“Good thing it didn’t stain.”
“And… I don’t think it smells.”
The girls show up in their party dresses and scold me and Aira. Thankfully, there isn’t that much time, so the scolding doesn’t take long, and we have to hurry to check our clothes.
We can’t go to the party in dirty outfits.
Aki and Maki check mine, and they look beautiful beyond my capacity to describe them in their dresses. I feel like I should compliment them, but it’s hard to do that in this atmosphere.
I feel like they’d just get mad.
“Worry not, I made sure to keep that in mind.”
“We need to check anyway. Be quiet and get up.”
“Yes…”
Ayane scolds a confident Aira and checks her makeup. The air around Ayane is completely different from the girl that’s always asking to be pampered. She feels cold right now.
This is Ayane’s going out posture… That makes sense.
“Geez, we’re not telling you not to do it, but wait until we get back.”
“I apologize. Losing that bet so badly excited me.”
“Ah… That? I guess that makes sense.”
“It was a foregone conclusion for everyone else, so I’m surprised you didn’t think it would happen.”
“I am deeply ashamed.”
As they talk, I look for the right timing to praise them.
“By the way, master.”
“Hn?”
“That other thing just arrived. What should be done?”
“Oh, they arrived in time! Good. Can you bring them now?”
“Yes.”
Aira takes out four small boxes with surprises I kept secret from the girls.
“Everyone line up.”
“““??”””
Three of them don’t really understand, but do so anyway.
But Aira is standing next to me for some reason.
“No, you line up with them.”
“Oh? Should I not be on this side?”
“I guess you should, considering you conspired with me, but didn’t I… Make you understand your position earlier?”
“…Yes.”
Aira doesn’t try to hide her smile as she joins the line.
But since the others will get jealous if I keep ignoring them, let’s continue.
I put a small box in everyone’s hands.
“Can we open it?”
“Sure.”
The girls open the boxes, and see dazzling necklaces.
“This…”
“Is this…”
“Pretty…”
“They came out well.”
Three kinds of jewels dropped during the slime fights.
Rainbow diamond, black diamond, and seven lights diamond. Four of the first, two of the second, and one of the last. These dropped not as unpolished gems, but as cut diamonds. I thought I might as well work them into accessories and give them as presents.
I casually said that to Aira on the first day of the vacation, and she immediately said she understood and had the four rainbow diamonds made into accessories.
This would normally take longer, but the diamonds just happened to be the size the store Aira contacted uses as a standard, so all they had to do was embed them.
Should I be surprised that there’s a place that uses that size as a standard, or that Aira found it?
In any case, if I’m going to give them a present, it has to at least be this good.
“Can I put them on you?”
“““Yes!”””
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aira, and the golems that are here all of a sudden giving thumbs up.
You guys are such friends.
I shake that off my mind and face the girls one at a time to put the necklaces on them. They all smile like a flower blooming. Their reactions make me happy, and I also tell them what I think of their dresses.
It might sound a little pompous, but they look really happy, so that’s what matters.
Still, if they’re this happy…
Next time, I should at least make the cases. I don’t have the skill and knowledge, but I do have the Dexterity. Learning that might help me in battle too.
As a final goal, I should get four seven lights diamonds, or something as valuable… For engagement rings.
I make this vow to myself in secret as I watch the happy girls.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
“This is your house, Ayane?”
“It is.”
“Huge…”
Aira is driving as we reach the Houjouin mansion.
Incidentally, we’re using the minivan we bought to travel short distances, not the RV, so it goes to the garage. The RV is in a private parking lot.
We get out of the car in front of the entrance, and Aira hands the keys to a man dressed like a butler, who I assume will take it to the garage. This is a world I only know from TV shows and movies. And this is a western style mansion that I didn’t even know existed in Japan.
“Are you all right, darling?”
“Yes, just a little overwhelmed.”
“It’s all right, you’ll get used to it.”
“I guess.”
“I checked the cars parked outside, and it seems we are indeed not the only guests at this time. This will most likely also serve to announce your relationship.”
“I imagine they are people from Sakuya’s political and business circles, as well as sponsors. Maybe even related adventurers and branch managers. However, the main player today is Shouta. Puff out your chest.”
Says Maki.
“I’ll try not to have them look down on me.”
How will this go? I think as we enter the Houjouin mansion.
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Thanks for the treat.