That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us - Volume 3 - Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

The Fireworks and the Cog

THE SIGHTS WERE UNFAMILIAR, the smells foreign, and the sounds unrecognizable.

The schedule for the school trip had been planned carefully around the island’s festival. There, lanterns emitted gentle light, illuminating the night around Olivia. Tons of food stalls had been set up for the festivities, all offering samples of local cuisine. An instrument she’d never heard in Holfort was producing the music in the background.

When Olivia made her way to the main festival streets, what greeted her was so fantastical and novel that it overwhelmed her.

“Beautiful,” she murmured to herself, genuinely impressed.

She wore her school uniform as she wandered around, but all the local children were clad in yukata as they ran past her; they also wore masks. Most of the faces she saw were smiling, and laughter abounded in all directions. The vast majority of the students from their group were participating in the festivities. Many of them wore yukata as well. 

Most of the students moved in their own circles as they enjoyed their trip. Only Olivia was walking by herself. She couldn’t help scanning the crowds, hoping to spot Leon, since she still hadn’t thanked him properly for helping her at the casino. That was an excuse, of course. All she really wanted was a chance to talk to him.

I wonder what kind of person he is. He saved me, so I at least have to assume he isn’t bad. Ever since he’d come to her rescue, thoughts of him filled her mind.

This was the first time Olivia had ever been so enamored. She’d never experienced love before, not even back home. The concept itself wasn’t foreign to her—she’d heard of people dating—but it never really captured her interest. She preferred reading her books, so naturally, she’d never before felt such intense emotions for another person.

Unfortunately, however long she searched for Leon, she couldn’t find him. Did he not come to the festival?

This was their second day in their destination. Tomorrow, the cruise ship would depart for home.

The trip isn’t over yet, so I’ve still got time, right? Even after they left the island, they’d spend a few more days aboard the ship. You just need to find an opportunity to talk to him between now and then, she told herself.

Then her eyes landed on a man in a fox mask. The enormous box he sported on his back made him stand out in the crowd. Whenever anyone approached him, he lowered the box and handed them one of the white bags inside.

Curious, Olivia walked up to him just as his previous customers took their leave.

Noticing her, he asked, “Interested in a charm?”

“Oh—that’s what you’re selling?”

The man had been setting the lid back on his box, but as she drew closer, he lifted it again. A range of colored charms was pinned inside the lid, representing the charms hidden in the white bags.

“One, and only one, per customer,” he said. “What you get is random—yours to enjoy after you buy it.”

Olivia inquired about the price before she committed to anything, and she was relieved to hear it was well within her budget. “All right, then. I’ll take one, please.”

“Of course. Select whichever you like.”

She plucked out a white bag, then pulled it open to peek inside at a braided red cord connected to a piece of wood. Studying it for a moment, she asked, “Is this a cog?” There was a hole in the exact center of the charm; the cord threaded through it. Glancing at the inside of the charm box’s lid, Olivia noticed that this particular type wasn’t among the display of those available.

“A cog. That’s a rare one,” said the man.

“Um…so what does it mean?” sha asked. The only thing that came to her mind was a cog in a machine.

“It’s a metaphor for a person’s life,” he explained. “When your cog connects with someone else’s, that creates movement, changing your life’s trajectory.”

She tried to clarify. “You mean, it represents fate?”

“I mean perhaps this charm’s a sign that your cog hit someone else’s, and things are going to change.”

Leon’s face instantly sprang to mind. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

The man chuckled. “Seems like what I said already reminded you of someone.”

“No, um… Well, yes.” She tried to deny it but had to admit the truth.

“Wonderful. I hope your two cogs are a perfect match.” He paused, then added, “But, well, I should warn you that the cog of destiny is a fickle thing and can be easily disconnected.”

“What?”

“There are times when your cog connects with someone other than your fated partner, taking you in a different direction than intended. Destiny is capricious. If you’ve indeed found someone who matches you, I’ll warn you that you’d best not let them go.” With that, he heaved the box onto his shoulder and strode off.

Olivia squeezed the wooden cog tightly in her hand.

***

Luxion guided us to our viewing spot for the fireworks. The place was completely deserted. It held a bench with a long red cloth thrown over it; four paper lanterns sat on the ground nearby. A large umbrella jutted from the ground, shielding the bench. Given the faint light it emitted, it was probably more for illumination than anything.

