Chapter of Slavery, Episode 4: Meeting with Unagi

I looked up at the wall clock as soon as I snapped awake. My heart was pounding like crazy, but I saw that I still had time before work and let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh good, we made it...” I couldn’t help but comment in a tired voice.

Spending time in the dream world was what I lived for, but I wasn’t able to enjoy the party last night all too much. I’d thought I would have been able to explore an unfamiliar castle with Marie, but we just ended up getting hassled by a bunch of strangers instead.

It was still raining just outside the curtains, and I heard what sounded like sparrows chirping on the veranda amidst the rain. Then, I felt Marie roll over and place her head on my shoulder.

“Good morning, Marie. I suppose you aren’t in all too good of a mood today.”

“You suppose right. I’m mentally exhausted. The blanket is so fluffy and comfortable, but I’m just completely fatigued.” I’d been spending most of my time with Marie, but it seemed there were just too many people to deal with last night. We weren’t even able to enjoy conversation together, and I had to admit that I was tired of all the eyes everywhere we looked.

“Let’s refrain from attending such lively places in the future. I don’t think we’re ready for it.” The elf nodded profusely at my suggestion, then playfully pressed her cheek against me. She was still warm from just having woken up as I patted her back comfortingly.

We had been given a warm reception in the dream world last night to restore our vigor, but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable from all the attention we had received. We barely had any time to eat with everyone talking to us, and we couldn’t even enjoy alcohol because of our youthful appearances. If I had slept in and ended up late for work on top of that... Yeah, I didn’t even want to think about it.

Just then, I heard the rice cooker beeping from the kitchen.

“You know, they say cute little fairies feel a lot better after eating breakfast. How about we try and find out?”

“Yes, I’d love some sweet rice. And some furikake seasoning. Sunny-side up eggs, bacon, and some tea would be lovely, too. I want some of that genmaicha tea we bought the other day.” The way she rubbed her face against me with her long ears drooping was pretty adorable.

Ever since returning from the Aomori trip, our rice cooker had been seeing far more use for making breakfast. We had bread every once in a while, but Marie seemed to enjoy the sweetness of rice. Or maybe it was more like her palate had adjusted to Japanese food.

I stepped onto the flooring with my bare feet and made my way toward the kitchen. Despite the bit of fatigue I was feeling, it was a work day, so I needed to work until evening.

I have to get through all the work I have so I won’t need to stay after hours... Never mind, I don’t want to think about that right now.

It must have been tougher on Marie, who was smaller than me and disliked having to deal with other people. She seemed uncharacteristically unsettled earlier, so I at least wanted to make her something tasty for dinner. When I thought about what dish would make her the happiest... something came to mind right away, and I decided to get the ingredients on the way home.

I lit the stove under a pot, and then another thought crossed my mind.

“Say, do you think Fire Lizards could be used as a stove substitute in this world?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. They can be a bit aggressive, so I’m not sure if that would be a good idea. I’d like to get more accustomed to controlling them first. You wouldn’t want this place to be burned down, right?” Marie hopped off the bed and said as such while walking toward me. The black cat was curled up on the bed, and Wridra had mentioned taking care of things to ensure we would be hidden in the other world, so I figured it would be quiet for the rest of the day.

It would have been incredible if Marie had learned to control Fire Lizards. We would have even been able to make kakuni without spending anything on gas. I considered such silly thoughts as I cut up some daikon radish and greens and put them into the pot of stock. I put in some miso once the pot began to boil, and then a gentle aroma filled the kitchen.

The half-fairy elf leaned back against her chair and took a whiff with her cute nose.

“Mmm, that smells nice. It reminds me of Aomori.”

“I didn’t expect you to like Japanese food so much. I’ve been putting it off for a while, but maybe we could give natto a shot.” I dropped the bacon into the hot oil, and the girl cocked her head dubiously.

“Na-tto...? What kind of food is that?”

“I bought some for myself. Wanna check it out?” As I asked, her previously moody expression turned into one of curiosity, and she walked up even closer. She was wearing slippers with bunny ears and adorable sky blue pajamas. Then, her adorable face twitched. She had witnessed the rotten soybean—I mean, bowl of natto.

