“Your age may be different, but I’m relieved to see that you’re definitely Kazuhiho. So, is this the ‘Japan’ place you mentioned before?”
I was also relieved to hear she believed me. The elf was about a full head smaller than me, so I bent down a bit to speak with her.
“That’s right. This is why it was never on your maps, or why I wasn’t able to show you around. But for some reason, it looks like I’m allowed to do that today. So I’d like to take the time to explain things as you get to know my home.”
With that, I jiggled my keys in front of her: my room key and car key. Upon seeing them, the girl’s eyes sparkled even brighter. It was like she was about to step into the world of a storybook.
“We have some really nice spring weather today, so we should go out and eat. What type of food do you like, Marie?”
“Something that isn’t too pungent. Fresh food would be great, but I won’t ask for too much. I’ll leave the choice to you. Also, I’ll need you to explain exactly how I ended up here.”
She seemed incredibly curious about it as she followed me with light footsteps. Then I remembered something important just as I reached for the door...
“Oh, I almost forgot... Elves don’t actually exist in this world. Could you wear this cap so people don’t start freaking out?”
“My, what a wonderful knit. You know, I don’t think your taste in clothing is as bad as you think.”
Huh, maybe she was right. I was more of an indoors type of guy and I was certain I wasn’t good at picking out clothes at all, but I’d take that as a compliment.
I watched her put the cap over her head and conceal her ears, then pushed the front door open. The morning sun felt so gentle and relaxing, but my heart, on the other hand, was beating excitedly. The elation coming from the girl behind me must have been rubbing off on me. There was nothing like the sense of wonder from seeing a new world for the first time.
And so, I was to go on a date with a girl for the first time in my life. Not only that, but this also had to be the first time in the world anyone was on a date with an elf.
Now, there seemed to be several obstacles before we could go eat. It was an issue when we stepped out of the condo and she saw the asphalt sidewalk, too. She was crouched down and rubbing it with her fingertips, presumably trying to understand what it was. Whenever something caught her attention, whether it be a green light or a car in the parking lot, the elf stopped to observe it.
The most troublesome part was probably when she didn’t allow me to drive until I would explain how cars worked. She refused to move until I opened the hood and went over the functions of each part underneath. By the time I guided her to the passenger seat and sat at the steering wheel, thirty minutes had already passed since we left the condo. It seemed strange to me as someone from the modern world, so when I questioned her about it, she looked at me as if I asked her if the sky was blue.
“Well, how could I become a better sorceress if I didn’t try to understand difficult things? Everything has a flow to it. At least personally, I found it to be stimulating and interesting.”
Ah, so that’s why...
I murmured for her to stay still, then put the seat belt on for her. She quickly began tugging at the belt and complained that it didn’t completely lock her in place. She seemed to be quite busy with all the fidgeting and complaining. It’d work in case of a sudden brake, but there were some things in the world you couldn’t prepare for just by understanding them.
I turned on the engine and heard a sharp breath being drawn right next to me. Whenever I drove, safety was my number one priority. So much so that when I took an acquaintance somewhere, he complained that my driving had made him sleepy. But the car hadn’t even moved yet, and there wasn’t much I could do before I began driving. It seemed an elf girl who grew up in a forest couldn’t help but get spooked by the roar of an engine.
Feeling a bit concerned, I turned to her. “Hey, do you want to walk instead? There are other places we could eat. It’s just that I have a place I recommend for this season, but it’s a bit of a drive.”
“No, I’m fine... It is a bit scary, but I want to see how it moves. Kazuhiho, would you mind if I hold your hand?”
I was a bit taken aback by her request. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d held hands with a girl, and I felt like Marie and I always had a certain distance between us as friends. But I was honestly happy to see she relied on me. I luckily drove an automatic, so I replied, “Of course not,” and she held onto my wrist.
She was apparently nervous, because I could feel the sweat and warmth from her skin. She seemed to have calmed down a bit compared to earlier, so I assured her it would be okay and slowly lifted my foot off the brake pedal.
“Let’s get going, then. I think I’ll take us to a Japanese restaurant.”
“Ah! I-It’s moving! Whaa, I can see everything outside! This is so scary!”
She grabbed onto my arm in surprise and fear, despite us moving very slowly. The way her head darted around to look at her surroundings made her look like a little squirrel or something. But things that could be experienced firsthand tended to be easily and quickly learned, yet hard to forget. Similarly, I heard that professional soccer players might lose some of their vitality as they got older, but they were still able to maintain their soccer skills.
As we kept driving for a while longer, the girl’s grip on my arm slowly loosened.
“Wow, the ground is all made of rock. I doubt it was all shaped by carving them, so they must have been laid down on top...”
She muttered to herself as she analyzed her surroundings like she’d done earlier. It seemed she was lessening her sense of fear by understanding things like the functions of the roads, sidewalks, and traffic lights.
In any case, I couldn’t help but think about what a peaceful day it was. The warmth of the sun truly made it feel like spring, and there was a woman walking her dog down the sidewalk. The elf’s purple eyes followed them, and by the time the brown dog disappeared from view, her hand had already released me. Both her hands were pressed against the window, and she murmured as if speaking to herself.
“Japan really is a peaceful place. Not only are there no monsters around, everyone seems to have a stable life, too...”
“It’s a nice, quiet country, for the most part. The Japanese tend to admire cultures from other countries, but since we’re an island country, people from other places tend to envy our culture in turn.”