Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! Volume 8 E-Book

Makishima Suzuki

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Kazuhiro and his food-loving elven companion hit up a summer festival and a hot spring! The couple continues to enjoy Japan to the fullest, but they find themselves somewhat dissatisfied with their living situation in the ancient labyrinth. So, with the help of floor master Shirley, they make plans to build a peaceful and comfortable base in the fantasy world!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Chapter of Midsummer

Episode 14: Do You Like Summer Fireworks?

Episode 15: Off to the Summer Isles

Episode 16: The Ancient Beast Charybdis

Episode 17: Battle with Charybdis

Chapter of Betrayal

Episode 1: Autumn Skies and the Second Floor Pre-opening

Episode 2: Welcome, Team Diamond

Episode 3: The Elf, the Dragon, and the Plastic Model

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Color Images

Chapter of Midsummer, Episode 14: Do You Like Summer Fireworks?

The bamboo tube tipped over with a thunk.

Noticing the sound, a pair of purple eyes glanced over to the source.

Steam and the slight smell of sulfur had filled the air. The light from the sun was faint. It was getting late, and no one else was in the vicinity.

Wondering why the bamboo tube had been put in such a place, Mariabelle touched it with a finger but found no answer. The device, made from ordinary bamboo, seemed to be simply designed to tilt over once it was filled with enough water. Still confused by the perplexing object, she let out a small giggle.

There was something strange about those who lived in Japan. They were a group of people who ultimately sought efficiency and had a deep admiration for diligence. Yet, things designed for religious worship were a part of daily life and they spent their leisure time after work doing as they wished. In fact, many thought of doing nothing as a virtue.

Mariabelle released her finger from the bamboo tube, causing it to tip over from the weight of the water and deliver another satisfying thunk. She decided to forget about such enigmatic foreign cultures and placed a hand on a wet rock as she lowered herself into the hot springs, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

“The water’s just as nice as I imagined.”

A satisfied smile spread across her face, and her pale shoulders soon sank into the water as well.

She had visited several hot springs during her time in Japan. From local spots to secluded hot springs in Aomori, it was a bit of a strange sight for a mystical elf to be visiting such places in Japan. It was more common for her kind to bathe in clear brook water, but she found she couldn’t care less about such elven traditions. She just sighed slowly and rested her head on a rock.

The sky turned darker, and the soft thunk of bamboo against rock could be heard again.

Despite her blurry vision, the elf felt like she was in some sort of utopia. The lack of clothing, the steam filling her vision, and the warmth of the water soaking into her skin only added to the illusion.

Mariabelle had built up quite a lot of fatigue from her long journey. Her eyelids grew heavy, but they snapped open to the familiar, hollow sound of bamboo. She turned around and glared at the bamboo tube, wondering if it was meant to function as an alarm clock, but it didn’t respond. What was the point of that thing, anyway? Perhaps it was just a toy for children and didn’t have any deeper meaning. The questions only arose further as she soaked comfortably in the hot water.

She had been living in Japan from spring through the summer, so she knew the good and bad of this place quite well. Her experience living here told her the bamboo tube had some sort of function to it, but she just didn’t know what.

Mariabelle glanced around her surroundings to make sure no one was around, then undid the towel wrapped around her head. A single shake of her head made her pure-white hair come undone. She ran her fingers through it, revealing ears shaped like spear tips.

She closed both eyes, placed her hands on her thighs, and waited.

Elves were well known for their sharp senses. They could sense spirits that were undetectable by common folk and could control those spirits thanks to their supernatural senses. She normally kept her long ears hidden to keep her identity a secret in Japan, but she simply had to find out the secret behind the bamboo tube.

The bamboo resounded again, but the elf girl remained still. After a long, long time, the sound echoed through the hot springs once more.

As she listened to the sound twice, then three times, a change occurred in Mariabelle. Her breathing grew quiet, and her head slowly tilted to one side. Moments before her head sank into the water, she regained consciousness with a jolt.

“Ah, I nearly fell asleep!”

The monotonous thunk resounding at equal intervals could surely put anyone to sleep. Mariabelle wiped the sweat from her face with a stern expression, as if she were facing a formidable foe in a labyrinth.

