Chapter 303: Playing Tag

I ended up carrying Nell on my back so that she could rest while on the move. Even though it’s not as bad as Nell and Alezel, I’m also having a hangover. However, I’m not in a situation where I can complain. I overcame nausea and headache with spirit and guts, and we managed to arrive at our destination.

I was surprised by the height of the inn the other day, but this time we were guided to a place that makes me think of a certain person. The place is a dome. It’s a huge, white, hemispherical structure that looked like a baseball stadium in Japan.

「Here’s the place~」

「Here, huh…. When I came here before――」

「――this building wasn’t here, right? Well, let’s just say that it was made by Zex-han.」n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

「I knew it the moment I saw it that it was made by Zex-sama!」

Naturally, Zeta really gets into it. Technological innovation is a good thing, but isn’t it too far removed from our worldview?

「So, what kind of facility is this? Is it a playground or something?」

「It’s not a playground~. It’s an artificial botanical garden.」

「A botanical garden?」

「Just come in and see it yourself. Come on, follow me~」

Alezel can talk properly, but her steps are still somewhat strange. It’s impossible to completely get rid of the alcohol before starting the special training, I guess? Fortunately, she’s still better than Nell. Anyway, we proceeded into the dome.

「Wow…!」

Following Haru’s voice of admiration, each let out similar voices. All kinds of flowers are blooming all over the area. Even I, who’s not really interested in such things, was moved by the splendid scene, which is no less than the flower country Crocus. In the back of the flower field, there’s an area with tall trees and plants that would only grow in a very specific environment.

「What’s this place? There’s an unthinkable environment inside the dome.」

「We built this place as one of the tourist facilities. It’s possible to set the temperature, humidity, and other environmental conditions for each section, and we are raising plants from all over the world here. Each section is separated by a special barrier that blocks out only the environmental conditions. Well, I had a hard time scouting the earth magicians and importing plants.」

This is the ultimate fusion of science and magic, right? If there were here, I’m sure she would be excited to see if there’s a farm. And in fact, there seems to be one somewhere.

「But, what hell are we going to do here? It’s certainly beautiful and worth seeing, but I’m more interested in the practical over the aesthetic.」

「This isn’t a tour of a botanical garden, right?」

「Of course~. I’d be happy to give you a tour, but our purpose here is to train. Today―― we are going to onigokko!」

「「「O-Onigokko!?」」」

「Oni-what…?」

Unexpectedly, today’s training is onigokko. Still, it’s hard if you have a hangover, huh. Haru, Chinatsu, and Touko know about it, but Zeta doesn’t seem to know what onigokko is.

「Um, what is onigokko?」

「If it’s the same as the one I know of, it’s the so-called playing tag. There are differences in the rules depending on the region, but… in the popular one, the one as it is chasing the other person, and the moment you got touched somewhere on your body, the role changes. After a few seconds, the next it starts to chase the other person in the same way. It’s a kind of child’s play with a repeated process.」

「I see. It can train the children’s bodies and even cultivate their sense of hunting without using any tools…! It’s quite a thoughtful game, huh.」

「I-It’s not exactly like hunting―― wait, I guess you can think about it that way if it’s used as training….」

I don’t know what Chinatsu is thinking, but she has a distant look in her eyes.

「Thank you for the explanation, Chinacchan~. That’s mostly right.」

「I see….」

「Haha, don’t make that face. Don’t worry~, I ain’t the one who will be it this time. All of you are it, and I’m the one who will be running.」

「Are you saying that we all have to chase and touch Alezel-san?」

「Yep, it’s simple, right~?」

A four-on-one playing tag. It’s certainly very simple, and the rules are in favor of Haru and the others. However, I don’t think Alezel will end it there. There must be some additional rules.

「Um, are there any other rules?」

It seems that Chinatsu also suspected the same thing. She understands that they shouldn’t get their hopes up.

「Let’s see~…. Well, even though I’m having a hangover, it’s too advantageous for me, huh. Then, not only touching, but you can also attack me. Throwing, magic, and sword, you can use anything to attack me, and the training is completed the moment your attack touched me! Also, it’s too big to use the entire area of this dome, so let’s limit it to some area. As for the area, you can decide it. It’s a great offer, ain’t it?」

「Eh? A-Are you sure?」

「What, it’s more advantageous for us…」

I thought Alezel would add some rules that would put the girls at a disadvantage, but she further conceded the clearing conditions. Suspicious, it’s too suspicious. If it were me, I would stop at this point. Well, I’m the one who asked her to train the girls, so I won’t interrupt her.

「Hmm. If I had to say, I’d like you to treat the plants here carefully. They are our products, and it would be a pity if they died before we could show them to the customers. Even if you pay attention to that, it will be a burden if we stay in the same area all the time. Let’s change the area every ten minutes. Of course, you have the right to choose. Do you have any other questions~?」

「… No, I think I’m fine.」

「Me too!」

The four consulted with each other and selected a grassland area with relatively few obstructions as their first field. For the next ten minutes, Haru and the others will chase after Alezel in this grassland, or maybe aim to hit her from a distance.

「Alezel, what about us?」

「If you go up the stairs there, there’s a viewing platform where you can see the whole area of the dome. There are also benches, so you should watch with Nell from there. Don’t take off your eyes, kay?」

「Yeah, sure. Let’s see how you will train the girls.」

Thus, I moved to the viewing platform while carrying Nell who’s still in a dying state. Ooh, what a nice view. I want to visit here privately next time.

「Well, Deris and Nell are in position. Let’s start now. Are you ready?」

「Anytime!」

「I’m sorry, but I will use my katana.」

「You are the Great Eight Demons, but I won’t lose to a merchant!」

「Alezel-sama, thank you for allowing me to practice with you.」

「Ahaha, if you’re fine with my small chest, I will lend it anytime~」

「T-That’s not what I mean….」

(TLn : 胸を借りる means to practice with someone of higher skill, or something along this line. Literally, it also means to borrow one’s chest.)

Alezel was making jokes, and in the meantime, each of the girls pulled out their specialized weapons and they seem to be fully prepared. Now, I wonder what will happen.

「Then, start~! ――――Oh?」

Alezel clapped her hands and declared the start of the training. But at that moment, the four girls were already in front of her. They were close enough that their weapons could reach Alezel’s body.

「Whoa, that was close.」

However, Alezel was already behind the girls. Also, there’s no sign of her having a hangover anymore.

「Tch! I somehow expected this, but you’re so fast!」

「You’re flattering me~. Ah, that’s right. Touko-chan, let me correct something. Y’see, I’m not a merchant, but――」

I don’t know what Alezel is planning to do, but she starts to raise her right arm in the air. Hm? What’s that white cloth-like thing she’s holding?

「――I’m a thief. Touko-chan, you’re wearing cute panties, huh~. I’ll give you a high score for the gap.」

「――!!!???」

Along with Touko’s scream, I burst out grandly.