Disgusted, her master narrowed his eyes on the inefficient product and handed down a harsh evaluation. “You couldn’t sell that if you tried.”
“It’s not for sale! Just an experiment—hey!”
Startled by Nichika’s loud voice, the last mana butterfly resting on top of the round stone flew away. Dejected, her shoulders slumped.
“Shucks. They all left.”
Lambert laughed as Oswald pulled out an official witch’s lantern. At his command it sparked to life, illuminating the area in blindingly bright light. Compared to that, Nichika’s had a long way to go.
Placing one hand on his hip, their guide casually warned, “Be careful as the road ahead is narrow and treacherous.”
“Don’t fall again.”
“I won’t…try to fall.”
Leave it to Oswald to poke at her weak spot. Nichika had no retort considering her last visit to a ravine led her to marvelously fall into the river. For now, she settled on hugging the rock wall whenever there was an area she could fall off.
As the one with the lantern, Oswald led the way into Fog Valley with Wolfie and Nichika directly behind him, and Lambert drawing up the rear. Eyes locked solely on Wolfie’s fluffy tail bouncing in front of her, Nichika took careful steps.
“……”
No one said a word as they kept a wary eye on their surroundings. Knowing she was incapable of sensing any monsters roaming about, Nichika concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. But her mind started to wander as time went on.
How much time had passed since she was flung into this world? It was anyone’s guess if time flowed the same in both worlds, but if the passage of time was similar at all, she’d be counted as a missing person at this point. Things wouldn’t be so convenient as to give her back her lost time once she went back, would it?
Mom must be worried sick. With that thought, Nichika felt astonished she hadn’t thought much about her mom until now. Culture shock and all the excitement she was experiencing in this new world was no excuse for such a lack of empathy.
There’s Miiko too. I’m sorry for not thinking of you.
Nichika tried to think of her younger sister, but her memories were foggier than the thick fog blanketing her surroundings. How could she not remember when they were such close sisters? She frantically attempted to draw on an image of what her sister looked like, but all her efforts ended in futility. Shock and panic coursed through her, but another piece of her quickly offered comforting excuses to dull her mounting trepidation.
Don’t panic. You’re just tired. So much has happened and your mind is a jumbled mess. Work hard to get back home as soon as possible.
She gave up on remembering her sister and settled for organizing the current situation. Until now she had only managed to collect the fire spirit. Wind, earth, and water remained. Lambert was showing them to where the wind spirit was, so that would take care of that one, but even then, that’d only account for half. The road ahead was long.
Once I fulfill my duties as Spirit Priestess and revive Goddess Yuna, I’ll ask Ini to do something about the Fake Lover parasite. And then I’ll return to my world. Nichika’s heart lurched. Wait, if I safely go home, will I no longer be able to come back to this world?
Her heart started pounding a frantic beat in her ears. Faces of everyone she had met since arriving in Arcanshiel popped into her head. What if memories couldn’t be carried over from world to world? Was that why she couldn’t clearly remember things about her mother and younger sister?
Nichika suddenly thought of the dreams she often had in the past. In those dreams, she was playing with someone and adventuring, but the contents became a blur whenever she woke up.
“No!”
She gave her head a jarring shake to chase the unsettling thought away. Nothing good would come of thinking about such things now. Clearing the objectives before her came first. She could worry after that.
“…Uh? What the?”
That she had a problem hadn’t occurred to her until then. Wolfie’s swaying tail had disappeared from in front of her. She looked forward then backward and had no luck finding a patch of green hair or the yellow lantern light.
“Oh, come on. Quit teasing me guys,” she called to the fog, a half smile tugging at her lips.
But there was no sarcastic remark from her master, no cheerful wolfish howl, nor a flirtatious comment coming from the young man who always implied something with his words and actions. The girl had become isolated in the fog without realizing it.
Sheer willpower stopped her from falling into a panic. Chaos would ensue if her shouts lured monsters to her. Raking her eyes over the whited out surroundings, she racked her brains until her eyes spun.
Should I fly past the cloud cover on my broom to look for everyone? Bad idea. I won’t see anyone through this thick fog. Then should I proceed through the valley and wait for them at the end? No, that won’t work either. There’s no telling how many exits the valley has, and I don’t have the skill to fly full speed for long distances.
Something sticky touched the back of her neck while she was debating what to do.
“Eek!”
She locked up and couldn’t move. Is someone behind me…? Whoever it was wrapped an arm around her waist. That solved the mystery for her—only one person touched her that way. Relieved her allies were closer than she thought, Nichika berated the culprit.
“Lambert! Save your practical jokes for someone else!”
“……”
The culprit held their silence as they ran their hands all over her body from behind. Nichika was scared stiff.
“S-Say something already.”
“……”
“Come on!”
The fog thickened to such a density she couldn’t see her legs anymore. Did I get the wrong person?!
“QUIT THE CRAP…!” Mustering her courage, Nichika tried to shake off the perpetrator when something sticky touched her thigh. The hands crept up her skirt like a creepy-crawly, drawing a scream from her. “Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
In the spur of the moment, she ripped the magic orb from her belt and held it in front of her. The pedestal instantly transformed into a staff and she shrieked at the top of her lungs.
“I don’t care what you do, just give me WINNNNDDD!”
Despite her rough command, or rather because of her desperation, a large number of green mana butterflies flurried together around Nichika, blowing violent winds in every direction around her. The fog cleared in just that spot, and sunlight shone down from overhead.
“Uhh?”
The situation finally came into full view.
STICK! ROLL!
STICK! ROLL!
STICK! ROLL!
White, semitransparent creatures clung to her clothes and every limb in large quantities. Their mochi-like bodies had the smooth shape of a daifuku, and their glossy exteriors were jiggly like Jello. Tears filled their round and adorable black eyes, and their constant squeaks of “Pii! Pii!” sounded as if they were seeking something from her.
“Wh-What’s the deal with you guys…?”
She picked up one of the creatures that were the perfect size to make into a cushion. The cool, squishy texture of its body made her want to kneed her hands into it like a stress ball.
“Kororo!”
“Petan! Petaaa!”
“Ick! Hey…!”
The horde reattached itself to her, knocking her to the ground. She was about to drown in the mysterious creatures when she heard a familiar voice from overhead.
“Oh! Oooooi!”
Nichika looked up at the top of the cliff where Wolfie and the others were staring down at her. Finding hope, her whole face lit up.
“You guys!”