<Author’s Notes>

I’m having a bit of a hard time with the , so here’s an Extra Chapter to take a breather.

It was just one of the usual days. I was casually chatting with Kuro, who had come over to hang out, when Kuro suddenly seemed to remember something and called out to a different area.

[Right, Shalltear, you have a moment?]

[Yes, yes, what is it?]

[I have a few additions regarding the patents. Put this one up for free while having this one charged per use.]

[Alrighty.]

Kuro handed some documents to Alice, who appeared in response to Kuro’s call. Come to think of it, I recall hearing that Alice manages Kuro’s patents.

In exchange, she receives a portion of the usage fees, which is likely an important source of income for her.

[…….Hahh, but really, having Kaito-kun around makes it so much easier to get in touch with Shalltear.]

[Unn? Was it hard to contact her before?]

[Unn…… Really hard! Shalltear doesn’t have any specific base and vanishes quickly. The only guaranteed time I’d see her was at the Festival of Heroes, and if I need to contact her at any other time, I have to start by searching for her!]

It seems like Kuro had been troubled about this more than expected, as hearing my words, Kuro clenched her fists tightly while talking. It’s rare for Kuro to express her dissatisfaction so clearly, so it’s apparent that it was a real struggle.

[By the way, how did you contact Alice in those cases?]

[Through the Ten Demons children. They’re the only ones with direct access to Shalltear, having magic tools that connect directly to her, so I visit them to get in touch with her. However, the Ten Demons children are scattered or in hiding, and they would sometimes be on missions, so finding them was also quite a hassle.]

[Ahh~~ I see……]

[And what’s worse is that Shalltear obviously knows I’m looking for her and even knows what I’m looking her for, yet she wouldn’t contact me until I reached out to her…… That’s just mean!]

How should I say this……. Kuro seems to have accumulated more dissatisfaction than I expected. Alice also looks awkward…… or rather, she’s avoiding eye contact, perhaps to keep Kuro’s frustration from turning toward her.

Well, the frustration was clearly directed at Alice from the start, but since I’m the one listening, Kuro is speaking to me.

[Moreover, when I don’t have anything specific to ask, Shalltear often drops by for a visit. But when I do have something to ask, she never shows up…… I mean, Shalltear… You’re doing that on purpose, right? Not showing up when I’m searching for you was definitely intentional, right?]

[…….Nahhh, that’s totally not the case. Alice-chan is simply very busy, and I also had some difficulty making contact during those times.]

[……Hmmm…… Hey, Kaito-kun, do you think it was intentional or not? Just go with your gut feeling.]

[Kuro-san, can you please not do that? Umm, deciding what is correct based on gut feeling and swinging the conversation that way……]

Just as the conversation was directed to Alice, Kuro suddenly asked my opinion on this matter. Hmm, my gut feeling huh……

[……Hmmm, I don’t really have a real basis, but probably 50-50? There were times when she was really busy, but there were also times when she just didn’t show up just to tease you or as a prank…… No, that really is just my hunch though……]

[Fumu, I see~~ So Shalltear…… was doing it on purpose half of the time?]

[Kuro-san, let’s think this through calmly. Kaito-san was just guessing, right? There’s no real basis for it, no evidence. Isn’t it a bit harsh to make judgments without evidence?]

[Evi dance?]

[Stop with the puns please, it just makes my head hurt…… It’s “evidence”, proof. I’m talking about supporting information.]

Well, I dunno if I should say it’s to be expected or not, but the conversation between Kuro and Alice took on a somewhat comedic tone…… Alice was sweating nervously, trying to cover up her mistakes, while Kuro was watching her with a sharp gaze, clearly not missing any of it.

[H- Hmmm, well, it’s true that there’s no basis or evidence, so it might be a bit forceful to unilaterally assume that Shalltear had any ill intent……]

[That’s right, that’s right! It’s wrong to put a crack in the friendship between me and Kuro-san based on such flimsy reasons! Kaito-san is just speaking off the cuff based on intuition.]

[I see……]

[…………………]

[…………………]

[……But he got it right, didn’t he?]

[……Well~~ I’m genuinely surprised he guessed it so accura——— Ouch!?]

It seems my offhand guess based on intuition was actually spot-on, as Kuro’s knuckles struck down on Alice’s head, who was making this incredibly annoying tehepero face.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [With Kaito around, she definitely had a close stationed at her miscellaneous goods store, and in the first place, she’s always guarding Kaito, making it easy to find her, so I guess it’s really made things easier for Kuro.]