Together with Alice, who took some time before she rebooted, we arrived at the Arts Plaza (temp).
It was a large plaza with a fountain in the center, and just as Alice told me, the atmosphere around here was different from the area with the street stalls and was very lively.
A bard sat near the fountain, playing a harp-like instrument. A painter-holding a brush in one corner of the plaza is painting the scenery of the crowded plaza. There was even a sculptor who was making some sort of statue, and seeing it like this feels interesting.
According to Alice, the puppet shows are rather popular in the plaza.
[Making and manipulating golems is easy, so it was easy for them to make use of it to create a play. They are usually short plays, around 10 minutes in length.]
[Fumufumu.]
Saying this, Alice created a palm-sized golem and made it gently move.
I see…… Come to think of it, I’ve seen Aoi-chan make a golem using a magic technique before, and I think they could certainly be used for puppet shows as well.
And when you add in magic with that as effects, that would certainly be quite fancy, isn’t it? Somehow, even though we’re just supposed to be watching a puppet show, I’m suddenly looking forward to it.
Aware of my tension that slightly increased, I was about to suggest to Alice that we go and have a quick look at it, when Alice’s lips twisted, looking as if she’s irritated.
[……Kaito-san, as I thought, can’t we go somewhere else?]
[Eh? Why?]
[……It’s hot and stuffy here……]
[Hot and stuffy—— Wha!? What was that sound just now!?]
Just as I was about to ask Alice, who for some reason is muttering in deep displeasure, a loud sound resounded, as if a bomb had just fallen.
When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw a huge lump of iron? No, I don’t know if that was iron or not, but there was a person grinding a huge piece of metal with their bare hands.
Their long hair, which reached below their waist, bounced around so wildly that one would think that they were the mane of a lion, and combined with its bright red color, it even looked like blazing fire.
They stand taller than Chronois-san, nearly two meters in height, and their brown skin is wrapping muscles so well-trained that I can tell just by looking at them.
However, their muscles aren’t swollen like those of gorillas, but rather refined and lean.
With a belligerent smile on their face, the man…… no, the woman? Anyway, this person whose facial features looks gender neutral had a belligerent smile on her face as they punched the chunk of metal for a while before withdrawing their hand.
The punched metal is then transformed into the shape of a flapping bird of prey, and seeing such a unique art form made me stunned.
They’re very impressive…… I wonder if they are Alice’s acquaintance?
At the same time that such a question comes to mind, the person turns around…… and opening their eyes in surprise, the person vigorously laughed.
[Ohhh! If it isn’t Kaito and Shalltear!?]
[……Eh?]
[For us to meet in a place like this, it is quite the coincidence! What are you doing here?]
[E- Ehhh!?]
What? Does this person know about me? H- However, I don’t think I’ve seen them before though…… For a person to have such an impact, I don’t think I’ll forget about them.
While I was tilting my head, clueless about the identity of this person, I heard the nearby Alice clicking her tongue.
[Shut up. Red gorilla…… Go home.]
[Aaah?]
[“What are you doing here?” you say, that should be my line. What are you doing here, “Megiddo-san”……]
[Eeeehhhh!?]
Eh? This person is Megiddo-san!? Seriously!? N- No, if you ask me, this person completely looks different…… No, as I thought, they’re really too different!
[M- Megiddo-san, is that really you?]
[Unnn? Ohhh, speaking of which, you’ve never seen my “human form” huh.]
[Eh? H- Human form?]
[It’s easy for a high-ranking Demon to change their shape. Well, there is still an upper and lower limit to the size that can be changed from their original form.]
H- Humanization magic certainly is one of the magic that I often see in cliched novels, but to see that Megiddo-san who looked like the Devil incarnate, actually turning into an athletic beauty is really shocking.
However, Alice doesn’t seem to care about such a surprise and spoke to Megiddo-san.
[So, what are you doing here?]
[Huh? Are you blind? I’m doing art.]
[Gorilla-san, go take a look at yourself in the mirror for once. Whatever you did is so far away from art.]
[You don’t know anything……. “Even creativity is power”! Then, isn’t it natural that I would polish it?]
[Ahh~ I see.]
I don’t mean to be rude, but I completely agree with Alice. Megiddo-san and art…… Rather than just a bit, I think it really doesn’t suit him.
