Chapter 18: v11c1: Happy Times

When I opened my eyes, feeling slightly sleep-deprived, perhaps because it took me so long to fall asleep, Alice, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, was gone, and a faint, but delicious smell was wafting through the air. I wondered if she was making me breakfast, so I quickly dressed and moved to the living room.

 

[Ahh, Kaito-san! Good morning.]

[Good morning, Alice.]

 

In the kitchen adjacent to the living room, there was Alice, wearing her usual mask, with a white apron draped on her body. Alice looked at me and greeted me with a bright smile, so I moved my gaze to the kitchen while responding to her greeting. Thereupon, I could see a large, unfamiliar magic tool on the floor, from which the fragrant and delicious aroma was wafting.

 

[……That smell, is that bread?]

[Yes, this is Alice-chan’s special breakfast. Please wait a little longer.]

[Yeah…… It smells good.]

[Fufufu, as I said before, I’ve mastered every single thing…… And that includes my baking skills!]

 

Come to think of it, she said that she mastered most things, and in fact, Alice was skillful even with playing musical instruments. I’m really looking forward to breakfast…… However, I’m rather surprised by things other than that.

 

[……I didn’t know there was so much foodstuff in Alice’s home……]

[Whoa there, are you slightly dissing me? Well, I actually bought them after I woke up.]

[Eh? It’s still pretty early though……]

[I have a lot of subordinates who run their own stores too after all.]

[I see.]

 

With that said, from the large magic tool…… this large magic tool probably has functions similar to ovens, as Alice took out a freshly made loaf of bread from it. It’s like a round loaf of bread the size of around my palm, and with one horizontal swipe of her knife, Alice neatly divided it in half.

 

[This is a dish I used to eat a lot when I was an adventurer. Well, it isn’t exactly the same, since I used better ingredients and the fillings were made with perishable stuff, things that can’t really be eaten on travels.]

[Those ingredients…… Was it something like a hamburger?]

[Yes, it’s something similar. It’s more of a sandwich rather than a hamburger. Though hamburgers were originally called hamburger sandwiches…… Well, in Kaito-san’s world’s fast food chains, it would be something like those fried fish sandwiches.]

[……How the heck do you even know my world’s hamburger chains……]

[Alice-chan knows everything, ohh…… Now, it’s done.]

 

I take a look at the breakfast that seems to be finished already while I was throwing a tsukkomi at Alice, who brought up the topic of fast food chains as if knowing that is something obvious for her. It’s a simple but delicious breakfast. Fresh vegetables and scrambled eggs, sandwiched between beautifully baked breads.

 

[……It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for anyone.]

[……It looks very tasty.]

[Yes, I can guarantee its taste. My cooking is as good as Ein-san.]

[Hahaha, I’m looking forward to those words then.]

 

Wryly smiling at Alice’s bright words, I was prompted to take a seat. After telling Alice my thanks for the food, I picked up the sandwich and ate it…… It had a wonderful taste that really shows that Alice’s self-confidence isn’t mistaken. The simply seasoned vegetables and eggs, wrapped in a fluffy, soft and chewy fragrant bread, was spreading in my mouth, as if its natural flavors were enhanced further. Moreover, it seems that within the scrambled egg…… were surprisingly small dice of meat, and its texture was very pleasant.

 

The meat, which is lightly seasoned because it’s morning, goes very well with the egg, and is very satisfying even though there should have only been a few pieces of meat in it.

 

[……Amazing, even though this is just a bit, the flavor of the meat is really enhanced.]

[I first grilled the meat to lock in the juices before it was chopped, so it has a lot of flavor. Spices are kept to a minimum so that the juiciness of the meat stands out.]

[I see…… It’s tasty.]

[Ahaha, if you say it like that, it kinda…… makes me feel a bit embarrassed.]

 

When I expressed my honest admiration to her dish, Alice scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but unlike yesterday, she is now wearing a mask, so it was hard to read her expression. Thereupon, I wondered about Alice’s mask and decided to ask her about it.

 

[Speaking of which, Alice…… Have you been wearing that mask even back in your previous world?]

[Ahh~~ no, I wasn’t wearing this in my previous world. After I came to this world…… Since I’m not the same person I used to be, I started wearing this mask…… After wearing it for such a large amount of time that having a mask on my face is already normal, I started feeling embarrassed when I took it off.]

[You kept it off all day yesterday though, are you alright?]

[Y- Yes…… Well, ummm…… I wanted Kaito-san…… to see me for who I am…… No, I certainly am embarrassed but…… it’s not like I don’t want to show my face to Kaito-san, unlike I do for others.]

 

It seems that Alice is aware that she is saying something quite embarrassing, as she has told me this while her eyes were swimming about all over the place. It may be simple, but I’m so happy that she said that I was special.

 

[……This is only if Alice is fine with this……]

[Yes?]

[Just for the moments when we’re alone together, could you take off your mask?]

[Uuuu, t- that is, errr……]

[I’d like to see Alice just as she is…… Is that no good?]

[Auuuu…… A- Alright.]

 

The fact that she has been wearing her mask for so long makes it embarrassing for her to take it off…… but she doesn’t mind showing her unmasked face just for me. True to her word, Alice was embarrassed, but she took off her mask, bashfully revealing her cute face.

 

[W- Well, now that Kaito-san can see my cute face, you’re happy, right!?]

[Unnn. I think you’re really cute.]

[Nyaahhh!? T- T- T- That’s the part where you throw a tsukkomi, you know!? If you just honestly responded to it, wouldn’t it be embarrassing!!!?]

[Hahaha, no, my bad, I’m sorry…… However, thanks. For listening to my request.]

[Auuuuuuu…….]

 

When I honestly told her what I thought after Alice tried joking around out of embarrassment…… Alice’s face turned bright red and clearly became flustered. Seeing her like that is kinda funny and cute…… that a smile reflexively appeared on the corner of my mouth.

 

[……U- Uuuuuu…… You’re definitely having fun huh? I feel like I’m seeing Kaito-san’s true fetish.]

[The heck is that?]

[A- Anyway, I’m embarrassed about things that I’m embarrassed about! Please don’t stare at me that much……]

[Fufufu, roger that.]

 

While enjoying the indescribable cuteness of Alice’s embarrassed look, I continue to eat my breakfast, feeling this slice of happiness in my life. I think this kind of lightheartedness is also part of Alice’s charm. That’s why it’s really easy for me to be together with her because I don’t have to worry about things. As I was reaffirming Alice’s charm, I casually looked at the sandwich in my hand.

 

[……Come to think of it, we ended up calling off the date due to all the commotions that happened…… Alice, would you like to go on another date today?]

[Eh? Y- Yeah…… A gorgeous food date, right!? Let’s go!]

[Unnn, then…… After we take some break after we finish our breakfast, then we’ll go.]

[Yes!]

 

When Alice heard my suggestion to redo our date, she gave me a smile as lovely as a blooming flower.

 

 

 

 

 

After we finished our breakfast, I’m off on my date with Alice. The pretense of this date was that I was going to treat her to that sumptuous meal I promised her before, but there’s still some time before lunch, and since this is a good opportunity, I decided to take a look around with Alice.

 

[Kaito-san, the food stalls are over there, you know?]

[……We just ate breakfast……]

[If it’s with other people’s money, I can eat as much as I want!!!]

[…………………..]

 

Alice, dressed with her usual outfit and her mask on, puffs out her small chest with the best smug face I had ever seen. Unnn, it looks like she’s totally back to how she usually acts, and it’s like it was the same Alice as usual.

 

[W- Well, that was just a joke…… What should we do? Should we go watch a puppet show?]

[Puppet show? Is there something like a playhouse around here?]

[Ahh~ no, there’s a plaza just a short walk away where minstrels and the like often gather, and there would usually be two or three of them in there. They’re using donations as a means to earn a living.]

[Heehhh…… I thought I’d gone all around the city already, but I didn’t know there was such a thing.]

 

Did she mean there was something like an Arts Plaza around here? I’ve been living in the royal capital of Symphonia Kingdom for almost half a year now, and I thought I had been to a lot of places but…… as expected, I can’t see everything in this wide Royal Capital, and the areas I’ve been to may be quite limited.

 

[It’s far away from the area where the shops and stalls are located. From Duchess Lilia’s mansion, you have to go beyond the residential areas, so you may not have much opportunity to go there.]

[Fumu…… Wait, beyond the residential areas? If I’m not mistaken, taking in consideration where the center of the royal capital is, that should be “opposite” of this location……]

[Yes, that’s right?]

 

If the royal palace is the center of Symphonia Kingdom, then, the place Alice is talking about seems to be located in the opposite direction of Lilia-san’s mansion. That’s strange…… Didn’t Alice just say it was a short walk away from here? I’m sure she definitely said that. However, no matter how I think about it, the distance from here to there isn’t short at all…… Does that mean Alice was talking here based on her sense of distance!? The royal capital is a pretty big  city, and I think it’s a bit too far for the human me to walk but……

 

[Hey, Alice…… How are we going to get there?]

[Ahhh, I’ll take care of that!]

 

Ohhh, she’s feeling pretty confident. Ahh, speaking of which, even if I’ve never been there before, Alice knows where it is, and we can just go there with Teleportation Magic. The Teleportation Magic used by the Six Kings seems to be the type that directly specifies coordinates, unlike magic tools, so there shouldn’t be a problem at all.

 

[……I see, so we’ll be tele—— Unnn?]

[Oopsy daisy.]

[……Eh?]

 

However, my expectations were shattered when I felt like my feet weren’t touching the ground. As if my weight doesn’t matter to her, Alice lifts up my body…… in that so-called princess carry. Unnn, I know that how I think may have already been strange, but I wonder why I get a bad feeling before feeling embarrassed in this position?

 

[Well then, letttssss~~gooo~~!]

[Wait!? Hey!?]

 

Hearing her idiotic shout, Alice kicked off the ground and leapt to the stepping stone on the roof of a nearby building…… geh, this is high! This is high! Then, as we were being pulled down by gravity…… she created a magical foothold glowing in the air, stepped on it, and leapt again. Eh? The heck is this? What the heck is this!? We’re going there in this way!? You’re going to leap like a certain black rabbit over there!? Ahh, I think we just jumped over the royal castle……

 

[No, no, why are we moving there in this way!? There’s another method other than this, right!?]

[I meant, this looked more intere…… Ah, no, it’s just a thoughtful way for Kaito-san to enjoy the view of the royal city to the fullest.]

[……You freaking as*hole……]

[Whoa there, I mistook my moderation of strength~~ We’re going to jump over the clouds like this~~]

[Oii!? There’s still a large gap before the next jump——— Uwwooohhh!?]

 

While spouting such a joke that she made a mistake with her jump “right after jumping again”, Alice leaps high enough to break through the clouds. As expected of one of the Six Kings, she got great leg strength…… like hell I’d compliment her that!? What the heck are you doing, you idiot!!!? I- I mean, if we’re accelerating this fast, the change in atmospheric pressure or something like that could be a big problem……

 

[Ahh, I’ve properly enclosed you in a barrier, so it’s alright!]

[Aren’t you concerned about the completely wrong thing!? I’ll get you for this after we get down! You better remember that!]

[Whoa there~~ I lost my balance and ended up spinning around!]

[Uwaaahhh!?]

 

Like a roller coaster, Alice carried through many leaps and bounds, spinning around the air.

 

 

 

 

 

[W- Well~~ It was just that, you know…… I got really excited…… Ehe—— Fugyaaahhh!?]

[You really are~~]

[Ginyaaahhhhh!? Y- You’ww teaw my chweeks owff…… Eh? Why are you touching my ear…… Higyaaahhh!?]

 

Screaming as I was being moved around like I was riding one of the attractions of an amusement park, we managed to get to the place we’re heading to. And for the time being, while Alice was sitting in a seiza, I decided to pull her cheeks and ears as much as possible.

 

[……Ouch…… Isn’t that just something to spice up and make our date more enjoyable……]

[I didn’t ask for that spice!]

 

Good grief, rather than being the same as usual, she’s messing around more than usual. Well, I don’t want to waste any more time scolding her, so I think I’ll end it here and go see the puppet show. However, I don’t really like how Alice went with her pace earlier, so I should think of some way to counterattack. Thinking about this, as I was about to head to the square with Alice, who got up from the ground…… I suddenly thought of a good way.

 

[Now then, let’s get back on track…… Ehh?]

