ALL NOVEL chapter 35
Episode 35: The Place of Memories
Led by Elisabeth, we visited a high-end café in the amusement park, ordered coffee and cake, and sipped our coffee in silence.
What is this atmosphere…
After a while of silence, Elisabeth spoke up.
“Well… I never expected to meet you here, Reina.”
“Yes, it really is a coincidence, Kiryuuin-san.”
Of course, they couldn’t interact as magical girls in front of me, so they kept a distance as mere acquaintances.
I should probably follow their lead.
“Um…”
“Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Kiryuuin Setsuna, the CEO and president of the Artemis Group.”
—
“Eh! From the Artemis Group!?”
Of course, I know, but I’ll act overly surprised here.
Still, this person is 32, but they look incredibly young… Even if they said they were in their 20s, I wouldn’t know…
“Come on, you should introduce yourself too.”
“I-I’m Sota Hayami from Ryusei Academy, just like Rena!”
Alright, the performance of a nervous, ordinary student in front of a big shot is perfect… If I were too confident on our first meeting, it would stand out too much, and it’s better to leave a forgettable impression.
“There’s no need to be so nervous, relax…”
“Y-yes.”
“So? Why are you two here today? What’s your relationship?”
He glares at me as if to ward off any bad influence on his precious daughter.
No, that’s scary.
What happened to the smile from earlier?
“He’s my friend. Today, we came to the amusement park as a thank you for the help he gave me before.”
“Oh, a friend… I see. That’s good. I thought he might be your boyfriend or something.”
“He’s just a friend, nothing more, nothing less.”
Luna firmly denied Elizabeth’s question with a smile.
Elizabeth, who initially doubted Luna’s “impossible” attitude, now looks at me with pity.
As if to say, “Cheer up, boy.”
“I-I see… I thought I was beaten to it… Boy, Sota, was it? Stay friends with Rena. Take care of her.”
“Y-yes.”
What is this atmosphere, like a marriage greeting…
“By the way, Kiryuin-san, you like amusement parks? That’s unexpected.”
“Ah, well… I like them enough to have an annual pass… And… I came here with my juniors a long time ago… Today, I came to reminisce about those memories…”
Elizabeth’s expression was joyful and ephemeral as she talked about recalling fun memories with someone.
But at the same time, I felt a quiet anger. As if she resented the culprit who trampled on those precious memories.
After a while, she seemed to notice her expression darkening a bit and returned to the same smile as before.
“Oh, sorry, I was reminiscing a bit… Ah, and please keep it a secret that I was at the amusement park. Understood? Absolutely secret.”
“Yes, understood.”
She was very thorough in making sure no one else knew.
“Thanks. Now, both of you, order whatever you like. I’ll cover all the expenses here.”
—
◇
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Don’t mention it, you two are still young after all.”
In the end, we were treated to a meal, which turned out to be quite expensive, but the way he paid with that black card was incredibly cool.
As expected of the president of the Artemis Group.
I wonder how many magical girl DVDs he could buy?
“By the way, I’m relieved to see that Reina is doing well.”
“Me?”
“Yes, I heard from Yui that there was a bit of trouble, so I was worried.”
“There’s no problem at all, I’m fine.”
“I see. If anything comes up, please consult me. Also, if possible, I would like you to forgive that child. I want you all to get along.”
“Understood, I’ll let them know that I’m not bothered.”
“Thank you. Well, I should be going. I need to get back to work.”
Saying that, he waved his hand at us and walked away.
However, I didn’t miss the fact that the direction Elizabeth walked towards was the photo spot with the amusement park’s mascot character.
“Well, let’s go too. Since we’re here, we should enjoy ourselves more.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
We started walking through the amusement park again.