Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 5 - Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

A Honeymoon and the Lily Flowers of Happiness

Flower fields unfurled themselves under the sky.

Red, blue, yellow, purple, white. Blossoms of every color stood shoulder to shoulder, swaying unsteadily. As they bobbed their heads, they emitted a scent that was enough to make passersby sigh.

The clouds drifted through the sky, casting shadows over the fields. The spring breeze was slightly cold, and it blew in strong gusts, stirring up the flowers. A hint of cool air mixed with the warm wind, and it felt so nice that if someone were to close their eyes, they would instantly drift off to sleep.

The broom’s passenger felt her lids begin to slowly droop.

“You mustn’t fall asleep, sister.”

Just as the girl closed her eyes, her little sister—in charge of steering the broom—tapped her on the shoulder, waking her.

“…I wasn’t sleeping!” The girl let out a yawn that resembled a sigh.

“But you looked like you might.” The other girl, puffing out her cheeks, stared fixedly ahead. “There are flower fields here, so that means we should be there soon.”

The two were travelers.

The younger sister steering the broom was named Avelia. Her white hair grew long enough to touch her waist, and she had a single black ribbon wound around her head. She, clad in a white robe, was a mage. Hence, the reason why she was handling the broom.

“But the view is so pretty… It’s making me sleepy.”

Behind her sister on the same broom was an older girl, Amnesia. Her hair was white, too, but it was cut short, and on her head was a thick black headband.

Amnesia was wearing a white robe that was identical to her sister’s, but she could not use magic. She had a single saber garnishing her hip, which was somewhat ill-matched to her robe.

“You’re probably sleepy because you stayed up late last night.” Avelia glanced at her sister in a way that was a little icy. “I told you to get to sleep early because we had an early morning today, didn’t I?”

“I did sleep early. And I woke up early.” More specifically, she had slept and awoken in the afternoon.

“That’s called an afternoon nap.”

“Leaving all that aside, where are we right now?”

“……” Avelia, pouting when her sister ignored her, stared straight ahead. “Seems like we’ll arrive soon. Probably.”

The flower fields meant they were closing in on their destination.

“I’m so excited,” Amnesia said lazily from the back of the broom.

“We’re not going there for vacation,” Avelia answered in a slightly sulky tone, but her lips softened.

Ahead of the girls lay a unique city.

A lovely place, completely enclosed in flowers.

The place was called Flower City.

It would be no exaggeration to say that everything there was covered in flowers. They were the only thing I could see as we were walking down the road.

There were so many flower shops lined up that it looked like they might outnumber the cafés and restaurants, but upon closer observation, many of them were just private residences decorated with a wealth of flowers. The town was so covered in flowers, it made me think that the people here must really love them. But then again, perhaps the flowers signified the household’s fortunes—like the more flowers, the wealthier the house? The displays were so splendid, it really made me wonder.

“Look, Big Sis! This one, and this one, too! All flowers!”

When she saw the state of the place, my sister scurried giddily around, pointing at the houses, carrying on about the varieties of flowers she found there.

My little sister had white hair growing down to her waist, wearing a robe of the same color. With her hair and robe swooping as she darted through the place, she looked not unlike a butterfly being lured in by nectar.

Come now. Where did my calm little sister go? I swear she was just here.

“It’s dangerous to frolic too much, Avelia.”

She turned around when I called her name.

“Big Sis, if you say things like that, we’ll never be able to find the Lily of Happiness, no matter how long we’re here.”

Oh, look. My rational little sister is back. Back to normal.

“…Mmm, that said…” I mumbled.

Our true purpose for coming to this country was not to sightsee. Of course, that was one of our aims, but we had come to solve an urgent problem we were facing.

That was, as my sister stated—

“We must find the Lily of Happiness and immediately procure funds. I’ll need your cooperation, Big Sis. Otherwise, we’re going to sleep hungry tonight.”

To summarize, we were currently searching for a specific flower so we could make some quick change. To simplify further, we were looking for the Lily of Happiness.

I didn’t think we were likely to find it among the many blossoms on the city streets.

We’d been told it was “a lily that appears before those who love beautiful flowers, and it never withers. It beckons happiness, and it’s super cool.” This was a rumor of questionable merit that we had coincidentally overheard in a foreign country, so we honestly had no idea if it was even true.

As soon as we overhead the rumor, we thought to ourselves:

“If we sold that lily, we could make a lot of money, huh?”

“Definitely.”

We were only novice travelers, and we had soon run into a bind when it came to making cash. To be honest, when we left the Holy City Esto, we really hadn’t taken along enough money to last us for a long voyage. Once we became travelers, we were constantly in need of funds, so we had drained our small savings very quickly. In short, we were really in a pinch.

