Chapter of Midsummer, Episode 6: Scattering Seeds in the Land

I turned on the engine and gripped the handle, and then I was off, driving with safety first in mind as usual. Nothing good came from rushing, and if I ended up getting into an accident, I would’ve been known as “the guy who ditched work and got in a car crash.”

And so, my speedometer didn’t budge from its steady pace even through the cheerful music playing in my car and Marie’s happy humming.

But one thing that caught my attention was that Wridra, who could just produce whatever she wanted, had installed something like curtains in the back seat. Curious, I glanced back through my rear view mirror, and then I heard Marie’s voice from the back seat, rather than the usual passenger side.

“Mmm, shaved ice is so crisp and yummy! Would you like some too, Shirley?”

The semi-transparent woman nodded in response, then eagerly waited with her hands squeezed at her sides.

“Say ‘ahh,’” Marie said in a sweet voice, but then the strawberry-flavored shaved ice was put into my mouth rather than Shirley’s. Of course, all I could feel was the flavorless and odorless coldness. But Shirley closed her eyes with joy, fully enjoying the cold and crunchy texture and strawberry flavor that kids loved.

How strange.

Shirley held me by the shoulders, but it seemed my sense of taste was somewhat transferred to her through this connection.

“Hmhm, shaved ice is the perfect dessert for the summer. There must not be a single soul in Japan who does not know of this bliss.” Well, it didn’t smell or taste like anything to me, so I couldn’t feel this bliss she was talking about. We had just turned down the shaved ice earlier, but I reconsidered and thought it would be better to rehydrate after walking around under the blazing heat, and I ended up buying just one. It consisted mostly of water, so it probably wouldn’t have been too filling before dinner.

Marie had moved to the back seat and left her straw hat in the passenger seat before I knew it, leaving me feeling rather lonely. So, even though it didn’t smell or taste like anything, it made me happy when her head popped up beside me and she asked me to eat from the spoon.

Marie then looked around the car’s interior.

“You know, it really looks like a room in here just by adding some lacy curtains.”

“Hah, hah, it is not that I added it for fashion. Shirley will be able to relax this way. We cannot be seen from the outside, after all.”

So, Wridra had put up some special curtains so we could spend time with Shirley in her ghost form. It seemed it was tiring for her to be in hiding all the time. When Shirley had popped out inside the car earlier, she had stretched her limbs as if it was the best feeling in the world. As usual, our futuristic cat robo—I mean, Arkdragon Wridra was very impressive. I swallowed my mouthful of shaved ice, and Shirley and I got brain freeze at the same time.

Our trip was only an hour’s ride away, but everyone came back looking much more cheerful. I had picked a Japanese-style garden since it was Shirley’s first visit to Japan, but I was glad Marie and Wridra had fun, too.

“Oh, right. We need to make plans for our beach trip. It’s Monday, so I think Kaoruko has the day off,” I said.

“Oh, we’re going to discuss the destination of our trip? Good idea! If she’s free, we should all have dinner together again. I’m sure she would be delighted if you told her we were having tempura bowls,” Marie replied. I was relieved to see her smiling beside me. After all, Marie was once famous for hating humans, and she was the only elf in Japan, to boot. I was secretly thrilled by the fact that she enjoyed interacting with neighbors now.

Anyway, we would discuss our vacation later, but that left just one problem.

I didn’t expect it to be an issue earlier, but things had changed since around the time we ate the shaved ice. Put simply, my bladder was demanding I head to the bathroom. Even so, I didn’t want to trouble Shirley, and I couldn’t just have her wait outside at a convenience store bathroom. It would have been a huge problem if someone saw her.

The other method I thought of was to take a nap and go to the bathroom in my dream. But I wasn’t confident that I could fall asleep with a full bladder. I was in a bit of a bind.

Setting that aside, I found the relationship between Shirley and I quite strange. I was currently hosting her in my body, and my nutrients and sense of taste were being transferred to her. I had to keep this up, or she would have drained too much of my energy, and I would suffer intense fatigue like I had this morning.

“Wridra, how many nutrients do you think Shirley needs to stabilize? It’d be helpful if I could get a general idea.”

“All I can say is that it varies depending on the individual. I am certain you will figure it out after going through some pain a few times. You simply need to get accustomed to it.”

Well, that certainly didn’t put my mind at ease. Though, I found it curious that she phrased it that way. How exactly did it vary by the individual? I tried asking her this very question, and her obsidian eyes turned to me.

“I believe that the strain on one’s body strengthens when there is a gap between the ethereal entity and its host. I suppose you can call it spiritual stress. Anyone would tire if they are in the presence of someone they despise. Fortunately for you, it appears she likes you, so there is no need to worry about such a gap.” Shirley looked surprised, then started waving both hands in the rear view mirror as if to deny it. I almost burst out laughing at her adorable, childlike gesture.

Wait, did she just release both hands? I had completely thought she was holding on to my shoulders while haunting me.

Then, I noticed Marie was shooting her a suspicious look, and Shirley’s semi-transparent shoulders twitched in surprise. She turned around nervously, then began waving her hands at Marie this time, as if to explain herself. Wridra saw this and began laughing out loud.

“Kaha! Ha ha ha! The floor master is bowing to an elf! Look, Kitase, stop the car now and take a photo of this paranormal phenomenon. I will not allow you to miss such an opportunity this time.”

“...!” It was unusual for the mild-mannered Shirley to scowl with her brows furrowed like that. There was something particularly intense about quiet girls when they got upset. She then released her fingers from me in full and moved over to overlap onto Wridra.

“Why you—! Stop that at once! All those nutrients I consumed... Aha ha! That tickles!”

I just realized that this was my chance. Now that Shirley had left my body, I decided to use this opportunity to use the bathroom. I switched on my blinkers and turned toward the car toward a nearby convenience store.

“See you, Wridra. Be back in a bit.”

“What? I demand you get back here! No, Marie, do not go with him!”

“Oh, but you ate so much earlier, so I’m sure you’ll be fine. I envy you, being able to go on a diet so easily. Well, I’ll see you later.” Marie smiled and closed the door. We both stepped out under the blazing sun, and then realization hit us and we met eyes.

“Ah... diet...”

“This diet thing has been troubling me, but I just may be able to pull it off. Plus, your bathroom issue was resolved now. I knew you were fidgety, so I’m sorry for making you eat that shaved ice. It must have been rough.”

“No, not at all. But I’ll be walking at a faster pace than usual, so try to keep up,” I replied. Marie rubbed my back and giggled. The sun felt bright in my eyes.

I walked on with Marie’s hand in mine. It was a bit cold from the shaved ice she was eating earlier, and her finger unconsciously rubbed my hand. It felt good and slightly ticklish at the same time, and she glanced up at me with her pale purple eyes.

“Oh, we should take a picture of Wridra being haunted while we can. We may be able to hold it over her somehow.”

“Ha ha, you’re a devious one, Marie.”

“Oh, no, you’re secretly the wicked one. No one seems to notice, but I know. I’ll let you off lightly if you admit it now.” With that, she bumped her butt into me from my side. I walked through the convenience store’s automatic doors feeling more cheerful than usual for some reason.

As for Wridra, she was surprisingly chipper and struck a pose with a peace sign in the picture we took of her.

§

I placed the bags of groceries on the ground next to the entrance. I then reached out to Marie, and even though we had just finished grocery shopping, there was still something we had to do before making dinner.

