I was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but that World is at Peace (WN) C.1939: The Party is Over ⑧

Leaving the venue where the afterparty was being held, I moved to the deck of the magic ship. Well, the afterparty was still ongoing, but I took a break to feel the night breeze.

……It's totally not because the maids started getting excited about their maid discussions and I wanted to escape. Unn, it was just that there were too many maids and I couldn't keep up with the conversation, which made me feel quite out of place……

Well, putting that aside, when I stepped out onto the deck, a pleasant sea breeze greeted me. It wasn't until we looked into it during the party planning stage that I found out this magic ship was equipped with various magic tools and was highly functional.

For instance, the deck has a magic tool that blocks winds above a certain strength, so strong winds won't blow through. However, it still allows a moderate sea breeze, which is nice.

Including these features, the ship truly feels like a super luxurious cruise liner, but to Kuro, it was just an excuse to give away a magic box…… I guess that's to be expected from the richest person in the world.

With such thoughts in mind, I absentmindedly watched the night sea. The view was obscured by darkness, but the deck was adequately lit, and the night sky was filled with stars, making it far from boring.

[……Taking a breeeeeak?]

[Eh? Illness-san?]

When I turned around upon hearing a voice suddenly calling out to me, there was Illness-san, with a gentle smile on her lips.

[I alsooooo came for a breeeeeeak.]

[Ah, I see. Once again, thank you for your hard work at the party.] 𝚏𝚛ee𝐰𝗲𝚋n𝐨𝘃𝗲l.𝐜𝐨m

[Thank you for your hard work toooooo, Kaito-samaaaaa.]

After responding to my words with a smile, Illness-san came to stand beside me. She was so close our shoulders almost touched, making my heart skip a beat.

We ended up standing side by side, gazing at the sea. The mood feels peculiar…… It's not like it feels uncomfortable, but I couldn't find the right moment to start a conversation, so we remained silent for a while.

[……Kaito-samaaaaa, you can use Sympathy Magic, riiiiiight?]

[Eh? Ah, yes.]

[What is it liiiiiiiike, reading emotioooons?]

[Hmmm, it feels like vague…… It feels like emotions carried by magic power are being conveyed. It's like I'm reading the mood——— whether it's awkwardness or joy———- but in a more clear way.]

In response to Illness-san's softly muttered question, I hesitantly answered. It's quite an intuitive thing, so explaining it in words was difficult.

Someone like Lillie-san might be able to explain it better, but for me, it's really just somehow being able to tell someone's emotions.

[I'm sorry for asking such a strange question so suddenlyyyyyy. Latelyyy, I’ve been feeling that it’s difficult to put feelings into woooords, so I wanted to hear how Kaito-sama senses emotiooooons.]

[Putting feelings into words? That certainly is tough. Even I might struggle if I were asked to clearly express my feelings.]

[Yeeeees. Until nowww, I hadn’t felt this way muuuuuch. But nooooow, I can no longer ignore iiiiiit, so I’ve been rethinking thiiiiings. It's difficult, isn't iiiiiit……. Even though I should vaguely understand my feeliiiiiings, it’s hard to put them into wooooords.]

[……Are you troubled by something?]

[Yeees, you could say thaaaat…… I'm thinking about what I want to doooooo and how I want the future to beeeee, but it feels like my thoughts are just going in circlesssss.]

If Illness-san is troubled by something, I definitely want to help, but her wording feels somewhat roundabout, as if she's hiding the main issue.

In that case, forcing the issue might not be the best approach…… Hmm, what should I do?

While I was pondering this, Illness-san turned towards me, her face showing what seemed to be a wry smile.

[If Kaito-sama is alright with iiiiiiit, could you spare some tiiiiime for a little consultation after the afterpartyyyyy?]

[Yes, of course. If I can be of any help, I'm more than willing.]

[Thank youuuu. Well theeeen, after the afterparty eeeeends, I'll come visit your rooooom.]

[Alright.]

It's rather unusual for Illness-san to consult me about something, but given how much she's helped me on numerous occasions, I want to be of assistance as much as possible.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [This is bad, the flow of things doesn't seem good at all…… I mean, the trouble Illness had here, it's clearly about her romantic feelings for Kaito…… D- D*mn it, where the heck can I run to……]