I should have asked Elaina about how she makes money…

“Anyway! You need to be stupidly happy looking at flowers, Big Sis! Then the Lily of Happiness should appear.” Avelia was bouncing around. “Wow! There are flowers here, too!”

Gah! She’s too cute…!

“Come on, you too. Hurry!”

“……” For the time being, I forced a show of enthusiasm and approached a flower shop. “Oh my gosh! These are beautiful! How much are these flowers?”

This is so embarrassing. Kill me now…

“…Which ones?” The owner of the shop stuck her face out, looking quite annoyed.

“Huh? Um…these?” I had just been making stuff up, so I was stumped when asked to clarify.

“Uh, those are weeds.”

“……” Taking a closer look, I realized those flowers weren’t decorating the front of the store, but blooming on the weeds growing on the street.

How misleading!

“If you like, I’ll give them to you for free. Honestly, they’re a nuisance…”

“……” To gloss over the somewhat awkward atmosphere that had settled over the place, I smiled a little. “Um, does this shop have anything like the Lily of Happiness?”

The owner shook her head exasperatedly. “I get asked that a lot.” She continued, “I don’t have any here. Maybe you’ll have better luck elsewhere.”

We ended up making the rounds to all sorts of shops, but it was all utterly in vain.

There were some people who tilted their heads in confusion. “The Lily of Happiness…?”

There were some stores that handed us artificial flowers. “Ah, how about this?”

As if we’d fall for that.

In the end, we didn’t find our flower. It seemed to be a flighty thing, vanishing from sight like the sun behind the clouds. It was enough to make me cock my own head, wondering: Does such a flower really exist? …Wouldn’t we earn money faster if we worked normal jobs…?

“It’s so hard to find!”

That evening, we were comfortably installed at a local inn, but Avelia was in a terrible rage after spending all day walking around, smiling, to no avail. She was furiously rolling around on top of the bed, flailing angrily.

Stop! Stop! The bed is going to break!

“It wouldn’t be a rare treasure if it could be found that easily, would it?”

If the lily appeared before anyone who pretended to love flowers, you’d see it for sale at a bargain price in every flower shop.

“Big Sis, let’s try a different tactic tomorrow.” Avelia raised her head from where she had been lying facedown on the bed. “Sticking together is not very efficient. We should try to gather information separately.”

“You’re right.” I didn’t reject the idea. Acting like I was obsessed with flowers in front of my sister was all kinds of difficult, so I was on board!

While we were at it, I had a suggestion.

“Say, Avelia. If it’s all right with you, I think I’d like to try working a little while we’re here.”

“Huh? Why?” My little sister was super cute as she looked at me blankly with big round eyes.

Suppressing the urge to smile, I put up my index finger and spoke with a resolute demeanor. “Think about it carefully, my sister. The two of us are searching for the Lily of Happiness, right? But there’s a chance that we might not find it, right? And if we can’t find it, we will be left penniless, right? Wouldn’t that be awful?”

“…! So you’re saying you’re going to make money for us by working?! That’s my big sister!” she shouted.

“I know, right?”

Go ahead! Praise me more! I’m the type of person who gets better with praise.

“So starting tomorrow,” I continued, “I’ll make us money, and Avelia, you’ll search for the Lily of Happiness by pretending to be obsessed with flowers. This way you can do your search without panicking about our funds!”

“You got it! Thank goodness… As your younger sister, I was worried about what I would do if you became a slacker who always rode on the back of my broom and hardly worked…”

“You’re so mean.” That was why she was so happy?

“So how are you planning to make money?” She quickly went back to looking serious.

“Don’t worry. Leave it up to your big sister. I’ve got a plan.”

I wouldn’t make a suggestion without one in place.

“…And you’re not just foisting everything onto me and running away because you’re embarrassed to play the part of a girl who loves flowers, right?”

“I w-w-would n-n-never do that! I made my suggestion after I considered everything!”

“…Something’s fishy.” Avelia’s eyes were narrow as she stared fixedly at me.

“C-come on. Just watch. Tomorrow, I’m going to gather some capital for us. So you work hard and find the Lily of Happiness, Avelia.”

“Hm… I’m not really satisfied with that explanation, but I understand. I’ll do my best.”

Avelia slipped into bed, looking reluctant. She seemed to be quite sleepy after walking around all day.

“Well then, good night…” she said with a yawn, already half asleep.

“Good night,” I replied. “By the way, wanna sleep together?”

