SH_C31_CHAPTER 31Clear Skies and a Starry-Eyed Tourist!

31. Clear Skies and a Starry-Eyed Tourist!

The day I got back from town—and even the day after that—Regulus-kun stuck to me like glue. I mean literally.

Whether I was going to the toilet or taking a bath, he’d follow me and sit outside the door asking,

“Nii-ni, you in there? You didn’t go out without me, right?”

It was like living in a horror movie. I almost lost my belly fat from the stress. (I didn’t, though.)

Thankfully, after helping Genzo-san with the garden, he whispered something to Regulus-kun. Whatever it was worked wonders—no more trailing me to the bathroom or bath.

Instead, I started getting this incredibly mature, serious look from him as he said:

“I’ll do my best, so Nii-ni, you do your best too.”

...Do my best at what, exactly? A diet? Is that it?

Then came the next morning: clear skies!

Finally, the day of our trip to the Imperial Capital had arrived! Applause!

We were supposed to leave just before noon, so the plan was to gather at the mansion’s entrance by 10:00. But when I got there—no carriage, no horses, nothing.

Huh?

While I was standing there confused, the front door creaked open and Romanov-sensei held out his hand.

“Let’s go. Hold on tight, alright?”

“Wait, Sensei, but there’s no carriage, no horses—how are we getting there?”

“We’ll use teleportation magic.”

“Teleportation!? That’s so fantasy!”

Eagerly, I grabbed his outstretched hand. He smiled warmly.

“You didn’t forget anything, right? Your spending money’s in your waist pouch?”

“Yep! All good.”

“Teleportation is a type of spatial magic. It takes a lot of mana, but you just close your eyes, and when you open them again—boom, you’re in the capital.”

“Whoa, that’s amazing…”

“Very convenient too. Once you’ve been somewhere, you can teleport back to it anytime. But if we suddenly appear in the middle of the capital, it’ll cause a scene. So we’ll arrive at a friend’s house instead.”

“Wait—shouldn’t we have brought a gift for them or something!?”

Panic time! I didn’t prepare anything!

While I was flailing mentally, Romanov-sensei flashed a dazzling elf wink like a pro. I'm being killed by beauty again.

Still dazed, I suddenly felt him stuff something into my pouch.

“Don’t worry, I had Rottenmeier-san prepare something.”

“Wait, what did you just sneak in there…?”

“The head chef’s chilled dashi-steamed egg custard—a special cold dish.”

“Whaaat!? Even I haven’t had that one yet!”

“First come, first served.”

I wanna eat cold chawanmushi too!

Pouting a little, I felt my cheeks puff up—and, of course, he pinched one like always.

“You can eat it after we get back, right?”

“...I guess that’s fair.”

“Alright! Off we go!”

“Wha—!?”

Before I could react, he grasped both my hands. There was a sudden tug, like my body was being yanked upward, and I instinctively shut my eyes.

Only a few seconds passed before his voice floated down from above.

“You can open your eyes now. We’ve arrived.”

“Huh…?”

I cautiously opened my eyes.

Rather than the blinding summer sun, I was greeted by a warm orange glow.

Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim. A rich, intricately-woven carpet softened the floor. A polished amber desk sat nearby, scattered with feather quills and sheets of paper—on which were sets of five parallel lines…

“Musical staves…!?”

“Oh? You recognize them?”

“Y-Yes! These are used to write sheet music, right!?”

“That’s right.”

“Then… wait, does that mean…!?”

This has to be the home of someone who not only appreciates music but composes it!

Just as I was about to ask, Romanov-sensei gently pressed a finger to my lips and smiled.

“The master of this house is… eccentric. But when it comes to music, there’s no one on earth or beyond who compares.”

“You’re friends with someone like that!?”

“Well, yes. Though honestly, I don’t know much about music myself. I’ve heard people call him a genius, and I can tell his performances are… special.”

“Whoa… You really are a legendary elf, huh, Sensei.”

“You didn’t react this way to my Dragon Slayer title, but music gets you all excited—classic Agaha.”

“Well, I’ve never seen a dragon, so…”

Music felt more familiar and real to me than mythical beasts.

Romanov-sensei chuckled at my honesty.

“Well then, let’s go greet our host.”

“Yes! We should thank him for letting us visit.”

“I told him I’d be bringing someone, but didn’t specify when.”

Like he owned the place, Sensei headed toward the door and opened it with practiced ease.

We stepped into a polished hallway, which seemed to be on the second floor. A staircase leading down was just ahead.

As we neared the stairs, I heard voices—heated ones.

Sensei raised a finger to his lips to indicate silence.

‘──That’s why you…’

‘Wha… why!? Who… am I…?’

One voice was a soft male tone. The other was a woman’s shrill, panicked cry.

A lovers' quarrel?

But Romanov-sensei furrowed his brow and whispered:

“Hmm… bad timing.”

“Are they fighting?”

“More like… she’s the only one doing the yelling.”

“Should we come back later…?”

“No, it’s not a lovers’ spat. Might be a good time to owe him one.”

“Wait… how do you know it’s not romantic?”

“Elf ears hear everything, you know.”

Said with the straightest face ever, like it wasn’t a big deal. Uh. That’s kind of a big deal!

Before I could dwell on it, he led me down the stairs, still holding my hand.

At the bottom, in what looked like a grand entrance hall, we saw two people.

One was tall and slender, with sharp elven ears, long golden hair braided loosely down his back, and piercing green eyes. The other was a striking fox-eyed woman in a Rococo-style dress—think corset and pannier-style skirt, the full-frills kind.

The woman was clearly the one who’d been shouting.

“Hey there, Viitya! Sorry to barge in!”

Romanov-sensei greeted the elf—Viitya, apparently—with complete disregard for the atmosphere.

Fox-Eyes’ sharp gaze turned downright terrifying.

But Viitya? His face lit up like a child on Christmas.

“Alyosha!! I’ve been waiting for you!”

The dazzling smile he gave near
ly made me faint. Fox-Eyes, meanwhile, looked about ready to breathe fire.

And then, as if the sheer awkwardness wasn’t enough, Viitya spotted me—still holding Sensei’s hand.

“So you’re A-tan!?” I’ve been waiting forever! Sing something for me!”

Please stop. This timid white piglet is about to die of overstimulation.

Also, who the heck is A-tan?

Eunie: Here's another extra chapter!! This is the 4th extra chapter for today.

I'll try to add another one but dang I'm so hungry I just remembered I haven't eaten anything. Oooff...

I want to guzzle some boba tea....!!!!

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