Chapter of Slavery, Episode 9: To the Land of Dreams and Magic

Birds could be heard chirping from the other side of the curtain. The sunlight peered through its opening, and I began to open my eyes from its brightness.

It was seven o’clock in the morning. The air on weekend mornings seemed to have a gentler feel to it than usual. Maybe it felt that way because it was the first sunny day in some time. We were still smack dab in the middle of the rainy season, but we were blessed with good weather today. The one who had predicted this was a draconian woman, which made me reflect on how strange my circle of friends was.

Strangely, I’d been able to journey into a dream world whenever I went to sleep for as long as I could remember. I would enjoy my dreams to my heart’s content, then head to work when I woke up. Even when I came to find out that it wasn’t just my dreams, but a fantasy world that actually existed, my lifestyle didn’t end up changing much.

No, actually, I couldn’t say it was exactly the same. Ever since waking up in this room with a certain elf girl, I felt my world changing bit by bit. I had come to know many people, headed into an ancient labyrinth, and not only did I befriend a dragon, but I eventually became friends with the floor master that I was supposed to defeat, Shirley. You could say I hung around some strange company.

“Haah... But what should I do about this...?”

I let out a sigh that wasn’t fitting for such a beautiful morning. There was actually one thing troubling me about my acquaintances.

I looked down to find a lump in my blankets. It was about the size of a person, and I felt the weight of something soft upon my chest. If it was just as I had seen in my dream... No, the golden hair that spilled out from under the blanket was all the confirmation I needed to know this was a continuation of the events from last night’s dream. Sun-tanned skin and long ears like that of an elf. A member of the notorious race of dark elves was sleeping soundly right here with me.

Her nose brushed up against my neck, tickling me as she exhaled softly in her slumber. The signature sweet scent of a woman wafted up from beneath the blankets, and I couldn’t keep my heart from beating harder.

I-I can’t just move around carelessly here. What should I do?!

But a dark elf truly was an uncommon sight. I’d spent about twenty years in the dream world, but I’d only seen one a few times. The dark elves I’d heard about in stories possessed incredible and terrifying power. And from what I had heard, their thoughts were always tainted with evil.

I hadn’t really talked to one in earnest myself, so it was hard for me to say whether they were good or evil. Regardless, she seemed quite comfortable as she slept, breathing quietly in regular intervals. It was hard to believe that in my dream, she had just perished from getting impaled through the heart.

Supposedly, her name was Eve. I had heard as such just before dying in the dream world.

She was lucky. I just so happened to be right where she landed, and we just so happened to die at the same time. My ability to travel between the dream world and this one activated at just that moment, and I woke up to find her here with me. Thinking back, it was such a fortunate set of coincidences that I let out a sigh of relief.

The one who had pointed his wicked sword at me was a man named Zarish, who was also known as the hero candidate. But it wasn’t as if he had a grudge against me. In fact, I didn’t remember ever having a proper conversation with him. Judging from what he was saying, he was more interested in Wridra and Marie than my life.

I figured he simply wanted to increase the collective power of his party by recruiting a powerful draconian and an elf who was proficient in Spirit Sorcery. As such, he must have decided I was in the way and drew his sword on me. I couldn’t even put up a fight with a 60 level difference, and I was honestly annoyed that I was killed within seconds. But it didn’t end there; Zarish even killed Eve, his own ally.

“So we both died at the same time, and we woke up here together...”

I let out a troubled sigh. I couldn’t tell whether I should have been relieved that things ended without any major incidents or lament the fact that such a troublesome man had set his sights on me. No, this was definitely better than having this girl die without even knowing what was going on. I would have felt bad for her if that happened.

“Though, I don’t know which one she would have preferred...”

Maybe Eve heard what I said, because her long ears twitched, and then I heard her sniffing. She must have sensed an unfamiliar smell, and she slowly raised her face until her chin was resting on my chest.

Despite her sleepy state, there was a sense of strength to the look in her eyes, which I noticed were a beautiful blue color. She had a healthy skin tone on her well-toned muscles, too. I couldn’t let my guard down with her, but I casually looked away from the contrast of light and shadow on her sunlit chest. This went without saying, but she was definitely a grown woman. Though, now wasn’t the time to be thinking of such things.

“Just so you know, this isn’t my fault.” As soon as I made my excuse, I felt her elbow press down against my throat. Of course, since I was a complete amateur when it came to ground fighting, all I could do was let out a muffled cry. She quickly mounted me despite my struggling, further restricting my movement. She had me restrained with what seemed like martial arts used by the military, and I was completely subdued within moments. Eve shifted her weight onto my throat, causing the bed to creak loudly.

“Nnnnnn!”

“Did you think you had me captured?! At least you get to see something nice before you die... Wait, why am I alive?” She asked in a puzzled tone.

Maybe she remembered a bit of what had happened in the dream world. The thought seemed to distract her, and she let up the pressure just a little bit. I seized this chance to quickly take in a fresh breath of air. It was still hard to breathe with her on top of me, but I managed to avoid choking to death. I continued to take in shallow breaths and spoke to her while averting my eyes from her naked body.

“You died, Eve. You died with me, and we woke up together.” I told her as such in Elvish, and her eyebrows shot up. It seemed my explanation exceeded her capacity to understand. If she didn’t stop to consider my words here, I may have really been killed.

I wasn’t going to do anything to her or put up a fight. I showed her my open hands to convey this, and she let a little more weight off of my throat. My vision was going red, and I was on the brink of losing consciousness, so I coughed for some time.

“Y-You may not be able to tell with me being an adult now, but I’m Kazuhiho.”

“Huh? The hell are you talking about? That’s some crazy talk, coming from such a sleepy-looking face. You may have the same black hair, black eyes, face, and voice, but... Wait, it really is you!”

She ripped my pajamas open, leaving me dumbfounded. Well, she was a type I’d never encountered before. The corner of my mouth twitched.

“There’s no wound...!”

“Oh, you wanted to see my wound? Yours should be healed, too.”

She touched her own chest while maintaining her surprised expression. The wound from getting her heart pierced through was now completely gone. She may have just woken up from a dream, but there was no mistaking that it had actually happened. It was up to her whether to interpret it as a nightmare.

Meanwhile, I had cold sweat pouring down my face. I thought she was going to strip me naked, too, and I had no idea what she would do next. It seemed this dark elf was very impulsive and tended to take action before thinking about it, which made her completely unpredictable.

Not only that, but she made no move to cover her bare chest, which I found quite troubling. As in, I didn’t know where I was supposed to look as I talked to her.

Although it was an extremely tense situation, I wanted to go get Marie as soon as possible, since I had left her behind in the dream world. There was just one problem. There was no way I could go back to sleep in this situation.

Well, Wridra was with her the last time I saw her, so she probably wouldn’t have been in too much trouble if I was a bit late in going to get her.

“E-Eve, would you mind covering up right about now?”

“Huh? Ah! Wh-What are you looking at?!” She slammed a pillow down on my face. I wasn’t even looking! In fact, I was trying my hardest not to look, so that was rather unfair of her.

I thought she felt somewhat familiar, but maybe that was because she reminded me of the kids these days. She was unpredictable, for one thing, but her tanned skin was reminiscent of gyarus, even though she was a resident of the fantasy world.

“Well, just give me some time to explain. I’ll bring you something to drink, so I’d be relieved if you’d pick out an outfit from that closet in the meantime. Are you okay with sweet drinks, Eve?”

“Yeah, but... Why are you acting all familiar all of a sudden?” Maybe it was because I was only able to see her as a modern young girl now. Her race had a huge gap between their appearance and their actual age, but I still couldn’t help but feel like she was younger than me mentally. But these thoughts probably would have been considered pretty rude, so I made sure not to voice them out loud.

The mention of a sweet drink seemed to pique her interest. I was relieved to find that she had covered herself up with the blanket, as requested. Her eyebrows were still furrowed, and she maintained that scary look in her eyes, but I found that I didn’t mind too much when I convinced myself she was still young.

I woke up, still in my torn up pajamas, and decided to languidly walk over to the kitchen. I lived in a 1DK condo, so there were no room partitions, and I could hear Eve moving around behind me.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

I nearly jumped at the sudden, historic cry. It was loud enough that it could’ve startled the neighbors, so I turned around in a panic.

“What now?!”

I found her staring at her finger, with her dark-skinned back turned toward me.

“It’s gone! It’s gone! My precious ring!”

“Ring...? Oh, I did see Zarish taking it, and you can’t bring anything other than food or drinks into this world, anyway.” I couldn’t even tell if Eve had heard me. She remained there, motionless, for some time, so I let out a sigh and walked back toward the fridge. I took some milk out and poured it into a mug, then put it into the microwave. By the time it started moving, I heard the sound of sobbing.

“Uuu... He abandoned me... Even though I’ve been with him the longest...” She crumpled up and laid face-down on a pillow, and I couldn’t find the right words to say to her. No, it was probably best not to say anything now. I was still an outsider who didn’t understand the circumstances.

The microwave beeped to let me know the hot milk was done, so I slowly looked away from her back.

I placed the mug on the table, then opened the closet to look for something in Eve’s size. The problem was, she still hadn’t started looking for clothes to wear. Considering I was a healthy male, one would think the woman would be the one who would care about her appearance. Though, there was no time for complaints.

Come to think of it, none of Marie’s clothing would have fit her. Left with no other choice, I decided to choose from one of my smaller hoodies. I placed it in front of Eve as she continued to cry, and she looked up at me with puffy eyes. She even had mucus running down her nose, and the juxtaposition of her feeble expression compared to her earlier attitude was quite shocking.

I liked to think I knew how it felt to be abandoned. Because of all the pain I had gone through as a child, I had a soft spot for people like her. Maybe that was why my voice was much gentler as I spoke to her.

“Here, put this on, and join me at that table over there.”

“...”

I turned away and headed back to the table before she could reply. I sat down on the wooden chair and absently watched the blue sky through the window. After some time, I heard the sound of rustling fabric from behind me. The sound of pained breathing mixed with sobbing and weeping was making my heart ache. She cried as quietly as possible, and I couldn’t help but think about what kind of environment she had been in up until now.

Now, I decided to think about what had happened while Eve was getting dressed.

Why had Wridra proposed her challenge in the first place? She had pretty much provoked the hero candidate, causing him to turn his blade on her. Knowing her, she probably could have found a way to avoid conflict, beat him down, or give advice so we didn’t end up clashing. But she had chosen one of the branching paths of fate. I was attacked by Zarish as a result, but she had let this happen knowing I wouldn’t die.

Does that mean Wridra wanted me to fight him? Against a Level 140 monster like him? A 60-level difference was like the power difference between a full-grown adult and a child. But it was unlikely that she wanted me to lose. I knew this because we supported each other, and she was both my teacher and my friend. The path she’d chosen was probably the right one. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt like one day I would understand.

“Hmm. Then, she probably won’t tell me even if I ask...”

“...Why are you talking to yourself?” I turned around to find Eve wiping her eyes with a sleeve. My eyes widened, seeing the front of her hoodie wide open, then beckoned her over. I grabbed the fastener and pulled it up a bit for her.

“You close it by pulling it up just like that. Think of it like a new button. Be careful not to pinch your skin.”

“Huh? Whoa, this is actually really nice.” She blinked her big eyes, and her surprise at the modern clothing helped hold back her tears a bit. Ah, but I wished she’d stop exposing and hiding her cleavage by pulling it up and down. I could almost hear them jiggling, and she really needed to understand that I was someone of the opposite sex. Watching my internal debate on whether or not to stop her, Eve looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I placed the mug of hot milk in front of her, and she quietly sat down across from me. Maybe it was because she had cried so much earlier, but she seemed completely different now, like a child that would obediently listen to whatever I had to say.

“The sky here is a different color. Is this Eden?”

“No, this is a country that’s not on your maps, called Japan. I don’t think you’ve heard of it,” I said to her as she looked around curiously.

Eden was the realm where people were said to go after death in the other world. Nobody knew if it really existed, but everyone believed in it. But if this really were Eden, she probably would have accepted it without protest. Even the glass window was unfamiliar to her, and she was clearly bewildered by the three-flavor furikake seasoning on the table. Well, at least they helped her stop crying.

“If you want, we can go back to your world, too. I personally think it might be a good idea to stay here and calm yourself down a bit more.”

“What?! But... I don’t have anywhere to go even if I went back...” Eve stood up suddenly, then remembered what had happened and sat back down. Her emotions seemed to have a lot of peaks and valleys. Eve peered into her mug and took a whiff of its contents. She seemed to be drawn by its sweet scent, and I watched her take a small sip like a curious animal. She seemed to enjoy the hot milk with honey. Her blue eyes widened as she continued taking small sips, alternating between saying, “Hot,” and “Mmm.”

“Well, you don’t need to decide right away. Luckily, we have plenty of time, and you dark elves live so long that we humans envy you.”

“Come to think of it, why do you know how to speak Elvish? I haven’t seen very many humans go out of their way to learn it. It’s really hard to pronounce, too.”

“I didn’t need to learn it or anything. I wanted to learn how to speak it because I didn’t know how to.”

“Huh? I don’t get it. I hate how humans say weird stuff like that. You wanna sound smart or something?”

“Hmm, but don’t you think it’d be kinda cool if you could speak five languages?”

“Oh, well, I do get that, but I’d think a person who could do that would be really weird.” I chuckled. I kept this a secret because it was kind of embarrassing, but I greatly admired the Elvish language. It was said that a person could speak it to convey their thoughts to spirits, too, and that those with a disposition for it could actually see and speak to spirits. How could I not have learned it after hearing something like that? But it did make me feel a bit self-conscious to speak about it passionately like that.

“Well, even a guy like me could put in the effort for the sake of living... Though, I do remember having a lot of fun learning. What about you, Eve? Did you not like learning the human language?”

“I didn’t hate it. He taught me back then, and it was... fun studying...” The ends of her eyebrows drooped downward, and big beads of tears began welling up in her eyes again. She must have been remembering her past. I felt bad for the pain she was going through as she recalled her many memories. I watched Eve sob again, and then I decided to open my mouth.

“Do you mind if I ask you for a favor?” Eve wiped tears away from her eyes and looked up.

“I’m gonna go pick up Marie and Wridra, so I’d like you to wait here for a bit. I don’t intend to keep you trapped here, of course, but I think you still need some time to settle down.”

“What do you mean, pick them up?”

“I don’t really get it, either, so it’s kinda hard to explain. You can just sit there and watch.” She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. I wanted to avoid letting her know about my ability to travel to the dream world since she was connected to Zarish, but I had no choice. And so, I had secretly set my resolve. Until I settled my matter with Zarish, I wouldn’t bring her back to him. I almost seemed like the bad guy, plotting such things.

§

It was my second time awakening today, and I couldn’t sit up upon waking once again. It was no wonder, considering a white-haired girl was using my arm as her pillow with her soft cheek pressed against it.

I usually would have waited for her to wake up, but today was a day off that I’d been waiting for for a long time, and I had to be conscious of people watching us. I whispered that it was morning into her long ear, and her pale purple eyes opened sleepily.

“Morning... Umm, today was...” I almost expected Mariabelle’s big eyes to make audible noises as they blinked, and she gazed right at me. Then, she slowly brushed aside the blanket and turned her back toward me, which was surprising, considering her low blood pressure.

Hair still a mess, she let out a “Wow” in a dazed voice. A vast expanse of the blue sky could be seen past the fluttering curtains, revealing clear weather that contradicted the weather report.

She began shifting around to get up, then looked up while sitting with her legs folded in front of her. With her back turned toward me, I couldn’t tell what kind of expression she wore. But with the tips of her long ears drooping and her hair gently swaying in the wind, I had a feeling she was enjoying the moment. Anyone would have smiled at such a sight, and I was glad I had already set plans to go out today.

“Hm, so the weather cleared, as I thought. My hunches are not to be underestimated.” I turned around to face the voice that came from behind to find a black-haired woman yawning. It did somewhat detract from her beauty, but I thought she was just fine like this.

“I don’t think you can call it just a hunch when it comes to you, Wridra. You were even expecting me when I woke up at the riverbed.”

“I have become far too accustomed to your scent already. Finding out where you will appear is a simple task.”

Indeed, when I returned to the dream world, I found myself at a riverbed that was far away from my original location. When I opened my eyes, the two girls had been squatting over me, and they poked my cheek with a finger.

“I’m glad about that. We were able to come back quickly thanks to you.” There were no devices like smartphones over here, but we had the Mind Link Chat. The dream world worked in strange ways, but it was a good thing we could avoid getting separated from others.

But the time to be talking leisurely was over. The blanket that had been hanging on Marie’s shoulder slipped down to her thigh, revealing her collarbones. I quickly moved her neck back to her original position. Marie then squeezed her eyes shut.

“Hah, hah, it seems you are doing just as Marie ordered. You are quite diligent, for a male.”

“Well, ‘ordered’ is quite a rude way to put it. Any man who doesn’t take good care of women is unattractive, and I think you should start learning to wear sensible clothing.” It was pitch dark, but I could hear the two talking from behind and in front of me. It seemed Marie had more to say, but she decided to talk to the person next to her instead.

“Oh, Eve, was it? It’s a good thing you made it out safely. I’d like to point out that you just so happened to be lucky that time, so you shouldn’t do anything reckless from now on.”

“Wh-Wh-Wha...?!” Although I couldn’t see in the dark, I could tell what sort of expression was on Eve’s face right now. Seeing us appear in the bed suddenly, she was probably pointing right at us and flapping her lips. I didn’t feel like explaining in detail, and it wasn’t like I could have done a good job of it, anyway. Not to mention, with all the fuss going on, we were way past our expected departure time. So, I wanted to get right into enjoying the precious weekend.

“Okay, everyone, today we go have fun. Let’s wash our faces and get changed.”

“Ohh, I can’t wait! I just love this moment when we’re about to go out. It makes my heart beat with excitement!”

“Mmph! Yes, yes, I understand. This is indeed an exhilarating feeling. I cannot help but smile as if a delicious meal has been laid out before me.” I heard a cute little clapping noise, which I figured was Marie and Wridra high-fiving each other. Personally, I wanted them to go get changed already so I could start making breakfast. But before that, I spoke to Eve, who must’ve been sitting there without any idea of what was going on.

“Umm, you’re free to wait here while we go out, but if you wouldn’t mind, how would you like to go with us? I guarantee it’ll be a fun weekend that’ll surprise you.”

“Huh? Hang out? ...Where?”

“Grimlaaand!”

Ah, the other two ladies had answered for me. It was a giant theme park that was the pride of Kanto, so maybe their excitement was to be expected. It was near the city center and was large enough to fit twenty Tokyo Domes within its perimeters, with over 20,000,000 attendees each year. They had been looking forward to this day during the long rainy season, so they probably couldn’t wait a moment longer.

