Preparations for the afterparty were almost complete. The atmosphere here is kinda nice, with lantern-like light fixtures and large wooden tables that really give the impression of a local banquet.
Well, though I said that, there were a good number of participants in the Flying Board competition, so there were quite a few people around here……
[With the sun setting, it’s starting to look more like a festival.]
[Right. I like this kind of atmosphere. How should I say this…… It’s kinda like Obon Festival?]
[I think I kinda get what you mean.]Hina-chan, who loves festivals, seems to be having a good time, and even Aoi-chan seems to be somewhat excited. Since we won the championship, I guess she must be in a good mood.
While I was thinking about this, Scarlet Blue approached us.
[It’s about to start.]
[Ahh, I see. Speaking of which, I was wondering about this…… but is the afterparty open only for those who were in the final race?]
[No, those who went to the finals can eat and drink for free, but those who were eliminated in the qualifiers can also attend if they pay a fee.]
I see, so the difference between those who made it to the finals and those eliminated in the qualifiers was the presence or absence of a participation fee huh. I don’t know how much the participation fee is, but I guess this is something that can’t be helped.
If even those who were eliminated in the qualifiers were allowed to eat and drink for free, there would be hundreds of people here.But if that were the case, I felt like Yellow Pipe and others like them might join the afterparty, but I can’t see the three of them standing out so prominently.
Well, it’s not that I’m thinking they will definitely participate but……
[I see, so those eliminated in the qualifiers can also attend. In that case, it seems like even the Yellow Pipe group can be there.]
Apparently, Hina-chan thought the same thing and mentioned the Yellow Pipe team. Thereupon, the woman who seemed to be the leader of the Scarlet Blue team slightly nodded before standing next to Hina-chan.
[Ahh, they won’t be attending. They’re on the provisions side after all……]
[Eh? Provisions side?]
[Yes, the Yellow Pipe team are locals, and although it may come as a surprise with how they look, they’re actually cooks, so unless they win a high ranking in the finals, they are in charge of cooking, so it would be unlikely that they would come here.]
[I- Is that so?]
That was indeed an unexpected fact. No, I’m not surprised that the locals could also be participants. It is a very popular event, so it’s only natural that some locals would participate.
However, I was a little surprised that they’re cooks. Even though they’re muscular machos, for them to actually be cooks…… The gap with their appearance is quite amazing.
[Ahh, so you guys are here. The Scarlet Blue team too…… It’s about to start, and we, the top winners, should move to the center.]
[……Eh? Unnn?]
The one who called out to us was a slightly petite, cute woman with gray hair, pale skin and triangular ears with a shape unlike that of Elves’.
She has quite an eye-catching appearance, but even though she was supposed to be such a distinctive opponent, I don’t remember seeing her in today’s race. Unnn? That means, this person is……
[Ahh, excuse me. I’m the leader of the Black Muscat.]
[Ahh, it really is you.]
[Yes, the sun had already set, so we no longer need to wear our robes. Besides, we’d need to play our characters while wearing a robe……]
[I see. By the way, if you don’t mind me asking, may I ask what species you are? This is the first time I’ve seen your kind after all.]
As I thought, it seems like she really was from the Black Muscat. She was wearing a robe during the race, so it’s inevitable that I don’t recognize her. Moreover, they certainly did say that they were wearing robes because they were weak against the sunlight, so there would be no problem once the sun went down.
However, since I had never seen their species before, I knew this might be rude to ask, but my curiosity got the better of me and I asked what species they were.
[We are a species called Kruel, and we basically live underground, so you probably won’t see us around towns and cities very often. In the first place, we’re vulnerable to sunlight, so we cover our skin during the day.]
(T/N: クルーエル/kurueru. Their species names could either be derived from the word Cruel or Crawler.)
[I see, thank you for telling us.]
[It’s no problem. Well then, let’s go.]
She’s as nice as before. If I had to describe them, the Kruels may be like a species of underground people. Because they mainly live underground, their skin hadn’t been tanned by the sun that they ended up being so pale.
Other than the leader, the members of the Black Muscat also seem to be of the same species, with almost similar appearance and height…… They may be a bit petite for their species.
How should I say this…… Being able to meet people that you don’t usually have the chance to meet is a precious thing, and I would be happy if we could deepen our friendship at the afterparty hereafter.
I also thought that if there was an underground city for the Kruels, I would like to go there at least once.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Come to think of it, there have been Dragons, Wingeds, and that Sky Flower, beings that live in high-altitude places, but this would be the first character introduced that lives underground, right?]