“It’s a sauna in here! Wow, the temperature went way up while we were out!” Marie exclaimed.

“Yeah, that’s summer for you. I’ll open the windows and air out the place, so could you prepare the usual, Marie?” I was referring to Marie’s method of cooling the room with the help of her ice spirit.

The “Roger that,” I heard as she walked toward the bathroom sounded a bit listless from the heat. I called out some words of encouragement back at her as I walked barefoot across the flooring and opened the curtains and windows. The warm air flowed out of the room, but we would need to aim the fan out of the window for some time to get it circulating.

“Hmm, this heat is too much to bear. Now... the ‘high’ button should be this one.” Then, Wridra walked over after taking off her boots and took over the fan. She plopped down on the ground with her legs crossed, directing the wind toward herself and tossing her socks aside with complete disregard for etiquette.

“Wridra, you’re only making the hot air circulate if you turn the fan that way.”

“I cannot help it. I may be a draconian, but the heat is unbearable. Do not mind me, and go help Mariabelle or something.” Wridra made a shooing gesture with her hands, her draconian horns fully visible on her forehead. She peeled off the sweaty shirt clinging to her skin and exposed her back, and then the area from her spine to her tailbone became covered in a black, rigid material. It seemed she intended to reveal herself down to her tail in preparation to relax here as much as possible.

I then noticed Shirley had removed herself from my body before I realized it, and she floated closer to the fan. She poked it with a semi-transparent finger. Maybe she had an interest in home appliances? I had to throw in the towel with two of the women going after it. I gave up on regaining control of the fan and decided to go help Mariabelle.

I passed through the door next to my bed and headed toward the bathroom to the right of the washroom. Marie was sitting next to the bathtub full of water, poking at its surface with her finger. She noticed I was standing there and turned around, her long ears already out in the open.

“Oh, I just started making the ice.”

“I thought I’d help you carry it once it’s ready. Mind if I sit next to you?” I couldn’t just admit that I had the fan taken away by the Arkdragon.

She gestured for me to go ahead, so I took a seat next to her. I peered into the tub and found something that looked like a jellyfish floating in the water. This was what one would call an ice spirit, and it floated there to create ice for us to cool the room.

As I watched it curiously, I realized I was also being observed by a pair of pale purple eyes.

I wondered what she was thinking about, and her finger poked my chest instead of the water.

“Where’s Shirley?”

“Not here.” I had replied so frankly because I kind of had a feeling I knew what was coming.

“I see,” she replied simply. She averted her eyes, her long ears turning slightly pink.

“It’s nice and cool just sitting here. I feel a bit hot from walking around all day. Would you like to cool down here with me?” Maybe it was because the room was so dim because of the closed blinds, or maybe it was the way her hair flowed freely, but there was a strangely mature charm to her in that moment. Or maybe it was the way she whispered quietly so the others couldn’t hear us. Her gaze suddenly turned from me to the water again.

“Oh, you fall asleep so easily. Come on, wake up.”

The water rippled as she touched it with her finger, and the jellyfish started swimming around leisurely again. There was something comical about its unhurried movement, as if it was saying, “Oops, fell asleep.”

“He takes naps if you take your eyes off of him. That’s why I have to keep asking him to wake up. Maybe you’d like me to wake up that sleepy face of yours, too?” With that, she raised her wet hand and brushed it against my cheek. It was chill to the touch like melted snow, and it felt like any hint of drowsiness would have vanished in an instant. Though, I only looked like I wanted to sleep; I wasn’t actually sleepy at all.

But it did feel nice. Being touched by Marie’s smooth finger was somehow comforting even in the dimly lit bathroom. Her purple eyes grew just a little closer.

“Oh? You still look sleepy to me. Wake up, Kazuhiro-san.” I couldn’t tell her that I was born with this face. I felt her soft lips suddenly press against my own. Her wet hand moved over from my cheek to behind my neck, then down my back. Just then, that sweet smell of hers filled my senses.

I remembered what she had said when she first summoned the ice spirit. She had said that heat was drawn to cold objects, and that heat was also taken away.

It had dawned on me that this was true. Her cool lips drew heat away from me, and our body temperatures soon matched each other’s.

She exhaled, and I felt my vision go darker. I held her slender waist in my arms, and she tucked some hair behind her ear with a hand as she turned toward the door. After confirming that no one was there, she mounted me from the front.

She shushed me quietly with a finger up to her lips, as if to say that we’d be in trouble if that black cat caught us. “That’s true,” I said with a serious face, and she giggled.

“It was really hot today, but I had so much fun. How about you?”

“I’d probably get scolded if I admitted it was worth taking a day off. There are all sorts of annoying things you need to deal with as a working adult.” I could feel her stomach moving against me with each giggle. I casually held her waist to make sure she didn’t fall, wondering if that kiss from earlier was some sort of token of appreciation for our day trip. Then, Marie narrowed her eyes like precious stones and gave me a suspicious look.

“Now, it’s about time you come clean. You made some especially delicious vegetable dishes just so I’d get over my hate for veggies, didn’t you?”

It was hard to dodge the question when she brought it up so suddenly and directly. I averted my eyes, and she laughed, “I knew it!” as she leaned her weight onto me. Our bodies pressed together, and I could sense the feel of her breasts through the thin fabric of our clothes.

We moved our hands to each other’s backs, and her lips parted to let out a sigh right next to my ear.

It was like I had been put under a spell. Only a shred of my rational thought remained, and self-restraint had gone out the window. There was no sense of shame or nervousness. All I wanted to do was embrace her featherlight body and feel her warmth.

I already spent all day and night thinking about her, and she pressed her lips against mine once again. The kiss from before was just a teaser. This was the real deal. My slightly parted lips were completely sealed with hers as they came together.

This was my first love. I stroked the groove around her tailbone and she wrapped her sweaty arms around me as I felt it in my heart.

I was truly glad that I was now able to love someone.

I didn’t think anyone would understand, but I couldn’t help but be filled with joy.

After all, I didn’t think I would ever be loved by anyone.

I wasn’t able to have a proper conversation with anyone until I was in the upper grades of elementary school, after I had moved from Tokyo to Aomori. Everyone knew me as an oddball from Tokyo until I graduated. I was surprised by how much things had changed.

We placed our chins on each other’s shoulders, still holding each other while breathing shallow breaths.

Marie could probably feel my rapid heartbeat, too. Hers was like a drum beating in my ears. I could vaguely see those characteristic long, elven ears of hers were a bit droopy and trembling softly.

She whispered quietly into my ear.

“See? You’re always plotting such wicked thoughts. Nobody seems to have noticed but me. I’m the only one who knows that side of you very well. Do you understand?” she asked softly, and it was all over for me. I told her I yielded, then asked her a question of my own as she sat there cheerfully with her legs hanging loosely.

“So, did you like the summer vegetables?”

“Yes, they were so good that I can’t wait to grow some. We’ll have freshly harvested vegetables all to ourselves. We already got Shirley’s permission, so I’d love to plant some corn one day, too.” This was a woman who could even recreate a modern air conditioner. I was sure she would do as she said, and I could already picture her brilliant smile as she picked vegetables on a hot summer day.

I told her she was adorable, and she replied, “Is that so?” with a look that told me she wasn’t displeased by the compliment. As we continued with our silly conversation, I noticed the jellyfish had fallen asleep, floating serenely in the water.