“No, no, no, I can’t do this! Whaaat? What is this? I can’t believe it. Is it some sort of monster repellant?”

“Umm, soybeans are used for that sometimes, but this is a Japanese staple food.” Though... not everyone liked it, and some regions didn’t eat them at all. But since Marie loved Japanese food and even claimed Japanese people had an unnatural passion for good flavor, she was leaning toward looking at it favorably, despite her reservations.

“Is it... good?”

“Hmm, it depends on the person. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

“...Are you going to eat it?”

“I did already open it, so yeah,” I answered as I transferred the bacon and eggs to a plate, and Marie mulled over her decision. She held her head with both hands with creases between her eyebrows, an expression of agonized indecision I hadn’t seen often before. I caught bits of her rather accusatory muttering, like “Am I being tricked?” and “Japan’s supposed to be a gourmet country...”

Then, she opened her mouth with a look that said she was prepared for the worst.

“I-I’ll try it!”

“Huh? Are you sure? You can try a bite and give up if you don’t like it.” She balled each hand into a fist, then nodded. To be honest, there was no way for me to tell how she would react, so I was rather worried. I added some eggs and green onions to at least mask the smell and mixed thoroughly. I also prepared some roasted nori, which made for a very familiar and generic Japanese breakfast... I still wasn’t sure how she would react.

“Th-This is natto?” She picked up a single piece with her chopsticks, and a sticky string extended from the bottom. She let out an audible “Oof,” and I couldn’t blame her. It clearly looked rotten, and natto actually was a fermented food.

“You’re supposed to eat it with rice, but be sure to start off with just a little bit.”

“I-I’m supposed to put this on my beloved rice? Am I about to make a terrible mistake?” I was getting nervous just watching her.

I felt each beat of my heart as I watched the freshly mixed natto on her bowl of rice... Oh, I really hope this doesn’t turn out badly. It would have been awful if she ended up hating Japanese food because of this.

I watched anxiously, and she brought the rice with natto toward her mouth with her chopsticks. Even the cat, which had been curled up on a chair, was watching with its golden eyes wide open.

It probably would have said, “Are you really going to eat that?!” if it could talk, and it jerked its head toward me accusingly, as if this was all a prank. I don’t understand cat-speak, but no, I didn’t trick anyone.

*badump*... *badump*...

Marie threw the food into her mouth with her eyes closed, then slowly began to chew. She immediately put a hand to her mouth and stood straight up, causing the Arkdragon and I to break out into a cold sweat. But...

As she continued to chew, the shape of her brows began to relax into their usual positions. She tasted it with an astonished expression, looking up at the ceiling, then into the natto bowl, then swallowed.

“Hm? It does smell like it’s rotten, but... Hm... It has such a deep flavor. It’s hard to believe these are beans. This is good!”

“Oh, uh, I’m glad. That’s great!” Whew... What a relief. If she ended up running into the toilet, I would have been racked with guilt even at work.

“Why are you two sweating so much?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I just didn’t think you would like it.” She still looked a bit confused, but then turned back to the natto and dumped half of the bowl onto her rice. It seemed natto had gotten the Ms. Elf breakfast seal of approval. Good for you, natto.

“How do I say this... It has such depth, but it’s strangely sticky and has a rich taste. Oh, the smell doesn’t bother me so much anymore. Is it because of the green onions?”

“I hear you get used to it once you eat it. I think I’ll have some, too.” I glanced at the cat, and it shook its head violently. It seemed that it didn’t want any, but I wasn’t sure if cats should have been eating it anyway. The natto might have made its mouth all sticky, too.

So, for Wridra, I had prepared some white rice with furikake and a plate of bacon and eggs instead. The cat dug in happily, and it seemed to particularly enjoy the bacon covered in egg yolk, though I wouldn’t have given it such a meal if it had been a normal cat instead of a familiar.

“There are several recipes that use natto as an ingredient, but I like eating it as-is the most.”

