The ceremony continued even after the message from the First Hero—Noin-san—was broadcast to the crowd. However, staying until the bitter end would have taken hours, and I had no intention of sticking around for the entire duration.
"Well, now that we've seen the main event, Kaito-san and I are going to head back. What about you two, Noin-san?" Alice asked.
"Oh, we're going to stay and have a word with Laguna and Falce," Noin-san replied.
"There's a scheduled intermission halfway through the ceremony, after all~" Hapty-san added.
It made sense. As former members of the Hero Party, it was only natural that they’d want to greet their old comrades, Laguna-san and Falce-san.
With that, we parted ways with Noin-san and Hapty-san. Alice and I once again made use of Gluttony-san’s Teleportation Magic to zip back into the heart of the festival and resume our tour.
"I have to say, even if it was just a coincidence, going around as a group of four was actually quite nice," Alice remarked.
"Yeah... By the way, Alice?"
"What is it-ssu?"
"Why exactly have you been acting so suspicious all day?"
"Buh... wh-wh-wha—?!"
The encounter with Noin-san and the others had temporarily derailed the conversation, but I still hadn't received an answer as to why Alice had been in such a bizarre mood. She had mentioned earlier that she’d tell me later, and that it would somehow involve me in the end. With the Founding Anniversary Festival now moving into its final stages, I figured it was time to press the issue.
In response, Alice became visibly agitated. Her face flushed a deep crimson, and her eyes darted frantically from side to side.
"Wh-why do you still remember that-ssu...?"
"On the contrary, why did you think I'd forget? The way you were talking made it sound like it wasn't relevant in the moment, but that it would definitely come up later. In the first place, if it's something that involves me, what are you even—"
"Ah! Look at that delicious-looking food stall over there! Come on, Kaito-san, let's go!!"
"Wait, hey—whoaaaa?!"
Abruptly forcing the subject to a close, Alice grabbed my hand and took off with incredible speed. Needless to say, my physical strength was no match for hers; I was left with no choice but to be dragged along in her wake.
Hmm. It seemed she still wasn't ready to talk. If she was refusing to speak up now, did that mean she was waiting for tonight?
"...I've secured the location. I already slipped word to Kaito-san’s household in secret... Everything is perfectly prepared... All that's left is my own courage..."
"What was that? Did you say something?"
"It's nothing-ssu!!"
"You definitely don't look like it's 'nothing'..."
She had mumbled it so quietly that I couldn't catch the specifics, but the look of sheer, dead-serious determination on her face left a lasting impression.
I really had no idea what she was planning...
Serious-senpai: "Ah, it's over... This is the Seaside Cottage Route through and through..."