Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 27 - Chapter 2

Episode 2: Several Places You Must Visit Before Going Home

Kisshouharukaze City where Koutarou and the others lived was surrounded by mountains. They were verdant and forested, but rolling and modest, perfect for enjoying a scenic, peaceful day of hiking or just a nature walk. If you wanted to do something more like mountain climbing, however, you had to travel to the next city over. The north side of it sloped upward into a much more impressive mountain. While it didn’t quite reach the two thousand meter mark, it was rugged and had plenty of rock exposures and cliff faces, making it a popular destination for mountain climbers across the region. But that wasn’t its only attraction.

“Come to the Round River Peak Hot Spring Village this fall! Our powerful, mineral rich hot spring and mountain cuisine will refresh your exhausted mind and body! And why not take home some black hot spring eggs as souvenirs?”

A commercial playing on the TV in room 106 was advertising its best feature. The mountain of the neighboring city had a hot spring, so it was a popular vacation destination. Being able to go mountain climbing during the day and then getting to unwind in a hot spring that night made it the perfect weekend getaway.

“...Black hot spring eggs?”

Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya, looking through Shizuka’s eyes, stared at the strange object depicted on the TV. True to its name, it did indeed look like a jet black egg.

“Oh, have you never had one before, Uncle?”

Shizuka, who was looking at the same thing, responded to his muttering as if he was right in front of her. She spoke in a very calm and relaxed manner.

“I cannot say that I have. What exactly is this ‘hot spring egg’?”

As Alunaya spoke, he appeared before Shizuka in an unusually petite form. He was only about thirty centimeters tall, and rather round for his size. It made him look just like a stuffed animal. It was an illusion that Alunaya had conjured, which was something he sometimes used to make it easier to have conversations with people. He was also capable of projecting his voice and his perspective into the illusion. It was essentially like a stuffed animal with a built-in camera, microphone, and speaker.

“Well, in general there are two types of hot spring eggs.”

Shizuka smiled at the cute Alunaya as she answered his question, and he listened to her with great interest. As of late, the two of them had been interacting like a real uncle and niece.

“The more common type is just an egg that’s been cooked so the yolk is firm but the white is soft. It’s kind of like a specialty boiled egg.”

“...Is that possible? To have only the yolk harden?”

“Yeah. The yolk and white actually harden at different temperatures, so by skillfully adjusting the heat, it’s possible to harden just the yolk.”

“I see, so it’s a matter of cooking technique...”

“That’s right. If you’re interested, I can show you sometime.”

“Please do. I’m very curious.”

“Heehee, you got it. So anyway, Uncle, what that commercial was talking about was the other kind of hot spring egg.”

“You did mention that there were two kinds. What is the second one?”

“Well, in a hot spring, you can use the spring water to boil or steam the egg, and you call that a hot spring egg since it was literally cooked in a hot spring. The shell of a black hot spring egg turns black because of the minerals and things in the spring water.”

“How interesting... That must be a hot spring specialty then.”

“Precisely. I can’t make those for you here, so we’d have to go to a place like that to get one.”

“I see...”

Alunaya’s adorable round eyes gleamed as he turned back to the TV. Though the commercial wasn’t playing anymore, it was clear it was still on his mind.

“Heehee... Oh Uncle...”

Shizuka found this side to Alunaya endearing. Since she was close with Koutarou, she had a unique appreciation for men and their fixations, especially when their appetites were involved. And it was for exactly that reason that she’d end up buying a hot springs guidebook the next day. She thought it would be a nice way to say thanks to Alunaya for everything he did for her.

While Alunaya normally inhabited Shizuka, he’d taken to using his stuffed animal form more often than not after she gave him the guidebook. He didn’t want to bother her just to read it.

“Oh ho... So the iron on the shell reacts with hydrogen sulfide, creating iron sulfide...”

The sight of Alunaya sitting on the tea table reading the guidebook in stuffed animal form was both humorous and fantastical.

“Hydrogen sulfide... Shizuka, what is hydrogen sulfide?”

“Hydrogen sulfide is, um... sulfuretted hydrogen.”

“What is sulfuretted hydrogen?”

“Kiriha-san, help me!”

As he read through the guide, Alunaya would stop from time to time to ask Shizuka a question. And not being from Earth, he had plenty of them. The majority of his questions weren’t a problem to answer since they were more or less common knowledge, but when it came to anything scientific about the nature of the spring and its minerals, Shizuka was out of her element. When that happened, she turned to Kiriha for help since she was nearby folding the laundry.

“Alunaya-dono, hydrogen sulfide is a poisonous gas for us humans. It’s made through the bonding of explosive gas and sulfur.”

“Explosive gas?”

“Do you know that running electricity through water doesn’t just cause it to evaporate, but that it also releases different types of gas?”

“I know about that. That’s what happens whenever the Thunder Dragon Emperor gets too close to the water.”

“When that happens, two types of gases are released: oxygen, which we breathe, and hydrogen, which is explosive.”

“Are you saying if I breathe fire while the Thunder Dragon Emperor is near the water, it will cause an explosion?”