I wasn’t just inviting her on a whim, either. Eve had suffered a deep trauma, and she needed time to heal. Just like how her tears had stopped when she saw the three-flavor furikake, Grimland was sure to help her just as much, if not more so. It wasn’t just that I didn’t want to miss out on this sunny day within the rainy reason.

The girls went to the washroom while chatting excitedly amongst themselves, and I was finally allowed to open my eyes. There stood Eve, still in my hoodie, with her eyes wide open. She seemed confused on what to be surprised about first, and I smiled at her as her eyes darted around the room.

“This is kind of a regular thing, so let me say this. Eve, welcome to Japan, a land full of recreation, fun, food, and culture. You aren’t gonna get bored until you go to sleep, just so you know.” It felt refreshing to see her blinking her blue eyes, considering she nearly choked me to death not too long ago.

I opened the rice cooker, and a cloud of white steam filled my vision. I scooped some rice with the scooper, letting out quiet yelps of “Hot, hot,” as I shaped them into rice balls.

Meanwhile, the girls continued to prepare for the outing, and I could hear their cheerful chatter from the dressing area. I envied how much fun they seemed to be having, but it wasn’t like I could have joined them. To us guys, a girl’s changing room was like a strange, alternate world that we were never allowed to step foot into.

I continued making rice balls in silence, and the first one to come out was the half-fairy elf, Mariabelle. She slid the door open, blinked her purple eyes a few times, and showed off her collared shirt and favorite navy skirt. The skirt with a suspender was adorable and made her look like she was going to a piano recital. The satisfied look on her face was quite cute, too.

“That looks nice on you. Would you mind if I got a closer look at the adorable Ms. Elf?”

“Hehe, I don’t mind. Since you’ve always treated me so well, you get the privilege of looking all you want. Look, it even has a cute little ribbon on it.” With that, she held up the corner of her skirt with two fingers and walked toward me, clearly in a good mood. But mid-way through her walk, she shouted, “Rice balls!” with her purple eyes glimmering, and seemed to have already forgotten about her promise to show me her outfit. She then wrapped her arms around me from under my arms, but I couldn’t hug her back with rice all over my hands.

“Hey, could you make extra tuna mayo ones? I’ve always envied how Wridra gets to eat a bunch of them.” It made me happy that she requested tuna mayo rice balls, but it was also strange, in a way. I’d thought elves mainly ate things like nuts, but such notions were completely invalidated in the past few months. Actually, maybe things hadn’t changed too much since we started spending time together so I could learn more Elvish. I could feel her excitement to go to Grimland, and her contagious energy was getting me excited, too. The blue sky behind her made it hard to believe it was still the rainy season, and it was as if the skies themselves were celebrating this day. I watched the sunny scenery and opened my mouth to speak.

“The weather really is nice today. The report said it was gonna rain.”

“Of course. We’re destined to go out today, and not even rain clouds can get in our way. So, since you’re making rice balls, are we taking the car today?” Marie’s conjecture was right. We could get there faster taking the train, but with Eve having just arrived here, I wasn’t too keen on having her walk through heavy traffic at the stations and streets. Marie and Wridra got used to it right away, but Eve had a sense of wildness to her, so I had a feeling she might stir up trouble a couple times. I wanted her to focus on having fun and preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“We could still get there in about thirty minutes or so. Oh, looks like they’re ready, too.” The door slid open again, and Wridra and Eve stepped out. The tan-skinned Eve had her ears completely covered, and her healthy thighs were in full display between her short shorts and knee-high socks.

“Oh, you’re gonna keep that hoodie on? You could wear whatever you want, you know.”

“Oh, but this is nice and comfy. It’s yours, right? Mind if I have it?” I didn’t mind, if she didn’t mind that it was a men’s hoodie. Maybe it was an elf thing, but Eve was sniffing the hoodie with her nose against the sleeve as I answered her.

The oversized hat covering her head was likely prepared by Wridra. It was the same russet color as the hoodie, and had a sort of modern look to it. Though, her blonde hair, blue eyes, and hourglass body were likely to draw a lot of attention. Such thoughts went through my mind as I watched her, and she turned around.

“But that really was amazing. Wridra, was it? How do you make things like hats so quickly?”

“Hah, hah, I have been alive for many long years. That was nothing.” Wridra smiled, and Eve let out an affirmative noise without questioning it further. But I wondered how Eve would have reacted if she found out she was talking to an Arkdragon that was over level 1000.

The dragon in question blurted out, “Rice balls!” and skipped over to me, so I completely missed the chance to introduce her.

“Mmf, my favorite! Hmhm, all tuna mayos belong to me!”

“No no, you need to share. Oh, did you get new clothes again? You seem to be into that gothic vibe lately,” I pointed out, noticing the new long-sleeve shirt peeking out from the shoulder of her vest. The wide skirt that extended below her knees was black, her favorite color. The black-haired beauty nodded and peered over from beside me. Not at me, but at the rice balls.

“I did go through the trouble of learning clothing designs. It would be a waste not to show it off. Just as how it would be a waste to leave any rice balls uneaten.” Wridra smiled as she said so around my eye level, but it felt like rice balls weren’t really on par with what we were talking about.

With her pale complexion, just putting on a little lipstick accentuated her beauty quite a lot. People said that women had the ability to transform themselves, but it really did seem that way. But no matter how much her outfit may stand out, we were going to a flashy and lively amusement park, so she wouldn’t seem out of place. We didn’t have time to waste, either. I stuffed my bag with rice balls and tea, then turned to the others who were waiting for departure.

“Okay, looks like we’re all ready to go. We didn’t forget anything, right?”

“Good,”

“To,”

“Go. Wait, what?”

One of them seemed to be having a hard time catching up, but I decided not to worry about it. We all headed toward the front door. Once we got our shoes on, it was time to leave.

“Eve, I’ll give you the honors of wearing the sneakers I really like. They’re very light and durable, so you can run very fast in them.”

“Huh. Whoa, it really is light. These are nice. I can have them?”

“No, I’m just letting you borrow them! I like them a lot, so I take good care of them.” Eve looked surprised as Marie bared her teeth like an upset cat. Judging by the fine features of Marie’s face, Eve seemed to think she was a mild-mannered girl. But Marie was actually quite the opposite. She never went against her own beliefs, and she pursued her thirst for knowledge and curiosity without holding back.

Realizing this, Eve stared at her with a curious look and said, “Hm. You’re gonna let me borrow these when you like them so much?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t mind. But just take good care of them. I’ll get upset if you treat them roughly.”

Come to think of it, those shoes were the first things I bought for Marie when she came to this world. I remember being a bit embarrassed when trying to buy women’s clothing and shoes for her. I was glad she liked them so much, but it made it hard to bring up the fact that they were actually pretty cheap. Yeah, it was best not to say anything.

“Oh, these are nice! They’re a bit small, but I like the fit. I feel like I can run even faster than usual.” Hearing her speak cheerfully, I remembered just how powerful Eve’s legs were. When she stole the jewels last time, I had a hard time catching up to her even while using my teleportation skill. The way she tapped the ground with her toes as she deftly jumped around vaguely was reminiscent me of sports athletes.

“You were really fast, Eve. What class are you?”

“You know, I don’t want you asking things like that so lightheartedly. You really think I’d just tell you? People can strategize against you based on your class alone. You wouldn’t want people asking you about yours, would you?”

“Huh, I don’t mind. My class is Illusory Swordsman, but... You’re probably not familiar with it, right?”

“Huh? No, never heard of it.” She shot me a dubious look because of my extremely obscure class. I couldn’t blame her, though. It was a class I had finally attained after about twenty years of solo play. I had no idea what the conditions were for unlocking it now.

Then I noticed Eve looking at her surroundings with her mouth agape.

“Whoaaa, there are so many of the same rooms lined up next to each other! How did they make this building? It’s obviously not made of wood, and it’s so high up... Ah! There are more of the same rooms above and below us! How many people are living here?!”

“A lot. Eve, you aren’t going to last if you’re surprised by something like this. She’s going to bother the neighbors like this, so we should go downstairs already,” Marie suggested as she pointed toward the staircase, so I agreed and adjusted the backpack on my back. If we got on the elevator with someone else, she’d probably start screaming about it moving on its own.

But come to think of it, Marie was really getting used to handling visitors from the other world. Such thoughts went through my mind as I went down the stairs after her. Moments later, Eve came running toward us, yelling, “Wait for me!”

“Nnnh, such clear weather!” Wridra had descended the stairs before us and was stretching with both arms spread out wide. The way she avoided inconveniences and got from point A to point B quicker than everyone else hadn’t changed since she was in her black cat form.

When I caught up to her, I found myself surrounded by the clear blue sky, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the weather now that the rain was gone. The girls were right; you just couldn’t beat that moment just before going out. I was full of excitement, and Marie was all smiles as she called for me to hurry.

I felt a faint vibration in my chest pocket, and I looked at the smartphone screen to find a message of encouragement from Kaoruko that read, “Today is the day! Have fun!” I couldn’t help but smile. She probably happened to see us leave from the floor above.

I had gone through strategy meetings with her to make sure our day at Grimland would be enjoyed to its full potential. I may have been from Aomori, but I had a duty to ensure the visitors from the other world would have the time of their lives here in Tokyo.

The sight of Marie happily holding onto Wridra’s arm was as bright as the blue skies. Any time I wasn’t sleeping was once filled with boredom, but my days were so full of life now. The change was staggering. The girls that had brought this change about probably didn’t even realize it. As I considered these thoughts, I noticed one of the women was staring right at me.

“Hm, I didn’t expect you to make a face like that,” Eve said.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Look, your Mariabelle is calling for you.”

What did she mean by “your”? And what sort of face was I making just now? But there was no time to think about such things. Marie was urging me to hurry from the entrance of the parking lot. It was already past the park’s opening time. We had to leave quickly, or I could get scolded by a certain elf.

And so, I reached out and grabbed the car’s door handle, but there was no way the dark elf wasn’t going to react to a modern vehicle. She stared at the car wide-eyed, and I felt the urge to say, “I didn’t expect you to make a face like that,” but decided against it.

“What’s this, what’s this? Are we supposed to ride this thing?”

“Leave such comments for later! Get in, Eve!” Wridra pushed Eve’s butt from behind as she stared into the car’s interior, and she let out a cry as she was forced into the vehicle. I wanted to tell her not to use violence, but I understood her rush. Marie and I raised a thumb of approval, and I climbed into my seat, too.

It was time to depart.

The car began accelerating slowly, and I could hear weird “Oh, oh, oh!” noises from the back seat. I didn’t have to turn around to know Eve was surprised. Marie and I looked at each other, and I had the feeling Eve was thinking something cliché.

“You’re probably going to say ‘What the?! It’s moving without a horse!’” Marie said.

“Huh?! I didn’t say anything yet!” She was probably thinking it, though. This was pretty much a given, and something they all went through once. Wridra also chuckled from beside her. Eve, who seemed to have a rather competitive personality, furrowed her brows in reaction. Thankfully, she copied the rest of us and put her seatbelt on, and we were ready to go.

The car slowly left the parking lot and began driving on the road that was now free of rain. Then, the music started playing right on cue, and I looked over to find Marie had just started playing a CD.

The melody that began to play had a distinctive Showa flavor to it. It was perfect for a trip through Japan, and the lyrics full of emotion still had a strong core following. Marie and Wridra had sung their hearts out to it last time. They seemed to remember this, and I sensed someone suddenly sit upright in the back seat.

“Hrm! Yes, this is it! This drives my sense of adventure like none other.”

“Doesn’t it? I can’t enjoy a Japan trip to the fullest without this music.”

Hm, I thought it was a bit too local to call it a “trip.” But I supposed it could be considered a mini-trip, and I smiled as the girls shook their heads along to the rhythm and sang together.

“I really don’t get you guys...” Eve muttered to herself, but the other two were too into it to hear her. Of course, I couldn’t help but join them from all the excitement, too.

And so, we continued driving down the road. With our spirits high from the wonderfully blue sky, we were headed for the land of dreams and magic.

It was said that nostalgic songs were called “golden oldies.” But to people who were visiting this world for the first time, it probably sounded like a fresh melody. Rice balls and barley tea in a bottle were passed around as we enjoyed the moody music, and I could tell the elf and the Arkdragon were getting even cheerier.

Meanwhile, there was one passenger who was as quiet as a lamb. The tan-skinned woman was sitting directly behind the driver’s seat, sweating profusely and clutching both her knees as she stared at the big bus that drove by outside the window.

“Eep! It’s gonna crush me! It’s so big and fast! Are the monsters in this world all like that?!”

“I-It’s okay. Eve, why don’t you try one of those rice balls? We won’t be eating for a while, and the last tuna mayo is about to disappear.”

“I-I can’t eat like this! Wah! What’s that huge thing?! How many people can that thing fit?!”

A giant tour bus drove by. It could probably have fit about fifty people or so inside, and it was heading toward the same amusement park as us. I wanted to take my time to explain, but we couldn’t bring food into the park, and we had quite some time until lunch. I glanced over to Mariabelle in the passenger seat, and she nodded with her mouth full of rice.

“Eve, look. Here, this is a tuna mayo rice ball. And I’ll leave some tea right here. I know you’re surprised, but you can still eat, right?” Marie made her hold the items, and the fragrant scent of seaweed seemed to draw Eve’s attention, as her nose started to twitch. Maybe dark elves also had a sharp sense of smell, being so closely related to Mariabelle. Since she had just arrived from the other world, the scenery around us must have been quite shocking. But it seemed she couldn’t beat the allure of the fragrance, and she opened her mouth to take a big bite.

“Hm...! Ah, what is this?!”

“It’s a rice ball. A portable meal, and the pride of Japan. Tuna mayo is especially popular among them, and everyone reaches for these first. You need to get them quickly, or Wridra will devour them all,” Mariabelle said like an older sister. They seemed quite different in appearance, but it was clear to see she was a kind girl who liked taking care of others. As a side note, since Eve couldn’t speak Japanese, we had been speaking Elvish throughout the whole car ride.

“Well? Is it good?” Eve couldn’t speak with her mouth full of food, so she simply nodded earnestly. The rice ball was made of white rice, seaweed, and tuna mayo, and its creamy flavor and umami filled one’s mouth with every bite. White rice was full of sweetness to begin with, so its delicious taste could be enjoyed right up to the point where you swallow it.

Eve took a swig of the tea, then closed her eyes and cried out, “Mmmmmm, delicious! This is that thing you were making earlier, right? You made it look so easy! How’d you make it?”

“I’ll teach you how to make it when we get back, if you’d like. But I’m glad you’re okay with rice, Eve. The dishes in this country are all based on complementing rice, so I would’ve been in trouble if you didn’t like it.”

“I’m totally fine with it. Actually, I like it. It’s squishy and has a nice texture, and the sour-sweet flavor is kinda addicting. And I like how the black stuff wrapped around it smells, too.”

Oh, it seemed she really enjoyed it. In response, I noticed Wridra wearing a smug expression as she sat back down in the back seat.

“Hah, hah, even I have yet to see the depths of this country’s food culture. If I were to express it in levels, rice balls would be about level 5. Of course, 99 isn’t the level limit.”

“Whaaat?! No way. You’re just trying to mess with me because I’m from the country,” Eve shot back, but I thought that level 5 sounded about right for rice balls. Marie and I glanced at each other as I thought it over. In any case, I didn’t actually know if there were distinctive country-born and city-born elves.

“Are there different kinds of elves? Her body structure seems a lot different from yours, and come to think of it, I really don’t know much about dark elves.”

“Umm, well. I’m from a forest tribe, and I suppose Eve is from an ocean tribe? Hmm, yes, I thought so when I first saw her. It’s true that dark skin is a characteristic of dark elves, but in many cases, they were regular elves just like me to start with,” Marie pointed at herself as she explained.

“For example, in my case, forest elves tend to seek knowledge. Their lifestyles usually don’t change much, and they tend to spend a lot of time reading books or learning Spirit Magic. Elves that live by the ocean, both male and female, tend to be physically stronger, so you should be able to tell them apart pretty easily.”

Hm, she was right that the elves I saw in forests were usually on the slender side. Their height and build varied, and after speaking to them, I felt like Marie was comparatively more intelligent. I now understood that there were differences based on where they were from, but I was curious about the dark elves themselves.

“I’m what they call a dark elf. We use spirits the wrong way,” Eve explained.

“The wrong way? What do you mean?” I asked, and Marie made a face like she was deep in thought.

“That’s what they say, generally, but I don’t know if I agree that it’s wrong, per se. You take spirits into your body to enhance it, right? I think that’s a logical method, too.”

“Come to think of it, you guys aren’t afraid of me at all for some reason. And you seem to know a decent amount about dark elves. Hey, do you have any more rice balls?” Eve asked, and it seemed to me like one of the walls she had up in her heart had been broken down in this conversation.

“If you’re from an ocean tribe, maybe you’d like some cod roe,” Marie said as she handed over a rice ball, and the expression on Eve’s face confirmed my thoughts. Marie licked a piece of rice on her finger and smiled.

“Yes, my mother was a dark elf, after all. She was very scary when she got angry, but she’s my kind mother who I’m proud of. So I have absolutely no prejudice in that sense.”

“Oh, you mean Sharsha. That brings me back. You’re right, she was very scary when she was angry,” I said.

“She’d always pinch my cheeks whenever I did anything bad. She could easily catch up to me even when I ran away as fast as I could. I can’t remember how many times I screamed as I tried to flee.” We chuckled with each other as Eve watched us, wide-eyed. Sharsha was a woman who had taken care of me when I was learning Elvish, and I remembered her being absolutely wonderful. If I ever had the chance, I wanted to go see her again.

But if I were to do that, I had to reassess my understanding. Maybe there just weren’t a lot of them out there, or they were living in hiding, because it was very rare to run into dark elves. Yet, I still heard rumors about them, and they were often referred to as a race cursed by the gods. But according to Marie’s explanation earlier, it seemed like they had only enhanced their physical prowess by taking spirits into their bodies.

“So that’s where she got that incredible leg strength from,” I thought to myself as I glanced at the rear view mirror. Just then, our eyes met.

Eve drank some more tea, then wore a rather uncomfortable expression on her face. I wondered what was wrong, then she hesitantly opened her mouth.

“...Hey, when are you gonna ask me about Zarish? He did such horrible things, and you did nearly die, after all. You must be wondering about his objectives and his abilities, right?”

“Huh? I don’t have any intention of asking about that stuff,” I replied.

“Indeed. This is our day of leisure that we had been waiting for for so long. I forbid you to mention that man’s name from now on,” Wridra added.

“I agree. I don’t even want to think about such a creepy man.”

