Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Dancing with Alice (2)
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Spring is often called the season of blooming flowers.
This is because the seeds that lay dormant throughout the cold winter finally sprout as the temperature rises.
From a flower's perspective, it must be more advantageous for survival to bloom in the warm spring rather than the frigid winter.
Those that couldn't have probably vanished into the annals of history.
So, excluding places that climatically have no winter, spring is the season of flowers.
The sight of the streets filled with flowers of every shape and color was something that could only be seen at this time of year!
“Wow! The streets are filled with flowers! Jin, look at that!”
“Ah… There was nothing here just last evening. They must have worked hard through the night.”
“Given the scale, they must have been in a rush to line everything up. If you look closely, the arrangement is a little off.”
“You two, is that really how you react to such a wonderful sight…?”
Those were the words of Alice, Raven, Lily, and Alice again, in that order.
Perhaps because Alice had always preferred things that were cute and pretty.
She was absolutely thrilled by the sight of the streets decorated with flowers of various colors.
However, for Raven, who stubbornly prioritized practicality over aesthetics, or for Lily, who valued structural beauty, it seemed the scene didn't quite stir their hearts.
Alice's eyes twitched at their lackluster reactions to the rare spectacle.
It seems… I have to step in here.
“Coo, coo… Pwetty…”
“Coo? Pwetty…? Oh, you’re right, aren’t you? The flowers are so beautiful! You’re the best, Yuria!”
Perhaps because I tugged at her clothes, showing that I quite liked it.
Her spirits restored, Alice hugged me tightly in her arms, looking as if she could die from the cuteness.
Well, to be honest, my overall impression was similar to Raven's.
But if it brought her comfort, I was satisfied.
‘That aside… This is a more serious festival than I expected. There are so many people. I wonder if there’s a guide pamphlet or something?’
Held tightly in Alice’s embrace, I slowly moved my head.
Far more people than I had anticipated came into view.
A large-scale festival at such a precarious time, with Nighthaven lacking a mayor.
At this point, it was a wonder that such a plan was even approved.
Just as I was growing curious about more detailed information regarding the festival.
Karen suddenly approached us from inside, waving something in her hand.
“Everyone, they were handing these out nearby, so I grabbed some.”
“This looks like… a guide pamphlet.”
“That’s right. Instead of just wandering around, why don’t we read this first?”
What she brought was none other than a pamphlet containing information about the festival.
It seemed that guides were busy handing them out near the entrance.
Even I, nestled in Alice's arms, was handed a pamphlet by Karen.
After flipping through a few pages, I was able to understand the mystery behind this festival.
‘Hmm, this festival is hosted not by Nighthaven itself, but by a collaboration between the tourism foundation and private companies. That explains how it can proceed on its own even if the city is in a bit of a mess internally.’
Besides, Tempest stepping down as mayor was officially just due to poor health.
Perhaps Nighthaven had no reason to cancel a festival that had been planned for so long.
After all, a new mayor would be elected soon enough.
This festival might even serve to refresh the atmosphere within the city…
As I was lost in thought, examining the front of the pamphlet.
Alice, who was flipping through the pages with me sealed in her arms, suddenly had a sparkle in her eyes.
“Ooh… This festival is bigger than I ever imagined! There are so many participatory booths, we could spend the whole day just looking around here!”
“Participatory booths? What, are you going to make flower crowns?”
Raven closed the distance to me and Alice, leaning his face in.
Perhaps because we were one pamphlet short, he seemed to want to see the contents as well.
However, Alice didn't seem to mind Raven getting close enough for her to feel his breath.
Her eyes fixed on the pamphlet, she shouted in the excited voice of a child.
“There’s that, too. And making food with flowers, seeing custom flowers that have never existed before… It looks like there’s even a corporate booth that uses a 3D printer to create flowers in any color and shape you want!”
“Hmph, you’re right. A bio-printer, huh? That must have cost a pretty penny.”
“To create any flower you want without using blooming magic… Science is amazing.”
Following Alice’s answer were the words of Lily and Karen, respectively.
As a mechanic and an artifact artisan, Lily and Karen were on opposite ends of the spectrum.
It seemed that even when looking at the same subject, their feelings were bound to be complete opposites.
“Alright, then… where should we go first? It all looks so fun!”
“You and Yuria do whatever you want. I don’t really mind either way.”
“Anything is fine with me. I’ll leave the choice to you two.”
“I don’t know much about these things…”
Perhaps because the group consisted of three adults, one minor, and one small child.
The three in the adult group seemed intent on leaving the decision entirely to Alice and me.
