Chapter 1788: Intermission: Three Ladies' Pleasure Trip ①
It’s another world that exists between time and space. An extremely private space created by a World Creation that can’t be entered from the outside unless authorized by a particular person.
Until recently, this world was an endless grassland, but recently, a large mountain has been added to it. A majestic mountain that is called Mt. Fuji in another world and near it was an onsen ryokan located in a spot where it can be seen clearly.
[Ohh~~ That’s amazing. So that’s Mt. Fuji huh, it certainly looks quite magnificent.]
[Its colors are beautiful. Is its top part covered in snow? Snow? Is it snowing around here?]
[……No, it shouldn’t snow unless I tamper with this place’s settings, but as that mountain itself was created by Eden-san, it’s probably not something our common sense would apply to.]
Upon seeing Mt. Fuji, Lunamaria sounded impressed, Sieglinde muttered with an intrigued expression and Lilia explained with a somewhat resigned expression on her face…… The three of them are currently at the onsen ryokan that Lilia received as a thank-you gift alongside the mountain.
This also serves as a recovery from Lilia’s mental exhaustion, as even though it was an event that didn’t occur in this dimension, she had suffered quite a stomachache during Hydra Kingdom’s Founding Festival.
[Speaking of which, today is the launch of Miyama-sama’s tea brand, but was it alright for Lili to be here?]
[I’m basically not involved with what’s going on there after all. This isn’t like the previous times, where the contact point is our home either…… Well, I also have this feeling that if I stay in the mansion today, some sort of stomachache might come flying in from some strange source…… so you could say I’m taking refuge here.]
As they are currently on a private trip, Lunamaria doesn’t address Lilia as Milady but as Lili, to which Lilia responds with a wry smile.
In fact, Lilia’s tendency to draw trouble her way is extraordinary, so just as she says, if she were to stay at the mansion today, there might have been some stomach-churning issue coming from who knows where. Well, as Sieglinde mentioned later, even if she were to avoid it like that, she’ll inevitably have to face it when she comes back, so all she’s doing here is just postponing it……
[However, this other world building is a bit peculiar in shape. It’s made of wood, but it has a shape that I don’t see very often.]
[I’m looking forward to experiencing the culture of the other world like this. Kaito-san often expressed his fondness for onsens, so I’m also interested in the onsens of his world.]
Hearing Lunamaria’s murmur in front of the onsen ryokan, Sieglinde nods with a smile. Sieglinde has heard many times from her lover, Kaito, about his love for onsens. However, in Trina, onsens are a somewhat minor culture, and opportunities to experience them are scarce.
As she thinks about experiencing an authentic onsen today and hoping to invite Kaito if there’s a chance to go together with him in the future, Sieglinde’s expression is somewhat cheerful.
When they entered the onsen ryokan and reached their room, the three of them quickly had indescribably troubled expressions on their faces.
[……Milady, just a quick glance around, I could already see a lot of things I don’t know……]
[W- Well, this is an inn from the other world after all. I believe we would have to take off our shoes at this step.]
[I see…… What is that awfully low desk.]
[Isn’t it a desk for Spirits and other small-built species? With its height, we’d have to sit on the floor to be able to sit comfortably……]
It’s only natural, but in this otherworld-themed…… especially in this purely Japanese-style ryokan, there are many items that are unknown to Lilia and the others. Of course, since they haven’t experienced sitting on tatami mats, it’s not unreasonable for them to think that the table and cushions are meant for smaller species.
[No, that’s probably a table for us. In the other world, if I remember correctly, people sit on tatami mats with these cushions called zabuton or legless chairs called zaisu.]
[I- Is that so? They sit on the floor…… ah, no, on these tatami mats…… T- The culture differences are bewildering.]
[Sieglinde sure knows a lot huh?]
(T/N: Zabuton)
(T/N: Zaisu)
Upon hearing Sieglinde’s words, Lilia and Lunamaria both looked genuinely surprised. For them, these tatami mats are visually no different from the floor, and the idea of sitting directly on it was a bit difficult for them to imagine.
When Lunamaria inquired about why she’s so knowledgeable about them, Sieglinde lightly smiled and muttered.
[My parents’ friend is an otherworlder, and at our place, we also have a porch and garden inspired by his home. And so, I have a little knowledge about their culture. However, I have never directly met my parents’ otherworlder friend….. I may have met him when I was little, but within my recollection, I haven’t met him at all.]
[I see…… So, Sieg, what’s that thing?]
[……Ah, no, I don’t know what that is.]
Expressing relief at Sieglinde’s somewhat extensive knowledge of the other world, Lilia points to the “TV” in the room with a bright expression on her face…… but of course, Sieglinde, not knowing what it is, had a perplexed expression on her face.
Yes, this onsen ryokan is the one used by Kaito and Shallow Vernal, with its mechanical products modified into magic tools. However, since this world isn’t strictly Trinia, it’s technically outside the scope of the contract between Shallow Vernal and Makina, so items resembling mechanical products…… or rather, magic tools which can be said as their almost perfect replicas had been freely placed around the ryokan. As a result, the ryokan has become a place where various items, whose purpose are completely unknown to Lilia and the others, are scattered around.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [I feel like she probably just kept the same shape, and just replaced the power source and other parts of the mechanical products with magic crystals and magic formulas……]