Before long, Letie informed Kana that the boating meeting had been successfully arranged and conveyed the location and schedule.

The location was a villa in the south left by Letie’s late mother, along with a nearby lake. They would meet at the Magic Tower and use the teleportation magic circle there to travel to the south.

‘This follows the novel’s plot. Good thing I cleared my schedule before and after.’

Kana intermittently attended other social gatherings, fulfilling her schedule and relaxing. Before she knew it, the day of the meeting disguised as a boating trip had arrived.

Kana packed lightly and stored her belongings in her subspace, then dressed in light and airy clothes with bright colors.

Celia, who had been watching her preparation, cautiously spoke up.

[Kana, would it be difficult to ask your industry friend to hide and stand by?]

‘No. Alderaan already has separate duties, and he’s been busier since the monster hunting festival. Besides, it would be unnatural for him to be lurking in a boating scene given his character setting.’

[That makes sense.]

Celia sighed regretfully but agreed and melted into the pure pearl of the necklace. Fully prepared, Kana left the Round mansion, receiving farewells from the servants.

When she arrived at the Magic Tower, Kiriel was standing at the entrance with his arms crossed. He noticed Kana getting off the carriage and hesitating, then uncrossed his arms and greeted her warmly.

“Miss Kana, you’re here early.”

“Hello, Lord Kiriel. Where are the others?”

Kana greeted him and approached. Kiriel shrugged his shoulders and replied.

“They haven’t arrived yet. Well, they’ll come if we wait.”

“I see.”

Kana stood beside him, maintaining an appropriate distance.

The weather was nice, with the sun shining brightly. She took out the parasol she had brought and used her spirit summoning skills to create a breeze that gently blew on her face.

Her light brown hair, tied in a half-up style, and the sky-blue ribbon fluttered in the breeze created by her spirit summoning. Kiriel glanced at her profile under the sky-blue parasol.

Her dress, like her hair ribbon and parasol, was a cool sky blue, reminiscent of the flowers mages placed by windows for mental stability.

However, her calm eyes and firmly closed lips made her look far from someone going on a leisure trip.
Kiriel unconsciously stepped closer to Kana, closing the distance between them. She found his sudden action puzzling and guessed.

‘Ah, Kiriel must also want to use the parasol because of the sun.’

Kana struggled to hold the parasol up for him. But Kiriel was much taller, so her arm trembled slightly as she held the parasol as high as possible.

Seeing her struggling with a calm face, Kiriel’s lips curled up slightly. For some reason, the tickling feeling in his chest wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“What, Miss Kana. Are you holding it for me too?”

“Yes. The sun is strong.”

“Your hand is shaking. Let me take it.”

Kiriel took the parasol from Kana and held it for both of them. Being so close, his refreshing scent wafted over, but Kana, now comfortable with her arm, didn’t notice.

“It’s certainly more stable with you holding it, Lord Kiriel.”

“Yes.”

Kiriel nodded. Kana closed her mouth, imagining how to handle the boating scene. He glanced sideways at her shaded face and suddenly spoke.

“Miss Kana, do you hate boating?”

“No.”

“Then why do you look so serious?”

As he tilted his head towards her, their faces drew closer. His amethyst-like, mysterious purple eyes held pure curiosity.

Kana’s lips moved slightly. What could she tell him? That it was because of work? Because she planned to probe him? Neither was a topic she could bring up.

While she hesitated, Kiriel snapped his fingers and added as if talking to himself.

“It’s strange. The main purpose is to meet those related to Lady Serade’s matter, but it’s still a leisure activity, right? You said you liked having fun.”

“I did.”

Her voice was flat. For the main characters, it was fun, but for a supporting character who had to assess the situation and protect herself from variables in a work-related scene, it was not.

Kiriel’s gaze turned sharp.

“…Could it be that Lady Serade threatened you into attending?”

The reason he agreed to join the trivial boating was because of Kana. Letie persuaded him by saying Kana would be there, so he reluctantly accepted and even arranged the transportation.

‘Why does his mind jump to that?’

Kana hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

“That’s not it. I’m attending purely of my own will.”

“Hmm, if you say so.”

Kiriel reluctantly answered but didn’t fully discard his suspicion. Kana gently turned his head back to its original position with both hands and spoke calmly.