“Is it some sort of intricate sleeping device? No...I’m completely contradicting what I thought about earlier. I should cool down and shake off this brain fog.”

She found it unbecoming of an elf to fall asleep while trying to find the truth behind the bamboo tube. There were no such teachings in her village; it was simply a personal matter of her pride. She defiantly stood up from the warmth of the water and sat on the smooth surface of a nearby rock.

She bound her hair with her still-wet hands, and water dripped onto her pale skin. There were legends outside of Japan that claimed elves were so beautiful that anyone who witnessed them would be seeing them in their dreams, and if anyone had seen her in this moment, they would know those tales were true.

“Maybe it’s just a toy after all. Oh, the wind feels nice here.”

A gentle breeze blew by. The evening wind felt cool against Mariabelle’s warm skin, and she absentmindedly looked beyond the fence. As someone who had grown up in a forest, the sight seemed full of mystique to her. The view of the endless horizon becoming engulfed by the night made her realize just how big the world was.

She was lost in the sheer presence of the sea, the source of all life, when she heard the bamboo again. Listening to the waves and feeling the cool wind, she finally understood the meaning behind that noise.

Water dripped from her hair as she directed her pale-purple eyes behind her. Her gaze was fixed upon the bamboo tube in the distance softly hitting the rock again. Silence filled the air for a brief moment.

“Could it be...?”

She purposely spoke out to emphasize the silence further. The roar of the sea and wind remained, but by inserting that monotonous sound in between...

“Maybe it’s meant to add a moment of serenity?” she said to herself, staring at the trees planted around her in an orderly fashion.

For some reason, the sound of the nearby sea and the blowing winds made her sleepy despite always being present. The sound of the running water and bamboo hitting the rock were surprisingly pleasant and provided a sense of relief despite being in an unfamiliar place. The elf wanted to listen for longer, but it was time. She gripped her towel and used it to cover her ears and white hair, then heard a sliding door open.

“It seems you are enjoying yourself, Mariabelle.”

There stood Wridra with her black hair that starkly contrasted the elf girl’s white hair. Her physical beauty almost felt like cheating, and she clearly had no intention of hiding it.

Mariabelle had covered up her ears again after exposing them to the spirits earlier, but a longtime friend like Wridra obviously knew her secret. There was no need to hide her ears, but she could slip up one day if she wasn’t always on alert, and she had to set an example for Wridra when it came to these things. They had to keep in mind that Wridra was an extraordinary being known as the Arkdragon.

“Yes, I was experiencing something known as ‘wabi-sabi.’ Have you heard of it?”

“Hah, hah, this is a land of elegance as always. I suppose I shall let loose for once as well, considering even you have exposed your ears despite your overserious nature.”

Mariabelle put a hand to her chest in surprise, but it was too late. Wridra put a hand on her curvy hip, then out came a scaly tail.

“Hey!” the elf girl said.

“Hm, I know you have sent your spirits about to ensure no one is around. I am certain if someone does walk by, a friendly elf will warn me. So if you don’t mind...”

Mariabelle’s eyes widened, worried about what Wridra would do next. Golden hair emerged from the Arkdragon’s body, followed by a pair of sky blue eyes. The tranquility that filled the air made it hard to believe this being had once been a monster that ruled over the second floor of the ancient labyrinth, and the elf couldn’t help but gasp at the sight.

“Shirley! You want to take a bath too?”

Adorned in a rather old-fashioned robe, Shirley floated in the air above the hot springs. She observed her surroundings with a hand on her chin in a manner that wasn’t far off from that of a child’s behavior. Although she had lived for far longer than any human, this land was completely new to her, and she was learning everything from the ground up.

Wridra cracked her neck, then slowly walked over and sat on a wooden chair. It seemed she intended to follow the rules of humans and wash herself before soaking in the hot springs.

“That one has quite the appetite. It does not have much of an effect on me, but it must be quite draining for a human. Do you not find it strange that Kitase is mostly unaffected, other than a bit of hunger?”

Mariabelle was rather flustered, but then she looked over at the Arkdragon. She decided to forget about Shirley, who was poking the bamboo device known as a shishi-odoshi, and moved closer to Wridra, who was washing her hair.