With all three of us hitting her with a disinterested reply, Eve was left dumbfounded, her blue eyes bulging wide. I couldn’t have left such a dangerous man alone, of course, but I would have been able to think of how to deal with him after we had our fill of fun.

As our conversation went on, we started seeing glimpses of hotels around the amusement park area. And as the excitement in the car grew, we merged onto the road that specifically led to the park.

§

“Fwaaah...” Marie let out a strange sound.

We hadn’t arrived at Grimland proper quite yet. Being a theme park that was the pride of Kanto, the streets leading there were quite well decorated.

“Nyaaa! The streets! The streets look so cute!”

The street lamps were adorned with cute decorations, and there were mascot characters ahead. The cheerful music that could be heard seemed to push us forward, and it was like a trail of snacks leading children to its entrance. It reminded me of an old children’s book.

What awaited us at our destination? Seeing Marie’s side profile, I could tell her mind was filled with such questions and curiosity.

“I’ve never been so excited. It’s like I’m in a picture book!”

Marie clutched my sleeve while pumping her feet in place, eyes sparkling with wonder. The sky was beautifully clear, and a castle-like hotel could be seen in the distance. The girl from the dream world flapped her navy skirt and spun in place, seemingly unable to contain herself.

She wasn’t acting like her usual self—or maybe she was? I’d expected her to at least follow up by blushing and clearing her throat. Not only were the surrounding scenery and music cheerful, but so were the faces of those who walked by. Nobody laughed at Marie for her jubilation, and her smile was as bright as the blue sky when she turned to face me.

“Come on, let’s go inside already. If we stand around for too long, we’ll end up at the very back of the line.”

“Huh, they really put a lot of money into this place. There’s no way the amusement park at Aomori could compete.”

“Goodness, are you really thinking about money at a place like this? It’s hard to tell if you’re a romantic or not. Here, let’s hurry inside.” The girl gave me a look like I was hopeless, then naturally held my hand. I felt a bit awkward about people seeing us with our fingers intertwined, but Marie began walking off right away, and I followed after her as if I were being dragged along. I didn’t even notice the unamused look in Wridra’s eyes as she watched us. She then complained to the woman next to her.

“Be strong, Eve. Now that you have come to this world, you must be sure not to let your mind be infected by that sickly-sweet air that makes one want to claw at their own chest. Hmph, I cannot understand how they can consider each other just friends when they behave that way.”

Question marks popped up around the dark elf woman’s head as she watched Wridra sigh while massaging her brows. Who could have blamed her? Wridra was powerful enough that even the hero candidate immediately wanted her in his party, and she was thought to be the driving force behind the first and second floors of the ancient labyrinths being cleared.

But she didn’t act particularly high and mighty, which was made apparent by the conversation in the car and the way she had helped Eve change. Eve thought it must have been an act to lower her guard at first, but seeing the Arkdragon with an expression that was so gloomy that she could have curled up in a ball on the floor any second, it didn’t seem like she had the capacity to do such a thing.

Though, Eve did understand what Wridra was trying to say. Her blue eyes followed the couple’s backs, and she parted her plump lips.

“Well, yeah. It seems like they don’t even notice what they’re doing. But you didn’t have to come if you didn’t wanna deal with that kinda stuff, right?”

“Fool, why should I sit at home by myself?! I looked forward to coming to Grimland from the bottom of my heart, and I have been counting down the days on my fingers! Hah, hah, just you watch. I will not succumb to that sickly-sweet atmosphere.”

Her expression was filled with determination as she took a bold step forward. Why did she have to work herself up so much just to head to this “Grimland”? Eve was unable to understand it at all, and she followed after the dragon with the surprise still visible on her face.

Today happened to be a sunny day after all of the rain we’d been getting, so people had been drawn to the theme park in droves. Judging by how cheery everyone looked, it seemed they were all sick of the constant gloomy weather. Of course, the girl at our lead wore a brilliant smile, as if representing how everyone else felt.

Now, I had four tickets in my hand. They each featured different characters, but the different designs didn’t really mean anything. They were just extra details for the guests to enjoy. There were pictures of a rabbit, a frog, a dog, and a cow.

I turned around with the entrance ticket in hand to find Marie looking around with great interest. I approached her as she took in her surroundings with her pale purple eyes wide open, and she finally met my gaze.

“This is amazing! Everything is so elaborately designed, like that impressive clock tower. I was told it’s a place where children play, so I thought it would be a lot more carefree.”

No no, she had it all wrong. This place was made by adults who weren’t messing around. One could have called it a world full of hopes and dreams. It was said that in order to fool kids, you would need to be able to fool grown-ups first. Similarly, this place was made so adults would have been able to have fun, too.

“That’s what I heard from Kaoruko, anyway. Marie, which entrance ticket do you want? Wridra and Eve haven’t noticed yet, so you can choose whichever one you like.”

“Oh, such pretty colors! Hm, let’s see... Hmm... If there’s no significant difference between them, I don’t mind which one I get at all. But if I were to pick...”

She stared at me with a serious look in her eyes, and I was a bit taken aback. She extended her finger and let it roam around a little. It hovered back and forth between the rabbit and the frog several times, completely contradicting what she had just said. And finally, she plucked a single ticket from the bunch.

“I choose the rabbit. It’s not because it’s cute or anything like that. As you know, this is an animal that’s very common in the elven forests. It just gives me a sense of familiarity is all,” she explained rather calmly, but her sight never left the ticket in her hand, and I could see a faint smile curling the edge of her lips. She let out a puff of air from her nose, seemingly satisfied with her selection.

“I’m glad you seem to like it. Put it in this case so you can hang it around your neck by the cord attached to it. Now, which one do I pick...?”

“Oh, is that the entrance ticket for Grimland? I shall choose one, then.” Wridra’s head peered in, and she took the one printed with the image of the frog picture without hesitation, unlike the elf girl. Come to think of it, Wridra was always surrounded by lizardmen, so maybe frogs were creatures she was familiar with in a way, too. As I considered this, a pair of blue eyes met mine next.

“Just the cow and the dog left? Aw, then I’ll take the dog. You’re pretty sleepy-looking, so the cow probably suits you better, anyway.” Eve grinned as she took a ticket, leaving me with the last one. I really didn’t mind which one I got, but I had to admit that seeing the half-asleep cow’s face was slightly saddening.

“Okay, don’t forget to put your ticket in the case and hang it around your neck. It’ll be a huge problem if you end up losing it,” Marie said. I couldn’t tell if she was just looking out for me or turning me into a laughing stock. Seeing the two sleepy-looking faces matching one above the other, the three girls burst into laughter.

I see, so she wanted to turn me into a laughing stock.

I took the group through the gate, and before us stood a crowd at the shopping district. Looking up, there was a clear ceiling to shield us from any rain, and even this managed to draw surprised noises from the other three.

“The entire ceiling is covered in glass. Amazing. It takes an incredible amount of weight and durability to support such a thing,” Wridra said.

“I don’t get it at all. Why do they use so much money on this?” The answer was: because the returns would justify the investment. Of course, the ticket I paid for was just a portion of it. Marie turned her eyes toward the surrounding buildings.

“Wooow, cute! So cute! Everything around me is adorable!”

She was all-smiles and having a great time. The colorful buildings were definitely right up her alley. Just as I predicted earlier, the wide street was designed to be charming, as if you had wandered into a picture book. Everything was constructed with intricate care, and these girls must have truly felt like they entered another world.

“Damn, I totally underestimated this place. That weird ‘car’ thing was really tiring, but I’m glad I got to see this place.”

“Huh? Oh, no. This is just a souvenir shop.”

“Huh?” Eve said as her eyes widened, and Wridra had a similar reaction next to her.

“Don’t tell me they put up that glass ceiling and made this cityscape just for shopping?”

“They did, but, hmm... We’ll stop by later if you’re still interested, but let’s keep going for now.”

Otherwise, the lines for the rides were going to keep getting longer. I held Marie’s hand so we wouldn’t get separated, and we slowly made our way through the foot traffic. At the center of the shopping district was a big stick of bamboo showing off its vivid, fresh green.

“Hm, what is that? Some sort of Japanese tradition?”

“Umm, that’s probably for Tanabata. We still have some time, and it varies by region, but there’s an event called Tanabata on July 7th where you write wishes on strips of paper and hang them up.”

I was a bit surprised by its presence, too, despite being the one explaining the process. I didn’t know they would be applying Japanese culture to a park with a western setting like this. Marie, who was walking next to me, loved things like stories and traditions. She responded with curious oohs and ahhs as she repeatedly turned back and forth between the bamboo and me.

We made our way through the shopping area, and the girl let out a surprised noise again. She squeezed my hand and stopped in her tracks.

“Ahhh! Look, look! A castle! The roof is blue! It’s just like the one in that movie! See? It’s the same shape!”

The way she pointed as she tried her hardest to explain was absolutely adorable. I wanted to keep my cheeks from breaking into a grin, but I wasn’t quite sure if I was able to pull it off.

“Hm, it might be real if you say so. Up until now, I was wondering if it was a very similar lookalike.”

“Oh, don’t you worry. That’s the real castle. I would be able to tell right away if it’s fake. The sad thing is, an imitation would’ve had an obvious unnatural look to it.” The confident look on her face as she said so nearly made me crumple to my knees. Endure. I had to endure. She may have been adorable, but I didn’t want to destroy her dreams. I outwardly maintained my calm, but I was internally screaming.

Contrary to our excitement, Wridra and Eve were staring at the castle rather solemnly. Curious to know what they were talking about, I strained my ears to listen.

“Hmm, the windows are small, and the tower extends quite high up,” Wridra observed. “I’m no expert or anything, but my gut tells me there’s some sort of long-ranged magic user hiding up there. From that height, they could really take advantage of materialization magic...”

Whoa, they were talking about some unsettling stuff. How could they think that an enemy would be lurking at a merry place like this? Maybe a person’s imagination went in weird directions when they got too used to castles in fantasy worlds.

I needed to show these two what sort of place this theme park was. Otherwise, they were going to hold on to this mistaken notion the entire time. And so, I decided to take the group to an attraction full of splashing water that men and women of all ages would enjoy.

We were in a cave surrounded by craggy rocks. Of course, it wasn’t made naturally, but deliberately created for this facility.

Characters popped out of holes and mumbled to themselves as the line moved forward slowly. Lighthearted organ music and whispers from various characters reverberated around us. Surrounded by scenery that was completely different from that of a normal cave, Marie’s eyes glimmered as she nodded to the voices she heard.

“Amazing... It’s just like when I open picture books. You know when you read me books at night? It feels just like that.”

Marie was blushing slightly as she turned around, and she had the same expression as she did whenever I read her books. I wanted her to get a good sense of what kind of place this theme park really was, and her words were actually pretty on the mark.

“Yeah, we’ve wandered into a picture book. This is a lively land of animals that eat tasty food, and some of them are a bit mean. Like the drooling wolf, for example.”

“My, how scary. Then you’ll probably be the first to be eaten. I should tie you down so I can escape while you get caught,” the girl said, with reddish-brown rocks and thorns all around her. As she spoke, she spread out the fingers of both hands as if she was about to pounce and catch me.

Our surroundings were a bit dim, and her pale skin made her stand out in the darkness. This sight alone seemed like a scene from a picture book, I thought to myself.

We were in a land of animals, a world that couldn’t be experienced in either reality or the other world. The characters spoke in a somewhat comical manner, and the view was just as vivid as the picture books. The elf, dragon, and dark elf couldn’t help but feel their hearts beating quickly with excitement.

As we all listened to the vocal guide and read some descriptive text, Eve looked at us with a puzzled expression.

“Wait, so you guys understand the language of this world?”

“Of course. This world is the only place that’s so full of entertainment. I worked desperately to learn everything from learning how to speak, to reading and writing,” Marie replied.

“Indeed, I would be visiting this place many times over, so I quickly learned it, as well. Though, you are somewhat of the dumb archetype, so it may be difficult for you,” Wridra added.

“Whaaat?! Who are you calling a ‘dumb archetype’?! Hmph, I learned the common language humans use in only three years. I’m smarter than I look, so don’t go making fun of me, all right?”

She crossed her arms with a self-satisfied expression, but... Three years, huh? I was having trouble figuring out how to respond. I glanced to my side to see Marie, who had learned basic Japanese in just a month or so, and Wridra, who used a skill slot to learn it on the day she arrived. Both of their mouths were making strange squirming motions with expressions that were hard to describe.

I felt an elbow nudge me, and I realized it was a request from Marie to do something about this awkward air. And so, I cleared my throat and gave her my best cheerful expression.

“Well, we’re just average commoners, so there’s not much we can do. As long as we keep taking one step forward at a time, I’m sure our dreams will come true.”

“Get your hand off my shoulder! I’m not stupid, and I don’t wanna be grouped with a sleepy-looking guy like you!”

“Oh, but he knows a broader range of languages than I do. I’ve never seen a human who started by learning Elvish and ended up learning the language of giants, too.”

Oh, that was right. Well, when you play for twenty whole years, languages were a thing that someone would just kind of pick up along the way. Such thoughts crossed my mind, but Eve’s face wore an expression of sorrow, as if she had just been betrayed by a friend running a marathon with her. I could almost hear her heart sinking.

“Wait, what? Don’t tell me I really am dumb...? My teacher who taught me the common language told me that I was smart a bunch of times...”

I had the feeling he had told her that to make Eve feel better. Even Wridra was looking at her with an expression of pity.

“F-Forgive me, I did not realize it was this bad... I will get you something sweet later. Cheer up.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better at all!” Eve shouted, her face red with anger, but it seemed her archetype was now set in stone. Though, on my end, I was a bit relieved, since I was usually surrounded by such smart people.

Our conversation went on, and our turn came up before I knew it.

A co-worker once told me that couples that couldn’t keep up a conversation while waiting in line often ended up getting into fights. I was feeling pretty nervous about it, but it seemed that I’d been worrying over nothing.

Our ride made a splashing noise as it appeared, and Marie whispered, “Raft,” with a cheerful tone. It appeared to be carved from a log, and it was closer to a canoe than a raft. Of course, it wasn’t just any old canoe, but one that was designed so many people could safely ride within it at once.

It was strange to see Marie and the others obediently follow the staff member’s orders. Then, I realized that since this was like a world inside a picture book, it wasn’t all that strange for elves and dragons to be there.

What was about to happen? What was about to begin? Seeing the three ladies look around in anticipation made me smile. Before I knew it, Eve was enjoying herself, too, and the cautiousness she’d had in the beginning seemed to have started to fade away.

The ride began to move in the total darkness. The vehicle shook slightly, and Marie let out a small yelp.

“Ah, ah! It’s moving!”

“It is a ride, after all. Think of it like a car. Hold on tight so you don’t bump into anything,” I replied. She nodded, but I wasn’t sure if she was really listening. She stared straight ahead at a cute bipedal animal that was telling the beginning of his story.

He lived here with his close friends, spending each day in peace. But he explained that there were those who sought to eat him, hinting at the unrest that existed even in this fairytale world.

The story went on as the log ship made waves, slowly increasing its speed. Jaunty music and voices could be heard from all around us, and we continued our way through the rocky cave. The role of the character before us was to inform us of what sort of adventure awaited us, and that we were inside the world of a picture book.

“How cute,” Marie whispered to me, and I nodded in earnest agreement. We eventually made it through the cave to be greeted by the blue sky, and Marie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the reddish-brown rocks and the huge body of water ahead.

“It’s that character from earlier! Maybe he lives here. How nice it must be to have a house next to a lake.”

“Yeah, this is definitely a prime location to live. He may not look it, but maybe he’s actually a huge real estate investor.”

Then, as if he had heard our conversation, he waved right at us. Marie waved back without thinking, but he said something that made her smile freeze solid.

“This morning, I saw someone with weird eyes. He might be hiding somewhere around this village, so you should be careful, too. Whatever you do, don’t go walking around all by yourself.” He pressed a finger to his lips, then looked around as if sharing a secret. Marie’s face grew tense as she watched his cautious gesture.

“I-It’s okay. You’ve lived here for a long time, right? So I’m sure you’ll be safe today, too.”

I couldn’t tell if Marie’s voice had reached him or not. He looked rather worried and fiddled with the brim of his hat as he let out a sigh. Then, he uttered, “I’m scared.”

But the log boat continued on, pressed forward by the flowing water. Worried about leaving the character behind, Marie looked back many times, but there was no stopping the story once it started. Just like a fairytale, you couldn’t stop reading once you started turning the pages.

Everything went dark again, and I realized we were inside of a cave once more. There were rough rocks all around us, and perhaps it was the effect of what the character had said earlier, but there was a slight chill to the air. And just as the cheery music stopped playing, the floor below us became unsteady. We had started going down a steep slope. We felt airborne for a moment as the wind caressed our cheeks, and Marie squeezed her eyes shut.

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

The fear was all the more heightened without the ability to see what was in front of us. But this was just the beginning. The log boat immediately floated back to the surface, as if to tell us just that, sending a wave rippling around us.

Where are we?

Marie seemed to be thinking that to herself as she scanned her surroundings, and then lamps began lighting themselves along the waterway. The light lit up her eyes like amethysts, and watching her side profile made me feel like I really had stepped into a realm of fantasy. It was quite a striking sight.

Now, the forest animals were being surprisingly severe.

They were playing pranks on the wolf, setting traps, and laughing at him, as if to show that Marie’s worries had been for nothing. Marie seemed flabbergasted, but she also let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, I feel dumb for worrying so much. He really loves playing pranks, doesn’t he? That wolf should surrender and leave the forest already.”

She whispered in my ear as if asking for agreement, but I felt a bit conflicted. I felt a mix of ticklishness and a desire to stay close to her, but I also actually knew what was going to happen next.

No matter what, I had to avoid spoiling her. That was my mindset as I watched the animals live their fun, merry lives along with Marie. They were surprisingly good at singing and dancing, so she watched them with wide-eyed fascination.

She was enjoying the story, so she must have felt the change in the air. The cave suddenly turned darker, and the air somehow felt colder. The cheerful music began fading away, and a forlorn look overtook her expression.

Wolves were cunning creatures that plotted to catch their prey with unexpected methods. A spotlight illuminated the wolf’s dark grin, making Marie even more anxious. Looking at her, I noticed her light skin had become even paler.

“Th-This is much scarier than our usual picture books. It’s already spring, but the air feels like it’s going to freeze over. Stay right where you are and don’t move, okay, Kazuhiro-san?”

She wrapped her arms around mine and squeezed as she said so, and I was internally panicking. I could feel the beat of her heart directly, and anyone would forget all about the wolf with her sweet scent wafting in the air around her.

I didn’t realize I was staring at the elf girl. Her pale purple eyes met mine, and she smiled right next to me.