“Don’t worry. I’m just a bit tense.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kiriel was distracted by the touch of her hand brushing his cheek and agreed absentmindedly.

During that awkward moment, the main characters appeared together.

Letie, under a parasol, was dressed splendidly, and Richard wore luxurious clothes but hid his identity under a deep hood.

Kana, along with Kiriel, greeted the male protagonist tactfully.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

Richard responded with a gentle smile. Letie’s eyes curved softly beside him.

“Miss Kana, you were waiting with the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Yes, Lady Letie. I was so excited that I woke up early.”

Kana replied with a bright smile. Kiriel blinked at her sudden change in demeanor. He couldn’t tell if it was out of politeness to the host or genuine.

“I’m glad. Every time I see you, Miss Kana, you always speak so pleasantly.”

“You flatter me.”

A warm atmosphere filled the space between the two women as they smiled at each other. Letie turned her gaze to Kiriel.

“Master of the Magic Tower, shall we depart now?”

“Yes.”

Kiriel nodded. Kana folded her parasol and followed the main characters into the Magic Tower. They then used the teleportation magic circle on the Magic Tower grounds to travel to the south.

The space distorted and then returned to normal, and they arrived at the southern teleportation circle. Thanks to the preparations made by Kiriel, Richard, and Letie, there were no tedious procedures.

A carriage waiting nearby approached them. The coachman greeted them politely.

“Lady Letie, we have been waiting for you.”

“Yes. Let’s go to the villa.”

“Yes.”

It ended up with the male protagonist escorting the female protagonist and the sub male lead escorting the supporting character.

During the carriage ride to Letie’s villa, Kana felt an eerie sensation. It stemmed from a vague premonition that, although nothing was wrong now, trouble would arise.

‘Strange. He should prioritize the female protagonist whether I’m here or not. Surely nothing will happen to drop my star rating?’

[Kana, it might just be my imagination, but… doesn’t the current situation look more like a double date than a setup with the male lead and sub male lead on either side of the female lead and the supporting character watching?]

‘No, Celia. It’s too early to jump to conclusions. We haven’t even gone boating yet.’

Kana listened to the spirit’s cautious observation from the pure pearl but withheld judgment.

While Letie and Richard occasionally exchanged words, Kiriel, noticing Kana deep in thought, lightly tapped her cheek with his finger.

“Miss Kana, why are you so tense? Are you still nervous?”

“No. I was just lost in thought….”

Kana trailed off with an awkward smile. Usually, this would be accepted and passed over, but Kiriel was different.

“What were you thinking about?”

“It’s personal, so it’s hard to say.”

“I’ve noticed that Miss Kana keeps a lot of secrets. Whenever I ask something, it’s always difficult to answer.”

Kiriel grumbled, recalling the flower viewing incident. Kana laughed awkwardly.

‘Of course. Why would I spill everything to the sub male lead?’

She was bound by the novel’s rules not to reveal her role as a supporting character or her knowledge from the otherworldly library. Her mouth would be sealed, or her words filtered.

Although it was possible to mention things indirectly, Kana didn’t want to create unnecessary risks. Losing star ratings and having more issues to fix was dreadful.

How did she know that? She didn’t want to know either. Kana put her finger to her lips and whispered.

“Lord Kiriel, a gentleman who pries into a lady’s secrets is not charming.”

“…You’re telling me to shut up, right? Got it.”

Kiriel sighed unconsciously. Richard, observing, made a heavy remark.

“Lady Round and the Master of the Magic Tower seem quite close.”

“Maybe because we meet often for work.”

Kana drew a line with a soft smile, indicating a professional relationship. Kiriel’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Letie realized that Kana had no feelings for him. Despite her smiling face, her eyes were cold. This made it clear that Kiriel’s affection was one-sided.

She remembered her past unrequited love and, for the first time since her return, felt sympathy for the Master of the Magic Tower. But she didn’t speak up as she wanted to support Kana.

Richard stroked his chin and spoke seriously.

“It’s rare for the Master of the Magic Tower to be so friendly with those he meets for work. At least, he seems to be comfortable around the Lady.”

“Oh, really.”

Kana used her skill to brush it off while screaming internally.

‘Why is the male lead trying to pair the sub male lead and the supporting character? Stop!’