Whoosh! The fan blades whirled around with great intensity, delivering an unbelievably refreshing gust of wind. I felt the sweat drying off of my body, and I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

“You can’t underestimate the power of vaporizing ice, considering it’s almost as effective as an air conditioner,” I noted.

“Oh? But if you can chill the air, all you need to do is add circulation to achieve the same effect. The principle is simple. You just need to use ice like this. Anyone could do it, really.” Marie squatted down next to me, shamelessly lifting the hem of her skirt as she spoke. “Not that I’d tell anyone how to do it,” she added playfully.

She smiled merrily, but she was exposing a dangerous amount of her pale thighs...

Oh, I shouldn’t stare.

I casually averted my eyes from her captivating thighs. Everything about her down to her colorful lips was so attractive that I found it downright troubling.

In any case, it seemed we were ready to stave off another hot, sleepless night. Satisfied, I stood up and approached the window that I had left open to let the hot air out. It was starting to get darker outside, and our day of sightseeing was coming to an end. A part of me felt a bit sad about it, and the sound of cicadas grew quieter when I shut the window.

Meanwhile, the floating ice spirit jellyfish was keeping busy. It hovered this way and that to manage the blocks of ice, giving its utmost effort to make sure the room was at a comfortable temperature. Though, it made me sleepy watching the way it drifted about.

“It’s nice and cool in here, but the one drawback is that we can’t let anyone else see this.”

“Hm? I have heard the Japanese are quite studious, but are they able to speak Elvish, as well?” Wridra asked, and I looked over to find her reading a newspaper. She had spread it out on the table, and it was a strange sight seeing her reading something other than the sports column. As an aside, she was reading the four-panel manga section first.

Her clavicles were visible under her loose-fitting t-shirt, the strap of her purple bra peeking out. Her dragon tail dangled from the back of her chair, and clearly, she wanted to spend the day in leisure in comfortable clothing.

“Oh, not at all. I’m probably the only one in Japan who knows how to speak it.” I was a bit taken aback by her sudden question and simply shook my head. Wridra then glanced toward the fan. To be more precise, she was looking at Shirley, who was staring into the fan. The semi-transparent woman seemed to notice her gaze and met her eyes.

“Shirley, is there something like a jellyfish floating there?”

“...?” She looked rather confused by the question, then looked around the room. This caught me by surprise, considering it was floating right in front of her face.

“Wait, what’s going on?” I asked.

“A spirit can only be seen by those who are as pure as a newborn or animals with keen instincts. However, if one can speak their language, they will be able to sense their presence,” Wridra said as she flipped the page. So that probably meant I could see it because I could speak Elvish.

“There is no need for you to learn this, but I suppose I will go into more detail. I said earlier today, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ but spirits have adapted to Japan just as Shirley did.” An idea seemed to come to her, and the Arkdragon extended her finger and continued talking while crafting something. Black particles gradually began to form a shape, and my eyes were drawn to the curious sight.

“Spirits, which exist in all things, are beings similar to the myriad of gods in existence. They are therefore easy to be swayed by emotions of that region, making them susceptible to change. Thus, they understand the thoughts of the Japanese folk.” This reminded me of Shintoism, a religion that was featured in shrines since the old days of Japan. It was, in essence, a worship of nature, and similar teachings were known throughout the world.

“In other words, the practitioner themselves must also understand the true nature of the words being spoken, or the spirits would not give them the time of day. Of course, this means they would be far from able to see the spirits’ physical form.”

“Hm, so that’s how it works. Come to think of it, I wasn’t able to control spirits in Japan until I finally started learning how to speak Japanese,” Marie said as she put on her apron and head wrap. Seeing this, I realized it was time to start preparing dinner. I stood up and walked after her, but wanted to confirm one important thing and turned to Wridra.

“So, does that mean Kaoruko won’t be able to see the spirit?”

“It is highly unlikely that she could, unless she has an exceptional aptitude for it. She may live in this country, but if she is unable to speak the language of spirits, she would have to live like an elf, surrounded in nature and constantly in tune with water, wind, earth, and fire.” Maybe it was because she was reading a newspaper, but she certainly did put it in confusing terms. In any case, this meant there would be no problem if our guest came over to discuss the destination of our little trip. That was a relief.

As Wridra finished her explanation, it seemed she was done crafting, too. The black particles were reborn as black-rimmed glasses, which she placed on her face and asked, “How do I look?”

I mean, there’s not a lot of things you don’t look good in.

Wridra flashed a satisfied smile, and I moved over to Marie, who was washing vegetables.

She was already clever to begin with, so she had picked up all the basic cooking methods already. Still, different dishes took different seasoning and prepping methods, so I had to teach her each time depending on what we were cooking. I washed the rest of the veggies in the basket, then taught Marie how to cut the eggplants.

“Tempura tastes better when you deep fry it quickly, so you need to cut into them to make sure it cooks evenly.” I deftly cut into the eggplants with the kitchen knife, then spread them out in the shape of a fan. They were white on the inside, despite their dark exterior, so they looked colorful when laid out like this.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s straight or diagonal. You just need to cut them evenly like this.”

“Just like you were doing yesterday, right? I’ll give it a try.” Marie used the kitchen knife with practiced hands, and I was relieved to see she had gotten used to using them. She really was a fast learner. Teaching a disciple like her would be very rewarding if she ever studied under a master. Though, come to think of it, Wridra was already her master when it came to magic. It was no wonder the Arkdragon treated her with so much care. I decided to let Marie handle the prep work and started to get the sweet and spicy dipping sauce ready.

Steam was coming out of the rice cooker, and I could see through the window that it was getting darker outside. I looked up at the clock on the wall, and it was already about to be seven o’clock.

We were cooking for four tonight, and we were making tempura, so it was a race against the clock. I prepared the batter like last time, and then I... didn’t put it into the refrigerator, and instead turned around. The jellyfish floated there, and I placed the bowl on top of it. The bowl would be chilled in no time, so spirits were quite convenient even when it came to cooking.

Wridra had been reading a newspaper, but she had to set it aside when she started to smell the sizzling tempura. Her nose twitched, and she got up and came up to me like she did when she was a cat.

Shirley held on to her shoulders, and they peered in together to see what I was doing. I could sense their restlessness, so I turned around while continuing to work with my hands.

“Sorry, we need to hurry tonight, and there’s just enough for the four of us, so you won’t be able to try any until they’re done.”

“Gah...! V-Very well, then I shall accept just one of those eggplants there!”

Yup, like I said, no eating until they’re all done.

I made an “X” with my fingers at her, and the dragon’s eyebrows drooped before my eyes. She looked like she was about to cry. She was so expressive that I couldn’t help sympathizing with her, but my “X” didn’t waver.

Suddenly, Wridra perked up, her face brightening as if she had come up with a brilliant idea.

“Y-Yes, then consider this. In exchange for one of my Arkdragon’s scales...!”

“Shoo! It’ll be ready soon, so be patient and wait over there!” Marie’s intensity startled Wridra, and even Shirley, for some reason. But she just looked cute in my eyes, like a little kitten getting upset.

I watched Wridra slink away, dejected, and continued to deep fry the rest of the vegetables. Once I was done, it was time to bring out the main dish: shrimp. I had pretreated them so they wouldn’t curl up, and I decided to fry them in front of Marie. To be honest, I was a bit nervous. I wanted to use a frying technique that made the tempura look bigger called hana-age, but I had barely any experience with it.