“It depends on the ratio of oxygen to hydrogen as well as the humidity, but yes, it’s possible.”

“That’s a good thing to know! I’ll make sure to try it next time!”

“Uncle...”

“That hydrogen bonding with sulfur is what creates hydrogen sulfide. Because of its causticity, it reacts with iron, darkening it.”

“I see. Thank you for enlightening me.”

Pleased with Kiriha’s concise explanation, Alunaya cheerfully returned to reading the guidebook. Seeing that, Kiriha contentedly went back to folding the laundry.

“Thank you, Kiriha-san.”

Shizuka was a little relieved to see Alunaya go back to reading, so she thanked Kiriha too. Currently in the middle of folding one of Koutarou’s shirts, she flashed a smile at Shizuka.

“Don’t worry about it. Having him fall in love with this world is a good thing.”

“Maybe then the dragons will come here to play in full force.”

“Then you would really be bombarded with questions.”

“Anything but that...”

Shizuka was joking about dragons coming to visit, but Kiriha didn’t find it all that unlikely. Alunaya’s eager curiosity about Earth and human culture boded well.

“Alunaya-sama, it’s done!”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting!”

That was when Ruth entered the inner room carrying a tray of bowls. Each one had an egg in it that was still in its shell.

“Oh ho... So these are hot spring eggs, version one, huh?”

Alunaya stood up on the tea table to take a peek at the tray that Ruth was carrying. On it were eggs, supposedly cooked “hot spring” style where just the yolk was firm. Ruth, who also had an interest in Japanese culture like Alunaya did, had learned the recipe so she could give making them a try.

“I just hope I managed to cook them properly...”

Knock, knock, crack!

As Alunaya watched wide-eyed, Ruth carefully cracked the shell of the egg that had been kept at seventy degrees for just shy of half an hour. While she had followed Shizuka’s instructions exactly, she couldn’t help feeling a little anxious about how they’d turned out since this was her first try making them herself.

“Ooh!”

“It worked!”

Alunaya and Ruth were both excited at the results. The white of the egg coming out from the shell was soft, nearly runny, while the yolk maintained its spherical shape. It was a proper home-cooked hot spring egg, worthy of a picture in a cookbook.

“Shizuka, h-hurry up and eat it!”

“Yeah, yeah. I know the drill.”

Shizuka giggled as she picked up a bowl with an egg in it. As Alunaya relied on Shizuka for most of his senses, she would have to eat it for him to be able to taste it.

“Shizuka-sama, have some sauce with it.”

“Thank you, Ruth-san.”

Ruth poured sauce over Shizuka’s egg for her. As ordinary soy sauce would haven been too plain for a dish like this, she’d made a special sauce of bonito and kelp broth, soy sauce, and mirin. She was always ready to learn new tricks in the kitchen, and this would certainly be added to her repertoire.

“Now, for the taste test of the hot spring egg, version one...”

“Let’s dig right in.”

As Alunaya watched on with sparkling eyes, Shizuka drove her spoon into the egg. Though the yolk retained its shape, it wasn’t solid in the same way a hard-boiled egg would be. It was firm, but thick and slightly creamy. After scooping it up, Shizuka lifted the spoon to her lips.

“Oooh...”

“Thanks for the food!”

Shizuka put the spoon in her mouth. As she did, the flavors of soy sauce, bonito, and kelp filled her mouth. Past that was the rich taste of the custard-like yolk. The slight sweetness of the sauce kept it from being too strong and overpowering the delicate flavor of the egg. The balance was exquisite.

“Th-This is...!”

Alunaya’s round eyes opened wide. Since he was connected with Shizuka, he could taste the egg as she ate it. It was unique. Mysterious, even. It was a completely new flavor experience for him.

“So this is a hot spring egg! It’s delicious!”

Alunaya’s heart was stolen by this strange new food. He was charmed by everything about it—its looks, its flavor, even its smell. It all suited his tastes perfectly. He also gave it high marks for such excellent use of the humble, ordinary egg as its main ingredient. Right now, he was simply in love with these hot spring eggs.

“I thank you, Ruth! I have never eaten such a mysterious yet delicious dish before!”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

“Give me another!”

“W-Wait, Uncle!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! What does it matter?”

“Nooo!”

Infatuated with the dish before them, Alunaya moved Shizuka’s body without her permission to eat egg after egg. He was gobbling them down so quickly that Shizuka was worried about her waistline.

Now that he had a taste for hot spring eggs, it wasn’t long before Alunaya wanted to visit an actual hot spring. He’d so far only had the homemade kind, but he was consumed with an increasing urge to try the kind that had actually been cooked in a hot spring.

“This scenery reminds me of my own residence.”

That was Alunaya’s first reaction upon seeing the mountain in the next city over. The landscape he saw when he peered out the window with Shizuka’s eyes reminded him of home.

“Do you live on a rocky mountain like this, Uncle?”

“Indeed. A volcano, actually. The look of these craggy rocks is very similar. That said, the plants and buildings are unfamiliar to me.”

“Well, if it looked exactly the same, there wouldn’t be much of a point in coming, would there?”

“That’s a good point.”

