NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
I know what the boss likes. She prefers robots over dolls, favors certainty over ambiguity, and appreciates technical details and numbers more than beautifully worded phrases.
If I had to categorize it, her tastes are closer to those of a boy than a girl. So, I thought that whatever I prepared should be something boys typically like.
However, upon further reflection, it quickly became evident that this wasn’t the case.
‘Come to think of it… would the boss even like receiving something like this?’
Robots, numbers—things that boys might like. All were merely my subjective opinions. Of course, the boss has mentioned things she likes, but those were things she enjoyed when she was younger, right?
Having been the CEO of Evilus Corporation for years, there’s no guarantee that she still likes those items.
Let alone items that can be easily obtained from stores.
‘If the boss wanted something, she could just buy it…’
Who is Regalia? A global corporate leader. The owner and CEO of Evilus Corporation, nicknamed the master of City E. Is there anything she couldn’t acquire?
If she wants something, she would buy it with money, and if money can’t buy it, she would stop at nothing, and if it doesn’t exist in the world, she’d have her subordinates create it.
In other words, the items she desires might either not exist in the world or exist only in extremely small numbers.
‘I’m completely lost…’
Eventually, I decided to cheat off someone else’s answer sheet. Glancing at Vira, who was rolling on the sofa, she caught my gaze and looked back at me, curious, having been laughing while reading a comic book.
“What’s up? Why are you staring like that?”
“Vira.”
“What is it?”
“What are you preparing as a birthday gift for the boss?”
“Uh? Ah— You’re asking because you don’t know what to get, right?”
At that, Vira grinned widely. Caught off guard, I silently stared back at her. What could I do? You wouldn’t know what to get unless you’ve given a gift to a child before.
Besides, having to give a present to a girl who has tastes similar to a boy’s? This was a question that couldn’t be easily answered even with a search online.
Vira, who had been giggling, shook her finger from side to side as if to say no.
“It’s not about what you gift the boss; it’s the thought of giving her a gift that matters!”
“What sort of ridiculous thing is that…”
“Ah—! This is why science types are like this! They lack a sense of humanity!”
In the end, unable to figure out the answer from Vira, I wandered around the organization looking for other executives. Surely others who had been with the boss for years would know what she likes!
While walking through the hallway, I spotted Galm and approached him directly with a question.
Q1. What are you planning to gift the boss on her birthday?
“Beastkin don’t celebrate birthdays.”
Hearing Galm’s beast-like response, I looked at him in disbelief. Upon meeting my gaze, Galm, uninterested in me, lifted dumbbells vigorously.
“Being born is a blessing? That can’t be true. Being born just means you’re entering survival competition. It’s a sin to involve someone in this hellish place. Though I might feel remorse, I don’t consider it a blessing.”
“…I see.”
“Moreover, among beasts, it’s not uncommon to kill their siblings on the day they’re born, so how can you celebrate such a day? You’re telling me to celebrate the day I killed my own family?”
Galm mocked, questioning how ignorant someone could be. It was plausible enough. If their culture hadn’t originally included celebrating birthdays, why would they adopt it now?
The fact that the birthday celebration culture primarily belongs to humans likely played a big role. Just as humans despise beastkin, so do beastkin harbor hatred for humans. They’ve likely ingrained the idea that celebrating birthdays is a very human gesture.
In the end, I left Galm without gaining any useful information.
“By the way, are you saying her birthday is soon? I haven’t heard about that at all in the past few years.”
“Really? What do you mean by that?”
“It means no one has asked for gifts or thrown a grand party for her birthday.”
However, just as I was about to leave, Galm tilted his head, puzzled.
A1. The boss hasn’t had a birthday party for several years.
Remembering the information I gathered, I continued walking down the hallway.
Not long after, I stumbled upon Ayle, engrossed in her studies. I posed the same question I had asked Galm.
Q2. What are you preparing as a birthday gift for the boss?
“Uh? Of course, the magical girl cosplay outfit! It’s a special edition product that came out officially, and there are rumors that it’s the exact costume worn by a real magical girl…”
Ayle answered without considering what the boss might want. A magical girl costume, indeed very much an Ayle answer.
I let out a hollow laugh and replied, “But the boss wouldn’t like that, would she?”
“No, she wouldn’t! No girl dislikes magical girls!”
“Really, now…”
“She wouldn’t! She’s a girl too! The magical girl products are aimed at children, and this one is completely identical to the costume worn by that magical girl when she was a child! There’s no way she could dislike it!”