“Oh, you’re a scaredy-cat, too? Don’t worry, I am, too. Let’s root for the forest animals together.”

Huh... why was I the one getting encouragement? It was just a misunderstanding, but maybe she felt a kinship toward me now. She drew in even closer, and I no longer even cared about the chill in the cave.

The animals were being quite a handful, too. They shattered the wolf’s plots by tricking him with superior speaking skills. They hid themselves within some thorns, and the wolf chased them in a fluster.

Before we knew it, the log boat was moving faster, as if to give chase. The water flow was quicker than before, and water droplets splashed up and hit my cheek. We made it through the cave, giving us hope for the blue skies again, but the view ahead was completely blocked by a rocky stretch.

The first question that came to mind was a rather plain one: what lay beyond those rocks? We had gone through multiple drops by now, but we could hear the sound of rushing water drawing near. Both Marie and the one sitting behind me were getting a bad feeling about this.

“Hey, Kazuhiho! You tricked me! Th-There’s a scary waterfall up ahead, isn’t there?!”

No, no, I didn’t trick anyone. It would have been a spoiler if I had warned her, and since she was here for the first time, I wanted her to enjoy it to the fullest.

Our ride was placed up onto something with a clunk. As the log boat slowly tilted its angle, the elf and dark elf’s faces turned more and more pale. When they saw the basin of the waterfall directly below us, the emotions they had been bottling up until that moment finally erupted all at once.

“Nnyaaaaaaaaa!”

We dove through water droplets as adorable screams echoed throughout Grimland. Under the blue, clear sky, the screams had reached many people’s ears.

A photo appeared on a monitor, showing everyone’s expression at the moment we plunged toward the basin. Marie and Eve’s mouths were wide open, and they were each clutching on to the person next to them. Unlike those two, Wridra could be seen laughing joyously. It seemed a drop like that didn’t even faze a dragon.

“Why don’t we buy a picture as a souvenir? Everyone looks cute in the photos.”

“Guhehe! Ahem, ahem, yes, indeed. We do look rather great in these pictures. Surely, they will make for great memories. We should buy them immediately.”

“Absolutely not. I won’t talk to you for quite some time if you buy such photos. It’s up to you if you don’t mind... Do you still want them?”

She shot me a cold look, and I realized this wasn’t going to fly. It was dawning on me that there was a land mine directly under my foot, and I was about to step right onto it. Marie shot me a cold look, reminding me that her follow-up attacks were relentless at times like this. And yet, I still felt she looked cute, because she had already shot right through my heart. Ever since the day we first met, that is.

“Hm? What are you smiling about?”

“Oh, I was just remembering the day I met you. You were screaming pretty loud then, too. I think you may have been just as loud earlier.” She blinked a couple times, then seemed to remember the distant past and parted her lustrous lips.

“I’ve heard there’s an elven anecdote about seeing someone and never being able to forget about them. But I’ve also learned that rumors tend to get embellished a lot. Personally, I don’t think I could ever forget your sleepy-looking face.” With that, she pressed her shoulder against me. No matter how much time we spent together, I was always surprised by her beautiful eyes as she looked up at me. There was a sense of mysticism to their vividness, and her direct gaze never wavered as they sparkled in the sunlight.

I wondered what she was about to say, as her lips had partially parted. But they closed again, as if she’d reconsidered, and I wasn’t able to hear whatever words may have been. I didn’t understand the emotions welling up in my chest, either. Despite my feelings being my own, I had no idea how to put them into words. Seeing Marie’s wavering eyes, I felt that maybe she was experiencing the same emotions, as well. But in that moment, we heard the voice of a woman who couldn’t read the room at all.

“Hey, how come your face looks sleepy even when you’re falling upside-down in the air? You’re even weirder than Wridra, don’t you think?”

“...” I blinked several times, then breathed in and out a few times as well before I could begin to interpret Eve’s words. It seemed she was still wondering about the photo on the monitor.

“Hmm, I was scared. We fell pretty suddenly.”

“Liar. You’re definitely lying. That’s a sleepy face if I ever saw one. I didn’t notice at first, but you’re pretty dense, aren’t you? It’s not so much that you’ve got guts, but it’s like you don’t care about anything besides whatever interests you.”

I couldn’t say anything in response to that. I was just a normal salaryman, and I felt bothered by being just a little bit late or worried about my boss getting upset. Considering my lifestyle, I thought I was far from being dense.

“See? Look. My mouth is a bit open, too.”

“Just a bit! It looks more like you’re just breathing out of your mouth!”

Oof, her voice was pretty loud. At a loss for what to do, I glanced over at the monitor again. Now that she mentioned it, maybe the look on my face wasn’t really fit for this sort of attraction.

“Maybe it’s because I’m always flying around in my dreams. There’s no lifeline over there, and I’ve always been totally fine on thrill rides like these.”

“Like waterfalls?! You’ve fallen from one before?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. You haven’t?”

Eve squeezed both fists and thrust them downward. Then, she turned red, shouting, “Of course not!”

“He doesn’t have very much common sense. He once told me about a time he willingly dove into a river that was flooding from a storm.” Marie suddenly joined into the conversation, and I felt like I had been betrayed. I mean, I did do some reckless things back in the other world, but I was just having fun in my dreams... Though, such an excuse would have been completely ineffective on these two girls. Their “I can’t believe you”s and “You’re weird”s went on for a little while longer. I really had no retort to give in response to any of it.

But then, I realized something. Seeing Eve getting all worked up, I noticed she was completely different from when I’d seen her this morning. I reluctantly bowed my head and apologized for having no common sense. Eve responded, “That’s right!” Marie joined in, laughing in a carefree manner.

It seemed she could laugh after all. I had seen her crying with a gloomy expression for so long that it was strangely quite a relief to see her let loose at the theme park. Maybe it was a good thing I’d brought her here. The thought crossed my mind as I watched her growing closer to Marie.

Just then, Wridra caught my attention. She was smiling as she drank juice through a straw. She must have bought it with the allowance I’d given her. Curious about the way she seemed to be watching over them, I quietly moved in closer.

“So, how much did the Lady Arkdragon foresee of all this?”

“As I have said before, it was merely intuition. But if you were able to realize that dark elves are not evil on your own, then that is the merit of you and Marie’s own character.”

Her lipstick left a mark on her straw, and her eyes with their long lashes narrowed into a smile. It was impossible to tell the true intentions of a dragon who was over level 1000. I watched the other two girls who were still staring at the monitor and laughing, and I whispered to Wridra.

“I’ll do my best to figure out what to do about the whole Zarish situation. I feel like I shouldn’t just let him be.”

“Since olden times, conflicts with evil tend to last for extended periods of time. But you must be cautious. The thoughts of evil men will eventually manifest themselves in your own mind without you realizing it.”

It was almost like a prophet telling a fortune. I felt like I could almost understand her abstract statement, but I couldn’t quite shape it into something concrete. There was a mystical feel to her eyes that sparkled like the night sky.

“Hah, hah, I am relieved to see there is at least some resentment for him inside you. You have a tendency to avoid making any changes in the way you live. However, change occurs to everyone. Just like that dark elf who was released from the bindings of that ring.” She then handed something to me: the partially-finished juice she was drinking. The droplet of condensation that touched my finger felt cold. Wridra placed her hand on my shoulder, and I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be a gesture of encouragement or if she was forecasting the future.

I still didn’t get to ask her why she made me face off with Zarish, but I had a feeling she didn’t intend to tell me in the first place. Dragons had always been creatures that disliked boorish comments.

There was still a vague, murky feeling brewing inside me, but I just sipped on the juice while watching her walk away from me. The carbonated drink was melon flavored and chilled with some ice.

There were things about Zarish and Eve that I found rather distressing and troubling... but at this moment, I didn’t notice that Eve herself was staring at me. The former subordinate of Zarish had a rather severe look on her face as thoughts raced through her mind.

(No way, was that an indirect kiss?! He just drank out of that straw Wridra was using... S-So it really is true that people in the city are more casual about these sorts of things!)

Despite the serious look on her face, her internal thoughts were rather silly. But to her, this was no laughing matter. She remembered the events from the morning when she had let her guard down because of his sleepy-looking face.

(Or maybe he’s so dense that he didn’t even notice it was an indirect kiss...)

She set her resolve and walked up to him, and he turned around with that perpetually-sleepy face of his.

“What is it?” he asked with that usual gentle tone, and Eve’s shoulders jumped in response. There was something strangely mature about him.

“H-Hey, you just kissed Wridra indirectly. Don’t you care about that kinda stuff?”

“Huh? Indirect kiss...? That’s a bit dramatic.” It seemed he wasn’t just dense, and he understood the meaning of the words. But he gave his straw a glance, then laughed lightly. Perhaps his unconcerned demeanor indicated that he didn’t think of Wridra as someone of the opposite sex, or he simply had a calm personality to begin with. As Eve tried to figure it out, a cheery voice suddenly chimed in.

“Oh, that looks good. Can I have some?” Marie, who had been sitting next to Kazuhiho, took a sip from the straw, and Kazuhiho’s expression immediately broke down. His cheeks became slightly pink, and his eyes drifted upward and to the side with an expression that made it hard to tell if he was troubled or smiling. Seeing such an expression on him for the first time, Eve’s blue eyes widened.

(H-He just isn’t aware of anyone but Marie!)

Kazuhiho’s grip on the cup was far more tight than necessary, and his expression broke down further when Marie’s fingers wrapped around his hand. Perhaps she was enjoying his reaction, because she wore a rather satisfied look on her face as her pale purple eyes watched the side of his face. There was an inexplicable sense of allure emanating from her, and Eve, too, felt her cheeks growing hotter.

(Wha... These two are even worse!)

Eve thought to herself in a fluster. Marie was the one holding the reins, and it seemed she was having quite a lot of fun with it as she wrapped her arms around him. Wridra’s words about the “sickly-sweet air that makes one want to claw at their own chest” flashed through Eve’s mind. Somehow, she managed to restrain the sudden urge to dump the cup of juice over both of their heads.

§

Lighthearted music could be heard from all around us. The theme park that was considered the pride of Kanto made us feel like we were in a picture book just by walking down the street.

There was a liveliness to the western-style buildings lining the streets, and the three women excitedly chatted about how pretty and big they were as they walked on. I could tell they were having the time of their lives even from behind, and it seemed Eve was starting to learn to enjoy the entertainment on her first day here. Occasionally, she turned around with a happy expression and asked me to take a picture.

The shutter sound rang out as I took a picture, preserving the image of the girls jumping together with a rabbit, full of joyous energy. Yeah, she really looked great in pictures. I looked at the picture, appreciating how cute her pearly smile was. I thought it was a shame to leave such a picture as just data, and I secretly decided to take it to a shop to get it printed later. But being able to take as many pictures of this adorable resident of the fantasy world as I wanted, I was able to understand how it felt to be a “photo otaku,” who typically took pictures of things like railroads and such.

“Maybe I should get a single-lens reflex camera... No, but I won’t get my bonus for a while. Hmm...”

“You know, you have a tendency to mumble to yourself sometimes. No matter how much time I spend with you, I could never shake my impression of you being a strange human. Oh, that picture came out ni...ce...” Marie peered at my smartphone, then froze for some reason. She tensed up, then slowly turned her head up toward me.

“Wh-When did you take so many pictures? I’m also curious why I’m always at the center of the picture. Just look, you can’t even see the bunny rabbit I like. Eve is only in two pictures... And those are just pictures she happened to be in with me!” Marie held up two fingers as she whispered low enough that the others couldn’t hear, and I couldn’t help but be surprised. I looked at the screen again, and she was right: the various pictures were all of Marie, featuring different expressions. Though, it was still only about thirty pictures or so.

“Oh, right. I get it. I didn’t even realize... You’re not supposed to only take pictures of what you like,” I concluded.

“Th-Th-That’s...not what I’m saying, but... Ah, I mean! No more taking pictures. You are to take a picture only when I tell you to. Otherwise, I’ll be confiscating your phone, mister.” Marie turned pink as she pinched my arm, and I couldn’t believe she had ordered a ban on photography. I wasn’t fazed easily, but even I felt a shock that almost brought me to my knees.

“Hey, wait a second. If all I need is your permission, I just need to ask whenever I want to take a picture. Then, I guess that’s not so bad. By the way, Marie, I want to take pictures of you heading to the next attraction, so can you walk around candidly while enjoying the scenery?” I smiled as I asked the question, and Marie looked at me with a tight expression for some reason. A few minutes later, my phone was stowed away in the half-fairy elf girl’s pocket, and I wasn’t able to capture any photos of her image. There was nothing I could do as a cameraman when my subject had turned down my request to take photos. I was starting to realize a new hobby, but the dream had ended quite abruptly.

Yet, as I watched the three girls from behind without a smartphone in hand, I came to an unexpected realization. The residents of the fantasy world really stood out. But they seemed to blend in well to this brilliant environment, and the looks from strangers weren’t all too noticeable here. I came to the happy realization that maybe this place was an ideal spot to have fun for a dark elf that was usually scorned by others.

Then, Marie turned to look at me with her amethyst eyes and smiled.

“I understand what these attractions are now. Each of the facilities here have their own story, just like a picture book. It’s set up so we can experience it from the same viewpoint as the characters.” Ah, that was right. I had brought the girls to that place earlier to have them experience what sort of place Grimland was. With Mariabelle’s smarts and her love for picture books, she was the one to figure it out as I had expected, and Eve looked at her with her blue eyes widened in surprise.

“Whoa, that’s crazy. So there’s a bunch of other stuff just like that one earlier?”

“They are all around us; too many to count. They are all there for our entertainment,” Wridra explained as she spread open a map. The map featured countless attractions, just as she had said, and the elf and dark elf blinked several times as they stared. Then, their faces brightened, probably because they were imagining just how fun the rest of their day was going to be.

“Oh, wow! I didn’t realize this place was so amazing! I’m so glad you brought us,” Marie exclaimed. “All right, then let’s go to the next attraction and enjoy everything Grimland has to offer.”

The girls all raised their fists and shouted, “Yeah!” in unison. Ah... So cute and full of life.

Now, I felt bad for putting a damper on them, but I made the decision to bring them into a world of horror. Wridra was usually so full of confidence, but I remembered she had occasionally dropped comments about disliking scary things. I just couldn’t contain my curiosity... Oh, no, this was just out of my own personal interest, so don’t worry about it.

I watched the girls from behind as they frolicked about, and a grin spread across my face.

We were at a theme park in celebration of the sunny weekend amidst the rainy season. But even the girls who were cheerily running about earlier grew silent, sensing that something was off. It was sunny just moments earlier, but there were dark clouds gathered at the mansion ahead.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and the sight that was unbefitting of the dreamland was more than unsettling. Marie’s voice trembled as she spoke to me, my hand in hers.

“...Not there. That’s not where we’re going, is it?”

“Hmm, this is my first time coming here, too, so I can’t tell just by looking at the building. Umm, I think it was called something-mansion.”

This was no good. I had done so much pre-planning, but I had forgotten the name of the attraction. I had no choice but to head for that building up ahead. I glanced over at Wridra, and it seemed like the corner of her mouth was tightly drawn. Good, good... I mean, what was wrong with her?

“H-Hey, is it just me, or are we getting closer to that mansion? And our surroundings are getting kind of scary...”

“Now that you mention it, the air is getting a bit colder. But it’s still a bit hot, considering the season, so maybe it’s just right,” I said with a smile, but a look spread across Marie’s face, as if she had just realized something. Come to think of it, I had spent a lot of time with her, so it was no wonder she could tell what I was thinking. Plus, we had made a promise not to keep things from each other. I whispered into her ear, and Marie’s eyes widened for a moment—then, she grinned.

“Hehe, that sounds very fun.”

“Oh? You’ve got a rather mischievous look in your eyes, Miss.”

Indeed, I wanted to discover something from this attraction. I wanted to find out whether or not Wridra disliked horror as a genre. In all ages and countries, horror was a big part of entertainment, and one could’ve called it a staple. Fear was an instinct that stimulated creatures like none other, which explained why people couldn’t help but look at things they found horrifying. Wridra had made a comment before, claiming she was scared of such things. And so, I wanted to expose the truth once and for all.

“Yes, I’m actually a very bad girl. But you’re also very bad, aren’t you?” Marie said.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t hold a candle to you, Ms. Mariabelle.” She dug her elbow into my rib, which felt pretty ticklish. We chuckled evilly amongst each other as we looked forward to our little scheme, and Wridra looked at us with a dubious expression.

“What is going on with you two? And are you certain we are going in the right direction for the attraction? The scenery is getting rather desolate around here.”

“Yes, I think we’re close. Oh, it’s starting to drizzle,” Marie replied.

“Uh oh. We need to find shelter before it really starts pouring... Oh, there’s a good spot right over there.”

We started walking faster toward the mansion without waiting for the other two to reply.

“Wait just a minute! What was that little show you put on just now?! I said wait!” Wridra demanded.

“H-Hey! Don’t leave me here by myself!” Eve shouted after us. They hurriedly ran after us, and our adventure through the horror attraction had begun. Thunder crackled overhead, illuminating the mansion in a streak of white light. I felt bad for Eve when she yelped in surprise, but we couldn’t just stop now.

Once we got inside, we were greeted by a long line, as was typical with most attractions. Wridra and Eve seemed relieved at the presence of others. But the mansion was quite dim inside, and there was a sense of eeriness in the air that was hard to describe.

“Hmm, perhaps I am imagining it, but even the staff members seem to be lacking life.”

“Wha... Hey! Don’t say scary things like that!”

Indeed, the staff members were all jovial wherever we went, but their expressions and attire were rather subdued here. We must have come at the right time, because we made our way into the back of the room without issues, as if we were being drawn into it. Our group entered along with the other chattering guests, and Wridra’s straight black hair swished around as she scanned her surroundings.

“What’s wrong, Wridra?”

“Nothing. I see it is just a small room surrounded by walls. Hm, it appears I put my guard up for nothing.”

“Put your guard up? Are you not good with these sorts of things, Wridra? You kinda sound like a kid right now.” Eve showed off her fangs as she grinned, and Wridra’s brows twitched in annoyance, which was a rather rare sight. She was just about to say something when the sound of the door closing rang throughout the hall, and the two of them froze where they stood. Then, pale, beautiful hands reached out and grasped onto their shoulders.

“E-Eeek!”

They looked to their side in a panic to see Marie there with a dreadful expression. The dim lighting gave her skin a waxen hue, causing Wridra and Eve to gasp.

“Shh, quiet. There’s something strange about this place... Do you feel it? I think... They’re here.”

“What is here?! Use proper nouns, will you?!” Wridra blurted out.

“Yeah! And why are you holding your hand up to your ear like that?! I don’t hear anything!” Eve added. They were getting teary-eyed as they complained, but Marie pressed a finger up to her lips for silence, and they both gulped hard. Just then, an ominous voice began to speak.