“The smell is a bit noticeable, but it goes so well with rice. Oh, the miso soup is delicious, too. I feel like this is melting away all my fatigue from last night.” It was a bit strange to see an elf narrowing her eyes with joy as she sipped miso soup. Though, I already knew she was no ordinary elf.

“That miso soup is packed with soybean flavor, too. Tofu, miso, and the soy sauce used on that nori are all made from soybeans.” Marie looked around at the contents on the table. She knew what tofu was, and natto maintained its original form, despite going through a fermentation process, but the other dishes looked nothing like soybeans, and she looked at me as if she was unsure if I was joking or not.

I wanted to clear this up for her, but it was unfortunately almost time for work. I thought about our plans for after I left as I ate my breakfast.

“We got up late today, so do you think you can handle lunch yourself?”

“Of course. I wanted to try that oven dish you taught me the other day. Kitty, the honor of being the first one to try it will go to you.” The cat made a face as Marie pointed at it, then stuck its face back into its bowl of food.

As I put on my leather shoes, I turned back toward Marie.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t sustain my lifestyle without working. I would have loved to play in the dream world all day, but... Oh, I shouldn’t be daydreaming in the real world, too.

“I’ll be going now. Are you going to be taking a bath now, by the way?”

“Yes, I can’t stand the smell of people all over me. Oh, but you’re special, so don’t worry,” she said as she grasped a bath towel in hand. It seemed she really didn’t like that party. Even so, she had spent time around people in Japan and never had such an adverse reaction. I thought that was a bit strange, but then she gave me an explanation. I was taken aback to hear what had happened.

“Last night... That Zarish guy, he tried to... recruit me? Court me? I didn’t know what he wanted, but he approached me. I wasn’t sure if I should mention it, but I wanted you to know.”

“Huh...?! You mean that really flashy guy?” She nodded, and I was so shocked that I forgot I needed to get to work.

I mean, Marie was obviously attractive and talented, so she was sure to get those sorts of requests... but the one who made that request was many times higher than me in terms of level. I was in for another surprise when she looked embarrassed and added, “He wouldn’t leave me alone, so I headbutted him.”

I felt lightheaded for a moment. I really wasn’t expecting to hear that she had headbutted the man who could become the hero. So that was why she came running over while covering her forehead at that time...

I was relieved to know that she hadn’t changed, but I had a feeling this wasn’t over. I mulled over these thoughts as I walked along my path to work in the light rain.

Holding on to the hanging strap in the train, I absentmindedly watched the droplets of water flying off the window. Familiar sights passed by as the train rumbled along. However, I was far more nervous than usual.

A level 140 person had proposed his feelings for Marie. I still hadn’t asked for details, but she turned him down with a headbutt to the face.

That was all she had mentioned with an embarrassed look, but I had a bad feeling about this. The way he made sure I wasn’t there when he made his move... Thinking about it, the woman who had run into me as I was getting drinks was the same one I had seen at the oasis. She was connected to that Zarish guy, so they could’ve been working together. That meant that all of this could have been pre-planned. I decided I needed to be very wary of him and felt unusually high-strung. An uneasy feeling was welling up inside of me.

If it had just been a genuine attempt to confess his feelings, and Mariabelle had turned him down, there wouldn’t have been an issue, but the feeling of unease only continued to build without going away. As I considered why I was feeling this way, it came to me.

Why would she headbutt him...? It sounded almost comical, but I wondered why a smart girl like her would decide to do such a thing. What if she couldn’t convince him to back down, and he invaded her personal space? As the unsettling feeling began to boil over, I felt a vibration in my chest pocket. I was a bit irritated as I pulled out my smartphone and looked at the screen. As I had somewhat expected, the screen displayed Kaoruko’s name. I hardly connected with people at work, so the number of people who would reach out to me was rather limited.

“Good morning. I hope you’re doing well.” I felt a bit more relaxed after reading the message. It was strangely comforting to get a message with no real purpose besides to simply enjoy a conversation.

Kaoruko lived in the same condo as I did, and we occasionally had such exchanges like this. We’d gone to eat with her and her husband, and she had shared her leftovers with us before, too.

