I decided to give the remaining table clock as a gift to Lilia-san and explained it to her when she had some free time, handing her the wooden box.

[Thank you very much. If it’s something Nebula-san made, it’s bound to be wonderful……]

[……Lilia-san?]

Lilia-san received the box with a smile and opened it, but immediately afterward, with that smile still on her face, she froze. It was definitely a smile, but she was stuck in that position, as if time had stopped, exuding this strange pressure from her.

[……Kaito-san, the hands on this clock…… are these gemstones? Where did you get them?]

[Well, these are leftover gemstones from making music boxes and accessories. When I was making accessories, I thought I might need more, so I bought extras, but I ended up not using as much as I expected……]

[I see…… My stomach hurts.]

[Errr, Lilia-san? Did I do something wrong again?]

[Hmmm, normally, I’d say that working gemstones into something this fine and beautiful would be almost impossible through conventional means, but since I’ve had some experience with Alice-sama’s accessory-making kit, I guess it’s not too unusual…… still…… hmmmmmmmmm.]

[Seeing Lilia-san pressing on her stomach as if to ease the pain, I had the feeling that she might scold me. However, she seemed to be contemplating something with a troubled expression.

It felt like she was debating whether to get angry at me or not.

Even though the materials are overly expensive and he’s not restraining himself again…… considering that Kaito-san originally had this made for his own use and not as a gift, I can’t really blame him outright…… Kaito-san.]

[Y- Yes?]

[I’m not going to get angry, but…… next time you give me something valuable or made with rare materials, please let me know beforehand. It’s…… kind of hard on my heart and stomach.]

[S- Sorry. I’ll be more careful.]

I see. To me, it just felt like I was reusing leftover materials, but as Lilia-san said, the gemstones I used were quite valuable.

On top of that, with Nebula-san’s amazing craftsmanship, it was undoubtedly a work of art. I should have thought about it a bit more.

[……Well, still, I’m really happy that you gave this to me. I’ll treasure it.]

[Yes. Ah, by the way, the decorations on it change color with the passage of time. It shifts to match the atmosphere of morning, afternoon, evening, and night.]

[The colors change with time? That’s quite an advanced technique…… Incidentally, did you buy this black magic crystal?]

[No. At first, I was going to buy one, so I contacted Tre-san and the others, but they ended up giving it to me.]

To be precise, when I contacted Tre-san, she said, “Eh? If you just bring me a cheap magic crystal, I’ll turn it into a black one for you~~” so I followed her advice and had her change a cheap magic crystal into a black one.

However, since Tre-san’s ability to alter the composition of materials wasn’t something I could casually talk about with others, I decided to just say I received it.

[I see, by the way, you mentioned duplicates were made. Were there still other duplicates left?]

[Errr, Nebula made three in total. I’m using one myself, and I gave the other one to Eris-san.]

[……You gave it to Lady Eris? ……I see. Truly, from the bottom of my heart…… I feel sorry for her. While I’m somewhat used to Kaito-san’s antics, she’s not, so I imagine the damage would be much greater.]

After saying that in a somewhat exasperated tone, Lilia-san gave a gentle smile.

[This is far too valuable to display in my office, so I think I’ll put it in my private room. Since it’s a special occasion, Kaito-san, would you help me decide where to display it?]

[Yes, if you’re okay with it…… Unn? Arehh? Does that mean I’ll be going to Lilia-san’s private room?]

[Yes, if you have some free time……]

[Well, I’m fine with that but…… come to think of it, this might be my first time going to Lilia-san’s private room, right?]

[……Now that you mention it…… We usually meet in this office, the dining hall, or the terrace, or I visit your room. You’ve never had the chance to come to my private room. Then again, I mostly use my private room just for changing clothes or sleeping, so it feels like this office is more like my personal space……]

Yes, now that I think about it, I’ve never been to Lilia-san’s room. Even when I gave her the music box, it was in the dining hall. As Lilia-san said, she’s usually in the office, so we mostly meet here.

……I’m seeing Lilia-san’s private room for the first time huh…… I’m kind of looking forward to it.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Speaking of which, there’s barely been any mention of visiting other people’s rooms in the mansion huh…… So, Sieg’s room, Aoi’s room, and Hina’s room haven’t appeared in the story at all…… Canalis’ room did show up though……]