“Okay... We just add a bit of the thinned out batter like so...” I used my chopsticks to add bits of batter as the shrimp fried in the oil. It was pretty difficult, considering I only had a limited amount of time to fry it. Marie’s eyes were bright with wonder as she watched with great interest.

“Wow, it’s getting bigger. It’s like a blooming flower.”

“That’s why it’s called hana-age, or ‘flower frying.’ Making the batter bigger doesn’t make it taste better or anything, so we gotta be careful not to overdo it. Yeah, that should do.” The sweet scent of the tempura dipping sauce filled the kitchen along with the smell of freshly deep fried batter and vegetables, and Wridra’s patience was reaching its limit. I could tell by the way she was unconsciously tapping her foot.

I removed the tempura from the oil and was relieved to see that they came out okay, despite not looking perfect. The doorbell rang as I picked up the next piece of shrimp, letting me know that our guest was here.

“I’ll fry the rest, so can you go greet our guest?” Marie said. I had to say, I appreciated how dependable she was. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in the underground labyrinth, but I couldn’t have imagined that she would be just as reliable when making dinner.

I went to open the front door just behind the kitchen... but first, I turned around.

“Wridra, your tail and horn...”

“Hmph.” Despite her pouting, any trace of Wridra’s tail and horn had already completely vanished. She must have sensed that we had a visitor. Well, she was as sharp as always.

I glanced over to Shirley in front of the fan and reached out to her. She took my hand, then floated into the air and haunted me. I then immediately felt a bit of hunger and fatigue hit me. Thinking that I should eat as soon as possible, I finally answered the door.

I pushed the door open.

There stood a woman with well-kempt, shoulder-length hair. It was completely dark outside already, and she did a small wave with her hand.

“Good evening. The food’s almost ready, so please, come in.”

“Oh, that smells nice. Hello, Marie! And you must be her friend, Wridra? I heard you over the phone earlier.” Wridra was still sitting in her chair as she greeted the newcomer. It was times like these that I got the impression that she was shy around strangers. She smiled quietly, her face so attractive that she even made other women blush. Kaoruko probably thought she was mysterious, but she was pretty much the personification of endless appetite.

As for Shirley, she seemed to be scared of Kaoruko as the woman put on some slippers and entered the room. I was a bit worried, but I hoped she would get used to her after seeing us all get along with each other.

After entering the room, Kaoruko began looking around the room curiously. She was wearing a blouse and pants, her attire plain, like what she wore while working at the library. Then, she stopped and stared at a certain point.

“Huh. What is that white thing floating over there?” She pointed directly at the ice spirit, and a loud thud was heard. It was the sound of Wridra jumping up from her seat, and me getting hit right in the waist.

I rubbed my waist painfully and glared at Wridra with a look that said “Didn’t you say she wouldn’t be able to see it?!” and she shot back a look that said “She should not have been able to!” Alarmingly, Marie was completely focused on frying the shrimp, so she didn’t even notice what was going on. That meant we couldn’t even call the spirit away. Sweat ran down my face, and everything around me seemed to move in slow motion as if I was using Acceleration.

Calm down. Calm down and think, Kazuhiho. What would happen if I laughed it off and told her it’s an ice fairy?

It probably wasn’t likely, but worst case scenario, the media may have come here to report on us. If that happened, I may no longer be able to bring Marie to this world...

I could almost hear my brain cells working in overdrive. Seriously, I couldn’t think of the last time I had been cornered so badly. Even during my clash with the hero candidate Zarish, I was able to stay composed enough to enjoy myself somewhat.

“Well, we were just doing a little science experiment before you showed up. You know, it’s the kind that uses dry ice. It’s featured on TV a lot, so you might have seen it. One moment while I clean up.”

“Oh? Huh, I see. Dry ice?” she asked. I smiled pleasantly, then naturally moved between her and the ice spirit.

She probably hadn’t gotten a good look at it yet. If she did, she likely would have screamed. And by using phrases like “featured on TV” and “experiment,” the image in her mind should have slowly changed into that of smoke from dry ice.

Yes, I’m sure that will work. Please work. Please.

Then, staying calm and collected, I ignored the coldness in my hand as I grabbed the ice spirit and headed toward the bathroom. I slid the door open, then tossed it into the bathroom.

“Sorry, I’ll come back for you later, so can you hang out here for a while?” I whispered. It proceeded to float about, as if to say, “Sure, whatever.” Maybe it was because I had interrupted its work, or maybe it was because I had grabbed it so roughly, but it looked a bit upset. I decided to apologize to it properly later.

Then, I slowly peered into the living room.

I saw Kaoruko sitting at the table and having a chat with Wridra. Finally, I let out a sigh of relief. I had thought I was going to have a heart attack. But why was she able to see the spirit? The question popped up in my mind as I slowly breathed in and out several times.

Yes, I was calm again. I decided to step out and act as natural as I could. She may have caught a glimpse of the spirit, but an ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to understand what it was. There was no way she would question it. I breathed in deeply again, then went back out to the living room. As I stepped through the door, Kaoruko turned around with a smile on her face.

“Oh, welcome back. I was wondering, what is that next to the fan?” My heart jumped in my chest, having been questioned immediately after walking back to the living room. I wasn’t mentally prepared, and I fought the urge to curl up into a ball.

I slowly turned to the direction where she was pointing. My heart pounding, my gaze moved toward the fan...

“How did you make that block of ice? It’s even bigger than your fridge.”

“Oh, yes, that. I actually got it from a friend of mine who owns an ice shop. I heard it keeps your room cool. It’s actually part of the science experiment I mentioned,” I replied.

“Ohh,” she said, impressed, and I felt the strength leaving my body. In the corner of my vision, I saw Wridra waving her hand and gesturing “Good save!” followed by an “I’m starving”... but I ignored her for now.

Whew, that was close.

I had thought that maybe Kaoruko was pointing at the ice and not the spirit in the first place. But then I reconsidered, thinking it would have been strange for her to call it a white thing floating there. Just then, I remembered she was born in Hokkaido. Though, what did that have to do with anything?

Hmm, could her environment have been so rife with nature that she was accustomed to spirits...?

As I considered this, Marie called out to me.

“I finished frying the rest. Can you help me serve the food please?”

“Sure, let’s put them on some rice, then.” There were still some questions left unanswered, but I decided to go back to the food for now.

Though, since the frying part was done, there wasn’t much work left to do. I scooped some rice into bowls, placed the tempura on top, then poured the sauce to complete the dish. They were an appetizing array of red, green, and yellow, and the smell of freshly-fried tempura mixed with the sweet and sour soy sauce was simply heavenly.

“Okay, all done. Now, let’s... Oh, we don’t have enough chairs.” I realized it was about time we bought new chairs. It was usually just Marie and me in here, and it was very rare to have two guests over. In fact, we had three visitors today, if we included Shirley.

It was quite careless of me to forget the chairs after inviting people over for dinner. As I wondered what I should do, Kaoruko placed her hands together as if an idea came to her.

“I know! I live directly above your place, so why don’t we bring the food up there? My husband is still at work, and I have plenty of travel magazines at my place.” It was nice of her to offer, but I felt bad about intruding on her home. Though, there was that scare we had with the spirit, so I reconsidered and thought it may be better to go there instead.

“Then I’d like to take you up on your kind offer. Okay, can everyone bring one bowl each?”