“It must be a big deal for you to mention it like that. I heard he walked around the second-floor hall while Shirley was still in her terrifying ‘god of death’ form. It was like she wanted to show off her garden,” she said.

“Indeed, she was supposed to be a horrible monster that sucks the souls out of men, but she acted completely differently around Kitase and around us. Perhaps his laid-back attitude was contagious,” Wridra replied.

Mariabelle nearly laughed it off, then paused. She remembered that when she had first met him, she had torn him to shreds by attacking him with her spirits. The realization that she might have been even more violent than Shirley hit her as she lathered up her towel.

“Hah, hah, are you going to wash me? It seems your penchant for cleanliness has become even stronger in Japan,” Wridra said as she laughed.

“Oh, no, it’s just that everyone else doesn’t have enough interest in cleanliness. Lack of hygiene can lead to sickness, you know. This is one of the ways Japanese people and I think alike.”

Wridra flashed her white teeth in agreement. There were many facilities where commoners could go to take a bath, and they even had baths in their homes. It was rather hard to believe, but Wridra also enjoyed such customs of this country. She could easily cleanse herself with magic but actually preferred to bathe like the commoners did.

Or perhaps she simply enjoyed being washed by such a lovely girl. Even though Wridra was the almighty and fearsome Arkdragon, Mariabelle liked tending to her black cat form. The black-haired beauty turned her face away from the elf to hide the smile that arose from the inexplicable joy that came from Mariabelle scrubbing her clean.

“Emotions may not be visible, but they can be felt by others...and they bring about change, like a stone tossed into a river. This is true for myself too. Even a terrifying monster can change.”

Wridra nearly told Mariabelle she thought of her as a friend, but she stopped herself. Although she truly felt that way, it was just as she had just said: such feelings could be understood without being said out loud.

“Everything must be fresh to her now that she has been freed from the ancient labyrinth. I am not too surprised that she has joined the human raid team and begun hunting down monsters dwelling there.”

“Oh, but it was a surprise for me,” Mariabelle replied. “Shirley’s book can seal monsters and place them under her control, right? When I last saw Kartina, I was surprised to find she had turned into a well-mannered knight. She seemed to hate you-know-who as usual, though.”

“That one has quite a straitlaced personality. I suppose she doesn’t think well of Kitase for treating that place like a playground. Hah, hah, not that we are much different.”

Mariabelle was about to respond to the accusation of not being straitlaced herself, but she closed her mouth. She had remembered that she had said the ancient labyrinth would be perfect for getting some exercise while sightseeing.

Wridra flashed an amused smile, then poured water on her shoulders to rinse off the bubbles. She then pointed her wet finger at Mariabelle’s back.

“It is now time to enjoy the hot springs. This is the perfect place for rest and conversation. Shirley, feel free to haunt me if you are also interested. I hear the water quality here is quite excellent. You will surely regret it if you miss out on this.”

Wridra picked up a towel and walked across the bathing area, her bare feet plopping on the wet ground. Her exposed back was beautiful even from a woman’s point of view, though the tail swaying from side to side was somewhat distracting. Mariabelle followed her, complaining internally about not getting to relax despite this being a place of healing.

Night fell, and cheerful voices rang across the hot springs. Lanterns soon lit up as if to garnish their conversations.

Countless stars illuminated the night, and the skies were perfectly clear for the upcoming fireworks competition.

§

Holding a drawstring bag with a goldfish pattern, Mariabelle looked down at her unusual wooden footwear. They made satisfying clacking sounds as she walked. This made her reveal a grin of satisfaction.

“The sound they make is so cute. So these are geta,” she said as she turned around.

Honestly, it was unfair just how cute she looked in that elegant, light-purple yukata. Her radiant hair was tied to the side, adorned with a flower-shaped hairpin. An average guy like me couldn’t resist her lovely smile as she slowly faced me. When she mouthed the words “Come on, hurry!” I threw in the white towel and walked over to her as requested.

“Be sure to walk slowly. I wouldn’t want you to hurt your feet while wearing them for the first time,” I said.