[Well, we don’t really have to be in a rush. Why don’t we take our time?]

[Eh? A- Arehh? Kaito-san? Why are you “holding my hand”?]

 

As a counterattack to Alice, who was about to walk away, I took her hand and quickly intertwined my fingers with hers, making them into a lover’s knot.

 

[Unnn? Look, we’re lovers, so isn’t this normal?]

[Guhhh!? Y- You’re going with that huh…… H- However, you’re way too naive! I’m thousands of times older than Kaito-san……. so unfortunately for you, I won’t be embarrassed by something like this!]

[……”Your right hand and right foot were perfectly in sync” though?]

[……I was just feeling like doing that today.]

 

I’m not sure if Alice also sensed that it was my counterattack or not, but she’s trying to pass it off with an air of calmness around her…… but I could instantly find her faults. Alice, who was walking around like a poorly-oiled tin doll, no matter how I looked at her, was very nervous.

 

[……F- Fufufu, what’s wrong? Have you already run out of ideas?]

[Hey, Alice……]

[W- What is it!?]

[You’re trying to act cool…… but your face is all red, you know?]

[Nyyaaaahhh!?]

 

Yes, she may be trying to appear calm, but the blush on Alice’s face was reaching up to her ears. When I pointed that out, Alice squealed out like a cat and flusteredly turned her face away.

 

[W- W- What are you talking about…… I- It’s just because of that! It just looks red because of the sunset!]

[……Isn’t sunrise a better excuse here? No, well, it’s already 10 am, so it will never be sunset or sunrise……]

[Ahh~~ Ahh~~ Alice-chan has just become deaf~~ Alice-chan can’t hear you at all~~!]

[You’re really cute, Alice.]

[Auuuu…… Auuuu……]

 

I already grasped that Alice has a weakness for straightforward compliments. In fact, if I tell her that she’s cute, she would already be blushing so much that I feel like steam would spout out her ears, and her eyes would start hurriedly swimming around. Seeing Alice like that, I wanted to make her more embarrassed, so I said various compliments, and by the time we got to the plaza, Alice’s eyes were rolled back, looking as if she was about to overheat.

 

 

 

 

 

Together with Alice, who took some time before she rebooted, we arrived at the Arts Plaza (temp). It was a large plaza with a fountain in the center, and just as Alice told me, the atmosphere around here was different from the area with the street stalls and was very lively. A bard sat near the fountain, playing a harp-like instrument. A painter-holding a brush in one corner of the plaza is painting the scenery of the crowded plaza. There was even a sculptor who was making some sort of statue, and seeing it like this feels interesting.

 

According to Alice, the puppet shows are rather popular in the plaza.

 

[Making and manipulating golems is easy, so it was easy for them to make use of it to create a play. They are usually short plays, around 10 minutes in length.]

[Fumufumu.]

 

Saying this, Alice created a palm-sized golem and made it gently move. I see…… Come to think of it, I’ve seen Aoi-chan make a golem using a magic technique before, and I think they could certainly be used for puppet shows as well. And when you add in magic with that as effects, that would certainly be quite fancy, isn’t it? Somehow, even though we’re just supposed to be watching a puppet show, I’m suddenly looking forward to it. Aware of my tension that slightly increased, I was about to suggest to Alice that we go and have a quick look at it, when Alice’s lips twisted, looking as if she’s irritated.

 

[……Kaito-san, as I thought, can’t we go somewhere else?]

[Eh? Why?]

[……It’s hot and stuffy here……]

[Hot and stuffy—— Wha!? What was that sound just now!?]

 

Just as I was about to ask Alice, who for some reason is muttering in deep displeasure, a loud sound resounded, as if a bomb had just fallen. When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw a huge lump of iron? No, I don’t know if that was iron or not, but there was a person grinding a huge piece of metal with their bare hands. Their long hair, which reached below their waist, bounced around so wildly that one would think that they were the mane of a lion, and combined with its bright red color, it even looked like blazing fire. They stand taller than Chronois-san, nearly two meters in height, and their brown skin is wrapping muscles so well-trained that I can tell just by looking at them. However, their muscles aren’t swollen like those of gorillas, but rather refined and lean.

 

With a belligerent smile on their face, the man…… no, the woman? Anyway, this person whose facial features look gender neutral had a belligerent smile on their face as they punched the chunk of metal for a while before withdrawing their hand. The punched metal is then transformed into the shape of a flapping bird of prey, and seeing such a unique artform made me stunned. They’re very impressive…… I wonder if they’re Alice’s acquaintance?

 

At the same time as such a question comes to mind, the person turns around…… and opening their eyes in surprise, the person vigorously laughs.

 

[Ohhh! If it isn’t Kaito and Shalltear!?]

[……Eh?]

[For us to meet in a place like this, it’s quite the coincidence! What are you doing here?]

[E- Ehhh!?]

 

What? Does this person know about me? H- However, I don’t think I’ve seen them before though…… For a person to have such an impact, I don’t think I’ll forget about them. While I was tilting my head, clueless about the identity of this person, I heard the nearby Alice clicking her tongue.

 

[Shut up. Red gorilla…… Go home.]

[Aaah?]

[“What are you doing here?” you say, that should be my line. What are you doing here, “Megiddo-san”……]

[Eeeehhhh!?]

 

Eh? This person is Megiddo-san!? Seriously!? N- No, if you ask me, this person looks completely different…… No, as I thought, they’re really too different!

 

[M- Megiddo-san, is that really you?]

[Unnn? Ohhh, speaking of which, you’ve never seen my “humanoid form” huh.]

[Eh? H- Humanoid form?]

[It’s easy for a high-ranking Demon to change their shape. Well, there is still an upper and lower limit to the size that can be changed from their original form.]

 

H- Humanization magic certainly is one of the magic that I often see in cliched novels, but to see that Megiddo-san who looked like the Devil incarnate, actually having a body that looked close to a humanoid is really shocking. However, Alice doesn’t seem to care about such a surprise and spoke to Megiddo-san.

 

[So, what are you doing here?]

[Huh? Are you blind? I’m doing art.]

[Gorilla-san, go take a look at yourself in the mirror for once. Whatever you did is so far away from art.]

[You don’t know anything……. “Even creativity is power”! Then, isn’t it natural that I would polish it?]

[Ahh~ I see.]

 

I don’t mean to be rude, but I completely agree with Alice. Megiddo-san and art…… Rather than just a bit, I think it really doesn’t suit him. No, the bird statue he made is certainly stunning but…… the composition is somewhat different, and rather than looking like you’ve created something, it feels like Megiddo-san crushed something to have it turn a certain form……

 

[……………..]

[Kaito-san, I know you may not believe it but…… Although he has that kind of personality, Megiddo-san is quite smart.]

[Really!?]

[Yes, this person…… How should I say this, I guess you could call him a training maniac, as he would always train himself, even in other fields.]

[Ohhh! And it was as I expected, refining strength is good!!!]

[Well, as you can see…… He’s smart, but stupid. He’s so stupid it makes my head hurt.]

[Oi, you b*tch……]

 

As Alice and Megiddo-san casually bantered, I was stunned. U- Unnn. I’m not really sure I understand it, but I’m sure my mind still hasn’t caught up with the situation.

 

[So, what are you two doing here?]

[Fufufu, listen and be surprised! We’re having a lovey-dovey date today!]

[Aaah? A date?]

[Yes, that’s right. So, please stay out of our way and quietly go home like the good gorilla you are.]

 

Perhaps embarrassed by her own words, Alice, with a slight blush on her cheeks, directly told Megiddo-san to go home because he’s in the way. Megiddo-san doesn’t seem to be bothered by her though, as he brought his hand to his chin, looking as if he’s thinking about something.

 

[……Fumu, does that mean, you’re that? Shalltear and Kaito huh…… What is this, Kaito? Along with Kuromueina, are you one of those people who likes midgets with breasts as flat as their back? Well, “Shalltear’s breasts are indeed a bit bigger than Kuromueina’s”. However, I don’t see that much difference between them…… Ah, you must be one of those! Those “lolicon” people!]

[Gafuuuhhh!?]

[Yeah, well, they can certainly change their size but…… They were originally that size, you know!?]

[Gofuuhh!?]

 

I had already thought that maybe, someone would tell me this at some point. No matter how much I know that they’re older than I am, thinking like that after looking at them is something that can’t be helped…… I should have been prepared for this. However, I didn’t expect that it would be Megiddo-san who would tell me that. But then, there was someone who reacted to Megiddo-san’s words more than me.

 

[Who did you say is a midget with breasts as flat as her back!? I’m asking you who!!!? Fine then, you freaking gorilla, I’m going to rip your mane off!]

[Unnn? Ohhh! What, you want to fight? That’s great, isn’t this the greatest!!!]

 

Considering Megiddo-san’s original size, I guess it’s inevitable that he will think like that, but Alice, who was being called a midget, held out her thumb and made a sign of cutting her neck with it. However, well, she’s talking with the battle junkie Megiddo-san here as instead of being bewildered, a happy expression appeared on his face, and his crimson hair was dyed black…… Holding a stance prepared for battle. I didn’t expect that a quarrel between members of the Six Kings would break out in such a place but…… That unexpected event was because we’re talking about Megiddo-san here.

 

Megiddo-san was about to change places to fight Alice, but before they could do that, a small hand placed itself on Megiddo-san’s shoulder.

 

[……Hey, Megiddo? What did you just say about me?]

[……K- K- K- Kuromueina!?]

[My breast and my back~~ what did you say after that again?]

[Ahh, no, you’re mistaken! It’s not like what I said earlier has anything……]

 

When he saw Kuro suddenly appearing behind him, the belligerent expression on his face disappeared, and Megiddo-san, sweating like a waterfall from his face, tried to give excuses to Kuro, clearly frightened. However, Kuro still didn’t forgive him and quietly…… but in a voice that didn’t ask for any consent or refusal, she spoke.

 

[……How about you come with me and tell me about it? Okay?]

[……I’m sorry…… No, please accept my apologies.]

 

With those words, Megiddo-san was taken away by an angry God of Destruction. That face Kuro had just now…… It was as if she looked like a shura. Megiddo-san, is he going to die?

 

[……Anyway, should we go back to our date?]

[I guess so.]

 

While praying for Megiddo-san’s soul as he was taken away, I decided to pull myself together and just enjoy my date with Alice.

 

 

 

 

 

After Megiddo-san was taken away by Kuro, Alice and I decided to take a look around the Art Plaza again, but it’s really large and I’m not really sure where to go.

 

[……Even if we’re here to see puppet shows, there are several of them here, so which one should we see?]

""

[Errr, please wait a moment.]

[Unnn?]

 

After consulting with her, Alice told me to wait for a moment before flicking her finger. Thereupon, a painter, who was drawing a few distance away from us, comes up to Alice and hands her a stack of papers that he took out of nowhere.

 

[These are today’s performances. Some are definite ones while some of them are assumed to be shown today based on past trends.]

[Yes, certainly. You can go back now.]

[By your leave.]

 

After deeply bowing to Alice, the painter returned to his original position and began painting as if nothing had happened…… I guess that means he’s one of them too. That painter is also under Alice’s command……

 

[Your subordinate?]

[Yes, I have around “18 people” just in this plaza alone……]

[A- As expected……]

 

It’s not really just a metaphor, as this woman’s subordinates are literally everywhere. Unnn, I can see why the Phantasmal King, No Face is so feared. Anyway, now that we know where and what shows are being performed, we decided to go see the puppet show by referring to that document.

 

 

 

 

 

Probably because these puppets were manipulated by magic, they needed stories that weren’t quite long, as the puppet shows that were held at the Arts Plaza were all simple stories. There were also magic effects visible in some areas, which looked really new for me who wasn’t used to seeing them, and I found myself enjoying them for a while. It was now noon, and we decided to have lunch, which was one of the main events of our date. At first, the plan was to go to the same restaurant we usually go to…… but since we were in an area that I rarely visit, I suggested that we eat here and Alice agreed.

 

Looking for a restaurant to have a luxurious lunch, as Alice requested, I took out a certain book.

 

[……Unnn? Kaito-san, could that be Kuro-san’s “Eating Tour in its Entirety Guide: Symphonia Kingdom”?]

[……You know about this? Ahh, speaking of which, I remember Kuro mentioning that she had handed these out to people she knows.]

