LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 2039: At the New Stores ⑯
After being thoroughly shocked by the exclusive rights to the family crest service handed to her by Kaito, while desperately trying to calm herself, Eris murmured as she looked moved.
[……But I see, a service for adding family crests…… It's quite a noble-oriented and effective service, isn't it?]
[The store's manager thought of it, but does it seem good from a noble's perspective, Eris-san?]
[Yes, nobles care about appearances. This service could be seen as something like creating custom-made ceramics, and Nifty's ceramics are highly regarded…… It's likely to be set at a considerably high price, with very limited quantities available for sale. For those who purchase it, it becomes a symbol of wealth and fortune……]
[Ahh, I see. You display a large plate with a family crest, showing off that you have enough wealth to afford such a custom piece.]
[Yes. For better or worse, items that one can boast about simply by owning them tend to become quite popular.]
As he listened to Eris' words, Kaito thought of the noble he knew well, Lilia. When it comes to her, Lilia's mansion did also have quite expensive interior decorations in rooms like the reception hall.
(For that reason, the value of this exclusive right is immeasurable. Its value is so immense that if used incorrectly, it could cause significant confusion, so I need to consult with my father before making use of it. The issue is that, at this point, only I——– more broadly, only our Hamilton Marquisdom——– know that this service will be launched later…… That's the problem.)
As her mind finally settled, Eris decided to confirm something with Kaito.
[……Kaito-sama, regarding this service, it's confirmed that it will be launched later, but when will it be publicly announced? I can't go around talking about it without permission……][Ahh, I've heard the rulers of various countries have already been informed though. Unlike the store opening, the timing for starting this service doesn't necessarily need to be coordinated, so it seems they will decide the start time after consulting with each ruler. Although the information hasn't been publicly disclosed, it seems that those in the know already know about it.]
[I see, in that case, it wouldn't be a problem to say that our family heard about it through our own information network.]
[You can just say you heard it from me though……]
[Kaito-sama, umm, with your influence…… doing that would be like our Hamilton Marquisdom…… no, even if you narrow it down, it's like I personally have a close relationship with you…… Errr…… Please forgive me for asking this rude question…… but could it be that when you introduced me to the Seven Princesses, you weren't just saying that for politeness' sake…… but you really do consider me a friend?]
If she were to be honest, Eris had thought that Kaito's introduction of her as a friend to the Seven Princesses was more of him going along with the flow of the situation, and even though he had introduced her as a friend, in reality, at best, they're just acquaintances.
Of course, Kaito hadn't given it much thought in that way.
[Errr, from my point of view, I already considered Eris-san a friend…… Did you not like that?]
[N- No, on the contrary, it's quite the honor! It's just, from my perspective, Kaito-sama seemed to avoid contact with nobles, so I thought…… umm……]
[A- Ahh, I see…… Yeah, it certainly isn't strange for people to have that misunderstanding. No, errr, how should I explain this…… Before I came to this world, I was what you’d call a commoner, and I just didn’t want to attend formal noble parties, events where I had to adhere to formalities. Frankly speaking, I was getting so many letters for those that I decided to turn them all down. It wasn't that I hated or avoided nobles.]
[So that's how it was. Indeed, there must be many nobles who want to have connections with Kaito-sama, and if you responded to each one, it would be quite a hassle.]
Hearing Kaito's words, Eris nodded, seemingly having understood what he meant. More accurately, she realized that she had forgotten that the summoned otherworlders, even though they wield such strong influence in this world, were essentially commoners in their original world.
(This was my own misunderstanding. In the first place, it was said he is in a romantic relationship with Duchess Albert, so that should be enough of a clue that he wasn't avoiding nobles. I had a preconceived notion and failed to notice that Kaito-sama’s sense of values were closer to those of a commoner. I need to reflect on that.)
Eris, being fundamentally good-natured, recognized that she had unnecessarily filtered her perceptions of Kaito and sincerely reflected on it.
Of course, that didn’t mean she could avoid the headaches that would come from their future interactions……
[And so, if Eris-san is alright with it, I'd be happy if you could continue treating me as a friend.]
[Yes, gladly…… I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.]
[Don’t worry about it. Oh, right…… While we're at it, I'll give you this too.]
[This is…… a magic tool? It's one I've never seen before though……]
[That’s something I give to my friends. It’s a magic tool for placing direct orders with Nifty, allowing you to purchase our products without worrying about stock or purchasing limits.]
[……Hyih.]
Though Kaito had actually been giving this to any of his friends who showed interest in Nifty, it goes without saying that Eris' face went pale when such an extraordinary intermediary tool was handed to her so casually.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Wow, this lady's amazing…… It's like she's been getting gut-punched in almost every chapter since her debut.]
? ? ? : [I think it's because she's mentally tough, like, she keeps bouncing back, so she ends up getting hit again.]
Serious-senpai : [That's just ruthless.]