It was the voice of the dead.

The voice of those who couldn’t find peace even in death, and who roamed the world of the living to this day.

The voices that spilled out from the land of the dead ran a chill across the spines and necks of the girls from time to time.

The mindset that it was just an attraction was dangerous in itself. There were finely crafted mechanisms built into this room, giving off an air that there was nothing ordinary about it. The pictures along the walls began to change, revealing the story of their bloody history. What horrific disasters had taken place in this mansion? What madness had the residents here lived in? The somber sound of an organ playing could be heard, and the pictures began to unravel their hidden stories as they gradually began to rise.

“I-It is nothing but a trick to fool children... Yes, a trick!” Wridra said.

“I’m not scared, I’m not scared! I’m totally fine!” Eve said.

Creeeak... The door slowly opened.

Would they have been able to say the same thing when it revealed a sight that was completely different from the hallway we had just entered from? What about when they saw the rows of countless chairs in the dim corridor, moving around without making a noise? Cold air flowed into the room, and I whispered to the cowering girls.

“It looks like we missed our chance to flee. That was our last chance...”

“When exactly did we have a chance?! Wheeen?!”

Wridra was still shouting, “Tell me!” as we were forced to walk from the crowd pushing us forward, so it seemed she still had a lot of energy left in her. I was glad to see that. There was still a long way to go for the rest of the attraction, so she would surely have enjoyed it to the end.

Eve seemed to have sensed something in my smile and immediately wrapped her arms around Wridra. It wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t help it. I had come to realize that scaring people was far too much fun. Marie and I chuckled darkly, and the other two embraced each other tightly.

Because we had been fooling around like this, we heard lively shouting from the seat behind us. The chairs we were sitting in moved around on their own, and they were made so they would spin around so we faced them even if we didn’t want to. Whoever designed these chairs would probably have been delighted to see them screaming every time it swiveled. But Marie seemed completely unfazed next to me and was rather fascinated by the construction.

“This is amazing. Someone made all of this, right?”

“Oh, you’re not scared, Marie? I guess you wouldn’t be, considering you see spirits all the time.” She smiled, as if to say that I hit the nail on the head. That explained why she got more anxious when cute characters were put in dangerous situations, like at the previous attraction.

And the rides in this mansion were designed not to move too dramatically, considering its broad demographic. Thanks to this, I was able to take this time to intertwine my fingers with hers and feel her soft skin. When translucent ghosts appeared to dance in the air, Marie’s eyes lit up with wonder.

“And besides, I’ll be fine as long as I’m with you. I actually wasn’t scared at all during the fight with Shirley, either. It’s strange to think about now.”

“That was a real ghost we were dealing with, but she was actually a kind woman at heart. I actually think the zombies that appeared before her were way scarier.”

Marie agreed and let out a small giggle, but when her eyes slowly opened, I caught a hint of fear in them. I turned around to find the severed neck of a woman that was too realistic to pass as that of a doll, warning those around it to flee from the mansion.

Aha, so it was a different story when she was dealing with something that looked scary. Though, I couldn’t complain about the way she was clinging onto me. I had to admit, it was a bit more enjoyable for me with her being at least somewhat scared like this. Such thoughts crossed my mind as I watched her trembling.

After some time, I heard a louder scream from behind, as expected.

Now, after the attraction was over, I was very surprised to find that Wridra looked rather refreshed as she walked down the corridor.

That’s odd. According to my plan, she was supposed to be unable to stand from fear, like what happened to Eve. I glanced over to the side to find that Marie had the same puzzled look as me. There was a question mark hovering over her head as she helped me support Eve up on her feet.

“Hm, that was terrifying indeed. It was quite intricately made, and everything seemed very realistic. But I do not mind such things every once in a while. It was actually quite refreshing to get so worked up.” Her heels clicked with each step, and she stretched her arms and legs as she spoke. With her long, slender limbs adorned in a gothic-style white shirt and black skirt, even such simple gestures exuded a feminine appeal.

“I see, so it’s just like they say, ‘Once on shore, we pray no more.’”

“Oh, I kind of understand what you mean. My body feels so light after trembling so much.”

“What, so am I the only one who was totally scared to death? Agh... What am I gonna do if the rest of Team Diamond finds out...?” Eve sobbed, but it seemed she was still having trouble standing on her own. She looked like she was about to cry while still clutching on to me and Marie.

“I had somewhat of an idea as to what you were plotting, but I did end up embarrassing myself back there. Very well, I shall tell you the honest truth.” Wridra stopped in front of us, then turned around to face us. Backlit by the sunlight, the flared hem of her skirt danced about.

“I do not deal well with enigmatic monsters. Of course, I do not fear the likes of spirits and the dead at all. After all, I have the ability to see things that normal humans cannot see, such as spirits, magic, and magical constructions. But I dislike things that I do not understand, such as those objects that move on their own.”

She bared her teeth at us in a child-like gesture. But when I saw that genuine, cute expression, I felt happy, for some reason. But maybe it was thanks to this theme park that brought the child out in everyone that I was able to see that rare look on her face. Finally, Wridra winked and said, “This is a secret between us,” and the door to the exit opened. The rainclouds from earlier were all gone, and we were greeted by a bright light.

“Hm, the weather is quite fine. Well then, Kitase, I shall hear your apology.”

“Sorry for scaring you, Wridra. You too, Eve. I actually reserved us seats at a restaurant, and I think you’ll feel better once you have a nice meal. Is everyone hungry, by the way?” Everyone’s faces lit up when I asked the question.

Now that everyone was hungry from expending all that energy, it was time for us to go eat. Of course, it was no ordinary restaurant, but one that was dark, lively, and had cannonballs flying around.

People of my generation probably understood, but opportunities to reserve seats at a restaurant hardly ever presented themselves. Restaurants that were worth getting reservations for tended to be very expensive, relative to the taste of their food, so there was a bit of a barrier of entry for single salarymen. That was why I wanted to be able to make my own delicious food and learned how to cook. There weren’t a lot of restaurants located around my house in Aomori in the first place, so I had no choice but to learn how to fend for myself.

Yet, I had made reservations to prepare for today, and here we stood outside of the restaurant. The design of this place somewhat reminded me of the sea. Marie looked around its fancy, western-style decor with great curiosity. The ornaments on the walls and the charming lamps were unbearably attractive for a girl who was into fairy tales.

Though, it was unbearable for my wallet, too. I tried to play it cool, but I felt a weight threatening to flatten me. The ticket to get in was already expensive enough, and the arrival of our unexpected guest was really putting a dent in my funds.

...Grandpa, I will use the money you gave me with gratitude.

In my heart, I deeply thanked my grandfather in Aomori. These places really were pricey. I would have been in trouble if not for the money my grandpa gave me. But I had to say, I was impressed by the fact that I’d gotten more than my money’s worth of enjoyment.

Just then, a menu was placed before me. I raised my head to see a staff member in clean clothes smiling gently at me.

“Your reservation is ready, Mr. Kitase. The reception line is quite busy at the moment, so please take a look at the menu in the meantime.”

“Thanks. Pick whatever you like, everyone.”

As soon as I said it, the group moved in closer to peer at the menu all at once. The staff member seemed to be slightly taken aback by their conspicuous appearances and the fact that they were speaking Elvish. But I was impressed to find that her amiable smile never wavered. She must have been used to serving foreign customers and dealt with the situation like a professional.

Since Eve was with us this time, I had no choice but to speak in Elvish. Speaking of, Eve’s wavy blonde hair swayed as she parted her lips.

“I can’t read this Japanese stuff, but... What’s all this? How much food are we getting?”

“Just as much as it says here. This is called a ‘course meal,’ and it’s pretty common for fancy western-style food. It starts with the appetizer, then...” Mariabelle happily went on to explain. She had been to a fancy restaurant before, and she was likely the most knowledgeable one out of the residents of the fantasy world when it came to Japan.

“Mm, this roast beef dish seems quite enticing. I have decided on this special menu,” Wridra declared.

“That looks good. Yeah, I want that, too!” Eve said. Yup, it was a menu only available during this season. Its contents were quite substantial, and I already knew the price was going to be substantial, too. While I was watching the group getting excited over the food, the staff member from earlier spoke to me in a hushed tone.

“Mr. Kitase, it appears the reservation was made for three...”

“Oh, we had someone join in at the last minute. I’ll sit this out, of course, so could you show these girls from out of the country some Japanese hospitality?” As I was talking to the staff member, I felt a tug at my arm. I looked down to find Marie with her eyes wide, looking rather sad.

“No, we can’t have you sit out by yourself. I would feel so bad that I couldn’t enjoy the meal.”

“No, no, nothing would make me happier than having all of you enjoy yourselves. I’m sure you know that better than anyone, Marie.” She nodded hesitantly with a troubled expression.

“But I want you to stay with us. You like seeing us having fun, don’t you? And look, you could take pictures to commemorate this event.” With that, she put the smartphone she had confiscated back into my hand. The sad look on her face as she held onto my sleeve made my heart ache.

Eve was looking at the course menu earlier, but now she was watching our exchange. She was about to say something, but the words didn’t leave her lips. Her blue eyes were filled with emotion, but we still hadn’t noticed at that point.

“Very well, please wait one moment,” the staff member said in a cheery voice. She bowed and walked to the back of the restaurant, and Marie and I blinked. She returned a short while later, then bowed to us, her ponytail wavering as she bowed.

“We have prepared an additional seat for you. Please come right this way, everyone.”

Ah, she was already showing us some of that Japanese hospitality I mentioned. No, maybe that could have been said of this whole theme park. The entire staff here was focused on making sure the guests were happy, and I hadn’t seen a single one of them slacking off. This place was so pleasant because we could feel their attitude and enthusiasm, allowing us to just focus on having fun. Marie had regained her cheerful expression, holding tightly onto my arm. The damage to my wallet had increased as a result, but I was just happy to see her smile.

It seemed the theme park was full of surprises. This was no ordinary restaurant, and when we walked through the door, complete darkness awaited us. Because we were accustomed to the brightness of the previous room, we stood still at the entrance for a moment.

It seemed they were using very little lighting here. We could hear flowing water beyond the handrails and looked up to see antique-looking lamps hanging there. An old tree with a thick trunk was entangled in the ceiling, and the sight was somewhat frightening. We could hear distant voices of people enjoying attractions, and the group reacted with surprise, as expected.

“Ah, is this actually an attraction?! Look, look, there’s a pirate ship’s flag over there!”

“Hmm, this is quite the surprise. I did not expect to see humans trying to flee from cannons here.” Eve the dark elf’s reaction was cute, too, as she looked back and forth between me and the waterfront with a confused expression. I nearly burst out laughing, but I contained myself out of fear of being rude.

We sat down at the table prepared for us and noticed the cleanly set table and fancy-looking chairs in the dim lighting. As we surveyed our surroundings, a staff member came by to calmly set some knives and forks on the table.

“Looks like it. This is my first time here, but it’s nice that we get a nice, long look at the attractions from the other side here.”

“Oh yes, it’s wonderful. The scenery is a little scary, but I feel like I’m having a meal inside of a movie or a picture book,” Marie agreed. Everyone smiled and nodded as they experienced the sound of cannon fire and scent of the shore from afar. I felt that making this reservation had been worth it after all.

“So, Eve, have you been enjoying yourself? I was a bit worried after bringing you to a place like this after you just arrived in Japan.”

“Hmm, I dunno. But I’ve been laughing this whole time, so I guess I’m having fun.” Eve traced the rim of her cup with a finger as she replied. Maybe there was something still weighing on her, because her expression told me she had mixed feelings. I quietly waited for her to continue, and Eve finally looked up.

“Usually, I don’t really laugh much. I was actually surprised to learn what my laughter sounded like since I came here.”

“That is odd. You have been laughing this entire time. What a foolish comment, coming from a girl who was petrified with fear earlier,” Wridra said.

“Whaaat?! When did I... Oh, sorry.” Eve saw Marie holding a finger up to her own lips and apologized earnestly, as if she had just remembered they were in a restaurant. As Eve sat back down into her seat, I turned to her.

“Then, I guess you’re having fun so far. In the dream worl— I mean, are you not having fun living in Arilai?”

“Living over there isn’t about having fun. It’s all about training and doing drills and taking care of the manor, so it’s hard to even get myself some time to sleep. Team Diamond is full of elites, and I’m the least skilled one. I don’t have time for fun.”

I couldn’t find the words to reply. To be honest, my life was pretty much the exact opposite. The dream world was an extension of my play time, and I could easily say that I’d enjoyed myself even after a fierce battle. If I woke up in Japan again, I could read a book, take a walk, or have some delicious food and go on with the rest of my day as I pleased. Though, I did have a duty to go to work. I explained as such to Eve, and she laid her face flat on the table.

“You cleared the second floor living like that?! Ahhh... That just killed all my motivation. Besides, I was killed by Lord Zarish over there anyway. It’s so over for me.”

“That’s what I don’t understand. What did you see in that man?” Marie asked. Eve stared back at Marie with her blue eyes. Her eyes seemed like those of a pouting child, and she murmured in response.

“I like his face. Oh, and I liked him better when he used to be nice to me.”

Ahh... So she likes the handsome ones... We thought as we looked off into the distance. I really wasn’t sure what to say. As for Eve, she sat there with her fingers spread wide as if she was thinking about the ring that was now gone.

“But I’m glad my feelings haven’t changed, even without my ring,” she continued. “I wasn’t sure what would happen when it was removed, but I’m kinda relieved now. I dunno about the others, but at least I know my feelings were real.”

That was an interesting comment. The way she’d phrased that just now had me wondering if Zarish’s ring had some sort of mind control effect. I did recall that Zarish and the ladies he was with wore rings that were part of a pair. There was a chance he’d used that item to manipulate them.

As I considered this, the food was brought over to our table. The appetizers were lined up in order on the table before us, and the group let out a collective, happy “Wow...” A bottle of red wine to complement it would have been nice, but alcohol wasn’t allowed in the land of dreams and magic.

The appetizer was made with in-season ingredients, and even Eve was taken out of her gloomy mood as her eyes widened at the vivid dishes laid out for us. Then, each of us raised our glasses and gave a toast to our guest.

“Anyway, now that you’re here with us, it’d be great if you could enjoy what Japan has to offer. Now, let’s make the most out of our day at Grimland.”

“Yaaaaaay!”

Oh, it seemed Eve was learning how to have fun, too. Our glasses clinked together, and Eve looked rather joyful as our lunch began.

Now, the seasonal special menu was not composed of things one would see in an average home-cooked meal. The presentation was designed with the motif of a pirate ship in mind, with vivid and unique dishes like seafood contained in a semi-transparent jelly.

I took a bite and was surprised to find a burst of umami filling my mouth as I enjoyed the juicy texture. The food dissolved in my mouth before I’d even started chewing, and I savored the flavor until the moment I swallowed.

“Mm! What’s this? It’s good, even though it looks so weird!” Eve exclaimed.

“Weird...? I think it’s so pretty that it’s almost a shame to eat it,” Marie replied. They seemed to be in control so far, but then the main dish came out: roast beef topped with lobster. As soon as the group saw its luxurious splendor, they all let out a fascinated “Wow!” The roast beef had been kept at just the right temperature, and the knife sliced through it with ease. The flavor of the full-bodied gravy sauce filled our mouths with each bite.

“So tender! Mm! It’s sweet and tasty!” Eve said.

“Mmmm, the meat is so sweet! This is why I love meat in Japan!” Marie declared. Marie and Wridra were full of smiles as they cried out, their feet marching in place on the floor as they chewed. It seemed that Wridra really liked beef, and she happily groaned with wrinkles between her brows. She seemed to have taken a liking to it, and smiled while looking directly at me. The appetizing, pink-colored roast beef didn’t exist in the other world, and this was a dish in which one could fully savor the taste of the meat.

“Hmm, I must say. They have done quite well in making guests want to return by associating good food with the experience. Walking around here for some time made me realize just how cleverly constructed this place is,” Wridra noted.

“Yeah, you might be right. There wasn’t really anything around in Aomori where I grew up, but I think it’s the food that makes me want to keep going back.” Marie raised her hand in objection, then swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking.

“As far as I know, Aomori is the best of Japan. Your grandfather’s dishes were amazing, of course, but there were other things there that were so enjoyable. The lush greenery and cherry blossoms in full bloom were so beautiful. The people who passed by were all very kind, too.”

“Indeed, those hot springs were particularly great. The sensation of soaking in the water in that peaceful atmosphere... It has been some time since I have gone to hot springs, so I have been itching to go again,” Wridra said. She and Marie agreed with each other and laughed out loud, while Eve watched them curiously.

“Hm? What is it, Eve?”

“Oh, nothing... I just thought it was pretty amazing. I don’t really know what they’re talking about, but they’re always having so much fun, unlike us.”

“But I think it’s a shame not to enjoy life. You only get one shot, after all.”

I didn’t think much of it as I said it, but Eve seemed moved by the words. I’d heard that elves could sometimes lose significance in their life due to their long life spans. Maybe all that time she had dedicated to Zarish had drained all of the joy out of her life, too. Eve was at a loss for words for some time, then took a sip of water to calm herself. Then, she spoke.

“...You tried to give up your seat when we came in here, didn’t you?” With that, Eve tore off a piece of bread and tossed it into her mouth. She made a cute face as if to say, “Oh, there’s cheese in it! This is tasty!” Then, she cleared her throat and spoke again. “It made me feel like such a nuisance, and I had mixed feelings about it at first, but... Um, I mean, that’s just the kind of person you are, right?”

She was speaking in rather abstract terms, so I could only cock my head to the side in response. Eve desperately tried to find the right words, then seemed to get a flash of inspiration and directed her blue eyes at me again.

“I think Team Amethyst’s leader is wonderful. I feel at peace near you, Kazuhiho, and I admire the way you live... Heh, sorry about stealing your jewel that one time.” Her tongue peeked out of her mouth as she showed me a smile that was totally different from the expression she’d had on when we’d first met. I felt like there was always a precarious air about her, but I could finally stop worrying.

“Well, it’s nice to have you with us. By the way, my real name is Kazuhiro, not Kazuhiho,” I told her.

“Hm, Eve is just my nickname, too. If you don’t mind that it’s a bit long, you can call me Evelyn.” It seemed we had just become a little bit closer. Some sweet dessert was brought to us, as if in celebration, sprucing up the table even further.

You know, making a dark elf friend at an amusement park every once in a while was actually pretty nice. Though, this was the land of dreams and magic, so maybe it wasn’t so out of the ordinary.

“So, shall we head to the next attraction?”

“Sure, where are we going next?” Marie asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin. I pointed beyond the handrails. Ahead, we saw cannons firing and crowds cheering in the distance, and her pale purple eyes lit up with joy.