A2. The boss is a girl. A girl wouldn’t dislike magical girls.
Ayle’s answer didn’t help me much. No matter how you looked at it, that gift seemed less about the boss and more about making her own magical girl fan community bigger.
It was true that the boss was a girl, but just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean all girls love magical girls! What an incredibly naïve thought.
“By the way, Ayle. Can I ask you something?”
“Sure? If it’s about the problem set, I’ve solved them all…”
“It’s not that— I heard the boss hasn’t had a birthday party in several years, is that true?”
“A birthday party…? Come to think of it, yes. I think all we did was something small this time, like giving each other gifts and lighting candles on a cake… that was pretty much it.”
“Is that so?”
Realizing that Galm’s words were indeed true, I nodded and left Ayle behind. Next, I met Levitan and Arima.
“Hey there!”
“Eight♠. What’s up?”
I asked both of them the same question.
Q3. What are you preparing as a birthday gift for the boss?
“For the boss’s birthday gift? For Levitan, it’s carrot chocolate! It’s her favorite!”
“I prepared a gemstone from Ardenia◆. It’s a lucky stone that brings you fortune when you have it.”
Hearing Levitan’s gift made me burst out laughing. Arima’s was actually better. His birthday gift was exactly the kind of present I had in mind!
It’s a thing that wouldn’t be found in this world and would actually be useful for the boss. It’s a simple enough gem, but given that Arima himself said good luck would come from it, it was genuinely a magical stone that brings fortune.
On the other hand, Levitan’s choice? Carrot chocolate? Regalia could snap her fingers and summon a five-star hotel chef known for making exquisite desserts in no time!
For that reason, her gift seemed the most useless and devoid of meaning… yet Levitan didn’t seem to think so.
“The boss can eat that anytime.”
“Is that so? But it’s fine! Eating something delicious makes you happy!”
“No, just eating a lot isn’t necessarily good… And Galm said that beastkin don’t celebrate birthdays; will you celebrate?”
“I don’t have family, so I don’t know about that.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
Realizing that Levitan was an orphan who had suffered human experimentation, I bowed my head in apology for the awkward atmosphere I had created.
At that, Levitan laughed heartily as if it didn’t matter.
“Haha! It’s alright! If it’s you, Eight, it’s okay to be a little rude!”
“No, it’s not like that…”
“More importantly— Eight. The fact that you’re asking about this means you’re thinking hard about what to give the boss, right?”
“…Yeah. I just can’t think of anything.”
“That’s simple, then! Just give her something you think she’ll be happy to receive!”
You sound a bit too carefree there… I stifled my words and returned to the lab.
A3. As long as it’s a gift that would make the boss happy, anything would be fine.
Back in the lab, organizing the information I had gathered from the executives, I sensed something odd and let out a sigh.
When I combined the responses, I noticed something peculiar. There was an unusual feeling that my instinct and intuition unconsciously unearthed…
I laid out the responses I had heard from the executives and pondered.
A1. The boss hasn’t had a birthday party in several years. It was only celebrated modestly.
A2. The boss is a girl. A girl wouldn’t dislike magical girls.
A3. As long as it’s a gift that would make the boss happy, anything would be fine.
‘What’s so odd… Ah.’
As I scanned the notes with the answers, I finally discovered what was strange and sighed. It was Galm’s response that stood out—the fact that the boss hadn’t had a birthday party for several years.
That was suspicious.
‘Not holding a birthday party? That can’t be right.’
What was the reason I first caught the boss’s attention when I fell into this world? It was because I had fixed that robot which she had received as a birthday gift.
As Regalia explained, she had thrown a grand birthday party back then, drawing people in, and it was during this event that she received that robot as a gift from a famous hero! It hadn’t worked for years because all batteries had died.
So, at least until a few years ago, the boss had indeed celebrated grand birthday parties. At least to the level fitting for an heir of a large corporation.
But now?
“…Vira.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“I’d like to ask you something… what happened several years ago?”
“What are you talking about? Saying it out of the blue like that, who can understand?”
“I mean several years ago… during the boss’s birthday party. What happened then?”
Q. What is the reason the boss stopped holding birthday parties?
Vira gave a bitter smile and replied, “…It’s a bit difficult to say, but back then, the boss—”
A. Regalia lost her parents on the day of her birthday party five years ago.
This was the answer that had stuck in my mind.