Everyone cheered and each picked up a bowl. Our group walked out with bowls in hand, which was kind of an odd sight. Marie, Wridra, and even Kaoruko exchanged looks, holding in their laughter. It was Marie that burst out laughing first. She broke out into a fit of laughter, unable to take a step out of fear of dropping her bowl. Her feet were pointed inward, her legs trembling like that of a newborn calf.

Strangely, these inexplicable fits of laughter had a tendency to spread to others. The others tried their hardest to hold it in and slapped Marie’s shoulders to urge her forward.

I couldn’t help but wonder why we were having such difficulty with the simple task of getting on the elevator. We safely made it into the elevator without dropping a single bowl, and we all let out a sigh of relief.

We giggled among each other, and then the door opened, and a man from another floor entered... I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment.

“Whoa, surprised me there. Ha ha, that looks tasty,” he said jokingly.

“Yes, we’re about to eat it together,” I replied. The man, who seemed to be past retirement age, looked at us with surprise and closed the door. The smell of eggplant, pumpkin, and shrimp filled the small room, and he gulped audibly at all the golden tempura bowls before him.

“I was about to eat dinner, but all I can think of now is tempura bowls and beer.” The elevator was filled with laughter from his playful comment. We laughed harder than intended from holding it in for so long, and I tried to apologize, but I couldn’t get it under control.

That was a rather strange and unexpected encounter, but we bowed upon arriving at our floor, and we finally made it to Kaoruko’s home.

“Ah, that was fun. That man seemed really nice,” Marie said.

“Hah, hah, that was quite comical indeed. However, my sides cannot take much more.” With that, we removed our shoes and entered Kaoruko’s home through the entrance.

It was just Kaoruko and her husband Toru living in the Ichijo household, and their room was far bigger than mine, in consideration for their future. The size went from 1 LDK to 2 LDK, so the room size had basically doubled.

I stared longingly for some time, but then I felt Marie tug at my shirt.

“Wow! Look, look! The TV is so big!”

“Watching movies is the only hobby we have in common, so we ended up getting a big one. Marie, Wridra, please feel free to come over at any time to watch something.” Kaoruko smiled kindly. Considering she was the type of person who had wanted to be friends with Marie since the first day they had met, I was sure she would give her utmost effort to make her guests feel welcome.

Marie turned to me, but I of course had no reason to argue. Although she usually had the black cat around for company, I was worried about leaving her alone while I was at work. I nodded, and Marie’s face lit up with joy.

We decided to have dinner before discussing the day of our trip. We each took a seat on the sofa, then picked up our chopsticks after preparing some tea. After the customary pre-meal “Itadakimasu,” Marie and Wridra went for the shrimp, which was the main star of the meal.

Their teeth easily bit through it with a satisfying crunch. The aroma first hit them like a jab, the fragrance of the shrimp spreading throughout their mouths. Shrimp had a savory flavor that was distinct to seafood, and the umami burst from it with every bite. The plump and juicy shrimp grew dangerously tasty when enhanced by the sweet and spicy tempura sauce. It was no wonder their mouths overflowed with saliva as they savored the texture of their food.

As they ate, their taste buds sought the white rice peeking out from the bowl to compliment the main dish. This was likely an instinctive reaction for those who were accustomed to Japanese food. Though, the rice was already delicious by itself, having soaked up all that sauce.

They vigorously scooped the fresh-cooked white rice into their mouths and mixed it with the shrimp. Then, the flood of umami and the rice’s sweetness overtook their senses. The two let out a sigh, then exchanged looks while continuing to chew. They let out strange, muffled laughs, then finally swallowed their mouthfuls of food.

“Mmm, the shrimp tempura is sooo good! It’s got such a light, refined flavor, but it compliments the rice so perfectly!”

“Delicious...! Hnng, what a mistake it was to avoid them until now due to their bug-like appearance! My apologies, shrimp!”

Well, the ladies from the fantasy world certainly made wonderful facial expressions as usual. It seemed they were really into the sweet and spicy flavor and continued to dig in with enthusiasm. They were enjoying their meal so much that it was fun just watching them.

Oh, me? I still can’t taste or smell the food, of course.

Though, I could feel Shirley thinking “Delicious!” so maybe this wasn’t all that bad. It was a lot more satisfying when other people enjoyed my cooking rather than me tasting it myself.

“Mmm, this dipping sauce must be what’s making the tempura match the rice so well! It’s scary to imagine just how far Japan has gone in their research for delicious food.” Marie happened to meet eyes with Kaoruko, who was staring at the elf girl the same way I was. Kaoruko turned red for some reason, then awkwardly bit into her tempura. Her teeth sank into it with a soft crunch, and her eyes widened.

“Oh, this tastes better than when I make it. You fried it so well.”

“To be honest, Marie deserves the praise. She’s a great cook, and more than half of them were fried by her.” It was too bad Marie was busy reaching for some vegetable tempura and didn’t hear the compliment.

The warm, soft eggplant was especially delicious. Marie’s shoulders trembled, and then she appeared to remember the rice and began hurriedly shoveling some into her mouth.

However, there was one thing that was missing from this meal. I could tell from the look on Marie’s face that she was missing a certain something that we usually enjoyed with our food. But she and Wridra immediately perked up at our host’s next question.

“Oh, that’s right. Do you two drink?”

“Yes!”

“I do!”

The two women immediately raised their hands, and Kaoruko’s eyes widened. Most people didn’t expect Mariabelle to drink alcohol when she looked like she could be a middle schooler. That “you two” had actually been directed at Wridra and me.

“Marie, you can’t drink until you’re twenty, right?”

“...?!”

Of course, there would have been no problem if she did drink, considering she was over a hundred years old. But we had our circumstances while living in Japan. It seemed Marie finally remembered this, and her expression slowly turned sadder and sadder. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, so I declined, too.

Of course, Wridra didn’t care a bit about reading the room, and responded with, “Then, I shall have some!” This was actually very bad. Kaoruko poured some cold sake to match with the tempura, and Wridra couldn’t get enough of it. The ginjo sake had a fruity aroma that lingered on her breath as she exhaled. After savoring the aftertaste for some time, her taste buds were ready to enjoy some more tempura.

Marie watched the Arkdragon’s expression of pure bliss with her shoulders trembling in frustration, and I couldn’t bear to watch. And so, I secretly decided to get Marie some ginjo sake to try later.

With our meal having come to an end, it was time to discuss the main topic of our travel destination.

Kaoruko often traveled with her husband Toru, and she had been occasionally helping us by sharing her knowledge. The tempura bowl I had served her was, in part, a token of appreciation for all she had given us. But when I told her we wanted to go to the beach, she furrowed her brows with a troubled look.

“Hmm, during Obon, the busiest time of the year...? And we don’t have a lot of time until the big day... All the good places are surely booked by now.”

“Ah, I figured it might be difficult... Still, I’d like to avoid big crowds, if possible.” Taking a day trip somewhere local would have been the easiest method. But such a beach would be filled with vacationers from all over the city, so it probably would have been completely packed. I couldn’t imagine the girls would have fun swimming somewhere like that. In that case, it was probably better to just go on a trip somewhere in the dream world instead.

I didn’t mind staying somewhere distant because I had gotten my bonus, but it seemed the nicer hotels always tended to get booked first, even if they were a bit pricey. It wasn’t as if people stayed at these places all the time, so it was human nature to want to stay somewhere nice. I listed some places off of my wish list, but Kaoruko still looked rather grim.

