Magical Explorer
CHAPTER-24: Sweet Spot
Today, my body feels unusually heavy. It wasn't just my imagination; even Mizumori-sempai appeared concerned as she glanced my way. There must be something wrong with me.
"What's wrong? You look kind of sick," Sempai remarked with a worried expression.
I offered her a weak smile in response. "Sempai, are you good at cooking?"
I already knew the answer, but I asked anyway. She was an excellent cook, specializing in Japanese cuisine, as per her character setting. However, throughout the game's events, she could learn to make a wide variety of dishes.
"Are you going to answer a question with another question? I can't quite figure you out," Sempai replied.
"Sempai, what do you think about food that glows like fluorescent paint?"
Sempai tilted her head in confusion. "Is that even considered food?"
To me, it didn't seem like food either. I could believe it was an attraction at a theme park or perhaps a firework display.
But there was one thing I knew for certain...
"That was a mind-bending weapon."
Ludi finally resurrected after a day of recovery. It turned out that you could reset the food's effects by sleeping it off. She appeared this morning with a red face, thanking me for yesterday and asking me not to tell anyone about it. Naturally, I had no intention of divulging her ordeal. She was a comrade who had survived the same battlefield, after all.
"I don't quite understand it, but perhaps we should leave it at that for today," I contemplated. If I were to face another torrent of mind-bending food, I felt I might be swept away. Not today.
"That's probably a good idea," I continued, thinking that if I were hit by another culinary waterfall, I might be washed away entirely. "I think I'll just go for a run today. I'm really sorry, especially since sempai came all this way."
After apologizing to Sempai and heading towards my usual running course, she grabbed my shoulder.
"Takioto-kun, that's not what I meant. I want you to take a break from training today."
"Eh, stop training? Won't I feel restless, get muscle cramps, or even hallucinate if I do that?"
"Are you experiencing withdrawal symptoms from not training!?" Sempai exclaimed.
I supposed it did sound like withdrawal symptoms.
"I just feel restless when I'm not moving my body..."
"Restless, huh... I've experienced that before an important match, but I think your case might be a bit more extreme."
Sempai removed her hand from my shoulder and motioned for me to follow her.
She led me to a shopping street a short distance from the academy. It appeared she had acquaintances in the area, as she greeted several people while we walked through the street.
"Takioto-kun, do you like sweets?" Sempai asked.
I nodded in response. "Yes, I do."
"I see. In that case, I think you'll like this."
With that, I began to anticipate our destination. However, Sempai suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Sempai, what's wr... That looks suspicious," I remarked, observing a woman wearing sunglasses and a hat, seemingly trying to conceal her blond hair. She also wore a mask over her mouth. While she wasn't as tall as Sempai, she was still considerably tall for a woman. Her smooth legs and small face hinted at a model-like appearance.
"You think so too?" I asked.
"She does seem rather suspicious. Should we approach her?"
Sempai began to walk towards the woman, and I followed suit, standing in front of Sempai and readying my magic power to transform my stole at a moment's notice.
"Excuse me, is something the matter?" Sempai inquired.
The woman turned to face us, and upon seeing me, she jumped in surprise.
"N-Nothing!"
Somehow, her voice sounded familiar. I had heard it recently too. When I took a closer look...
"Don't tell me..."
Before I could call her name, she turned and attempted to run away. However, I was prepared, and I swiftly captured her with Third Hand.
She struggled within the confines of my stole, and as her sunglasses slipped off, I saw her face.
"What are you doing? Ludi."
The suspicious person wrapped up in my stole was none other than Her Highness Ludivine Marie-Ange De La Trefle.
"Please, enjoy," the waiter said as he placed our desserts before us. Mizumori-sempai's table had a Matcha Tiramisu, while Ludi, who sat beside her, had ordered a Matcha Parfait. The Matcha ice cream in her parfait was adorned with plenty of strawberries and fresh cream, creating a mouthwatering sight.
Oh, how I wished I could have it all.
Perhaps I should order something besides my Matcha Chocolate Fondue.
"I didn't expect it to be Trefle-sama," Sempai whispered.
Ludi quickly swallowed a mouthful of her parfait and shook her head. "You're Takioto's master, right? You can call me Ludi. I don't like formalities."
I couldn't help but sigh softly. Sempai had felt obligated to use honorifics at first, just as I had. However, it was no longer necessary.
"At any rate, what are you doing here?..." I began to ask but stopped when Ludi stepped on my foot. It was evident she didn't want to discuss it.
"Right, I wanted to ask about Tsukuyomi Magic Academy. Would you mind sharing some information with me?" Ludi tried to change the subject forcefully, and Sempai answered her, looking somewhat puzzled. This exchange provided me with useful information as well.
"Is it possible for Sempai to enter the dungeon with me? It would be reassuring to have you as my partner."
When I asked, Sempai replied with a slight chuckle. "If it's the same as last year, then it's unlikely, as it was randomly selected. I'll inquire with a teacher I know, but don't get your hopes up too high, okay?"
I had meant it as a joke, but it was worth asking. In retrospect, I realized that if I asked Marino-san, I could likely choose my partner. But I already knew all the possible options. Wouldn't it be better if I guided the protagonist's actions?
"Thank you very much," I expressed my gratitude, and Sempai smiled in response.
"I have one more question. I've heard that there are many dungeons in this area, but can I enter any dungeon I like?"
"That's not quite the case. While you can eventually explore all of them if you do well, only two dungeons are available from the beginning. Even those two dungeons won't be accessible until some time after you enter the academy... it's a matter for the future, really."
I nodded in understanding. It seemed that the game's setting remained the same. Still, I was a bit concerned about the total number of dungeons. In the initial version, there were only twenty, but there were an additional six from the first limited edition bonus, five more from store-exclusive bonuses, eight from a DLC included with an illustration book, nine from another DLC that came with a fan book, and twelve more from the Majiero collection that could be bought at Winter Comiket. This brought the total to around sixty dungeons.
Releasing all those dungeons had certainly been quite an endeavor, especially the five from the store-exclusive bonus, which required purchasing one copy of the game from each participating store five times. I remembered how troublesome that had been, even enlisting the help of my friends so I could get a hug pillow of Sempai.
I reached for my Matcha Chocolate Fondue. Glancing at Ludi, who was about to eat some strawberries and matcha, I said, "What's up?"
"I was just thinking that it looks delicious," she replied.
With a smile, I extended my hand, thinking that if I ate the untouched part of her parfait, it wouldn't be an indirect kiss.
"Thank you very much," I said as I pushed my Choco Fondue towards Sempai. She understood what I meant and reached for it, her hand brushing against mine. I picked up my spoon and dug into the Matcha Tiramisu.
"Ahhh, it's so delicious," I couldn't help but exclaim, unable to contain my delight. The Fondue had been excellent, but the Tiramisu was even better. I made a mental note to order Tiramisu the next time I visited this place.
"Seeing you enjoy it so much makes me want some too," Sempai said, sounding slightly envious.
After that, the three of us shared our sweets.
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