I know what the boss likes. She prefers robots over dolls, things that are clear rather than ambiguous, and she favors formulas and numbers over flowery sentences.

If I were to categorize her preferences, they lean more towards what a boy might like rather than a girl. So I figured I should prepare something boys typically enjoy.

But upon further thought, I quickly realized that wasn't quite right.

‘Now that I think about it… would the boss really be happy receiving something like this?’

Robots, numbers, things that boys generally like—all of these were just my subjective ideas. Of course, the boss has mentioned liking such things in the past, but that was when she was a child, right?

There was no guarantee that after years of experience as the president of Eblis Corporation, she'd still like those things.

Moreover, it couldn’t be something easily bought from a store.

‘The boss can buy whatever she wants...’

Who is Regalia? The head of a global conglomerate, practically the ruler of City E, often referred to as the owner of Eblis Corporation. Is there anything in the world she can’t get?

If she wanted something, she could buy it with money, and if it couldn’t be bought with money, she'd get it through any means necessary. If it didn't exist, she'd have her subordinates create it for her.

In other words, what she wanted likely didn’t exist in the world or was extremely rare.

‘I have no idea…’

In the end, I decided to copy someone else’s idea. I glanced over at Birana, lounging on the sofa, laughing as she read a comic book. Noticing my gaze, she looked up as if to ask what was going on.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” “Birana.” “What is it?” “What are you planning to give the boss as a birthday gift?” “Huh? Ah—you're asking because you don’t know what to give her, right?”

Birana grinned widely, having hit the mark. I just stared at her in silence. Well, what could I do? I’ve never given a gift to a child before.

And to top it off, I had to give a gift to a girl with tastes closer to those of a boy? This wasn’t something I could easily solve by searching the internet.

Still smiling, Birana wagged her finger from side to side as if to say I had it all wrong.

“It’s not about what gift you give to the boss, but the thought behind giving it that matters.” “What kind of random nonsense is that…” “Ahh! This is why science types don’t get it! You people have no heart!”

Since I didn’t get any useful advice from Birana, I wandered around the headquarters, searching for other executives. If not Birana, surely someone else who has spent years with the boss would know what she likes!

As I walked down the corridor, I spotted Galm. I went straight to him and asked.

Q1: What do you plan to give the boss for her birthday? “Beastmen don’t celebrate birthdays.”

I stared at him in disbelief, wondering if he was serious. Galm, without a care in the world, continued lifting dumbbells.

“Birth is just the beginning of survival competition. It’s not something to be celebrated. If anything, you should feel regret for bringing someone into this hellish world.” “I see.” “Besides, it’s not uncommon for beast siblings to kill each other on the day they're born. How can you celebrate that? Should we celebrate the day we killed our family?”

Galm scoffed as if the idea was absurd. And well, it did make sense. If they never had the tradition of celebrating birthdays, they wouldn’t start now.

Birthday celebrations are a human thing. Just as humans often hate beastmen, beastmen likely see birthdays as a pointless human tradition.

With no useful information from Galm either, I left.

“Come to think of it, though, I’ve never heard about a birthday celebration in the past few years.” “What do you mean?” “I mean, she’s never asked for gifts or thrown a big party in recent years.”

Just before leaving, Galm tilted his head, looking puzzled.

A1: The boss hasn’t thrown a birthday party in years.

I kept that piece of information in mind as I walked down the corridor.

Not long after, I spotted Aile, deeply focused on her studies. I asked her the same question.

Q2: What are you preparing for the boss’s birthday? “Huh? Oh, of course, it’s a magical girl costume! It’s a limited-edition official item, and there’s a rumor that it’s the actual costume a magical girl once wore…”

Aile answered proudly, having prepared a gift that clearly didn’t consider the boss’s tastes at all. A magical girl costume, huh? That was just so like Aile.

I let out a sigh and asked again.

“The boss probably won’t like that.” “No way! There’s no such thing as a girl who doesn’t like magical girls!” “Are you sure about that…?” “Of course! The boss is a girl too! And this costume is an exact replica, down to the last stitch. She’s bound to love it!”

A2: The boss is a girl, and no girl hates magical girls.

Aile’s answer wasn’t particularly helpful. It felt like she was just trying to turn the boss into another magical girl fanatic like herself.

Sure, the boss is a girl, but assuming all girls love magical girls? That was a pretty simplistic thought.

