He also knew there was someone else who should speak to her instead. A different boy approached her, sand crunching with each step.
“Looks like you made it in one piece, Kaoruko.”
The boy’s tone was calmer than that of Kitase. He had brought her a yukata to cover up, and the smile on his face persisted as he draped it over her body. His features had softened when he saw that Kaoruko had forgotten that she was naked.
Kaoruko looked up at him and stared blankly for some time. Then she shouted so loud her voice rang throughout the second floor.
“Whaaat?! Toru? Y-Your face! It’s the same as when we were students! And it’s moving!”
“I could say the same thing,” said Toru. “It’s really like we went back in time. And, well, my face does move. I don’t mind you touching it, but you might want to get dressed first...”
She caressed her husband’s face rather than putting her clothes on. Toru watched her with fondness.
“Oh my goodness, you’re so handsome! It’s like you’re a completely different person!” she said excitedly.
“Ah... That stings. You must have meant it as a compliment, though I must have really let myself go. I should tone down all of the social outings from now on,” said Toru.
Kaoruko began fussing with her hair to recreate her hairstyle from when she was younger. Toru assisted her in getting dressed, somewhat flustered by her gesture. They smiled, feeling like they were reliving their happy days as students. Once they finished adjusting her hair and clothes, they opened their mouths wide and laughed out loud.
“See? I told you I was telling you the truth,” said Toru. “That should put an end to our little misunderstanding.”
“Yes, I couldn’t believe it! I’m so sorry I doubted you, Toru-senpai,” said Kaoruko as a callback to what she used to call him when he was her upperclassman. Toru nodded, filled with a sense of nostalgia. He then turned toward the bedroom and called out to the boy who had brought them to this world.
“You can wake up now,” Toru told Kitase.
“All right,” replied Kitase. “Well, that was...something.”
“I’ve never had so much trouble going to sleep,” said the elf girl beside him.
“I’m sorry for dragging you two into all of this. I promise to make up for it!” said Toru, kneeling.
It was rare for Kitase to look so troubled. He had quite a laid-back personality and got along well with others in the dream world and Japan, but the group had difficulty convincing Kaoruko to come to this world. Indeed, the path to get here was a long and arduous one. After the shocking confession at the café, they had relocated to Kitase’s mansion since they couldn’t publicly discuss the details. Kaoruko had broken down crying because of a misunderstanding, making it hard to take her somewhere private.
They had spent countless hours trying to convince her. Toru had told her about the existence of the dream world, but Kaoruko had kept her back turned to him in complete denial. The only words she had spoken were “disgusting” and “you make me sick,” soon exhausting Toru. She had screamed and backed away whenever Kitase tried to help, so it didn’t take long for him to get worn out. Kitase couldn’t handle such vehement rejection from women, which applied to most men.
As Marie had consoled him, Kitase remembered something important: they could prove Marie was an elf by exposing long ears. Kaoruko had stared in wide-eyed wonder when the elf girl revealed her mystical beauty. Her tears had receded, and it was time to launch their counterattack. They enthusiastically explained that those ears were unmistakable proof that they were telling the truth, so Kaoruko only nodded in response. The deciding factor was when they had her watch as Kitase went to sleep with Toru, their bodies vanishing from the bed and finally convincing Kaoruko.
It was a long process. Kitase couldn’t help but curl up into a ball when thinking about it.
“Wait... By ‘sleep together’...you literally mean sleep together?!” Kaoruko had shouted in surprise.
Having finally convinced her with a great amount of time and effort, Kitase and Toru shook each other’s hands. All they did was sleep, but they had felt an immense sense of accomplishment. Meanwhile, Kaoruko happily navigated through her initial setup screen without a care in the world. Perhaps the saying “all’s well that ends well” applied here.
The black cat meowed to the newcomers as if to say, “Come here already.”
§
Just then, the cat led the way for the four of us. The bare dirt path was a bit uneven, although it wasn’t an issue because there weren’t any horse-drawn carriages or anything used here. There was plenty of beautiful scenery on the second floor. Flowers adorned the sides of the road, and a spot with a view of the lush, green forest was right around the corner. It was no wonder, since Wridra and Shirley had prioritized the scenery when designing this place. There was a different view to behold wherever one went, so even those who didn’t go out much could enjoy strolling around the premises. Such features had surprised the Ichijos.