§

It was dark as night, and there was a lively clamor all around us. The crowd of people was different from that of the heart of the city, perhaps because it was filled with families and couples. Everyone was smiling brightly.

The boat boarding area came into view after we had stood in line for a while, and Marie moved her lips closer to my ear. It felt ticklish as she whispered, “A pirate!” in a giddy tone.

I looked over to where she was pointing and saw that there was indeed a staff member dressed like a pirate. The indoor facility was only lit with the bare minimum of lights, and the employee guided the guests carefully so they wouldn’t trip on anything.

This was a pirate theme park. It wasn’t too familiar of a theme for Japanese people, but they existed even to this day in the fantasy world. So, I decided to whisper right back into Marie’s ear.

“Oh no, they might be here to kidnap you.” Marie tried her best to hold in her reaction, but it came out in the form of a stifled laugh. She was usually quite reserved, but the joyful mood of the theme park seemed to have affected her.

I turned around to find Wridra the Arkdragon and Eve the dark elf both seeming to enjoy themselves as they walked over the creaky floorboards of the dock. Wridra looked like a model, with her tall form and straight, black hair. Our eyes met, and she smiled as she spoke to me.

“The music is quite jovial. Everywhere we go is filled with such a jaunty tune.”

“You’re right about that. Come to think of it, Wridra, you seem to enjoy songs. Do you have an interest in music?” She looked up to the night sky contemplatively, then nodded.

“Hah, hah, it appears so. This also goes for clothing, but I have lived without making new discoveries for a long time. But Japan is so full of the unknown.” She was talking about something beyond human understanding, but her smile was surprisingly gentle and attractive. Well, it looked like it was time for her to experience the world of pirates.

A small boat approached the pier with a creak, and the rope that had been blocking our path was removed. We boarded the boat, as instructed by a staff member, and the sound of water splashing could be heard. Marie sat next to me, happily holding on to the handrail as her pale purple eyes looked up at me.

“I’ve only read about pirates in books. They’re supposedly savage and terrifying, and they steal things like treasures.”

“I haven’t really been out to sea much, now that I think about it,” I replied. “What about you, Marie? Have you been to the sea?”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t. I was always in the forest, after all,” Marie replied.

Just then, the boat began to move, along with the ring of a bell. We waved goodbye to the employees, and our vessel began rowing forward into the dark sea. I felt a tug at my sleeve and saw Marie was pointing at the restaurant we were just at earlier.

“It really is one of the attractions now that I look at it from here.”

“We probably wouldn’t have noticed if we hadn’t eaten there. Mm, there are so many clever details everywhere.” I agreed completely. It really showed that the port town before us was made with the combined efforts of many adults, and the view was reminiscent of the Age of Discovery. It felt nostalgic somehow. A haunting tone reverberated from an instrument as the scent of the sea sent a shiver down Marie’s spine.

Now, we were entering pirate territory up ahead. There was no turning back at this point. Just as we realized we were on a one-way course, the boat suddenly felt as if it was floating in the air.

“Nyaaaaaa!”

The darkness caught Marie off guard, and she let out a cute scream. Waves broke against the boat, and Marie looked at me with a wide-eyed stare, her heart beating furiously. I decided to teach her a bit about this world while she was still in her surprised state.

“So, there are supposedly all sorts of different pirates. Have you ever heard a fairytale about pirates that never die?”

“N-No, I haven’t. And I don’t want to,” Marie replied. Well, we had come all this way. Since we couldn’t turn back anyway, there was nothing to lose from hearing me out.

I told her as such and pointed out someone who had been reduced to just their skeleton. The skeleton had obtained some treasure, and it stared at us with its hollow eye sockets. Marie gasped. There were tears welling up in her eyes, but she bravely held on and slapped my pointing finger away.

“None of that! I’m scared enough as it is! You just sit tight and don’t do anything!” She fell onto me with a thud and embraced me, wrapping her arms around under my arms, and I let out an “Oof” in response. This was apparently just the right position for her, and she let out a satisfied puff of air out of her nose.

Well, we were in the dark, after all, so I figured it would’ve been nice to snuggle up as we watched the attraction this time. I lightly tapped her shoulder as a sign of surrender, and she let out another satisfied sigh. It was a bit cold being out in the water, but I was nice and cozy like this.

Now, it seemed the undead pirates were still living in their own way. Even reduced to skeletons, they continued to betray, steal, and drink, despite being unable to get drunk. There was cheerful music playing, but I could feel Marie’s heart beating intensely, with her body pressed against me from the laughter echoing all around us. I felt a bit guilty about scaring her so much, so I held her shoulder and whispered to her.

“I still don’t understand much about the undead, but maybe the second floor of the labyrinth would’ve been more lively and fun if they were as expressive as these guys.”

“Oh, then they probably would have tried to have a friendly chat with us. I don’t know if I could have attacked them then. I think the priests would have been out of business, too.”

The skeletons did look frightening, but it seemed Marie thought they were nothing to be scared of, compared to the monsters on the second floor that had attacked us without question. Her heartbeat quieted down right away, and her arms wrapped around me loosened their hold a bit.

The pirates seemed to have their own story, too. There was a military ship chasing after them, and we had wandered in as they exchanged cannon fire over the vast expanse of sea.

“Oh, wow! They’re using long-ranged attacks across the sea! I didn’t realize battles would be so focused on physical attacks in a world without magical assistance.” Pillars of water shot up with loud splashes, and Marie looked around with great interest.

I was strangely impressed to find that Marie would see things that way from her point of view. She already had the baseline knowledge about the topic from when we saw the firearms and cannons on display during our visit to a castle some time back.

“It is logical, but transportation and management must have been quite tedious,” Wridra’s voice noted from behind us.

It was a strange world of the dead, but perhaps these ladies that had come from a fantasy world were strange in their own way. The jolly bunch waved goodbye to Marie, and we parted ways for now.

By the time we left the ride, the sun was already setting. There was a hint of indigo mixed in the sky, and stars could be seen on the far side of the sky. I let out a sigh as I watched the view.

After all that planning with Kaoruko to go around the park efficiently, we ended up spending most of the time walking around and talking. We first started talking about the design of the hedges and fences, then got sidetracked staring at everything lining the streets, so we really couldn’t help it. But not only were the girls not bored, they spread their arms wide and went on about how fun it was, so I got the sense that I did all right.

“Mmf, that cannon fight was quite intense!” Wridra said.

“Yes, it was everything that makes an attraction so entertaining. I really felt like I was inside the story,” Marie agreed. The two conversed passionately about the stage and events, and I nearly uttered a comment about them being more interesting than the shows themselves.

I looked over to the side to see Eve standing there, watching me with her blue eyes that had the unyielding look of a cat.

“Hey, it’s getting pretty dark. Are we leaving soon?” she asked.

“In a bit. But something fun is coming up soon. Notice how everyone is going in the same direction as us?” Eve’s wavy blonde hair swayed as she looked around curiously, and she noticed everyone walking with a look full of excited anticipation.

“Huh, is there an event coming up? Is this gonna blow me away, too?”

“Hmm, all I can say is, I guarantee you won’t forget it for quite some time,” I replied. This seemed to pique her interest considerably, and she laughed loudly, which was a rather rare sight. It seemed I really liked how she looked when she laughed with her mouth wide open like that.

“Sounds good,” she said. “I didn’t really understand this ‘Japan’ place at first... Wait, I guess I still don’t. Anyway, I really like this place. You never know what’s gonna happen next.”

I wasn’t sure if this place was necessarily representative of Japan as a whole, but I was glad she enjoyed it regardless. But if we were to visit the land of dreams and magic regularly, my wallet would’ve perished before long. As I considered this, I encountered another temptation.

“By the way, I smell something sweet and tasty over there. Think you can show me what kinda man you are, Kazuhiro?” Eve chuckled as she pointed ahead of us. Apparently, food stalls these days didn’t only entice kids with the scent of honey, but dark elves, too. It was hard for me to refuse when she was emitting an aura that screamed, “I wanna eat!” I at least wanted to put up some fight by asking something that had been on my mind since we’d left the house this morning.

“Okay, but in exchange, I want you to tell me your class, Eve.” Her blue eyes widened, and then she smiled and raised her pointer finger. She placed her other hand over the one with the finger outstretched, and my eyes bulged open in response.

“Whaaa? Wait, you’re a nin...?!”

“Hehe... Well, then, tell the shopkeep in Japanese for me. I’ll take a size large.”

My surprise was quickly followed by another as Eve grabbed my wrist and began walking. Her well-trained hands felt a bit rough, and she flashed me a smile, as if to say, “You’d better keep your promise.” Hmm, it seemed this girl wasn’t quite what I expected. At least, I sure didn’t expect a dark elf ninja.

The girls ate their snacks and talked eagerly among each other as we continued walking. There were people all around us, the entire crowd walking toward the big castle ahead.

Indeed, the grand finale in which we woke up from the dream was about to begin.

§

The weather was rather nice for being in the middle of the rainy season, and it was actually pretty hot during the day. Even so, the temperature was much easier to handle after the sun went down, and the heat of the crowd wasn’t so bad with the faint breeze blowing.

The stars were faintly visible in the night sky, and we each sat on the stairs or hand rails as we waited for the show to start. Up ahead, the castle that we saw upon entering the theme park was illuminated.

Marie stared at the western-style castle that looked like it came straight out of a picture book, never seeming to tire of the view. There was a bit of a forlornness to her expression, though she also appeared to be anticipating the show to come, as well.

Unfortunately, time moved faster when one was having fun. Maybe in that moment, it wasn’t a human like me, but an elf or a dragon who was understanding why time was so valuable.

“It all went by so quickly. It was one surprise after another, and I feel like I’ve been screaming all day,” Marie uttered.

“You really were shouting with a lot of energy. I felt lucky I was able to see that side of you, though,” I replied. And... Marie narrowed her eyes at me with a glare.

We were sitting on the staircase, so there was less of a height difference between us than usual. Marie took advantage of this and pinched both of my cheeks. I let out an awkward sound, and then she moved her face in so close that our noses nearly touched... and my heart let out a loud thump.

“I know five ways to make you scream. Shall I tell you the first?” Marie asked.

“No, no, I would pwefer not to,” I said with my cheeks still being tugged by her fingers. Wait, did she have four other methods besides pinching me? It was a bluff... It had to be... Though, I didn’t know what I would’ve done if it were true, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. I apologized in a hushed tone, then she nodded and released her hold.

We then leaned our shoulders against one another again, drank some juice, and talked about sorcery that had been popular recently as we watched the castle with a blue roof. When the needle of its clock pointed straight up, we would awaken from this land of dreams and magic. The thought introduced a bit of loneliness into the joy I was feeling. Maybe Marie was feeling the same, because I felt her place her head onto my shoulder. She then opened her mouth to speak from right beside me.

“What a wonderful castle. You know how castles usually tend to be intimidating? They’re used to defeat enemies, so there isn’t much that can be done about that. But...” I followed her gaze up to the castle and understood what she was trying to say. I could tell there wasn’t a hint of an intimidating aura about it, and that it was made purely to bring people joy. In that sense, that castle was like a symbol of the entire theme park itself.

“When I first saw it, I thought about how I wished I could live there. But its role is to bring happiness to people, so I was wrong to think that. Though, maybe one day, I’ll be able to use stone spirits to make the same thing.”

“Yeah, that’s a nice dream to strive for. Then, I’ll have to help you level up so you can make it happen,” I told her. Marie smiled. Just then, I noticed how strange it was that the hint of loneliness in her expression earlier was now gone. I felt her hold my hand in the dark and realized why.

“I had so much fun today. Let’s do something else tomorrow and have more fun together.”

There was my answer. Even when the magic of this place expired, we could go play in our own dream world. Knowing that I could enjoy adventures through unknown lands alongside Marie, I was certain that I would go home tonight still feeling excited.

“Then, how would you like to go to the sea in the summer?” I asked her.

“Good idea! A really pretty sea would be nice!” Her smile was so radiant that I could visualize the blue sea behind her. After we cleared the second floor, I’d heard that Arilai was granting us some vacation time, so maybe this was a good time to lead Ms. Elf to another country.

I pictured Marie in a swimsuit and thought, “I sure am glad I have long-distance movement skills.” I actually already secured a summer paradise for a destination. It was nice that I liked to travel as a hobby at times like these, since I always knew places to take people on adventures.

Just then, some grand music began to play, and the awaiting crowd let out a cheer. I helped Marie up by her hand, and a single firework shot up and illuminated the night sky.

“Ooooooh! What was that, what was that?! So cool!” she exclaimed. I wasn’t really sure how to explain fireworks that were modified in Japan. The castle was lit up in a rainbow of colors, with characters from fairy tales being displayed with lights and music.

“Wow...” she said in amazement. “There’s no magic here in Japan, but maybe this is like this world’s own kind of magic.” It must have been quite a fantastical sight for the ladies that weren’t used to modern technology. Marie’s eyes widened at the torrent of light that couldn’t be reproduced with illusion magic and the sight of the characters being displayed upon the castle.

“Oh! I know that character from that animation! What? How? How are they doing that?!”

“Hmm, this is really impressive. I didn’t expect their production value to be so high.” This further reinforced the fact that Aomori’s amusement parks stood no chance against this place. It probably wouldn’t have even had the will to compete at this point, and I couldn’t help but feel sympathy.

I looked to the side and saw that various characters had appeared, along with lively music and singing, and Marie cheered along with the crowd going wild. Her amethyst eyes lit up with joy as she squeezed my hand.

Maybe the theme park was a far better place than I had imagined. Being born in Aomori, it was my first time actually visiting one. Seeing Marie so giddy, all I could feel was satisfaction from having come here.

The music, stories, dreams, and magic were finally coming to an end. The characters were displayed one after another, as if to say goodbye, and fireworks shot into the night sky along with the grand music. Light scattered in the air, seeming to smother the heavens, and Marie, Wridra, and Eve raised their voices.

“Yeeeah! Grimland is the best!”

They seemed to be overcome with emotion as they raised their hands in the air, having enjoyed the theme park to the fullest. Then, everyone clapped as if to show gratitude for the day full of fun and happiness. Seeing how even the residents of the fantasy world were so moved, it really made me appreciate modern entertainment.

We then held each other’s hands and talked about everything that had happened today as we left the world of dreams and magic behind.

§

As I drove along the night road with the steering wheel in hand, I realized just how quiet it was.

I glanced to the side to see Marie was asleep, still wearing the animal ear headband we got from the souvenir shop. I turned around and saw Wridra had her eyes closed in the back seat. Her matching headband made her look like she was Marie’s sister, which I found to be pretty cute.

They really must have tired themselves out today, because Marie only mumbled something in her sleep even when I put a blanket over her lap at a red light. The view outside my car window was pitch black, and the streets were quite empty at this late hour. The light turned green. I drove past an intersection, then another, then I couldn’t help but utter a comment to no one in particular.

“So, what do I do about him now...?”

“By ‘him,’ do you mean Zarish?” A voice replied from the back seat. I was taken aback a bit. I totally thought Eve had fallen asleep, but the dark elf ninja had me fooled.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were awake. I guess ninjas are hard to read, after all.”

Our eyes met in the rear view mirror. If we’d only just met now, she probably would have choked me then and there. The dubious look in her eyes still hadn’t changed. Eve slowly rose and leaned on the back of the driver’s seat, bringing her face closer to mine.

“So, what are you gonna do?” she asked.

“Ah...” I glanced behind me, but Wridra was still fast asleep. In her case, I really couldn’t tell if she was sleeping. Though, I couldn’t ever figure out what the Arkdragon had in mind anyway, so I gave up on trying.

I gradually slowed the car down and brought it to a stop in front of a small park.

“Um... Where are we?” Eve asked.

“Just a park. Eve, how would you like to drink something sweet with me?” She nodded without hesitation in response.

We had gone a bit off of the main street, so it became completely silent when I turned the engine off.

The vending machine at the side of the park provided a small pocket of light around it, giving it the impression of being in its own little dimension. The cool night breeze gently blew as I approached the vending machine, and Eve looked at it with great curiosity.

“You just put money into it and press the button, and then a drink comes out,” I explained.

“Whoa, really? That’s crazy!” She bent over with her butt facing me in clothing that revealed her long, slender legs and thighs. I wished she would be a little more aware of these things as a woman. I just hoped she was only like this in front of people she trusted. Such protective thoughts ran through my head as I popped some change into the machine, and the buttons lit up at once.

“Oooh, shiny. Hey, hey, I can buy anything I want?”

“Of course. That’s why I invited you, after all. There’s your traditional coffee, and these cold drinks are popular, too,” I told her. I couldn’t really tell if she was listening. Eve groaned as she deliberated over her options in front of the vending machine, her finger hovering around indecisively. Her somewhat tight hoodie and short shorts accentuated the lines of her healthy, tanned body, and my eyes couldn’t help but look...

“Oh, wait!” I called out.

“Huh?” I noticed she was about to press one of the buttons and tried to stop her, but I couldn’t warn her in time. The machine let out a beep, and then a warm can of oshiruko came down into the port below. I mean, it wasn’t a big problem or anything, but the sweet azuki bean porridge served with mochi was a Japanese-style drink with a distinctive sweetness to it, and I wasn’t sure if it would fit her palate, being a newcomer to Japan.

Eve picked the can out of the port and looked surprised by its warmth. Her blue eyes stared at the can for a moment, and then she turned to me with a cheerful expression.

“This looks good! Sorry, did I take the one you wanted, Kazuhiro?”

“...No, no, enjoy,” I said. I beckoned her over with my finger, then pulled the can open by the tab and started walking through the night park. The park in the suburb was rather big. Supposedly, people often took short walks there during the day. Maybe that was why it was so quiet, and the lighting was rather sparse. Eve took a sip of the warm oshiruko as she walked with me, and her eyes shot open.

“This is tasty! What are the little lumpy things in there?” Her tongue ran over her plump lips, and she actually seemed satisfied with it. But then it made sense. Sweet food was very rare in the desert country she came from, so she was probably fine with most sweets.

Eve continued to take little sips from her can and looked over at me, the motion causing her blonde, wavy hair to waver. There seemed to be a hint of fear in her expression.

“You still can’t forgive Lord Zarish?” she asked.

“...No, I can’t.” I considered myself to have a rather mild-mannered personality. Confessing such a hateful sentiment did give me pause, but it did feel satisfying to get it out. It seemed that I’d been harboring resentment for Zarish. Eve wasn’t upset at my response, but she did look at me with a hint of sadness.

“Why? Because he attacked you?”

“No, that’s not it,” I replied. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been attacked and looted before. I don’t hate people just for that.”

