After we finished our idle chatter, we finally got down to business. Alice had initially told me that she wanted the three of us to hang out, but Machina had mentioned the word "festival" just a moment ago.
Did that mean we were going to spend our time at a festival? No, the White God Festival was still a ways off, and since she had summoned me to this specific space, it didn't seem likely that we were going to attend any event back in Trinia.
"Machina-san, regarding this festival... what are you planning?"
"Heh heh, don't you worry! I’ve got everything ready. Here we go!"
Wearing a smile full of confidence, Machina slid her palm through the air. The scenery shifted as if it were sliding on glass.
The sky turned to night, and the pure white void beneath our feet transformed into charming stone paving. From somewhere, the rhythmic pulse of festival music began to drift toward us.
Looking at the path illuminated by stall lights and the shrine-like building in the far distance, it was clear what she had created—this was modeled after a traditional Ennichi fair.
"This is quite the setup... wait, it looks strangely familiar."
"Yep! I modeled it after an Ennichi fair I visited with Alice a long time ago. Though I’ve made it much larger and increased the number of stalls."
"I see... It definitely feels nostalgic. It has that 'good old days' vibe to it."
It truly felt like a classic fair, and the atmosphere was inviting. It was a private reservation with no one else around, which had its own charm, but then something caught my eye.
"Machina-san, what about the people running the stalls?"
"Hmm? Oh, I’m having Paradise (Eden) handle that."
"What is that supposed to mean? That sounds like the setup for a horror movie..."
Listening to Alice’s exasperated retort, I peeked into a nearby stall. Standing there, wearing a hapi coat with her wings tucked away, was an Eden.
I looked at the other stalls. There was an Eden there too. Every single stall was manned by an Eden. What was this? It was creepy. I assumed they were something like Alice’s split bodies. Looking closely, their eyes weren't rainbow-colored but gray, so they were slightly different from the usual Machina.
"Well, that’s the situation, so let’s have some fun! Here goes, hup!"
With a bright shout from a smiling Machina, the clothes on all three of us—me, Alice, and Machina herself—swapped into yukatas. She had even been thoughtful enough to change our footwear into something resembling zori sandals.
The mood was really starting to set in. I could feel myself getting a little excited.
"This is bad... the sight of My Beloved Child in a yukata is too precious for words. Every inch of him is a high-value peropero point. I... I might not be able to keep my cool. No! Staying calm in front of such a cute Child is the real problem! That’s why, right now, I shall unlea—Ghebu!?"
Machina looked like she was about to flip a dangerous switch, but Alice’s backfist slammed into her face before she could finish the thought.
Without even glancing at Machina as she went sailing through the air, Alice let out an exasperated sigh.
"Good grief, I'm already dreading the rest of this trip. Well, at least it’s somewhat better here since I can hit her main body directly..."
"Alice... I appreciate you stopping me, I really do. But was that hesitation-free backfist to the face necessary? Couldn't you show a little more leniency?"
Despite appearing to have been sent flying, Machina returned to our side in an instant to lodge her complaint. Alice ignored her with a look of pure exhaustion and turned to me instead.
"Don't worry, Kaito-san. If Machina starts to go out of control, I’ll be here to put a stop to it."
"Y-Yeah, I'm counting on you. By the way, Alice... that yukata really suits you."
"A-Ah... thank you."
Alice was wearing a black yukata, and her golden hair stood out beautifully against it. She looked incredibly cute.
"My Child! What about me? What about me?"
"It looks great on you too, Machina-san."
"Ehehe, that makes me so happy! You look quite handsome yourself, My Child!"
Machina was wearing a white yukata, and she was undeniably beautiful. If only she didn't have that tendency to run wild, she’d be perfect.
Regardless, the preparations were complete. I suppose it was time to enjoy the fair at our leisure.
"Still, there really are a lot of stalls here."
"Yep! I’ve prepared everything from the classics to the more niche games. For example, there's the ring toss over there."
"WANAGE might be a bit too intense for someone with my physical abilities."
Even if it was popular, I really wanted to avoid that super-dimensional battle sport. It was fine to watch, but actually playing it was another story.
"My Child, are you alright? The ring toss you're imagining right now is the one from the otherworld, isn't it?"
"Oh... right. That's true."
I had forgotten. Ring toss wasn't originally a combat sport. The impact of seeing WANAGE in Trinia had been so huge that I’d accidentally let myself be tainted by that world's logic.
This was bad. Letting my mind be warped by those bizarre "battle sports" was as dangerous as accepting the idea that "maids equal superhumans." I had to be careful not to let myself be brainwashed.
Still, seeing Machina act as the voice of common sense was something I never expected. It was almost surreal.
Three Common Senses of the Otherworld that you're likely to be tainted by:
- WANAGE is a super exciting battle sport that requires immense combat power to play.
- A maid must possess a certain level of combat power to be considered competent.
- The most common food stall at any festival is always the baby castella stand.