After our chance encounter with Elise’s shop, we continued toward the central venue without further incident and soon reached the ceremony grounds in front of the Royal Castle.
The square was immense, and a massive crowd had gathered to match its scale. It was difficult to see exactly what was happening from our position, but the vibrant, shimmering flashes of magical light were visible even from a distance.
"I wonder what kind of performance they’re putting on?" I asked.
"I believe they’re performing a musical depicting the history of the kingdom, from its founding to the present day," Tre replied. "It’s a classic festival staple, but it's famous enough to be considered one of the main attractions."
"Heh, you’re quite well-informed, Tre-san."
"Hmph, leave it to me! I made sure to study up... in a magazine!"
Her knowledge seemed a bit shallow, but there was no doubt she knew more about the local customs than I did.
"They performed a 'Creation Story' at the White God Festival too," I noted. "I suppose theatrical plays like that are popular here?"
"As an event unique to a nation, it’s easy to understand," Cento remarked. "And since it’s about their own history, there are plenty of records to draw from, making it a very manageable production."
"The Demon Realm doesn't really have many events like this," Cien added, "so it feels quite fresh to us."
I nodded to myself. Since the Demon Realm wasn't divided into traditional countries, stories about the birth of a nation must have felt like a novel concept to them. I suppose Lilliwood-san’s Yugfressia was roughly the size of a country, but perhaps that was just the general culture or mindset of the Demon Realm.
"As expected, we can't see the VIP section from here," Tre noted.
"Hmm, to get a glimpse of that, we’d have to push quite far to the front. We could use flight magic to look down, but that would attract too much attention, so it’s probably not an option."
"Well, even if we can't see the musical, we can enjoy ourselves plenty just by looking around the stalls in the square... and—wait, what?"
In an instant, the sound vanished. Tre, Cento, and Cien were suddenly frozen mid-motion. It was as if time itself had ground to a halt.
"Forgive me, Miyama."
"Eh? Chronoa-san?"
"There was something I wished to confirm, so I halted time for everyone but you."
"A-Ah, I see... so that’s why it went so quiet."
It made sense now. Since time had stopped, the noise of the crowd had vanished into a sudden, eerie silence, and my companions had turned into statues. I understood the phenomenon, but why stop time so abruptly? And what did she need to confirm?
"...Um, Chronoa-san, what did you need to confirm?"
"Nothing major. I simply wanted to ask: Miyama, do you wish to see the ceremony’s performance from a closer vantage point? If you do, I shall personally escort you to the very front of the crowd."
"Oh, no, I’m fine. I’m not actually that interested in the play, and if I go all the way to the front row, it’ll be hard to double back and look at the other stalls later."
"I see. Very well... then there is no issue."
"Thank you for being so considerate, though."
"Think nothing of it. I would be unable to face Shallow Vernal-sama if you were to suffer any disadvantage while I am present. I am glad to hear it is not a problem. My apologies for the sudden interruption."
The moment Chronoa-san finished speaking, she vanished. Sound rushed back into the square, and the world resumed its motion.
"...Hmm? Kaito, is something wrong?" Tre asked.
"Oh, no. Shall we go look around at the nearby stalls?"
"Right. That sounds like a plan. Though, I must say, the crowd is getting quite thick."
"It is. Should we try a different street?"
There was no reason to stay in the square if we just wanted to see the market stalls. As Tre said, the density of people was becoming an issue; a less crowded area might have been more comfortable.
However, Tre shook her head at my suggestion.
"No, that’s not what I meant. I think we need to make sure we don't get separated, not even by accident... You see, I am a master of getting lost."
"...When Tre-neesama says it, the weight of those words is on another level," Cento murmured.
"...If you're aware of it, I wish you’d try a little harder to stay close..." Cien added.
At Tre’s declaration, the two sisters—who clearly spent a great deal of their lives dealing with Tre’s habit of vanishing—muttered with exhausted, heartfelt expressions.
But Tre was a 'Positive Monster' through and through. She didn't let their comments bother her and continued with a bright smile.
"In short, I believe we need a measure to prevent getting separated!"
"...I see. Well, I suppose you have a point, but what specifically did you have in mind?"
"Therefore, let's hold hands! Since all four of us holding hands in a line would get in everyone’s way, I'll hold hands with Kaito, and Cento and Cien can hold hands with each other!"
"...Um... Cento-san, Cien-san, what do you think?"
I understood Tre’s logic. Given her personality, I also knew she was mostly suggesting this on a whim. The problem was that if I refused, there was a very real possibility she would wander off and disappear into the crowd.
I looked to Cento and Cien for their opinions.
"If you could, please accept Tre-neesama's proposal..."
"To be honest, ever since we started our break, we've been on high alert trying to make sure she doesn't wander off," they admitted.
"...I understand."
As I suspected, the two of them were genuinely worried about her based on their past experiences. She had managed to get lost during the White God Festival, after all. If we held hands, even if she did get swept away, I would be with her, making it easy to contact the others.
"...You’re right. Then, Tre-san, let's hold hands as we walk."
"That's strange. This doesn't sound like a sweet, romantic atmosphere at all. It sounds more like we're holding hands to keep a toddler from wandering off."
"Because that’s exactly what this is..."
"Oh? This is different from what I imagined... Well, whatever! Alright, then let's set off! Forward!"
It was indeed nothing more than a safety measure, but being the person she was, she didn't dwell on it. With a bright, beaming smile, she took my hand and began to walk.
Despite being significantly older and taller than me, she acted like a total child. Then again, I suppose that was exactly where her charm lay.
Serious-senpai: "She’s the type who makes pretty aggressive approaches, but the reason it’s so hard to create a sweet atmosphere... is probably because of that innocent, childlike personality, isn't it?"
???: "Well, since Serious-senpai is the one pointing that out, I guess we can look forward to some somewhat sweet developments in the future."
Serious-senpai: "Wha—!?"