“Oh, I’ll pass.” Even if she was half asleep, her rejection was unmistakable.

“……” I went to bed in a huff.

When I woke up in the morning, my big sister was clinging to me, so I peeled her off. I had found it hard to sleep, and I guess this had been the problem.

My sister was the type to toss and turn—and maybe even torpedo—in bed. Even if she was tied up with a rope or something, she always managed to unbind herself in her sleep and get out of her own bed. I don’t think anyone has ever been able to stop her from doing this.

I woke my big sister up right away. “Wake up.”

I shook her shoulder violently, and after a little while, she opened her eyes.

“Ah…! Why am I in Avelia’s bed…?”

“It’s because you’re a fitful sleeper.”

“…Is your face flushed?”

“Y-you’re imagining things.”

In any case, this is how our second day in Flower City began.

“Beautiful flowers—a passionate red! These blue flowers are as lovely as the ocean! Ah! These are yellow like the sun! Ahh…my heart feels pure again…”

I walked through the town acting like an idiotic girl, both arms spread wide, looking like I might burst into song any second.

“Ahh…! I’m just so jealous of the people in this city who get to live their lives surrounded by these flowers!”

Whenever the people around me shot glances my way, I never failed to play it up. “I just looove flowers!”

By the way, that earned me more blank stares and a “What’s with that weirdo?”

“Mr. Flower Seller! What’s this flower?”

“Those are weeds.”

“…… What great weeds!”

Weeds again? Well, that was a waste of time.

At any rate, I made my best effort and walked through the town.

“Aaah… This flower is really, um…something…”

I tried. But thinking of ways to praise flowers around the clock was harder than I’d expected.

“Oh, you have so many flowers… These ones are, you know…”

Lily of Happiness… Come out, come out, wherever you are…

“…Wow, beautiful…”

I can’t do this anymore…

“…………………………………………………Sigh.”

I reached my limit around lunchtime. I plopped down on a bench in the town square and sighed, utterly exhausted. “It’s a lily that appears before those who love beautiful flowers, and it never withers,” according to the stories, but what the heck did that mean? Those who love beautiful flowers? That’s where they lost me.

First of all, I had spent half the day playing the part of the girl who loves flowers, but not a thing had appeared before me. Were the stories really true…?

I sighed again. “…………………………………………………Haaaah.”

However, that noisy exhale just now was not mine.

The person who had let out that sigh—far deeper and heavier than my own—was a girl who had taken a seat beside me.

She was beautiful, with striking waves of golden hair. From the hem of her sand-colored trench coat stretched slim legs clad in black tights, and I could see she had a fantastic figure. Her silhouette was so slim, it made me wonder if she might not be wearing anything else under the coat.

“…………………………………………………I want to die.”

Then she let out another deep sigh, wearing a worrying expression like the world was coming to an end.

Humans had short memories, so when I caught sight of someone who was more depressed than I was, I quickly forgot about my own troubles.

“…Um, what’s the matter?” I asked the girl sitting beside me, whose name I didn’t know, without thinking too hard about it.

She looked a bit surprised but turned her scarlet eyes toward me and nodded. “…Ah, I’m in a bit of a bind.”

“Oh-ho.” This was triggering the overachiever in me. “If you like, you could tell me your problems. Despite appearances, I’m often told I’m a good listener.”

Since my previous job as a defender of the public practically required me to know everyone’s business—for their own safety, of course—whenever I come across someone looking troubled, I always feel the need to get involved. That’s just who I am.

In other words, people say I’m nosy. Really, I’m cursed with curiosity.

“Oh… Are you sure…?” She giggled. “Then I might take you up on your offer.”

Now, at that point, a normal person would have surely said, “Huh? Why should I tell some random stranger? Are you crazy? Are you trying to get me to join your cult? Take your soliciting elsewhere!” and spit in my face like a camel, but I could guess from the way she looked that the girl before me wasn’t like that.

She seemed so defeated, I was guessing her judgment might be a little clouded.

As she looked at me, she let out another lifeless sigh. “…I’m on my honeymoon right now.”

“Oh.”

Hmm? I have a hunch this might be about a toxic relationship.

“But I’m not getting along so well with my partner…”

“Oh-hoh!” I love hearing these types of stories!

“…Why are your eyes twinkling?”

“You’re imagining things.”

She stared at me suspiciously.

“So which one of you is having an affair?” I probed. “Is it you? Or your husband?”

“I haven’t said a single word about either of us having an affair!”

“Okay, okay, don’t worry. I’m used to hearing these kinds of things. Of all the people who come to consult with me, I’d say at least half of them are troubled by their marriage entering the dead zone due to infidelity. Either their spouse’s or their own.”