“Even you think I’m an easygoing person like you? Although, these do fit me so tight that I have no choice but to walk slowly,” she replied. She placed a finger on her chin and thought hard for a moment. That was when she reached out toward me to hold on to my elbow and concluded, “This should help. Your walking speed is just right too. And I’m sure you’ll take care of me if my feet get sore. No objections, I presume?”

She seemed to be quite proud of her idea and narrowed her eyes right next to my face. I, of course, was more than happy to escort her if need be.

“Sure, it’d be an honor. If it’s an order from Ms. Elf, I’d give up my life to...” I paused as I remembered our journey. “Wait, I’ve died way too many times for that line to mean much.”

She giggled and called me silly, lightly tapping my chest with her hand.

Our geta clacked as we walked down the backstreet where not many cars passed by late at night. It was hard to see the ground, but we managed to avoid tripping with a bit of caution. The people walking around us were all headed to the same destination, so there was little chance we would get lost. Suddenly, I felt a tug on my arm.

“Look, Wridra made this yukata for me. She said it’s far better quality than the ones we could borrow from the inn. I’ll have to remember to thank her later.”

I couldn’t help my lips from curling into a smile as I saw her hold up her sleeves with her fingertips to show off her outfit.

If I remembered correctly, the last time she had worn a yukata was when we had gone on a trip to Chichibu. It had left an impression because she usually preferred Western clothing, but she had smiled radiantly wearing the Japanese yukata she was so fond of. Her cheeks were pink with excitement, and it was quite adorable seeing her so full of childlike glee.

“By the way, where’s Wridra?” I asked.

Wridra was a big fan of noisy, high-energy events. It was odd that she was missing when the fireworks competition was about to start. But it was my fault for forgetting about her ever since we had left the inn. In my defense, I was preoccupied by how dazzling Marie looked in her outfit.

I then heard a small meow as if to rebuke my thoughts. I looked down and realized a black cat was silently walking beside us, but it had been too dark out for me to notice.

“Oh, you’re going out in that form tonight, Wridra? But we’re about to go to a fireworks competition,” Marie pointed out.

She waved the cat over, and it walked toward it to let Marie pick it up in her arms. The cat shot me a look as if to say, “It took you far too long to notice my absence.”

Marie tilted her head in confusion.

“How odd. I thought you loved events like these, so why go in your cat form?” she wondered aloud.

“Hmm... Maybe she’s being considerate about us,” I guessed.

“Maybe, but...something’s fishy. I mean, we were just picking out yukata together earlier. There’s no way she’s cooped up in her room right now.”

Considering those details, it did seem unlikely that Wridra would be satisfied by going out in her cat form tonight. Meanwhile, the cat in question was licking its paws as if it couldn’t hear us. Something was truly off.

The discrepancies seemed to tug at Mariabelle’s mind, but we heard something beating in the distance, and she turned around with the black cat still in her arms. Drums and flutes could be heard among the sound of the roaring sea.

“Can you hear that too? Something’s happening!”

This was what summer festivals were all about. A woman’s high-spirited song joined in, backed by the voices of several other women. The clever part of it all was the tempo that filled us with energy, as if it were inviting us to join the group. The yukata we wore only added to the festive mood, and I noticed Marie’s steps quickening their pace.

Music was celebrated all over the world, and there was a certain type of sound common across all countries when it came to festivals. They all contained a clear message: “Have fun!”

“Let’s go! We’re going to be late for the festival!”

Marie’s cheeks were flush with excitement, and I felt myself smiling broadly again as she impatiently pulled me by the hand. I just couldn’t help it. The festival had begun and would continue late into the night, so there was no need for her to worry.

“Are there festivals in your village too?” I asked.

“There sure are. We all get together when winter passes and spring arrives. Each family serves their specialties, and then we all perform the songs and dances we had been practicing. You left the village in the winter, so you weren’t around to see it,” she replied.

“I wish I’d stuck around for that. Since it’s still summer, it’ll be months before I get another chance.”

“You’re going to love it! You can get front-row seats when I sing for everyone. Let’s just enjoy this festival in Izu for now.”

I nodded in agreement as we began walking again. When we reached an empty spot near a field, we heard the whoosh of something flying into the air. We looked up and saw a line of light climbing into the star-filled sky.