Come to think of it, there was that promise with Marie. I was supposed to bring her to a certain recreational facility this weekend if the weather was good. I debated for a bit about whether or not to bring this up with Kaoruko.

“I’ll be taking Marie to a nearby recreational facility this weekend. Though, I don’t think I’ll need to do any research for it this time, haha.” I settled on this message and sent it after rewriting it several times.

The Ichijos knew a lot about domestic travel, and they had given me tips on vacation spots several times before. I thought about asking for advice again, but we were basically just going to an amusement park. I assumed that only telling her that we would be going would have sufficed. But...

“Oh, I disagree. I would argue that there is no other place that needs as much preparation and research as that one.” I read her reply and blinked.

I mean, it was a place for families and couples, and I figured we would just wander around and check out whatever we felt like. Was I misunderstanding things?

“I’m afraid your understanding is wrong. This is particularly common with men who came here from the countryside, but there are many rumors of couples who have gone there without any plans and ended up breaking up due to having arguments.”

That couldn’t have been right. I mean, I was born in Aomori, so that part did fit my description, but... Come on.

“Do you know about the Free Pass?”

Free... pass? I had no idea.

Having been a single guy who didn’t go out with friends much, I hardly knew what amusement parks were really like. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been to one. Most theme parks in Aomori ended up going out of business.

“Very well. Let’s have a strategy meeting tonight. How about I bring some salad and you bring side dishes?” She wants to have dinner together? Ah... Her husband must be working overtime tonight.

I debated on whether I should accept the invite or not, but then a thought crossed my mind. I pictured Marie, who disliked being in crowds, growing more and more upset without even being able to get on a ride. That would have been terrible. She may have even ended up hating Japan a little bit. She was a very kind elf, but I could imagine Wridra bluntly telling me, “You are so... useless...”

Yeah, I could see it clearly in my mind. I typed my response with unusual swiftness: “Please teach me, sensei.”

It was decided. We would come up with plans for next week over dinner.

I put my smartphone away, and the uneasy feeling from before had mostly subsided.

＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋

My shoes clicked on the corridor floor as I walked with shopping bags in hand.

The rain hadn’t stopped after all, and the clouds continued to loom above the Kanto plains persistently. I looked up to find the thin moon glinting dully, giving off a strangely cold impression.

A co-worker had asked me if I didn’t find living by myself lonely.

I would have laughed it off and told him it wasn’t before, but now... My opinion completely changed as I pushed the door open and became bathed in the light of the room.

“Oh, welcome home.” I stepped into the warm air that Marie had been spending time in, and she looked at me with a happy expression. Her amethyst eyes narrowed in a smile, and she thought for a moment before spreading her arms toward me. I made the same gesture, and she moved into my arms. There was no way I would want to go back to my old life now.

“I’m back. Nn, you’re so warm.”

“You must be cold from the rain. Oh no, you’re a bit wet.”

Marie brushed some water off of my shoulders, then turned her jewel-like eyes at me. She then buried her face into my chest and said in a cute voice, “It was the same in Arilai, right? The sun goes away after it rains for a while, and it gets chilly.”

“It’ll be summer as soon as that chilly season ends. This will be your first summer in Japan, won’t it?” Marie smiled excitedly. She seemed to be enjoying the seasons of Japan to the fullest.

Although she was a full head shorter than me, her colored lips had a definite feminine allure to them. I had been getting such thoughts ever since getting a taste of those lips. If I wasn’t holding the shopping bags in each hand, I would have been running my hand through her flowing white hair.

When I removed my shoes and entered the room, I saw the Arkdragon’s familiar curled up on the middle of the bed. Judging from the tea that was placed nearby, it seemed they’d had a relaxing day today.

Marie took my bags for me, and with her long ears wavering, she asked me, “So, what time is Kaoruko visiting?”

“I said I’d be home around seven, so she should be heading over soon. I need to get cooking.” I had already informed Marie of the visit. We were able to communicate at any time thanks to the Magic Tool Wridra had made. I spoke to her through the accessory around the cat’s neck, and on my end, I talked into my smartphone so it wouldn’t seem strange to onlookers. I was grateful that I didn’t have to worry about running up my phone bills.