Rather, if I hated everyone who attacked me, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy my time in the dream world. So whenever I went back to sleep, I always forgot about my attackers completely. But this time was totally different.

“He pointed his sword at you. Which means that if he ever got Mariabelle in his party, he could do the same thing to her.”

“...”

If it was just about me, I wouldn’t have resented him. The issue was that he could do something awful to Marie. I couldn’t stop the emotions from boiling up inside me. When Wridra told me, “I am relieved to see there is at least some resentment for him inside you,” it must have been because she saw through all this.

When I’d finished explaining myself, Eve bit her lower lip. I couldn’t find the words for the girl who still cared for the man who had almost killed her. The only solutions that came to mind were cruel ones, and Eve and I were no longer enemies after spending the day together.

Sensing her pain, I began to think of solutions that didn’t involve cruelty. Could this have been resolved without fighting? Was there a way to prevent him from acting inhumane? No, I still had no answers. I knew nothing about him. Eve was the only one who did.

I gave her my honest thoughts on the matter, but she gave no response. I looked at her as she stayed silent and saw that she was facing her palm toward the night sky. Maybe she was looking at the spot where her ring used to be.

“...I couldn’t say this before when I had the ring on, but I’ll say it now. I want to stop Lord Zarish. After all, he’s crossing a very dangerous bridge right now, and no one can stop him anymore.”

“Dangerous bridge?”

“Yeah. Sorry... I still can’t tell anyone.” Her tongue peeked out from between her lips as she gave me an apologetic look. Sweat glistened on her dark skin, and the tension in her expression told me she was being sincere. “Kazuhiro, can I make a suggestion?”

“Yeah, please do,” I said right away. I was dealing with a monster that had a 60-level advantage on me. I had absolutely no answers this time around, so any ideas were welcome.

“I have only one suggestion. Take away all of his rings. Then you might be able to do something about him,” she told me under a sky full of stars. As I waited for her to finish her oshiruko, I quietly replayed in my mind the words she had told me with a serious expression I’d never seen on her before.

Eve handed me the empty can, and I let out a sigh. Summer was soon upon us. In the humid heat, I looked up at the night sky with my usual sleepy-looking expression. But in my mind, I was desperately trying to give shape to a solution that was so nebulous up until just recently. I needed to think of the safest and easiest plan possible that wouldn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth.

I continued thinking for some time, then spoke to Eve as she sat down on the swing next to me.

“We really scared you and Wridra with those attractions today, huh?”

“Uuu... Yeah. But why do you hafta bring that up now?”

Eve wrinkled her brows at the sudden mention of the topic. I then raised my pointer finger and proposed an idea.

“I was thinking of doing the same thing to Zarish. What do you think? Today, I found out it’s actually pretty fun scaring people. I want you to know what it’s like, too.” In other words, it was an idea of betrayal. Or maybe it could have been considered an agreement that would have benefited both of us.

My opponent was 60 levels higher than me and protected by seven elite fighters of Team Diamond. Thinking about it normally, there was no way I would have been able to take him head on and win. But now that I had someone with insider info on my side, I wanted to know what would happen if we delivered a blow he didn’t expect at all. The script Zarish kept close to his heart would’ve likely needed a sudden and dramatic rewrite.

Evelyn the ninja probably had no idea she would be roped into an idea to take down a giant. And in a battle that would draw as little blood as possible, too.

The trees rustled in the wind overhead, and Eve remained motionless for quite some time.

§

I opened the car door while taking care to make as little noise as possible. The calmness I felt in the air was perhaps due to me being used to living there. The wind that caressed my cheek was somewhat warm, and I felt like the long rainy season would soon come to an end. Then, summer would officially arrive in Tokyo.

By the time I got back to the parking area, the lights shining through the condo windows had mostly gone out. I opened the passenger’s side seat to find Marie peacefully sleeping there, and my mouth formed a small smile. She looked so comfortable in her slumber; I felt the urge to just watch her for a while. Careful not to awaken her, I placed my hand on her back and under her thigh, feeling her warmth as I lifted her body.

“And up we go... You’re still as light as a feather.” I made sure she didn’t hit her head and held her against my chest, and then Marie stirred and snuggled up to my neck. I got a whiff of her sweet, feminine scent, and the soft sensation pressing against me got me a little flustered.

Wait, this reaction...

“Who’s this little Ms. Elf pretending to be asleep?”

Marie giggled as soon as I said it, then opened her sleepy eyes right in front of me. It seemed she was still halfway in dreamland. She let out a big yawn, then closed her eyes again. She rubbed her cheek against me as if to tell me, “Just carry me back to the room,” and I was happy to oblige.

Supporting her body that was even lighter than it appeared, I enjoyed her warmth against me as I closed the door with my butt. The condo was right ahead, so I decided to get into the elevator to head up to our floor. The other two ladies followed me in.

“Nn, we certainly had our fill of fun today. I can still hear music playing in my head,” Wridra said.

“I totally hear it, too. The music’s one thing, but I still feel that floaty sensation when I walk,” Eve added. We were in the land of dreams and magic until just recently, so I understood how they felt. I could see white hair that was like down feathers in the corner of my vision, with the black-haired beauty Wridra and Eve reflecting on the day.

The small space within the elevator still maintained the signature high humidity of the rainy season. I let out a sigh, then decided to throw some fuel into their excited discussion.

“Just so you know, we’ve only experienced about twenty percent of that theme park.”

“No way!”

They had been expanding the theme park over many years. It wasn’t impossible, but not very likely that we would get around to everything in a single day. This topic was enough to spur on the conversation further, and Marie furrowed her brows in reaction to their noisy chatter. But she was pretending to be asleep, so she was just going to have to let it slide.

We returned to my bedroom, and I slowly lowered Marie onto the bed. Her face looked rather relaxed, so maybe she found it comfortable to be carried over here automatically.

I took her socks off and placed a blanket over her, and her expression relaxed even further. For some reason, seeing her smile filled me with a sense of happiness. I considered how her expression somewhat reminded me of a cat, then noticed the dark elf looking around the room curiously.

“Huh, it’s nice how it lights up right away like that. Is this normal in Japan?”

“Oh, you mean the lights. Yeah, it’s like that in any household, but there’s no magic or spirits... Wait, actually, Wridra and Marie are an exception.”

As I said this, Wridra flashed a peace sign from the chair next to the table she had been sitting in, as if to say, “Of course.”

“Hmm. I don’t really get it, but does that mean I’m the strongest here, since I’m a physical enhancement type?” She flashed a defiant smile, which may have been because she felt that Wridra outclassed her under normal circumstances. But this didn’t even qualify as a taunt when dealing with the dragon.

“Fool, spirits are the source of your powers. Have you still not realized their voices do not reach you?” Wridra pointed out.

“Huh?! A-Ah, you’re right! I can’t tell what the spirits are saying!”

Wridra rolled her eyes, then pointed at the elf girl sleeping on the bed with her arms outstretched.

“If you become as proficient in Japanese as Marie there, you will be able to handle the spirits of this land. Do better yourself, if you ever feel so inclined.”

I overheard the conversation between the ladies, but started preparing the bath without pointing out that it could have taken at least three years for Eve to learn Japanese. My body felt heavy from all that walking we did at the theme park. I hadn’t really noticed when we were there, but the fatigue set in as soon as I had returned home. Considering the fact that my hobby was sleeping despite being a working adult, I couldn’t deny I was a bit lacking when it came to vitality. I started filling the bathtub with hot water and returned back to my room.

“Boy, I feel like I’ve become a lot healthier since you all came here,” I said aloud.

“You would be more convincing if you said such things with a more alert expression,” Wridra pointed out right away.

I couldn’t really do anything about my face, since I was born with it, but I really was sleepy, so her feedback was spot-on.

I looked to the side to find Marie still asleep, and I felt the alluring sight beckoning to me. Ahh, it would be so comfortable if I dove under those blankets right now...

“But first, we need to eat something. And it would be a good idea to take a bath before going back over there... Actually, I guess this is Eve’s first time, so she wouldn’t know how to use the bathroom. Wridra, would you mind teaching her?”

Wridra smiled in response and flashed an “OK” sign with her hand. So, I decided to prepare the meal in the meantime. I debated whether or not to wake up Marie, but we’d be taking turns for the bath, and I still had to cook. She would probably have ended up waking up on her own anyway, so I decided against it.

Just then, Eve peered in from the edge of my vision. Her blonde, wavy hair swayed as she looked with her blue eyes full of cat-like curiosity.

“Hey, what’s this ‘bath’ thing you’re talking about? Is it tasty?” she asked.

“No, no, it’s not something you eat. It’s a place where you wash your body. You’ll get some tasty food after you’re done with the bath.”

I asked her to excuse me and touched her golden hair, then grabbed the cover over her long ears. It made a fizzling noise, and Wridra’s magic particles were reduced to their original, wiry form.

“Thanks. Nn, it feels so freeing to have my ears out in the open again. Oh, can I take my socks off? Also, it’d be awesome if I could walk around barefoot without getting yelled at.”

“Go right ahead. Now that I think of it, you always had shoes on on the other side, huh? I don’t know if I could relax wearing shoes indoors.”

Speaking of which, Marie had been wearing her bunny ear slippers for a long time now. It seemed that elves didn’t like wearing heavy clothing and preferred a more natural state. Since dark elves were closely related to elves, maybe Eve enjoyed being barefoot or wearing slippers.

“Feel free to make yourself at home. You should also learn about the culture of baths. It’s refreshing and really melts your fatigue away, so take your time in there.”

“Man, your house is full of fun stuff, isn’t it? Let’s go already, Wridra,” Eve said.

“The tub is not full yet, but... Hm, perhaps I will teach you how to wash yourself in the meantime.” Then the two headed for the dressing area. Maybe Eve was excited by the unfamiliar sights of the bathroom and the mirror in the dressing area, but her reaction was somewhat loud.

“Huh? Wha, what? Why’s water coming out of there like that? Why? How? I thought we were gonna scoop some water with a bucket!”

“The hot water flows through this thin pipe. Ah, you spent your time in the desert country, so you must not be familiar with the culture of water baths,” Wridra replied.

“Is it like a steam bath? Well, the manor belonged to Lord Zarish, so I didn’t really get to use it. I just scrubbed my body with a wet cloth.”

It seemed the select few, like aristocrats, enjoyed using saunas. Eve’s tone was lighthearted as she spoke, but there was a hint of sadness to what she described, so I couldn’t help but pay attention. So I decided to put off the cooking preparation a little bit and knocked on the open door. But I had no idea Eve had already begun undressing, and was slightly flustered to find her tanned skin exposed to her shoulders.

“H-Hey there... In Japan, there’s a culture of drinking beer when you get out of the bath, and... Wait, maybe this is a universal thing? Anyway. Would you like some when you’re done with your bath?”

“Yes, I would! That sounds like a wonderful culture, so you should be sure to honor it, Kazuhiho!” She reached over and slapped my shoulder jovially a couple times. Her body may have been concealed by the door, but she really should have been more cautious about making her breasts bounce like that. Wridra could have given Eve a run for her money in terms of not being cautious about such things, and the Arkdragon’s voice reverberated from the bathroom.

“Hah, hah, the beer from this country is in a class of its own. Perhaps it is because their water is pure, but it cannot be compared with anything you have ever consumed. Beware not to collapse to the ground from shock.”

Eve laughed aloud at Wridra’s warning, then waved me goodbye and disappeared into the dressing area. I stood where I was and let out a sigh.

I closed the door for the two ladies that had no sense of self-preservation, then returned to the kitchen.

It was Eve’s first day in Japan, but she gave off somewhat of a little sister vibe to me. She made me anxious, with me watching her as she just laughed things off without understanding my concern. I was an only child, but maybe this was how the brothers of the world felt about their younger siblings.

I stretched my arms up toward the ceiling and felt my back crack, and I was reminded of my built-up fatigue. I was pretty tired, so I just felt like making something easy. But unlike me, those two girls were probably going to eat a lot, and I wanted to give Eve a good impression of Japan, so I couldn’t afford to skimp on the volume. And so, I decided to make some pasta. I did just so happen to have some leftovers from a block of cheese in my fridge.

Heheh, this is going to be delicious.

This may have been rather sudden to say, but I had a deep fondness for Parmigiano Reggiano. It could be used in a wide array of dishes, and it had a rich flavor without being stinky. It was a wonderful ingredient that was full of umami and could elevate the quality of a dish by several ranks. Tonight, I wanted the residents of the fantasy world to learn about the deliciousness of this cheese.

I poured some water into a big pot, turned on the cooking fire, and then began preparing the ingredients. Though, pasta didn’t really need much prep work at all. All I really had to do was peel some garlic and chop up some bacon. Maybe I would add some in-season asparagus, too.

I heated a frying pan over the stove and tossed some crushed garlic into the pan. Garlic was the key to making pasta. By transferring their aroma and flavor into olive oil, it gave the dish a greater depth of flavor. The strong scent snapped me out of my drowsiness a bit, and I felt myself focusing on the cooking more.

The preparations were complete. I tossed in some bacon, and it sizzled as I cooked it in the pan. The fat began melting from the heat, and I let the pieces turn crispy in the hot olive oil. The smell of garlic and bacon filled the room, and I felt an instinctive urge to have some white wine as usual.

It would have paired perfectly with the dish, but I had to feed the main guest of the day, Eve. The question of whether I should have been feeding her a western dish like pasta to welcome her to Japan did come up in my mind, but... I had already gone this far, so I decided not to worry about it. Well, it should have been okay as long as it tasted good.

And so, I grabbed a bundle of pasta and dumped it into the big pot. We did eat throughout the day, so five portions should have been enough. Any more, and I would have run out of eggs.

I took the milk and butter from the fridge and added them into the frying pan. It sizzled as it hit the hot pan and began bubbling after a moment. I continued to stir it to prevent it from burning and let it boil a bit.

Hmm, I’m starting to get hungry.

I stopped the fire and brought out a Kitase household favorite: the Parmigiano Reggiano, along with some salt and pepper. I then took the cooked pasta from the frying pan and...

Whoa, that’s heavy!

Yeah, that was too much pasta to cook at once. I could have cooked it in smaller batches, but it was too late for that. I put some hot water in a smaller pot, boiled it, then turned off the fire. I then tossed an egg for each of us in that smaller pot and closed the lid. All I needed to do was leave it in for a few minutes to turn them into soft-boiled eggs.

Now I had some time to spare.

When I glanced at the table, I noticed a map of the theme park laid out there. This reminded me of Eve, who was still bathing at the moment. When I proposed the idea of betraying Zarish, she seemed to be tormented by the thought. Her expression remained the same as she told me everything she knew about Zarish’s powers.

But what surprised me was, despite having been impaled through the heart, she still loved him. I was curious about their relationship, but I didn’t think she was lying. During my time with her at the theme park, I realized she was the type of person who cared for her friends and wouldn’t have tried to take advantage of others. She had to know that deceiving me wouldn’t have led to any positive results.

“Hmm, I got enough info to work with now, so I just need to solidify a plan to deal with Zarish...” I nodded, then opened the lid of the small pot. It was time to get back to cooking.

I mixed the pasta in the sauce, then cracked a raw egg into it once it cooked down a bit... Oh, I didn’t want to deal with adjusting the heat, so I usually added the egg later. This way, the heat from the pasta would have been enough to cook it without turning it all clumpy. That was what I had learned from my grandpa, anyway.

I stirred the whole thing around and transferred the pasta onto plates. Just as I was taking the soft-boiled eggs out of the small pot from earlier, I heard the door sliding open. Today’s guest was just about to arrive.

“Ahhh, baths are seriously amazing! I can’t believe all that hot water just comes pouring out!”

Eve shouted as she stepped out of the dressing area. She was fresh out of the bath wearing a t-shirt and short shorts, an outfit that accentuated her allure... Yeah, I had to make a conscious choice to try not to look too much. I didn’t know why the residents of the fantasy world, other than Marie, didn’t really seem to mind exposing their skin. I couldn’t understand it at all.

“So hot...”

Oh no, don’t flap the hem of your shirt like that... Some people would consider that unladylike. No, really, please stop.

Her healthy and defined abs were completely exposed, forming a straight, upward line from her belly button. Not to mention that with her dark skin, the contours of her muscles were all the more clear cut. Hmm, it seemed that not being ladylike had its own brand of sex appeal.

Marie woke up from her rest on the bed, likely awakened by Eve’s loud voice. I was just about to wake her up anyway, so the timing had worked out pretty well. Just as I was going to call out to her, Eve’s voice rang out and cut me off.

“Heeey, what’s this? I can tell it’s good just from the smell!”

With that, she drifted over to me with unsteady steps like a zombie. This seemed to alert Marie, and her nose twitched, her expression indicating that she was more hungry than sleepy. She slowly rose, followed to her feet while barefoot just like the dark elf had, and then hugged me from behind.

“Welcome,” I told her, and she flashed me a child-like smile.

“Mmm, smells like cheese. Say, what is this dish called?”

“This is carbonara. Would you like some alcohol, too, Marie?”

“Yes, this is one of those refined tastes of a lady that you mentioned, isn’t it? Eve, you may borrow one of my beer glasses if you so desire.”

Marie spoke with the prim expression of a gentle lady, to which Eve responded by bursting into laughter while holding her sides and shouting, “You sound just like an aristocrat!”

It seemed everyone was all the more lively thanks to the appetizing scent. One couldn’t help but smile when they ate something delicious, and smells could produce the same effect, as well. This was all the more true with ice cold bottles of beer out on the table.

By the time Wridra came out of the bathroom, the table had already been set. Having a drink with dinner had become part of the routine now, and the black-haired beauty grinned and took a seat, as well. As an aside, there were only three seats for the table, so I had no choice but to sit on the stand used as a partition between the bed and dining area.

“Ahh, that is quite the scent. I simply love the aroma of freshly-ground black pepper. It stirs my appetite like no other when used to season meat.” I poured her some beer, filling her glass with the crisp, golden beverage topped with foam. The dark elf stared with overt curiosity at the sight, seemingly unable to wait for the meal to begin. And so, with all eyes upon me, I raised a glass as the head of the household.

“Now, let’s all give Eve a warm welcome. Like I said before, I don’t plan on letting you get bored until the moment you fall asleep. Welcome to Japan... Kanpai!”

We gave our cheers and clinked our glasses together, and the two ladies who had just gotten out of the bath took a swig of their drink as if they had been waiting for this moment their whole lives. Cold beer ran through their heated bodies, and they drank in the beverages with audible gulps. Nice, cold drinks after playing until exhaustion. It was nothing short of pure bliss.

“Ahhh! This is seriously amazing! So cold and bubbly, and so smooth on the way down... What, are you all trying to kill me with happiness or something?”

