At the sound of that strangely cheerful voice, we turned around, only to be taken aback by a woman we had never seen before.
"Hey, Suguru. Do you know her? Why is she acting like she knows us?"
"No. It's my first time seeing her too. How about you, Touya?"
"That person is..."
The moment I tried to speak, the woman cut me off, struck a peculiar pose, and spoke.
"My, my~ Youth is in full bloom. So... what kind of women are you boys into?"
'Of course, her first words would be that.'
Suguru replied, looking utterly exasperated.
"What? Is that really the first thing you say to people you've just met?"
On the other hand, Satoru let out a chuckle.
"Puhuhu... who is this lady? A fun person has shown up."
I addressed both Suguru and Satoru.
"This is Yuki Tsukumo. The first and currently only Special Grade Sorcerer."
Satoru's interest was piqued.
"Hmph~ No wonder the information I'm seeing with my bare eyes was unusual. You're an incredibly strong person, aren't you, lady?"
"So this is the one..."
As I nodded at Suguru's realization, Ms. Tsukumo puffed out her cheeks and spoke.
"Ugh... are the three of you just going to keep talking amongst yourselves and ignore a woman like me?"
At that, Satoru raised her hand high.
"Me! I... well... I like someone stronger than me. Someone I can leave everything to. And since I tend to do whatever I want, I think I'd like someone who can handle the aftermath and take good care of me."
Ms. Tsukumo nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm~ Those are very clear criteria. Good. Very good. Do you already have someone in mind?"
Satoru tilted her head and replied.
"No? Not really. I just said whatever came to mind right now."
'But that sounded exactly like a list of traits for someone you'd actually like. Who could it be? Whoever Satoru ends up liking... they're going to have a very tiring life. I wonder who could possibly handle that arrogance.'
Ms. Tsukumo nodded with a mysterious expression as if she had heard something interesting, and then spoke.
"Now then, Geto-kun. Won't you give me your answer?"
"I don't particularly have one. And I don't feel like sharing things like that with someone I just met."
""Heh... How stiff.""
Satoru and Ms. Tsukumo spoke in perfect unison.
'They... actually get along quite well, don't they? Their self-centeredness matches up perfectly.'
Satoru grabbed Suguru's arm and shook it.
"Don't be like that~ Just say it once. I'm curious. What kind of girl is Suguru's type?"
"Ack. I don't want to... If I had to say, I suppose someone who is easy to talk to."
Upon hearing Suguru's answer, we all spoke together.
"""Boring."""
Suguru snapped back, clearly annoyed.
"Why are you listening to someone's ideal type for 'entertainment' anyway! Besides, none of you have ever even been in a relationship!"
At those words, I hung my head in a sudden wave of sadness.
"Suguru... that kind of attack actually hurts quite a bit..."
In contrast to me, Satoru stuck her chin out and declared.
"Hmph. Not like I'm interested in such trivial things anyway. There isn't a man alive who could handle my perfect self without feeling inferior. Besides, just hanging out with Touya is more fun anyway."
Suguru looked at her, utterly dumbfounded, and tried to speak.
"If that's what you thi—"
"Geto-kun, wait."
Ms. Tsukumo suddenly intervened, making a 'shushing' gesture and winking at Suguru.
"What are you two doing? Why are you making eyes at each other all of a sudden? Is there something going on?"
When I asked, Ms. Tsukumo gave a suspicious smile and shook her head.
"Fufu... not at all. It's just... I'm very curious about what will happen if things stay exactly as they are."
I didn't understand, so I just shook my head.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Ms. Tsukumo looked me straight in the eye and spoke.
"Now then... for our main event. Zenin-kun—the Young Master of the Zenin Clan and a future Special Grade—what's your type?"
Under the expectant gazes of Ms. Tsukumo and Satoru, and Suguru's 'now let's see you answer' look, I broke out into a cold sweat and thought about it.
"Well..."
'My ideal type... someone with short hair and droopy, sexy eyes. Someone with nice legs that look good in a skirt, and with... well, curves in all the right places. Wait... that's just Shoko...'
As I thought to myself, my face turned beet-red. Seeing this, Satoru tilted her head in confusion.
"What's wrong, Touya? Why are you acting like that? Are you sick?"
Unlike Satoru, Suguru and Ms. Tsukumo let out wicked grins as if they had figured it out.
'Suguru is a guy, and we go on missions together so often he must have caught on... and Ms. Tsukumo probably just thinks I have someone I like.'
"Well? Aren't you going to tell us? Zenin-kun."
At Ms. Tsukumo's prodding, I couldn't just say what I was thinking, so I tried to refine my answer.
"Tall women with good figures. Cute is nice, but I'm more drawn to a sexy vibe."
Ms. Tsukumo smirked.
"I feel like that's not all, but fine... By the way, do you realize Zenin-kun is the only one who only mentioned physical appearance? Does that mean you don't care about personality at all?"
'Oh, right.'
"Well... matching personalities is a given in a relationship, isn't it? I have no intention of dating someone who can't do that much. I enjoy listening to others, but I have no desire to be someone's emotional garbage can."
Ms. Tsukumo let out a loud laugh.
"Oh~ Quite the bold one. I definitely like you. And... when you say a tall woman with a good figure, you must be talking about me, right?"
Though she was indeed tall—nearly as tall as Geto and myself—watching Ms. Tsukumo strike that pose made it a bit difficult to... well...
""You're being ridiculous.""
Suguru and I spoke in unison, our thoughts perfectly aligned. Ms. Tsukumo hung her head as if pouting. However, for some reason, Satoru was trembling beside me.
"Satoru? What's wrong?"
"I'm... also on the tall side, right? I'm still growing, after all."
'Where is this coming from?'
"You are tall. You're tall enough as you are. Actually, meeting a woman who stands at eye level with me is a bit awkward. Ms. Tsukumo is actually the first woman I've met who's this tall."
Satoru let out a sigh of relief.
"Then it's fine."
'What's her deal? Trembling one second, then totally fine the next.'
"Wait, does that mean I'm a no-go for you? Do you hate that I'm too tall?"
I looked at Ms. Tsukumo as she feigned crying with a deadpan expression.
"Please stop joking around."
"Aww. You won't fall for it. I heard you were fun to tease, though."
'Who said that? Was it Mei-san?'
Suguru rejoined the conversation.
"So, Ms. Tsukumo. May I ask why you came to see us?"
"Ah. Was the intro too long? Though, to me, this was actually the most important part. The reason I came..."
'Well... she probably came to see Satoru. That's how I remember it going in the original story.'
As she spoke, Ms. Tsukumo walked over, threw her arm around my shoulder, and pulled me into a hug.
"I came to meet this cute little one right here."
'Ah... she meant me?'
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