We spoke for a bit as I changed out of my work clothes, and then it was time to prepare dinner. Although, I wasn’t putting too much work into this one since it was mostly ready-made.

Marie looked on curiously as I produced something from my shopping bag.

“That’s one glossy-looking fish. It already looks tasty.”

“It’s called ‘unagi,’ or an eel. It’s like a snake that swims at the bottom of rivers... You know, those things the demon on the first floor was summoning.” She looked at me, confused.

“Huh? Do you mean those slimy-looking Ailinya?”

“Yeah, those. Their name is so different from what we call them here, so I have a hard time remembering it.”

“But those things smell like mud, have a hard texture, and taste awful...” She shot me a look of suspicion.

Well, that was a shame. People didn’t care much for cooking in the other world, so Marie seemed to have an innate bad impression from experience. That meant I had needed to wipe that image away tonight. We can do this, unagi, I thought to myself as I rinsed it with water.

“Isn’t that going to wash away all the sauce?”

“Yeah, I learned how to cook them from my grandpa, but he taught me that we usually wash the sauce off first. He might explain why if we give him a call.” The girl nodded, watching with curiosity.

The food my grandpa had prepared for us was delicious, and I remembered the elf and dragon digging in with enthusiasm. It seemed bringing him up increased her expectations toward the unagi dish.

If I had to guess, the sauce it came with was washed away because it came with unnecessary food coloring and preservatives. It was said that a person could rinse off the smell if they used hot water, but I’d gotten high-quality domestic unagi, so that wasn’t necessary.

After washing it off for some time, I opened the fish grill.

“Whoa, it opened! I didn’t know it looked like that inside!”

“We don’t grill fish at home too often. It looks kind of cool, doesn’t it?”

She shook her head and said, “No, not really.” Oh.

After pouring some sake over it and cooking it for about five minutes or so, Kaoruko arrived, as well. The doorbell rang, and Marie threw on the device made for hiding her ears and answered the door.

As the door right behind the kitchen was opened, Kaoruko stood there, wearing a skirt of a muted color and a long-sleeved shirt, and bowed. Her shoulder-length black hair was cut neatly, and she gave off a mature impression despite being pretty close to me in age.

“Good evening, you two. Oh, Marie—this is that bath additive I was recommending the other day. Give it a try.”

“Oh, thank you! Will your husband be working late again tonight?” Kaoruko laughed bitterly as she removed her shoes. We had gone to dinner with her husband several times, too. He was a bit of a connoisseur of hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and every place he’d recommended had been a hit.

“He doesn’t know how to say no sometimes, so he takes on a lot of unnecessary work.” I couldn’t help but feel a stinging sensation from those words. I was a guy who lived for his hobbies, and I prioritized sleep and family far above my work... Not that I thought Toru didn’t care about his family.

I sat down at the table and looked at the ladies.

“I prepared some for Toru as well, but it’s unagi, so it’ll taste better if you cook it when he’s ready to eat.”

“Oh my, thank you so much. But I’m from Hokkaido, so I don’t really eat unagi much.” Huh... I hadn’t known that they didn’t eat unagi often there. Now that she mentioned it, she did have a bit of an awkward expression on her face. I set my resolve to show them both just how good unagi could be.

I opened the fish grill, and the scent of cooking fat filled the room. My grandpa had taught me that pouring sake on the unagi before grilling it made it come out nice and juicy.

I removed the freshly cooked unagi and began cutting it into pieces on the cutting board. Then, I placed them on bowls of hot rice, followed by sauce and some Japanese peppers, making the smell even more appetizing. I placed the bowls on the table before them while it was still piping hot, and they let out a cheer of excitement.

“Wow, it’s so fragrant! It’s making my stomach growl!”

“Mm, that smells delicious. My husband has been wanting to eat some unagi, but he’s been rather down about the fact that it’s been so expensive lately.”

