After finishing her preparations, Jutia-san’s singing, as per my request, was absolutely breathtaking. Her usual voice, fitting her petite appearance, is rather cute in tone.

However, when she sang, her voice sounded far more mature and cool than usual. Her voice was so beautiful that the phrase “crystal-clear singing voice” clearly fits the description.

[……So, how was it?]

It was amazing. It sounded entirely different from when you sing in a choir, and your voice was so beautiful that I got completely absorbed.]

[Geez, you’re making me blush with all those compliments. But, but, that makes me really happy!]

After the song ended, I praised her sincerely, and Jutia-san’s dazzling smile made me smile too.

Thereupon, as if she had suddenly thought of something, a look of realization crossed her face.

[Come to think of it, come to think of it, this has nothing to do with today…… but in plays and such, there’s this classic way of confessing love to a Spirit by telling them “Sing for me”.]

[R- Really? Is that because singing is particularly special to the Spirits?]

[I think that’s how it started, but I’ve never actually seen anyone use that phrase. Maybe it’s because it’s rare for the Spirits to fall in love, but at least I’ve never heard it outside of plays.]

[Heehhh…… Arehh? But didn’t I hear something about Spirits offering a golden fruit to confess before……]

Listening to Jutia-san’s story reminded me of what Kuro once told me——— that a marriage proposal among the Spirits is accepted if the other person eats the golden fruit given to them.

[Ah, that! That’s when a Spirit proposes. They compress their Nature magic power into a sphere to create the golden fruit. For the Spirits, the golden fruit is something truly special that you give only to someone unique…… Well, as I mentioned just now, it’s rare for a Spirit to fall in love.]

[Really?]

Romances between Spirits and humans sound like a good subject for a story. With the fact that Jutia-san mentioned it’s a common trope in plays…… means there must be quite a few romance-related performances around.

However, if Jutia-san, who is likely an elder among the Spirits, says it’s rare, then romance stories around Spirits are probably quite unusual.

[It’s a bit hard to explain because it’s more of a feeling, but even though we have these physical Spirit forms, we still feel deeply connected to plants…… to nature. So you see, you see, our perspective on love is unique. Spirits don’t usually view our own kind as potential partners. Maybe there are exceptions, but as far as I know, I’ve never seen fellow Spirits as lovers or spouses.]

[For even Jutia-san to not have seen it, it must be incredibly rare.]

[That’s right, that’s right. How should I say this…… We Spirits all feel like we’re part of nature…… despite varying degrees of closeness and hierarchy, fundamentally, we see each other as the same beings. Well, this really is more like a feeling, and perhaps, this might just be my personal view. But still, but still, it doesn’t mean Spirits never fall in love. I know of some who have become romantically involved with Dryads, High Treants, and even High Elves.]

Dryads, High Treants and High Elves…… Somehow, all of them were species related to nature, so maybe that’s a factor?

As if to confirm my thoughts, Jutia-san continued speaking.

[This is just based on my personal feeling and experience, no solid basis to it, but I think the ones we Spirits fall in love with, in a romantic sense, are those who are loved by nature.]

[Indeed, just basing this on their names alone, but it seems like Dryads and High Treants have connections to nature…… but being loved by nature…… what does that mean exactly?]

[Hmmm, that’s a very, very hard question. It’s difficult to explain to other races, but we Spirits and the Fairies can kinda sense how much a person is loved by nature. There are some theories, but it’s not something we can measure with numbers or anything———– it’s really just a feeling, so it’s hard to describe.]

[I see, so it’s a special feeling that only Spirits and Fairies have.]

[That’s right, that’s right…… By the way, Kaito is overwhelmingly loved by nature. Besides Spirits and Fairies, I’ve never met anyone else who feels this loved by nature.]

Speaking of which, didn’t someone mention something about me being loved by nature when we first met? Hmmm, I don’t really get it…… but maybe it has something to do with Shiro-san’s Blessing?

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Have you noticed? The terrifying flag hidden in Jutia’s words…… Why is it that Jutia can guess the “criteria for who the Spirits falls in love with”, based on “her personal feeling and experience”? And then, according to Jutia, the person most overwhelmingly loved by nature is none other than Kaito……]