The 8th day of the Light month. The day of my long-awaited date with Alice…… N- No, I really was looking forward to it. You may be thinking that I shouldn’t say that since I originally forgot about this date, but I’d like it if you pretend that it didn’t happen.
[Now then, let’s depart! The gorgeous all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner is waiting for me!]
[……Oi, why the heck are you shamelessly trying to smoothly add that all-you-can-eat option?]
[So, Kaito-san. What kind of restaurant are we going to today?]
[……You f*cking woman.]
Skillfully ignoring me, as expected of the Phantasmal King, her evasion skills aren’t something half-hearted…… I really want to punch her.
Incidentally, Alice seems to prioritize her appetite over her attire for our date, as she’s still dressed like usual, with her opera mask on her face. She looks as suspicious as ever.
We would most probably be turned away if the restaurant we’re going to has a dress code, but if that happens, I’m sure that she’ll probably just do something that would make the staff let us in.
[I’ve been thinking about a few restaurants that we could go to, but Alice, do you like fish or meat better?]
[That’s obviously meat!]
[Thanks for the passionate and immediate answer…… By the way, did you drop your femininity somewhere? Should we look for it first?]
[That kind of thing doesn’t make me full.]
I see, those words carry a different weight when it comes from someone who usually suffers from hunger…… Well, in the first place, that hunger was completely her fault……
[Speaking of which, when I was looking for a place to eat, I found out that fish is a pretty expensive commodity here.]
[That’s because the royal capital isn’t facing the sea. Even if Teleportation Magic exists, only a limited number of merchant associations have high-performance magic tools that can move cart-loads of merchandise. There are some people who use Flying Dragon Services, but most of the ingredients are still being imported by land.]
[Fumu……]
[It’s just a strategic point for business, but as a merchant association that can import fresh fish with Teleportation Magic, they would want to make money by taking advantage of having such a means of transporting their goods. As a result, fish are more expensive than in the Hydra Kingdom.]
When I was checking out the shops here in Symphonia Kingdom, I found out that fishes were a bit more expensive here.
When I first came to this world, I thought that the prices of stuff I bought here in the Symphonia Kingdom were the average cost, but in the Hydra Kingdom, fish is much cheaper than in the Symphonia Kingdom, while fruits are much more expensive.
It’s a bit interesting how each country has its own characteristics.
[Well, there are some ingredients that are expensive regardless of which country it is though~~ For example, dragon meat.]
[If I remember correctly, you said that they don’t appear in the market that often, right?]
[Yes, because Dragons are considered as a powerful enemy for generally all Humans.]
Yes, it’s easy for me to forget since there are many people around me who can easily take down a dragon, but Dragons are powerful monsters, so their meat would obviously be precious and expensive.
I had tasted some back when we’re eating barbecue, and the dragon meat was surprisingly tender and seemed to melt on my tongue. They tasted really good…… I’d like to eat some again.
[Well, unfortunately, the restaurant we’re going to today doesn’t serve dragon meat, but rather, the meat of a bird called Emerald Bird……]
[Ohhhh, Emerald Bird huh, that’s quite the high-quality meat we’re having! Well~~ I’m looking forward to it! Ahh, I’m also free to get refills!? Thank yo…… Fugyaaahhh!?]
[Cut that out.]
As I dropped my fist on Alice’s head, who tried to keep adding the all-you-can-eat option at every opportunity that she can, I chuckled at her usual goofiness.
As I thought, for some reason, being with Alice is fun and carefree. Could that be why? The reason why I feel like today’s date is going to be fun.
Right as I was walking forward with that thought in mind…… In the next moment, the landscape dramatically changed.
[……Eh?]
The landscape around me was clearly abnormal, as to whether it’s the scenery, the ground or the buildings…… Even the people on the street, all of them disappeared, as I found myself within a space that only has the color white.
However, the abnormal phenomenon continues, as a number of colors ran through the whitewashed landscape. Those colors began to form a landscape that resembles those cybernetic spaces that I saw in anime and video games. At the very least though, this was a landscape that shouldn’t have existed in this world.
[Found.]
[ ! ? ]
I was stunned by the unusual scene around me, when I heard the voice that sounded like a machine, and instantly felt a chill ran down my back.
Hurriedly moving my gaze, there I found…… an angel.
