NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2030: At the New Stores ⑦
Nifty's store had garnered a great deal of attention not only from Kaito’s acquaintances but also from nobles and maids alike.
Naturally, many people wanted to visit the Nifty store, and while the café visits were by lottery, product purchases in the store also followed a similar system. However, compared to the café, the product purchase slots were more plentiful, making reservations slightly easier to secure but……
[Milady, I'm delighted to accompany you to Nifty's famous store as a maid but…… perhaps you could have invited one of your friends instead…… Ah, my apologies.]
[I do have friends! It's just that I won the lottery for the store here in Symphonia Kingdom, and I thought it would be rude to suddenly invite someone from another country to go shopping, so I brought you along.]
[I see. Well, even if money is no issue, it can indeed be difficult for nobles to casually visit other countries.]
[There's also the matter of dealing with the nobles from Symphonia Kingdom. While I’m only a marquis’ daughter for now and don’t have many entanglements, my father and mother seem to have their hands full. I suppose I’ll eventually face the same challenges……]
The young lady walking through the high-end shopping district of Symphonia Kingdom with her maid as a guard was none other than a certain Marquis' daughter from Archlesia Empire. She was also the first person to purchase what would later become known as the brand Nifty’s cups during the Archlesia Empire's Founding Festival.
Naturally, she too was intrigued by Nifty’s store, and she had applied for the lottery for stores in all three countries. Fortunately, she had won, but not for the store in Archlesia Empire; instead, she had been drawn for the one in Symphonia Kingdom, which is why she had traveled to another country.
[Isn't it tough for you as well, Milady, being involved with Nifty? People even suspect that you have personal connections with Nifty……]
[That's a complete misunderstanding, but nobles do love their gossip. I just happened to buy a cup from Miyama Kaito-sama during the Founding Festival, and later, the Nifty brand was established. The few cups sold at that festival became the highly valuable first batch.][That accessory you're wearing, made from the scales of Dragon King-sama, was also a gift from Miyama Kaito-sama, wasn't it? Since it’s a different design from the ones on the market, there’s talk that you received it specially because Miyama Kaito-sama favors you, you know?]
[Such speculation is so distasteful. In reality, I hadn't even been able to introduce myself to Miyama Kaito-sama. This accessory was simply given to me as an apology after an accident. We haven't had any interaction with each other after that…… That said, it’s a truly splendid item, so I do cherish it.]
The accessory the young lady was wearing had been given to her as an apology by Kaito when she found herself accidentally caught between Fate and Chronois during her shopping at the Founding Festival.
The accessory, made from the scales of the Dragon King, had a more luxurious design than the ones currently distributed through the Mikumo Trading Company, which gave it a special air. Rumors had spread that the young lady was on friendly terms with Kaito because of this, though of course, she denied it each time but……
[……This reservation might also stir up strange suspicions, don’t you think?]
[Yeah, I've already given up on those. No matter what happens, weird rumors will always circulate. If I manage to get a reservation, they’ll say I got special treatment, and if I don’t, they’ll claim I didn’t bother because I can negotiate directly. There will always be people trying to drag me down, so there’s no use worrying about it.]
[Noble society is so messy and unpleasant.]
[I agree, but it’s gotten a lot better since Emperor Chris took the throne.]
The young lady chuckled bitterly at her maid's exasperated remark and continued walking. As they neared Nifty’s store, they suddenly found themselves face-to-face with someone approaching from another direction.
[Eh?]
[Hmm?]
They didn’t bump into each other, but their eyes met by chance. In that instant, all the blood drained from the young lady's face, turning pale.
(W- Why is Miyama Kaito-sama here!?)
Yes, the person they had unexpectedly encountered was none other than Kaito, the very person they had been discussing earlier. The sheer coincidence made the young lady scream internally in shock.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Ahh, that mob lady who had frequently shown up during Founding Festival…… She's got quite the luck. She might have the makings of a stomachache warrior……]