I was thinking of playing catch with Illness-san using the gloves and ball that Alice had likely thoughtfully prepared…… However, I had one question.

It’s just that, well, I noticed that for some reason, there weren’t just two, but four gloves and two balls there. While I could understand having an extra ball as a spare, it was strange that there were four gloves.

It wasn’t like Alice to make a mistake, and since it’s her we’re talking about, I figured there must be some reason behind it…… though I had no idea what it could be at that moment.

For now, I decided to play catch with Illness-san, each of us using one glove.

[Should I just throw this ball toward Kaito-samaaaaa?]

[Yes, not too hard. Let’s toss it gently, in an arc, so we can both catch it easily. We’ll start at a relatively close distance.]

[Understooooood.]

I gave Illness-san, who was new to playing catch, a brief explanation and we started the game. Knowing that it’s her I’m playing with, how should I say this…… There was this significant sense of reassurance in me.

If it had been Shiro-san instead, I would have had to emphasize controlling her strength quite a bit. After all, even if Shiro-san’s fingers merely brushed the ball…… if she misjudged her strength, it wouldn’t be surprising if I ended up as minced meat right away.

No, even though I know that Shiro-san can perfectly adjust her strength, as evidenced by our time at the beach…… there’s still a lingering fear that she might accidentally make a mistake.

On the other hand, I am confident that Illness-san will definitely not make a mistake with her strength, so I feel reassured in that regard.

(I’m a bit dissatisfied. There’s a need to correct this misunderstanding, so next time, you should play catch with me as well.)

……No, I don’t think my cognition of things here is wrong. I do know that Shiro-san can perfectly control her strength, but even still, there’s just that lingering sense of unease…… Well, anyhow, playing catch isn’t a problem. Let’s do it sometime.

(Well then, we’ll have a lovey-dovey game of catch next time…… I’ve already said my piece, so I’ll take my leave now.)

She just casually added “lovey-dovey” there, but making a game of catch “lovey-dovey” seems quite challenging…… W- Well, fine…… for now, I’ll focus on playing catch with Illness-san.

[Is this about riiiiight?]

[Yes, that’s perfect. I’ll throw it back now.]

Illness-san threw the ball with a gentle, perfectly arced trajectory, and I caught it and threw it back in the same manner.

No, it would have been fine if she threw a bit faster…… but since I wasn’t used to using the glove, I was worried about catching it properly. So, I thought it would be best to keep things slow for now.

Just like that, engaging in light conversation, we continued playing catch for a while.

[I seeeee, this is quite fuuuuun. Moving your body lightly while chatting makes it less boriiiiiiing. It’s not intense enough to be considered a spoooooort, but it feels like a unique form of conversatioooooon.]

[Indeed. It’s not that active to be described as a sport. It’s different from just sitting and chatting, and I actually like this kind of thing…… Unn?]

[Oyaaaa?]

As we continued the lighthearted game of catch, I suddenly felt a gaze and stopped momentarily…… I noticed the couple, who had been riding the flying carpet earlier, watching us with interest.

When the couple saw us looking back, they seemed startled and quickly bowed their heads, looking somewhat flustered.

[M- My apologies for disturbing you……]

[Ah, no, it’s alright. Is there something you need?]

[No, I was just curious about what you were doing. If we caused any discomfort, I apologize.]

[Not at all, please don’t worry about it.]

It seems that the game of catch was quite unusual to them. Since Illness-san mentioned that baseball is a minor sport and many people might not be familiar with playing catch, it’s understandable.

……Fumu…… Arehh? Ahh, I see now…… so that’s why Alice prepared four gloves huh……

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Just as Kaito predicted, this couple does seem like they’re nobility…… They clearly seem awe-inspired towards Kaito, and if they knew him, I suppose they’re nobles from Symphonia Kingdom?]