This dinner was meant to help Marie recover from the tiring party from last night. This was a special, once-in-a-while luxury, so I hoped it would help her feel better.

I placed some pickled dishes and miso soup on the table and added Kaoruko’s tofu salad, and it made for a rather nice-looking meal. We all said “Itadakimasu” together, and then our little lavish dinner began.

Marie cut up the plump piece of unagi with her chopsticks, then took the piece, along with some sauce and rice, into her mouth. This may have been a dish she hated in the dream world, but she couldn’t resist the appetizing aroma and appearance this time around. The sweet smell and steam rising into the air was irresistible. The scent of the Japanese pepper stimulated her senses, stirring her appetite and captivating her attention. The distinct, fatty flavor and umami seeped out of the eel with each chew.

The rice was already tasty with just the sauce, but the plump meat and the soft yet springy skin was a joy to eat. The salty-sweet sauce had seeped into the burnt parts of the unagi, filling it with a ridiculous amount of flavor.

It was worth spending extra for domestic unagi. It didn’t smell fishy at all, and I enjoyed watching Marie chew slowly with an expression of bliss.

She shook her head, then finally swallowed.

“Whew... So much flavor. I can’t believe it... Is this really Ailinya? The sauce compliments it so well, I just want to keep chewing forever.” She let her body loosen up and leaned her shoulder against me. She proceeded to roll her head onto me, too, then rubbed it against me as if she couldn’t control herself. It was adorable, but we also had to keep in mind that we had a guest.

“No, no, no. This is too good. I would have no choice but to approve of your Fishing skill. I just can’t let that happen.” R-Right... I wasn’t sure why that would have been an issue, but I had not only removed Fishing from my Secondary Skills, I also took them out of my Sub Skills because she and Wridra had protested so much. Suddenly, Marie took my arm in an embrace. She then put her chin on my shoulder playfully and whispered in a dreamy voice.

“Oh well, let’s think about this after we go level up next time. We could keep all of the delicious Ailinya for ourselves. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? No one knows how tasty they are, so it should be easy. We’ll have Ailinya for dinner every night. What do you say?” Somewhere along the line, it seemed she picked up a way to charm me with her tone of voice. Her whisper was just that sweet, but her actual words were full of a lust for food.

I was glad to receive her invitation, but Kaoruko was sitting in front of us, completely red in the face. Marie quickly backed away from me, and we both shook our heads, saying, “It’s not like that!”

“Uh-huh... I’m not sure what you were talking about, but that was a bit surprising to see. You’re so, um, close.”

“N-No, it’s just that Marie isn’t used to good Japanese food, and she just so happens to hug me like that sometimes.” Kaoruko gave me a dubious look.

Maybe it was inevitable that she would catch on. Marie and I had been getting closer as we spent more time together. At this point, we didn’t feel comfortable unless we were in each other’s presence.

When I looked to the side, my eyes happened to meet Marie’s. I wished that someday we would be able to tell Kaoruko that Marie wasn’t actually a relative of mine. But for now, I didn’t have the courage to say it.

Just then, something scratched at my foot. I looked down under the table to find the cat’s eyes shining in the darkness. Apparently, it had smelled the food and woken up.

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a cat. It was so quiet that I hadn’t noticed.” Kaoruko looked surprised as she noticed the cat’s pleading meow. We were allowed to have pets in this condo, but the cat didn’t have much of an animal smell due to it being a familiar. Regardless, since we were in front of a guest, I couldn’t just give Wridra some unagi right now. I did have some set aside for her, but the cat would have to settle for little bites in the meantime.

I placed a piece on my palm and lowered it under the table. It tickled as the cat ate out of my hand. I smiled as it narrowed its eyes with joy.

“Yes, we just got it recently. It’s a very quiet and smart cat.” The cat meowed, as if to scoff at me. Wridra knew we couldn’t feed her outright in front of the guest and licked my hand, seemingly in thanks.

Hehe, you’ll get plenty more later.

I tickled the cat’s chin, and it looked rather pleased.

＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋　＋

We had cleared off the table after eating our fill, and a single book was placed there in place of our meal.