“And the other half?”

“……………………Um, well, they…”

“Ah, from that response I basically understand. Oh-hoh-hoh.” The girl laughed, and I could see just a little bit of life returning to her face. “You’re quite innocent, you.”

At the same time, I could feel a little color coming over my own features.

Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves yet.

“By the way, my name isn’t ‘you.’ I’m Avelia.”

“Goodness, you’re right. Pardon me, Avelia.” A little late, she told me her name, placing a hand on her own breast with a graceful gesture as she did so. “My name is Chocolat. Lovely to meet you.”

There didn’t seem to be too big of an age gap between us, but her mannerisms were strangely calm and dignified, indicating her high social status.

She perfectly exemplified elegance.

Just like a princess.

“Oh, you’ve really helped me out, little lady. Here’s your pay.”

When I reported to the owner of the flower shop that I had finished my work, he quickly scanned the front of the shop, then merrily handed me some money. It was small change—no more than a child’s allowance—but for me, on the brink of starvation, any amount of money was a real boon.

“Hooray! Thank you very much! Call me again when the weeds grow back, okay? I’ll clean them up in an instant!”

I happily squirreled away the money in my wallet.

The job that I had undertaken was something anyone could do, but it was one that no one would be eager to take on.

I was a weed mower.

The plainest, most unremarkable job, pruning out the blossoming weeds beside the flower shops, which were so confusingly similar to their wares. However, if I kept working, I could eventually make a lot of money doing this. They say little drops of water make an ocean, so many bits of weeds… Hmm. I guess piles of weeds are just piles of weeds.

“All right then, I’m off to the next shop!”

See ya! I left the shop and bounded down the road.

I’d say I was already seeing some return on my part-time work, even though I was only a beginner. Already, I could feel my wallet was a little bit fatter than it had been this morning. Enough so, in fact, that it made me wonder… If this keeps going, maybe we won’t need to search for the Lily of Happiness after all.

Gripping my wallet, I ran around town for a little while longer.

“Hey! What the heck is this! Where is this blasted Lily of Happiness?!”

A thunderous voice was booming from the flower shop I was heading to next. An angry woman, fuming with her hands planted on her hips, had fixed a furious expression on the shopkeeper, who was bent over humbly.

“There’s no such thing, is there? Were the rumors false? Don’t mess around with me!”

She had fiery red hair. From what she was screeching about, there could be no doubt that she was visiting from elsewhere, but she was dressed in a Chesterfield coat and jeans, a truly ordinary outfit. I thought she looked different from the people who wandered from place to place for work, like travelers and merchants. She must have been a fellow traveler. She was wearing a sword on her hip, though.

Maybe she came from afar seeking the Lily of Happiness?

“Um, I told you, madam… This is just a random flower shop, so…we don’t have any…”

“Tch…! Where on earth can it be…?!” The unnamed visitor scratched at her cheek in vexation.

Ahh… As I thought, it’s not so easy to find, huh…

It was starting to seem more and more likely that Avelia and I would never be able to find the legendary flower, even if we turned over every stone in this country.

Wouldn’t it be faster to earn money working a normal job?

The old shopkeeper shook her head. “I’ve heard those rumors, too, but you know… I’ve never seen a shop selling them. I wonder if they really exist…?”

Oh no, seems like this place doesn’t have the Lily of Happiness either. Where on earth can it be…?

“Um, excuse me for interrupting your conversation…” I said to the old shopkeeper. “Are there any weeds growing around this shop? I’m a traveler making a living by mowing the weeds in this area, so—”

The shopkeeper greeted me. She was probably thinking something like: A welcome escape from this bothersome customer.

“Oh! I’m so grateful… A welcome escape from this bothersome customer…” she mumbled in a quiet voice.

What a terrible shopkeeper…

“……” Miss Redhead had been glaring intently at the old shopkeeper but shifted her hostility to me when I cut in. I could feel her sharp glare on my face.

Like a beast who’s caught her prey, huh?

“…Hm?”

As I was thinking that, those eyes veered away from my face, slowly sliding down past my chest, all the way to the tips of my toes.

“…Um, what?” This was strange and a little uncomfortable.

“What’s your name?”

“……” This was also strange and a little uncomfortable. “…When you ask someone their name, you need to give your own name first. How rude.”

“…My name is Rosamia.”

I see, I see. Not that I’m interested.

Since she had given her name, there was no way I could avoid answering her.

