My reunion with Caraway-san was over, and she finished introducing herself to Anima and the others. For some reason, Anima seemed to have a surprisingly positive first impression of her—a rarity for Anima when meeting someone for the first time.
I wondered if there was some unspoken bond between them as fellow beastman-type demons.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a voice rang out from nowhere.
"...Sorry to keep you all waiting!"
It was a powerful, familiar voice. We turned toward the source, and Sieg-san immediately buried her head in her hands.
Two shadows raced toward us from the distance. The man and woman, both familiar faces, zigzagged across each other’s paths as they ran. As they met in front of us, they spun through the air, landed, and finished with a synchronized backflip into a flourish.
"It’s been a while, everyone!"
"We’ve made our entrance~!"
The ones who appeared with enough energy to leave the rest of the world behind were, of course, Sieg-san’s parents—Rei-san and Fia-san.
"That was sharp, Rei."
"Yeah. All that practice paid off. It was a perfect entrance! Everyone’s so moved they’re speechless."
No, you’re wrong. We’re so exasperated we can’t find the words.
And while I was glad they were proud of themselves, I felt like they needed to hit the brakes soon. Sieg-san’s gaze was becoming increasingly predatory.
Sieg-san was just about to begin her customary discipline when another voice cut in.
"...Fufufu, ahaha, ha-hahahaha! You call that a perfect entrance? Naive! As sweet and soft as whipped cream!"
"W-Who’s there!?" Rei-san shouted.
As far as I was concerned, the newcomer was the world’s greatest idiot.
"It can’t be helped. For the sake of the fledglings who don't know the vastness of the sky, allow me to show you what a true entrance looks like!"
Accompanied by those headache-inducing lines, the idiot and one of her Split Bodies came sprinting from a distance... wearing cat and dog onesies. Halfway through their run, the idiot-dog and idiot-cat leaped into the air, spinning horizontally while crossing each other's paths. I knew she was capable of those movements, but...
"I-Impossible!? Could that be... the Divine Exchange!?"
"Unbelievable... Isn't that a lost technique!?"
Two people in our group were biting the hook with incredible intensity.
Before their eyes, the costumed duo landed, pivoted instantly, and kicked off each other's feet in mid-air to spin back to their original positions.
"What!? A transition from the Divine Exchange into the Double Crescent Moon!?"
"I-I can't believe their bodies can withstand that pressure! Who are those two? They’re monsters..."
I’d been wondering for a while now, but what was with those overly cool names? Who came up with them?
The performance seemed to be reaching its climax. After lining up in a row, the idiot-dog stepped onto the idiot-cat’s shoulder and launched into a high, spinning vault. The idiot-cat surged forward like a gymnast, and the two struck a back-to-back pose exactly where the dog landed.
"...A-Ah... Shooting Star... To think I’d see it with my own eyes..."
"And the other one used the Ground Combination... That’s not a human feat!?"
Well, Rei-san and Fia-san aren't human either; they’re elves.
While the rest of us were unmoved, the performance had clearly devastated Rei-san and Fia-san. Both collapsed to their knees at once.
"...We lose."
"...To think such a performer existed in this world. Who... who are you!?"
She’s a hopeless idiot.
"Fufufu, I’m glad you asked. The star that twinkles in the firmament... The Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Alice-chan is none other than myself!"
""W-What!?""
They were leaning into this way too much. Just watching them was exhausting.
"The Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Alice-chan... J-Just who is she!?"
"Her identity is a total mystery... So that’s why she’s the Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Alice-chan!"
No, she literally just told you her name! She said "Alice" quite clearly!
"Hmph. I cannot reveal my true identity, but..."
I’m telling you, she just said it herself! She isn't hiding a thing; she’s completely full-open!
"You two show potential," Alice continued. "But I don’t want you to get complacent. The peak of performance is still far higher and steeper than you can imagine. Never forget that as you strive for greatness."
"M-Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Alice-chan... T-Thank you so much!"
"Yes! We’ll work our hardest to one day catch up to the Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Alice-chan!"
I couldn't keep up with this energy anymore.
As they were moved to tears by Alice’s words, a sword was suddenly thrust toward their throats. Sieg-san’s eyes were cold, overflowing with murderous intent. This was entirely of their own making.
"...U-Um, Sieg? What’s with the sword...?"
"Sieg-chan, calm down..."
Sieg remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"...Both of you are being incredibly rude to the Phantasm King-sama."
The two froze. They turned toward Alice with movements that sounded like rusty hinges creaking.
"...Um... Phantasm King-sama...?"
"Yep! My true identity, the secret behind the Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Alice-chan, is... Ta-da! The Phantasm King!"
She shed the kigurumi with a flourish, revealing her black-hooded form. The color drained from the parents' faces instantly. In one fluid motion, they dropped into a dogeza.
"W-W-We are terribly sorry! W-We had no idea you were the Phantasm King-sama..."
"P-Please forgive our insolence..."
Perhaps remembering their high-spirited conversation from moments ago, both offered their apologies while trembling. Alice nodded with satisfaction and spoke with an air of self-importance.
"Well, it’s only natural you didn't notice. While I am the Phantasm King, I am also a top-tier performer—a beautiful existence whose every movement is perfectly refined. And as luck would have it, I’m offering a special price on my Performer Instruction Manual—Fugya!?"
"...Stop it already."
"K-Kaito-san!? I-I was just teaching them the proper mindset—Migyaaaaa!? My cheek... You're pulling it... It’s gonna come off, it's gonna come o-off!"
"Get over here."
"Nyaaaaa!? Don't move while you're still pulling... I-I'm sorry! I got carried away!"
I punched the idiot for trying to scam the terrified couple and marched her away. I’d been a bit soft on her lately, so it was time for a long-overdue lecture.
"...Hey, Sieg-chan? Is that person really the Phantasm King-sama?"
"She is."
"...But she’s being made to sit in seiza and is getting scolded by Miyama-kun."
"...She is the Phantasm King-sama."
Dear Mother, Father—I’ve finally met up with Rei-san and Fia-san. It’s a simple update when put into words, but thanks to a certain idiot, the whole process took an exasperating amount of time. So, yeah. It’s been a while, so I think I’ll give her a thorough lecture.
Alice-chan is stupidly cute.