Chapter 1647: Within the Night As It Grows Late ①

I’m curious about what’s going on with Alice’s strange attitude, but after that, I felt like she enjoyed the Founding Festival normally without any questionable behavior.

[Things are going well, eh?]

[You’re surprisingly good with your hands, aren’t you, Kaito-san? I wonder if that has something to do with the fact that you are good with the fact that you’re good at Rubik’s Cube?]

[Indeed, I guess I’m kinda good at detailed work…… Errr.]

At a street stall, they had this game where you would trace complex shapes written on a board using a pen magic tool, and the prizes one could receive seemed to vary based on how far one can advance by tracing. It’s quite challenging though, as you can’t trace the same line and stopping the pen for a certain amount of time results in disqualification.

However, as Alice pointed out, I’m quite dexterous with my hands, so I’m making good progress and was able to get past the halfway point.

Incidentally, the play equipment itself is a magic tool, so there’s no way for one to cheat when they make a mistake.

[……What about you, young lady? Are you not going to start? If you keep worrying about it before you even start, even things that could go well never will, you know?]

Disqualification for stopping the pen for a certain amount of time applies after starting. There’s no issue with waiting as long as you want before starting though.

However, it’s a relatively time-consuming game, so the shopkeeper asked Alice, who hasn’t started yet despite paying, with a puzzled tilt of the head, to which Alice looked as if she just remembered it.

[Ahh, that’s right…… There, done.]

[…………Eh?]

After muttering a few words, Alice moved her pen as if she were lightly drawing a straight line before reaching the goal in a single breath.

To be honest, when it comes to this game, it’s not about visual acuity or physical abilities, and instead, the dexterity of the hands is crucial. And Alice is overwhelmingly excellent in this area.

Even if the line to be traced was only the exact thickness of a pen’s nib, she would be able to trace it without the slightest deviation.

[Come on, Kaito-san. You’re getting into the hard part~~ Are you gonna be able to clear this?]

[Kuh, the path certainly is getting all winding……]

Alice, showing a cheerful expression without a hint of concern for the bewildered shopkeeper, handed over her completed tracing. Rather than the game itself, she seemed to find watching me struggling more enjoyable.

As we were walking around some of the stalls, I heard some lively music, so we moved over there. There, in what seemed to be a plaza, people dressed in ethnic costumes were performing a lively dance.

How should I say this…… It was a unique dance, smooth and sharp in its movements. Even though I wasn’t very knowledgeable about dances, I could still tell how excellent they are.

[……Is that belly dancing?]

[It does feel like that. It’s a traditional dance from an area in Hydra Kingdom.]

[The music and dance certainly do have that kind of feel. It’s like it has history……]

[Being known for being an innovative country, Hydra Kingdom is often misunderstood as a place that only has new things, but they actually held many traditional aspects passed down from olden days. In the first place, Hydra Kingdom was a country formed by the merger of several small nations, so they also had many unique cultures…… They positively embrace new challenges while also showing respect for the old, and in festivals as big as this, there are many who perform such traditional arts.]

[Heehhh……]

Come to think of it, during the era when Neun-san traveled, rice was being grown in the remote areas, and there were unusual events such as Flying Boards, giving Hydra Kingdom the impression that they weren’t just a country brimming with new things, but with unusual things as well.

How should I say this…… Hydra Kingdom sure is an interesting country. This is just my personal impression, but I feel that the country’s policy, under Laguna-san’s lead, is to respect what the people produce. This resulted in a country that is innovative and challenging, yet still retains a variety of their traditions.

[Hearing that, I think Hydra Kingdom really is great, but does it not have faults?]

[Of course, it has. For instance, there are quite a few people who don’t resonate with the national doctrine of the country. While good traditions were undoubtedly left behind, the rapid shifts in trends mean that anything that only got half-baked popularity would quickly become obsolete. In this country, to achieve success, one must adapt to the rapid changes. Because of this, many trading companies that couldn’t adapt have withdrawn from Hydra Kingdom.]

[When you think of it that way, this country does seem to be fairly meritocratic……]

[That’s right. While it’s not the case for everyone, this is a country where individuals are often sifted through based on their abilities and luck. Well, that’s exactly why Gorilla-san likes this country though……]

Yeah, a fiercely competitive national doctrine would certainly be appealing to Megiddo-san. Also, there’s certainly Alice who casually refers to Megiddo-san as “Gorilla-san”, but with me recognizing that she’s referring to Megiddo-san as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, I guess I’m also being a bit rude.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [What an ominous subtitle. Isn’t it kinda implying there’s gonna be an event happening at night……]