Chapter 2357: The Promised Tea Party ㉖
Deciding to share the large number of ripples that Marie-san had sent, I immediately went to a certain place that same day.
[Heh~~ so that’s why you brought them.]
[Yes…… By the way, what about Cento-san and Cien-san?]
[They’re both kids who enjoy pottery and glasswork, so it seems they’ve gathered to work on their creations. Maybe seeing Nebula-chan’s work before inspired them to create?]
[I see.]
I had come to Tre-san’s room in Kuro’s castle, but since Cento-san and Cien-san weren’t there, I asked about them. Both were in the castle, but apparently engaged in their own hobbies.
[Well, anyway, here’s the ripples I’m sharing.]
[Thanks~~ They look delicious. Hmmm, but why did you think of coming to me first?]
[Ah~~ I was planning to distribute them to various acquaintances, and the first person who came to mind was Tre-san.]
In reality, there were others who received hummingbirds before Tre-san, but I planned to check their schedules and deliver it another day.It’s considerate to confirm their availability, rather than just showing up unannounced. Tre-san…… well, if she’s free, I figured it’d be fine to hand it over for now…..
[Staaaaare~~]
[W- What is it?]
[Hmmm…… feels suspicious…… Kaito should have lots of acquaintances, so why did you think of me first?]
Tre-san gave me a sharp look…… a- as expected of her, she has quite the keen intuition.
[Ahh…… well, maybe it’s because our closeness, like our affection meters, went up?]
[Hehh~~ hoh~~ hmmm~~.]
[Quite the doubtful look you got there.]
[Hmmm, I wonder if it’s really because that afexion meter went up…… Or maybe it’s because, in Kaito’s mind, I fall into the category of “someone you can handle a little roughly”…… that part is what I’m curious about.]
[……Tre-san! Shall we eat the ripples!?]
[You’re trying to dodge it!? That’s basically an admission there!]
N- No, of course, it’s not a lie that Tre-san was the first person I thought of. But, well, it’s also true that I’ve categorized Tre-san…… fairly close to how I treat Alice in my mind.
In other words, she’s someone I can interact with comfortably, so my favorability towards her has definitely increased……
[Good grief, Kaito, you don’t seem to show enough respect or admiration toward me.]
[……Respect or admiration toward Tre-san?]
[Stop making that face like you’ve never heard those words before. Don’t you think it’s rude to this Onee-chan?]
[If Tre-san doesn’t categorize me in a similar way, then I apologize.]
[……Shall we eat the ripples!?]
[……Let’s eat.]
Being able to exchange jokes like this, knowing full well that both of us are just teasing, makes talking with Tre-san really fun.
Tre-san picked up one of the ripples I had given her and took out what looked like a fruit knife from her magic box, beginning to peel it.
[……You can peel it huh.]
[Of course I can…… Eh? Did you think I was such a useless person that I couldn’t even peel a ripple?]
[……………….]
[I wish you’d deny that without smiling silently……]
While we were having that exchange, Tre-san finished peeling a ripple, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and placed them on a small plate.
[Now then, can this satisfy the palate of the ripple critic that I am?]
[Alright, then please give your review in a critic-like manner.]
[Sure~~ Then, I’ll dig in right away~~]
Tre-san took a bite of the ripple, quietly closed her eyes, and chewed. As always, she looked like a tall, cool-type woman, so it suited her perfectly.
After a moment, she opened her eyes wide, extended one hand toward me, and gave a thumbs-up.
[……Sweet and delicious!~!]
It was an extremely strong, simple-is-best kind of review.
[……Seems like you might need to take down the “critic” claim there.]
[It’s no good huh~~ too bad. That aside, it really is a delicious ripple.]
[Yes, I like it too. I’d like to give something back to Marie-san, who sent so many of them……]
[A return gift? Ah~~ but Kaito, you just met that Marie girl, right? So you wouldn’t really know what she wants……]
I wanted to send some kind of thank-you gift to Marie-san, who had sent so many ripples, but as Tre-san said, I’d only just met her, so it was hard to figure out what would make her happy.
[……Ah, speaking of which, she mentioned it’s inconvenient to move around because there aren’t any nearby Teleportation Gates in her place, right?]
[Oh, in that case, how about a teleportation magic tool? It’d be really useful.]
[Ah, indeed. With a teleportation magic tool, she could go straight to a registered location, and even for other places, if she registers a city with a Teleportation Gate, moving around would be much easier.]
[Unn, unn…… Ah, I’ve got it!!!]
[Unn?]
[Fufufu…… I have a brilliant idea!]
……I wonder why? For some reason, when Tre-san says that, I can’t help but feel slightly worried.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [I see, I see, someone who’s good at punching your stomach out of kindness…… and Tre, who’s adored by the richest person in the world, possesses a rare ability that earns her tons of money, and as we’ve even seen hints of it in Cento and Cien’s past arc, a money sense comparable to that of a noble lady…… the two of them are now thinking of a return gift…… while the reasonable Cento and Cien are absent…… It’s over for you, Marie.]