“Oh my gosh! This aesthetic’s perfect!” Marie squealed in delight.

Although it was fairly remote, this spot would be flawless for enjoying the fireworks. 

“It’s strange,” she continued. “I mean, I know this isn’t the most obvious location to watch the fireworks from, but I can’t believe no one else thought to come here.” 

She tilted her head, puzzled that the area was empty, but there was a clear-cut answer to her confusion.

“That is because this is private property,” said Luxion.

Marie flinched. “Wait. We aren’t trespassing, are we?!”

“Most certainly not,” the AI responded evenly. “We have permission to be here.”

“Huh?”

Marie looked so surprised that I explained, “I asked the owners’ permission to use this spot today. They were happy to agree once I paid them.”

“You solve everything with money.” She frowned. Given all that had unfolded in Marie’s previous life, I saw how that might bother her. Still, I’d had good reason to reserve this location for us today.

“It is almost time,” Luxion announced. “Thirty seconds remain until the fireworks show begins.”

He began counting down for us. Marie plopped onto the bench, so I settled in beside her.

“I guess we should be grateful for the developers’ lazy approach,” I mused. “That gave us this opportunity to go to a Japanese-style festival.”

Who knew we’d be able to enjoy familiar foods here in the otome game world? I only wished I’d realized sooner just how similar the island’s culture really was to ours.

“It’s pretty disappointing that we couldn’t sample all the food stall dishes,” Marie said, crestfallen. “I wish I was able to eat more.”

I could trust her to be that big a glutton. Then again, that was part of what made her who she was. “We can head back to the festival after the fireworks,” I pointed out.

“I guess so. I just wish we’d bought a bunch of snacks before they even started. I kind of wanted to eat while we watched.”

She sounds more preoccupied with the food than the fireworks, I mused.

“The show will begin now,” Luxion cut in.

A sharp sound rang out as the first fireworks raced through the air. They exploded in a dazzling array of colors, lighting up the night. 

Marie shot to her feet, shouting, “Amazing!” 

More and more explosions followed. The booming noises resonated through my body, bringing back a deluge of memories of life in Japan.

“Even the fireworks are…” I hesitated. “Well, not exactly the same, I guess.”

Unconventional fireworks occasionally went off between the kind we were used to, so it wasn’t the exact same experience.

“Some of these fireworks utilize magic. That is likely what differentiates them from the fireworks with which you are familiar,” explained Luxion. “Do you dislike them?”

“Nah. As long as they look nice, that’s all I care about.”

He moved his lens side to side, disappointed. “I hoped you would say they lack taste for relying upon magic.” Luxion hated the new humans and their magic, hence his disdain at said magic being employed here.

“You can hardly whine about magic and science and whatnot when you see how beautiful the end results are,” I argued. I mean, who really cared as long as the fireworks looked nice? That was the important part.

“I suspected you would say something along those lines, Master. Is the result all that really matters?”

“Good question. I guess, seeing how these looks, I’d say yeah, it is.”

The magic fireworks were just as beautiful. The magic lent a single firework a mirrored effect, creating more explosions of color. Together, they painted the sky like a canvas. It was a novel, if puzzling, experience. Each time a firework exploded, I contemplated whether it was the kind we knew or something entirely different born of magic. Meanwhile, Marie sank back onto the bench, pressing her hand over mine.

“Thank you for all this,” she said.

“Hm?” I turned to look at her. She was still staring at the sky, bursting fireworks illuminating her side profile.

“Like I said, um…all of it.” Too embarrassed to expand on that, she looked away briefly, then turned back to face me. In that moment, something was different about her. Her blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle. “You saved me from the Offreys, right? You even solved the issues I was having with my family. If I’d had to deal with it all on my own, who knows where I’d be?” Her face clouded over at first; she must’ve been picturing how terribly her life would’ve gone if I hadn’t intervened. She quickly smiled, though. “Even if it might not always seem like it, I’m grateful to you.”

“Okay,” I said foolishly.

Marie’s cheeks puffed in frustration. “You don’t believe me, do you?” Despite her accusatory words, her voice was gentle and teasing. “I swallowed my embarrassment to thank you, you know!”

“You just got carried away by the atmosphere, didn’t you?” I snickered. I figured the festival, and the sentimentality of the moment, had enabled her to express what she normally couldn’t.