“I love this peaceful scenery without any asphalt or telephone poles. It feels so free and open. The sky is so vast, and everything is beautiful. This really is a fantasy world,” said Kaoruko.
Somehow, I didn’t tell her that I had traveled all over this world and that Mother Nature was harsher than things seemed here. I couldn’t count the number of times monsters had nearly eaten me while enjoying the scenery somewhere. But I didn’t want to be a downer, so I just smiled awkwardly instead.
“I bet the elven village you grew up in was unbelievably wonderful too,” she continued. “Oh, I’d love to see it one day.”
Marie’s lips curled into the same awkward smile, likely having identical thoughts. I had been to her village myself, where they specialized in beans and had a dense forest that blocked the sky. It was a mystical place, of course, but not every place had aesthetics as a top priority.
“Y-Yes, it’s a beautiful place. I claimed I would become a great Sorceress when I left, so it will probably be some time before I go back,” said Marie, then she turned to me. “Will you help when that time comes?”
“Yup, I’ll take you near the village with Trayn, the Journey’s Guide,” I said. “Actually, maybe Wridra would get us there faster. It might be easier if we―”
“There’s no need. You will suffice,” said Marie, giving me a cold look.
Her attitude took me aback. Knowing Wridra, she would likely agree if we asked her for a favor. I thought it would be more convenient for Marie if we went there beforehand and got the coordinates to share with Wridra later. Although I explained this, her expression only soured further.
“It’s fine,” she said. “We already greeted your grandfather in Aomori, so next time, I want to show my parents how far we’ve come. I’m sure it would make things a lot smoother too.”
I wondered what she meant by that, and Marie blushed, looking rather upset.
She eventually looked away and said, “Forget it!”
The Ichijos had caught on to something, though. Kaoruko said, “I said I’d like to visit the elven village earlier, but I take it back. You two should go alone. Definitely.”
“Yes, I agree,” said Toru. “The sooner, the better. Why don’t you go the next time you have some time off? We’ll happily see you off with a smile.”
They each patted me on my shoulders from both sides. Marie still wouldn’t look at me, and it had become awkward. The Ichijos were obviously trying to persuade me, and I was finally understanding what was happening. Regardless, Marie was so adorable that I almost couldn’t take it. She squeezed my hand, and it took everything I had to resist squirming around like an idiot.
Suddenly, I heard laughter nearby. I looked toward the source and saw two women standing in the shade of a tree.
“Such a child. I find it quite amusing,” said Wridra, chuckling. “Kaoruko, I suppose this is our first time greeting each other in this world. I see you are still doing well. Hah, hah, now there are four of you little whelps.”
Standing beside Wridra was Shirley, her honey-blonde hair wavering in the wind. She had appeared in her human form since she was out in public. She smiled at us, narrowing her sky-blue eyes.
“Wridra-san! I had a feeling you were from this world too. You’re so unbelievably beautiful, and that dress looks amazing on you!” said Kaoruko.
Having fulfilled its duty, the black cat hurried over to Wridra and rubbed its face against her legs. I followed it with my eyes, then shouted, “Ah!” Soon, I noticed she was holding babies with soft, round cheeks.
Marie had been looking rather upset up until this point, but her eyes went wide with surprise. She ran off toward Wridra, pulling me along with her.
“I can’t believe it! They’re Wridra’s babies!” she said.
Honestly, I couldn’t believe it either. Not only had those eggs we’d touched so long ago hatched already, but the babies looked pretty much like normal humans. I had once heard that dragon whelps learned how to transform into human form, which must have been the reason they looked that way. Wridra turned toward us to fully reveal her two kids, a proud smile on her face. There was another child in Shirley’s arms with eyes like beautiful gemstones.
“You certainly took your time getting here, Mariabelle. I was growing tired of waiting,” said Wridra.
“That wasn’t my fault,” replied Marie. “Oh, can I hold them?”
“Of course,” said Wridra, offering Marie one of her children. Marie took the baby into her arms as if doing so were the most natural thing in the world, feeling their weight.