After getting off the bus and away from the eyes of others, Alunaya took his stuffed animal form and rode on Shizuka’s shoulder. As he really did look like a stuffed animal from a distance, there was no reason to worry about raising any suspicion as long as Alunaya stayed still. The stuffed animal was really an illusion created by Alunaya’s magic, but he used it as an avatar of himself to make conversations easier. Though it wasn’t an issue with Shizuka, other people were more comfortable talking to him when they knew where to look.

“So where did you live? Alaia-sama’s notes only mentioned a volcano...” Ruth asked.

Alunaya’s illusion was already working. With the stuffed animal creature on Shizuka’s shoulder, Ruth make eye contact with him as she spoke to him. Without it, it was harder to tell if she was actually talking to Alunaya or Shizuka, and conversations could get confusing that way.

“From your point of view, it would have been near the southern mountain range.”

“Ah, there were a lot of volcanos there, weren’t there?”

“Thanks to that, it was quite warm, which made it a comfortable place to live.”

“But... I remember hearing that you had to move to a different world because the temperature was dropping.”

That was where Kiriha joined in. It was just her and Ruth accompanying Shizuka and Alunaya on this trip because the others were all busy with one thing or another. But it worked out well enough. The four of them were the most suited for a hot spring trip like this.

“Indeed. The volcanos became less active as it grew colder too, so we dragons decided to relocate.”

“Forthorthe naturally goes through colder periods every twenty or thirty thousand years. It is said that the temperature did begin dropping several thousand years ago, but it should still be a while yet before it kicks into full swing.”

“I guess that you can say that you sensed the glacial period approaching then.”

“Doesn’t everyone want to live somewhere warm during cold periods?”

“I can understand how you feel, Uncle. I’m not good with the cold either.”

The four continued their whimsical conversation as they climbed up the low slope leading away from the bus stop. The hot spring district was up ahead, and they would be staying at an inn there overnight. The girls were all looking forward to the hot spring, but all Alunaya could think about was hot spring eggs.

Upon entering the hot spring district, Alunaya looked around with great interest. While he had thoroughly studied the guidebook beforehand, actually seeing the place with his own eyes was completely different. It wasn’t like every detail of the town was recorded in the guidebook either, so there was plenty to see and learn about that was completely new to him.

“Shizuka, Shizuka! The hot springs manju aren’t brown! What is the meaning of this?!”

“C-Calm down a little, Uncle! If you move around that much, you’ll give yourself away!”

The excited Alunaya was like a child. One thing after another captured his attention, and he dragged Shizuka along for the ride. Considering the daily life of a dragon, city life held no real interest for Alunaya, but apparently this was different. Its simple, rustic nature captivated him like a tourist.

“Heehee, he’s like Master or Her Highness when they go out to play.”

“Boys will be boys, even as dragons.”

“My, my... Her Highness would be rather angry to hear you say that.”

“Then please don’t tell her.”

“Ahaha, your secret is safe with me.”

Kiriha and Ruth were having a good laugh together when, mysteriously, one of the clasps on the bag Kiriha was carrying came undone and the flap seemed to lift itself up. Quiet voices could then be heard from within.

“Ane-san, can we come out yet, ho?”

“It’s unfair that only Uncle Dragon gets to play, ho!”

“That’s true. All right, you can come out.”

“Ho!”

“Ho, ho!”

After Kiriha discretely looked around, she opened her bag and two haniwas emerged. The haniwas returned the handheld game console and music player they were holding to the bag before flying over towards Alunaya.

“Where’s this unusually colored manju? Ho!”

“Over there. I thought they were all brown, but this one is white.”

“You’re right, ho! I want to try one, ho!”

When Alunaya and the haniwas were together, they looked like a group of toys. It would be a disaster if any kids got their hands on them, but fortunately there weren’t many children at the hot spring. And even if they were found, each of them was small enough that it would be easy for them to hide, so there didn’t seem to be much to worry about.

“All right, then let us go.”

“Let’s go, ho!”

“That’s an emperor for you! A natural-born leader, ho!”

“Ah, wait up, you three!”

If anyone was in trouble, it was Shizuka, who was currently being taken for a ride by a dragon emperor and two haniwas.

“I guess that means the haniwas are boys too, Kiriha-sama?”

“They certainly act like it.”

Ruth and Kiriha watched over Shizuka as she ran from place to place chasing after Alunaya and the haniwas. While they felt bad for her, it was an amusing sight.

Alunaya’s stuffed animal form was an illusion he created to express himself and make it easier for people to talk to him. His consciousness, however, remained inside of Shizuka, and he relied on her for most of his senses. For example, he needed Shizuka to eat something in order for him to taste it. The same was true for feeling the hot spring.

“I’ve never really paid much attention to them, but hot springs are pretty nice...”

Feeling the warmth and relaxation vicariously through Shizuka, Alunaya was enjoying himself. Delighted, he paddled across the warm water in his stuffed animal form. While he didn’t make any waves or noise since he was an illusion, Shizuka spoke up.

“Uncle, it’s proper manners to stay calm and quiet in the hot spring.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. They looked like they were having fun, so I just ended up doing the same thing.”

