Even though it was the night time, there were many people entering and leaving the city. They were dressed in a wide variety of clothes, from travel clothing to armour. Some were carrying heavy luggage, and a few people were using horse-drawn wagons to move around.

There were many street stalls that were constructed in a simple fashion, and the owners were loudly announcing their wares which consisted of seafood that had been skewered and roasted or made into a soup.

And the amount of thief and criminal was also increasing. We barely left one district and yet, 12 criminal had already lost their pouches and wallets.

"I-I have no idea that Eiji is a thief." Said Azusa.

"Yeah... at first I don't believe it either." Said Tadano.

Girl A silently nodded beside them.

"...For your information, I use their money to treat you guys. And it's not like I took money from innocent people." I said.

"But they took the money from the innocent." Said Azusa.

Girl A nodded in agreement.

"So? It's not like the innocent can take their money back, right?"

Girl A shook her head against my remark.

"E..er... I can't say that's wrong, but I can say it is right either." Said Tadano with a somewhat complicated face.

Girl A tilting her head as she was trying to think about whether or not it was wrong.

Azusa gave warm smile upon seeing Girl A's reaction. She was really different from her usual self since she was usually giving this 'don't come near me and don't talk to me' aura. It could even be said that this was her original personality. It probably just meant that she had been putting on such a strong mask all this time.

We walked along a street that was lined with buildings on both sides and stopped in front of one that had a red roof and shabby wooden double door. The words 'Mermaid Kiss Inn' was written on the signboard.

"I-inn?! E-eiji! what are you thinking?!" Shouted Azusa.

Girl A's face turned red when she saw the sign.

"...You said you wanted to eat, don't you? This inn has great food and unlike its outer appearance, it is pretty clean on the inside. I like this place, well, I only visit this place one time though."

After I pushed through the double doors and walked inside, we found ourselves in a spacious room with a number of tables and chairs lined up. There were already a number of red-faced patrons who were drinking from ceramic vessels for wine and wooden pitcher for beer or ale.

There was a bar along the far side of the room where a single man whom the local called as Master; stood while polishing a glass. The shelves behind him were tightly packed with bottles of alcoholic beverages.

"Welcome to Mermaid Kiss."

Seeing the man at the bar smiling and stopping his work to greet us, the nearby customers also looked into our direction and started whispering amongst themselves, if not got flustered and returned to drinking when their eyes met Azusa and Girl A's eyes.

When we approached the bar. "Four Smoothie Spirits, please. And I take Grilled Moa."

Thought, just as I said that one particular person behind me showed an unpleasant look. "Whaaat~? We're not going to order an alcohol?"

"I take Jack-O-Lantern, please." Said Tadano.

"...Have you ever drink one?"

"Nope~ this is my first time. I never touch one at lunch or dinner too."

Girl A silently pointing toward Princess Pudding.

"...Then don't. I don't want to nurse a drunk person."

"Hey, hey mister! Change one of the smoothies to the weakest alcohol that you have! And I'll take Leaf Ray Salad." Said Azusa as she completely ignored my heed.

After placing our order, both of me and Tadano sat down across from Girl A and Azusa at an open table and starting the small talk while waiting for our food.

"Eh~ and here I thought you two are some kind of best friend or childhood friend." Said Azusa.

"E...er... no, ahaha." Said Tadano. "Since our room is located at each other, and Eiji is just too lazy to invite someone else, I guess that's why he's kinda stuck with a person like me."

"Yeah, that and the fact we are under 20."

Meanwhile, Girl A curiously looking at us while sometimes fidgeting around.

"Then again, friend or not, shouldn't you help Tadano this afternoon?!" Said Azusa.

"How? I'll die if I fight the three of them at the same time you know."

"A-ahaha... he has a point." Said Tadano.

"...And why didn't you help him?"

"E-er... please don't... it is embarrassing enough for me." Said Tadano.

"Don't worry, I won't do that, for starters I don't like violence. But it really surprises me to hear Eiji isn't the type to charge while shouting." Said Azusa.

"Eh, I bet that will be Shishio. Anyway, I might look rough on the outside, but my inside is as soft as hello kitty."

Girl A looking back and fro between Azusa and us.

"Er... shouldn't you say sorry to hello kitty fans?!" Said Tadano.

"Yeah, right." Said Azusa as she rolled her eyes. "More like bakeneko rather than that." Azusa brushed her long hair back with her fingers and smiled suggestively.

During this time, the Master brought over our drinks and I paid him.

Girl A picked up the ceramic cup and tilted her head while looking at the contents.

The cup was cold, and the contents itself was a concoction made from bananas and Cloud Berries, then freezing them with Elemental (ice) Magic Stone, then mashing and mixing the fruit into a slush-like consistency and adding milk and honey.

Girl A took a sip and opened her eyes wide.

"T-this is delicious! drinking something like this really makes me feel that I am in a foreign land!" Said Tadano.

