After visiting Dr. Vier’s clinic, our next stop…… was Alice’s miscellaneous goods store. In front of Alice, who is clad in that cat costume she wears when tending to the store, Kuro said with a bright smile.
[And so, do you have some idea in mind, Shalltear?]
[No…… Why are you asking me that for the second time? Haven’t I already given you some advice earlier and given you some rice flour?]
Yes, for some reason, for the second time, Alice is getting asked again. It’s true that she has a shop in Symphonia Kingdom, and we should have just asked her earlier, and just as Alice said, she also gave us some rice flour on top of giving advice.
In response to Alice’s perfectly natural response, Kuro looks at her as if it were a matter of course.[No, the one I talked to earlier was Shalltear, Kaito-kun’s guard. She isn’t the same as storekeeper Shalltear……]
[If you’re counting them separately, does that mean you’re counting all my clones in the world as separate people!? ……Haahhh, I’ve known Kuro-san for a long time. No matter how stupid Kuro-san can be about baby castellas, I know you’re not completely thoughtless. So, what are you really after?]
Indeed, the fact that she visited Alice again in such a short time could be considered as Kuro aiming for something. At the very least, I don’t think Kuro actually meant that guard Alice is different from storekeeper Alice.
[……I was convinced when I saw the rice flour just now. Shalltear…… You have other ingredients and condiments that I don’t know about, right?]
[……Hou, so that’s how it is…… What if I told you I have some?]
[I’d like to have that~~]
I see, it certainly wouldn’t be strange for Alice to own condiments and ingredients that weren’t distributed in this world. That especially goes with condiments. Even making the same miso can taste very different depending on how it’s made, so there’s a high chance that she’ll have something unique.Kuro and Alice glared at each other like that in a somewhat tense atmosphere…… but after a little while, Alice sighed and took out some containers.
[Well, fine. I’ll give you a couple of condiments that go well with baby castellas.]
[……I’d like to have some of those that don’t.]
[Who do you think will be harmed by the Dark Matter produced as a result of using those unfitting condiments? It will be Kaito-san, right? If that’s the case, I won’t give you the condiments that weren’t fitting for baby castellas.]
[No, but there are endless possibilities for baby castellas……]
[And I said the possibility beyond trying those condiments out is that they don’t match baby castellas!]
This is how reliable Alice is when it comes to baby castellas. Even against Kuro, she’s relentless in her tsukkomis, and her thoughts that properly consider common sense are really reassuring. It’s as if she’s speaking for me.
[……But, but, y- you see, there may be combinations that Shalltear hasn’t tried……]
[Say more, and I won’t give you even those that fit baby castellas, you know?]
[Ahk…… Uuuu, alright. I’ll have those that match with baby castellas.]
The only thing nasty about Kuro, who is always on the lookout for baby castellas, is that she was always willing to try out new ingredients and condiments that might not even go well with baby castellas.
However, Alice seemed to know how to handle Kuro, and in the end, though she seemed reluctant to part with them, Kuro gave up on the condiments that went well with baby castellas.
[Also, Kuro-san. Don’t mix the seasonings, okay? Please use them separately. If you thoughtlessly mix them up, it will taste bad.]
[……N- No, but in order to pursue the infinite possibilities of……]
[I’m not talking about possibilities, I’m talking about usage precautions. You understand, yes? If you don’t follow that, I won’t give you any other ingredients in the future.]
[……Uuuu…… Yes.]
I think Alice is the only one who can beat Kuro in her Baby Castella Mode so far. I mean, I’d wondered if she’d rather come along on this journey in pursuit of possibilities, but that would also place quite a terrible burden on Alice’s shoulders, so I couldn’t help feeling apologetic to suggest that.
At any rate, I left the miscellaneous goods store with Kuro, who has gained new ingredients from Alice, and we discussed where to go next.
[Where should we go next? As for other places with our acquaintances here in the Symphonia Kingdom, Rigforeshia perhaps?]
[Ahh, Rigforeshia is great. I also want to buy the leaves of the Spirit Tree that Sieg-chan mentioned earlier, and since there are a lot of ingredients such as fruits that can be acquired from there, it seems like a good place to buy them.]
[There’s also Rei-san and Fia-san’s home there. I don’t know if they’re there though…… but after that, should we go to another country?]
[You’re right. Should we go to Chris’ place in Archlesia Empire?]
[Ahh~~ Come to think of it, Chri-san used to live at Kuro’s place, didn’t she?]
[Unnn. It’s not been that long, but Chris is like part of my family.]
Even in the letters we exchange frequently, the topic of Kuro comes up occasionally, but I can tell that Chris-san admired Kuro, so I guess they have a good relationship with each other.
By the flow of things, after going to Rigforeshia and Archlesia Empire, would we go to Hydra Kingdom after that? Hmmm, it looks like it’s still going to be a long journey ahead. We’ve already gathered quite a few things, so I think we’ll be fine…… I don’t see how Kuro would compromise with that though.
<Afterword>
? ? ? : [The flow of things is good, isn’t it? Alice-chan’s second-time appearance came earlier than in the LN huh…… By the pattern of things though, wouldn’t this arc eventually exceed that in the LN?]
