43 42. Night festival two days ago.txt (2/2)

'Is it really that strange?'

'No, I thought he was around twenty. He's tall, and besides, he's soft-spoken: ......

Apparently, Maria thought I was much older than she was. However, I didn't expect the reason to be a manner. Then Rustyala also replies.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect. Just in case (...)

What?

Again, Maria expresses her surprise.

Although not as tall as me, Rustyala is also on the tall side. In addition, she has proportions that are comparable to those of an adult, making her look more mature than average. I'm sure Maria must have thought Rustyala was much older than that.

''Is that so surprising?''

Rustyala looks at me curiously.

I smile thinly and shake my head. I'm not that surprised.

But Maria still can't seem to contain her surprise.

”We are only three years apart and this is ...... so far. Taller, breasts ...... too.

She shakes her body with a wawa and compares her own body shape with Rustyala's.

It's certainly hard to believe that there is a three-year difference. That's how much difference there is in the level of growth.

As I look at Maria with pity, she notices my gaze and changes her mind and calls our attention to us.

'And age, anyway!　You two look like respectable adults, and they'll laugh at you for doing this!

That's what it comes down to.

If you look old, your true age is meaningless.

You don't have to worry about it that much: ......

'Feel the warmth in my eyes!　It's an embarrassment!

It's true that there are eyes that look at us who are making noise and smiling at us. But those are the eyes that look at people who are excited about the festival, not the eyes that look at the poor guy. And I think it's more of an eye that is admiring Rastiara's beauty.

Rastiara attracts people's attention just by being there.

His appearance does not allow him to be buried in the crowd. Perhaps that's why there are so many jealous eyes on me accompanying her. At first I tried to play it discreetly, but because of this I gave up early on.

''Hmph. Maria-chan's embarrassment makes me feel more excited. Did you think that I would stop at that level, Maria-chan?

Loving a shy Maria, Rustyala enthusiastically walked over to the reception desk for the shooting game.

Maria tried to stop her from doing so, but finally gave up in the face of Rastiara, who seemed happier the more she tried to stop her.

Shortly after, Rustyala receives a bow and arrows from the man at the reception desk, and the game begins.

The content of the game was to see how many animals in the field could be killed from a certain position. Apparently, prizes will be given according to the number of animals killed in time.

Rastiara nailed the arrows to the bow and carefully shot them one by one. Everything was flowing and accurate, a divine feat like an archer in a heroic tale.

When the person doing it is as good-looking as Rastiara, it is inevitable that they will attract the attention of the public. At first, children gather in amazement and curiosity to watch the challenger shoot animals one after the other, and the adults around them are caught in the act and glued to his presence.

By the time the hourglass that indicated the end of the game had fallen, most of the birds and beasts that had been released into the field had been killed.

As soon as it was over, the children who were watching around us began to shout ”wow, wow,” and the adults who were watching from afar also applauded Rustyala with applause.

''Huh--, it's unexpectedly fun.''

Rastiara murmurs with satisfaction, twirls his bow around like a dance, and even strikes a final, decisive pose in response to the gallery.

Rustyala then proceeds to applaud the applause and accepts the prize from the receptionist, whose face is drawn. However, she understands that she is an anomaly, so she chooses not a priceless prize, but a pretty necklace that she can get even with a low score.

Mostly wooden, but with one magic stone in the center, it's a piece of jewelry that's not too cheap or too opulent.

After receiving the necklace, Rastiala walked over to me and put it around Maria's neck.

''It's a gift from me, Maria.

'Ha, ha. Thank you. ......

Maria gave a small thank you, and the people around her looked at it with a smile.

I see.

It seems to have counteracted Rustyala's matureness by making it a gift for a child named Maria. With that, there might not be anything to be embarrassed about.

It would be conspicuous to challenge her in this situation. But now that Rustyala has stood out so much, it's inevitable that we will stand out.

In that case, I decided to do what I wanted to do--

'All right, then, I can't lose, either. I'm going to have to get my arms around you to make a present for Maria.

I really just want to do it, but I say it on purpose to sound like I'm making excuses for the people around me.

