Kars felt a little confused by Alice's envious gaze directed at them. What was she envious of? Their time spent together? But if it was genuine envy, it felt strange. It seemed weird for her to want to sit in Marisa's lap just like him.
"So, what kind of potion are you trying to make, Marisa?" Alice quickly averted her gaze, not forgetting their agreement to help Marisa solve the issue of potion ingredients.
"Cough, cough!!" Marisa immediately started coughing. Quite a few cracker crumbs she had been eating fell onto Kars's head. After all, that reason had just been a lie to fool Alice, and she hadn't even read the book's contents properly.
"Be careful." Seeing Marisa choking, Alice quickly handed her the tea. After drinking it and recovering, Marisa quickly brushed the cracker crumbs off Kars's head. At the same time, her mind raced, trying to recall which potions she had briefly glimpsed in the Compendium of Potion Making, but in this impromptu recall, she couldn't remember anything.
"It's a potion that can multiply her magical power. Marisa pursues flashy and extreme firepower magic, and the more magical power she has, the stronger the effect will be. So, she wants to try the effect of this potion first."
"Ah! Yes! That's the one!" Prompted by Kars, Marisa immediately reacted, nodding to confirm that this was the potion she wanted. She felt lucky for Kars's timely save; otherwise, if Alice knew she had lied, it would definitely arouse her suspicion.
Marisa handed the Compendium of Potion Making to Alice. Kars mentioned the page number, and after Alice flipped to it and scanned the contents, she nodded, confirming that she did have reserves of the ingredients. Marisa breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, she patted Kars's head, expressing her gratitude.
"Then, without further ado, let's start preparing now." Alice said, intending to start the preparations immediately and make the potion Marisa needed. This gesture made Marisa open her mouth, but she ultimately nodded in agreement, as she couldn't really refuse now.
As Alice's dolls began to bring out everything needed to make the potion, the items were quickly set up. However, as the brewing started, Marisa held Kars and watched Alice complete the entire process alone, feeling that she and Kars were somewhat idle. She was just watching from the side, even though it was something she needed.
"Now, it just needs to simmer for half an hour." Alice closed the book after the final step was completed and explained the situation. Then, she turned to Marisa and saw her happily chatting quietly with Kars. Her expression became a little complicated.
"Oh? Oh! Thank you, Alice!" Marisa quickly reacted and thanked Alice. Although she didn't desperately need this potion, the other party had specially helped her make it, so she still needed to thank Alice for her help.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to help you."
"Hehehe~ Alice, you really are my good friend!" Alice's reply made Marisa smile brightly. However, Alice, upon receiving this compliment, glanced slightly at Kars.
Clearly, rather than the label of "good friend," she wanted to get along with Marisa as pleasantly as Kars did. However, achieving that was quite difficult. She had tried saying suggestive things to Marisa before, but the other party either genuinely didn't notice or simply didn't think of it that way. In any case, none of her attempts were successful, which made Alice feel very frustrated. Now, seeing Kars suddenly pop up and become so intimate with Marisa, she felt a bit unbalanced.
Maybe I can ask Kars? Find out something about Marisa from him, and then maybe my relationship with Marisa can also improve. Alice thought of this idea. However, she wondered if Kars would help her. What if he knew she actually wanted to develop a romantic relationship with Marisa...
No, no, this child probably knows nothing about romance, right? After all, he's still a kid. Alice could tell Kars was only around a hundred years old, just a child. He probably didn't understand these things at all. So, explaining to him that she wanted to be closer to Marisa wouldn't seem strange to him, right? At most, he would just ask some questions.
Feeling that her idea was feasible, Alice felt a little excited. After looking at Kars, she wondered how she should talk to him in private. After all, she had no way to casually go look for Kars to discuss this. So, she had to find an opportunity now.
"Marisa, can you go get the bottle to hold the potion for me? I still have a few questions I need to ask Kars."
"Huh? Okay." Marisa didn't refuse. After putting Kars down from her lap, she headed to the room Alice mentioned. Kars looked at Alice, wondering what she wanted to ask him. If it was about the potion, he felt there wasn't much to ask.
"Um, Kars… I… I have some questions I want to ask you. It's about Marisa! I've always wanted to develop a romantic relationship with Marisa, but it's been very difficult. So, seeing how good and intimate your relationship with Marisa is now, I want to ask for your help! Please!"
"Eh? Develop a romantic relationship with Marisa? What do you mean?" Seeing Kars scratch his head in confusion, Alice didn't find it strange and answered directly:
"I want to become Marisa's girlfriend."
Kars: (°ー°〃)
Huh?