It must have been quite a surprise for Marie. She craned her neck to follow the light straight up and watched it erupt like a blooming flower with a loud bang! She let out a yelp and squeezed my arm.

This was the second time we had watched fireworks together. The first time was at a large-scale amusement park in Tokyo, but this was a whole different beast.

During Obon, pyrotechnicians put their honor on the line. Their role was to honor our ancestors and beautifully illuminate the night sky so that the departed could rest in peace. This place was a popular tourist destination where we had a responsibility to immerse ourselves in the experience and enjoy ourselves.

Marie stayed silent even as the phosphorescence faded and disappeared. Her mouth was agape with a sense of wonder. She would remain wordless for a bit longer. Several more fireworks shot up in the east to venture into the night sky. I felt another squeeze on my arm as the rings of light erupted with several more booms.

The street had been dim moments earlier, but it was now bright like daytime. Everyone had the same look of fascination on their face. With such a spectacular presentation before us, there was only one thing for me to say.

“Welcome to Japanese summer festivals. There’s a rule that you don’t have to be reserved during festivals. I should also tell you that there’s tasty food all over the place, so you have that to look forward to.”

Marie still seemed out of it, but then her pale-purple eyes finally met mine. At that moment, she smiled brilliantly and said, “Okay!” The festival was meant to entertain our ancestors, but I hoped the elf girl would also enjoy herself to the fullest.

Giant fireworks filled the skies as Marie and I walked around, hand in hand.

The sound of geta clacking around filled my heart with excitement too. I thought I had lost interest in summer festivals as I grew older, but I started to feel like a kid again.

Someone played instruments in the distance as the sea winds carried over the sound of shamisen, and I heard the clack of geta right behind me. I turned around and found Marie wearing an old-fashioned fox mask dyed orange by the light of the lanterns. The mystical sight left me in awe, making me wonder if I really was in Japan. I hoped that cute fox girl would pinch my cheeks to make sure.

“What do you think? The man at that stall over there gave it to me.”

Marie pointed, and a man with a towel around his head waved back. He looked scary at first glance, so I was a bit surprised by the thoughtful gift.

I did kind of understand how he felt. When Japanese people encountered cute foreign girls, they had a tendency to be kind to them... Or maybe that was just me blowing my own horn. We both bowed to the man at the stall.

“Let’s go over there. There’s a shop I want to check out,” Marie said.

She smiled widely, and my eyes met hers, despite them being beneath the fox mask, as she took my hand to lead the way. Our geta clacked as we began walking again.

A well-illuminated portable shrine, which was being carried right next to us, brought rhythmic sounds to our ears. Marie let out a soft “Wow.”

“I feel so energetic right now. There’s fun music all around us, and this delicious smell...”

Marie’s stomach growled, rivaling the sound of the festive flutes and drums. She quickly covered her stomach with her hands.

She looked a bit embarrassed, but I couldn’t blame her. The smell of soy sauce on hot plates stirred one’s appetite, and customers flocked to the stalls. A man at a stall welcomed the customers in high spirits, threw yakisoba topped with plenty of dried seaweed into a food container, and promptly sealed it with a rubber band to hand it off to another customer. This exchange caught Marie’s attention, which made her stop in place before she could reach her original destination. Judging by her face, I could tell her hunger had bested her. Wondering what the issue was, I told her, “You can get both, if you’d like.”

“Urgh... You’re going to tempt me too, are you? But we still have dinner at the inn, so I know I’ll regret it if I eat too much now. And yet, it’s so hard to resist!”

Seeing her struggle between reason and her appetite, I understood her dilemma. It would be a shame not to eat at a festival. There was only one solution to our issue.

“How about we share? That way we could both eat one serving...” I started, then Marie cut me off.

“Then let’s go! There’s a long line already. We should hurry before they run out!”

She pivoted ninety degrees and pulled me in another direction. The black cat was already ahead of us, meowing as if to say, “Hurry up!” Learning languages from other worlds was a hobby of mine, but it seemed I had picked up how to speak cat along the way.

We passed through a curtain, and the stall owner seemed a bit surprised by our appearance. He had surely dealt with foreigners before, but anyone would be surprised by a girl in an Asian yukata with a black cat in hand saying, “Smells delicious!” in perfect Japanese.