 

The book I currently have in my hand, which was about the size of an English-Japanese dictionary, is the book that Kuro gave me when I consulted her about that time with Isis-san some time ago.  This book is actually quite useful, and since it introduces stores by area, it’s really helpful at times like this.

 

 

[Yes, I have received several copies of those books.]

[…… She gave me the whole set of about a hundred volumes, but are these books actually quite famous?]

[Hmmm. They’re certainly famous…… but I guess there are only a few people who have ever seen it in person?]

[Eh? Really?]

 

Incidentally, this book contains Kuro’s evaluation and impressions of each restaurant, and there are even illustrations included in it. But well, it seems to be an extension of her hobby…… So, the descriptions written on it were subjective, with things like “I want pudding for dessert.” written on it often. By the way, the ratings are based on the number of stars just like a certain famous guide I’ve heard back in my world. There are some that are rated with 10 stars in the book though, so it isn’t exactly the same……

 

Also, it seems that the Symphonia Kingdom Version has recently been rewritten, as regarding that Red Bear Sandwich restaurant that Kuro and I went to before…… Written there was “I went there with my beloved, so it was the best food I’ve ever tasted” with a blushing emoji beside it. I think I must have had a grin on my face when I was reading that part of the book.

 

[Yes, according to Kuro-san, it’s just an extension of her hobby…… only family members have that book. In short, Kuro is only distributing them to the people she calls family, and they were not for sale. How they want to handle the book is their own personal choice, so it’s very rare that this book is auctioned…… And when it was, it would usually be sold for a ridiculous amount of money.]

[……Seriously?]

""

[Yes. All of the things written in that book were handwritten by Kuro-san herself, so it was definitely an item many would want to acquire, even if they had to spend all of their money, especially for the members of the “Underworld King Adoration Association”.]

[……Underworld King Adoration Association? Come to think of it, I think I’ve heard that terminology being mentioned in passing before……]

 

I wonder where I heard that again? I don’t really remember where I heard it, but I think it was around Lunamaria-san.

 

[I guess it’s something like Kuro-san’s fan club. This organization is quite large, and its intelligence network and voice are said to be greater than that of a country…… Well, I guess it’s something like a smaller version of my troops, I guess? The information they were dealing with is also only about Kuro-san though……]

[I guess I should have expected Kuro having a fan club of her own……]

[Yes, Kuro-san is one of the most popular people in the world. She had quite an amount of believers among both the Demons and the Humans.]

[……………..]

[……Incidentally, it’s even rumored that if one casually approaches Kuro-san, they will be erased by this organization.]

[The heck is that, that’s scary.]

 

An underworld organization with power greater than a country. That’s what Kuro’s fan club is…… I see, the reason why Lunamaria-san was well-informed was because that’s where she was getting her information……. I mean, doesn’t that look dangerous? They won’t just hunt me down for being Kuro’s lover, right?

 

[Ahh, it’s alright. Kaito-san is “treated as the honorary president of the Underworld King Adoration Association” after all……]

[Wait a moment there!!! Why the heck have I been enshrined without my knowledge!?]

[There are several reasons for this but…… I think the biggest reason would be that “Kuro-san has declared her love for Kaito-san” in all sorts of places.]

[Kurooooooooo!?]

 

What the heck are you doing!? Eh? How come I was being subjected to shame play in places I don’t know!? N- No, I’m certainly happy when she said she loves me, but I feel more embarrassed from that!!!

 

[Also, the “President” of that fan club, the person who made it one of the best organizations in the world, is Kaito-san’s believer, so that might also be a greater part of the reason.]

[That’s weird? Why would the President of Kuro’s fan club be my believer?]

[……The President proclaimed that “Kaito-san is her second priority within the whole world”.]

[……An unpleasant amount of sweat was running down my back…… Could it be that the president is……]

[It’s Ein-san.]

[I freeeaaakkiiiinggg knnneeeewww itttttt!!!]

 

Seriously, what the heck is that master and servant doing!? Also, the President of Underworld King Adoration Association is Ein-san? Good grief, I can understand now why that organization is the largest in the world. I mean, why the heck are outrageous things happening to places where I, the person concerned, don’t know…… This is information I really didn’t want to know.

 

[……I mean, Kaito-san’s adoration association is also…… or rather, it has war potential even greater than Kuro-san’s……No, I guess this shouldn’t be something I should tell him huh.]

 

How should I say this…… I heard about various special hidden stories regarding this world, but I guess I should think too much about them. It would give me a headache if I thought about it too deeply.

 

 

 

 

 

While pulling myself together and flipping through the guidebook Kuro gave me, I thought about what shop we could visit. I don’t have time to read through the book page by page, so I would make a rough selection based on the illustrations and rating stars. A shop where seasonal dishes are recommended, but it isn’t suitable for this time of the year. A shop that is open only at night. I tried to find a restaurant as close as possible to where we are now, excluding those that require reservations…… and found two choices.

 

One is a very exclusive restaurant which Kuro rated as 8 stars…… A fairly high rating. Reservations aren’t required, but the price is high and the portions are small for the price, but the taste of their food is described as first class. Kuro rated the other one with 5 stars…… 3 stars lower than the earlier restaurant. The restaurant isn’t really that extraordinary, but it serves fine cuisine and is located in a somewhat secluded area, so we apparently don’t need to have a reservation. The most eye-catching thing is that the food in this restaurant is said to be very large in quantity and can be eaten with gusto. Both restaurants are reasonably close to where we are now, so either of these two candidates would be fine. The question is which one to choose…… The 8-star for luxury or the 5-star for quantity. Well, they are both high ranking restaurants, but it’s about making a comparison between quantity or quality.

 

[……Hey, Alice.]

[What is it?]

[Would you rather eat a lot of food at a reasonably good restaurant or a small portion at a superb restaurant……?]

[Fumu…… Well, this Alice-chan is a woman who clearly knows the difference. Let’s go with more quantity!!!]

[……………….]

 

A powerful response with no hesitation at all. Unnn, I’ve had this feeling that she would choose this but…… As I thought, she’s someone who would choose quantity over quality…… Since this dinner is for Alice anyway, I’m OK with whatever she wants.

 

[Alright then, let’s go to this shop.]

[Yeeeeess…… Let me see? Hooohhh, if it isn’t that shop with the meat tower! This is a great shop.]

[Meat tower?]

[Just as its name says, it’s a tower of meat.]

 

I- I don’t really know but, that sounds like something that would be sought for by those who eat large amounts of food. As a self-proclaimed maiden, why the heck are your eyes glittering when you think about that meat tower?

 

 

 

 

 

After ten minutes of walking from the Arts Plaza, we arrived at our destination. The inside of the restaurant is made of wood and has a calm atmosphere, and as expected of a high-class restaurant, I can feel a sense of elegance around the place. However, there aren’t so many customers in the restaurant. No wonder it’s called a little-known good place…… The only thing that bothers me is that there are so many large build customers in this store. Thinking about it, the door of the store is quite large. That should mean that this store might be specializing in serving large-bodied Demons.

 

Then, the waitress led us to our seats and I decided to order that meat tower that Alice had mentioned.

 

[Please choose what volume you would like to have. There’s half, normal, double, quintuple, and tenfold.]

[……Alice.]

[Tenfold!]

[Very well. Well then, please wait for a moment.]

 

This freaking woman…… She didn’t even hesitate to choose tenfold. Even waitress-san was looking twice at Alice…… As expected, looking at her size, it doesn’t seem like she could eat this meat tower ten times the size……

 

As we waited, chatting with Alice for a little while, the door in the back opened…… The waitress brought “along six people” as they brought a huge plate, where a mountain of meat piled up on it. T- That is the meat tower huh…… I see, that literally is a tower of meat. I began observing the giant tower of meat on the table. This tender-looking, beautiful log of meat, which I can tell is high-quality at first glance. I don’t know if roast beef is supposed to look like this, but it looks like a tower made of red jewels. The tower of meat is surrounded by decorative slices of vegetables and garnished with colorful sauces in the crevices between them, making it look gorgeous.

 

[……T- This is amazing……]

[It’s because this store is very popular with the Ogres and Orcs.]

[That somehow certainly makes a lot of sense.]

""

 

This is the ten-times size huh…… I probably won’t be able to eat even one serving of that. It’s a beautiful cuisine, brimming with high classiness…… But as I said, the size really is out of the ordinary, so I was rather taken aback, but Alice was looking at it with glitter in her eyes.

 

[Well then, let’s eat.]

[Yes! ……Ahh.]

[Unnn?]

[……………..]

 

If Alice is happy, then I’m happy as well, so I’m going to eat sparingly so that she can taste it well. Just as I was about to start eating, thinking about that. Thereupon, for some reason, Alice’s expression changed to a look of contemplation and her eyes began to scurry about.

 

[Is something the matter?]

[……Uuuuuu, uuuuuuu…… P- Please wait a moment! I’m gathering my resolve now.]

[……Resolve?]

 

Concerned about Alice, who wasn’t touching the food yet, I asked her, but she didn’t tell me what’s happening. Her cheeks are also slightly blushing, could she be nervous? Resolve, she said, what exactly did she need to be ready for?

 

[……It’s alright…… I can do this…… If it’s me…… I can do this……]

[O- Oi, Alice?]

[Kaito-san and I are lovers…… it’s alright……]

[Oiiiiiii~~]

 

It seems like my voice isn’t reaching Alice, as she was mumbling something while looking down. After Alice continued to mumble something for a little while, she dramatically raised her face and pointed her fork at the meat tower. Wondering if she was finally ready to eat, I was just about to pick up the tableware and eat too……

 

[K- Kaito-san!?]

[Unnn?]

[A- A- A- A- A- A- Ahhn~~!!!]

[…………….]

 

With a bright red face, looking like she’s a bomb that is about to explode, Alice held out a piece of meat stuck in her fork.

 

[……What the heck are you doing now?]

[P- P- Please eat it already! I- It feels really embarrassing!]

[……No, like I said, what the heck are you……]

[W- We’re now lovers, s- s- so I w- w- wanted to try this a- a- a- at least once.]

""

 

Turning really incoherent and the eyes peeking out of her mask turning moist, Alice holds out the meat to me while enduring her embarrassment. She looks very cute like that, and I would like to see her like this more if I could, but as expected, she looked really pitiful if I just keep her hanging like this, so I lean forward for a bit and eat the meat Alice held out to me. The meat is well tenderized and soaked in a slightly sour sauce that really enhances the flavor of the meat in my mouth. As I was savoring the delicious meat, I noticed Alice gazing at me. Ahh, is this that? She also wants me to feed like her so huh……

 

[Here, Alice. Ahhn.]

[……A- A- A- A- Ahhhhhnnnn~~, whamf!]

[You’re trembling too much……]

 

Her body shaking to the point where I would have thought there was an earthquake, Alice ate the meat I held out to her and chewed it with a bright red face. Then, little by little, her face changed to a happy one, as she seemed to have liked the taste of the meat.

 

[Should I feed you some more?]

[…….W- W- Wha……]

[What’s up now?]

[Why do you seem so calm about this, Kaito-san!?]

[No, even if you ask me why……]

[E- Even though I feel like my face is on fire!? Kaito-san isn’t fair!!!]

 

No, even if I look calm…… it was just because you were trembling so much that I became calm instead….. Even so, while Alice was trying to scold me for that…… looking at her appearance as she glared at me, while her body was shaking and her face was so bright red, how should I say this……

 

[You look cute.]

[Nywhat!? Nywhat nyow!?]

[No, you look so cute when your face blushes red…… Here, Alice. Ahhn.]

[Mguuhh!?]

 

Hearing my words, Alice’s face turned red and her mouth opened and closed, to which I fed her another serving of meat again. Thereupon, Alice, as if a bomb of red colors exploded right on her face, quietly ate the meat and after she finished gulping what was on her mouth, she opened her mouth again. Apparently, she’s feeling embarrassed, but she wants me to feed her like that. Aware of how a smile on my face reflexively appeared on my lips at seeing how cute her reaction is, I stabbed some meat into my fork again before holding it to Alice’s position.

 

[Ahhn.]

[A- Ahhn…… omnom….. Kaito-san, you’re definitely acting like an S around me……]

[Unnn?]

[It’s nothing! Give me more please! S- Since it’s come to this, I’ll just have Kaito-san feed me all of it.]

[Pfff…… Yes, yes. Roger that.]

[Why are you grinning like thaaaaat!?]