“By the way, Aile, I have something to ask.” “Yes? I finished all the practice problems…” “No, that’s not it. I heard the boss hasn’t thrown a birthday party in years. Is that true?” “A birthday party? Now that I think about it, yeah. It’s just been small gatherings with gifts and a cake—nothing big.”

Realizing that Galm's statement was true, I nodded and left Aile behind. Next, I encountered Levi-tan and Arima.

“Eight!” “Eight♠. What’s going on?”

I asked them the same question.

Q3: What are you preparing for the boss’s birthday? “A birthday gift? Levi-tan’s giving carrot chocolate! It’s my favorite!” “I prepared a gemstone from Ardenia◆. It’s said to bring good luck.”

I let out a laugh at Levi-tan’s gift. Arima’s was much better—it was the ideal type of birthday gift.

It wasn’t something easily obtainable, and it would actually be useful for the boss. Since Arima mentioned it was a lucky stone, it must indeed bring some magical luck.

On the other hand, Levi-tan’s carrot chocolate? Regalia could summon mountains of luxury desserts from five-star hotel chefs with the snap of a finger.

Even though her gift seemed useless, Levi-tan didn’t appear to think so.

“The boss can eat stuff like that anytime.” “So what! Eating lots of yummy things makes you happy!” “Well, I’m not sure just eating more is always a good thing… Also, Galm said beastmen don’t celebrate birthdays. What about you, Levi-tan?” “I don’t know, I never had a family.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

Realizing that Levi-tan had been an orphan, and subjected to inhumane experiments, I lowered my head in apology for bringing up a sensitive topic.

But Levi-tan just laughed loudly, brushing it off.

“Haha! It’s fine! You can make those kinds of mistakes with me!” “No, I really shouldn’t…” “But! You’re thinking about what to give the boss, right?”

“…Yes. I can’t come up with anything.” “It’s simple! Just give her something she’d be happy to receive!”

A3: As long as it’s something the boss would be happy to receive, it’s fine.

I returned to the lab, organizing the information I’d gathered from the executives. Something felt off.

I mulled over the responses, piecing together the clues.

A1: The boss hasn’t thrown a big birthday party in years.
A2: The boss is a girl, and no girl hates magical girls.
A3: As long as the boss would be happy, the gift is fine.

Something strange was nagging at me… Ah.

Reviewing the answers in my notebook, I finally noticed the inconsistency. It was something Galm had said—that the boss hadn’t thrown a party in years.

That didn’t make sense.

‘Not throwing a party? That can’t be right.’

I vividly remembered the first day I arrived in this world. The reason I caught the boss’s eye was because I had repaired the robot she received as a birthday gift.

Regalia had mentioned hosting a grand birthday party back then, and the robot had been a gift from a famous hero. It had just been out of battery for a few years.

In other words, at least up until a few years ago, the boss hosted grand parties—befitting the heir of a conglomerate.

But now?

“…Birana.” “Hm? What is it?” “I have a question… What happened a few years ago?”

“What are you talking about? If you ask like that, who could possibly know?” “I mean, a few years ago… on the boss’s birthday. What happened?”

Q: Why did the boss stop holding birthday parties?

Birana responded with a bitter smile.

“…It’s hard to talk about, but on her birthday, five years ago—the boss lost her parents.”

That was the answer that had been eluding me.

Eight had mentioned that one side effect of the tonic was that it would stunt growth, but Regalia, after staying awake for days on end, was experiencing another side effect.

Hallucinations.

—Mom! Dad! —Be careful, Regalia. —Look at this!

Memories of running through the garden with her parents flashed vividly before her eyes. After being awake for days, her overworked brain dredged up even the most deeply buried memories.

“—Miss?” “…Ah, what is it?” “You look exhausted… Maybe you should head to bed?” “I’m fine. I’m not sleepy. I was just… daydreaming for a moment, that’s all.”

Regalia rubbed her eyes and refocused on the documents in front of her. If she closed her eyes, those childhood memories would resurface vividly.

Though part of her wanted to lose herself in those hallucinations, she resisted. She knew it wouldn’t change anything.

A dream is just a dream, and a hallucination is just a hallucination.

Even if she indulged in them, reality wouldn’t improve. Unless she could hop into a time machine and travel back in time…

‘Wishing for that kind of miracle is pointless.’

Regalia chuckled bitterly and resumed her work. There was no time to lose. The position of president of a major corporation was that demanding. There was no time for reminiscing, no time for dreams.

A luxury like that was simply out of reach.