At night, in a room I was completely familiar with, I had a slightly troubled look on my face.

'Mmmmmm...'
No, so I don't think the king had any ill intentions either.

　Black, who is puffing out his cheeks like a squirrel in front of me, turns his eyes to me, as if to say that he is unconvinced.
　The reason why I'm in this situation is that I wanted to alleviate Kuro's bad impressions of the Symphonia Kingdom before the royal palace visit that is coming up tomorrow.

　As far as I'm concerned, I really don't care at all, and there's no need for an apology, but.......since I heard there's a lot of things to do with the country's face, I decided to go to the royal palace.
　I'll receive an apology from the king at that time, but if I can, I'd like to resolve the other aspects of the matter with him as well.
　And one of those issues is........Black.

　According to Lunamaria-san, since the incident, Kuro doesn't like the palace and doesn't come close to it at all, so the king's position in the palace has deteriorated considerably.
　So I asked Black, who came over as usual today, to let the matter slide when the king apologizes to me tomorrow, and the result is..........the expression on his face now.

"...I hate the king for torturing you, Kite.
No, she's not being bullied. I mean, it's just that it happened on short notice and the arrangements got blown out.
Mmmmm.

　Apparently, Black is quite angry about that matter, which doesn't bother me at all, and it's hard to convince him.
　I can tell that he's angry, but he looks like a squirrel with food in his mouth, so there's nothing tense about it, he's just cute.

I'm really glad that Black is mad at me for me, but I don't even care about that one, I'm even more grateful to the king for it.
...gratitude?
Oh, yeah. You see, the King didn't send me an invitation so I could have a barbecue with Black and the others.

　Yes, that's how I felt.
　Because I didn't go to the evening party, I was able to have a barbecue with Kuro, and because of that conversation, I was able to move forward.
　If it wasn't for that, I don't think my current happy days would have ever come.

　Of course, the thing I'm most grateful for is to Kuro, but I'm also glad that the incident that gave me the opportunity to do so happened.

The actuality of this is that it's not a good idea to be able to have a good time with them, but it's not a good idea to have a good time with them.
Mmmm.
So I thought I'd make a face at this point I hope you'll forgive me?
....

　Hearing the words I told him, Black is silent for a while, then he lets out a big sigh.

''.........I understand. If you say that much, Kite, then I forgive you too.
Thanks, Black!
I'm telling you, Kite, you asked me for a favor, so I have no choice.
Yeah. Still, I'm really glad. Thank you.
Uh....

　When I thank Kuro for saying that I forgive the king, he silences me with a faintly troubled expression on his cheeks.
　While I'm thrilled with Kuro, I remember something and open my mouth.

Oh, that's right. Black, the 30th day of the month of the tree, do you have any free time in your schedule?
Huh?　Oh, yeah. I'm fine, though?
So, that day it's, uh, well, you know, exactly three months since you met Black?
Uh-huh. Yeah.
I don't mean to imply that you're not, but, uh, well, you know, I don't know, I mean, you know, would you, uh, date me, then?
...What?

　I was nervous and quite speechless, but I managed to tell him that I was asking him out.
　I don't know if the words I said were unexpected or not, but Kuro opened his eyes wide and turned his golden eyes to me.

You know, before, you see, I promised you that I would ask you out this time, right?
Uh-huh.
So, you know, I'll look into things so that I can escort you before the day of the event if you're okay with it, you know, Black....

　I'm getting quieter and quieter. How nervous am I?　You're a middle schooler in puberty!
　I was incredibly nervous, cold sweat was running down my back and I felt like a living hell while waiting for Kuro's reply.

'.........Kite, you're taking me on a date......ehehehe, I'm so glad.
Huh?

　Black's cheeks are stained and he has a slightly downcast, bashful smile on his face, which is so cute that it could kill you already, and I feel my heart jump louder than ever before.
　Then Black opens his mouth in a small voice, as he puts the index fingers of his right hand and left hand together in front of his face.

'....Yes. I want to go on a date with Kaito-kun, too.
Ahhhhhhh.....
'Yes!　I'll look forward to your escort, Kite.
Yeah.

　I looked at Kuro, who smiled at me with a big smile and laughed at me, and I nodded firmly, grateful for the happiness of being able to see that smile up close and personal.

　Dear Mom, Dad--I'm going to receive an apology from the king at the royal palace tomorrow, but aside from that... today I'm going to be so brave that I'm going to be one of the highest-ranking people I've ever met in my life. --I asked Black out on a date.















　The eighth day of the wooden month.........In the royal palace in the capital of the Kingdom of Symphonia, there were currently many servants running around.
　All the servants of the royal palace are assembled today, and they are making preparations for a hospitality as thorough as the reception of a state guest.

　Today, a pleasant man comes to the royal palace.
　In the event that there were rumors circulating that he is a close friend of the Dark Lord, has relationships with the world's highest-ranking beings, the Death King and the World King, and is even acquainted with the Creator God, no disrespect could be tolerated.

　The king, Lasse, also woke up much earlier than the sun rose and took command to receive the kaijin.
　Without any hesitation, he had intended to offer a sincere apology to Kaito in an official setting.

　But as of now, Rize looked like he had bitten down on a bitter worm in the audience room.
　And while staring at the person standing in front of him with his sharp eyes, he uttered a voice as if to squeeze out.


'Huh?　What are you talking about?　I only came up to the castle because I had business to attend to nearby, so I thought I'd have a meeting for the Festival of Heroes while I was there. Oh, I'm sorry for the delay, but I apologize for my unexpected visit. His Majesty King Raise.


　To Chris, who is dressed in simple but beautiful ceremonial attire and smiles serenely, Lise returns the words with a tug on her cheeks.

''Oh no, I didn't expect you to have a prior engagement.......I guess I interrupted you at the wrong time.
''No, no, that's not true. If it's a simple meeting, we can finish it right now... and I'm sure Emperor Chris would like to return to his country as soon as possible.
'Thank you for your concern. But that's okay. We are the ones who made the unexpected visit, and I can't let you change your plans because of me. I will wait until I have finished talking to my prior engagement.
'What?　

　Hearing Chris' words as he tells her with a gentle smile tautly on his face, Lise returns the words with a drawn-out smile while a blue streak appears on her forehead.
　If it were just expressions and words, it would seem to be a peaceful conversation, but the air flowing between the two sides was tense, and the gazes that clashed with each other even seemed to be sparking.

''No, I can't bother you. I'm going to 'observe in the corner of the room' as a 'bystander'.......it's not like the contents are classified, right?
"....you little........fox.....

　Chris, after all, has told him that he will observe Lasse's apology in the audience room, and Lasse grits his teeth.
　It was obvious that that was the purpose of his visit from the beginning, but.......the other party is the emperor, and he can't just turn them away without a fight.
　To such a Rise, Chris bows with a smile on his face and starts walking with his back to Rise.

　Then, after taking some distance from Rise, he mutters in a small voice so that Rise cannot hear him.

''........Rest assured, seeing that was just an incidental thing......I just wanted an excuse to meet with Miyama-sama.......I'm troubled by the fact that we're in different countries. It's a thing. It's not easy to approach...

　With a contained smile on his face, Chris's cheeks are slightly stained.