Her hair as white as cotton wool, beautiful pale skin, and amethyst eyes must have been quite striking. His hands stopped cooking for a moment, but then Marie took a whiff of the aroma in the air, and the cat in her arms mimicked the motion. The stall owner then burst into laughter.

The hot plate sizzled loudly, and the man displayed a welcoming smile.

“Welcome! My food tastes just as good as it smells. I run a teppanyaki place just over there.”

It wasn’t that he looked down on the other businesses here, but he was fully confident in his food. Marie’s eyes widened as he deftly cooked the golden noodles over the hot plate with metal spatulas. I could understand where the confidence came from. He cooked a big batch of pork with crazy salt and garlic, making it a bit unique from other stalls. The scent stimulated our appetites mercilessly.

“For beauties like you two, I’ll have to give this all I’ve got. I have a duty to show you what real good Izu food is like.” The shop owner smiled at Marie and the cat in her arms. Marie seemed flattered as she returned a shy smile.

I’ve always known this, but Japanese people truly were defenseless against cute girls. I was guilty of this myself, so I couldn’t really say much. Or maybe this wasn’t a Japanese thing, but something all men had in common. As I thought about this, the man tossed some sour-sweet soy sauce onto the plate with a loud sizzle.

This smell was certainly one of the best parts of yakisoba as it alone reached deep into my nostrils and made me feel as if I already had a bite. Then I noticed the sparkle in Marie’s eyes as she stared at the food. She was dying to get a taste, and drool nearly dripped from her mouth, but she couldn’t wipe it with the cat in her arms.

The man put the yakisoba in a container, then garnished it with dried seaweed to complete the dish. Marie flashed a happy smile.

“Here ya go, one special yakisoba. Enjoy it with your boyfriend there.”

“Wow, thank you! We just started going out recently! Oh, Kazuhiro-san, can you grab it for me? I have to hold on to Wridra.”

The shopkeeper looked at me as if to say, “Wait, really?” It seemed he was joking about me being her boyfriend and couldn’t imagine I was actually dating such a cute girl. I mean, it was understandable. I could hardly believe it either.

As for Marie, she was far too enamored with the food to notice the awkwardness in the air. “Let’s go eat!” she said, then took me by the hand.

The shopkeeper seemed to get it together again and shouted, “Thanks for comin’!” Once again, we were surrounded by the sound of flutes and drums.

There truly was nothing like the lively atmosphere of a festival.

§

The sight of an elf girl in a nostalgic fox mask cheerfully walking down the path was a strange one indeed.

Even so, the vermilion torii gate in front drew in Mariabelle’s curiosity. The black cat walked ahead of the pair as if to lead the way, and there was even more of a bounce to Marie’s steps as she walked without hesitation.

There was something extraordinary about an elf girl from a fantasy world dressed in old-fashioned clothing. She captured everyone’s eyes as she walked by, making them wonder if she was a hallucination in the night.

Kitase, who followed close behind her, was quite a contrast to Mariabelle. He wore a yukata to match her and had various items he had purchased from stalls in hand, but he was quite plain in appearance.

Yet he was strangely calm for someone who was guiding an elf, an ancient dragon, and the former master of the second floor. Some might assume he was selfish because of his laid-back nature, but he was quite the opposite. Instead, he was more interested in ensuring that his otherworldly guests enjoyed their time in Japan.

The sound of geta clacking against the unevenly paved path could be heard. They say apparitions fool humans and lead them astray... Who knew where the party would end up tonight?

At the end of the secluded path was a wooden bench where a black-haired beauty stood with a fan in hand. Wridra had been waiting for them as expected, and she had a surprisingly cheerful expression on her face.

“You certainly took your sweet time,” she said. “The fireworks are about to start.”

“Wridra! You’ve been keeping this spot for us?” Marie asked.

Wridra merely smiled and extended her hand toward them as the black cat hopped onto her lap. It went without saying that she wasn’t asking for a handshake, but for the items they had brought: yakisoba, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and other food stall dishes that one couldn’t go without at a festival.

“We brought you beer too,” Kitase said.

