Haunted Duke’s Daughter

The store that she was led to was a store with many sweets. She saw sweets that Lilia was familiar with, and instantly anticipated Sakuras reaction.

SStrawberry daifuku.

LIll buy it, so shut up.

SMwu.

Her voice sounded somewhat disgruntled, as if she was dissatisfied. While smiling bitterly, I bought a strawberry daifuku.

Lilia really likes strawberry daifuku.

Im a little disappointed to hear you say that, but.Well, okay.

Tina immediately started eating the mitarashi dango. Seeing this, Lilia also put a strawberry daifuku in her mouth after a bit of hesitation.

Eating outside is so uncomfortable, isnt it? Sorry, I didnt notice.

Its okay. Ill just imitate Tina.

S You usually dont mind, though!

L Shut up.

After we finished eating, Tina led me to another store. It was a strange store with a large counter in the front and products lined up a little further back, out of reach. I tilted my head, wondering how I was supposed to shop there.

Brother, can I have one of those, please?

Yes.

The young man on the far side of the counter took the money from Tina and handed her a small bow and five arrows with rounded tips.

In front of Lilias eyes, who was a little surprised that they were merchandise, Tina held up the bow and shot the arrows. She shot the arrows, four of them hit the wall at the back, and one hit a small bag at the front.

Its okay.

The man handed the bag to Tina and Lilia finally understood. It seemed to be a game where the player gets the prize that is hit by the arrow. I think it was well thought out.

S I guess it could be called target shooting. I guess they didnt mention the gun, as expected.

LWhats that?

SDont worry about it.

Sakura seems to know this game or the source of it. She seemed to know a lot about sages, so perhaps she was one of them. I didnt think they were involved in this kind of thing, not just food.

L Im getting a little curious about the sages, arent I? Id like you to tell me about them sometime, if you can.

S Id be happy to tell you what I know.

L So this game is also related to the sages, isnt it?

SYoure leading me on!

Ive been thinking a little bit about this for a while, but Sakura falls for this kind of inducement so easily. I guess shes honest at heart. It would be nice if I could simply ask her about the things Sakura is hiding, but when it comes to such things, she doesnt fall for it.

Lilia. Lets go to the next one.

At Tinas urging, Lilia interrupted her thoughts.

Then, as the two of us were cruising the stalls and stores, Tina suddenly stopped in her tracks. She stared at a point and froze. When I followed her gaze, I saw a boy with red hair looking at her, also frozen. He was a sharp-eyed boy, probably the same age as Lilia and the others.

Keith

When Tina muttered what must have been the boys name, the boy stared at her fixedly. I couldnt help but frown at the look in her eyes. As if she noticed this, Tina said to me in a slightly panicked manner.

Im going to go talk to him. Can Lilia wait here for me?

I dont mind, but.Are you okay?

Yeah, Im fine. Ill see you later.

Tina said with a smile, and ran towards the boy.

LNo problem, right.Its not very convincing when you say it with teary eyes like that. Sakura, dont you know anything?

Hmm.

It was as if she couldnt possibly know, but contrary to my expectations, Sakura only snorted.

L Do you know about him?

SWellin case you were wondering. Tinas childhood friend, I think.

L Childhood friend? Are childhood friends supposed to be bad friends?

S No, I think it depends on the person. Anyway, they dont really get along, its more like Keith hates her.

Lilia was not so convinced when she heard that. She had been watching the two of them for a while, and it seemed as if the boy, Keith, was yelling at Tina. Tina seemed to respond with a wry smile and a lowered eyebrow.

It looks like Keith is the one who is in the wrong. But what happened before that, Lilia does not know. Maybe Tina had done something to him.

S I dont think thats the case with that girl.

L I wonder.

I wonder if Sakura knows about that. Id like to ask her about it, but Im sure she wont tell me. Besides, if its a matter between them, its not something that I should be involved in. If Tina asks for help, Ill do something about it, but as long as Tina doesnt show any signs of it, I probably shouldnt get involved.

Lilia waited, keeping an eye on the two of them and not moving from the spot.

As she waited, she began to feel annoyed. Keith shouted something for the last time, then snapped back and ran off. Tina came back with her shoulders slumped. She was obviously disappointed, but when she realized that Lilia was watching her, she mended her expression in a panic.

Im sorry to keep you waiting. Lets move on.

Then she took Lilias hand. Lilia almost opened her mouth to ask about Keith, but quickly closed it. If Tina doesnt want to talk about it, then now is probably not the right time to ask.

Lilia let out a small sigh and walked off with Tina pulling her hand.

We ended up touring around the southern part of the city that day until the sun went down. I ate what looked good, and played what looked interesting. I did all the things that I definitely would not have done in the past. It was a little fresh and fun.

When I returned to the inn and headed to the third floor, my brother was waiting for me in front of my room. He had a difficult look on his face, but when he saw me, he broke into a smile. I feel bad.

S Its awful.