I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

Chapter 2188: A Small Celebration ⑨

After finishing the cake, it was finally time for presents. Well, Aoi-chan seriously was even happier than I had expected, and from the way she looked, she was eagerly anticipating her birthday present.

[Alright, since we've finished the cake, it's time for the birthday presents…… I’ve already promised to go shopping with you later, but I also prepared a separate present for today so———-]

[Hold it right there!!! Please wait! Kaito-senpai!!!]

[Unn? Hina-chan?]

Just as I was about to hand Aoi-chan her present, Hina-chan suddenly interrupted. Not understanding her intentions, Aoi-chan and I tilted our heads in confusion……

[If you give her your present first, mine is going to look ridiculously lame in comparison……! I should go first! Kaito-senpai’s super high-end gift can come later!]

[……Eh? Super high-end gift?]

[……Aoi-senpai, Kaito-senpai’s present is ridiculously expensive. Anyway, let me give mine first.]

[U- Unn. Now I’m starting to feel nervous all of a sudden……]

I don’t have any particularly expensive hobbies, nor do I have a taste for luxury, so without Alice’s shop, I’d hardly ever get the chance to spend money on the level of white gold coins.

[I got you a small storage box! It has a really cute design, and it's just the right size for pens and other small items, so I thought it might be useful to keep on your desk.]

[Thank you. The design really is adorable. I don’t usually buy items with this kind of aesthetic for myself, so it feels fresh, and I’m looking forward to using it on my desk.]

[Ehehe, as long as you like it, that’s all that matters…… Now then, are you ready? Next up is Kaito-senpai's turn!]

[……Well, I didn’t really have time to mentally prepare for this, but I guess I'm feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety……]

With the order of presents settled, since it was just between Hina-chan and me, it was only a matter of going first or second, my turn came up right away. I reached into my magic box and pulled out a pair of gauntlets…… and Aoi-chan looked as if she'd just been hit by a bolt from the blue.

Well, that’s understandable. Hina-chan had just given her a cute, girly storage box, and right after that, I presented her with gauntlets, her brain probably couldn’t keep up.

[……Eh? Um, these are…… gauntlets, right? Ah, no, I do appreciate something practical, but wouldn’t these be more suited for Hina-chan?]

[It’s natural for you to think that, but these were bought from Alice’s miscellaneous goods store, and they’re actually made just for you, Aoi-chan. Well, let me explain their functions in detail.]

Since Aoi-chan is a full-fledged rear guard, it made sense for her to assume that gauntlets would be more suited for Hina-chan, who fights with her fists. I had thought the same thing at first, but once I learned about their functions, it was clear they were a perfect match for Aoi-chan.

Thinking how this had turned into a rather odd situation, I started explaining the gauntlets’ features…… and as I spoke, Aoi-chan’s expression visibly transformed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

[T- That means, by using this gauntlet, I can carry around high-performance Golems that I made in advance, right?! T- That's amazing!! I've been studying from books written by Kuromu-sama and have gotten to the point where I can use fairly advanced Golem Magic, but creating high-performance Golems takes a lot of time, so I’ve been using simple ones that are practical for combat. I- Is there a size limit? Can it store large Golems? What about swarm-type Golems that combine into one entity? Once deployed, can they be stored again?]

[Wait, Aoi-chan, calm down……]

[Ah, s- sorry…… I just got too excited……]

Aoi-chan, who had initially looked dumbfounded, was now unable to hide her excitement, making me chuckle.

[Errr, I have a manual from Alice that explains everything, so you can check it for answers to your questions. Anyway, happy birthday.]

[Thank you very much! I'm really happy!!! I can't believe such an amazing magic tool exists, this must be really expensive…… expensive…… expen…… Hina-chan? You said earlier that Kaito-san's gift was super high-end, right? How much…… does this cost?]

[100 white gold coins.]

[One hun…… Ehhhhh?! One hundred!? W- W- Wait, Kaito-san!? That’s way too much for a birthday gift……]

[No, it's really fine. In fact, I have more money than I know what to do with, so I’m glad I had a chance to spend it. Besides, Alice originally made this for you but figured it would be difficult for you to afford, so she kept it. This was the perfect opportunity for it to get into your hands. So, don’t hesitate, just accept it……]

Hearing my words, Aoi-chan looked apologetic but also happy…… She tightly hugged the gauntlet against her chest, as if it were a treasure, and nodded.

[Uuu, o- okay. I’ll definitely repay you…… When your birthday comes, Kaito-san, I’ll make sure to give you something you’ll love……]

[……Arehh? Kaito-senpai’s birthday…… Isn't it coming up soon?]

[……………………Oh, now that you mention it……]

I had completely forgotten, but my birthday is on July 2nd, only about 10 days after Aoi-chan’s.

Well, technically, her birthday is still a little ahead, so mine is about half a month away, but yeah, it’s coming up soon.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [So he finally remembered his own birthday…… But thanks to the tricks that Shiro and Makina pulled, he probably hasn't realized the possibility of a large-scale birthday party being planned huh? One thing's for sure though, at this point, Aoi and Hina haven’t been informed about the party yet, right?]

Makina : [Nope, I've already notified everyone connected to my beloved child. But not just with those two, I've made it so that "none of them will remember it when they're around my beloved child". It's an application of the technique I used before to prevent my beloved child from recalling our conversations in dreams. So, actually, Aoi and Hina have already bought birthday presents and stored them in their magic box. Once they leave my beloved child's room for a while, they'll remember.]

Serious-senpai : [You guys sure have gone to extreme lengths to make sure the surprise doesn’t get spoiled……]