 

It was funny, seeing Alice turning shameless and shouting in front of me, forgetting that we’re still in a high-class restaurant, and we proceeded to peacefully eat and feed each other. Feeding each other like this makes me feel like we’re really lovers…… and I feel really happy. I wish I could feed her more like this.

 

……is what I was thinking…… “but that still has its limits……”

 

[Omnomnom…… Kaito-san, more please!]

[……H- Hey, Alice? How long is this going to continue?]

[Of course, it’s only until we finish everything…… Ahh, waitress-san! “Three” more meat towers of this size!]

[Hey, m- my hand hurts already…… Alice!?]

 

Yes, I underestimated it. Alice’s bottomless stomach…… Regretting my statement about feeding her everything when we just started eating, I reached out my hand that was trembling in pain, and brought the next serving of meat to Alice’s mouth.

 

[Ahh, please bring us one of everything on the menu too!]

[C- Can you stop it alreadyyyyyy!?]

 

 

 

 

 

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

 

 

 

 

 

After we finished our lunch and paid an amount of money that I didn’t think I’d be able to spend for just one meal, we then walked out of the restaurant.

 

[Well~~ That was delicious!]

[I- I see…… It certainly was worth more than me hurting my arm…… I guess?]

[That is where you say “If I was able to see the cute Alice’s smile, that’s rather cheap *smile smile, sparkle sparkle*.” or something like that.]

[……Looking at the amount of food you ate, it doesn’t make you look cute at all.]

 

Letting out a sigh as Alice started fooling around again, we began walking with our hands naturally holding the other. I’m not sure if Alice is getting used to holding hands or not, but she doesn’t seem to be as nervous as she was before the start of our date. Well, she still has a faint blush on her cheeks though……

 

[Hmm~~ This makes me suddenly look forward to our dinner! Which restaurant are we going to for dinner?]

[We just finished lunch, and you’re already talking about dinner?]

[Ahaha, after all, I’m looking forward to it.]

[Rather than that, I think we need to decide where to go in the time we have before dinner.]

 

The area we are currently in is quite far from where I usually hang around in, and I honestly don’t know what’s around here. As a man, I wanted to be the one leading her on our date, but unfortunately, I can’t lead her to an area I don’t know about, so I decided to honestly talk to Alice about it. After hearing what I said, Alice thought for a moment…… And it feels like she came up with some sort of nonsense again, as a devilish grin appeared on her lips.

 

[That should mean that, right? Kaito-san wanted to know where the “inn district” were…… This is what you meant, right!?]

[……Huh?]

[You probably wanted to release your beastly instincts all over my body and have some aftermeal workout…… It can’t be helped, the inn district was on the opposite street.]

[…………………..]

 

I’m somehow feeling a déjà vu. Ahh, speaking of which, when we were talking back in the Archlesia Empire, she joked around with something like that too, where I tsukkomi’d by having Bell slap her, didn’t I?

 

……Fumu, I could end this here with a smack on the head, but I’ve already learned that there are also more effective ways to attack Alice when she’s doing these kinds of shenanigans.

 

[……I see, let’s go do that then.]

[Ehhh!?]

[It was in that street, right? Let’s go~~]

[Ahh, wahh, wait…… T- That won’t do!?]

 

Pretending to get along Alice’s antics, I began walking while holding her hand, and as I expected, Alice became flustered.

 

[……Unnn? What’s the matter? We’re going to the inn district, right?]

[T- T- T- That won’t do! I- I- It’s still early for that kind of thing or rather…… m- my heart isn’t ready yet……]

[Isn’t Alice the one who suggested that?]

[T- T- That might be true, b- but I was just joking……]

 

Alice, who looks understandably shaken, is really cute and I can’t help but keep teasing her. As I dragged her along, Alice’s face was as red as a boiled octopus as she flapped her free hand about, desperately trying to convince me.

 

[O- Of course, I- I think we would do t- that kind of thing…… I- I’m a former human after all, I- I- I understand what you do in that area, b- b- but…… I intend to take t- t- that kind of thing step by step……]

[Fumu, step by step, like what?]

[T- That is, you know…… A- As expected, the start is…… We would be illuminated by the moonlight, just the two of us in a cottage by the sea…… or in a situation like that……]

[………………..]

 

Alice was surprisingly quite the romanticist…… She has been trying to find a relationship for a long time, so she may be yearning for that kind of great, over-the-top atmosphere. It’s just a guess, but she’s probably the type of person who would definitely prefer a seaside church for our wedding.

 

[Hmmm. As expected, I can’t think of a place that fulfills that requirement right away.]

[I- Isn’t it!? T- That’s why, let’s go find it together…… Taking it slow, deepening our l- l- l- l- love……]

 

I’m not sure if saying the word love feels really embarrassing or not, but she repeatedly stammered and desperately told me that we should take our time to deepen our love. To be honest, I agree with what she said, and since I’m only teasing Alice at the moment, I have no intention of forcing her to do anything if she isn’t ready for it. Thinking that I should end the teasing there, I stopped walking and called out to Alice.

 

[……Certainly, it is as Alice says. There’s no need for us to rush, right?]

[T- That’s right! W- We have lots of time…… ummm, that’s why…… F- For today…… Please be content with a kiss for now.]

[Eh? A- Ah, okay.]

 

Looking at Alice, who tells me that it’s fine if it’s a kiss, while fidgeting with her embarrassed face looking down, my heart greatly leaped. I was just supposed to be acting, but I’m strangely starting to feel embarrassed…… This is bad, I don’t think I can look straight at Alice’ face at this rate. As my embarrassment starts growing, I spoke to her so as to cover it up.

 

[……W- Well, I was actually just teasing Alice earlier……]

[Wha!?……T- That’s mean, Kaito-san! Are you just playing with my maiden heart!?]

[Sorry…… I mean, wasn’t it Alice who started with the teasing?]

[Ughh…… T- That is……]

 

When Alice learned that I was teasing her, she looked angry…… but when I pointed out to her that she was the one who started it in the first place, she retracted her words, unable to refute me. After that, we started walking in silence. It’s not like Alice or I are angry though, we’re just simply embarrassed and don’t know what to say. As we continued on our way, a question suddenly popped into my head.

 

[……Speaking of which, Alice.]

[W- What is it?]

[Alice is much stronger than me, so if you really don’t like it, you could have easily shook my hand off……]

[ ~ ~ ! ? ]

 

Yes, I was trying to drag Alice along a moment ago, but when I think about it, if she seriously resisted my pull, there was no way I could move her at all. However, Alice still ended up being dragged by me…… which should mean that she was hardly resisting……

 

When Alice heard my question, she lowered her head once and whispered in a voice that I wasn’t able to hear.

 

[……I- It’s not like I say that I- I didn’t want to……]

[Eh?]

[I- I said nothing!?]

[Alice, what did you say just now?]

[I- I don’t know what you’re talking about!]

[Wait, Alice!?]

 

Speaking really quickly, Alice turned her face away. Her reaction was just so cute, and coupled with her faintly audible remarks earlier, I felt like our hands that held each other were getting hotter and hotter.

 

 

 

 

 

We began discussing what to do in the free time we have until dinner. Alice says she knows just the right place we could go, so I followed her guidance and arrived at a large building.

 

[……This is the place Alice recommends? What do you do in a place like this?]

[Lots of things. Well, for the time being, how about we go in?]

 

Is this place a theater or a concert stage? No, the atmosphere around it doesn’t seem like it. When I followed Alice into the building, wondering what in the world this place could be, I heard very lively sounds coming from all over the place.

 

[Errr, first of all, that’s the clock card, there’s the target…… There are many different games around here.]

[Heehhh~~ This certainly looks like a very busy place.]

 

I see, games huh…… Is this something like this world’s version of a game center? This place would certainly be a great way to pass the time and with all the various games we could play, we could have lots of fun.

 

[……Ahh, by the way, the “chips for games” can be exchanged over th——- Fugyaaahhh!?]

[Isn’t this a freaking casino!!!?]

 

I tried pretty hard to look at it in a favorable way, but this was undeniably a casino. Seriously, if I just let down my guard for a bit, this woman would start going off to gamble……

 

[P- Please wait for a moment, Kaito-san! There’s a deeper reason for this.]

[……Hoohh…… Let me hear it then. My sermon will come after that.]

[……I- It’s already decided that I will get a sermon huh…… I- It’s that, you know? There’s one misunderstanding that my beloved Kaito-san may still have right now…… I thought I’d tell you one more thing that I’ve been hiding.]

[Unnn? Something you’ve been hiding?]

 

I thought she would probably just make another excuse today, but from what Alice said, it sounds like she really has a reason. Seeing this, I asked Alice back, pushing down the anger in my mind earlier.

 

[Well, please just watch…… It will be alright. I’ll only be using one copper.]

[O- Oi…… Alice?]

 

Emitting a somewhat solemn, yet intimidating feeling, as if she was a battle-hardened gambler, Alice went to the counter with a single coin.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, an hour later…… Alice had a mountain of chips piled up in front of her.

 

[A- Amazing……]

[Fufufu, this is my true ability!]

 

As if to overturn my previous impression of her, Alice has shown her monstrous ability in the casino. Although she wasn’t winning all her games, she was calmly discerning when to call and when to fold, and interestingly, her chips were increasing. She had really overwhelmed her contenders, that if she continued playing, there’s a chance that she might be banned. Well, seeing the smug look on her face was inexplicably annoying though.

 

[Isn’t that a bit too mean!?]

[Don’t respond to my inner monologues as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. If you’re going to say then…… The smug Alice is cute too.]

[Wha!? Ah, s- suddenly saying that…… Auuuu……]

 

While slightly teasing Alice, whose expression frequently changes, I returned to the subject at hand.

 

[……Even so, for you to amass this much……]

[Fufufu, have you seen it now? The Perfect Beauty Alice-chan’s serious mode!]

[……Then, why have you always been……]

 

At least, from what I saw in the past hour or so, Alice was always calm and collected, not getting hot-headed and assessing the flow of the game. In layman’s terms, she would be able to win most of the games with her skill. That’s why, I was reflexively stunned, seeing her how far apart Alice was now from the Alice who was weak in gambling back then.

 

[…….Ahaha, that was what I’ve been hiding……. I have actually been “losing on purpose”.]

[……Why?]

 

If she can show this level of ability, I can honestly believe her when she said that she’s been losing on purpose, but I don’t see why she should do that. Well, if she can win this much, it definitely would be easier for her to lose on purpose……

 

[Ahh~~ Errr, actually, you see. I’ve always been super good at gambling, and I almost never lost. So, since the old me has disappeared already, I thought I should lose on purpose.]

[……Then, you should have just not gambled.]

[W- Well~~ But, you see~~ I really like gambling…… so I couldn’t resist playing……]

 

It seems that the secret Alice wanted to tell me is that she was actually a strong gambler.

It’s nice to know another thing about Alice but…… why is she telling me that at this time? As I was thinking this, a grin appeared on Alice’s lips, and holding out half of the pile of chips towards me, she spoke.

 

[……Let’s have a revenge match. Kaito-san, let’s have a match to see who can make more money!]

[A- A match?]

[Yes! If I win, I’ll have a special dessert along with the fancy dinner!]

[……And what if I win?]

 

Revenge match…… She must be referring to that match we had previously at the monster race track. In summary, what she’s saying is that “I didn’t really give it my all that time, so let’s have another match”. Well, we have plenty of time to spare, so we can do that…… For some reason though, Alice even added a condition as to when she wins. That’s why, I was wondering about what happens if I win. I know that Alice was confident about her skills, but my chance of victory isn’t zero. So, I thought I’d ask her about that before accepting her challenge.

 

[……E- Errr…… If Kaito-san wins…… Ummm, when we get home…… I- I’ll give you a reward……]

[A reward?]

[Y- You can only look forward to it after you actually win!]

[……Fumu, well, fine. Let’s do it.]

[Fufufu, the me of today is different from the me back then! Come on, let me show you the bitter taste of defeat!]

 

Carried away by a strangely enthusiastic Alice, the second match between Alice and I began.

 

 

 

 

You are reading story I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN) at novel35.com

 

To skip to the conclusion of our match…… Well…… “We were banned”.

 

After a certain amount of time had passed since my match against Alice began, a person claiming to be the owner of the casino appeared, got down on his knees and said “Please let us off already”. After exchanging looks with Alice, we decided to end our match. Well, I didn’t think that I’d be this lucky, and I also feel like I got carried away too much, so I’ve decided to accept this ban as a means to reflect.

