Chapter 6

3. The Lost Princess Having left Ilmas to move northwest, Shizuku and Erik decided to stay the night in a small farming village. However, few travelers visited this town, so there was no proper inn. Instead, Erik and Shizuku—who’d arrived late at night—were shown to a large room in a village meeting place where each bed was partitioned by curtains. “This is sort of like a bunkhouse,” Shizuku remarked. “The kind where students stay when they go on trips abroad.” “You are a student on a trip—you’re just in another world instead of abroad,” Erik quipped. “Wait, what’s a ‘bunkhouse’?” There was nobody else around, so the pair had moved the curtains to chat. Shizuku laughed as she admired the magic lantern. “It’s a type of lodge where you share a room with other people to keep the costs down. They tend to have bunk beds, though.” Erik hummed. “Really? In this world, you don’t see bunk beds very often anymore. Only on boats.” “What do you mean, ‘anymore’? Did people use them in the past?” “I think the servants in noble estates slept in beds like that up until about two hundred years ago. But as the treatment of servants improved, that sort of sleeping arrangement was phased out. There are still plenty of shared chambers like this one where the beds are divided up by fabric, though.” Erik pointed to the curtain. It was black and heavy. The years had made it faded. This was the first night Shizuku had spent outside Wanope. She rested her head on top of her knees. “Is security not a big concern at inns in your world?” she asked. “In these parts, it’s every man for himself. Nowhere is completely safe, but you get what you pay for. We didn’t have any choice, though. I’m sorry about that.” “It’s fine! This is fun. I feel like I’m on a school trip. I have way more space than I did when I stayed in a mountain hut on Mount Fuji. When it gets busy there, two people have to sleep together on a single futon!” “Is that right? If that’s what your world is like, I understand why you have such strong nerve.” “Sorry, I think I gave you the wrong idea there. That example was quite an extreme one.” Shizuku had hoped to convince Erik that she was all right and wound up going too far. Back home, not everyone was subjected to the cramped living conditions she’d known when climbing Mount Fuji. A very small percentage lived that way. That said, when she’d hiked up Mount Fuji with her family, Shizuku had been the only one of her sisters who hadn’t quit partway through. Her younger sister, Mio, seldom cried, yet on that particular occasion, she’d definitely come close. Reflecting on it now brought a bittersweet smile to Shizuku’s face. “That story was a little much, but I assure you I can put up with almost anything! I’m strong like that!” Shizuku asserted. “Okay, I get it now. You tend to take things a little too far.” “What?!” exclaimed Shizuku. Erik smiled slightly. With his face illuminated by the magic light, he looked strikingly beautiful. Shizuku couldn’t help but admire his appearance. It was like something out of a painting. As she thought on it, she realized how crazy it was to be spending a night alone with a man. And they were lying so close to each other. A month ago, this would have been unthinkable. Now, though, it was a reality. If someone was to ask her whether spending the night with Erik felt embarrassing or relaxed, then… “…I’m so sorry,” she muttered, covering her face.