“Hah, hah, that is quite commendable of you. I see why a certain difficult-to-please elf keeps you around. There is no need to thank me for keeping this seat for you. The food and drinks will suffice.”

Wridra wore a black yukata that was ornamented with flower petals, and her hair was tied up instead of hanging loose like usual. Perhaps it was her exposed neckline or the way she smiled behind her fan, but there was something different about her tonight.

The moonlight suited her, and it reminded them that dragons were quite mystical, free-spirited creatures. Some of them loved to hoard treasure, while others, like Wridra, lived to satisfy their appetite for good food. Perhaps it had all started when Kitase gave her his homemade meal, but her uninhibited nature hadn’t changed from the day they met.

“Here, it is your turn,” Wridra said. “It would be a shame to miss out on such delicious-looking food.”

“Hm? What do you...”

Before Kitase could finish his sentence, he froze. Wridra’s hand was on his thigh, and through it, he felt something enter his body. He recognized Shirley’s presence right away.

Wridra’s red lips formed a devious smile.

“There, now Shirley and I can both enjoy the meal.”

Shirley enjoying a meal meant she drained the nutrients and flavor from the body of whomever she was haunting. The Arkdragon flashed a brilliant grin since she could now fully taste her food.

Kitase looked entirely unconcerned and began handing out food containers to the others.

“Hey there, Shirley. Did you have fun checking out the festival with Wridra?” he asked.

He could sense her nodding inside him. Through the connection formed from Shirley haunting him, he knew she was as giddy as Mariabelle and had been surprised by this foreign custom.

Shirley had been the guardian of a forest before she was bound to the ancient labyrinth as the floor master. She thought of life and death as equally valuable and held their cycle in nature up to great importance. However...

“Thank you for waiting. The second half of the fireworks competition will now begin. To our sponsors, our many guests here today, and...”

The announcement echoed throughout the venue, letting the attendees know the main event was about to begin. Instantly, the women prepared to eat in a hurry.

“Ah, it’s about to start! Hurry, Wridra!” Marie said, then turned to Kitase. “You shouldn’t drink. What if Shirley gets drunk? You should understand that’s not the best idea. I’ll have to confiscate this, but it’s not because I want to drink it myself.”

Before he could respond, she handed him a pack of takoyaki instead. He thought it was a kind gesture for her to stick a toothpick in it for him, but she followed up by saying half of them were for her.

Kitase had been really looking forward to the alcohol and was tolerant of everything up to that point. But his shocked reaction when Mariabelle took away his drink nearly made Shirley burst out laughing.

“Shirley, this is East Asian food,” he explained. “It’s very inexpensive, but people will say you’re missing out if you don’t eat it in Japan. Let’s try it out.”

Although Shirley had just recently learned how to taste by borrowing the bodies of others, Kitase was an expert at stimulating one’s appetite. One can enjoy a meal with their eyes and tongue, but he helped one enjoy food with their ears as well.

He blew onto a piece of takoyaki and took in its delicious fragrance as he brought it closer to his mouth. The moment he bit it, the flavor of the sauce spread throughout his taste buds.

It was hard to imagine its taste from its round, cutesy appearance. The takoyaki was crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside, and the seaweed flavor passed through his nose as Shirley’s eyes widened with surprise. Umami burst out with every bite of the chewy octopus. Then the girls heard something fizzing up into the night sky.

“Ah, it has begun,” Wridra noted. “An annual tradition for the repose of souls. I would not have accepted anything less than the best seats for this.”

The several consecutive booms they heard bloomed into rings of light in the sky. They lit up the great Izu sea as they arced downward and took Shirley’s breath away with the fireworks’ beautiful view.

There were many who mourned the deaths of others. Despite the constant cycle of life and death, the former guardian of the forest had come to believe they were both valuable. The sorrow of death and joy of birth were now completely equivalent to her.

The crowd cheered as the fireworks lit up the sky, one after another. It wasn’t that they felt joy over death, but Shirley was surprised to see just how energized the participants were by the event.

“By the way, weren’t we supposed to use the stuff we see on this trip as reference for the second floor? Did you see anything that might be useful?” Kitase asked. “There isn’t as much nature here compared to before, and we haven’t done much but eat food.”