 

[……Guhhh…… Uuuuu……]

[W- Well, you see, we were interrupted in the middle of our match so……]

[……Kaito-san is an absolute cheat…… How come you were able to “consecutively win in betting with single bets” in the roulette….. There’s no way you can win if that wasn’t the case……]

[Ahh~~ No, I was just lucky……]

 

As for the match with Alice…… I had won about three times as much as her before our match was interrupted. I didn’t know if it was because of beginner’s luck or something like that, but in the end, I never lost a single bet. Incidentally, Alice had also increased her hand several times from the start, so she wasn’t weak at all. It was just I was strangely lucky.

 

[……Uuuuuuu.]

[No, like I said, our match was interrupted, so we can just make that match invalid……]

[T- That won’t do! My pride as a gambler will not allow me that. So, I’ll properly give you a reward after we get home…… T- T- T- That’s why,l- l- l- look forward to it……]

[Y- Yeah……]

 

Why is she that red? Moreover, she’s even stuttering with her words? What exactly is this reward that she’s talking about? I tried asking her, but she only told me “You’ll know about it after we get home”, so let’s just put it aside for now. Anyway, now that we’ve killed enough time, it’s time to start thinking about dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

As I was trying to think of a place where we could eat dinner, Alice suggested a place where we could go, so we decided to head there. I have some reservations about what kind of restaurant she would choose, but since it’s Alice who wants to have a luxurious dinner, it’s unlikely that she will lead us to a joke of a restaurant. Rather, I have a feeling that she would lead us to a very high-class restaurant that is patronized by nobles.

 

[Well, isn’t it fine. Kaito-san earned a lot of money earlier, so please luxuriously treat me.]

[……U- Unnn. Well, that’s fine……]

[Don’t worry about it, we’re going to a decent restaurant, okay?]

[No, it’s not like that……]

 

Walking next to me, Alice began talking with a bright smile on her face and I responded to her with a rather doubting expression on my face. U- Unnn. To tell the truth, I’m feeling bothered right now. What I’m worried about wasn’t actually dinner. No, it may be a bit related, but that isn’t the main thing as to why I’m troubled.

 

[What’s the matter? You have quite the strange look on your face.]

[……Why, you ask…… Well, I mean…… Since when have you been wearing a “dress”……]

 

Yes, what I’m questioning about was Alice’s current outfit. Until just a few minutes ago, I’m pretty sure she was in her usual outfit, the functional, long-sleeved, long-pants outfit that has multiple pockets. However, right after I took my eyes off her for a moment, before I knew it, Alice had changed into a dress.

 

A cute dress with laces of pale-orange…… honey color, and matching with Alice’s bright blonde hair, it looks really good on her. Moreover, maybe because I don’t see her in such an outfit that much, as seeing a different side of her makes my heart beat fast…… Well, the mask on her face makes it look like she’s off to participate in a masked ball though……

 

[Isn’t it cute?]

[W- Well, it certainly is…… No, that’s not it! I’m asking you why you’re wearing a dress……]

 

Yes, I didn’t mind the fact that she had changed her outfit in an instant. After all the things that I had seen her capable of doing, I don’t think it would be strange that if Alice wants to do so, she could come back home and change her outfit in less than a second. However, Alice, who had been dressed as usual on our date, is now wearing different clothes…… That should mean that there is some reason for it……

 

[Eh? That’s because the place we’re going to have a “dress code”.]

[……Eh?]

 

Dress code…… A restriction for clothing. They are mainly used for weddings, funerals, and high-class French restaurants…… Simply put, it means you have to dress nicely to attend. Compared to ceremonies, I remember hearing about the dress code of a restaurant from one restaurant to another…… but I wonder if my current clothing is appropriate?

 

A white shirt, a thin black, loose-fitting jacket, and jeans-like pants…… I’m kinda doubting it.

 

[……There’s a dress code?]

[Yes. It’s a pretty strict store, so “semi-formal” clothing is standard there.]

[……………….]

 

Semi-formal…… Ahh, this is no good, I’ll probably be shooed away in the door. Even though there are some differences in the outfits here from Japan, I’m quite sure that semi-formal attire is second only to formal attires…… And I’m sure that it was only at a level where everyday attre won’t do at all. In short, my current outfit would be a complete out.

 

[……It doesn’t look like I will be able to get in, so why don’t we go to another place?]

[Fufufu, it’s alright…… I thought that this might happen! Ta-da! I have prepared a suit for Kaito-san!]

[……I’m quite clear you premeditated this.]

[A- Ahaha…… W- Well, please change quickly. Errr, ahh, that place should be good enough.]

 

It was Alice who suggested the restaurant we were going to and that place has a dress code. Since my clothes don’t fit the dress code, Alice hands me this suit…… She completely planned this. It’s obvious that she knows I would panic about this and chose that restaurant on purpose, but for now, I’ll just swallow it down and get dressed just like Alice said. However, as I was wondering where I could change in this street, Alice walked towards a house.

 

[O- Oi, Alice? That’s other people’s home……]

 

I hurriedly called out to her, but she didn’t seem bothered by it and stood in front of the house. Immediately, the occupant comes out and gets down on knee in front of Alice.

 

[Please lend me a room.]

[Hahh! Please feel free to use it, Phantasmal King-sama.]

[………………]

 

A- Ahh…… I guess I should have expected this huh…… The occupants of this house are also Alice’s subordinates.

 

 

 

 

 

Changing into a suit at the house of Alice’s subordinates, I put the clothes I changed out of in my magic box, before meeting up with Alice to go to that restaurant again. The suit I’m currently wearing has a subdued black-based design, with patterns that were weaved with silver thread that isn’t too flashy, making it quite the fashionable outfit. Well, be that as it may…… This suit feels extremely comfortable, perhaps due to its great elasticity. Even walking around like this, I don’t feel any difficulty in moving or straining to wear.

 

[……It’s so easy to move around in this, or rather, it feels like it was the right size……]

[That’s because it was the only one of its kind, something I made for Kaito-san. The materials used for it are of the highest quality.]

[N- No, I’m thankful for that but…… How did you know my body size like it’s something obvious?]

 

Yes, this suit fits my body perfectly, including the length of the hem, and it looks like it was custom-made just for me…… I also don’t think I’ve ever told Alice my body size before…….

 

[Hahaha, why are you asking that now? I even know how many moles Kaito-san have in your body, much less your body size!]

[……I feel like I’ve asked this before, but do you know what privacy means?]

[I know. That’s the thing Kaito-san doesn’t have, right!?]

[……It’s really hard for me to deny that.]

 

Where did I drop my privacy? No, well, I know that I lost my privacy around the time I met Shiro-san……

 

(I know everything about you though, down to the age-restricted items you had back in your previous world.)

 

Whoa there, don’t ever tell anyone about it, Airhead Goddess. That wouldn’t just be on the level of shame. For an adolescent man like me, it would an act akin to suicide.

 

(If Kaito-san wishes for it, I can create the exact same thing and give it to you, you know?)

 

……Let’s talk about this in detail later.

 

[……Kaito-san?]

[!? Ahh, no, sorry. Then, let’s go.]

[Roger that.]

 

The conversation I was having with Shiro-san couldn’t be heard by Alice. So, I hurriedly replied to Alice, who was tilting her head in wonder, and once again, walked out to the restaurant where we were going to have dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

The restaurant that Alice led me to was indeed beautifully constructed, but let alone a high-class restaurant…… It didn’t even look like a restaurant at all. The lavishly decorated door certainly looks like it belongs to a high-class restaurant, and the beautifully crafted glass windows, which can’t be peeked through from the outside, also felt nice to the touch…… However, “it’s small”…… No, it really is small. To be honest, this one was so small that I even felt that a stall may have been larger than this.

 

[……A- Alice? Are you sure this is the place? Looking from the outside, it looks like just a table and chair would occupy the whole place……]

[Ahh~~ It’s alright. We went to the right place.]

 

Mnhh, Alice looks composed even after seeing me looking anxious. Ahh, I see! There must be something magic related in this restaurant, something like the interior being super spacious just like what Alice did in her inner room. With that in mind, I opened the door of the restaurant and walked in, and I immediately realized that my expectations were off.

 

The inside of the restaurant…… looked just as big as it was from the outside. However, I see…… It certainly was as Alice said, it looks like it really was alright.

 

[……I see, a Teleportation Magic Tool huh.]

[Yes, that’s right.]

 

Yes, inside the establishment, there were several people who seemed to be guides and a magic tool with a huge magic crystal on it. This place is kind of an entrance to the main restaurant, and customers have to use this magic tool to teleport towards the restaurant. Teleportation Magic Tools are very expensive, so it wouldn’t be a wonder if a restaurant that’s making use of it is a super high-class one.

 

[Welcome to our establishment…… I beg your pardon, but our establishment is “by appointment only”, but does customer-sama have an appointment?]

[……Eh?]

 

By appointment only? That means we would have to make a reservation in advance to get in, right? Eh? What do we do now? ……No, no, wait, wait, Alice was the one referring to this restaurant, so Alice would properly book a reservation, right……

 

[Reservation? I didn’t book one.]

[……………..]

 

You didn’t book a reservation!? Then, wouldn’t we be unable to come in!?

 

[Is that so…… Even after taking the time to visit our establishment, please accept my apologies but……]

 

Just as the elderly gentleman that would guide us to the restaurant is about to politely and mildly tell us to leave, Alice snaps her fingers.

 

[……This is, please excuse me. It was No Face-sama huh.]

[The best seat you have…… There’s no problem with that, right?]

[Most certainly. I’ll prepare it at once.]

 

Somehow, she managed to quickly settle it…… Eh? Does that mean he’s also one of them? This person is also Alice’s subordinate? The elderly gentleman deeply bowed his head to Alice and then went next to the Teleportation Magic Tool, where he bows again and stays in that position. After seeing this, Alice and I moved to the front of the magic tool and teleported to the main restaurant.

 

The restaurant we were teleported to was very large, lined with elegant and high-class-looking tables and chairs, and it definitely looked like a super high-class restaurant. Moreover, it seemed to be located by the sea, and we could see the sea in the evening through the large windows. Then, Alice and I were guided and seated on a balcony-like area on the second floor of the restaurant, where we could see an amazing panoramic view.

 

[Hey, Alice…… I know that he’s one of your subordinates but…… Is it really alright to just ask him for the best seat?]

[Of course, it’s okay. All the staff here are “my subordinates” after all.]

[……Eh?]

[Well, to put it frankly, this is “my restaurant”.]

[Eeeehhhh!?]

 

When I asked her about it, perplexed by the fact that we got really great seats…… As if it was obvious, Alice said that she owns this place.

 

[Establishments that provide food and beverages are quite convenient in gathering information. I’ve also got a few other restaurants under my command.]

[I- Is that so.]

[Well, Alice-chan’s main store is my general store though!]

[That place isn’t able to sell a single thing though.]

[Couldn’t you just wrap it up with the others already!?]

 

While gazing at the magnificent scenery and chatting with Alice, a woman in a cook’s uniform approached.

 

[Sorry to interrupt you, No Face-sama. Thank you for coming today.]

[Ahh~~ Cut it out with the greetings. Please bring us something tasty.]

[Please leave it to us. Even though we may be unskilled compared with No Face-sama, we’ll serve you the best food that we could.]

[I’m looking forward to it.]

 

She’s probably the head chef. She seemed to come to say her greetings to Alice, the owner, but Alice just quickly dismissed her. Next, a woman dressed in a tight-fitting waitress outfit arrived, pushing a cart. There was wine on the cart, so I guess she’s a sommelier?

 

When the sommelier lady comes close to our seat, she bows, opens the wine, checks the aroma of the wine, before placing a glass in front of Alice and pours a little.

 

[……This is for tasting.]

[Let’s see……]

 

Alice tipped the glass with familiar movements, gracefully checking the color and aroma before sipping it.

 

[……Hmmm, this is quite lacking. Don’t you have a Shallow Grande?]

[We apologize. As expected, acquiring Shallow Grande is……]

[……Shallow Grande?]

 

I believe that was the name of a wine but…… As I only know the name of more famous high-grade wines like Romanée-Conti, I wouldn’t know what wine they were talking about. No, to begin with, the name of the wine in this world may not necessarily be the same as mine, so I would have to ask her anyway.