'Oh, no. It's nothing--

Well, let's do it!

Without letting Maria's refusal be the last word, I walk towards the reception desk. Seeing Rustyala's made me want to play too.

The reception desk was empty, as it takes a lot of courage to play next to the divine work I had just done.

I received my bow and arrows, and after the target was cleaned, the game began.

''-- Magic, Dimension, Decisive Operation (Gradient)''

I deploy my magic without being noticed.

You'd have to be a very talented person to notice the magic, but Rastiara, who is a very talented person, noticed my magic and erupted in laughter.

Since I can't finish it off as beautifully as Rastiara did, my goal is to focus on surpassing my earlier score. But with my lack of experience with the bow, I miss the first few shots. Even though I have the benefit of magic and skill, I don't seem to be able to do as well as Rustyala.

But after a few adjustments, I'm used to it.

His inhuman sensory organs and skills make his aim more accurate. Imitating Rastiara's earlier example, I continue to shoot arrows with status.

And perhaps because I wasted my MP and did it seriously, I succeed in slightly surpassing Rastiara's earlier score.

The people who were watching around him cheered, and the heat of the place gets even warmer.

I go to pick up my prize, and I'm torn between the choices. I'd be happy to give anything to Maria, but when it comes to accessories, there aren't so many to choose from. I have no choice but to accept a bracelet similar to the necklace I just gave you.

I'm going to walk over to Maria and hand it to her.

You see, Maria.

How very unpopular: ......

Maria takes it with a dumbfounded look on her face and quickly turns her back and tries to leave the place.

She probably wants to avoid standing out any more. It may simply be that she doesn't fit in with the noisy atmosphere.

'Well, wait a minute, Maria. I want to surpass Christ's score, so let me do it one more time!

Behind her, Rustyala was showing her a futile dislike of losing.

However, Maria leaves it alone and moves away. I have a feeling that if this is the case, it will develop into a mudslinging match, so I chide Rustiala.

It's a good idea to be able to have a good time. Let's go.

Err, win and run - ......

Rustyala is reluctant to leave, as if reluctantly.

We run small, trying not to lose sight of Maria, who is trying to blend in with the crowds, and pass through the curious eyes of those around us.

When we reached the point where we caught up with Maria, no one was paying attention to us anymore. We did attract a lot of attention, but it was just one of the many events of the festival. Once we were mixed in with the crowd, there was no one to look at us except for the envious eyes directed at Rustiala.

Rustyala calls out to Maria, who continues onward.

'You're not going to do it, Maria?　If you're worried about the money, I'll get it out of you. I'm the one who asked you out.

...... haha. There's no way you can do it after that. I don't mind, I've done it before when I was little.

Oh, you've done this before. Then that's good.

With that, Rustyala walks out in front of Maria.

Her eyes are not busy looking for something interesting to look at, and she goes through the crowd of people at the festival.

After a certain amount of walking, the riverside comes into view. There is a distinctly large crowd there, and it seems that some sort of event is being held there.

Rastiara finds it and excitedly pulls my hand away.

He's doing something by the river!

It sounds like you're doing something that can only be done on the water.

I remember the goldfish scooping in the original world and follow Rustiala with anticipation.

I don't want to get separated, so I grab Maria's hand with the one that Rustiala isn't holding. Then the three of us walked to the riverside store.

The river was netted upstream and downstream, and a large number of fish were being released in the space between them. The river was only about as deep as an adult's knee, and many people were eager to grab a handful of fish

An all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-grab fish grab game: ......?

I've seen this kind of thing in my world, so I'm a little disappointed.

But Rastiara looks like she's up for the challenge with a twinkle in her eye.

'I do!　Because next time I won't lose to Christ!

And while we're at it, he wants to compete with me.

Apparently, the earlier loss seems to have been a factor.

It can't be helped. If I don't participate, Lastiara won't be able to compete with you.

Although it was a game I'd seen before, I hadn't played it before. There was no doubt that it would be interesting and I had no reason to refuse.

We get in line to wait our turn and start chatting about trivial matters.