“This bath is big enough to swim in, ho!”

“There are jets of water, ho!”

Alunaya hadn’t meant any harm as he was only copying the haniwas, but if it was proper hot spring etiquette to stay calm and quiet, he was happy to abide by that. As such, he stopped swimming and simply drifted across the surface of the warm water.

“Karama-chan, Korama-chan, you two quiet down too.”

“Sorry, ho...”

“We can’t say no to Shizuka-chan, ho...”

The two haniwas also quickly complied with Shizuka’s request. Following Alunaya’s lead, they stopped splashing around and tried drifting. They looked like plastic bottles floating in a pond. Kiriha looked over the two of them with a dry smile.

“I’m sorry about that, Shizuka.”

Kiriha had the longest hair of the girls present. It took a long time to wash, so she was still preoccupied getting ready to get in the spring. The haniwas had gone ahead and gotten in without her.

“I’m the one that should be supervising them.”

“It’s fine. I’ll babysit while you wash that beautiful hair of yours before you get in. It’s the least I can do after you rented out this entire place just for us.”

Since they were bringing a mysterious creature and haniwas with them, Kiriha had used her contacts to reserve the entire bath for their trip so they wouldn’t startle any of the other guests. Since the inn was managed by People of the Earth who had left the underground a long time ago, they understood. Kiriha had done so much for their trip that Shizuka didn’t feel like Kiriha had anything to apologize for.

“Thank you for that.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“She’s right. You’re the one that arranged this entire trip, Kiriha-sama.”

Not only had Kiriha reserved the hot spring, she had seen to all the other details of their mini-vacation. She’d reached out to various other contacts to arrange the trip in order to suit Alunaya, Shizuka, and Ruth’s wishes as much as possible. They were all grateful for what she’d done, and that certainly wasn’t lessened by the haniwas having a little fun.

“Speaking of arranging things, what did you want to do while we’re here, Ruth-san?”

“Ah, um...”

Ruth stumbled for an answer as the topic of conversation suddenly shifted to herself. Alunaya wanted to try hot spring eggs, so Shizuka had wanted to bathe in the hot spring while they were there. Surely there was something Ruth wanted to do as well, and Shizuka was curious what it was.

“Ruth asked if we could visit a shrine.”

Since Ruth wasn’t answering, Kiriha answered for her. She’d made the arrangements, so she already knew what it was that Ruth wanted to do.

“Visit a shrine? That’s a very classy thing to want to do.”

“Um... I... Yes...”

Though it was a totally casual conversation, Ruth was blushing wildly and looking away. Seeing her do that, a lightbulb suddenly switched on in Shizuka’s head.

“I see... The pamphlet for this place did say something about a shrine for the god of fulfilled love being somewhere nearby.”

Shizuka had a mischievous smile as she nudged Ruth with her elbow.

“Urk!”

Both Ruth’s eyes shot wide open. She then slumped her shoulders and shrunk down into the water like she was trying to escape. Her face was as red as it had ever been, all the way up to her ears. That alone was enough of an answer for Shizuka.

“Ruth-san, could it be that you want your love to be fulfilled?”

Shizuka rolled her towel up into a makeshift microphone and held it out towards Ruth. Seeing the gesture, she tried her best to come up with an answer.

“Y-Yes, but... don’t we all?”

“Indeed. I would be troubled if mine went unfulfilled.”

Unlike Ruth, Kiriha knew exactly what she wanted and had no trouble expressing it. She’d been carrying her love with her since she was a child and had come to full terms with her emotions.

“You’re right... We can’t just leave things be as they are. Not with him.”

Shizuka could admit her own feelings as well, just not as straightforwardly as Kiriha. Really, she was somewhere in between Ruth and Kiriha on the matter.

“That’s why... I just wish someone, anyone, would make a move...”

“Are you really okay with that Ruth-san?”

“He always puts himself last, so I don’t mind coming last either. Besides... I only wish to be an extra to Her Highness, like a second wife...”

“I understand how you feel.”

“So we all feel the same way, then...”

Ruth, Kiriha, and Shizuka all believed that it would be sad in its own way if they themselves were the only one that ended up happy. They all needed to be happy. They all deserved it. Especially the boy they loved the most.

“So in the end, this is because we all put each other before ourselves.”

“That’s what I think. But I want to pray for the happiest ending possible.”

“Then let’s go together tomorrow, all three of us!”

“Just don’t forget about my hot spring eggs.”

“How about some hot spring cooked haniwas, ho?”

“We’ve boiled really nicely, ho...”

Six cheerful voices could be heard from the private hot spring. It was the sound of good friends enjoying their slow soak and their time together. After everything they’d been through, precious moments like this were invaluable. Each of them enjoyed themselves to the fullest.

As they were staying at an inn, the girls didn’t have to make breakfast themselves, meaning Kiriha, Ruth, and Shizuka could have a much more relaxed morning than usual. The inn served breakfast at 7 o’clock, so the girls started to wake up a short while before that.

“Good morning, you three.”

The first to get up was Shizuka, who was full of energy. Kiriha and Ruth had slightly low blood pressure, however, so they were still dozing away in their futons.