 

[That wine was a gift from the God Realm given by Shallow Vernal-sama to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Friendship. It’s made from a fruit that only exists in the God Realm, so it’s incredibly rare. It’s about 10,000,000R a bottle. As it’s a prize for an event sponsored by the God Realm for the Festival of Heroes, it only appears once a decade. Currently, there are less than 100 bottles of this wine in the world.]

[10,000,000R!?]

 

That would be 1 billion yen…… That isn’t the price of a wine anymore. It’s already the price for a mansion. Moreover, only one bottle of this wine comes out every few decades, and that isn’t a wine that you can just order…… Let’s not be unreasonable here, Phantasmal King. However, if it’s such a great wine, I’d like to try it at least once. I’ve been thinking about this when a bottle of wine suddenly appeared on the table, and when the sommelier lady saw it, her voice was trembling as she muttered.

 

[S- Shallow Grande……]

 

I see, this is the Shallow Grande that they were talking about…… Unnn, why did it suddenly appear in front of me? I could already predict who it’s from, but with that message card that says “Dear Kaito-san” in it……

 

[It seems to be a gift from Shallow Vernal-sama. Let’s gratefully accept it!]

[……Alice…… you planned this beforehand……]

[I wonder what you’re talking about? I just wanted to make sure that Kaito-san had the best wine tonight.]

 

Watching Alice gleefully pick up the Shallow Grande, I understood that this development was exactly what Alice wanted to happen. Alice purposely brought up a top quality wine that wouldn’t be in this restaurant. And if I were to get interested in it, Shiro-san most probably would send it straight to me…… This freaking woman. Although I was taken aback by Alice’s behavior, since it was given to me by Shiro-san, I decided to take a taste of the wine. Asking the sommelier lady to pour some for me, I held out the wine glass in my hand…… and clinked glasses with Alice.

 

[Cheers.]

[Cheers, it is.]

 

Smiling at each other, we lightly clinked our glasses and sipping the wine…… I felt shocked. With just one sip of the wine, it’s as if the deep taste of the wine was soaking throughout my body. It was so delicious that even I, who wasn’t a wine expert, can tell right away that this is the best wine there is……

 

[……A- Amazing…… What a deep and rich wine……]

[Right? Well~` As  expected of the best wine in the world. It’s really wonderful. Hnn~~ This is happiness!]

[Yeah, this certainly is a delicious wine…… Moreover, the view here is good too.]

[The sun is setting and the stars are coming out, and the moon can be clearly seen in a few minutes.]

 

Sipping a good wine and looking at the sea, which is beginning to be dyed by the serenity of the night.

 

[……This place has a really nice ambience. Where is this place?]

[South of the Symphonia Kingdom. At the end of that sea is the Hydra Kingdom.]

[Heehhh…… Looking at how beautiful this scenery is, this place must be quite a popular tourist attraction.]

[Yes, there is also a “cottage” near here, where at about 10 pm, the “moonlight” comes through the windows and creates a beautiful mood…… Cottage by the sea…… Moonlight……]

[……………….]

 

The words Alice said somehow sound familiar. Then, Alice looked like she noticed something……  as right after, her face turned redder than wine. Perhaps, or rather, I’m sure…… I guess she remembered that during our date, she mentioned wanting “her first time in a situation where the moonlight was shining through the window in a cottage by the sea”.

 

[T- That’s not it!? T- T- T- That wasn’t my i- i- i- i- intention for coming here…… I- I- I- It’s just for the t- tasty dinner…… T- That’s why, t- t- t- that, ummm, errr……]

[C- Calm down, Alice. It’s alright so……]

[I- It’s still early!!! A- After spending some more time…… T- Then, it will be alright. I- I will eventually properly give my first time to Kaito-san……]

[Oi!? Calm down, idiot!]

[Hyaaahhh!? G- Gripping my s- shoulder…… Ahh, n- no…… My heart is still not ready yet…… B- But, if you can be gentle with me……]

[Stop right there! Stop saying anything stranger than that! We’re in a restaurant…… So, I’m begging you, return back to your senses!]

""

 

I tried to stop Alice, who seemed to have completely blown her fuse and began to make very dangerous statements, but it seemed that she was too confused that she wouldn’t come to her senses at all. Please stop alreadyyyyy!? Even though we’re away from where the others are generally seated, there still are other guests, you know!? We’re grabbing their attention, you know!? Wait!? Don’t just close your eyes while shaking like that! What the heck are you trying to make me do!!!?

 

 

 

 

 

I somehow managed to calm Alice down, but what happened just now was still quite embarrassing.

 

[S- Sorry for showing you something unsightly……]

[U- Unnn. Let’s forget about that for now.]

 

Feeling slightly awkward, I was about to change the subject when the food arrived at just the right time.

 

[Thank you for waiting. Here’s the appetizer, “Grossierip & Vegetable Aspic and Marinated Zude Shells”.]

 

The waiter puts a plate in front of Alice and I while announcing the name of this dish that somehow has a high-class French cuisine-like vibe around it. The Grossierips and Zude Shells are probably shrimps and shellfish, right? I don’t know what an aspic is though.

 

[……Alice, what’s an aspic?]

[It’s bouillon made from meat and vegetables and turned into jelly.]

[I- I see……]

 

I don’t really understand it that well, but that means that the star-shaped jelly on this plate is aspic. Indeed, if I look inside, I could find some bits of shrimp mixed in it. Glancing at Alice, she said “Please try it.” with a smile and began moving herself. I’ve been in this world for nearly half a year now…… so I’ve gotten used to eating with a knife and fork, and eating course meals with elegance…… Ah, no, I guess it would be better to describe it as being able to eat that doesn’t make it too unseemly. While thinking about trivial things like that, I brought the aspic in my mouth…… Unnn, I see. It has quite an elegant taste. However, I think it’s a bit bland……

 

[Kaito-san, I think it would be better to eat it with the sauce, you know?]

[……U- Unnn.]

 

I- I’d like it if you told me that beforehand……

 

When I ate it again with the sauce that I thought was a design for the plate, the sauce accentuated the elegant taste I felt earlier and made it taste many times better. While personally experiencing its deliciousness, I turned my gaze towards Alice…… She’s eating her food with an unimaginable grace from her usual appearance. Vexing it may be, but her movements look flawless…… If only there wasn’t that mask on her face, everything would have been perfect.

 

[Speaking of which, Alice. It seems like Kuro and Isis-san have been busy lately…… I guess you all were busy preparing for the Six Kings Festival huh?]

 

As we chatted over food, I mentioned the Six Kings Festival, which also involved Alice. The reason is that lately, Kuro’s time visiting me has been decreasing. She used to stay for more than three hours everyday, chatting and helping me practice my magic, but lately, she leaves after about an hour. No, well, she’s still coming every night……

 

It was also the same case for Isis-san, as when I’ve gone to visit her twice, she wasn’t home, so I guess she would also be busy preparing for the Six Kings Festival…… Even though she’s the Six Kings, why is it that Alice looks quite carefree?

 

[Ahh~~ I know what Kaito-san is thinking, but I’ll have you know that I’m pretty busy too.]

[Really?]

[Yes, 20 of my Alice-chan clones are working right now……]

[I- I see……]

 

Apparently, Alice is leaving the work to her clones while her main body is with me.

 

[Since Kuro-san was the one who suggested this event, it can’t  be helped if Kuro-san is busy.]

[Fumufumu, even Isis-san?]

[Ah, errr…… Isis-san, ummm…… S- She’s doing her best, I guess?]

[Eh? What’s with that questionable way of saying it?]

 

When I asked Alice, who stammered for some reason, unlike when she was talking about Kuro, Alice continued speaking with a complicated expression on her face.

 

[No, in a way, Isis-san is even more enthusiastic for this festival than Kuro. Well, Isis-san had never organized a festival like this, other than for the Festival of Heroes, and she seemed to be very happy about it.]

[……Isn’t that a good thing?]

[……Isis-san, you see. She’s super good at breaking things down, but she isn’t very good at building and fixing them……]

[Ahh……]

 

Hearing the words Alice muttered with a troubled look on her face, I remembered the time when I went to the God Realm to see Magnawell-san before. When she tried to help Lillywood-san fix the broken rock mountain, instead of fixing it, she ended up breaking another rock mountain……

 

[Especially this time, Isis-san was so excited, telling us that “she would help out a lot”. Well, for us, hearing those words makes us feel despair instead.]

[……………….]

[And, Kuro-san also couldn’t flat out refuse her since Isis-san only had good intentions, so things would be built only to be broken, and after it was fixed, it would be broken again.]

[I- I see…… That’s why all of you were so busy huh.]

[Yes, in the end, after Kuro-san said “I appoint Isis as Lillywood’s exclusive assistant!”, we somehow managed to proceed to work. Well, Lillywood-san was crying about it though……]

 

They weren’t able to do anything about her, so they just concentrated the damage in one spot. Lillywood-san, how pitiful……

 

However, I see…… Isis-san is also working hard. Somehow, imagining Isis-san being in really high spirits brings a smile on my lips. I don’t think Lillywood-san, who was the one who needs to fix them, would be able to endure it though.

 

[I see, but let’s put that aside for now…… I’m looking forward to the Six Kings Festival.]

[Yes, so that “she would be able to have a festival date with Kaito-san”, even Kuro-san is quite enthusiastic about it. Well, since “Kaito-san’s plans are mostly filled up”, I guess it would be pretty tough for Kaito-san too.]

[……Unnn? Wait a moment. What did you just say?]

[Eh? L- Like I said…… During the Six Kings Festival, Kaito-san would basically go around with the organizing members of the Six Kings…… Haven’t you heard about it from Kuro-san?]

[……I haven’t heard it from her.]

 

Eh? Wait a moment, what does that mean? During the time of the Six Kings Festival, I’ll basically go around with the organizing members of the Six Kings? As I recall, in the Six Kings Festival, each of the Six Kings would organize a festival for one day, right? Then, they would exchange turns? Doesn’t this mean that it would turn to that…… Wouldn’t this catch lots of attention?

 

[Well, but then, with Magnawell-san whose size makes it impossible for him, he said “Would being together with me be any fun? I will welcome him, but I won’t tag along with him”, while Megiddo-san said that he won’t be going around with you. That’s why, I guess it will be Kuro-san, Isis-san, Lillywood-san and me.]

[……Even Lillywood-san agreed with that?]

[Yes, she said that if it isn’t too much trouble, she’d love to go around with you.]

[Fumu……]

[W- Well, resistance is futile. Please give up!]

[Isn’t that a villain’s line!?]

[Ahaha, w- well, it will definitely be fun…… Everyone is planning a festival that shows their own personalities.]

[……Incidentally, can I at least ask what it’s like?]

 

Unnn. I’m starting to understand it. That in this kind of development, resistance is meaningless…… Well, besides, as Alice said, it certainly sounds fun.

 

[Kuro-san is planning an orthodox festival. Megiddo-san’s, well, as you might have expected, it would be something like a competition convention. Lillywood-san’s will be kinda similar to the Sacred Tree Festival. I heard that Magnawell-san’s theme will be about interaction with monsters. I think Isis-san’s is going to be more like a flea market? As for mine, well, please just look forward to the day it comes.]

[……Flea market? That sounds like fun for me, but what about the other guests?]

[Even before the event, there is a lot who anticipates it. I’ve heard that there will be a lineup of items collected by Isis-san herself…… As Kaito-san knows, Isis-san has always had a hobby of collecting items from her favorite books.]

[Unnn. Isis-san had told me about it.]

 

Collecting flowers and jewelry that appeared in her favorite books is Isis-san’s hobby, and she even showed me the room where she keeps them, and there were a lot of them in that room.

 

[Some of them are extinct plants and flowers, and there were even some legendary ores…… and for this festival, Isis-san has announced that she is going to part with “everything”.]

[Eh? W- Why!?]

 

When I heard Alice’s shocking words, I forgot that I was eating and leaned forward. After all, these items are supposed to be memorabilias, and Isis-san treasures them…… and she’s going to part with all of it…… Seeing me flusteredly asking that, Alice looks at me with a smile on her face before slowly opening her mouth.

 

[……”I don’t…… need this…… anymore….. From now on…… I’m going to…… put all my memories…… together with Kaito…… in heré”…… Saying that, after cleaning up her storage room, she carefully laid out the ice crystals Kaito-san and Isis-san mined. Someone’s really loved eh~~]

[……Isis-san.]

