even at this party, she was treated as a representative of humankind on a level separate from the three kings of the Human Realm... Yes. From this day forward, the Holy Church shall move to strengthen relations with Lilia Albert.
Again, this was a complete misunderstanding. Unfortunately, Lilia had no way of sensing Olivia's internal monologue, and thus, a future stomach pain incident was quietly set in stone.
Serious-senpai: "I suppose I should say 'as expected' that you can distinguish them so perfectly... Meanwhile, in a completely unrelated corner, the strongest stomach pain warrior has just had her future agony guaranteed..."