“Unfortunately, everywhere is crowded during Obon. So, maybe we should change our way of thinking.” I looked at her, confused, and she spread open a travel magazine before me. It featured fireworks decorating the night sky, and Marie and Wridra leaned over to get a better look.

“For example, some places have fireworks shows during particularly busy times. Since it will be busy everywhere, it may be a better idea to find ways to have fun because it will be busy.”

I see, so these busy periods are actually when events are most enjoyable.

So, maybe it was better to save the sandy white beach for the dream world and enjoy some fireworks in Japan instead. But, we still had one problem...

If it wasn’t for that border restriction... I thought to myself.

We had to wipe out the rebels hiding in the labyrinth in order to clear the border restriction, but I still didn’t know if we would be able to pull it off. Though, strangely, that somehow felt easier than the feat of finding a beach in Japan that wasn’t completely crowded.

“Besides, there are plenty of places for entertainment and sightseeing other than the beach. In this region, for example...”

“What? Open-air hot springs with a full view of the sea?!” Wridra exclaimed in disbelief. I didn’t realize we could even get access to hot springs in some locations. Not to mention, a lot of these places even came with rooms to stay in. I didn’t know much about these resorts, so I was quite impressed.

Mariabelle was staring at the travel magazine as she listened to our conversation. She inspected the section introducing various tourist attractions, then uttered quietly to herself.

“Banana Wani Park...”

“Hm? What’s that? Did you find something you like?” I asked, and she looked surprised for a moment, then shook her head. Her face turned pink, though I couldn’t understand why.

“I-It’s nothing. I was just surprised that there was such a childish-looking tourist resort.”

“Oh? We can go somewhere else, if you’d like. There are a bunch of places in Chiba, too. Like here, for example...” I tried to show Marie another place, but I couldn’t seem to pique her interest at all. She glanced at the article repeatedly with a pouty face, and I finally realized what was going on.

“Oh, this Banana Wani Park looks interesting. I don’t think you’ve been to a zoo before, Marie.”

“I-I suppose you could say I’m somewhat interested. I think there’s a lot I could learn about Japan’s ecosystem. It could end up being useful information down the line. Really!”

Well, crocodiles weren’t actually part of Japan’s ecosystem, but that was okay. It was obvious that she really wanted to go by the way she was fidgeting with embarrassment. It was nice seeing her adorable and innocent side, and I wanted to see more of that cute expression of hers.

“It’s decided, then. How about we book a hotel in that area and check out the beach, fireworks show, hot springs, and Banana Wani Park?”

“O-Oh! We have no choice, if it’s already been decided. I suppose I’ll do a lot of research there for the sake of my future.” What knowledge about crocodiles was going to be useful for her future? Maybe she planned on going on a savanna tour? As I pondered to myself, Kaoruko smiled brightly.

“Oh, there are many hotels around there, so you should be able to find a room. So, have we decided on Higashiizu for the destination, then?” Everyone was all smiles as they expressed their agreement. Well, I didn’t think I would be so excited to visit Higashiizu during summer in Japan.

I tried calling a hotel the next day and found out someone had just canceled their reservation, so I was fortunately able to book a room. The homepage stated that they were fully booked, but Wridra had advised me to give them a call. It was scary how sharp the Arkdragon’s intuition could be at times.

And so, our summer plans were steadily getting solidified.

I wanted to prepare for the trip in Japan first, then take Marie to a pool before we went to the beach. She had mentioned that she didn’t like swimming when we were flying on the Magic Stone, and I figured it would be better to practice while having fun at the same time.

And once Obon rolled around, we would travel to Izu. I never thought I would go to Higashiizu during summer vacation, having been somewhat of a recluse. I had experienced so many changes ever since these girls entered my life.

On the other hand, we had things like growing crops and raiding the third floor coming up. I also wondered what Wridra and Shirley had been up to in the forest, but I was sure they would tell me when the time was right.

Marie grabbed a marker and stood on her tiptoes to mark the calendar in our room. She wrote “Izu, Banana Wani Park” for the day of our trip and circled our days off during Obon in red. Shirley had already come out of my body and floated over to Marie to take a look. It seemed she found the felt tip pen interesting.

“That should do it! Ohh, I can’t wait! I’m not sure if I can even sleep from all the excitement.”

“It’s still many days away, Marie. We should go to bed soon, or you won’t be able to grow any crops,” I said as I carried the jellyfish over from the bathroom. It seemed quite upset from having been left in there for so long, and a portion of the bath was frozen solid despite it being the middle of summer. I thought we had been getting along nicely, so I was a bit sad when it moved away as I reached out with my finger.

Wridra glanced up from the bed where she had been laying down and reading a magazine.

“I did some research out of curiosity, and it appears Kaoruko is from the mountains in Hokkaido. She may have the blood of the so-called Ainu tribe.”

Ainu... A vague image of hunters with patterns all over their bodies came to mind, but I wasn’t sure what they had to do with anything. Wridra crossed her legs while laying on her back and opened the magazine toward us. The page she showed us featured a Japanese person wearing a tribal outfit.

“They were supposedly tribal people, much like the elves. They were one with nature, and so she may have an affinity with spirits due to being related to them by blood. Though, this is simply a conclusion I came to with bits and pieces of information, combined with my intuition.”

“Oh, you’re talking about what happened earlier! So, that’s why she was able to see it...” I didn’t expect to find such fantasy elements here in Japan, too. But come to think of it, there were many mysterious things about this country. For example, during the Jomon period, the Ainu people were said to live off of just hunting and gathering without moving away from their land. This was during a time when farming hadn’t even been conceived yet.

This sort of lifestyle was pretty much unheard of, even in global terms. Most civilizations, like the Mongols, repeatedly migrated from one place to another. This just went to show just how close the Ainu’s relationship with nature was. They had survived with just hunting and gathering down to modern times, which gave me the impression that they had always cherished harmony with nature since the old days.

This was one of the interesting things about Japan. When everyone else in the world had already given up on something, the Japanese had a mysterious drive to accomplish things as if it was the norm.

“Does that mean she could be a spirit user too?”

“That I do not know. You yourself can see them, but are unable to control them. However, it is clear that she is more suited for it than any given random commoner.” I replied to her with a noncommittal noise, not quite sure if I understood. Still, Kaoruko and I may have been close, but I couldn’t tell her about the dream world. There was no telling what could happen, so I avoided taking any unnecessary risks. As such, this topic would be set aside for now.

I noticed Marie was looking up at the calendar, and I gently put my hand on her flower-print pajamas. I then picked her up from behind her knees and lifted her, and I saw her eyes fill with joy.

“Oh, am I being sent to bed now? It’s like I’m a child being punished for staying up too late.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but they say sleep brings up a child well, Lady Marie.” She was as light as ever. I mentally noted how nice she felt in my arms, and she wrapped her arms behind my neck. She must have liked being carried to the bed, because she started swaying her legs in a happy mood.

I turned around and showed my back invitingly to Shirley, and her sky blue eyes also lit up with joy. She held onto my shoulders as usual, and the ghost haunted me once again. I turned around to face her.

“How was your first day in Japan, Shirley? I hope you had fun.”

Her eyes widened, and she burst out in laughter. She looked at me as if she wanted to say, “There’s no way I didn’t have fun.” I was glad she felt that way. Since she was here, I wanted her to enjoy this foreign land to the fullest.