“Okay. My name is Amne—”

Before I could finish, a powerful blast of wind tore past me, grazing my cheek. My hair blew across my face, and I felt a chill on my skin.

I didn’t have any time to smooth my disordered hair…because the woman in front of me was now brandishing a sword, holding the point level with my face.

I had no idea how we’d gotten here.

“Ah…what?”

So she is a beast who’s caught her prey?

The story that Chocolat told me was a very sad tale of a lovers’ quarrel.

To put it clearly and concisely, Chocolat and her husband had been having difficulties in their relationship for the past month.

The two of them were traveling to countries around the world, calling it their honeymoon, and one month earlier, they had arrived in a certain country. It was a totally unremarkable place, but she told me that they were happy as long as they were together.

However, while they were sightseeing there, there had been an incident.

Chocolat had become friendly with another traveler.

This is what Chocolat told me about meeting that other traveler.

“Sometimes, I would walk around town by myself, and that’s when it happened. I chanced upon another young traveler who had lost her way.” She said that the visitor had been a very mysterious person. “The journeyer had white hair with a thick headband, dressed like a knight—but lacked any armor. Instead, the traveler wore a robe like a mage and was equipped with a saber, so I think this person was probably a knight. I have a bit of a weakness for knights. They’re so incredible. My heart was pounding. And so I decided we should become friends.”

…That sounds kind of familiar, but let’s hear her out.

Anyway, while she was showing the traveler the way, Chocolat started to open up to her new companion, and their relationship did not end on that day. They became fast friends and continued to meet up whenever they had spare time.

“…But that traveler really was a strange person, you see, whose memory was wiped clean after a day. The journeyer was apparently trying to get back home but didn’t even know where that was. Each new day would mean missing memories, including everything about me. I thought, I can’t just leave this poor person alone.”

So in an effort to help her one way or another, Chocolat spent a lavish amount of money researching information about the Holy City Esto, which was where the lost lamb was trying to go.

…That sounds awfully familiar, but let’s hear her out.

“In all ways possible, I found out everything I could about the Holy City Esto and acquired a map. I handed the map over, with ‘Here-ish!’ to mark the destination, and the traveler was extremely pleased.”

But Chocolat’s husband was not so happy about this exchange.

Apparently, Chocolat had hidden her friendship with the traveler from her spouse. According to what she told me, her husband was a knight who had once been her royal bodyguard, and Chocolat felt sure her spouse would grow jealous upon hearing that she had become friendly with a traveler who was also a knight.

And so Chocolat had kept their meetings a secret.

However, after Chocolat had given the map to the traveler and they had all left that country, her husband asked Chocolat, “…Have you lost interest in me?”

Her husband knew that she had met the traveler in secret, that they had become friends, and that Chocolat had secretly made and handed over the map.

And so he grew terribly depressed, and their relationship began to suffer. They continued their travels, but they found themselves spending less and less time together, engaging in fewer and fewer conversations. Before they knew it, a whole month had gone by.

During that month, the two of them overheard a certain rumor.

The Lily of Happiness.

There was a fairly dubious tale that anyone who got ahold of it would find true happiness, but Chocolat had a hunch that it might be the only way to get their relationship back to normal.

For the past several days, they had been searching for the flower during their stay in this city.

“But we can’t find anything…”

She was disheartened.

Their relationship was never going to go back to how it used to be, was it? That was all she could think. I had spoken to her right as she had sat down on the bench, feeling hopeless.

Ah, I see.

I suppose that’s a much more respectable reason, isn’t it? Completely different from searching for the Lily of Happiness to make a quick buck.

By the way—

“…Um, I’m going to ask you something unrelated to what you’ve been talking about.”

“What’s that?”

“…Was that traveler a girl? Why would your husband be jealous of you becoming friends with another girl?”

Chocolat answered nonchalantly. “My husband is a girl, too.”

“……”

Ohh, I see…

“Prepare yoooourself!”

The sword being brandished against me grazed my cheek and whizzed through the air. I never imagined someone would be swinging a blade, threatening lives, but dodging this woman’s weapon quickly put that notion out of my head.

Huh? Why is my life in danger in a flower shop? I couldn’t help but wonder.

She was attacking me without rest. I didn’t have time to voice my question. If I lost focus for even an instant, my head would go flying.

“What’s wrong? I expected better swordplay from the woman who stole my lover!”

You say that but… “I don’t know who you are…”

“Don’t you play dumb with me!” The sword swung down at the top of my head—and just before it hit, I blocked it with my scabbard.

“Why won’t you draw your sword?!”

“Because my sword isn’t for killing people!”

And it’s not like I can cut you down without understanding why.

