When I opened the door to the room that Tre-san guided me to and stepped inside, I was met with an expansive space that felt more like a hotel lobby.
It was quite a large area, but it didn’t have any furniture that suggested someone was living there. Upon closer inspection, I noticed multiple doors.
[This place is ridiculously spacious. Is this really a room……]
[Unn. Well, we connected three rooms together and expanded it using Spatial Magic, so it’s pretty big…… By the way, this is the entrance. I can’t use Spatial Magic though, so Cento and Cien handled that part!]
[I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me this was the entrance to a noble’s mansion.]
[……I feel like Kaito’s house has a bigger entrance though…… Well, anyway, there are a bunch of different rooms here. Cento and Cien each have their own workshops for their hobbies, and there’s even a kitchen so we can cook in this space too.]
Come to think of it, Cento-san and Cien-san mentioned before that they had made ceramics and glasswork themselves…… If they have dedicated workshops, then it makes sense for the place to be this spacious.
[The door over there leads to the reception room. Cento and Cien are already there preparing tea, so let’s go!]
[Got it. By the way, just like Cento-san and Cien-san have their workshops, do you have a room for your hobbies too, Tre-san?]
[Good question. I keep my antenna sharp for changing trends, so my hobbies are dynamic, diversified, and innovative. I don’t really have one main hobby. I just go with the flow depending on the moment……]
[……That kind of sounds like you just jump into whatever catches your interest but don’t stick with anything for long.]
[Is that how it sounded? Then Kaito, your ears are working just fine. How about that, impressed?]
[No, no!? Why are you saying that so proudly!?]
Tre-san had tried to phrase it in a cool way, but ultimately, it just sounded like she dabbled in trendy things but quickly lost interest. Not only did she not deny it when I pointed it out, but she actually seemed proud of it.
[Being someone who can take an interest in all sorts of things makes me an experienced and cool person, right?]
[Your self-evaluation is way too high……]
As I gave a wry smile at Tre-san’s smug expression, we entered the reception room, where Cento-san and Cien-san were waiting. They greeted me with warm smiles and a nod.
[Hello, Kaito-san.]
[Welcome, we’re glad to have you.]
[Hello, Cento-san, Cien-san. Sorry for dropping by so suddenly today.]
The reception room was also quite spacious and had a stylish atmosphere. I didn’t think Tre-san had the sense to coordinate a room this nicely, so it was probably Cento-san or Cien-san who arranged it.
Then again, when Tre-san is in work mode, she’s actually quite reliable. Since this is a reception room, it’s likely used for business purposes as well, so it wouldn’t be strange for it to be kept tidy.
[……Unn? What is it, Kaito? You’re staring at me with such an intense gaze——– Hah! I see! So my Afexion Meter has finally maxed out!!!]
[Even though you do have impressive qualities, for some reason, my trust in you is still strangely shaky……]
[How strange? That sounded like an out-of-nowhere insult? I do feel like my Afexion Meter has increased, but it seems like your respect for this Onee-chan is still scraping the ground…… is that just my imagination?]
[No comment……]
I’ve seen her being competent at work, and despite her playful demeanor, she has keen insight and takes the right actions when it matters. There’s no doubt that she’s a good, impressive person.
But at the same time, there’s something oddly endearing about her…… or maybe it’s her peculiar clumsiness…… Well, I suppose that’s part of Tre-san’s charm.
As we continued our comedic back-and-forth, I took my seat as prompted. Cento-san and Cien-san quickly prepared tea and some sweets.
[So, what brings you here today?]
[You know, remember how, during Symphonia Kingdom’s Founding Festival, I promised to show you the ceramics Nebula made? I’m a little late, but I brought them. Oh, and she also started making glassware, so I brought some of those pieces too.]
[Ah, thank you for going out of your way. If I recall, Nebula-san crafted the first batch of Nifty’s cups, right? I never saw the initial lot myself, only the ones that were available for sale in stores. Even though they were slightly adjusted for mass production, I was still impressed by their high quality. I’m looking forward to seeing her work firsthand.]
[……She started making glassware too? She must be quite the multi-talented individual.]
It seemed Cento-san had visited a Nifty store and seen the mass-produced cups.
Meanwhile, Cien-san appeared a bit surprised to hear that Nebula had also taken up glassmaking. Well, to be fair, before Canalis-san arrived, Nebula had refrained from making glass due to concerns about toxic substances in the production process. It was only possible now thanks to Canalis-san’s abilities……
As for Tre-san, she was nodding as if she understood everything but…… she probably didn’t understand a thing.
[Alright, let me bring out the ceramics first. She based them on Symphonia’s Five-Color Ceramics but developed a new technique and glaze for them.]
[……Unn? Eh? A new technique and glaze…… Eh? No, hold on, that’s not something you can just develop so easily…… the Five-Color Ceramics is already an extremely refined craft, and countless artisans in the past have tried and failed to create a six-color version……]
[Ah, apparently, these pieces use ten colors.]
[…………………………Huh?]
Cento-san’s reaction upon hearing my explanation, which I had quickly confirmed with Nebula before arriving, was memorable————- her expression like that of a pigeon caught off guard by a peashooter.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [The contrast between the two who look like they’re about to get stomachaches…… and the strong-minded older sister who probably won’t…… I can just picture her standing there, completely unfazed, with a clueless expression while the other two were surprised and flustered.]
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login