After speaking with Noir-san and Rachel-san, I was thinking about whose place I should head to next when Caraway on stage began to explain the next sideshow using the Loudspeaker Magic Tool.

“Everyone, while we are enjoying the party, we have once again prepared a wonderful performance courtesy of Phantasmal King-sama. Many of you may already know this, but Phantasmal King-sama, known for their exceptional talent in various fields, is also a top-notch musician. However, as they seldom appear on stage, it’s rare to hear Phantasmal King-sama’s performance…… But this time, Phantasmal King-sama will be giving a special performance at this party. Please take a moment to enjoy the wonderful melodies played by Phantasmal King-sama.”

It seems that more time has passed than I thought. This musical performance was supposed to take place around the halfway point of the party, so about half of the time had already passed.

Taking out my watch, I saw that a fair amount of time had indeed passed. But well, having it at this timing may be a blessing in disguise.

With this in mind, I stopped my round of greetings and headed for the staff door on the side of the stage.

Alice’s performance was scheduled to last about 45 minutes, during which time I was to wait in a separate room so as not to disturb the audience.

Well, how should I say this…… That’s how it was explained, but it was actually more like my break time. I’m quite grateful to be able to take a break here, because I’m getting tired from going around greeting people.

Or rather, since it’s Alice we’re talking about here, she must have originally prepared the entertainment for this performance so that I could take a break without worrying about it.

Whatever the case may be, it’s a break for me. Let’s move to the break room and relax for a while.

With this in mind, I went out through the staff entrance and tried to move towards the break room…… but immediately after, I heard the door I had just passed through open, so I turned around.

Thereupon, for some reason, I saw Dr. Vier emerging from the door.

[Ya, Miyama-kun. You mind if I come here?]

[Y- Yes, that’s alright…… but is something the matter?]

[Ahh, no, it’s not like I have anything special in mind, but Miyama-kun, you’re taking a break, right?]

[Ah, yes. It’s decided that the time Alice is performing is considered a break time.]

Upon hearing my response, Dr. Vier nodded with a somewhat satisfied expression on her face. It was as if she had received a response she had anticipated.

[Greeting everyone and attending to various tasks can be tiring after all. As the host, there are aspects that require consideration and attention, so taking breaks is important. And so, I thought I’d help Miyama-kun relax and take a break. You know, I’m pretty good at giving massages and stuff after all.]

[I see, that would be great…… but aren’t you going to listen to the performance, Dr. Vier?]

[Unnn. I’ve already heard Shalltear-sama perform several times, so I’m fine. Besides, you know, I have a hard time staying still watching anyway.]

I smiled back at the chuckling Dr. Vier. In reality, even if I go to the break room, it’s not like I can have a nap, so having someone to talk to is appreciated.

It’s nice being able to have a leisurely chat with my lover, Dr. Vier, and to be honest, I feel really grateful that she came along with me.

[In that case, I’ll take you up on that offer.]

[Unn, unn, you can count on me! Then, let’s go to…… Is there an available room around here, Miyama-kun?]

[Yes, it’s a waiting room, just a few steps from here.]

[Fumu fumu, then, even if it’s just for a short distance, let’s hold hands!]

Seeing Dr. Vier cheerfully talking with a bright smile, I naturally found myself in a good mood. Holding the hand she held out to me, we walked towards the break room, our fingers firmly intertwined with each other.

[Ahh, sorry for saying it late, but the dress suits you really well and you look beautiful in it.]

[Yay, thanks! Since I usually make my clothes with magic, I tend to wear the same ones all the time, so I was a bit worried. But it’s reassuring to hear you say that, Miyama-kun.]

[Ah~~ I see, I used to think it was convenient making clothes with magic, but I realize now that one drawback is that if you’re not mindful about it, you’d end up looking the same everyday.]

[Unn. Of course, I can change into different outfits, but it requires a bit of tweaking with the spell, which can be a hassle, so it’s often easier to stick with the same outfit. If I erase and recreate my outfit, I can clean the stains right away, which definitely makes it convenient.]

Maintaining the clothes also requires a fair amount of magic power, so it’s challenging to create clothes with magic unless someone’s reasonably powerful. Well, it seems that there are some people like Kong-san who aren’t good at it even if they’re powerful……

Chatting calmly just like that, we walked down the corridor.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [W- Wait a second there…… Isn’t this party supposed to be just filled with heartwarming exchange of greetings? S- Somehow, it kinda shifted to one where he’s taking a break together with just his lover……]