“You’re finally awake.”

“Everyone is oversleeping, ho!”

“They’re on Yurika’s level, ho!”

But Shizuka wasn’t the only one awake. Alunaya and the two haniwas were already up and appeared to be doing something on top of the table that had been moved to the corner of the room so everyone could lay out their futons. Intrigued, Shizuka moved over to take a look.

“Hahh... Never mind them, what are you guys doing so early in the morning?”

Though she was as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as ever, Shizuka had only just woken up and couldn’t help yawning as she investigated what they were up to.

“This.”

Alunaya stepped to the side and revealed what was behind him. It was the guidebook that he so loved to read. After glancing at it, Shizuka cocked her head to the side.

“What are these marks for, Uncle?”

“We are checking off things that we absolutely have to eat before going home. After combining the information from the guidebook with what we observed of the storefronts yesterday, we’ve managed to narrow it down to seven places.”

“We consulted with dragon uncle, ho!”

“These seven places are a must, ho!”

The three of them had been so excited about this little culinary adventure that they’d woken up early to sort out the details of their itinerary. First, they decided to exclude anything that could be purchased as a souvenir and taken home to eat later. After that, they prioritized anything that used seasonal ingredients and then ranked what they came up with according to their tastes In the end, they were absolutely insistent on trying the top seven dishes on their list.

“So make sure you don’t eat too much for breakfast, Shizuka.”

Alunaya couldn’t eat things on his own. The only way for him to taste things was to have Shizuka eat while they were sharing senses. As such, he couldn’t allow Shizuka to get full too soon.

“W-Wait a minute, Uncle! Are you saying you want me to eat seven different local dishes today?!”

“That’s right.”

“First is the salt-grilled sweetfish, ho!”

“Last is custard soft serve, made rich with fresh eggs, ho!”

“N-No way! If I eat that much, I’ll definitely get fat!”

If she hadn’t been already, upon hearing Alunaya and the haniwas’ plan, Shizuka was wide awake. If she played along and ate everything they wanted her to, she would without a doubt gain weight. And there would be no way she could blame it on Alunaya’s mana. She couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Don’t worry. I’ll control my mana to make you two kilos lighter for a while.”

“That’s not the problem here! Wait, you’re planning on making me eat two kilos worth of food?!”

Shizuka was always minding her weight because she wanted to maintain her figure. But even if Alunaya could magically control her weight, it didn’t change what she looked like.

“I wouldn’t be able to wear a swimsuit in front of anyone!”

“Then let’s change just your appearance with an illusion.”

“Nooooo!”

Unfortunately, the fire dragon emperor was even more oblivious to the subtleties of a maiden’s heart than Koutarou. Both his personality and his being of a different species worked against him in that regard. But what made it hardest for Shizuka was that Alunaya wasn’t doing any of it to be mean. Rather, he felt he was doing his part to bring them closer as friends.

In the end, the two were able to come to a compromise by agreeing that the calories of the seven dishes Shizuka ate would be expelled as heat via plasma breath. It was Kiriha’s idea, and Ruth ran the calculations on it.

“Using the fire that Shizuka-sama spewed out earlier as our baseline, you would have to breathe flames five and two-thirds times.”

“In other words, if we spew flames six times, we can eat whatever we want today?”

“You be quiet, Uncle!”

“Okay...”

“Since Shizuka-sama has spewed flames once already, a little under five times would be more accurate.”

Going off of Kiriha’s idea, Ruth wanted to do her part to help. Running the numbers, she figured out how many times Shizuka would have to breathe fire to counteract the calories she’d consume if she ate all seven local dishes. The magic number was apparently five and two-thirds, but Kiriha had a reservation about that.

“Just in case, it would be wise to avoid breathing fire five times in a single day. While it will work well for burning off calories, human bodies aren’t made to spew flames, so it’s difficult to calculate what kind of strain that would put on the body if done repeatedly.”

Even though it was her idea, Kiriha was a little nervous that this diet method might have a negative influence on Shizuka’s health. Normally, Alunaya used mana to breathe fire, but this time Shizuka would be relying on the energy she’d stored up inside her body via food. There was a possibility that it might leave her depleted of necessary nutrients or something similar. Kiriha didn’t want to push too hard.

“Then how about once per day?” Shizuka suggested.

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Kiriha assented.

If they stuck to doing it just once a day to be safe, that would lower the strain on Shizuka and allow the others to keep an eye on her in the interims just to make sure there weren’t any complications. Kiriha thought that was a good plan.

“So starting tomorrow, we’ll be doing it once a day until Saturday, Uncle.”

“But that would make for a total of seven times.”

“I want to lose a little more weight.”

“...Would seven times be okay, Kiriha?”

“That’s between you and Shizuka, Alunaya-dono.”

“Okay, then once a day until Saturday next week is fine.”

“That’s cheating, ho!”

“It’s fraud, ho!”

“What was that?” Shizuka asked with a steely glare.

“N-Nothing, ho!”

“Shizuka-chan becoming even more attractive is a good thing, ho!”

“Heehee, I see you’re worried about your figure too, Shizuka-sama.”