[For Isis-san, I guess it means that the future with Kaito-san is much, much more important than the past tens of thousands of years.]

 

Hearing Alice’s words, I felt my shoulders abruptly relax. And at the same time, an inexplicable feeling of happiness sprouted within me. I definitely want to live up to her expectations. I hope that I can make lots of memories with Isis-san, memories that far exceed what she can fit within her storage room.

 

 

 

 

 

As I chatted with Alice, our meal progressed and we continued to eat very tasty dishes with names that are hard to remember when I first heard it, such as food that was apparently “~~garnished with the scent of summer breeze” or “prepared with some sort of sauce”. In Lilia-san’s mansion, there were some extravagant dishes as well that was to be expected from a Duchess, but due to Lilia-san’s character, extravagant dishes aren’t so common, and this is the first time I had such high-class dishes. Each and every one of them was very complex, yet delicious, and at same time, they were a fresh experience for me, so I enjoyed them to the fullest with my eyes and tongue.

 

[Mmmm. That was delicious.]

[Fufufu, if you say so, then it’s worth recommending it to you.]

 

While drinking tea after dinner and having a leisurely conversation…… What I’m particularly concerned about is the price of our meal. As expected, there’s no way that I can’t pay for it with the current amount of money I have, but I’ve never been to a high-class restaurant before, so I’m curious to know how much it costs. As I was thinking about this, Alice, who had finished her tea, asked me if we should leave. I nodded in agreement and stood up to talk to the waiting waitress.

 

[Excuse me, can I have the bill……]

[We have already received payment from No Face-sama. You’re welcome to leave as is.]

[……Eh? Ah, no……]

[Thank you for the meal. Please tell the chef it was delicious~~]

[Wait, Alice!?]

 

When I was puzzled by the waitress who told me that she had already received the payment, Alice didn’t seem to be bothered at all as she proceeded towards the exit. As if she intended to do this right from the start…… Hurriedly chasing after Alice, she turns towards me with a grin on her lips.

 

[Well, that’s how it is…… Please let me treat you this time.]

[……Could it be that, Alice, from the start……]

[……W- Well, ummm…… Asking you to treat me to dinner, errr, was just an excuse to ask you on a date anyway……T- That’s why, please let me thank you for at least this much.]

[……Thank you, you say, for what exactly?]

[You definitely know about it, and yet you’re still asking!?]

 

What a shame. I was going to tease her in return for slightly catching me off guard, but it seems like she easily spotted it. Alice complains with a blush on her face, but her expression quickly turns into a wry smile as we begin walking, standing side by side holding each other’s hand. We could have gone straight back to Alice’s home like this, but the atmosphere feels kinda pleasant…… and I want to soak in the aftertaste of our meal a bit longer.

 

[……Now then, Kaito-san…… Since we’re here, how about we have a stroll on the beach before we go home?]

""

[I guess so, it would also be a good after-meal exercise too.]

 

It seems that Alice thought the same thing, as she suggested that we take a walk on the nearby beach, which I accepted and we walked out of the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

On a night beach that was filled with the sound of waves pushing in and out, the sound out of our footsteps on the sandy beach resounded. The moon is out beautifully today, and the light reflected in the ocean gives us a reasonable amount of brightness.

 

[……Hey, Kaito-san?]

[Unnn?]

[……It somehow feels like time has passed in the blink of an eye, doesn’t it?]

[Yeah, today was really fun.]

 

Our fingers interlocked with each other……. The so-called lovers’ holding hands, we gently talked with each other. I could feel the warmth of Alice’s body through her hand and her gentle voice felt comfortable in my ears, and coupled with the situation of how we’re walking on the beach under the moonlight, it somehow makes me feel very happy.

 

[……Yes. It was really, really fun. I can’t remember the last time…… I had this much fun.]

[If Alice is having fun, then I’m glad.]

[……Kaito-san.]

[Unnn?]

[……Could we go out together like this again?]

[Of course, we could go out as much as you want.]

 

Ahh, the sea breeze caressing my cheek, the sound of waves that I heard, the definite warmth in my hand……. All of them feel really pleasant.

 

This date I have with Alice…… A lot of things had happened within the course of the day. I saw a surprising side of Megiddo-san in the Arts Plaza and saw the cute, flustered Alice. We fed each other lunch with embarrassment, and fought a match through gambling…… And even now, Alice is next to me. It really was a lot of fun, so much that I’m feeling sad to see that our date has ended.

 

[……Kaito-san.]

[Unnn?]

[……I love you.]

[……I love you too, Alice.]

 

Conveying our love for each other…… the both of us stopped almost simultaneously, me looking at Alice and her looking at me.

 

[……Kaito-san. Errr, you see, I did say that it was too early for that kind of thing but……]

[Unnn.]

[H- However, ummm, I- I think that a k- k- k- kiss…… would be good.]

[……Is it alright?]

[Yes…… Ummm, we have a great atmosphere now…… and I’m feeling really happy…… and I wanted to…… kiss Kaito-san.]

[……Alice.]

 

As if drawn to her, I placed my left hand on Alice’s shoulder and unmasked her with my right.

I could see my reflection in her beautiful sapphire blue eyes, and her golden hair, illuminated by the moonlight, looks so beautiful that it feels like it was straight out of fantasy. Staring at each other for a second, for ten seconds…… and then, Alice gently closed her eyes, and I crouched down, bringing my face closer to hers. Slowly, as I move closer to sear her into my brain at this moment, the distance between us drops to zero.

 

 

[……Hnnn.]

 

I relished her plump and soft lips…… the sensation that could be described as luscious and the warmth, without leaving a single trace. Alice’s hand goes around the back of my neck, while I place my arms around her back. Feeling as if only the two of us exist in the world right now…… Forgetting about time, we only kept our thoughts unto each other.

 

 

 

 

 

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

 

 

 

 

 

After a stroll on the beach, we returned to Alice’s home in silence. It isn’t like I was feeling something unpleasant like being so embarrassed that I felt like my body was on fire. As I was experiencing that ticklish feeling, at Alice’s suggestion, I decided to go ahead and take a bath. While the warmth of the hot water soothes the fatigue on my body after a day of walking, the image of Alice, the image of Alice that I had seen earlier came to my mind. Recalling that, which was firmly burned into my memory, even though I was feeling some embarrassment, it still made me feel happy again.

 

My relationship with Alice, who was something like a partner-in-crime for me before, has thus changed drastically…… And now, being my girlfriend, my beloved lover, her presence has thoroughly grown in my heart. As I was thinking that tomorrow is somehow going to be fun again…… I heard the sound of a discreet knock from the door.

 

[……Kaito-san, how’s the hot water?]

[Eh? U- Unnn, it’s just the right temperature.]

[I- Is that so…… W- Well then…… E- E- E- Excuse me for entering!]

[Eh? Whaa!?]

 

When I responded to her while soaking in the bathtub, immediately afterwards, the door was opened with a somewhat determined call…… and Alice came in, shyly wrapped in a towel around her body. Eh? Wait a moment!? What the heck is with this situation!?

 

[A- A- A- Alice!? W- What in the world are you……]

[U- U- U- Ummm…… A- As I said before…… T- This is my “reward”…… to Kaito-san……]

[R- Reward?]

[Y- Yes. T- T- T- This b- beautiful Alice-chan will w- wash your back…… T- That’s my reward for you!!!]

[……Ehh?]

 

Feeling rather regretful that this day has come to an end, I returned to Alice’s home after my date with Alice ended. However, it was naive of me to think that it was the end of it———– as it seems like this day hasn’t ended yet.

 

 

 

 

 

While I was taking a bath, Alice appeared with just a towel wrapped around her body. She came into the bathroom with her face blushing red, saying she was going to wash my back as a reward for my victory at our match earlier in the morning.

 

[A- Alice…… Reward you say……]

[I- It’s the reward! T- T- T- That’s why quickly come over here and sit down!]

[N- No, but…… Errr.]

 

The sight of her with only a towel wrapped around her body looked extremely sexy, and because I’m starting to think of Alice as a woman, my heart is strangely beating really fast. I’m not sure if the water is starting to feel a bit lukewarm, or perhaps, it was just because my body temperature is rising with the tension I’m feeling. Taking the tower Alice brought me, I wrapped it around my waist within the hot water before getting out of the tub. I then sat on a small wooden chair, listening to the sound of footsteps that was awfully loud to my ears, and as I waited, Alice slowly touches my back.

 

[……W- Well then, I- I’ll be washing you now.]

[Ah, u- unnn.]

 

I felt the soft touch of the sponge as it rubbed my back with its soft touch.

 

[……A- Alice. Why are you suddenly……]

[……Uuuu, that is……]

 

Alice, who suddenly said she would wash my back…… The person herself said that this was my reward for winning the game but…… why is Alice, who was embarrassed to do this in the first place, offered a match with a reward like that…… When I asked her about it, the hand that was rubbing my back stopped, and I heard her quiet response.

 

[……I- I’ve been yearning for this……]

[Yearning?]

[Y- Yes…… You see, I’ve been trying to fall in love for a long time.]

[U- Unnn.]

 

Regarding the matter of washing my back, Alice said that she was yearning for it.

 

[For me, falling in love was my best friend’s last request…… The thing that I must aim for so that I could finally die.]

[……………….]

[But still…… Sometimes, I used to think about some things. If I were to fall in love and become lovers with someone…… I wondered what I would do……]

[……Alice.]

 

I can hear her gentle voice saying that, along with a sense of nostalgia leaking out of it. For a long…… really long time. What did Alice think about in her life, and what could she be wishing for? Slowly, as if to tell me the answer to those questions……

 

[Shopping together, gambling side by side…… Eating face to face in a trendy restaurant…… Taking a bath together and washing my lover’s large back, and then, we would sleep together, wrapped in each other’s gentle warmth……]

[…………………..]

[I thought it would just be something I could find in a dream…… However, I met Kaito-san and became lovers…….]

 

Thereupon, Alice stopped talking once and gently moved her hands in front of my body, she hugged me. Feeling the softness of Alice’s body directly transmitted to mine, my heart thumps so loudly that I think it would jump out of my chest. S- Somehow, there’s something a bit hard within those soft things behind me…… Or rather, doesn’t this feel like her bare skin!? Where’s her towel!?

 

[……I’m a selfish woman. So, I thought of making all of my wishes come true……]

[I- I- I- I see…… U- Unnn. I’ll help you out with that as much as I can…… However…… A- Alice?]

[Yes?]

[……Your towel?]

[……Eh? Ahh……]

 

Only moving my head, I glanced towards Alice…… and as I thought, Alice was hugging me with nothing on and I could slightly see something that seemed to be a towel below her body. And when I tried confirming it with her, it really doesn’t seem like Alice intended to do this…… and the towel had just fallen. I don’t know if I should say it was fortunate or not, but Alice is hugging my body, so I can’t see the dangerous parts but…… This is a very bad situation. Mainly for my reasoning……

 

When Alice realized that she wasn’t wearing anything, and how her breasts were touching my back, but anyway, it was a very dangerous situation. And then, Alice seems to have noticed the current situation…… and as if she was about to overheat, her skin had turned red.

 

[A- Awa- Awawa…… T- This isn’t my inten……]

[Wait! Alice! Move away until you’re out of my sight——- Ahh……]

[……Eh? Ahh, hyaaaaahhhh!?]

 

Alice, who turned red, hurriedly moved away from me but she moved really badly. Because at the moment I’m turning around to check on Alice’s situation, and the fact that she was hugging my back a while ago means that…… this situation would happen. I instantly moved my head forward…… but even so, my judgment was delayed because it all happened in just a moment…… and I ended up seeing it. What I’m saying is that, ummm…… those peach-colored protrusions on her small bulges……

 

[Awa, hyawa, aaaahhhh…… I- I- I d- didn’t……]

[A- Alice, calm down…… I didn’t see anything! I didn’t see it! So, for the time being, calm down and take a deep breath……]

 

I don’t know what Alice was doing because I’m looking forward to it, but I know that she’s considerably flustered. And so, lying that I didn’t see it at that moment, I somehow managed to calm Alice down…… but immediately after, feeling as if my body was being gently floated, I felt my line of vision move significantly.

 

[Ehh? Uwaaahhh!?]

[……Hyaaaahh!?]