Marie huffed and turned away. “You really don’t understand women at all. I was being genuine and reflecting on my own mistakes, you know.”

“My bad, my bad.” 

I rose from the bench, and she flinched. The panic-stricken look on her face said everything; she was worried that perhaps she’d gone too far. But then I stepped in front of her and sank down onto one knee, taking her left hand in mine. At some point during all this, Luxion had activated his cloaking device, blending into the background to leave us alone.

“What’re you doing?” Marie said breathlessly.

“I’d never regret helping you. I know I’ve got a lot of faults, so I think you’re the most amazing woman in the world for sticking by me despite all those.” My lips curved into what I hoped was a natural smile. Staring directly into her eyes, I slipped a ring onto her finger. “Marie…”

At the exact same moment that I began my proposal, another round of fireworks blasted the sky. But I wanted to believe Marie heard what I said despite the deafening explosions, since blood rushed all the way from her cheeks to her ears and she teared up. Her whole body trembled. When her gaze dropped to the ring on her finger, the tears broke free, racing down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the sleeve of her yukata.

“One more time!” she said, holding up a finger with her free hand. “I want to hear it once more!”

Dumbfounded by her outlandish request, I shot to my feet. “Why?! You have no idea how embarrassing that was for me, and I forced myself anyway! It was a once-in-a-lifetime proposal, and you want me to do it again?!” I was so nervous my throat was as dry as a desert, and my heart pounded in my ears. Considering the heat in my cheeks, I was probably blushing furiously, too. In fact, my whole body felt feverishly hot.

Marie brushed away her next tears, pleading, “I couldn’t hear you fully because of the fireworks! I want to answer you properly!”

“No, I—”

“Please!”

She begged so earnestly that I couldn’t turn her down. Come to think of it, my little sister used to wheedle like this all the time, and I always found myself caving. “This’ll be the last time, though, okay? I already feel like my cheeks are on fire.” I smacked them, trying to psych myself back up, then fixed my gaze on her. “Marie, I’m in l—”

The next round of fireworks burst above us as I repeated all the words I’d said the first time. Her face was initially tense with worry, but slowly transformed, her lips breaking into a smile. More tears fell down her cheeks, and her right hand wrapped around her left. Her whole face was wet from crying as she beamed at me and finally answered, “Yes.”

Relief crashed over me. With it came intense exhaustion; at long last, this was all finally over. Now that I didn’t have to keep proposing to her, I had a sense of freedom, and also of joy that she’d accepted my proposal.

Marie giggled at me. “I’m starting to feel bad for you, so I’ll just say you passed this time.”

“Wonderful. Thanks.” I sank back onto the bench.

The fireworks show had hit its zenith, and the sky lit up with a rainbow of colors as far as the eye could see.

***

The fireworks were over. The festival was still going, but now that the show was finished, much of the crowd was already heading home. As the streets grew increasingly deserted, Olivia continued searching for Leon.

“Ah!” she gasped when she spotted him, clad in a yukata. Joy swelled in her chest. She darted forward, only to come to a sudden halt. She couldn’t budge. “What…?”

Beside Leon was an adorable, petite girl wearing a pale-pink yukata. Olivia knew immediately that the girl was a schoolmate; she’d seen her several times at the academy.

She and Leon held hands and seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. The ring on the girl’s finger soon drew Olivia’s eyes. It was a silver band set with a blue gem. Olivia knew immediately what it meant.

As she stared, the cog charm slipped from her hand and hit the ground, the impact cracking the wood. She stopped to pick it up, mumbling to herself, “Oh. Well, I guess it makes sense. He’s obviously an incredible guy, so of course he already has someone. If I approached him, I’d only be a nuisance.”

The knight who’d rescued her was already with someone else—a young noblewoman. That was only natural. A commoner like Olivia had never had any business imagining herself with Leon. That was what she kept telling herself.

“How strange. I can’t stop crying.” 

However much she wiped away her tears, they kept coming. 

Clutching the broken charm to her chest, Olivia darted away, eager to escape the scene. The words the man in the fox mask had said earlier rang again in her mind: “If you’ve indeed found someone who matches you, I’ll warn you that you’d best not let them go.” 

I wasn’t even able to get my hands on him in the first place, she thought glumly.

With that, Olivia’s first love ended almost as suddenly as it had begun.