At first, there was some strange trouble around us, but I sat down again and had a chat with Akane-san.
[You're that, right? Kuromu-sama's lover?]
[Eh? You know about that?]
[I've known Kuromu-sama for a while, since she helped me set up my trading company. When I met her at the Six Kings Festival, she was happily talking about Kaito.]
[I see... It's a strange connection, just like Anima's case.]
[You're right.]
Akane-san has a cheerful personality, and once she starts talking, the conversation gets more and more lively. How should I say this... She is easy to talk to, or perhaps, her Kansai dialect may have something to do with it, but the tempo of our conversation seems light.
[Speaking of which, Akane-san isn't wearing your leopard-print clothes today huh?]
[As expected, I can't wear an outfit aiming for shits and giggles at a time like this... Unnn? How do you know what I usually wear?]
[Ahh, I've actually crossed paths with Akane-san before. At that time, your Kansai dialect and leopard-print clothes left an impression on me, so I remembered you... Rather, you were wearing those for shits and giggles?]
[Hoohh~~ Was it back when I went to Symphonia? Matched with my hair, I certainly am aiming for those... I don't apply perms or anything like that because it's not my hobby, but doesn't this outfit make you think of those Osaka Aunties?]
[Hmmm, it might be popular with people who can get the gag... but with Akane-san's appearance, even if you wore leopard-print clothing, I don't think you would look like an Osaka Auntie...]
In fact, when we had passed each other before, my impression was more like her leopard-print clothing was unusual, but I didn't feel that she looked like an Osaka Auntie or anything like that.
I think it was probably, or rather, it's definitely because of Akane-san's youthful appearance. Rather, she may actually be younger again with Life-san's blessing, and that she looks like a teenager, I think it's unreasonable to aim for that setting.
[Guess you're right. I kinda got that feeling around me before I got rejuvenated, but because I became younger, rather than an Auntie, it feels more like a strange gyaru who's trying to follow the trends.]
[Ahh~~ Indeed, that might be a better fit for your image.]
[Moreover, purple hair isn't that unusual of a hair color in this world... Hmmm, this is rough. Well, I'm used to wearing that outfit, so I end up just always wearing that.]
Akane-san's bright smile as she said this conveyed her good nature, or rather, I could tell that she was a nice person even from just talking to her for a few minutes.
While I was thinking about this, looking as if she had just remembered something, Akane-san suddenly spoke.
[Speaking of which, I'm changing the subject, but that business brought to us by Anima-san... Is that something initiated by Kaito?]
[Rather than initiated, it's more like I'm clueless with handling business deals, so I entrusted it to Anima.]
[I see... but are you sure you wanted to let go of those things? Those are accessories made from Dragon King-sama's scales, you know?]
[Yes, I've received a lot of them and still have a lot of them left over... I honestly have too many of them that I don't know what to do, but I couldn't just throw them away either, so I decided to sell them as accessories to get rid of them in some way.]
[Ahaha, ahh~~ I guess that's how it is ~~ It would be rude to Dragon King-sama if you threw them away, so you've thought of that idea!]
Akane-san smiled as she said this but... I wonder why? There was this strange intimidation from her smile, or rather, unlike the smile she had before, this feels more like a pasted-on smile.
[...By the way, Kaito. There's something I want to confirm, but is it alright?]
[Eh? W- What is it?]
With that smile that felt pasted-on still on her face, Akane-san said. It somehow feels a little scary... Or rather, it kinda feels like the time when Lilia-san was about to scold me...
[...You'll forgive me even if I do something to some extent, right?]
[Unnn?]
[Well, it's not that I will just disregard the difference in our status, and I obviously wouldn't just insult or slander you, but you'll tolerate even if I break my tone a little bit, right? Right?]
[Y- Yes, of course.]
[I see, I'm glad to hear that... Now then, for a few moments, I'm sorry.]
When I nodded at Akane-san's words, feeling strangely pressured, with that smile on her face, Akane-san notified me for a moment and took a deep breath...
[————Left overs your faaaaace!!!]
[!?]
[Stop talking as if they're just some random items you find lying around in the middle of the year! How much do you think Dragon King-sama's scales cost per piece!? They're scary expensive!!!]
W- What the... What an extremely decent tsukkomi. Now that she said it, what she's saying was so true that I have no room to complain.
[I mean, I'm begging you, when you talk about expensive items, do it in an appropriate manner... Just hearing how you're thinking about how to get rid of those scales is just too terrifying! That's too bad for my heart!!!]
[...You're too right that I can't refute.]
[You understand, right? ...No, well, I'm sorry. I've been hearing all these things that I've been wanting to throw a tsukkomi back... Ever since I came to this mansion, I've really been wanting to scream it all out.]
[No, I'm sorry that I strangely startled you.]
I guess it was indeed what she said. A single scale of Magnawell-san is enough to build a castle, and when you normally think about it, Magnawell-san's scale should be an extremely expensive item.
...Unnn, Magnawell-san just seriously kept on giving them to me so casually that my senses had completely become dulled.
[...However, how did you even manage to process Dragon King-sama's scales? It's usually too expensive for any processing companies to accept it, right? It's rumored to be very hard, so it must be difficult to process.]
[Ahh, about that, I asked Ali... Errr, the Phantasmal King to handle it.]
[...You... are seriously...]
When Akane-san heard my words, she looked up to the heavens with a rather distant look in her eyes.