I probably felt this way because I had come to understand her feelings. As I spent my day off with her, she had shared her emotions with me while she enjoyed the scenery and food here. I was able to feel them directly, as the host whose body she was sharing.

But I had also felt her deepest internal emotions at the same time. It sounded like she was crying, like a child that had been lost and left behind. This was just conjecture on my part, but I felt as if it all stemmed from being bound to the second floor all alone for so long. So, maybe that forlorn emotion inside of her was a fear of being all alone again. Yet, I still didn’t realize something at this point. Beyond that comfortable bed, inside the dream world, was the very thing that would resolve Shirley’s troubles.

I laid Marie down on the bed, and I also laid down in the dim room, lit only by indirect lighting. She immediately put her leg over mine, the comfortable warmth of her body drawing me closer to sleep. Then, she whispered near my ear in a slightly grumpy tone.

“Oh no, I’m about to yawn already. Say, did you know?” I wondered what she was about to bring up and stared at her as I pulled up her comforter. It was a particularly breathable comforter for summer use, and its smooth texture felt nice on the skin. I listened closely as I heard rustling behind me, which I assumed to be Wridra undressing herself.

Marie’s eyes were heavy with sleep, and after a moment, her lips slowly parted to speak.

“I hear people and animals get sleepy when they feel satisfied. Like, when their stomach is full, or when they eat delicious food... Oh, I suppose that’s pretty much the same thing. And one more thing... Your warm body makes me feel so sleepy that it surprises me.”

Just as she finished her sentence, she let out a cute little yawn. She looked up at me as if to say “See?” but it seemed to me that she was trying to put me to sleep, too. The warmth of her body, the steady beating of her heart, and her breath on my neck were all so inviting.

I turned around to find Shirley also yawning with her mouth wide open, and we all laughed. It seemed our sleepiness had spread to her, even though she had no need to sleep at all. Shirley turned red and slowly receded back into my body. She had decided to call it a day before we teased her.

The bed creaked, and someone’s soft body pressed up against me from behind. Wridra the Arkdragon had also taken a liking to our warm little sleeping spot. She stretched her limbs out wide and shivered like she did when she was a cat. Then, she let out a satisfied breath right next to my ear.

“You should know that this boy can inflict the sleep status effect even on me. I sometimes wonder if he is some sort of monster, able to slip through my total immunity like this.” I never would have guessed that the Arkdragon would come to fear me someday. Though, in her case, she was probably just sleepy from all the eating and drinking she had done today.

Her black, silky hair tickled as it landed on me.

I felt myself inching closer to sleep with each exhalation.

Only our breathing could be heard in the otherwise silent room for some time.

I was ready to fall asleep under the comforter in the dimly lit room, and the feeling of skin on skin was quite comforting.

We had so much fun today. We laughed and laughed over nothing in particular. Such memories popped into my mind as I let out a satisfied sigh... and the quiet sound of our breathing in our sleep filled the room.

The ice spirit that was floating around would surely fall asleep soon, too.

§

Chirp, chirp...

A strange creature appeared in my blurry vision.

My mind began to clear as it processed the sight of its cute little eyes and its beak pointed toward me.

The sky was already bright, and it was a world of greenery in contrast to Japan. I tried to get up, but it proved difficult while stuck between Marie and Wridra. I slowly undid the button on my chest and tried to reach for the crumbs to feed the creature, but it couldn’t wait any longer.

Chiiirp! It dug its tiny head into my pocket, then ate the breakfast there without holding back. I mildly noted how energetic it was before another bird landed next to it. I hadn’t expected more of them to show up.

The birds were tiny, and they were only as heavy as a fingertip resting on me. Despite that, it felt incredibly ticklish as they ate with so much enthusiasm. The ruckus seemed to reach Marie’s long ears, and she opened her eyes, turning her sleepy face toward me.

“Hmm, you’re popular with the birds as usual.”

“Good morning, Marie. I think it’s the bread that’s popular, not me.” The other arm that was around me twitched. The dragon awoke, and as soon as she let out a tired yawn, the birds all scattered at once. The blanket slid off of her body, and I looked away as her toned, naked body was revealed.

“Hm, they fled as soon as I thought about how appetizing they looked. Quite sharp, those ones.”

Wait, was she thinking of eating them? Come to think of it, she had mentioned that she’d acquired a taste for chicken in Japan. I dug into my pocket and scattered the rest of the bread crumbs I had. The birds were watching from a tree at a safe distance away, so I figured they would come back later.

Someone else had also awakened.

She slipped right out of my body as soon as I stood up. It was Shirley, the ghostly floor master of the second floor. She floated into the air as if she was submerged in water, then landed lightly on the ground with the tip of her toe. Her flowing hair and dress made it seem as if she was completely weightless.

“Hey there. Good morning, Shirley. This is how we wake up in the dream world.” Shirley blinked her sky blue eyes, then scanned her surroundings. Time still went on while we were awake in Japan, so a little more than half a day had passed in this world. Maybe she had sensed this from the color of the sky, because she turned back to me and nodded to indicate her understanding.

Now, we had to plant those pumpkin seeds and report our decision to participate in the raid on the third floor, so I slowly rose.

I picked up the branches on the ground as we made our way through the forest. The trees were similar to camphor trees, in the sense that they had a strange tendency to not only shed unnecessary leaves, but they discarded their own branches, too. Their branches were also far more fragrant than the leaves, making them quite valuable.

I looked ahead as we continued walking. We were right at a break in the forest, and the sun was coming down upon the open grass field before us. It was still before noon, when the plants were releasing the water from underground out through their leaves. The overwhelming smell of grass and trees all around me reminded me that we were on the second floor of the labyrinth. No one could have guessed that such a place existed in the middle of the desert.

Marie walked through the grassy field behind me, taking in a deep breath as she bathed in the sunlight. Having been born and raised in a forest, this must have been quite a comforting sight.

“Everyone would be envious if they knew about this place. There’s even a river nearby, so it’s perfect for growing crops.”

“That’s right, you’ve already grown crops before. Well, that’s a relief,” I said, and Marie gestured, as if to say “Oh my, will a frail city boy like you be able to keep up?” I may have been born in Aomori, but I didn’t have much experience with farming, so I was relying on her assistance. I sat on a fallen tree, and Marie took a seat next to me.

Before we had come here, Shirley had given us permission to use this land as we wanted. It seemed she wouldn’t mind if we felled some trees, as long as we didn’t clear too much land unnecessarily.

“Come to think of it, she mentioned this was the place where the souls of the dead are circulated. Are you sure we can cut down the trees here?”

“According to Wridra, it’s okay as long as it’s recycled. The trees will return to the soil when they decay, and new buds will grow from there. Though, she did mention to be careful with fire.” If there was a fire in this world, there were no firefighters around to help, after all. But I suspected there would be no issues with a Spirit Sorceress like her.

“So, if we’re going to start farming here, how should we prepare?” I asked.

“It’ll be difficult to maintain, but we can think about that once the seeds sprout. The soil is nice and soft here. We should get rid of the weeds and start planting first.”

In that case, I wanted to handle all the physical labor. The grass was tall enough to reach my waist, but I had a lot of energy in the dream world. I rolled up my sleeves, but Marie placed a hand on me.

“What are you doing? Aren’t we just moving the weeds out of the way?”

“Huh? I thought we were going to pull them out.” We both tilted our heads at each other.

Oh, I get it.

