On the 9th day of the Month of Wind, I arrived at Karel, a summer resort in the Demon Realm, carrying the reservation ticket Fia-sensei had given me.
Karel was known for its pleasantly cool, autumn-like climate throughout the year. It was a highly popular tourist destination, largely because it was located so close to a Teleportation Gate.
The location was exactly what one would imagine for a summer getaway: a plateau overlooking a massive lake. Wooden cottages were scattered across the beautiful landscape, and on the opposite shore, I could see a bustling tourist district lined with various shops. It was a well-designed setup—you could stay in a quiet cottage and simply cross the water whenever you needed to buy supplies.
This place was even better than I’d expected. Since I had left so suddenly, I’d come alone, but looking at the view, I realized it probably would have been more fun with company.
Well, I could save that for next time. For now, I decided to head to my assigned cottage. Since all my luggage was stored in my Magic Box, I was able to walk empty-handed. Magic really was incredibly convenient.
Enjoying the scenery at a leisurely pace, I checked the key I’d received at the Teleportation Gate and soon reached my destination. As I approached, the faint, pleasant scent of wood tickled my nose.
The interior was surprisingly luxurious, even featuring a bath powered by Magic Tools. It was a true resort experience. It felt a bit decadent, actually.
The cottage seemed designed to accommodate several people, as there were multiple bedrooms. After picking one, I was about to start unpacking when I realized something.
"…Shoot. I don't have a bath towel."
I had brought my own change of clothes and other daily necessities, but since I usually used the towels provided at Lilia-san’s mansion, I had completely forgotten to pack any.
I had a face towel, which I could use in a pinch, but since I was here anyway, I figured I might as well take a stroll to the tourist district and buy some proper ones. It wasn’t a huge town, but surely a tourist spot would sell towels.
Deciding on that, I put my half-unpacked things back into the Magic Box, locked the cottage securely, and headed out.
About thirty minutes after Kaito departed, another figure approached the cottage.
"…It’s been a while, but the view here really is lovely."
Muttering to herself with a gentle smile, Lilia reached the cottage, her glittering blonde hair swaying in the breeze. She unlocked the door and took a brief look around the interior.
"She certainly rented a wonderful place… Well, there’s still time before Luna arrives. What should I do until then?"
Lilia glanced down at herself. Unlike Kaito, who had used Teleportation Magic to reach the gate, she had traveled by carriage. Perhaps because of that, she felt a bit sticky with sweat, though it wasn't particularly noticeable.
"…Maybe I’ll take a quick bath."
Lilia was actually quite fond of bathing. Since she had come here specifically to relax, she decided to hop in early and headed straight for the bathroom.
She had no way of knowing the tragedy that was about to unfold.
The tourist district was closer than I’d thought. I finished my shopping in about forty minutes and returned to the cottage to finally settle in.
But the moment I unlocked the door and stepped inside…
"…Huh? What’s this bag doing here?"
A small travel bag was sitting in the living room. Naturally, I had no memory of bringing it.
Did someone walk into the wrong cottage? No, if they had, the key wouldn't have worked. A thief? A thief wouldn't leave their own bag behind while they were busy stealing.
As I stood there tilting my head at the strange situation, I heard the faint creak of floorboards and the sound of small footsteps. Then, I heard a voice—a familiar voice that definitely shouldn't have been there.
"…You’re early, Luna. Sorry, I decided to take a bath first—eh?"
"…Eh?"
Standing there, towel in hand as she dried her wet hair, was Lilia-san, clad in nothing but a thin bathrobe.
The glimpse of damp, white skin peeking through the gaps of the robe was breathtakingly beautiful, but the sheer shock of the situation hit me far harder than any secondary thoughts. Lilia-san and I froze, staring at each other in total silence.
Lilia-san’s eyes went wide, and she suddenly began to break out into a massive cold sweat.
"…Kaito… san?"
"Um, why are you here, Lilia-san…?"
"…Ky."
"Ky?"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?"
"—!?"
A split second later, letting out a shriek that could have rent silk, Lilia-san vanished into the back room at incredible speed. Left standing alone, I stared blankly at the doorway she’d disappeared through. Seriously, what on earth was happening?
After a while, Lilia-san returned fully dressed. We were now sitting across from each other at the living room table. Her face was bright red, and she kept her head bowed low.
"…"
"…"
Awkward. This was beyond awkward. How did we end up in this situation?
I had received a reservation ticket from Fia-sensei to come here for a rest, but when I got back from shopping, I found Lilia-san fresh from the bath…
"…K-Kaito-san…"
"Yes? Ah, yes!"
