Since I wasn't running a stall for the Hydra Kingdom’s Founding Anniversary Festival, I didn't have any particular preparations to make.
There was no fixed schedule for me to follow, so I felt quite relaxed. Usually, I’d have to worry about the crowds at the teleportation gates, but since I planned to travel via Alice’s teleportation magic, I didn't have a care in the world.
So today, with the festival just a few days away, I was wandering through the streets, enjoying a bit of aimless window shopping. Dates with my lovers are always a highlight, but there’s a distinct kind of fun in strolling through the city alone without any specific destination in mind.
Or so I thought, until I suddenly spotted a familiar figure at the edge of the street.
She leaned elegantly against a lamppost with her arms crossed, watching the passersby with an air of total composure. At a glance, she looked like she was simply people-watching, and her unique, dignified aura made her seem almost unapproachable. However, knowing her as I did, I could tell she was almost certainly in a bind. I decided to speak up.
"...Just checking to be sure, but are you lost, Falce-san?"
"Oh! You truly are my providential savior. Your timing is quite remarkable. To appear just when I am in such a predicament... it makes my maidenly heart—a thing I thought I'd forgotten long ago—throb with excitement. No, no, I don't mean to imply you are the one at fault for being too prompt; rather, I should be ashamed that I find myself lost and distressed so frequently. Still, despite knowing it is a habit I should break, when I think that being lost is what leads to our chance encounters, I find myself feeling that it isn't such a terrible thing after all. Not that I shouldn't strive to improve, of course..."
She stood there looking perfectly poised, but in reality, she was just a lost child who had reached her wits' end. I’d called out to Falce-san the Lost Child, and her eyes lit up as she launched into her usual, breezy chatter. I sometimes wondered if she could just use that eloquent talking speed to ask for directions, but she was so high-spirited that people would probably just think she was eccentric and avoid her.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Ah, that is a rather long story. Since fate has brought us together like this, standing and chatting in the middle of a busy thoroughfare seems a bit unrefined. If you're free, why don't we find a cafe and talk over tea? And please, don't worry about the bill. I would never ask the person who is about to look after me to pay. Consider it my rescue reward—please, eat and drink to your heart's content."
"Well, I don't have anything planned, so that sounds fine. I think there’s a cafe nearby. Shall we go there?"
"Indeed. The Sinfonia Royal Capital is your home turf, after all. You surely know the establishments far better than I, so I shall leave the selection entirely to you. Had this been the middle of a forest or the outskirts of Rigforresia, I might have been able to provide guidance. Though, I must admit, I have my own doubts about whether I could actually lead us to our destination, even in my own home."
For the time being, she seemed oddly calm for someone who was lost. However, I couldn't let myself be fooled. She’d been exactly like this during our first meeting at the Six Kings Festival, and she’d managed to keep Laguna waiting for days back then.
"Just to be safe, you aren't supposed to be meeting anyone right now, are you?"
"I am, but not today. Please, don't misunderstand—I haven't already missed the appointment like I did during the Six Kings Festival. It truly is still several days away. No one is waiting for me just yet, so you can rest easy."
"I see. Well, let's keep talking as we move."
I decided to forge ahead with her while continuing our conversation.
"Is being lost this time also related to that meeting?"
"Oh, what keen insight! Precisely. In fact, the person I'm meeting is Laguna again. She requested that I attend the Founding Anniversary Festival in a few days. Since she is an old friend, I couldn't bring myself to refuse, so I agreed to go."
"Ah, okay..."
"Laguna told me to stay home and wait for a pickup, but I had some other business to take care of, so I figured I’d head toward the Hydra Kingdom a bit early. I thought that no matter how poor my sense of direction might be, ten days would be a generous enough margin... Hahaha! And this is the result."
"...Wait. This is the Sinfonia Royal Capital, though?"
"...It truly is a mystery, isn't it?"
Laguna was right—she really should have stayed home. This woman is definitely someone who shouldn't be allowed to wander around on her own.
Serious-senpai: "...Someone who shouldn't be allowed to go out alone because he triggers events has run into someone who shouldn't be allowed to go out alone because she gets hopelessly lost."