“…….”
“…….”
“……Why are you staring at me like that?”
I asked Claire, who was glaring at me with a spoon in her mouth, and Alice, who was resting her chin on her hand with a serious expression. The two exchanged glances, hardly ever looking at each other.
And then they looked back at me.
“That expression… it feels familiar.”
Alice asked, as if she was the spokesperson of the two.
What expression—well, I knew very well what the expression I had just made was. Squeak—I usually show that expression when I eat something sweet.
I wasn’t sure if I had the same expression back when I was a guy, but ever since I came to the Empire of Aetherna, eating sweets always relaxed my face.
I wondered why that was. Was it because there were fewer variations of ‘sweets’ in the other world? Come to think of it, foods drowned in sugar like this weren’t that common back there.
And there were definitely no delicious ice creams of all sorts like here.
“Well… I understand that your expression softens when you eat something sweet…”
Claire said, with a somewhat suspicious expression.
“It’s just that it’s hard for me to get used to the fact that you lived like that normally.”
“If you don’t like it, I can try to manage my expression.”
“Uh? N-No! Of course, that’s not it!”
Claire shouted, flustered at my words.
“I just wanted to say it’s nice! Seeing you so relaxed makes me happy, yeah.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Since we moved here and feel at ease, it’s okay for you to live that way too.”
Alice added, smiling softly.
“……”
When I kept silent for a moment after hearing that, Claire asked, looking a bit anxious.
“Why? Are you worried about something?”
“I’m not sure if it’s really a concern, but…”
I organized my thoughts for a second before speaking.
“I was just thinking about how things are going back in the original world.”
Hearing that they were feeling at ease made me think about that. Of course, it hadn’t been long since we came here. It hadn’t even been a month yet… Claire and Alice seemed to be adapting, but it felt like much more time had passed.
“……”
Claire and Alice exchanged glances again.
“We still can’t really do anything yet. It’s not like we have no idea on how to go about things. So, I think it won’t hurt to relax a little.”
The first to speak up was Claire.
“You always had trouble relaxing when you were with us, right? Now that you’re back in your original place, wouldn’t it be okay to live freely and do the things you wanted to do as long as time permits?”
“Yeah. I think you don’t need to worry too much. If it’s not something that can be solved immediately, then having a little fun won’t be a problem. Well, I’m not saying I’m not worried at all… but worrying won’t solve anything.”
Alice shrugged.
… Living freely, huh.
With all the things I wanted to do, I wasn’t that rich. If I had done everything I wanted from the start, I could have bought that Claire figurine I couldn’t afford back then.
But there’s no need to give up on even what I can do now. I had income now, and I could scrape by, so I thought I could use some of the money I hadn’t touched yet for some fun for the three of us.
“……”
“Big sis?”
“Sylvia?”
Seeing that I kept quiet, both of them became a little anxious.
I looked at the clock. It hadn’t been long since dinner started.
Hmm…
This is a bit sudden, but since it came to mind, should I ask?
“Claire, Alice.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think about going on a trip?”
“A trip? When?”
Alice asked.
“Right after we finish eating.”
“……Huh?”
Yeah, that’s the typical response.
Dramatic whoosh!
But I was serious.
After all, today, tomorrow is a day off.
And we turn on the broadcast usually around 7 PM.
Bing! Meaning, if we leave right now, we have a whole day to relax tomorrow!
“Are you really planning to go?”
“I’m currently looking for accommodations.”
I slightly pushed aside the empty ice cream tub and pulled out my smartphone, pondering over possible destinations.
For reference, the one reacting seriously to this was, of course, Alice.
Claire, who always trusted me 100%, was already in a blissful state since I mentioned the trip.
“Can we really go?”
“Of course! As long as I can book the accommodation, we can go anywhere.”
I might look like it, but I had a driver’s license, but sadly, it seemed they hadn’t provided one for this world. It wasn’t anywhere to be found when I rummaged through the desk.
If they were going to prepare it, I wish they had done it right. But I guess they just ignored such details since there’s no emotional attachment.
For the record, I found out just a few days ago. It just came to mind, so I rummaged through the desk drawer and found it. Luckily, it wasn’t something that needed renewing.
“And it’s not a long-distance trip. If worst comes to worst, we can spend time in this city.”
Anyway, if I gave up on the car I couldn’t use right now, I could invest that money into accommodations. Now that it had come to this, enjoying a hotel as a base and going around the landmarks of Seoul I hadn’t seen before would also be a nice idea.
Both of them, thinking that since we came this far, wouldn’t it be fun to go around a bit?
“……Certainly, the speed is secondary, but the accessibility is completely different. There are no restrictions on how to get around.”
As Alice muttered this against the backdrop, I pondered again.
“Then, shall we go somewhere nearby for starters?”
Saying that, I pressed the hotel reservation button.
Come to think of it, the notion that ‘a trip means going far’ was just my personal idea. It might have been the city I grew up in, but to these two, just being here at this moment would be equivalent to an overseas trip.
If my previous accommodation was cheap as a way to save some money, then the hotel I just booked was a real trip destination.
I had no idea how long we’d be here.
But, on the flip side, it also meant that we could return to our original world at any moment.
So, preferably, I wanted to create lots of memories with them from the world I used to live in.
“Really? Really?”
Claire sparkled her eyes and asked, making me smile bitterly.
Should I say her behavior matched her age, or that she looked younger due to her actions?
“If we leave now, we can reach there in about 30 minutes, but are you ready to go right away?”
“Sure!”
I wonder if they would really be that happy.
…Well, if it means they can just relax without having to do anything while going far, I can see why they’d feel good about it.
Dramatic lighting!
“I didn’t feel this way when we went to the hotel in Lindbergh.”
“……I thought the hotel in Lindbergh was better than this.”
Of course, the manufacturing technology in this world is so advanced that they can make the same items cheaper here, but it wasn’t really a place that could compare to a luxurious hotel.
It seems the height is somewhat similar though.
“So what I’m saying is, I’m talking about the view outside that window.”
Alice said, pointing at the window, and I could tell exactly what she was referring to.
There was an endless sea of light stretching out beyond.
The Imperial Capital was vast, Lindbergh was developed in its own right, but it wasn’t as bright as a modern metropolis.
Even if it were Seoul, there weren’t many activities between midnight and dawn, but that doesn’t mean the streets would be as quiet as dead. There were all-night cafes, lots of convenience stores, and places like karaoke rooms and PC rooms too.
“……”
Since Claire was quiet from the moment we checked into the hotel until we rode the elevator up, I looked towards her and saw her pressing her face against the window beside me.
She seemed to be genuinely fond of the scenery outside.
“I think we made a great choice coming here. Don’t you think?”
“……I guess.”
Alice answered with a wry smile at my question.
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