“It’s about time you fulfilled your promise.”
To the Queen, who suddenly appeared without any rhyme or reason, I raised a stupid, “Ha?”.
“The date promise! I won’t let you say you forgot! If you do say it, I’ll tie you up!”
— Aa, THAT, huh? I completely forgot. Of course I don’t let that out of my mouth.
“That’s fine, but … can I ask you something?”
The Queen’s ear tilted a bit and above her head a “?” mark floated up.
“Do you know of any place with these flowers blooming? If there is one, I’d definitely like to have the date there, see.”
So saying, I showed her a screenshot of a real-life sakura tree in bloom.
While slowly gazing at the sakura in full bloom, peacefully nibbling at the food, drinking just a little sake; I personally prefer to bask in this elegant feeling … but you can’t hope for that in real-life.
“This, huh … the shape is just a little different, but there is a tree with blooming flowers that looks quite like it, you know?”
I didn’t have much hope for it, but if there is then it’s a great stroke of luck.
“I see; then let’s spend out time quietly there. What area is the place in? Fairy Country?”
To those words the Queen returned an unexpected answer.
“No? It’s near the human city Faust, though?”
And so the next day. I made enough food for flower-viewing, and await the Queen’s arrival.
5 minutes before the promised time, the Queen arrived.
“Ara? It’s not the appointed time yet, ne?”
The Queen is flustered, so she points out that there’s still 5 minutes to go.
“Making your partner wait isn’t a good hobby to have, after all … I finished cooking too, so I came here early.”
To this the Queen’s expression softened.
“That’s true, that way is undoubtedly proper.”
Well then, shall we head out to our goal immediately…
“Then, Queen. My bad, but please lead the way.”
By the way, the Queen’s clothes that she’s wearing are proper-looking clothes that an ordinary towngirl would wear.
Maa, it would be found out that the Queen had come, na; if she wore that flashy dress then it wouldn’t be like a date. I’m grateful that she had thought of it that far.
“Yes, then this way.”
And through the largely unpopular gates of Faust, because there’s normally not a Field in front of it, the two of us passed through. At that time, the two of us were completely unaware of the existences that were following behind us.
“Here it is.”
We walked a few minutes. With the Queen leading, we reached our goal…
“Oo, this is superb…”
There, it was only 2 trees, but there were weeping sakura trees in full bloom.
“Fufu, do you find it to your satisfaction?”
The Queen asked with a satisfied tone.
“Aa, it’s more than enough. This is really a superb spot…”
And then, lay out a sheet to substitute for a simple mat, and when you put the food on top of that, the flower-viewing preparations are instantly complete. I sit down and settle in with the Queen.
“… It’s beautiful, na.”
I absently mutter. The petals dance in the
wind, and the weeping sakura faintly sway. For this spectacle that isn’t so simple to go and see in the real-world, although this here is virtual reality, you forget that in an instant.
“Is that about me?”
The Queen asked with a face flushed red.
“Of course, I’m obviously talking about the sakura … oi, that hurts.”
Suddenly getting sulky, and then pinching people’s cheeks … What are you going to do if it bruises.
“Mou! Why won’t you sweeten the mood!?”
Her getting mad is also a problem. It can’t be helped, so I line up the food prepared for this to make eating easier.
“Ma, carefreely eating a meal here isn’t so bad either… If you keep sulking like this, I’ll eat it all myself, you know?”
While muttering, “For crying out loud,” and the like, the Queen brought out the Fairy Country’s sake with the weakest alcohol percentage. It’s a sake with carbonic acid in it like champagne; this is something I asked the Queen to prepare.
“”Cheers.””
Both of us slowly taste the sake in tiny glasses.
When I had finished 1 glass of sake a sakura petal fell into the glass…this can also be thought of as elegance; the Queen poured another for me, and I refilled the Queen’s glass.
Afterwards, while gazing at the sakura, with few words we enjoyed the flower-viewing peacefully.
The Queen leaned her body-weight on me, but today at least I guess it’s fine … that peaceful flower-viewing time is abruptly ended with an alert.
(Shuffle … shuffle … “Don’t make any sounds!” “Hey, I can’t see!” “Damn you, Dear Sister…!” … shuffle …shuffle … “That Queen is …” “So that fidgetiness from this morning, it was because of this” “That state of affairs is, uwaa~”)
“Queen.” “Yeees?” “I give you permission.” “Yes!”
After that back-and-forth, the Queen invoked her personal magic, Ice Stream; when that magic settled down … the Queens 6 aides + Dragon-chan, a total of 7 ice-sculptures were completed.
“So, how long have you been following us? Come on, confess immediately!”
The Queen in a completely fallen mood, with the rose whip I lent her in one hand, turned to interrogate the 7 people … but.
“Say, it’s just because of THAT that she’s been excited all yesterday … na?”
“Yes, I thought that something was clearly up as well, ne.”
“Leaving something so interesting alone would be impossible, impossible!”
“Even though our intentions were to be your escort in case you got found out …”
“I think using Ice Stream all of a sudden was mean.”
“We have to firmly restore that sloppy facial expression after all.”
What, the Queen’s 6 close aides already knew since yesterday something was up – ! Or like, how frank they’re being. The Queen’s red face, is it embarrassment or is it anger?
“I am obligated to obstruct Dear Sister from sneaking a headstart nojyaa!”
Dragon-chan noticed it today and became flustered, but there she met the 6 aides, and so for the sake of taking a screenshot of the Queen’s weakpoints, she cooperated and hid with them.
Dragons and fairies don’t get along, jya .. Even though she says that, “It’s the implied rule not to war with each other on the humans’ territory, jya,” she refuted.
After that, it became a party with the 7 added later.
As for me, even later on a screenshot taken of the Queen and I with an indescribable mood going on was exposed … that is something for another tale.