“Mmmf! There is nothing like an ice cold glass after taking a bath! This is why I cannot go without coming to Japan!” Wridra exclaimed. Eve seemed to like the beer, too. Though, I wasn’t too worried about the alcohol. Rather, the drinks available in the other world weren’t all that great. Cheap liquor there smelled worse than dirty water, and it went without saying that it was served lukewarm. One could have forced them down if they were at least cold, but... Why would someone even pay money for something like that?

Marie took a fork in hand and sliced through the soft-boiled egg on her pasta. The yolk slowly oozed out onto the pasta, mixing together into an appetizing color. She deftly twirled noodles around her fork, then took her time slowly bringing it to her mouth, as if to savor the moment.

“Mmmmmm!” She took one bite, then let out a satisfied groan as her pale purple eyes shot open.

The Parmigiano Reggiano, filled with concentrated flavor and umami, was an outstanding ingredient for this dish. The melty, gooey goodness filled one’s senses with its signature cheesy scent, and its combination with the gentle flavor of the egg completely dominated one’s taste buds with each bite.

The pasta had a satisfying texture, with just the right amount of firmness, and the crispy bacon’s delicious fat, the fragrance of the black pepper, and the garlic all served as the perfect accents.

You couldn’t swallow it without chewing the food, of course. But the cheese’s umami went berserk in one’s mouth while chewing, which was almost overwhelming. The flavors of eggs, cheese, and quality meat mixed together to deliver a wonderfully delicious punch. A smile curled up at the edge of Marie’s lips. She continued chewing while staring at me, swallowed, then let out a satisfied breath.

“Nnn...! The egg... was amazing. Someday, if I see a bird, I just may start drooling.”

“I’ll have to keep you full so that won’t happen. This is easy to make, so I could teach you later. I’m sure you’ll learn it in no time, Marie.”

She nodded enthusiastically, and I started to dig into my carbonara, too. Not used to eating pasta, Eve slurped up her noodles like ramen, then stopped. She chewed off the pasta hanging from her mouth, and her face went through surprised expressions as she chewed. Then, her body shook as a shiver ran down her spine. Her demeanor felt like there was a... “dark-elf like,” or a wild feel to it.

She placed her fork on her plate and rubbed her cheeks with both hands, with a huge smile on her face. Apparently, this was a symptom that occurred when one’s saliva production couldn’t catch up. The savory goodness filled her mouth and spurred on more saliva production as she enjoyed the melted cheese and eggs. She finally swallowed, then sat there with a euphoric expression on her face.

“Ahh... this is so good... No, that doesn’t even start to describe it. It’s, I dunno, crazy good... Ah, ah! I think my knees just went weak!”

I laughed at her dramatic reaction, but was surprised to find she actually started massaging her own legs as if she had trouble moving them. But it seemed she was salivated enough now, and she used her open hand to eat pasta while massaging herself with the other.

There was just enough fat in the dish to make the beer taste all the better. We all drank and ate happily, and the table became lively with discussion as we began recollecting our day at the theme park. Eve poked at her asparagus with a straw as she turned to me, clearly having a nice buzz going.

“Man, today was full of so much fun. I might even dream about it tonight. Those rice balls were really good, too.” We had only spent half a day together, but with a common topic of discussion and good food, our conversation went smoothly, as if we were all old friends. In any case, maybe dark elves were like elves in the sense that they didn’t have much of an alcohol tolerance, because Eve sat with her butt hanging off of her chair a bit. She and Marie looked like sisters with both of their belly buttons showing, which I found rather cute. Their satisfied sighs were exactly alike, too.

“Ahh... Japan is seriously awesome. I don’t wanna go back to my world now,” Eve said.

“Whaaat? I can’t believe it. I go into my dreams because I don’t like this world. I mean, you can enjoy adventures in all sorts of fantasy landscapes.” They looked at me as if I had just said something ridiculous. But the kind-hearted Ms. Elf decided to come to my aid. She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, then parted her lustrous lips to speak.

“Yes, I like the other world, too. Though, it wasn’t until just recently that I realized how fun it is. Maybe I just became used to how unrestrained you all are.”

“You may be right. I had been thoroughly bored of everything, but helping you two grow and watching your progress has been quite a joy. I have been constantly discovering new things, as well,” Wridra replied. Marie and Wridra agreed with each other and smiled. I kind of understood why. The dragon and the elf enjoyed their time together no matter what world they were in, and they both always kept their eyes on the things they enjoyed despite whatever tumult surrounded them. Though, I did remember Marie being pretty free-spirited herself.

Just then, I was reminded of something Wridra had said to me. I realized the reason why she wanted me to fight Zarish.

“Do you mean there’s something about him that will help me grow?”

“Hah, hah, that is entirely up to you. If you are not interested, I shall shoo him off immediately,” she replied. Was that really it? If my master really cared that much for me, I wanted to at least meet her expectations to some degree. Though, I would probably have been killed within seconds in a standard duel.

Despite the topic of discussion, Eve continued to eat wordlessly without making so much as a dissatisfied expression. Even though we were talking about how to defeat the person she loved most... This told me that the promise we had made at the park was sincere.

Marie noticed right away that something had changed. Her long ears perked up as she stared at Eve, her expression telling me that she was trying to figure out what was discussed while she was asleep.

“Wh-What? I’m not plotting anything.”

“I’m not suspecting you of anything. I already think of you as a friend, Eve. Let’s work together and crush that creepy guy.” Upon hearing Marie’s cruel comment with her flowery smile, Eve couldn’t help but freeze in place with a drawn, awkward smile. But maybe Eve understood why Marie would call him “creepy,” because she swallowed her retort with another swig of beer. Wridra watched them as she tilted her own glass, then shot me a glance.

“Hmm. If you intend to punish him without taking his life, it will only make it all the more difficult. Do you have a plan?” she asked. Ah, so she had heard the conversation between Eve and me. Or maybe she predicted it. As long as we were collaborating with Eve, we couldn’t have just outright killed him. Eve wished for a more peaceful resolution.

In any case, I told Wridra that I’d been expecting her to ask just that and rose from my seat. It was quicker to show her than to explain, so I pulled out the thing I had rented on the way home in front of everyone. Contained within the square, plastic case was a movie DVD. It was a case for rentals, so it didn’t have the original sleeve, but the ominous lettering and decorations on the disc made Marie and Wridra twitch with an uncomfortable look on their faces.

The title was indeed unsettling. It was, predictably, a horror title, and probably far exceeded their expectations. Earlier today, Wridra had openly admitted that she didn’t handle things related to horror and the occult well, so the glare she gave me was understandable. So I decided to take a vote.

“Umm, who doesn’t want to watch this?”

“Me, me!” Marie and Wridra raised their hands enthusiastically. Eve was sitting between them and glanced side to side at the both of them. But it wasn’t that she had agreed or disagreed; she simply wasn’t familiar with the concept of movies.

She sat with proper posture at the table and raised her hand straight up. If I were a teacher, I would have been pleased by her studiousness. But I was no teacher, and I was the complete opposite when it came to having good posture, so I was slightly saddened.

Wridra looked up at me with her lips pouted and the whites of her eyes showing in a sullen expression. She ran her fingers through her still-damp hair with a rather displeased expression.

“No one here wishes to watch such a thing. Just look at that repulsive text. I doubt it is anything worthwhile.”

“She’s right, I don’t want it ruining my sleep. Besides, how is that going to lead to beating Zarish? It simply doesn’t make any sense.” Marie joined in to support Wridra’s argument and pointed her fork at me in a display of bad table manners. Right, they had a point. I was holding a horror DVD that I was planning on using as a reference to lay a trap for Zarish the hero candidate. But since the residents of the fantasy world were unfamiliar with the horror genre, they were having a hard time connecting the dots. Just as I was considering this, Eve tentatively raised her hand.

“Hmm, I don’t know what that disc thing is, but if it’s scary, I’ll pass. We were having a good time eating and drinking, so I don’t wanna ruin the mood.” It seemed she saw how everyone else was reacting and deduced what it was. Realizing now that everyone was against me, my sadness grew even deeper.

“Why don’t we try changing our perspective a bit? It isn’t going to be us that’s going to get scared this time, but Zarish.” The girls all looked at each other, confused. Scary movies were meant to scare people, but this was just reference material, and the main event would have been the battle against him after we fell asleep.

“So you’re saying we’re going to do to him what you did to us at Grimland? As in, surprise and scare him?”

“That’s right. Wridra, would it be possible to use the visualization magic you showed me before to show us his mansion from somewhere far away? It would be even more interesting if you could show the interior and pick up audio.” Wridra made a contemplative noise to herself as she placed a fingertip to her finely-shaped eyebrow. She gave it some thought before opening her mouth. Her impish grin told me that she had figured out what I was thinking despite having very few hints to work with.

“Hah, hah, so you intend to make a mockery out of the hero candidate. You are indeed a malicious man at heart.”

“Hehe, I wouldn’t say I’m all that bad. Well, maybe. Anyway, if it’s possible, I would be glad if you could record it so I can take a look later.” We both chuckled evilly, and I had secured one ally for my little scheme. Marie and Eve didn’t quite follow, and they watched us with raised eyebrows. The first one to speak was Zarish’s former subordinate, Eve. She raised her hand a little bit and asked her question with an uncertain expression.

“But do you really think you can scare Zarish? This is the same person who laughs while cutting down demons.”

“In this case, I don’t think levels or swordsmanship are going to help in any way. Just like how Wridra was screaming at Grimla— Ngg!” My sentence was cut off with a pained grunt as Wridra’s fist slammed into my side. It was a well-placed body blow that landed right into my core. I winced and rubbed my side while I continued to explain.

“And we won’t be dealing with him directly, so this will be a safe approach. If it doesn’t work, we can just try something else.”

“Hmm, that does sound safe, so I think I agree. But if he gets all scared and screams... Hehe, that does sound fun, actually,” Eve said. I actually wasn’t sure if he would get scared. He was an adult, so maybe it wouldn’t have fazed him. But if he really did let out shrieks of terror, it would have been quite satisfying to see.

Eve grinned, and I had secured another ally for the cause. I glanced at the last person remaining, and Marie looked at me, as if surprised.

“Oh, I’m on your side, of course. I simply don’t want to watch scary things. But I’ll do what I must if it’s part of the plan, and I don’t want to be left out. If I cry, it will be your fault. Just remember that.”

She let out a resigned sigh, and our group was finally in agreement. And so, our horror movie viewing party was about to begin. I turned the TV that was facing the bed toward us to prepare. To be honest, I didn’t really understand this type of horror, so I wanted to hear the opinions of people who found it scary. Those types of people would likely have been better at coming up with terrifying ideas.

I took the disc out of the case and put it into the DVD player. After a delay, white noise began to play from the screen.

“I’m going to turn the lights down now,” I announced.

“You will not!” Wridra said.

“You don’t understand women at all. You’re awful,” Marie said.

“Ahaha, look at Kazuhiro’s face! Too funny!”

I was surprised. I never realized how painful the word “awful” could be. I staggered, but somehow managed to keep from crumpling to the floor. But the girls didn’t follow up with further attacks. The TV screen continued to buzz with an inexplicable, unsettling air about it.

Suddenly, a kitchen was displayed on the screen. It wasn’t a kitchen that had been tidied up for filming, but a messy one that had clear signs of being used. Someone clearly lived there, and the cheap milk strewn about hinted at the resident being rather poor. They had only done the bare minimum of cleaning, but the dishes alone were sparkling clean. As I took a better look, I saw that someone had marked the days for burnable waste pickup on the calendar.

“...I’m already scared.” Eve’s voice came out as a whimper, but no one dared laugh at her. Everyone empathized with her to some degree.

The picture quality was pretty poor overall. They used natural lighting instead of artificial light for the most part, so it was sometimes too dark to pick out the details. This provided a rather unique ambiance that the girls hadn’t experienced in the movies they had watched for fun. Maybe to them, it felt like someone was living their life just on the other side of that screen.

“Hmm, yeah, this inorganic feeling and the sense of someone living here is a little scary. Maybe the lack of colors are making it all the more realistic,” Marie observed.

“Hey, so this is a ‘movie’? Is it showing the inside of someone’s house or something? Oh, who’s that?”

A girl clad in a school uniform appeared through the entrance and announced, “I’m home!” in a youthful voice. Her voice was like a light shining through darkness and provided some relief from the sense of foreboding that was there just a moment ago.

“What did she just say? Was that Japanese?”

“You are like a noisy child. Here, I will translate for you. Sit next to me. Hmm, the Japanese may be mild-mannered, but seeing their black hair and pale skin in such stark contrast makes them look somewhat unnerving.” The other girls agreed with cheery voices. It was understandable. The story had barely begun, and even the protagonist of the movie didn’t feel any sense of danger.

With the main character being a young girl, it was likely easier for the women watching over her to empathize. An ominous atmosphere could be felt here and there, but the world was at peace for now. But the everyday life one was accustomed to could have vanished abruptly. The girl found a ticket by chance one day, and she wouldn’t have realized until later on that she would never have been able to return to normalcy because of it.

Even as someone died in a mysterious incident, she still thought of herself as an observer who was safe from danger. But there was no telling what would have happened if she took another step further.

“That would be a bad move... Do not get any closer...” Wridra uttered under her breath.

There was a distinct sense of something being out of place within the girl’s everyday life. An ominous presence could have been felt, drawing everyone’s eyes. This didn’t just apply to the main character, but us, as well. “I don’t want to look. I don’t want to get closer.” It was likely human instinct that made us feel this way. We felt something stirring inside us, an inexplicable chill in the air.

There was nothing shocking being displayed on the screen. There was no blood or ear-piercing screams. But, we all felt that disturbing sense that something was definitely wrong. The ladies naturally began taking more sips from their tea.

But against the wishes of Marie and the others, the girl moved closer to the foreboding “something,” as if drawn to it. She told herself that it was her job, and that she wanted to find out more.

“Nooo, you can’t get closer...”

“I’ve been dying to know what it is, so I’m looking...”

At last, the lid hiding the secret is opened.

The screen shook unnaturally, revealing the identity of the feeling of wrongness to the viewers and portraying the fact that the girl had taken a step across the line of normalcy.

The footage we saw was, in a manner of speaking, abnormal. There were people in ordinary clothing visible, showing no emotions and writhing about in a detached manner. But this... What was this unusual display? The girls seemed to be feeling a sense of foreignness, like something crawling under their skin.

I observed them curiously while leaning on the kitchen sink. It appeared that the inexplicable sense that something was out of the ordinary was where the fear came from.

Marie turned toward me and wordlessly beckoned me over. I cocked my head and moved closer, and then she made me sit where she had just been sitting.

I wondered what was going on, but then she plopped down onto my lap. Still, I didn’t really understand. She let out a satisfied puff of air from her nose, but perhaps the gesture meant “I’ll be okay now”? I wanted to ask, but Marie didn’t turn around to face me.

So, I decided to get back to the movie like her.

It seemed the girl finally realized she had opened the door to abnormality. Maybe what happened next was meant to be a message of welcome. A loud noise reverberated from the kitchen, and the ladies of our group trembled all at once.

“Ohooo! That one certainly got me!” Wridra exclaimed.

“Whoa, look, look!” Eve said.

“I got goosebumps!”

They both laughed, for some reason. As for Marie, I could feel her heart thumping from behind her, and it seemed she didn’t have the emotional capacity to laugh at the moment. She then turned around and whispered into my ear.

(Hey, why aren’t you scared?)

(I am, but... I’m more surprised by jump scares that pop out like, “bam!”)

She told me I was strange and cocked her head cutely, but the sight of a horror movie playing behind her was already out of the ordinary for me.

Now, this story was rather cruel, and it went on as if things had gone back to being peaceful. It could have potentially been easier to accept if things had stayed in the peculiar state, but they were now giving the audience hope that everything would be okay. The sight of the girls’ friends and family provided a sense of relief, and she soon assumed she had only imagined everything.

“There it is. It is important to make you think things have been resolved now,” Wridra commented.

“Aaagh, this is the worst. If I got attacked after having my guard down like this, I’d totally cry,” Eve said in a pained voice as she shook Wridra by her shoulders from behind. Meanwhile, I realized this made for a good reference and took mental notes.

From there, we were shown various scenes of things being back to normal in her everyday life, but one thing I noticed was that the tempo was slowly ramping up overall. The interval between relief and fear was becoming more and more narrow, and the viewer would soon realize something. Something was coming, slowly but surely.

Strangely, Marie kept shifting her position each time. She placed my arm onto her stomach, did the same to the other one, then finally sat sideways with her arms around me.

“Um, Ms. Marie...?” I asked.

“Shh, be quiet. My, I still can’t block it out completely... Horror movies truly are horrifying.”

She said it with a rather resolute expression, but something was off here. Well, it wasn’t as if it didn’t make me happy, but it was like we were straying further and further from a horror movie atmosphere.

Finally, the story was reaching its end. The mystery had been unraveled, and the girl mustered her courage to resolve all of the issues. Even the Arkdragon couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, and the dark elf put a hand to her own bountiful chest with a similar sentiment. Then, they high-fived each other.

But, for some reason, the story wasn’t over yet. It seemed the movie was utilizing even the sense of relief after the big resolution, and the screen simply displayed scenes of average daily life, giving us all a sense of unease once again.

“Oho... Quite disturbing...” Wridra said.

“I can’t handle this kind of stuff! Ahh, wait... No, no! Nooo, not that!” Eve’s shriek prompted me to look at the screen, and abnormality had returned once again. Slowly, slowly, taking its sweet time. It had allowed for plenty of time to think of countermeasures, and just as the viewers were dazed by the realization that there was nothing that could have been done, it approached closer and closer.

“Oho, ho... Turn it off! Turn off the TV!”

“Wait, what? You can turn it off?! You should’ve said so!”

With that, the ladies turned to face me. Hmhm, give them a sense of relief, then strike fear into their hearts... I decided to give this freshly-learned technique a try. And so, I replied with the most reassuring voice I could muster.

“Yeah, I think that was plenty for research purposes. All right, I’ll turn it off now.” I picked up the remote, then pretended to press the button several times.

“Huh? That’s weird... What...?”

“Whaaa, wh-wh-what are you doing?! Quickly, quickly! It is coming closer!”

“H-H-Heeey, Kazuhiroooo! Kazu, hurry up! Hey, Kazu!”

I see, so this is how you scare them. I let the remote slip from my hands. The loud clank as it landed on the table and the moment the “something” on the other side of the screen came at us were simultaneous.

“Gyaaaaaaaaa!”

A shrill scream sounded throughout the condo, and it seemed everyone got to enjoy the true essence of horror movies.

As an aside, I asked the group for their thoughts on the movie, and they responded with “It was surprisingly fun,” and “I could watch one again,” so I felt like I understood women even less after all this. As for Marie, she just clung on to me with her heart still racing.