"Hey, Klye. Um... when do you think it'll be ready?"
"Huh? What?"
Citry, who seemed to have mostly finished her business dealings, came up to me fidgeting with her hands while I was in a relaxed, all-cares-off kind of mood.
Apparently she'd made quite a bit of profit from trading potions and coordinating the Lanterns. She looked in an incredibly good mood.
And when Citry's in a good mood, I'm in a great mood too.
I eagerly opened the box of premium chocolates she'd bought for me and was plucking out gem-like chocolates one by one when she swiftly circled around behind me and draped herself over me.
"Oh, Klye... you're so mean. So mean. Actually, I was hoping to get a fox... I've got so many things I want to do."
"...Ah, that thing, huh..."
I had absolutely no memory of it, but I nodded convincingly anyway.
I'd been surrounded by foxes lately, but here "fox" probably meant the Fox Mask Appreciation Club (Tentative). Come to think of it, what was the official name of that club again? Oh well.
I popped a chocolate in my mouth and said to Citry: "I'm not giving you one."
"!?"
"Besides, it wasn't originally mine to give..."
"Eh... wh, at... no way! You... you lied to me!? Klye!?"
I heard a hiccupping sound, like someone swallowing hard. It wasn't so much a lie as I had no memory of ever saying I'd give her anything.
"I already did so much for you..."
I counted off on my fingers.
I pushed the Lanterns, Liliz, and Luke on you, didn't I? I pushed the little fox girl on you, didn't I? I made Sora make fried tofu, didn't I?
Even if everything was just how things played out, I'd been way too casual about it all. If one mask would earn my forgiveness, that'd be fine... but how did things end up like this? It was beyond me.
"I wanted to do that too! I wanted to!"
Citry pressed her chest against my neck and swayed my shoulders back and forth. I brought a chocolate up to her mouth.
She shook her head no, no. She was regressing to infancy...
You say you wanted to do "that" too, but I never intended to do "that" in the first place! ...Come to think of it, what even is "that"?
"Klye, you're terrible! You owe me money, and yet! I even bought a kitchen to make fried tofu for you!"
"Ahahaha... Citry, you're so kind."
"What's so fun about making me cry!?"
"Citry, you're really good at fake crying..."
Seriously. I'd been tormented by Citry's fake crying since forever.
Being the youngest of three siblings, Citry was surprisingly skilled at navigating social situations and getting her way. But hitting me isn't going to get you anything.
Of course, I did want to pay back the debt someday, but buying a kitchen was pocket change compared to a ten-digit debt.
She clung to me like she was piling on, but Citry was light, had a great figure, and was even holding back, so I felt absolutely nothing.
"Ugh... fox. My fox... ugh! ...That's right! Klye... can you still say the same thing after seeing this?"
"Hmm?"
At that point, Citry pulled away and clapped her hands twice.
Kirukilu, who'd apparently been waiting nearby, entered the room. But his outfit was different from his usual boomerang pants.
Despite the heat, he was bundled in a bright red jacket and wore a bright red hat over a paper bag. And above all, a large bag was slung over his shoulder.
It was an image that would make any child burst into tears. But I couldn't help but snap my fingers at that iconic silhouette.
"Got it! He's Santa Claus from the White Oasis!"
The most famous name for a Phantom in this world.
The Santa Claus that appeared in the Level 2 Treasure Hall, White Oasis, was a mysterious Phantom who would spend one night with children on specific dates and leave behind presents.
It seemed the Treasure Hall had manifested the memory of an ancient custom, and now similar events were held in various countries modeled after that iconic appearance. Unfortunately, the White Oasis wasn't in Zebuldia, so I'd never been, but as a child I'd once dreamed of going.
Incidentally, there was apparently a certain probability of children being kidnapped, making it dangerous to visit without a Hunter. Truly a Phantom, after all.
But Santa Claus was supposed to look like a sturdy, early middle-aged man. He was definitely not some long-armed musclebound creature.
Citry, seeing my eyes light up, repeated the same thing in a sulky voice.
"Can you still say the same thing after seeing this? Hey, can you still say the same thing after seeing this? Hey."
Kirukilu turned the bag upside down. Something tumbled out onto the carpet, and my thoughts froze at the unexpected object.
What had been inside the bag was — human-shaped. Well, human-shaped was putting it — it was a child. A human girl.