I wasn’t being metaphorically here, the being in front of me was literally an angel. A terrifyingly beautiful being with several pure white wings on its back, dressed in white clothing that I remembered seeing in Greek Mythology books, flowing diagonally from her shoulders.
Short blonde hair that even seems to glow and eyes that held the color of a rainbow…… No, would it be better to describe it as being richly-colored? Anyway, her eyes seem like they hold a combination of many colors.
I think she’s probably about 150 cm tall? She looks quite petite, but I don’t know if it’s because of the atmosphere around her or not, as her stature makes me feel like she holds power unbelievable for a human being.
Would it even be appropriate to describe her like those angels depicted in the Bible? It was hard to tell at a glance whether this being was a man or a woman, but the being in front of me looks so beautiful that I can’t take my eyes off her…… But at the same time, I can’t help but feel like this being was weird.
It was just like when I first met Shiro-san…… A feeling of not feeling any emotion from her at all. An inexplicable sense of intimidation, as if I can’t feel what was within her mind, while she can completely see through the depths of my heart.
[Kaito-san! Please step back!!]
[ ! ? ]
Just as I was feeling overwhelmed by her appearance in front of me, Alice moves her body in front of me, screaming in a tense voice that I’ve never heard before.
However, this unknown something in front of us…… is more than Alice could handle……
[Hindrance.]
[Dange—!?]
[Alice!?]
Just one word…… The moment that angel said that one word, Alice’s body was engulfed in light…… and disappeared.
What the heck is this being? Why the heck is this happening……
I felt as if my heart was frozen to the core and I screamed, forgetting the pressure I should have felt earlier.
[What…… did you do to Alice!?]
[……!?]
Rage…… Yes, it’s a searing feeling of rage.
I know that the entity in front of me is so powerful that she won’t even pay attention to me even if I try hurting her. I shouted, but in the end, my existence may be erased without a trace…… Still, I couldn’t help but shout.
Hearing my shout, the angel, after her eyebrows slightly moved, tells me in a matter-of-factly tone.
[Injury, None. Space, Outside, Distance, 10000 Kilometers, Force, Teleport.]
[ ! ? ]
The way she spoke makes it awfully hard for me to understand the meaning of her words, but I knew that Alice was safe and was just forcibly teleported out of this space. However, even as I was relieved by hearing that, I was also astonished.
Just now, this angel said 10000 kilometers…… That isn’t a unit of distance in this world, but a unit of distance in my world.
What the heck is this being? Just who is she?
[……Question.]
[……Eh?]
The angel, who was silent in front of the astonished me for a moment, for some reason, shakes her head, then began saying something incomprehensible.
[You, Average, Uniqueness, None.]
[…………………..]
[Ability, Weak, Magic Power, Miniscule, Appearance, Average…… Incomprehensible.]
[…………………..]
I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. Why am I being insulted by an angel that just appeared out of nowhere?
However, her eyes feel unpleasant…… cold eyes that seem to tell me that I’m not worth anything…… Seriously, what in the world is she……
[Again, Confirm.]
[ ! ? ]
Then, as the angel told me that in a matter-of-fact manner, reaching out one hand towards me, trying to touch my body…… For some reason, she stopped midway through and removed her gaze from me.
[Surprise…… Ability, Misjudge?]
[……Eh?]
Immediately after muttering those words that should mean that she had misjudged someone’s ability while staring not at me but somewhere else, in the direction the angel was staring in…… a large crack appeared in the space.
And from that crack…… Alice emerged.
[Alice!]
[My heart, spin, become my armor——– My heart, spin, turn into my blade——– My heart, spin, sprout my wings——-]
[ ! ? ]
The words that came out of Alice’s mouth as she returned, came out of her mouth with such clarity and power that they seem to echo throughout the entire space.
And with those words, Alice puts her hand on the mask on her face, removes it and throws it away, and stares at the angel with eyes that are filled with tremendous rage.
[——-Blade of my heart, burst forth! ——–Weave my bonds! ——– < Ἑκατόγχειρες >!!!]
(T/N: Hekatonkheires)
With those words that seem to give out a command, at that moment, this strange space was filled with numerous lights.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai: [……Eh?] ← She was about to go to bed, thinking that she have free time until this date ends, but this serious development suddenly started, and she was late in preparing her piece.
T/N: 21/165+20