“How could I not be after seeing you and Kiriha-san in the hot spring yesterday?”

“I think you have a beautiful body too though, Shizuka,” offered Kiriha.

“Complacency only spells disaster,” Shizuka sighed, shaking her head.

The six of them cheerfully continued to chat away as they climbed the mountain path. They were headed towards the shrine up ahead, their first stop for the day.

Upon entering the shrine grounds, the girls and their small friends calmed down. Even the ever-cheerful girls knew to behave at religious sites, especially when they’d come to ask a favor from the powers that be. Naturally, they wanted to stay respectful.

“We wish to win Round Haniwa-sama event tickets, ho!”

“Please, ho! We’ll even attach some Hanina-chan goods, ho!”

“I have no intention of causing any trouble on these grounds, so please overlook some sightseeing.”

The attendant haniwas and the fire dragon emperor had their own reasons for tagging along on the shrine visit, so they each paid their respects to the god enshrined there. Each of them was sincere in what they asked for, but it was nothing compared to the heartfelt, earnest wishes of the three girls.

Please... may my feelings and those of Her Highness reach him...

Ruth prayed wholeheartedly with her hands clasped before her chest. The others had been willing to make this trip for her, so she felt especially strongly about what she was asking for. To be connected to the first man she’d ever seriously loved. For Theia, who she also loved, to be happy. And it was the strength of those wishes that came through in her prayer.

May the promise I made with Onii-chan on that day be fulfilled...

If anyone had heard what Kiriha prayed for, they surely would have gone bug-eyed. Based on how she normally acted, it was hard to believe that she could have such a simple, honest, and pure wish. In her clasped hands was an old trading card. It represented Kiriha’s feelings, both past and present. Ten years’ worth of emotion had been poured into that card, and it all manifested now in a single prayer. She wanted to heal her beloved’s wounded heart, and there was hardly a wish more innocent than that.

May we find a way to make sure everyone is happy... Also, if possible, may my diet succeed...

Even now, Shizuka was mostly thinking of the people around her. Perhaps it was just her personality, but the thought of praying for just her own happiness never even crossed her mind. She wanted the person she loved to be happy, and she wanted the other girls—her friends—to be happy too. That’s why she ended up praying for something that even she vaguely knew was probably impossible. But still, she snuck in a humble request for her diet to succeed. If nothing else, she was steadfast.

“Ane-san and the others are so serious, ho...”

“They’re like Hanina-chan when Round Haniwa-sama is fighting, ho...”

“Let’s leave them be for a few moments.”

“How many, dragon uncle? Ho...”

“Listen, doing this now will make it easier for us to ask for what we want to do later.”

“That’s the fire dragon emperor for you, ho! A true leader, ho!”

In the end, their wishes were all the same. The girls all wanted everyone, including themselves, to be happy. They were trying to walk down that difficult path together, all the while believing that what they wanted would be at the end of the road.

After the shrine visit was over and the group was descending down the mountain path, Alunaya and the haniwas steadily grew more and more excited. After patiently waiting their turn, it was now time to have their fun on vacation.

“Where are the shops that sell salt-grilled sweetfish?”

“There are five in total, and the most popular one is a small restaurant called Saika, ho!”

“Saika is known for its special rock salt seasoning, ho! Its fish are supposed to be nice and crunchy too, ho!”

“All right, then that’s where we’re going!”

“Roger, ho!”

“You’re the boss, ho!”

Alunaya naturally took the lead, and the two haniwas were armed to the teeth with all sorts of local information, tidbits, and factoids. With their powers combined, they made the perfect tourist group. There was practically no stopping them. It was clear now just how serious they were about this mission to try their seven chosen local dishes.

“So the time has finally come...”

In contrast to the three eager tourists, however, Shizuka was dragging her feet. She was plodding along at the rear of the determined group.

“Indeed. And there’s no way they’ll give up now. Especially not when they have the plasma breath diet up their sleeves.”

“That part’s your fault, Kiriha-san!”

“But if it weren’t for Kiriha-sama’s idea, you would have gained around two kilos, Shizuka-sama.”

“Arrrgh! That’s even worse!”

Teary-eyed and sniffling, Shizuka walked forward with heavy steps. She was practically crying already. The mood at the front and back of the group couldn’t have been more opposite.

“Arf, arf, arf!”

Suddenly, something small darted into the path in front of them.

“Grrrrr...”

It was a small, white dog. A puppy, even. It looked like it probably wasn’t yet a year old, and it appeared to have run away from its owner. There was a collar around its neck with a leash dangling from it.

“This is what you call a dog, is it not?”

“That’s right, ho!”

“It’s a creature you can befriend, ho!”

“Arf, arf, arf!”

For some reason, the small visitor seemed to be hostile towards Shizuka and the others.

The puppy that had appeared was barking loudly at them, but the three girls all loved cute animals and couldn’t help wanting to play with it. Together, they agreed to try and make an attempt to befriend it.

“How about something like this?” Ruth asked.

“Marshmallows, huh? Kiriha-san, can dogs eat marshmallows?” Shizuka asked in turn.