No, the bird statue he did is certainly stunning but…… the composition is somewhat different, and rather than looking like you’ve created something, it feels like Megiddo-san crushed something to have it turn a certain form……
[……………..]
[Kaito-san, I know you may not believe it but…… Although he has that kind of personality, Megiddo-san is quite smart.]
[Really!?]
[Yes, this person…… How should I say this, I guess you could call him a training maniac, as he would always train himself, even in other fields.]
[Ohhh! And it was as I expected, refining strength is good!!!]
[Well, as you can see…… He’s smart, but stupid. He’s so stupid it makes my head hurt.]
[Oi, you b*tch……]
As Alice and Megiddo-san casually bantered, I was stunned.
U- Unnn. I’m not really sure I understand it, but I’m sure my mind still hasn’t caught up with the situation.
[So, what are you two doing here?]
[Fufufu, listen and be surprised! We’re having a lovey-dovey date today!]
[Aaah? A date?]
[Yes, that’s right. So, please stay out of our way and quietly go home like the good gorilla you are.]
I may be embarrassed to say it myself, but Alice just directly told Megiddo-san to go home because he’s in the way, with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Megiddo-san doesn’t seem to be bothered by her, as he puts his hand to his chin, looking as if he’s thinking about something.
[……Fumu, does that mean, you’re that? Shalltear and Kaito huh…… What is this, Kaito? Along with Kuromueina, are you one of those people who likes midgets with breasts as flat as their back? Well, “Shalltear’s breasts are indeed a bit bigger than Kuromueina’s”. However, I don’t see that much difference between them…… Ah, you must be that! That “lolicon” people!]
[Gafuuuhhh!?]
[Yeah, well, they can certainly change their size but…… They were originally that size, you know!?]
[Gofuuhh!?]
I had already thought that maybe, someone would tell me this at some point. No matter how much I know that they’re older than I am, thinking like that after looking at them is something that couldn’t be helped…… I should have been prepared for this.
However, I didn’t expect that it would be Megiddo-san who would tell me that.
But then, there was someone who reacted to Megiddo-san’s words more than me.
[Who did you say is a midget with breasts as flat as her back!? I’m asking you who!!!? Fine then, you freaking gorilla, I’m going to rip your mane off!]
[Unnn? Ohhh! What, you want to fight? That’s great, isn’t this the greatest!!!]
Considering Megiddo-san’s original size, I guess it’s inevitable that he will think like that, but Alice, who was being called a midget, held out her thumb and made a sign of cutting her neck with it.
However, well, she’s talking with the battle junkie Megiddo-san here as instead of being bewildered, a happy expression appeared on his face, and his crimson hair was dyed black…… Holding a stance prepared for battle.
I didn’t expect that a quarrel between members of the Six Kings would break out in such a place but…… That unexpected event was because we’re talking about Megiddo-san here.
Megiddo-san was about to change places to fight Alice, but before they could do that, a small hand placed itself on Megiddo-san’s shoulder.
[……Hey, Megiddo? What did you just say about me?]
[……K- K- K- Kuromueina!?]
[My breast and my back~~ what did you say after that again?]
[Ahh, no, you’re mistaken! It’s not like what I said earlier has anything……]
When he saw Kuro suddenly appear behind him, the belligerent expression on his face disappeared, and Megiddo-san, sweating like a waterfall from his face, tries to give excuses to Kuro, clearly frightened.
However, Kuro still didn’t forgive him and quietly…… but in a voice that doesn’t ask for any consent or refusal, she spoke.
[……How about you come with me and tell me about it? Okay?]
[……I’m sorry…… No, please accept my apologies.]
With those words, Megiddo-san was taken away by an angry God of Destruction.
That face Kuro had just now…… It was as if she looked like a shura. Megiddo-san, is he going to die?
[……Anyway, should we go back to our date?]
[I guess so.]
While praying for Megiddo-san’s soul as he was taken away, I decided to pull myself together and just enjoy my date with Alice.
Dear Mom, Dad———- I thought that Humanization Magic might exist, but seeing it in action was quite shocking. But well, putting that aside——— I think that the mouth really is the source of disasters.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai: [That was…… just a feint!?]
<One would always pull back their fist first, so that they could land a stronger punch next.>
Serious-senpai: [This must be despair huh……]
T/N: 33/202