Fortunately, although the wealthy lady Kanata was bold, adventurous, and loved seeking thrills, her personality was relatively conservative. She had no intention of crossing the line with Eiji prematurely. As long as they spent a day out on a date, she was satisfied, which spared Eiji from exposing his outwardly fierce but inwardly timid nature.
"So, in the end, you only spent 300,000?"
"I rejected anyone who asked for too much. Opponents can be swapped out anyti—people who lack self-awareness are truly annoying."
Disguised, the two boarded a train and arrived in a completely different city from last ti, leaving their footprints in places like the movie theater and amusent park.
Due to her strict upbringing, Kanata had a very serious personality. She held chivalry in high regard and believed that luck was part of one's strength, so she would never casually change her opponents under normal circumstances.
But for Eiji, she broke her own principles, casting aside the chivalry she revered.
Thanks to this, Eiji wasn't eliminated from the selection matches.
What? A loser's redemption match?
What does that have to do with ?!
This moved Eiji deeply. When they passed by a haunted house, he hugged Kanata and showered her with kisses, only running out when he could barely breathe.
It was clear that Kanata was nervous about such behavior, but her bright eyes also burned with a desire for excitent, as if she wanted to do it all over again.
"By the way, you gave Touka a gift yesterday, didn't you?"
As they passed by an arcade, Kanata suddenly rembered sothing and looked at Eiji with a teasing smile.
"Oh, you an the potions? I'll give you a few bottles later too," Eiji replied casually without even turning his head.
Though the healing potions weren't as effective as a regeneration pod, the ntal recovery potions were incredibly rare—capable of directly restoring one's ntal energ. In this Rakudai world, such a thing was unheard of.
If these potions were put on the market, they'd fetch an astronomical price.
If soone could reverse-engineer the formula and patent it, they'd make a fortune. Unfortunately, Eiji had no talent in that area.
"Is that all?"
Kanata's voice from behind carried a hint of displeasure.
Eiji turned around just in ti to see her pouting, clearly unsatisfied.
"...Of course that's not all!"
Eiji instantly understood and confidently patted his chest.
"I'll definitely prepare an even more special gift for you! Tell , what do you like? I'll get it for you!"
Kanata's eyes imdiately brightened with delight.
How could she lose to Touka?
Even if they were best friends, she wouldn't back down when it ca to snatching a man!
"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure what I like... If it were sothing like da Vinci's manuscripts or Michelangelo's sculptures, I'd probably be interested."
"Uh... Can we go for sothing a little more... within reach?"
Michelangelo was, of course, a legendary sculptor and painter—no need to elaborate. His surviving works were few, and each was worth a fortune.
Da Vinci, a genius of the Renaissance, made groundbreaking contributions across countless fields and was hailed as one of the three great masters of the era. His remaining manuscripts were mostly preserved in museums.
Neither was sothing Eiji could obtain right now.
Wait.
If it were da Vinci's manuscripts, Eiji might be able to get his hands on so in the future—by asking that big-cheasted woman from the Type-Moon world for help.
"Hmm... Then I can't think of anything else."
Kanata tilted her head slightly but still didn't give a clear answer.
She was clearly leaving it up to Eiji to decide.
That made things difficult.
As everyone knew, the most expensive things in the world were the free ones, and the hardest things to obtain were the ones left to arbitrary choice.
Eiji racked his brains for a while before pulling out his student handbook and searching for ideas.
Kanata watched him eagerly the entire ti.
Most of the ti, when a girl asks you to pick a gift for her, she isn't looking for your opinion on what's better—she wants to see the effort you put into considering her request.
Seeing Eiji seriously pondering over the gift, Kanata felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
'If he just bought a plushie now, I'd probably be happy enough.'
Kanata thought to herself.
After all, she was used to luxury. She never expected extravagant gifts from her boyfriend—nothing material could impress her. What she treasured most was the sincerity behind the gesture.
"Got it! How about this?"
After typing furiously on his student handbook, Eiji pointed at the screen with a triumphant smile.
"This is...?"
Kanata glanced at the screen.
She hadn't been expecting much, but the mont her eyes landed on the display, she couldn't look away.
"Mario Rosso's art exhibition?!"
Her eyes instantly lit up, brimming with excitent.
"Let's go! Right now!"
Success!
Seeing Kanata's thrilled expression, Eiji inwardly sighed in relief.
At the sa ti, he sent a thank-you ssage via his student handbook to a certain girl who remained fresh in his mory—Kagami Kusakabe.
Having a journalist friend really ca in handy!
***
Mario Rosso.
A modern master painter who rose to fa just a few years ago. No one knew if they were male or female—their true identity remained a mystery.
Though a recent arrival in the art world, they debuted at the pinnacle of global artistry. In just a few years, they reached the summit of the world, revered by fans across the globe. Rumor had it their most expensive painting once sold for a staggering $1.4 billion!
"A brush dipped in gold"—that was the kind of person they were.
From Kagami, Eiji learned that this world-renowned painter was currently holding an exhibition in Japan, drawing swarms of admirers. Ordinary people couldn't even snag a ticket.
But once Kanata flexed the power of capital, tickets multiplied like toilet paper.
Thanks to a private jet, the two arrived at the exhibition hall just before sunset, within an hour.
"Incredible! As expected of a world-class master. Their paintings overflow with raw, intense emotion—the resentnt toward the mundane world leaps off the canvas...!"
Inside the long gallery of the exhibition hall, Kanata marveled at the world-famous paintings lining the walls, showering them with endless praise.
"Yeah, yeah! Totally! Sa here!"
Eiji nodded in enthusiastic agreent.
Though he had no idea what Kanata was talking about, Mario Rosso's paintings were undeniably striking. Even an amateur like him felt imrsed in their realism.
Not that it stopped him from boosting Kanata's affection.
"Tch! A 'holy sky' draped over a 'black abyss'—rotten oranges masquerading as art. I don't see what's so brilliant about them. Makes you wonder if modern people's cores are malfunctioning!"
A voice dripping with disdain ca from the side, openly mocking the artworks.
Kanata's smile froze, her eyes narrowing slightly.
***
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