Well, despite appearances, Alice was still a minor of high school age.
In their eyes, she must seem like just a kid who still has a lot to learn.
And since I didn't have anything I particularly wanted to do either.
I looked up at Alice and sent a signal that anything was fine…
“Then let’s go east first! There seems to be more fun stuff over there!”
Our first destination was the eastern section of the festival, filled with all sorts of participatory booths.
She was the active type who liked to get her hands dirty, after all. I had a feeling Alice would like it.
And so, we followed Alice as she led the way east.
According to the pamphlet, this area had many hands-on booths run by corporations.
Upon entering the section, we were greeted by a wondrous sight of all sorts of new technologies running rampant.
For example, a haptic VR device that let you feel the scent and texture of flowers.
A device that read a person's brainwaves and represented them with a unique flower color and scent.
Holographic flower petals that you could feel tingling on your skin.
It was no exaggeration to say this was the very essence of a festival experience.
I thought it was strange they charged an entrance fee, but now I see it wasn't for nothing.
“That was so much fun! Aren’t you glad we came?”
“Yeah, at least it was worth the admission fee.”
By the time we had frantically darted from one experience booth to another, it was already around lunchtime.
Leaving the eastern section, we each picked up food from a food truck and headed to a park.
The place we were guided to was an outdoor table with a clear view of the flowers.
The sky was high, and the air was cool and still. It truly felt like a picnic.
‘I’m so glad I came out today. Spending time with people I like is so much fun.’
For lunch, I had chosen a Mexican-style burrito bowl filled with meat and vegetables.
I stabbed a piece of saucy meat with my fork and smiled blissfully.
Truly, accepting Alice’s proposal yesterday was, in retrospect, a great decision.
It was nice to be outside and have fun like this, but what was even better was being with everyone.
The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere was the best.
I couldn't stop myself from swinging my legs under the chair.
As I was mindlessly stuffing salad and meat into my mouth.
Lily, looking somewhat unfamiliar, rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the distant scenery as she murmured.
“Coming out like this once in a while isn’t so bad. Yes, it’s a good way to clear your head.”
“You need to get out more, sis. Or you’ll end up like a withered bean sprout.”
“Oh, my dear sister… are you aware that bean sprouts are more valuable when they aren’t exposed to light?”
“…That’s not what I meant.”
“…”
Bicker, bicker.
Alice and Lily, sitting on either side of me, raised their voices at each other.
A classic sisterly moment, I suppose. It was quite impressive how they were always looking for a chance to take a jab.
But if this was going to happen, couldn't you have let me sit in the corner?
The uncomfortably close proximity made me sway back and forth like a reed, which was quite tiring.
Sigh, I’ll just have to let it go in one ear and out the other.
As I was half-tuning them out and chewing my meat, I suddenly flinched.
The reason was none other than the immense presence that had appeared so unnaturally in a space that had been empty just a moment ago.
The pressure was several times greater than what I'd felt when Shiroko revealed her hidden horns and tail not long ago.
“It seems you’ve all been having quite a pleasant time.”
“…Hk?!”
“What…!”
Thrummmm!
My body trembled as if an earthquake had struck the area.
But the drinks on the table didn't show the slightest tremor.
This trembling, then, was coming entirely from within me.
I quickly shifted my gaze to where I felt the presence, and there stood an unfamiliar middle-aged man.
His face was a puzzling mix of familiar and completely new.
However, Alice and Lily seemed to know him all too well.
The two, who had been bickering just moments ago, wore expressions of near-horror.
“…Excuse me, who are you?”
An awkward silence, as if time had stopped.
The one who broke it and posed the question was Raven, who was sitting across from me.
As expected of the strongest and most mature man among us!
The fork he had been using to eat his noodles just moments ago now seemed incredibly reassuring.
But to this man, was Raven nothing more than a greenhorn?
The middle-aged man frowned slightly and answered his question lightly.
“Who am I? Don’t you know you’re supposed to state your own name first when addressing an elder? Tsk, you’re far too frivolous to be associating with my daughters.”
“Daughters…?”
Ah, so that’s it.
My eyes widened at the immediate hint, and I nodded.
I knew I’d seen him somewhere; he was a character from the original story.
Let’s think.
Who here could he be referring to as his daughters?
The answer was simple.
Raven was a man, and Karen and I didn't have anyone we could call a parent. So, the answer was…
“F-Father!”
“Dad?!”
The head of the great Sakuragi family of Japan, and the father of Alice and Lily… Sakuragi Renji.
It could be none other than the man considered a legendary mercenary.