“Now then, let me introduce myself again. I’m not wandering much these days, but I’m a traveling bard who roams the continent, guided by the winds and my whims, living off my songs. My name is Liliana. Nice to meet you!”

“I heard that.”

With a graceful bow while holding an instrument, Liliana smiled, blood pouring from the corner of her mouth. It seemed she had bitten her tongue quite hard.

Noticing Beatrice’s slight recoil, Liliana pressed a cloth to her mouth and said, “Excuse me. I bit down pretty hard.”

“Yeah, I can see that. So, you’re the famous ‘Songstress’ then? Seems unlikely there’s another singer with that name, although…”

“Well, um, that title is a bit embarrassing, so I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from calling me that. I consider myself still lacking in skill, so if I were treated like the pinnacle of song, it’d make me too proud and that would be quite silly.”

Liliana fidgeted, her face reddened from the inadequate way she was wiping her mouth. Subaru hesitated to comment but decided to focus on the conversation instead.

Still, her modesty struck him as a sign of a true artist.

“I think it’s admirable to be recognized even if you don’t consider it sincere. Still, I’m impressed that you think that way.”

“Oh, no! Not at all! I’m just trying to improve every day! Now then, yes!”

“—?”

While Subaru was amazed, Liliana smiled and extended her hand.

There was nothing in her hand, and Subaru tilted his head in confusion over her actions. Still smiling, Liliana said,

“Since you’ve heard the songstress’ song, you should pay up! You’re not planning on listening for free, right, dear customer? That would be a problem!”

“Give back my earlier admiration! You’re exploiting the ‘Songstress’ title!”

“What are you talking about? Rather, you should acknowledge that as a bard who makes a living off their songs, I haven’t lost my resolve! Or should I be expected to serve my art for free?! That’s just cruel!”

Liliana stomped her feet, clutching her head.

Admittedly, her argument was valid, but Subaru’s impression of the title “Songstress” had diminished rapidly. Beatrice’s eyes reflected a similar sentiment—her expression colder than Subaru’s.

“Fine, if paying a tip will make the conversation smoother, then let’s do that. How much do you want?”

“No, it should be based on what you feel in your heart! Just give me whatever you can!”

“Enough of this nonsense!”

In the moment she showed her bloodstained teeth while laughing, Subaru grabbed Liliana’s head.

With her small face, it was easy to grip, and he shook her side to side before letting go. Liliana, dizzy, pouted, “I was just joking!”

“Well, since we’re going to Muse Company, that means you’re Kirataka’s customer, right? I wouldn’t be rude enough to take a tip from you. Teehee!”

“We don’t know you that well, and the more we learn, the less we trust you. So it’d be great if we could get going.”

The delays before departure were starting to exceed the limits of patience.

They were already behind after getting lost, and further delays could risk missing their negotiation deadline. If it fell apart and they had to retry, that would still be manageable, but if things were settled, Subaru would have no bargaining power.

Shaking her head, Liliana’s tied-up hair bobbed as she saluted, replying enthusiastically, “Understood!”

“By the way, what was your business with Kirataka?”

“Don’t you know that curiosity breeds disdain? You don’t seem to understand your place, so just keep quiet and take Betty and the others to the destination.”

“Peeeep!”

At Beatrice’s threatening tone, Liliana let out a bird-like shriek. Subaru pulled one of Beatrice’s drills, chiding her.

“Don’t be so mean! But still, I can’t spill everything too easily. I can’t just reveal everything.”

“I’m a close associate of Kirataka, so I think it’s just a matter of whether it’s happening sooner or later, right?”

“Then it’s precisely the difference between sooner or later, so taking safety precautions isn’t a problem.”

“Oh, you’re quite the argumentative little brat.”

“You’re quite open, huh. If you didn’t have talent for song, you’d be in a lot of trouble.”

They say that those with singular talents can often be eccentric, and Liliana seems to fit that mold. Her carefree nature was permitted because of her talent, pushing the limits quite a bit.

“But seriously, I’m slightly worried about this. I’ve been told to stay outside for a few hours.”

“I can see that having you around would be a distraction in a serious business meeting.”

“I understand.”

“What!? This isn’t the reaction I expected!”

Beatrice’s replies were ignored as Subaru climbed up to the third floor. He had just spotted a glimpse of Liliana’s attire from behind when he sprinted forward and leaped, parkour style.

“Yaaah!”

He jumped up the stairs and rolled smoothly into the hallway, reaching Liliana just as she stopped in front of a certain room.

“Liliana, stay!”

“Woof!?”

Liliana yelped, almost drooling from excitement. Subaru took a moment to catch his breath.

“Looks like I caught up, but my ambitions won’t stop here. I won’t give up until I win!”

“If you really want to meet Emilia, I’ll ask her to make time for you later. But right now, I’m in the middle of an important conversation. Step back.”

“U-uh…I got a little ahead of myself.”

As Subaru conveyed the seriousness of their situation, Liliana’s spirit deflated.

Subaru sighed and extended the instrument he held onto still to her.

“Oh, thanks!”

“This is important to your business. Don’t just leave it lying around. If someone else picks up a songstress’ instrument, they could sell it for a hefty price.”

“If that happens, it’ll definitely be Kirataka who buys it!”

“Your patron sounds wildly unorthodox!”

Liliana chuckled at Subaru’s words as she hugged her instrument protectively. With her serious expression, it was easy to be deceived, but she was precisely the kind of person who would abandon such valuables for her goals. Her smile from a second ago should not have been trusted.

“So, it’s fine to postpone talking to Emilia, but will you be sharing any stories, Natsuki Subaru?”

“Stop calling me that! Also, what exactly is up for discussion?”

“Of course, there’s all sorts! I want to confirm how much of what I’ve heard is true and what’s real, and from that inspiration, I might be able to compose awesome tales of heroism that would be passed down through the ages! I’m fired up!”

With a clenched fist and burning eyes, Liliana was fully motivated.

Just as Subaru was flabbergasted by her enthusiasm, Beatrice finally caught up as she arrived on the scene. Upon witnessing Liliana closing in on Subaru, she charged over.

“Hey, you strange girl, don’t get too close to Subaru! Back off!”

“It’s fine, it’s not like I’m losing anything. I’d like to share some stories with the ‘Young Girl Enthusiast’ and the ‘Young Lady’ here!”

“Enough with the ‘young girl’ stuff! Betty is a proper lady! It’s disrespectful!”

“Will you both just keep it down already?! Enough with the ruckus! Emilia and the others are negotiating inside!”

With a grumpy Beatrice and an oblivious Liliana arguing, Subaru tried his best to manage the situation.

But at that moment—

“—Subaru?”

The door suddenly swung open, and a sweet voice called his name from within.

There, in the opened door—an elaborately dressed young man sat across from Emilia, Otto, and Garfiel, all looking surprised at the commotion.

The man who opened the door seemed to be an older gentleman on the young man’s side.

“Hey, Emilia! What a coincidence!”

“It’s not a coincidence when you’re making all this noise… Wait, Kirataka?”

As an awkward Subaru waved, Emilia frowned. Then, she called out to the young man seated directly across from her.

Standing up with a ghostly grace, the young man grabbed something off the table.

Turning to Subaru, he shouted,

“Don’t touch my Liliana!!”

With a voice cracking and a blue glowing magical crystal hurled from his hand.

The pure energy exploded in front of a frozen Subaru, his vision swirling with blue as he thought, “Oh, how beautiful,” before being engulfed in the shockwave.

—Thus, the negotiations of the first day ended in failure.