“In that case, why do you carry it?”

“To cull weeds?”

“You little…!” There was a grinding sound. I couldn’t quite tell whether it was from her teeth or our crossed swords. The force behind the blade bearing down on my head increased.

“……”

I had recovered my memories, but as to the conflict between me and this Rosamia woman before my eyes, I had absolutely no idea. The circumstances had me wondering, First of all, who is this person?

I probably committed some careless blunder against this woman’s sweetheart while I was suffering from memory loss, but…

“…Um, I don’t think that I’ve interfered with anyone’s love affairs during my travels.”

“Don’t play stupid!”

She plowed into me, and I flew backward. There was a loud noise like a large boulder had split or something, and the bricks paving the ground had been pulverized.

I stared at her blankly, thinking that a log or a club, some kind of blunt weapon, would suit her better than a sword, and she scowled at me.

“A month ago, you met a beautiful blond girl.”

“Beautiful…blond…? One month ago…?” How vague…

I opened my mental diary. Previously, I had read it almost every day, so I had naturally memorized the contents.

One month ago…I believe that would have been right before I encountered Elaina, back when I was still reading my diary entries almost every day…

“…! Ah! That girl!” Suddenly, I knew whom she meant and clapped my hands in delight. “You mean Chocolat, right?!”

“So you did meet her!” She brandished the sword, sweeping it sideways to slice through my torso. I dodged it.

“Wait, but isn’t Chocolat a girl?”

“She is. What of it?”

“Uh, just, earlier you said she was your lover…”

“She is my lover.”

Huh? Umm? I feel like there’s a misunderstanding…

“I was sure from the way you were talking earlier that I had mistakenly made a move on your sweetheart or something…”

“Incorrect.”

“Ah, I thought so. So she’s not your sweetheart.”

“She’s my wife.”

“Oh, so you’re married…”

Interesting. I’d always assumed romantic love was between a man and a woman, but maybe love between two women or two men was customary in other parts of the world. Maybe that was the worldwide norm. A global standard.

“That’s normal in my country.”

“Oh, yeah. It’s just…I always thought love could only blossom between a man and a woman, so I didn’t approach Chocolat with any bad intentions or anything, and of course, I never had even the slightest thought of taking her away from you, Rosamia—”

“Are you saying that my princess isn’t eye-catching?!”

“No, that’s not what I mean! You’re so annoying!”

Quit it already! I’m leaving!

Nothing would be solved by continuing this argument with someone who simply refused to listen.

I turned on my heel and ran as fast as I could.

Let’s bring this to an end with a proper escape!

“Wait! Waaaaaaiiiiit!”

I continued pounding against the pavement, pressed onward by her angry shouting.

This city sure is noisy.

I have a hunch that something dangerous is going down.

At the same time, I feel vaguely anxious, though I have absolutely no idea what it might be about.

“…What should I do, Avelia? What on earth should I do?”

The uproar of the city must not have been reaching the ears of Chocolat at all, as she sat next to me fretting. She let out sigh after romantic sigh, like a maiden sick with love.

She asked me the question, but I was at a total loss.

“How about discussing the situation with Rosamia for starters?”

That would probably be the quickest way. By which I mean, there’s really no other way.

“If I could do that, I wouldn’t be having this problem!” Chocolat scolded. “But when it comes to Rosamia, no matter how I explain myself, she gets upset and won’t listen! She keeps saying, ‘But you looked like you were having so much fun when you were with that girl…’”

“Wow, what a pain she is.”

“That’s right! She’s a pain! But I love that part of her, too…”

“……”

Maybe if you told her that, she would be in a better mood.

“All right, then I think you should prove your love to her.”

“Meaning what?” Chocolat tilted her head in puzzlement.

I put a hand on her shoulder, and with a solemn expression, I said, “You have to kiss her.”

“What?”

“I don’t know if it’s jealousy or what, but you need to shut her up when she’s going on and on like that. Then she’ll be quiet.”

“Oh no. Kissing in front of others… That’s…immodest…”

Well, I didn’t tell you to do it in front of me or anything, so…

“Exactly where is Rosamia right now?”

When I asked, Chocolat, who had been fidgeting with embarrassment, instantly switched back to the blood-drained expression she had been wearing just a moment ago.

“We’re…separated, for now. It was getting awkward… I’m sure I’m the only one searching for the Lily of Happiness… She’s probably searching for other girls, disappointed in me…”

“…”

She was the picture of emotional instability.

“…All right, let’s go find her.”

“Huh?” Chocolat, widening her eyes, stared at me as I stood up. “W-wait a second! Right now? I’m going to kiss her right now?”

