On the cobblestone path illuminated by warm lanterns, I ate a skewer I'd bought from a stall while letting my gaze drift.
Machina-san was right in front of me, happily munching on some grilled squid. She really did leave a completely different impression than the usual Eden-san.
According to Alice, when she was Eden-san, she was constantly conscious of her own dignity and put on a persona; her current personality was her true self. Whether her usual self actually possessed any dignity was a separate issue, but I felt like I’d gotten to know Machina-san much better today.
A fair amount of time had passed since we started our walk through the fair, and Machina-san hadn't lost control once. To be more accurate, Alice was so quick to sense the symptoms that she shut them down before a rampage could even begin.
Whether Alice’s foresight was simply that incredible or she was just more attuned to the signs than I was, we hadn't faced a single dangerous moment yet.
"—Ah! My child is looking at me! This is surely a sign that he wants to be pampered by his mothe— Ghugh!?"
Even now, Alice had cut her off mid-sentence by driving a sharp knife-hand strike into her throat. It was a remarkably swift display of judgment and action.
"...Alice, listen. Even if you're trying to stop her, maybe you could use a more humane method? A throat chop seems a bit brutal."
"As long as she doesn't go wild, it works."
"It's hard to argue with that."
Above all else, Alice didn't hold back at all with Machina-san, likely because they were best friends. That lack of hesitation was clearly the key to her rapid intervention.
Part of me wished Alice would always be around whenever I met Machina-san, but when I’d mentioned it earlier, she told me in a dead-serious tone, "My stomach would literally explode, so please give me a break." She must have been focusing intensely on her foresight to manage this.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, Machina-san suddenly clapped her hands together with a bright smile.
"Mmm! That was fun! I got to see my child’s cute side and we had a great time at the fair. I’m satisfied!"
"Huh? Are we calling it a night?" Alice tilted her head as she asked.
Machina-san let a mischievous smirk play across her lips.
"No, it's more like 'I'm' done for now... I have some things to discuss with Shallow Vernal, so you two should enjoy yourselves as lovers from here on out. I've set it up so that fireworks will go off in about an hour, so make sure you stay for those. By the way, the area around the shrine over there is the best vantage point."
If I took her words at face value... she was satisfied with our time as a trio and wanted Alice and me to have a date.
Was she being considerate? It made sense; she probably wanted to look out for her best friend.
The proposal itself was very appealing. Exploring with the three of us had been fun, but a stroll with just Alice would have a different kind of charm.
Alice watched Machina with a suspicious look, then whispered in a low voice that I couldn't hear.
"...What are you up to?"
"Hehe, it's an opportunity, Alice."
"For what?"
"Look, I’ve made sure that My Child won’t be able to remember anything that happened in this space once he returns to the other world... So even a shy girl like you can flirt with him as much as you want without any consequences!"
"Wh—!? I knew you were plotting something, but that’s just stupid..."
"Think of it as a little reward for all the help you've given me lately. Go nurture that love of yours! See ya!"
"Wait! Machina!?"
Machina flashed a wicked grin at the blushing Alice and vanished. Left behind, Alice let out a long, heavy sigh.
While she wasn't thrilled about being set up, the proposal was undeniably tempting. If Kaito was truly going to forget everything that happened here once they returned to Trinia, she felt she could afford to be a bit bolder than usual.
And Kaito’s expression made it clear he was on board... Alice felt a bit conflicted about being manipulated, but she decided that, for today at least, she might as well take the plunge.
Meanwhile, Machina returned to the white void. With a flick of her fingers, she opened a rift that revealed Shallow Vernal’s face.
"Do you have business with me?"
"I have a small proposal. Our contract stated that in exchange for bringing My Child here for one minute, I would provide information about the festivals in my world, right?"
"Yes. What of it?"
"Well, since I’ve already created a space that perfectly reproduces one of our fairs, I thought it would be easier for you to see it for yourself rather than just listening to a lecture. Would you mind if I temporarily moved that space into your world?"
"I see. I have no objection. Will you show it to me now?"
"No, I have some errands to run first, so I'll move it ahead of time and contact you later. Once I’ve finished the tour, I’ll return it to my world."
"Very well."
Machina closed the rift with a smirk once she had Shallow Vernal’s permission.
The things Kaito would forget were "events that took place in a special space within Machina's world." Events that took place in a special space moved to Shallow Vernal's world... fell outside that rule.