“Marshmallows are primarily egg whites and sugar, so it should be fine as you don’t give it too many,” Kiriha replied.

“Then I’ll try giving it one,” Ruth offered.

She squatted down in place, then opened up a small bag and pulled out a marshmallow about two centimeters big.

“Arf?”

As she did, the puppy stopped barking. It seemed to pick up the scent of the marshmallow, and it stared at Ruth, the source of the smell.

“Come to me, little puppy. I have a treat for you.”

Being modest, Ruth put the marshmallow on her hand and presented it to the puppy rather than trying to approach it. It seemed to do the trick, however, as the puppy then came to her while vigorously sniffing the air. Its nose led it straight to the marshmallow, but it kept its eyes trained on Ruth. The temptation of the marshmallow was hard to beat, but it didn’t fully trust this stranger yet.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

Ruth spoke gently to the dog and remained perfectly still. After a long, scrutinizing pause, the puppy chomped down on the marshmallow in Ruth’s hand.

“There’s no need to rush, little guy. There’s plenty of it.”

While a two centimeter marshmallow wasn’t all that big for a human, to a puppy of this size, it was like trying to eat a whole melon. But the dog didn’t seem to mind one bit as it happily gobbled it up.

“Now’s my chance...”

While the puppy was preoccupied with the snack, Ruth reached out with her empty hand to grab the leash hanging off its neck. The whole reason the girls wanted to get friendly with the dog in the first place was to get ahold of it. (Probably.) Since the puppy had a collar, its owner was likely somewhere nearby looking for it.

“I got it!”

“Arf!”

Just as Ruth got a firm grasp on the leash, the puppy finished up the last of the marshmallow. Ruth had feared the puppy might run away after it was done eating, but fortunately didn’t happen.

“Arf, arf!”

Instead, the puppy waggled with its tail as it looked up at Ruth. It seemed to have enjoyed the marshmallow quite a bit and was sniffing at Ruth’s bag. It could tell there were more in there.

“I’m sorry. That one was just a treat.”

While she actually wanted to give the cute puppy more marshmallows, Ruth decided she couldn’t. The puppy was so small and the marshmallows were so big. It surely wouldn’t be healthy to let it have too many at one time. And since it was someone else’s dog, she couldn’t risk spoiling it.

“Aooowww...”

“Aw, don’t do that!”

The puppy reached out with its front leg and pawed at Ruth’s bag. Looking up at Ruth with its little puppy eyes, it seemed to be begging for seconds. As Ruth was wondering what she should do, a helping hand came to her rescue.

Boing, boing!

It was in the form of a small pom-pom made out of animal fur. It was originally a decoration on Kiriha’s bag, but now it was bouncing up and down on the end of a thin stick. After realizing Ruth’s dilemma, Kiriha had quickly thrown it together as a distraction.

Boing, boing!

“Arf!”

Kiriha skillfully moved the stick to bounce the pom-pom around rhythmically, which grabbed the puppy’s attention in a heartbeat. She almost made it look like the fuzzy pom-pom was a real live critter, and the puppy was extremely interested in it.

Boing, boing!

“Arf, arf!”

The puppy chased after the pom-pom as it darted around. Kiriha skillfully controlled it, keeping it just barely out of the puppy’s reach. Because of that, the puppy was so focused on it that it seemed to forget all about the marshmallows.

“Thank you for the help, Kiriha-sama.”

“I’m good at this kind of thing.”

“You certainly look like you are.”

“That sounds like you’re calling me a tease.”

Kiriha smiled at Ruth as she played with the puppy. Kiriha could lead even some of the smartest adults around by the nose. The puppy never stood a chance.

“Oh, not at all. It was just very expertly done.”

“Heh, then I’ll let it slide.”

“Kiriha-san, I want to play with the pupper too!”

Seeing Kiriha play with the puppy after it had completely lowered its guard, Shizuka couldn’t hold herself back anymore. Her heart had been stolen by the adorable frolicking dog, and she was raring to play too.

“Here you go.”

“Yay!”

Kiriha handed the pom-pom on a stick over to Shizuka and scooted over to make room for her. Taking over after Kiriha, Shizuka thrust the toy out for the dog to play with, but...

“Grrr!”

“Ow!”

For some reason, the puppy bit Shizuka’s hand instead of the pom-pom. While it didn’t hurt because she was protected by Alunaya’s power, it still came as quite a surprise.

“Why would you do that? Let’s be friends!”

“Arf! Grrrrr...”

The puppy’s attitude towards Shizuka was clearly different from the way it was with Ruth or Kiriha. Baring its fangs, it continued to growl and bark at her.

“Ruth...”

“R-Right!”

Tugging on the puppy’s leash, Ruth pulled it away from Shizuka. After getting some distance from Shizuka, the puppy stopped barking, though it still glared at her with its tiny eyes.

“Why do you hate me? Let’s be friends, pupper!”

Shizuka was depressed that the dog only seemed to dislike her. Still holding on to the makeshift toy, she sat down on the spot with tears welling in her eyes.

“Perhaps there’s a reason it doesn’t like you...”

“Maybe it’s Alunaya-sama. He’s so big and strong he could easily intimidate just a little puppy.”

