After we finished our breakfast, I’m off on my date with Alice.

  The pretense of this date was that I was going to treat her to that sumptuous meal I promised her before, but there’s still some time before lunch, and since this is a good opportunity, I decided to take a look around with Alice.

  [Kaito-san, the food stalls are over there, you know?]

  [……We just ate breakfast……]

  [If it’s with other people’s money, I can eat as much as I want!!!]

  […………………..]

  Alice, dressed in her usual outfit and her mask on, puffs out her small chest with the best smug face I had ever seen.

  Unnn, it looks like she’s totally back to how she usually acts, and it’s like it was the same Alice like usual.

  [W- Well, that was just a joke…… What should we do? Should we go watch a puppet show?]

  [Puppet show? Is there something like a playhouse around here?]

  [Ahh~ no, there’s a plaza just a short walk away where minstrels and the like often gather, and there would usually be two or three of them in there. They’re using donations as a means to earn a living.]

  [Heehhh…… I thought I’ve gone all around the city already, but I didn’t know there was such a thing.]

  Did she mean there was something like an Arts Plaza around here? I’ve been living in the royal capital of Symphonia Kingdom for almost half a year now, and I thought I had been to a lot of places but…… as expected, I can’t see everything in this wide royal city, and the areas I’ve been to may be quite limited.

  [It’s far away from the area where the shops and stalls are located. From Duchess Lilia’s mansion, you have to go beyond the residential areas, so you may not have much opportunity to go there.]

  [Fumu…… Wait, beyond the residential areas? If I’m not mistaken, taking in consideration where the center of the royal capital is, that should be “opposite” of this location……]

  [Yes, that’s right?]

  If the royal palace is in the center of Symphonia Kingdom, then, the place Alice is talking about seems to be located in the opposite direction of Lilia-san’s mansion.

  That’s strange…… Didn’t Alice just say it was a short walk away from here? I’m sure she definitely said that.

  However, no matter how I think about it, the distance from here to there isn’t short at all…… Does that mean Alice was talking here based on her sense of distance!?

  The royal capital is a pretty big city, and I think it’s a bit too far for the human me to walk but……


  [Hey, Alice…… How are we going to get there?]

  [Ahhh, I’ll take care of that!]

  Ohhh, she’s feeling pretty confident. Ahh, speaking of which, even if I’ve never been there before, Alice knows where it is, and we can just go there with Teleportation Magic.

  The Teleportation Magic used by the Six Kings seems to be the type that directly specifies coordinates, unlike magic tools, so there shouldn’t be a problem at all.

  [……I see, so we’ll be tele—— Unnn?]

  [Oopsy daisy.]

  [……Eh?]

  However, my expectations were shattered when I felt like my feet weren’t touching the ground.

  As if my weight doesn’t matter to her, Alice lifts up my body…… in that so-called princess carry. Unnn, I know that how I think may have already been strange, but I wonder why do I get a bad feeling before feeling embarrassed in this position?

  [Well then, letttssss~~gooo~~!]

  [Wait!? Hey!?]

  Hearing her idiotic shout, Alice kicked off the ground and leaps to the stepping stone on the roof of a nearby building…… geh, this is high! This is high!

  Then, as we were being pulled down by gravity…… she created a magical foothold glowing in the air, stepped on it, and leaped again.

  Eh? The heck is this? What the heck is this!? We’re going there in this way!? You’re going to leap like a certain black rabbit over there!? Ahh, I think we just jumped over the royal castle……


  [No, no, why are we moving there in this way!? There’s another method other than this, right!?]

  [I meant, this looked more intere…… Ah, no, it’s just a thoughtful way for Kaito-san to enjoy the view of the royal city to the fullest.]

  [……You freaking as*hole……]

  [Whoa there, I mistook my moderation of strength~~ We’re going to jump over the clouds like this~~]

  [Oii!? There’s still a large gap before the next jump——— Uwwooohhh!?]