"W-Why are you here? L-Luna was… supposed to meet me…"
"E-Eh… I don't know about Lunamaria-san, but an acquaintance gave me a ticket because they said they weren't going to use it…"
Lilia-san thought she was meeting Lunamaria-san. I thought I was coming alone. There was only one conclusion to be drawn from those two facts.
"Lu—na—!!"
"P-Please calm down, Lilia-san!"
Lilia-san’s voice seemed to rumble from the very depths of the earth. Yeah, I’d suspected as much. This was definitely the work of that no-good maid.
Wait, did that mean Fia-sensei was in on it too? I didn't think she was the kind of person who would help with something like this.
As I watched Lilia-san send a Hummingbird to Lunamaria-san in a towering rage, I decided to send a short, complaining message to Fia-sensei as well.
"…Um, so, what should we do?"
"…Kaito-san… D-Did you see?"
"Eh? S-See what?"
"I mean… m-m-my… n-naked… s-skin…"
"—!? I-I didn't see! Or rather, I couldn't see anything! You were wearing a bathrobe, and I was so surprised that I didn't even have time to look properly!"
That was the absolute truth. I had seen her, but because of the bathrobe, nothing ethically questionable had been visible. Besides, the shock had been so great that I didn't have the presence of mind to stare.
Seriously, it’s not like I was thinking I should have looked more closely. Definitely not.
"…I-I see… That’s a relief."
"Ah, right. So… um, what do we do now?"
"W-W-What do you mean?"
"I mean… what do we do about our stay? Do we go home? Or stay?"
Setting aside my irritation with Lunamaria-san for a moment, I brought up the question of what to do about the three-day, two-night trip.
Lilia-san’s eyes darted around as she considered my words, her expression shifting through a dozen different emotions. Finally, her face still crimson, she whispered.
"…L-Let’s… s-stay together."
"Eh? I-Is that really okay?"
"Y-Yes! F-Fortunately, there are several rooms… a-and besides, y-y-you and I are… l-lo… lovers, after all. T-There shouldn't be any problem."
"…Y-You’re right. I understand."
"…"
"…"
What was I supposed to do? Lilia-san was so incredibly cute when she was flustered like this, and the atmosphere felt so sugary sweet that I couldn't find the right words to continue the conversation.
This was strange. I was supposed to be here for a vacation, so why was I feeling so tense?
The silence between us was finally broken by two Hummingbirds arriving almost simultaneously—the replies from Lunamaria-san and Fia-sensei.
The birds stopped in front of us. We exchanged a look, nodded, and touched our respective messengers.
The message from Fia-sensei that appeared before me was filled with a staggering amount of apologies. Usually, Hummingbirds were meant for short notes, but through some incredible magical power or sheer technical skill, Fia-sensei had managed to pack in a massive amount of text. She explained that she’d given me the ticket because Lunamaria-san had asked her to, and she’d had no idea it would lead to this. She wrote "I'm so sorry" over and over again, to the point where I actually started to feel guilty for being the one who was supposed to be annoyed.
Relieved to know that Fia-sensei hadn't had any malicious intent, I let out a sigh of relief, sent her a quick reply, and looked over at Lilia-san.
Lilia-san was staring at the letters floating in the air, her shoulders shaking as she fought to contain her rage.
Wondering what kind of reply she’d received, I peeked over.
"Please make sure you are properly embraced before you come home."
It was a ridiculous, teasing sentence that was quintessential Lunamaria-san.
"Lunaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Lilia-san’s fury was entirely justified. In fact, I was pretty angry too. But… um, Lilia-san? The table is literally turning into splinters…
"L-Lilia-san!? Calm down!"
"Ugh, but… but…!"
"I know, I know exactly how you feel. I understand, so for now, please just try to relax…"
If I didn't calm her down soon, this cottage would be demolished before we even made it to nightfall.
Lunamaria-san probably thought she was being a helpful matchmaker, but she was definitely enjoying this far too much. I had no intention of letting her get away with it either.
"…Alice!"
"Huh? Ah, yes!?"
"…I have a favor to ask. Please."
"…Um, ah, right. I'll go give her a punishment."
With those few words, Alice seemingly understood my intent immediately and vanished.
That took care of the retaliation against Lunamaria-san. Now, I just had to do something about Lilia-san, whose aura of rage was starting to manifest as physical force.
Dear Mother, Father—I came to a summer resort for a break, but for some reason, Lilia-san was here, and we ended up staying together. I’m happy about that part, but… how should I put it? In more ways than one—I have a feeling there’s trouble ahead.