The child, roughly dumped out, stirred and lifted her head. I felt like I was going to throw up again.
I averted my gaze and looked at Citry, and my beloved childhood friend was looking smug for some reason.
I looked at the child again. Seeing her standing up, I felt my heart stop all over again.
The child wasn't — just a child. Even if my brain was empty, I could at least remember a face I'd seen recently.
Immaculate silk-like hair, intelligent eyes. An ethereal quality about her.
The child was — Her Highness. Princess Murina, daughter of the Zebuldia Emperor. This was bad. I wanted to run.
Of course, Princess Murina wouldn't normally end up inside Kirukilu's bag. So that meant she'd been put in there through non-normal means.
Even if the Zebuldia Emperor was an easygoing person, I couldn't imagine he'd approve of putting the princess inside a musclebound magical creature's bag. So this was, possibly — kidnapping?
...If I'm reincarnated next time, I want to become a stone.
"Well, how is it? What do you think? My masterpiece — Kirukilu Number Two!"
So you literally created it to kirukil me?
Citry said in an excited voice. That voice — was the voice of someone wanting to be praised. I'm not going to praise you!?
"Wh-where did you kidnap her from?"
"Huh? I extracted her blood and created her. It was a lot of work. I tried really hard."
"!? !??"
This was bad. The chocolate I'd eaten earlier was about to come back up. My heart was pounding in a bad way.
Created? Did Citry just say she *created* this!? Kirukilu Number Two looked more and more like the real princess the longer I stared. But looking closely, she seemed a touch taller, and more importantly, even the real Princess Murina, who'd been skittish through the latter half, wouldn't have been kidnapped without uttering a single word.
Was Citry's mind... the lowest mountain range?
Which was better — kidnapping or this?
To me, lost in the depths of confusion, Citry said: "How about it!? I worked so hard to create a new magical creature! And yet, Klye, are you really going to refuse to give me my fox!?"
"Wait — are you threatening me!?"
"Huh?"
"Huh...?"
Citry widened her eyes, and I involuntarily widened mine too.
The princess quietly blinked and looked at me, opening her delicate lips. In a beautiful voice like the chime of a bell, she said: "Kirukilu..."
No, no — just think about it normally. Creating a doppelgänger of the princess would obviously be a problem, right!?
What was with her? Did she live purely out of curiosity? I'd always thought Citry's thirst for knowledge went a *little* too far!
The princess marched up to me and stood there as if awaiting orders. Since she was in the princess's form, I wanted her to go back to her country, but if she returned, there'd be two princesses.
The only saving grace was that Franz wasn't here.
"..."
"..."
Silence filled the room.
Think. What do I do? Come up with a brilliant scheme, Klye Andrich! You can do it! Even a situation like this — with a brilliant scheme — no, even if I were truly a master strategist, this would be impossible.
This was bad, my brain wasn't working at all. I forced open my completely uncooperative mouth.
"...A winner came out, so there's another one?"
"Klye, um... my experiment was a success. Please praise me."
"...Citry, you're amazing."
I reflexively turned into a praise machine as Citry thrust her head in front of me. A nicely shaped head. I ran my hand through her smooth hair, then — remembering this wasn't the time — switched to a chop on the head. Citry let out a happy squeal. The one who wanted to squeal was me!
"By the way, in the process, three people sacrificed themselves for the princess."
I drove Citry's words from my mind and continued thinking.
Wait... body double? Could this work as a body double? If I asked Gaark, could he cover up Citry's experiment? But this Kirukilu Number Two — Kirukilu Girl — could only say "kirukilu."
"I made it in time for the match. Hehe... I'm looking forward to unveiling it at the competition!"
No, no — bad idea. Absolutely do not unveil her.
Alchemists were allowed to use magical creatures in matches, but it was already known that I'd extracted blood. This would be a problem.
What? Did I have an iron heart or something? Besides, the Zebuldia Emperor would surely attend the Martial Emperor Festival too.
Think. Come up with some way to smooth this over. Even Citry, who was usually reliable, was no help right now. I stood up.
"Alright... let's leave it to Eva."
In the activity report, Stoguri Communication (82) has also been updated!
The character design introductions and other things that were previously behind mosaics are now available. Check it out!
— Tsukikage Update notice: @ktsuki_novel (Twitter)