Shirley told him that wasn’t true. She truly enjoyed the food and had learned plenty of things from the landscape here.

“That’s good,” he said. “I think this place is so peaceful now because it’s been through war. We’re still in the middle of going through the ancient labyrinth. After all the fighting is over, it’d be great if we could go back to a peaceful place to rest.”

Fireworks continued to incessantly rain and illuminate the sky as Kitase spoke. Shirley thought it was a wonderful idea and felt warmth deep inside at the thought of the second floor becoming such a place. The floor master that had once been feared as the reaper was no more and would no longer drain the lives of others to contribute to the ancient labyrinth. She was free to do whatever she wanted.

Kitase brought a piece of okonomiyaki close to his mouth and took a bite. It tasted sweet and faintly salty, yet the cooked pork brimmed with umami. The elf girl flashed a lovely smile. She had a habit of asking if something tasted good, which was strangely charming.

Shirley thought that she would likely never forget this sight. She smiled to herself, listening to the sound of cheers and applause from the crowd. She wanted to return to the second floor and recreate the beautiful image in her mind along with the kind friends she had met in the depths of the labyrinth.

§

The sliding door opened to reveal a gracefully dressed staff member who was quite young, perhaps a part-timer, outside of our room. I realized it was the same woman who had led us here before.

“I will now bring your meal. Please make yourselves at home,” she said with a smile before reaching to her side for the food and entering.

It must have been a surprising sight for my guests from another world. There was a mountain of food piled up on a tray that took up most of the table.

Lobsters and other local Kitagawa fish were beautifully arranged on a giant ship-shaped container that had to be held with both hands. Before we could even react to the colorful display, an assortment of seasonal tempura and simmered sea bream, along with other dishes, was presented. We watched, mouths agape, as the table became full of food.

My companions weren’t quite used to the culture here—compared to those from their world. As the rice container was opened, it revealed steamy rice mixed with various ingredients. Everyone then turned to the local sake and beer as those were brought out. They seemed busy looking this way and that, but the smiles on their faces told me they were very excited for dinner.

“Surprised, Marie?” I asked.

Her purple eyes met mine. Still a bit dumbfounded, she glanced at the dishes on the table before giving me a delayed nod.

“Yes, I am,” she said. “I didn’t expect so much food to be brought out. Maybe she’s mistaking us for important people or something.”

That wasn’t the case, of course. I’ve heard that back in the old days, hot spring inns surprised travelers with luxurious meals as a sort of tradition. It was meant to entertain not only with tasty food but visuals too. Other travelers would hear of these stories and visit the inn to experience it for themselves. Such masterful customer service has been a thing in this country since a long time ago. While information was readily available with the touch of a button these days, there was nothing more reliable than a friend’s recommendation.

Wridra, who had changed into a more comfortable yukata, was next to us with her pale neck seductively exposed. She was beautiful enough to captivate everyone in the room just by sitting there, which made her slack expression all the more jarring.

The boiling pot filled the room with an appetizing aroma. Drool threatened to drip from the legendary Arkdragon’s mouth so that even the staff member, who was far younger than Wridra, stared at her with a smile.

“Please enjoy,” the woman said before sliding the door shut, and Wridra immediately raised her voice.

“This! This is exactly what we need on the second floor!” she exclaimed. “A magnificent mansion alone is not enough; it must be filled with enticing content. One could not be considered a true master without sumptuous meals within their dwelling!”

We stared at her blankly.

I thought the hot springs resort with a view of the sea was a good reference for building a mansion, but I didn’t see how it would be possible to bring fancy meals to the other world. At the very least, I didn’t want to pack a bunch of food from this world and bring it over there. There was no way I was going to sleep with a bunch of cardboard and styrofoam boxes full of food.

As I mulled over these thoughts, Marie stood up to face Wridra. I was relieved to see she was going to stop the Arkdragon from going off the rails. Marie bumped her chest with a fist as if to say, “Leave it to me!” and gave me a reassuring smile.

“Of course you’re right, Wridra,” she said. “Food is very important! Even if I stayed at some terrible lodging, I could let it pass as long as it had good food.”