“Listen, I never said anything about doing it in front of me—” I let out an exasperated sigh.

The tumult of the city was ringing in my ears, even louder than before.

It was starting to get really noisy, and that’s when I turned around and strained my eyes to look more closely, wondering what on earth was happening.

What I saw there explained why I was feeling vaguely uneasy.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaahhh!” Someone with white hair was running this way.

“Wait, yoooooooooooouuuuuu!” Someone with red hair was giving chase.

…Oh, my sister was being chased by this redhead.

“Uh…”

Let me see, my big sister’s job involves being chased around by a lady with red hair?

There were two faces that I recognized ahead.

One was my younger sister. She wore a confused expression, as if she was saying, “What the heck do you think you’re doing, Big Sis?”

The other was a friend who had taken care of me one month earlier—Chocolat.

But I didn’t have the time to be happy to see her again. If I continued running toward them, there was a chance they’d get caught up in Rosamia’s rampage. I had a feeling that neither Avelia nor Chocolat would make it out unscathed if that happened.

And so—

“Rosamia!” I stopped and spun around. “Let’s stop this already. I really didn’t have my eye on Chocolat at all. It’s a misunderstanding!”

“Don’t lie to me! You were trying to make my princess your own, weren’t you?!”

“No, I seriously wasn’t. Please, listen to me…”

I was getting fed up with her when a voice came from behind me.

“Rosamia! What are you doing? We’re just friends! We don’t have that kind of relationship!”

“But, Princess Chocolat…you cast me aside to go have what seemed like a very fun time with her.”

Well, I do remember chatting with her and passing the time, sure, but—

“But I honestly don’t have any romantic feelings toward Chocolat!”

And I mean it.

“My heart doesn’t beat for anyone other than you, Rosamia!” exclaimed Chocolat. “Well, I did get a little fluttery when I saw her looking like a knight, but…” she added quietly, and I pretended I hadn’t heard her.

However, Rosamia only responded by shouting back abuse. “You’re lying! Just admit that you’re tired of me!” It seemed maidens in love were difficult creatures to handle.

The girl behind me seemed truly hurt. “What a cruel thing to say…” Her voice was meek. “I’ve been terribly heartbroken ever since we had our falling out. That’s why I’ve been searching through this country for the Lily of Happiness, to get us back on good terms—”

“The Lily of Happiness…!” Rosamia stopped short. “I’ve been searching for that, too! So I could get back together with you, Princess…”

“Well! I was certain you had gotten over me and were out hunting for another girlfriend…”

“There’s no way I would do that! You’re the only one for me, Princess!”

“S-same! I’m not interested in any woman besides you, Rosamia!”

And then—

““I love you!””

The two of them spit out the embarrassing line in unison. I couldn’t look.

Oh, I’m getting secondhand embarrassment.

“Ah!” Chocolat covered her mouth with both hands as she turned bright red.

“Ah!” Rosamia hid her growing smile behind her arm.

What is with these two?

In the end, this couple had both wanted to overcome the tension between them by acquiring the Lily of Happiness, which would return their relationship to normal.

I see, I see.

…What an anticlimactic end.

“So it was all a misunderstanding…I’m sorry. I was certain that…”

“It’s my fault…I jumped to the wrong conclusion…I’m sorry…”

The two had completely reconciled.

Rosamia sheathed her sword and walked toward Chocolat, who inched hesitantly toward her partner. By the time they were facing each other, I think they had forgotten entirely about the two of us watching.

“There really is no one else for me but you. I love you, Rosamia.”

It was like Chocolat had no idea that Avelia and I were even there. The two of them were deeply submerged in their own world.

“I love you, too! But…when you get friendly with other girls…I get jealous.” In Rosamia’s case, she was keeping us in check by menacing us with a flash of her sword.

I told you I’m not after her!

“No matter how friendly I get with someone, no one will ever matter more to me than you. Not before, not ever.”

“……”

“……”

“…Princess.”

“…Rosamia.”

What’s with this atmosphere?

“Princess Chocolat, please, never turn an eye to anyone but me from now on… I can’t live without you…”

“Rosamia, I’ve never looked at anyone but you from the very beginning. Amnesia was my friend, but I never liked her like that… I’ve always had a thing for people dressed like knights, but look at me, Rosamia. You and Amnesia are as different as heaven and earth.”

“Princess…”

“Rosamia…”

Why did she have to drag me into this?

“Big Sis, don’t get too worked up.” Avelia planted a hand down on my shoulder to console me. “I like you a lot, you know? Isn’t that enough?”