 

Apparently, as she was flustered, Alice’s foot accidentally hit the wooden chair I was sitting on. Normally, this wouldn’t have been a problematic situation but…… my seat had been kicked by someone powerful like Alice. Thereupon, what happened next is that…… just like a daruma doll, I was blown off my wooden chair and fell backwards following the pull of gravity. The wooden chair slid with such force that it was lucky that nothing disastrous happened in my butt but…… the situation turned for the worse.

 

I fell backwards. And now, Alice was naked and was about to blow her fuse, and maybe because she was feeling confused, as she still hadn’t been able to properly pick up her towel yet. As I, who had fallen down on my back, turned my gaze upward…… It is obvious what I will see. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed…… Alice’s eyes started going around in circles, and then……

 

[……………..]

[A- Aaahhhhh…… Kyaaaaaahhhhhh!]

[ ! ? ]

 

With an ear-piercing scream, Alice ran out of the bathroom. The scene I just saw stuck in my mind, I just laid there, completely absentminded. Rebooting my thoughts, submerging my head in hot water…… No, although I already submerged all my body within the bathtub, desperately shaking my head, desperately trying to forget what I just saw…… Rather than disappearing, the images burned into my brain emerged more and more clearly as I became aware of them, and I felt my blood gather around my lower body.

 

 

 

 

 

When I moved to the living room after dressing myself, feeling unspeakably awkward after my long bath that I became dizzy…… Alice was sitting in a chair with her head lowered down, with her face bright red. Of course, she’s already dressed.

 

[……Ahh, errr……]

[……dent……]

[Eh?]

[That just now was an accident, it was an accident!!! That’s why, please forget about it!!!]

[Y- Yes!]

 

I nodded instantly to Alice, who shouted that with tears in her eyes and a face as red as a boiled octopus. Forgetting about it was honestly really difficult but…… I’ll try making an effort to do that.

 

[……W- Well then, I will also…… be getting my bath.]

[U- Unnn. To the bath……]

[Bath……]

[…………….]

[…………….]

 

W- What the heck is this? It feels extremely embarrassing! Just the mention of “bath” makes my face blush red. It seems like it was also the same case for Alice, as after she opened and closed her mouth while her face was bright red, she silently ran into the bathroom.

 

That was really bad. In that situation, if Alice hadn’t escaped, there’s no doubt———- my reasoning would have collapsed.

 

 

 

 

 

Within that very awkward atmosphere, partly because of what happened in the bathroom, I went back to my assigned room and laid down in bed. A lot has happened today, especially because of the event in the bathroom, and I’m mentally exhausted, so I thought of getting a good night’s sleep. After a night’s sleep, Alice should return back to normal…… I’m confident that such a thing would happen. So, let’s get a good night’s rest for now.

 

Foolishly thinking about such things, I turned off the light in the room and closed my eyes.

""

 

 

 

 

 

……After I had such a thought, two hours have passed.

 

I- I can’t sleep at all. Why? It’s already 1 am, and I’m usually asleep at this time, and because I’ve been walking around for the whole day, my body should have been quite tired…… but for some reason, I can’t fall asleep at all. No, I shouldn’t say it like I’m wondering what the reason is…… I clearly understand the reason why. Yes, even if I close my eyes and try to empty my mind…… The scene I saw before…… The image of a stark naked Alice is seared into my brain, and I can’t calm down.

 

Could it be…… I have been accumulating it that bad? I can’t really say…… that isn’t it. Looking back, that kind of topic had also came up quite a bit during the course of our date, and I was probably been anguishing over it without even realizing it. When I pulled Alice’s hand as a joke and was about to head to the inn district after lunch…… Alice hardly resisted at all. Perhaps, if I had pulled her even more…… with Alice……

 

The moment such a thought crossed my mind, the image of Alice’s nude body came into my mind again…… still lying down on the bed, I punched myself in the cheek. What the heck am I thinking about!? No matter how little Alice resisted, when she says she’s not ready for it, forcibly prioritizing your own desire is the most horrible act and is being disrespectful to Alice!!! That’s right, this is definitely because of that. It was because our date was really fun, and that’s why those dopamine and adrenaline stuff that was being released by my body is making it hard for me to sleep!

 

Free myself from thoughts. I will be free from all thoughts…… Yes, my mind will now be as clear as the sky as I go to sleep.

 

While I pulled my blanket over my head and desperately tried to sleep, reality certainly is a cruel mistress…… The reserved knocking sound that followed immediately afterwards startled me to the point where I thought my heart would come out of my mouth.

 

[……Kaito-san, are you still awake?]

[A- Alice? I- I’m still awake but……]

[……Can I come in?]

[Eh? Y- Yeah……]

 

What should I do!? The person herself is here!? C- Calm down, there shouldn’t be any strange meaning with her visit here. She’s just here to do something. Yes, she must have just been here because she had something urgent she needed to do…… With a hand on my chest, trying to push down my loudly beating heart, I got out of bed, turn on the light and then, unlocked the door.

 

[……G- Good evening……]

""

[…………….]

 

Then, seeing Alice’s appearance, I was speechless. Alice was wearing a pale light blue loose-fitting nightgown, a slightly large shirt with polka dots and pants. On her head, she was wearing a triangular hat, which was kind of striking in several ways.

 

Hey, Alice!? Aren’t you being too serious here? Seriously, aren’t you too cute!? Her nightgown looks great on Alice’s wavy blonde hair, and a glimpse of her collarbone can be seen through the gap in her large shirt, which looks strangely cute.

 

[……Kaito-san?]

[……Hahh!? Ah, no, sorry. What’s the matter?]

 

I was completely charmed by her appearance. Alice, seriously unmasked herself when it was just the two of us, and along with her loose long blonde hair and blue eyes…… Her appearance looks very orthodox and well-groomed. Even though the person herself frequently calls herself that, I guess it isn’t an exaggeration to say that she’s beautiful.

 

Oops, I need to renew my thoughts. Alice is supposed to be saying something very important now. I’m sure that there must be something urgent……

 

[……Ummm, “Can I sleep with you”?]

[……Eh? Sorry, what did you say?]

 

Kenayislipwidyu? Was that some kind of magic chant? Unfortunately, with my limited knowledge of magic, I don’t know what magic she’s talking about……

 

[L- Like I said, I’d like to sleep with you, Kaito-san.]

[………………..]

""

 

Apparently, it isn’t some unknown magic, but it really was as I heard before, a question asking me permission to sleep with me…… That’s great. No, wait! There’s nothing great over there, right!? Rather, it’s very bad…… Sleeping on the same futon with such a murderously cutely dressed Alice? No, no, that’s impossible, as expected, if I don’t refuse here, my reasoning will be……

 

[……Ummm, I feel a little “lonely”…… is it…… no good?]

[No, I don’t mind. I was just about to go to sleep myself.]

 

……It was no good. No, this can’t be helped. I mean, there’s no way I can say no to her if she looks that lonely when she asks that. Guhhh, i- it’s alright. I should still be able to endure it…… My reasoning still hasn’t fallen yet.

 

 

 

 

 

The room is dimly lit, with only a faint moonlight coming through a crevice in the curtains. In a bed that was wide enough to sleep alone, but a bit narrow for two people to sleep in, I was currently in the blanket facing away from Alice.

 

[……I’m sorry. Selfishly asking you this.]

[No, but what’s with you, all of a sudden?]

[Ahh~~ No, ummm, today’s date…… I really had lots of fun, and because of that…… I just wanted to act spoiled to Kaito-san for a bit.]

[………………….]

 

Alice releases a one-two combo of a jab, followed by a straight…… Her bashful smile had a tremendous amount of power that I felt like my reasoning was slowly whittled out. Desperately trying to cheer up my reason that was about to enter the red zone just from her first strike, I turned to Alice and wryly smiled.

 

[Ahh, that’s right! Kaito-san, would it be alright if I ask for an “arm pillow”?]

[……I- It’s totally fine. C- Come on over.]

""

[Thank you. Then, excuse me……]

 

However, she didn’t let me off and continued with her attack. Feeling as if my thread of my reasoning is being sawed away, I agreed to Alice’s request. Thereupon, Alice happily held my hand and laid her head on my arm as she declared…… A- And her face is even closer than before!?

 

[……A- Ahaha, this feels a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? However, I also…… wanted to try this once too.]

[……Didn’t you say that you wanted to do everything you’re yearning for?]

[Yes. And another one of them came true again…… This is happiness.]

[I- I- I- I see……]

 

Hey, as I thought, are you doing this on purpose? Are you deliberately trying to destroy my reasoning? The situation is really bad already, but I can also feel Alice’s body heat on my arm and her breath hitting my face…… Thereupon, Alice and I both fell silent, and we stared at each other in the dim darkness. Gazing into Alice’s beautiful eyes, I felt as if I was about to be sucked in, and somehow, our gazes were getting hotter and hotter.

 

[……U- Ummm, Kaito-san…… I know that it’s already quite late to say this…… but this situation we’re in feels embarrassing, isn’t it?]

[U- Unnn. It certainly is quite late to say that……]

[……Ummm…… if it’s just a kiss…… errr…… it would be fine, you know?]

[……Eh?]

 

I reflexively asked back to her soft whisper. Alice blushed with embarrassment, but she still looked at me and continued to speak.

 

[……I still haven’t worked up the courage to do “that” yet but…… if it’s a kiss…… no, ummm…… I want to kiss you.]

[……Alice.]

 

I felt so hot that it’s as if my mind has turned numb. I can’t take my eyes off of Alice. Even though I’ve already kissed her twice, was it because of our current situation that I’m feeling helplessly tense? Putting my slightly trembling hand on Alice’s cheek, I keep my eyes straight in hers as I bring my face closer. Alice doesn’t close her eyes either, as she leans her face a little bit closer to make it easier for us to kiss, and after a few seconds…… our lips meet.

 

[Hnnn……]

 

Alice’s lips are soft and somehow sweet. I could also see my reflection in Alice’s eyes very clearly. We kept our lips piled up with each other for a few seconds, not being aware of anything aside…… Guided by the heat, my tongue lightly knocks on Alice’s closed lips.

 

[Hnnnn!?]

 

When Alice noticed this, her eyes widened and a shocked expression appeared on her face. And just when I realized my blunder and tried to move my face away…… Alice’s hand went to the back of my neck, her lips pressed tighter than before, and at the same time…… as if to lead my tongue in, her mouth slightly opened up.

 

[…..nnchuu…… aahhnn…… chyuu……]

 

As if it was sucked in, my tongue enters Alice’s mouth and begins to move to taste the warm and sweet interior of her mouth. At first, Alice accepted my tongue without any resistance but…… after a little while, as if guided by my tongue, her tongue began to move, and our tongues intertwined and were making lewd sounds.

 

[Hnn…… Fuuaaa…… nyuu, chyuuu, chuuuu…… fwaahh…… chyuuu……]

 

How long had we been exchanging saliva with each other like this? After a long… really long kiss…… When I pulled my face away, I saw a silver thread between Alice’s and my mouth. And then, as an absentminded expression appeared on Alice’s face, after a little while, she recovered and her face turned bright red.

 

[……Auuuuuuu.]

[E- Ermm, sorry…… I couldn’t help myself.]

 

I’m not sure if embarrassment was welling up from within me or not, but when Alice buried her bright red face in my chest, I reflexively uttered an apology.

 

[……I- It’s alright…… I was surprised but…… it felt good……]

[Uuuu……]

[U- Ummm…… Errr, Kaito-asn.]

[U- Unnn.]

[T- That’s enough for today…… P- Please forgive me.]

[Y- Yeah, don’t worry…… I won’t be forcing Alice to do anything.]

 

Gently hugging Alice in my arms, I spoke to her softly to reassure her. At this moment, I also didn’t forget to keep my lower half slightly apart from her. Alice, held within my arms, looks up at me with moist eyes and softly murmurs.

 

[……I’m sorry…… I won’t keep you waiting too long…… So until the day I have the courage…… please wait…… a bit more.]

[Unnn. You don’t really have to rush it……]

[……Yes. Thank you.]

 

Ending with those words, Alice closes her eyes and a little while later, begins to sleep peacefully while leaning her body against me. Seeing her expression of complete trust in me…… I quietly prepared myself for an all-nighter.

You can find story with these keywords: I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN), Read I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN), I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN) novel, I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN) book, I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN) story, I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN) full, I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (LN) Latest Chapter