After the painting was finished, we returned from the atelier to the house aboveground and were chatting again over a cup of tea that Rosemary-san had brewed for us, when I suddenly remembered something.
[By the way, Rosemary-san, you did musicals at the Harmonic Symphony, didnāt you?]
[Unnn.]
[You sang very well, so I guess youāre also good at music?]
[Iām not sure if you can really say Iām good or not, but for us Spirits, singing is an act of harmonizing with nature. Most of the Spirits usually like to sing.]
Come to think of it, someone had mentioned something like this before. That in fact, music is so closely related to the Spirits that they hold a large-scale music festival, which is the Harmonic Symphony.
Lillywood-san herself is an outstanding singer, and the other members of the Seven Princesses were also amazing.
[Do you play any instruments?]
[I donāt play instruments that much, but I can play the violin a bit.]
[Heehhhā¦ā¦ Do you also habitually sing, Rosemary-san?]
[Unnn. I often sing in the flower garden.]
That would be quite a picturesque scene. Her, singing in the Garden of Myriad Flowersā¦ā¦ Arehh?
[Is there a spot over there where you can sing in?]
[Unnn. The garden is quite vast, so there are some open areas. If you want, should we check it out?]
[I guess so. I have only seen the flower garden around the entrance, so Iām somewhat interested. Is that spot quite large?]
[I think itās about the size of a small town.]
In that case, the garden is pretty vast. Considering that she said ātownā and not āvillageā, the areas I had seen in the flower garden so far must really be a very small part of the flower garden.
Perhaps the number of flowers is so great that it exceeds tens of thousands. Perhaps, even the variety itself had reached those numbers.
Getting up from our seats, I talked to Rosemary-san as we walked out of her home.
[However, isnāt it hard to manage a place as vast as this?]
[Itās not that difficult. Itās easy if you use magic, and since Iām a Spirit, I could clearly tell the conditions of flowers, so I know how to take care of them and what they need.]
[I see.]
[As for watering them, I can control this space, so I can send rain to designated areas or adjust the temperature in certain areas when needed.]
Now that she mentioned it, Rosemary-san is one of the Six Kingsā executives, and one of the most influential people in the Demon Realm. It wouldnāt be surprising if she can easily do most things.
Speaking of which, Alice mentioned before how when someone reaches Peak Count-rank, they would be at a level that would make people feel like theyāre omnipotent beings by human standards.
[Come to think of it, thereās also that spot where the Sanctuaryās flowers that Kaito-kun gave me before are planted, so why donāt we go there too?]
[Ahh, that would be nice. Iād also like to see it.]
[ā¦ā¦Also, ummmā¦ā¦ I hope it doesnāt bother Kaito-kun, but Iād be happy if you could tell me about the flower garden in the Sanctuary again. At that time back in the White God Festival, I wasnāt able to calmly listen to it after all.]
[Of course, itās alright. After you asked me that time, I took a closer look at the flowers there. It seems that Shiro-san had added new flowers recently.]
[Eh? Is that so? Iād like to hear it.]
I was asked a lot of questions during the White God Festival, but it seemed that that wasnāt enough for Rosemary-san, as she badgered me with more questions about the flower garden in the Sanctuary.
Of course, I didnāt really have any reason to refuse to answer her. Thanks to the many questions that Rosemary-san asked me back then, after I visited Shiro-sanās place later, I paid more attention to the various things around, so I think the range of questions I can answer has expanded.
While smiling at Rosemary-san, who was happily listening to my story, I went on as long as I could remember about the flower garden in the Sanctuary.
As we continued chatting while walking, I saw a circular lawn area in the flower garden a little further ahead.
[Ahh, Kaito-kun. Thatās where I often sing.]
[Ohh, thatās great. It really feels like we are right in the middle of the flower garden, and no matter which direction you look, youāre overwhelmed by the beautiful flowers.]
[I guess Iām kind of proud of the view from here tooā¦ā¦]
Since weāre here, we decided to take in the view here for a bit, so I took out a leisure sheet from my magic box and laid it out before sitting down.
Thereupon, we resumed the conversation I had with Rosemary-san earlier while looking at the flower gardenā¦ā¦ but somehow, it felt like the distance between us was very close.
[ā¦ā¦I see. Thereās such a flower huh. The flower garden in the Sanctuary really is marvelous. You mentioned how it had different areas, but whatās it like?]
[Errr, letās see. Right after I was teleported by Shiro-san, the first area I came toā¦ā¦]
Rosemary-san is sitting next to me, but weāre so close that our shoulders are touching each other. I mean, Iāve thought of this earlier, but Rosemary-san sometimes suddenly brings herself too close.
I was wondering why this is, when it occurred to me. I see, Rosemary-san is usually afflicted with her extreme fear of strangers, and with her voice so soft, she has to get very close to someone to talk to them, and speak close to their ear.
And so, when she talks to someone she feels comfortable with, I guess she probably tries to talk close to them out of habit?
I see, that solves the mysteryā¦ā¦ That solves it butā¦ā¦ Her face really is just too close! For Rosemary-san, who is exceptionally beautiful and brimming with smiles today, to be this closeā¦ā¦ my heart couldnāt help beating very fast.
***
[Afterword]
Serious-senpai : [It has completely turned into a date!!!]