"It'd Definitely Be Fun Going with Theo!"
"It'd definitely be fun if we went with Theo!"
"I've told you over and over, I'm coming too, Estelle."
No matter what Iris said, Estelle's eyes sparkled at the thought of heading to the Holy Empire with Theo.
"Iris, you're a genius!"
"That's why I said I'm coming too."
"Fine, I'll make a special exception and let you tag along!"
"What do you mean 'special'?"
Iris let out a small pfft of laughter. Until just moments ago, she'd had the sour face of someone who'd eaten shit, but now she finally looked like her usual self—back to being Estelle.
"Then let's get in touch with Theo. Boys' dorm doesn't allow girls, after all."
Iris pulled out her phone and messaged Theo, asking if they could meet for a bit.
"This is exciting! And thanks to you, I get to see Theo one more time today!"
"Estelle, calm down. We're meeting in front of the boys' dorm, so let's head out."
She'd worried he might already be asleep, but Theo replied positively, so Iris grabbed Estelle's hand.
"Okay, sounds good! Should we use teleportation magic?"
"How far do you think it is? It's right around the corner."
The boys' and girls' dorms weren't that far apart. Iris figured they'd arrive around the same time as Theo if they walked slowly, so she led Estelle along at an easy pace.
"Iris, thanks for this time."
As they walked in silence, Estelle quietly voiced her gratitude.
"Truth is, I really didn't want to go, but it felt like I was being dragged there against my will, which bummed me out. But your brilliant idea turned my mood right around."
To Estelle—who believed she'd dive into a pit of fire if it meant being with Theo—that made it all the more true. If Iris hadn't spoken up first, she'd probably have crawled into that fire pit alone without ever thinking of such a great plan. How could she not be thankful?
"No big deal. Last time for weekend leave, you brought it up first, and I tagged along. Consider this payback."
But Iris didn't think Estelle needed to be that grateful. Shy as she was, she could never bring herself to suggest hanging out with Theo first. Even if it meant the three of them together, any time spent with him was precious to her.
"Ah! There's Theo—he's already coming out!"
"Let's hurry…!"
Neither wanted to keep him waiting, so they dashed over to him.
"Huh? You want me to come to the Holy Empire with you all of a sudden?"
I was just about to crash for the night when Iris messaged me to meet up. Stepping out, I got hit with the most random proposition ever.
"Yes! Somehow I ended up having to go to the Holy Empire tomorrow, and I thought it'd be great if we all went together—you, me, and Iris."
"Tomorrow, even?!"
I couldn't help but be shocked. No time to prepare or anything—she was saying wake up and we're off to the Holy Empire.
"Hmm, but for you, Estelle, it's already settled, but Iris and I would get dinged for skipping classes without permission."
Honestly, I don't care much if I get marked absent. I'm not planning to graduate and become a knight or mage or whatever. I'll just farm with my parents later. I'm only here because I don't want these two getting in trouble, so truancy or whatever doesn't faze me. But Iris is different.
"Iris, what if skipping gets back to His Majesty the Emperor?"
Iris was the crown princess, future emperor. Skipping academy classes wouldn't look good for her image at all. The emperor was probably keeping close tabs on stuff like that.
"We'll say we're sick or something."
"Out of nowhere?"
"Real illnesses don't come with warning, do they? Theo, you could back us up on that."
Oh, fair point… Yeah, faking it with advance notice wouldn't fly. Still, is this okay?
"I'll head to the administrative office myself and explain, so you two just get ready!"
Estelle and Iris were both way more proactive than usual.
"Uh, uh… Okay, got it…"
I blurted out a response, but was this really fine? No, but how could I pass up touring the Holy Empire? Wait, that's not the point. Ahem.
Truth is, I couldn't just send them off alone. What if they fought, Iris got taken hostage, and it sparked a war between nations? All our progress so far—poof, down the drain. Absolutely not because I wanna sightsee the Holy Empire or anything. Ahem.
"So, Theo, will you use your teleportation magic to get there?"
Maybe she saw me prepping it before. She asked if I'd teleport myself.
"Uh, you think I can make it that far…?"
I'd love to try long-distance if possible, but the Holy Empire was really far. I gauged if my magic could handle it.
My mana from the status window earlier was 2064… At that level, it'd be weirder if I couldn't, right?
"Of course! With your skills, Theo, you could teleport from one end of the world to the other!"
Even so, end to end is a stretch… It's not like hopping from one end of a rice paddy to the other.
"Then I'll take Iris there with my magic, and you teleport to these coordinates."
Estelle marked the exact spot, and I nodded.
"…If I end up crashing in some weird spot, come find me?"
If an Ermunt Empire citizen popped up out of nowhere in the Holy Empire, that could turn into an international incident. We're not exactly entering with passports.
"Of course! Wherever you are, I'll come get you—no worries!"
"Though I bet Theo… you'd handle it just fine anyway."
For some reason, they both seemed super reliable. Where'd my girls go—the ones who fought constantly and hit bad ends over a single word? Ahem…
"Though holding hands with Iris is kinda annoying."
"Trust me, holding your hand disgusts me too."
"H-Hey, cut it out, you two. Friends should get along."
Yeah, scratch that. Still one wrong word from a bad end.
'Holding Hands is Annoying'
See? See that? If I hadn't stepped in, bad end city again. Why do they act all buddy-buddy one second and ready to throw down the next?
"See you tomorrow, then."
"I've gotta hit the admin office early to say you two are sick, so I'll head back and set an early alarm. Shame, but night!"
Iris gave a straightforward goodbye but lingered awkwardly, fidgeting, while Estelle beamed like cotton candy and turned right away. Yeah, their personalities were polar opposites.
"Iris, come on. You coming or not?"
They always bickered and threw shade, but seeing them look out for each other was kinda heartwarming.
"I'm coming. Shut up, you."
Or… not?
"You two get back safe."
I waved them off as they left, then headed inside.
Who'd have thought we'd get a sudden Holy Empire trip event before break even started.
I knew someone from the Holy Empire would come for Estelle around now—she'd have to visit eventually. The game had an event like that right about here.
But in the game, no one went with her—not Iris, not Lina, nobody. The standard route was after bonds improved, around break time.
Hmm, tricky. Hope no issues pop up. Sure, I agreed partly 'cause I wanna see the Holy Empire for real, but I can't shake the unease. When a smooth game plot suddenly veers off, anyone'd worry, right?
At least Lina's bond with me by now should outstrip whatever she's built with them in the game. I'll keep defending against bad ends there too, but the odds of major drama are low. If force comes into play, I can handle it.
"Eh, good things are good. Tomorrow…"
I pictured sightseeing everything I wanted, having fun with the two of them. Sure, since they need Estelle, Iris and I might end up with some alone time.
"Hmm, let's see. Famous foods in the Holy Empire capital…"
Trips mean food tours. Gotta sample the local specialties.
"Ooh, seafood's big. Whoa, lobsters as common as pork? Gotta eat that…!"
I ended up too excited to sleep properly, like an elementary kid the night before a picnic.
Man… What am I even doing at my age?