"Rather than a foreign land, we are in a foreign world, though."

Meanwhile, Azusa was silently looking at a light yellow coloured liquid made from fermented Popota buzzing on the old wooden glass. She took a sip and as the sour and vile taste slipped into her mouth, her expression itself clearly showed she was displeased by the taste.

"...Can I order another drink?" Said Azusa.

"Using my 'Dirty money'? Sure, feel free."

"There's no need to be nitpicky... you know?" Said Azusa. As she said that her gazes locked to Girl A Smoothie Spirit.

With a face full of hesitation, Girl A offering her drink to Azusa, and after taking a sip from Frozen Smoothie. Azusa's eyes turned starry. "Let's change our drink!" She said.

I stared into Girl A's bright blue eyes burning with anger, and my heart fell silent. As if having a local earthquake, Girl A's body shook as tears started accumulating on her eyes.

"...Just take mine."

As soon as I said that, her gloomy atmosphere suddenly turned into a rainbow.

"By the way, Tadano, do you know why you're getting pick by the Trio?" Said Azusa from out of the blue.

"E-eh? ...I don't know though. They have been doing this since in our middle school. Ahaha... I guess I must be getting on their nerves." Said Tadano as he scratched his head while weakly laughed.

"So there is no reason?" Azusa nodded as if she was convinced.

"...I personally think you don't need a reason to bully someone."

"Hm~ that may be true. Speaking of middle school, it almost felt like a forever, right? even though it hasn't been three weeks since we arrived at Exceed." Said Azusa as she shook her cup.

At her side, Girl A resting her cheek on her right palm as she was listening to our conversation.

And our conversation getting cut off when Master brought our food.

Mine was a thick and soft Moa tenderloin grilled over an open flame without any sauce, seasoning or gravy. ...Though, I forgot to tell them about this inn restaurant quirk.

...Almost every food in this restaurant was made from the Magic Beasts ingredient.

In front of Tadano was an ogre pumpkin carved into a grinning face and boiled in a sweet sauce. Though, it was actually a head of Pyro Jack boiled in a sweet sauce.

Girl A got this brown cake-like sweet formed to resemble the notorious monster, Pudding. ...Actually, if I wasn't wrong they just cleaned and boiled Pudding meat before they added the additional flavour.

As for Azusa... A salad made with the still-twitching leaves of a Leaf Ray and garnished with a drizzle of fragrant olive oil.

"...Why it is twitching?" She said as she twitched her eyes.

"I wonder... I already said this is my second time to eat at this place, you know?"

Of course, I only told the truth after they finished their meal.

***

Very late at night, when we already went back to the palace and headed back to our own room, nobody noticed someone was missing for the whole night.

"So~ how about tonight is very fun, right Princess Lunara?" Said Azusa.

Taking the red wig off from her head, showing the brilliant golden hair. "Yess, this is so much fun! I’ve never been going out at night like this! So this is what it feels like to be a normal girl!"

"I know, right? I myself couldn't wonder if this is what it feels like to visit an amusement park." Said Azusa. "I feel like I’ll end up smiling like a fool if I don’t keep myself in check, you know."

***

(...Where am I?)

A pitch black world. I cowered in the darkness. Out of the empty nothing came the high, clear echo of a drop of water striking the surface of a calm pool. A cave, I imagined at first, except that I knew I was not in a cave. The darkness was too wide, too far and too deep.

A crimson light blossomed in the distance. The flame flickered and twisted, shifted in shape and form. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the flame. Without a single doubt, I knew I must reach the flame. With every muscle that I used, I felt like something was tearing limb from limb and gnaw on my bones.

But I must move. The blood rushed in my veins, roared like the ocean in my ears.

The flame was gone and before me was a girl, wearing a white dirty dress that was a little too big for her body. Her shoulder lengthed messy hair was white on the top and gradually turned red as it reached her shoulder. Her eyes were red, her teeth were sharp, almost felt like she wasn't a human. Her complexion was that of a person who had witnessed a miracle she had given up on long ago. She didn't shed any tears of joy or relief and only gave a wide smile.

"Dryhg oui vun gaabehk ouin bnuseca... dryhg oui vun hud mayjehk sa ymuha..." The girl embraced me while spilling out the words of a foreign land.

Even with the Language Comprehension, I still couldn't understand any of the words she said.

But I knew what she was saying.

Thank you for keeping your promise... thank you for not leaving me alone...

In a land without light nor shadow, I heard nothing. Only the sound of a drop of water breaking the quiet surface of a pond.

I felt nothing. Only the blood rushed in my veins, roared like the ocean in my chest.

I tasted nothing. Only the bittersweet feeling on my mouth.

I smelled nothing. Only nostalgia pierced in my nose.

I saw nothing. Only her smiling face with her stupidest grin.

When I awoke. I remembered nothing.