Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria

Wilmington princ.i.p.ality, from royal capital Centoria it’s a bit of a long journey by carriage.
Maa, although it is long, thinking about it in terms of international distances it’s not that impressive.
Speaking of countries joined by land, for someone from j.a.pan like me it’s fresh.
Though there is a border checkpoint halfway down the road, the kingdom and princ.i.p.ality are friendly with eachother so it’s not the case that there are strict entry inspections.
It’s around a status check and a toll.
Although I suppose someone like Till could go by air and no toll would be taken, do that and the status check won’t be completed and it’d become illegal entry, staying properly would become impossible.
Not able to stay at an inn, unable to get work.
Let’s not do illegal acts.

「Nn～～, we’ve arrived!」

While stretching my body tired from the long journey, I descended from the carriage.
We arrived at this time’s objective, hot spring town Cilesta.
Of course, there’s also Saira’s hope, we do intend to visit the princ.i.p.ality’s capital as well.

「You…… Although it’s a late, why did you borrow something like a n.o.ble’s carriage? Though it was relaxing to ride in.」

Turning back toward the excellent carriage Eclair eyed it quizzically.
Being large it doesn’t shake, it was made like a room so it could be used to camp with instead of an inn, it really helped.

「That’s because――」
「It’s because master is, Wilmington’s princess’s lover.」
「Wai!?」

Aim-san, where did you get that information!?
What is this, it’s scary!

「La, lover!? Tha, that’s unclean, Alice!! You…… something like that.」

Don’t look at me like you’re looking at something totally filthy!?

「Pu, please calm down Eclair! Aim also don’t say things are that aren’t!!」
「Roger.」

Things that are…… Things that aren’t……

「Wha, what is this Alice! Why are you turning red! Unbelievable, you really……」
「Is, isn’t because of the hot spring city’s peculiar sulferic smell? Hasn’t your body grown a little hot, Ilya?」
「Ah, yes.」

Why did you become such a low vocabulary person, Ilya!!
Weren’t you not like that!
Weren’t you a more quick witted person overflowing with humour!?

「Ma ma, what are we doing standing around and talking in a place like this, let’s hurry and enter the travel lodge.」
「Oneechan……!」

I love you!
I thought to reflexively go embrace her but, since Shion-san had already put sleeping Rin-chan on her back, I stopped.

「After a slightly long journey, isn’t it tiring.」
「That’s how it is isn’t it, I need to sleep on a proper bed.」

Though that should certainly be how it is, Shion-san’s back seems relaxing.
To the extent seen on that Rin-chan’s tranquil face.

「I’m already interested in the hot spring nya.」

As Saira sniffed smelling the sulfer, I fluffed her adorable ears.

「Hot spring eh…… I don’t dislike them. After circling the carriage over, it’s good to quickly secure lodging.」
「Till, thank you very much.」

Waving apathetically from the coachman’s seat, Till claimed the carriage and ran off.
There’s the matter of how

to handle the carriage, our plan is to have it looked after until we return.
Unexpectedly Till’s handling the hardest part isn’t she.
Maybe I should give her a ma.s.sage afterwards.
Ma, anyway.

「Then, shall we go―― Hot spring town!」

Everyone nodded together, to fully enjoy the relaxation trip we set out back to the hot spring town.

Entering the travel lodge we’d caught ahead of time, we were guided to our room and, there was a nostalgic traditional world.

「Ta, tatami!! O-futon! Sliding screens!?」

Wonderful!!

「Aah…… To think I’d get this traditional taste.」
「Wait, don’t rub your cheek on the tatami, Alice……」
「Ah, sorry, it was nostalgic so I just.」

Being warned by Eclair, I returned to myself.
Together we carried various luggage into the wide traditional room.
Though it’s a six person room, this might be like the wonderous taste of a school trip.
No, because the room is plenty big there shouldn’t be a problem.
……Outside of my rationality.

「Ah, Eclair, don’t put holes in the paper doors with your finger.」
「I wouldn’t do that! Why did you directly caution Eclair!」

Because that reaction is the most amusing.
That must be high, repapering that.
Then, because I forgot the time while playing with Eclair, let’s move on to announce free action already.
For the already tired and sleeping Rin-chan I laid out a futon, I’ll let her sleep there.

「Un, for now it’s something like free movement, everyone please make yourself at home.」
「Ojousama, I will look after Rin-san so, please go ahead and relax ojousama.」

Being told that feels bad.
U～～～n.
But maa, since Ilya doesn’t back down at times like this.

「Then, maybe I’ll ask that for a little while.」
「Please leave it to me.」

And as such before entering the hot spring.
Before entering!
I set back into town.
Speaking of hot spring towns, this.
It’s hot spring manjuu!
Those are, really popular you know!

「Hurry hurry, let’s hurry and go oneechan!!」
「Don’t pull, Alice.」

Pulling Shion-san’s hand, we paraded through the street stands in the hot spring town within gathering steam.
Aah, which O-manjuu is tastiest?
Since this body can’t eat very much, I can’t do something like choose by which is most available!

「Hei, welcome! Our hot spring manjuu’s taste is different from the rest you know.」
「Ah, then, hot…… ha?」
「Fu――are you charmed yet?」
「……No, I’m not worried about that in the least but.」

Ossan…… isn’t it?

「Why are you being a vendor, in this sort of place……?」

Though I do think it’s certainly dandy.
Though I think, he’s just Shion-san’s father……
Receiving my quizzical gaze, Ossan put his well trained arms together, and twisted his head.

「Strange…… Shion, why doesn’t Alice come embrace me in tears at our moving reunion?」
「Because she frankly, feels that it doesn’t matter?」
「Like such a ridiculous thing could be!」
「Ah, could I have one manjuu? Doesn’t matter though.」
「It turned into words!?」

It’s a joke, a joke.
But it’s, a little surprising.

