To Kaito, handing over the Nifty purchase terminals was nothing out of the ordinary. He had given them to several other acquaintances in exactly the same way, making it a perfectly routine gesture in his eyes.
However, for the eight young ladies who received them, this was a turn of events of staggering proportions. The most critical factor was Nifty’s immense reputation within the social circle and noble society at large. With current backlogs and waitlists making their products notoriously difficult to obtain, the brand had become a genuine mark of prestige.
(T-This is the magic tool with priority purchase rights that’s rumored to be given only to Kaito-sama’s closest friends... Wait, what? Does this mean I’ve been officially granted the status of being one of his friends? That’s an incredible situation in itself. How on earth am I going to explain this to my parents...?)
The fact that Kaito gifted these special terminals with priority rights to his friends was a well-known piece of gossip among the nobility. Possessing one was essentially an official declaration to the world that the owner was part of Kaito’s inner circle.
Of course, the young ladies gathered here, starting with Cornelia, were all sincere individuals. None of them had any intention of maliciously exploiting this connection.
The problem was that even without such intent, the status of being Kaito’s friend was incredibly powerful. Given Kaito’s limited interactions with the nobility thus far, the sudden spotlight would be blinding. They only had to look at Elis's rise to realize just how much attention they were about to receive.
(N-No, the benefits are undeniably massive. I would never dream of using Kaito-sama’s name for ill, but being recognized as his friend will cause my own reputation to skyrocket. That alone will be a huge advantage for the trading company’s operations. It will... and yet, there’s also the risk that I might be seen as a candidate to be Kaito-sama's mistress... If I handle this wrong, it could blow up into a scandal. I’ll have to consult Elis-sama about this later.)
The benefits were indeed great, but considering the complications that lay ahead, it was no wonder she found herself reflexively clutching her stomach.
Cornelia, however, was in a better position than most. She was already a customer of Nifty, and being able to purchase their products reliably in the future was a major win for her.
The same could not be said for everyone—such as Marie, the fourth daughter of a destitute Baron’s house.
(...Eh? Wait, what? What am I supposed to do with this? Does the house of Baron Rich even have the funds to make regular Nifty purchases? N-No, in this case, I don't need to buy things for the whole household. It’s for me personally, so just for my own use... but can I afford it? Even with my own private savings...?)
Nifty was a high-end luxury brand. Its lineup was designed for the wealthy elite and carried a price tag to match.
While Marie was technically a noble and better off than most commoners, she wasn't rich. She might be able to manage a single purchase, but she certainly didn't have the disposable income to buy expensive luxuries on a regular basis.
(But if I take this and don't place an order, people will surely say, "How dare you ignore Miyama Kaito-sama's thoughtfulness?" It’s practically mandatory to buy something. On the other hand, if I only buy tiny amounts, people will call me a miser. I’ll have to buy a decent amount... For now, I’ll just have to consult my father and mother.)
Marie decided that this was too big a matter for her to handle alone and resolved to talk to her parents as soon as she got home.
Of course, at this point, Marie had no way of knowing that the "Kaito Effect" would soon bring immense wealth to the house of Baron Rich, making her monthly purchases a trivial expense in the near future.
(That’s one problem, but will this also make me more famous than my older brothers and sisters? N-No, surely I’m overthinking it. I’m just a fourth daughter with no inheritance. I have almost no presence in the social circle and no reason to attend parties, so it’ll be fine... it should be fine... but why? Why is my stomach churning so much? This indescribable anxiety...)
At this exact moment, nothing had actually happened yet. And yet, perhaps some deep-seated intuition was sensing the crisis rapidly approaching her poor stomach.
Filled with a heavy, nameless dread, Marie unconsciously and gently stroked her belly.
Serious-senpai: "Marie is truly and diligently stacking up those stomach pain flags..."
Stomach Pain Warrior Biographies V
【Grin】
Stomach Pain Power: ★★★ Attraction: ★★★ Durability: ★★★ Piteousness: ★★★★ Stomach Medicine Volume: ★★ Longing for Social Circles: ★★★★★★★★★
A commoner who started as a minor character during the Flying Board Arc but eventually gained a name and made a spectacular stomach pain debut at the shipboard party. She had a strong desire to enter the social circle and wanted to meet wealthy people... but she certainly didn't expect to meet the World's Singularity. How did it come to this? If she continues to involve herself in high society, she is guaranteed to be exposed to further agony, making her a stomach pain warrior with a bright future.
【Rimegite Rinoria Gisurudo Ametes An】
Stomach Pain Power: ★★★★ Attraction: ★★★ Durability: ★★ Piteousness: ★★★★★ Stomach Medicine Volume: ★★ Affection Level for Kaito: ★★★★★★★
A commoner stomach pain warrior who appeared alongside Grin. While her main stomach pain incident was the shipboard party, the sheer impact on her system as a regular citizen was substantial. Her personality is quieter than Grin's, making her seem even more piteous to observers. That said, for both An and Grin, their current experience is limited to being overwhelmed by a massive party. Since they haven't even been introduced to the Top of the World level yet, their potential for future stomach pain is infinite. Since Kaito introduced her to Tre, her working conditions have improved drastically. She feels a debt to him that "could not be repaid in a lifetime," making her a rare heroine of a different skin tone for whom a romance flag is likely to be raised very soon.