It seemed I had the wrong idea here. I only realized it when Marie poked at the weeds to call out their spirits.

The ground was entirely covered in weeds, but they all began moving to concentrate into one point. They merged to form stubby limbs and a cylindrical body, leaving an empty spot in the soil where the weeds used to be. I had seen many spirits until now, but this was my first time seeing a humanoid one. Though, they were short and stout like Haniwa figures.

Marie crouched down to meet the spirit at eye level.

“Hello, Dryad, spirit of plants. I have a request to ask of you. Can you take several of your peers and migrate to that sunny area over there?” she asked, and then the spirit rubbed the grass growing around his chin area, seeming to consider it. He apparently came to a decision. Flowers popped out of his head, and he began walking slowly. Several more similar-looking spirits appeared and walked away, leaving an empty plot of soil.

“Whoa, that was quick. Has it always been this easy for elves?”

“Of course. We don’t want to get all sweaty pulling weeds like humans do,” she stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. In any case, we were done setting up for our farm, and now we just needed to plant the pumpkin seeds. I had about twenty seeds in my pocket. I began sprinkling them over the ground, then lightly covered them with soil. All we had to do now was water them with our canteen, and then they would sprout after a few weeks if the soil and weather permitted.

“What are we doing about the fertilizer, by the way?” I asked.

“Once the earth spirit gets tired, I’ll ask another one to swap out,” she replied.

Whew, they sure have it easy, huh? I sighed in a mixture of shock and amazement, and then I heard someone calling from behind. I turned around to find Wridra and Shirley waving at us.

The forest was getting thicker here. The sky was completely covered in branches, forming a sort of tunnel. Yet, the pathway was well maintained, and it was easy to walk through, despite the bumpy roots underfoot. The natural tunnel stretched quite far. It was quite an unusual sight, with the other end being out of view due to the winding design.

Wridra led the way ahead of us. Her black hair swayed as she turned around, seemingly unfazed by the walk.

“It appears you have finished planting the seeds. Those so-called pumpkins are sweet and delicious, so I do hope they sprout. I look forward to the other vegetables, as well.”

“We still don’t know if the soil is right for it. I can ask the spirits to make them sprout, but I’d like to leave it up to the seeds. The pumpkins won’t grow nice and strong otherwise.” I didn’t realize it worked that way. Shirley was nodding as she walked beside her, so it must have been true.

Although, I was a bit curious about Shirley’s outfit. She often wore a dress, but today she had on a navy vest and a long-sleeve shirt with a bowtie, paired with a flared, knee-length skirt. She looked like a noblewoman that chose to wear an outfit that was easy to move around in.

“Your outfit looks different today, Shirley. What’s the occasion?” I asked, and the semi-transparent woman smiled. Her navy headdress and hair curled to each side gave her smile a certain air of elegance. Marie and I looked at each other, unsure of the meaning behind her mysterious smile. Wridra had a giddy look in her eyes as she walked on ahead of us, and I figured they would be revealing the secret behind that look.

A fantastical sight awaited us beyond the tunnel. It was an enormous tree that must have been several hundred—no, maybe even over a thousand years old. The stout tree was built like multiple trees had been banded into one, and it appeared somewhat divine in our eyes. I looked up to find an expanse of vibrant, green leaves, along with many green fruits.

“Wow, what a tree. So, why’d you bring us here?” I asked.

“Hm. Do you not remember what happened here?” From the way she phrased it, it seemed she was implying I had been to this place before. By the looks on everyone’s faces, it was only Marie and I that didn’t know the answer. And so, I decided I wanted to find the answer without any hints.

I walked closer to the great tree and placed my hand against it. It felt rough to the touch, and I listened to the sound of wind passing through the treetop for some time.

So, what happened here?

First, I pictured the hall of the second floor that had once been empty. It was too dark to see much back then, but I was walking around with Shirley leading me by the hand. She had guided me to the center of the hall, and there I saw...

“Oh, that stone-built... throne?” It looked nothing like the great tree before me, but Wridra flashed a smile at my answer. She walked up and placed her hand on the tree, just as I was doing.

“Indeed, this is Shirley’s essence. And when one’s appearance changes, their entire being is greatly affected, as well. The throne that had once been sealed away now looks like this.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. The tree’s mystical appearance had changed massively compared to its previous cold, hard form. Though, there was something about it that felt similar to its old appearance.

Just as the wind rustled the leaves overhead, Wridra spoke.

“And I have made adjustments to her seal. Shirley would not allow me to dispel it completely. Though, I do not believe there is any need for her to accept her punishment. However, she did gain a certain power in turn.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Wridra gestured with her chin. I turned my gaze in the direction she indicated and saw Shirley standing there quietly. Perhaps it was just my imagination or a trick of the light, but she somehow seemed more vivid than usual.

As she stood there under the sunlight, her hair turned into a splendid honey color, and her eyes turned into a more beautifully clear sky blue.

A single leaf fell from above.

Shirley reached out, and the leaf landed on her hand.

“Ah! You can touch it? Have you finally gained a physical form?” Shirley shook her head, and Wridra answered in place of the silent woman.

The Arkdragon gently pushed my back, leading me toward Shirley as she whispered.

“A ghost can only continue to be a ghost. They are no longer alive, after all. However, they can appear as a human does by making their ghostly form more dense. I must mention, this is no miracle.” She appeared to grow bigger as we approached her. Our height difference in this world was sizable enough that I had to look up slightly to meet her gaze. Shirley was standing up straight and looking directly at me.

“Now, Kitase, Shirley is looking at you as if she would like to join your team. What will you tell her, as the leader?” I finally realized where this was all going.

Shirley couldn’t participate in the raid on the third floor or walk around Arilai in her semi-transparent form. And so, she had discussed this with Wridra to have her secretly loosen the strength of her seal. This was why Wridra was already here when Marie and I had shown up. So, that was why she was dressed to go out in public.

In that case, as the leader of Team Amethyst, there was only one thing for me to say.

“Shirley, our adventure is long and arduous... Actually, it’s been nothing but fun for us.” I walked closer with my arms outstretched. Marie was lined up next to me, and Wridra was standing on the other side. There was a merry look in their eyes, and I had a feeling I wore a similar expression on my own face.

“We eat delicious food, read ancient texts, and get some occasional exercise. Why don’t you just take my word for it and join us?” Marie burst out laughing, unable to hold it in anymore. She continued to giggle while clutching at her sides, then turned to me.

“Goodness, that was a horrible speech. You sound like a kidnapper trying to trick her into following us!”

“Huh? But that’s how I view the ancient labyrinth in my mind. As for you, Marie, didn’t you say you wanted to go to the labyrinth to lose some weight already?” Marie made an embarrassed face after getting called out, and it was Shirley’s turn to burst into laughter. She was still completely silent, as usual, but she looked beautiful laughing under the bright sun.

Then, she struck a victorious pose with both fists clenched, which I took to mean she had accepted our invitation. Or maybe she just wanted to spend more time with us. Either way, I was glad. It seemed we would be able to stay together in the dream world, too.

There were some days when she had haunted me into Japan since, but I never sensed that lonely feeling of being left behind from her ever again.

I had wanted to give her peace, and I was glad to find out it was so simple. Who could have guessed that all it took was to ask her to hang out with us?

Now I wondered what her newfound powers were, but I decided to ask about it after we departed for our journey.

Having made our preparations, we finally decided to return to Arilai.