“That’s very possible.”

Kiriha and Ruth suspected that Alunaya might be the cause since he inhabited Shizuka’s body. With their keen senses, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if animals could tell he was present. And it made perfect sense that they would be frightened of him. After all, Alunaya was really a dragon well over twenty meters long.

“It’s Uncle’s fault!?”

“How rude! I’m the king of beasts! I’m generous to all creatures!”

Alunaya was rather displeased with this assessment. As he considered himself the emperor of all living things, he found it quite insulting to be accused of terrorizing a mere puppy.

“But I don’t ever recall being hated by dogs until Uncle moved in.”

“Et tu, Shizuka?!”

“Well...”

“Okay, if you’re going to go that far, let’s put it to the test!”

“Huh?”

“I will temporarily leave you. If the puppy still barks at you, then it’s clear that it’s not my fault!”

The final nail was the doubtful look Shizuka cast his way. Mortified, Alunaya decided to leave Shizuka’s body to prove his innocence.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay doing that, Uncle?”

“It will rapidly use up my mana, but it’ll hardly be a problem for just half a minute or so.”

As Alunaya didn’t have a real body, his existence was maintained by concentrating mana into Shizuka. So by leaving her body, the energy he had would rapidly be expended to generate something of a spiritual form to sustain him. It was serious work, but it would still be easy to maintain for such a brief period of time. It was something like Sanae’s astral projection, although he didn’t have as much freedom and it wouldn’t last as long. Really, there wasn’t too much he could do in this form, but it would be enough to prove his innocence.

“Then let’s start!”

Fwoosh!

For a moment, Shizuka’s eyes glowed red. Then a red light appeared to escape her body—that was Alunaya’s consciousness and mana. The light approached the illusory Alunaya and merged with it. Essentially, Alunaya’s consciousness and mana were being transferred to his stuffed animal form.

“So how about now?”

The light and the illusion were now one. Although it didn’t change the way he looked, he now gave off an overwhelmingly powerful aura. In contrast to his adorable appearance, he was the most powerful creature on Earth.

“Arf, arf!”

And in Alunaya’s grand presence, the puppy moved away from Ruth and ran up to him, eyes sparkling and tail wagging.

Based on the results of their test, Kiriha figured that the puppy must have barked at Shizuka because it was jealous. It liked Alunaya, but Shizuka was the one getting all the attention from him, and the puppy didn’t like that.

Another possibility was that Shizuka was just too strong. With Alunaya insider her, she had strength beyond natural human limits. While Alunaya didn’t necessarily change anything about her appearance, he supplied her with a great deal of mana and power. She was clearly superhuman. Looking at her from an animal’s perspective, she was as dangerous as a bear or lion. Of course a puppy would be wary of her. But when confronted directly with Alunaya, even in a spiritual form, the puppy’s natural inclination was to be friendly with such a powerful creature.

There were many other possibilities, but they all seemed far less likely to Kiriha. In the end, however, it was impossible to say for sure what it was. It wasn’t like they could ask the dog directly. The only certainty was that the puppy was still barking at Shizuka.

“I... I can’t recover from this...”

The puppy was wagging its tail at Alunaya, but barking at Shizuka. Under the weight of this cruel reality, her shoulders drooped as she trudged along the mountain path.

“Hahaha, who said I’m not popular?”

“That’s the emperor for you, ho!”

“A true royal, ho!”

“But of course! Maybe I should go to one of those safari parks one of these days to see what happens!”

Unlike Shizuka, Alunaya was in high spirits. Not only had his name been cleared, but even a humble puppy had shown him the respect he deserved. He stood proud, even as a stuffed animal, and confidently led the group as they walked along.

“Don’t let it get you down, Shizuka-sama. That puppy might just have been an odd case.”

“She’s right, Shizuka. We don’t know the actual reason why it barked at you.”

“But it still barked at meee!”

Not even Ruth and Kiriha consoling her was enough to cheer Shizuka up. She was absolutely devastated.

“I don’t care anymore! If I get barked at even when I’m slim and cute, I might as well just try ten local specialty dishes today! No, twenty!”

She was so devastated, in fact, that she was willing to do just about anything to drown her sorrows. Eating to her heart’s content sounded like it might do just the trick.

It seems Shizuka hasn’t considered how Koutarou will react when he sees her after this... but it looks like I should avoid pointing that out now.

Kiriha had her doubts about Shizuka’s chosen pick-me-up, but as long as it made her feel better, she figured it would probably turn out okay.

“That’s more like it, Shizuka!”

“Delicious food awaits, ho!”

“We’ll eat until our stomachs burst, ho!”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I want! I’m totally on board now!”

“Arf, arf, arf!”

And so Shizuka enjoyed all the local cuisine she could get her hands on. As a result, she ended up gaining more weight than expected for a total of three kilograms. Of course, that wasn’t discovered until after they returned home, and it was thanks to an inadvertently insensitive comment from Alunaya. It caused a whole new headache for Shizuka, but the fact remained that poor, devastated Shizuka on vacation wasn’t at all concerned about what would happen down the road.