Who said I was worked up?

Poor, pitiful me, being neglected over here. As if they cared nothing for my plight, Rosamia and Chocolat were burning with love, holding each other in a sultry embrace for all to see.

When the two of them started kissing, I covered my sister’s eyes with both hands.

“I can’t see.”

“It’s too soon for you, Avelia.”

“Humph.” She wriggled around, trying to remove my hands, struggling against me for a little while, then finally gave up and let out a sigh. “…Well, I don’t really understand it, but somehow it seems like we solved the problem.”

“…We sure did.”

I wish we’d gotten something for our trouble after getting dragged into this strange misunderstanding.

“So…I don’t think they realize we’re still here…”

“No, I don’t think so. Love is blind, after all.”

“They don’t seem blinded…”

“You only have eyes for your partner.” I let out a sigh as I watched the two of them from afar. I could practically feel the heat radiating from their ardent embrace.

My sigh was in relief at having finally arrived at a resolution to this whole confusing incident.

…I was also a little disappointed that we had not found the Lily of Happiness.

“What are we gonna do about money…?”

I really should get Elaina to teach us more about her moneymaking schemes…

In the end, we never found the Lily of Happiness.

But the reality is that even though we hadn’t found any such thing, our pressing financial concerns got swept away right there in that city.

“We caused the two of you a lot of trouble. Here, this is a token of my gratitude. Please take it.”

After their relationship was back to normal, the couple told us that apparently Chocolat was set to become the queen of some country somewhere. As thanks to the two of us for saving their marriage, Chocolat gave us money.

…A staggering number of gold coins.

“Um, we can’t possibly take all this…”

It was too much money, so my older sister, always courteous, gently tried to refuse it.

I mean, what on earth is she thinking, giving us so much gold as “a token of gratitude”? Isn’t that too much gratitude? Are Chocolat and her wife secretly trying to woo my big sister after all?

“No. This is how grateful I am. Please, do take it.”

Isn’t that too much gratitude?

“Oh, but…”

“It’s fine.”

In the end, we accepted the money that was forced on us.

One way or another, our fundraising problem had been solved.

We never did find the Lily of Happiness. The rumor had just taken on a life of its own, and in the end, we never even caught sight of such a thing.

We left Flower City, and as we were bobbing unhurriedly along on my broom, my big sister looked vacantly up into the sky and said, “I think perhaps such a flower never existed in the first place.”

“What do you mean?” I tilted my head questioningly.

“Elaina once told me something: ‘Travelers with filthy hearts and merchants will tell you lies to make a sale, like that some worthless rubbish in their wares is a legendary item, or that it’s very popular abroad.’”

“Uh-huh.”

“So what I’m saying is that the flower probably never existed in the first place…”

“……”

If that’s the case, then it means that we got completely set up by a stupid lie. Nothing could make me angrier.

“Well, I suppose we ought to be a little more careful about gleefully believing everything we hear.”

“…I suppose so.”

My big sister had probably half believed, half doubted the rumor about the Lily of Happiness from the very beginning.

…Being a traveler sure is hard.

“…Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. This is the Lily of Happiness. It comes from the Far West…or was it the East? Ah, maybe it was the North… No. The South? Well, it doesn’t really matter where, but in any case, there is a place called Flower City, and in that city, the flower is a local legend. It’s really amazing!”

By the side of the road in some country somewhere, a witch with ashen hair was selling flowers.

One flower cost one gold piece, an absolutely absurd price, unbelievable really, but that witch—that traveler—was brazenly selling her flowers nonetheless.

“Come on, miss… You say all that, but…isn’t it too pricey? For a flower?”

Her male customer was looking back at her with a dubious expression.

Despite that, she wore an intrepid smile.

“There’s a reason for the price. Once you have this flower in hand, you will find happiness. For a single gold coin, your life can be bright and rosy. This is a lily that lets you see roses. Isn’t it amazing?”

“But it’s a flower. Won’t it rot?”

“This flower never decays.”

“What kind of flower never decays?”

An artificial one.

“These lilies have mysterious powers and only appear before those who seek them. It will never rot. That’s what makes them truly special.”

And ordinary fake flowers.

They were ordinary fake flowers, but this witch was selling them for an extraordinary price, weaving unbelievable tales. These artificial flowers could be purchased at a nearby general store for one copper each. Trash, basically.

“Uh-huh… Well, I suppose I’ll try buying one…”

“Thanks for your business!”

The girl filled her purse with ill-gotten gold—a traveler with a filthy heart, busy fattening her wallet. Just who could she be?

That’s right. She’s me.