  While spouting such a joke that she made a mistake with her jump “right after jumping again”, Alice leaps high enough to break through the clouds.

  [Ahh, I’ve properly enclosed you in a barrier, so it’s alright!]

  [Aren’t you concerned about the completely wrong thing!? I’ll get you for this after we got down! You better remember that!]

  [Whoa there~~ I lost my balance and ended up spinning around!]

  [Uwaaahhh!?]

  Like a roller coaster, Alice carried through many leaps and bounds, spinning around the air.

  [W- Well~~ It was just that, you know…… I got really excited…… Ehe—— Fugyaaahhh!?]

  [You really are~~]

  [Ginyaaahhhhh!? Y- You’ww teaw my chweeks owff…… Eh? Why are you touching my ear…… Higyaaahhh!?]

  Screaming as I was being moved around like I was riding one of the attractions of an amusement park, we managed to get to the place we’re heading to.

  And for the time being, while Alice was sitting in a seiza, I decided to pull her cheeks and ears as much as possible.

  [……Ouch…… Isn’t that just something to spice up and make our date more enjoyable……]

  [I didn’t ask for that spice!]

  Good grief, rather than being the same as usual, she’s messing around more than usual.

  Well, I don’t want to waste any more time scolding her, so I think I’ll end it here and go see the puppet show.

  However, I don’t really like how Alice went with her pace earlier, so I should think of some way to counterattack.

  Thinking about this, as I was about to head to the square with Alice, who got up from the ground…… I suddenly thought of a good way.

  [Now then, let’s get back on track…… Ehh?]

  [Well, we don’t really have to be in a rush. Why don’t we take our time?]

  [Eh? A- Arehh? Kaito-san? Why are you “holding my hand”?]

  As a counterattack to Alice, who was about to walk away, I took her hand and quickly intertwined my fingers with hers, making them into a lover’s knot.

  [Unnn? Look, we’re lovers, so isn’t this normal?]

  [Guhhh!? Y- You’re going with that huh…… H- However, you’re way too naive! I’m thousands of times older than Kaito-san……. so unfortunately for you, I won’t be embarrassed by something like this!]

  [……”Your right hand and right foot were perfectly in sync” though?]

  [……I was just feeling like doing that today.]

  I’m not sure if Alice also sensed that it was my counterattack or not, but she’s trying to pass it off with an air of calmness around her…… but I could instantly find her faults.

  Alice, who was walking around like a poorly-oiled tin doll, no matter how I look at her, was very nervous.

  [……F- Fufufu, what’s wrong? Have you already ran out of ideas?]

  [Hey, Alice……]

  [W- What is it!?]

  [You’re trying to act cool…… but your face is all red, you know?]

  [Nyyaaaahhh!?]

  Yes, she may be trying to appear calm, but the blush on Alice’s face was reaching up to her ears.

  When I pointed that out, Alice squealed out like a cat and flusteredly turned her face away.

  [W- W- What are you talking about…… I- It’s just because of that! It just looks red because of the sunset!]

  [……Isn’t sunrise a better excuse here? No, well, it’s already 10 am, so it will never be sunset or sunrise……]

  [Ahh~~ Ahh~~ Alice-chan has just become deaf~~ Alice-chan can’t hear you at all~~!]

  [You’re really cute, Alice.]

  [Auuuu…… Auuuu……]

  I already grasped that Alice has a weakness for straightforward compliments.

  In fact, if I tell her that she’s cute, she would already be blushing so much that I feel like steam would spout out her ears, and her eyes would start hurriedly swimming around.

  Seeing Alice like that, I wanted to make her more embarrassed, so I said various compliments, and by the time we got to the plaza, Alice’s eyes were rolled back, looking as if she was about to overheat.

  Dear Mom, Dad———– Alice is already back to how she usually is…… No, it feels like she’s messing around more than before. But maybe, or rather, I’m sure…… because she was being so aware of our date———– that she’s feeling embarrassed.

  **********