We pass the time by teaching each other about fish dishes with Maria and asking each other what Rustiala wants to eat - and then, when our turn is halfway through, we hear a voice from behind us.

''-- Huh?　Isn't that Christ and Mary?

A girl with a beast mask on her side of her head spotted us and approached us.

It is Arti, the Guardian of the Labyrinth, who is wearing multiple layers of clothing.

I'm a little more cautious and look around.

After confirming that Arti is alone, I breathe a sigh of relief and raise my hand in response. Maria also responded with a bow.

'Arti. Why are you here?

Because I'm not supposed to be playing with you?

No, it's not that bad.

Not bad, but seeing the labyrinth boss wandering around isn't good for my heart.

''I was playing with my friends from Eltralieu Academy just now. Right now, you don't have to worry about your pet peeve, Fran.

That's a relief.

As me and Arti are talking, Rustyala, who was behind me, starts laughing. Then, she comes over to us, looking like she's enjoying herself.

'Pfft, I'm incredibly surprised. Even though you're cute, it's quite doable (...), so I looked at you with my 'pseudo-god's eyes' and I didn't expect to see you--fufufufu.

The cheerfulness from Rastiara to a while ago has vanished, and he is radiating a clinging wariness.

Perhaps he saw (...) that Arti is not a human, but a quite capable boss monster.

In order to explain, I interrupt between Arti and Rustiala.

''Wait, Rastiara. This guy is my partner. I'll never--

It's okay. From the looks of it, I can tell it's not in the air. Um, Alty, is that right?　I'm Rustyala, nice to meet you.

Rustyala interrupts me and greets Arti.

'Ho. You're, uh, (...) - I see. I think I can get along with you. However, I'm embarrassed, so I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling me Changsha. I'd like to call you by your first name.

All right, Alty.

Mm, please. Rastiara.

They shake hands and smile at each other.

I watch them with trepidation. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. At that time, I'll take Maria alone and return home with my magic 《Connection》.

It's not as if he noticed that you are looking at him like that, but Arti spoke to me while laughing.

”You're a worrier. Christ is.''

I'm normal. So, what are you going to do now, Artie?

Yeah. I'm going to have a little fun with you guys too.　I won't be with you for long, though.

Well, if you'd rather play: ......

I really want you to go somewhere, but you're too heartless as a collaborator to treat me with disrespect here. I reluctantly allowed him to accompany me, even though I was reluctant to do so.

Hearing that, Rastiara becomes even happier.

''That's good. Well then, Arti, Christ and I will compete with each other. I'd like to see Arti-chan's abilities too.''

He is looking forward to competing with Arti, the guardian of the labyrinth (Guardian). But Arti refuses with a bitter smile.

''Let's refrain from doing that. I'm not good with water, so I'll just let you and Maria skip the field.

With that said, Arti declines to participate in the competition.

As per the theory, being a fire monster, Arti doesn't seem to be good with water.

I step back and start talking to Maria.

After that, it was my turn, so it was just me and Rustiala to challenge him.

I do my best to devise a plan to try and beat Rustiala. Because I know that's what Rastiara wants.

After all, Rastiara's desire is always to be able to play with all his might. I know that I can do that with him, and that's why he's with me.

I have a duty to make Rustiala happy. That's the kind of 'deal' I made.

Perhaps this is also one of Rastiara's dreams of 'enjoying the adventure' as he says. From Rastiara's appearance, I can somehow feel that.

However, it's not all about a sense of duty.

I suppose somewhere in the back of my mind, I also want to ”enjoy the adventure” of this other world. It's not so painful to go along with Rastiara.

As long as I can have fun and secure the strength that is Rastiara, I have no complaints.

I will use all of my dimensional magic to win the game.

As a result, the customers around me drew back, and the competition became a level of competition that made the shopkeeper pale - in the end, I was stopped by Arti with the use of my skills, and I was subjected to Maria's sermons for a long time.

Still, Rustyala seemed to be having fun.

I was having a lot of fun there, too.

And I thought it was a bit of a waste of time to realize that if only the labyrinth wasn't involved, we were kindred spirits.