I spread a map out on the table and stared at it. It was a map of Grimland, a giant amusement park we were going to visit on the weekend if the weather allowed. I wanted to keep it a secret from Marie until the day of the visit, so now, while she was taking a bath, it was the perfect time to make my plans.

The one who would be introducing it to this Aomori-born bumpkin was none other than Kaoruko.

“You need to prioritize this area and the one over here. They’re both very popular, and I’m sure Marie will love them.”

“There are so many places we could visit. Ohh, so that’s how you get this Free Pass thing?” She walked me through how to enjoy our time efficiently, and it made me realize that I definitely couldn’t have pulled this off without prior knowledge. The park was just that big, with so many unique attractions. If we had attempted going without any planning beforehand, we would have ended up tiring ourselves out just walking around.

“I’d like to recommend their official hotel, but you won’t be able to secure rooms on this short notice. You may want to book a room about six months in advance next time.”

“Wow, I didn’t know they were that popular.” It was like night and day compared to the ruins we called amusement parks back in Aomori. Though, I suppose that went without saying.

Kaoruko then pointed at a restaurant on the map.

“If you have time, you should try to make a reservation at this restaurant. You’ll be able to enjoy the atmosphere at the park to the fullest alongside your meal. The food is quite delicious, too.”

“Oh, that sounds great. I’d definitely like to go!” I could hardly contain my excitement. We continued our discussion, solidifying our plot to ensure our guest from the fantasy world would have the time of her life. She would definitely be excited about this. On this we both agreed, and we smiled gleefully at each other. What would she think of these attractions, so full of dreams and wonder? I could hardly wait.

The black cat had a rather late dinner that night. It ate from a plate of white rice and unagi, narrowing its eyes with joy as it savored the rich flavor. The cat let out a blissful sigh, and I couldn’t help but smile.

It looked at me as if to ask, “Yes?”

I patted its head, then looked back at the table. There sat the park map, which was inscribed with notes left by Kaoruko.

“I see, we should go get a Free Pass as soon as we get inside.” I rubbed my chin as I read over the notes. The Free Pass allowed us to make reservations for attractions, allowing us to ride without waiting in the long lines.

“I would have stood in line for sure if I didn’t know about this.” The cat was focused on attacking the unagi, and Marie was still taking a bath. No one was actually listening, so I was just talking to myself.

Hmm, we can only have one Free Pass at a time, so it would be a waste to use it on something with a short wait time. I also need to know what kind of attractions Marie and Wridra are into...

I was glad Kaoruko had given me this little tip. There was no need to plan out every little detail, but I wanted to make the most out of our day. Now we just had to prepare for the big day, and the elf and draconian would surely have the time of their lives.

Just then, the bathroom door slid open. I glanced over to find a fresh-out-of-the-bath elf standing there with a satisfied smile.

“Ahh, that was wonderful! I completely lost track of time.”

“Welcome back. Guess you liked the bath additives Kaoruko gave you, huh? What did they smell like?” I asked as I slid the memos and map into the drawer. I wanted to keep the plans a secret to maximize the effect. I hoped she would like the surprise. As I thought about it, Marie struck a peculiar pose.

“Wooooaaahhh!” She said with one leg raised, suddenly drawing my attention. In fact, I was staring wide-eyed with a blank expression.

That’s right. When I had gone out shopping the other day, she had taken a liking to an unusual, Tai Chi style pair of pajamas. She had seen her fair share of movies by now, and she had developed a bit of an unusual interest.

She maintained her strange pose and brought her hand down in a chop, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

“Vengeance for my master! Hoaaa-taaa!” No, no, I can’t take it! She was still a bit steamy from her bath, and her blow delivered from an unexpectedly proper fighting stance was dealing more mental damage than physical. It was just too adorable, and I had to look away to hide my smile, crumpling down to the flooring to avoid her attack.

Marie the Tai Chi master quickly seized this opening.