「It’s been a while, old man!」
「Oh, oou…… you’ve become even cuter……」

Looking at the energetic ossan for once in a while, I naturally made a wide smile.
And so, somehow I sensed a disquieting presence like ossan was going to come embrace me, when I thought to take some distance, at that time a pure black wall appeared.

「Ah, Solt-san.」

If it’s Rin-chan, she’s already sleeping at the travel lodgeー.

「Aan? What is it you want? Do you have some buisiness, with my cute daughters?」
「Daughter……?」

Looking at Shion-san and me, kurozuk.u.me fell slightly into thought.
And there Shion-san bitterly smiled.

「That’s basically how it is, at least it’s not some degenerate’s prank, since it’s the truth. Fufu, though I can understand why you’d be concerned.」
「Wawa.」

All of sudden my head was being petted by Shion-san.

「Is that how it is……」
「Oi, mister…… You and, my overly angelic daughters, just what sort of relation do you have?」

Intimidating with a dandy face, ossan pressed into kurozuk.u.me.
Ah, I really don’t want to get involved with this sort of overly embarra.s.sing idiot parent stuffー.

「Just…… an acquaintance.」
「An? So just an acquaintance, thought it was okay to interfere with a parent and child’s skinship!?」

Is that the issue……

「Oneechan, let’s go……」
「It does seem we should.」

Somehow it became an unproductive exchange of words…… Starting a quarrel?
Since it seemed like it would continue endlessly, I pulled Shion-san’s hand and left that place.

Somehow it seems ossan and also obasan, came for a trip or the like.
Since Shion-san sent a letter they also knew I was coming.
Though I don’t know why he was doing temporary work as a vendor……
Parting from the unproductive men’s fight, strolling through town along with Shion-san, here again I found a nostalgic face.

「Ah! Anesan!」
「Aah, uuum…… Takeshi and Kenji!」

Eh?
What were their names?
This is okay right?

「It’s been a while hasn’t it.」
「Anesan too, it’s good that you seem energetic.」

While scratching the tip of his nose Takeshi spoke like he was embarra.s.sed.

「You two also, are you possibly on a trip?」

With just two guys?

「I’m tagging along with his heartbreak relief trip.」

Kenji indicated toward Takeshi with his thumb.
Ma, that, it’s probably both……

「Well, speaking of being in heartbreak, though there’s welcome information…… Saira is, here?」
『!?』

The two together, became rigid like lightning had struck.

「Wha, what are you saying, I, something like that……!」

Ahーun, a loved child, isn’t forgotten so simply.
That’s general knowledge.
From where I look at Saira, she’s a cute child I extraordinarily want to make a wife, no really.

「For now, please don’t become a stalker.」
「I won’t!」

Stabbing a nail in the problem for now, we move again.

When we returned to the travel lodge the sun had set, it’d become a rather good time to enter the hot spring.

「That was fun, oneechan!」

As I drew close to Shion-san, we arrived back.
I’m sorry for loving you too much, oneechan.

「It does seem so, I don’t dislike taking it easy after all. The hot spring after this is also something to look forward to isn’t it.」
「Hot spring is it…… though I love them.」

I thought about it.
Certainly, me entering the hotspring together with everyone isn’t something that’s in any way unnatural.
Rather, it’s something completely ordinary.
Complaining that I want enter alone, or the like would be being a spoiled brat.
That sort of sense.

――However.

However, that.
Is it okay, that?
Consider this, school trip, hot spring.
The male students who challenge this.
Why do they do such idiotic things?
It doesn’t need any thought.
Because there, the peach blossom spring exists!
Such a paradise, isn’t it obviously fine to invade without any hesitation!?

「Nay! That cannot be! Oww.」
「Don’t suddenly let out a loud voice in my ear.」

My head thunked as Shion-san delivered punishment.

「It’s decided, oneechan…… I, will peep!」

The pa.s.sing pedestrians, I noticed, they were getting noisy.

「……Though I just want to ask for reference, on the men’s bath?」
「Peeking on the men’s bath, just who would that please.」

Now for once, the time has come for me to reconfirm my heart.
Light the fire in my heart!

「Umm, in short, without entering the bath with us Alice, wants to peek on us when we enter, is it something like that?」
「It’s exactly that!」

I nod strongly.

「Somewhat, though I totally don’t understand what you’re saying, aah, I kind of feel like that’s how it always is.」
「So you’ve come to understand me have you!」
「No, maa…… yes.」

Why do people climb mountains?
Because a mountain is there.
As an answer, that’s plenty.

「I’m really looking forward to this now!」
「I, come to worry about your thought process……」

It’s okay, oneechan.
Because like this, I can still somehow prove that I can protect my ident.i.ty!

「Nn? If a female peeks on the women’s bath, does that become a crime……」
「Don’t worry about that.」
「Ma, if it’s not revealed then that’s fine.」
「Even though it’s already been announced right in front of me…… for now, make sure to peep in a manner that doesn’t cause trouble for the other guests.」
「Hai!」

It’s okay since, so as not to cause trouble to the other guests, with meticulous caution, I will peek on only oneechan’s group!

「The target is, oneechan, Ilya, Eclair and Aim…… is it.」

Saira is what to say, it would feel too bad so I don’t want to.
Till?
Doing that seems to be no good.

「That’s fine but, you…… Be careful so you don’t die. Although I won’t particularly do anything.」
「Eh?」

Mu?
Within those, the most dangerous is…… who?

「Ha, hai…… I’ll come peek while being careful.」
「You should do that.」

Troublesome person isn’t she, with that sort of feeling the head is stroked.
Fufun, the fight is from here, oneechan!!