“This is it, Kazuhiho!” With that, she plopped her little butt on top of my back. She mounted me with her featherweight body, though I didn’t think that was a Tai Chi move, and repeatedly hit me with ineffective bops. Her playful attacks were too much to handle. I had no idea who her master was, but I turned around and raised my hands in surrender.

Her triumphant expression was backlit by the ceiling lights, and she turned her face, revealing her side profile. Maybe she was worried about what Wridra would think. I wondered what she was thinking at that moment, but then she ran her hand through her hair and moved her angelic face up to mine.

The floor was cool against my back, while Marie’s freshly bathed thighs felt hot by contrast. It suddenly grew dark as her head eclipsed the lighting above. Her thin neck was pale, accentuating her vivid lips as they demanded my attention. She seemed so childlike in one moment, and then exuded mature allure the next, so I could never let my guard down around her.

She held her hair out of the way as she brought her face closer to mine. A sweet scent wafted up from the hint of cleavage below her collarbone. It was Marie’s smell. I felt my head go numb, and I became acutely aware of the warmth radiating from her thighs.

She smiled at me as if she knew what I was thinking.

“It smells like this. Kaoruko gave me some jasmine-scented bath additives. Isn’t it nice? This is why I was in there for so long,” she said with a cocky expression, and my brain stopped functioning.

Ah, I see. She brought her face closer so I could smell it. I felt like I got cheated... or maybe I felt lucky. I wished she would understand that staring at me from so close was a little too intense for me.

Having lived on this earth for twenty-five years, I had come to realize that people didn’t change too much no matter their age. I’d never had such an experience, so I was pretty much a middle schooler in that regard. As I thought this over, I suddenly realized Marie was still staring at me.

“...” My vision suddenly darkened, and I felt something press against my lips. The scent of jasmine grew stronger, and her soft body pressed against me as she laid her weight on top of me.

We shuddered. My hand had slipped behind her and touched the back of her neck, signaling that I wanted her to stay. She was still warm from her bath, the heat of her body transferring directly into me. It felt like we were burning up, and I could feel her heart beating in her chest.

Our lips parted, and we let out a long sigh.

“Maybe it’s the smell of flowers. I sometimes get all lightheaded, and it makes me do things that surprise even myself. I hope you don’t find it vulgar...” she whispered while resting her chin in her hands atop my chest. Her cheeks were flushed red, and there were little wrinkles between her brows, suggesting that she was worried.

“The flower spirits? Yeah, I’d heard of them in a land far away. A nomad once told me as they were gathering flower essences, ‘They teach us that this moment is everything, and we must bloom all the stronger because we will wilt all too soon.’” Those nomads I had met in a far, far land had a tradition of music and dance. They had festivals in the springtime and displayed a passion like flowers blooming wildly.

“They say all things come full circle, and each emotion must be cherished. Whether it’s anger, sadness, or joy, they will cycle through and bloom. That’s what life is, according to them. They may not have been the academic types, but it was too profound for me to understand even half of it.” Marie seemed to calm down a bit as I talked about this foreign land, and I noticed she was staring at me again. She then tapped me on the nose with her pointer finger.

“Next time you go on a journey, take me with you.”

“I will. I think you’ll be able to understand the half I couldn’t make sense of. Though, it’s mostly just walking around and camping wherever I find a good fishing spot.” Marie thought about it for a moment, then stood up. I felt a bit sad about her warmth leaving my body as she moved away.

“I’ll think about it if there are any plump Ailinyas in the area. Or maybe if there’s a Tai Chi teacher there.” I nearly spit out laughing. I wondered out loud if a Tai Chi master would be in the area so conveniently as she pulled me up by the hand.

Suddenly, I wanted to see her cute pose again.

“Marie, how does the stance go again?”

“Like this. Whaaa-chaaa!” She was actually pretty good at it, which I found all the more hilarious. It was adorable how serious she looked, and I wondered if this was what people called ‘moe.’ But what I ended up saying was completely different from how I felt.

“I don’t think they shout that when doing Tai Chi.”

“Huh?!” The surprised expression on her face as she turned around made me crack another smile.

Ms. Elf was just so captivating that she threatened to fill my mind every waking moment.