Although I happened to discover Elise-san's store by chance, there was nothing else special that occurred, and we arrived at the ceremony site in the plaza in front of the royal castle.
The plaza in front of the castle was very large, and quite a few people had gathered there. There seemed to be some sort of entertainment going on, and although I couldn't see much from here, I could see magical lights twinkling in the distance.
[I wonder what they're doing over there?]
[I think they're putting on a musical about the history of the country from its founding until now. It's a standard performance, but it's a very popular event.]
[Heehhh... Tre-san sure is knowledgeable.]
[Hmph, you can count on me. I've studied about this after all... from a magazine!]
It may seem like she only has very shallow knowledge about this, but she definitely knows more than I do.
[I also saw a formation story performance like that at the White God Festival, so I wonder, are theater performances with this theme popular?]
[I think it's easy to understand because it's a unique event in the country, and since it's about their own country, they have a lot of materials available for their story.]
[There aren't that many events like this in the Demon Realm, so stories like this are a bit fresh to me.]
I think I understood why when I heard what Cento-san and Cien-san said. The Demon Realm isn't divided into countries, so stories like this that talk about the origins of a country are probably new to them.
Lillywood-san's Yggfresis is almost the size of a country, but I guess the natural features of the Demon Realm, or rather, the stance of its people may have been a factor in this.
[As expected, we can't see the guest seats from here.]
[Hmmm, we'd have to go quite far forward if you want to be able to see that far, and as expected, floating here would be conspicuous, so doing that would be difficult.]
[Well, even if we don't fuss about the musical, we can still have fun looking around the stalls in the plaza... Even———– Eh?]
Immediately after, the sound around our surroundings disappeared. Tre-san, and even Cento-san and Cien-san stopped in place for some reason... as if time itself had stopped...
[Sorry, Miyama.]
[Eh? Chronois-san?]
[There's something I wanted to check, so I stopped time for everything except for yours.]
[A- Ahhh, I see... That's why this scene happened.]
I see, because time had stopped, it suddenly became quiet as if the sound had disappeared, and Tre-san and the twins had stopped in place... I understand how this happened, but why did she suddenly stop time? She had something she wanted to check?
[...Errr, Chronois-san, what is it that you wanted to check?]
[No, well, do you want to see the ceremonial events up close, Miyama? If so, how about I bring you near the front row?]
[Ahh, no, it's alright. In fact, I'm not really that interested in the event, and if I go to the front row, it will be difficult for me to look around the stalls.]
[Fumu, I see... In that case, there should be no problem.]
[Thank you for your concern.]
[No, if Miyama suffers a disadvantage while I'm here, I'll have no face to show before Shallow Vernal-sama... If you yourself have no problem with this, then it's good. Well then, I'll take my leave. Sorry for the suddenness of the situation.]
As Chronois-san announces this, her figure disappears and as the sound returns to the surroundings, everything begins moving again.
[...Unnn? Kaito, what's up?]
[Ahh, no, how about we look around the surrounding stalls?]
[I guess so. Sounds like a good idea. However, I think there are too many people around us.]
[There sure are. Shall we go to another street then?]
If we want to see the stalls, we don't really have to stick to the plaza. Just as Tre-san said, there certainly are many people around here, so it might be better to go to a more open place.
Well, that's what I was thinking, but Tre-san shook her head.
[No, that isn't the case. I just don't think we should do that, just in case we get lost... You see, I'm quite an expert at that if I may say so myself.]
[...Tre-san saying that somehow has different persuasiveness to it.]
[...If you're aware of it, we would have liked it if you could restrain yourself a little more...]
At Tre-san's declaration, Cento-san and Cien-san, who have frequently experienced being strayed away from her on a regular basis, earnestly muttered.
But well, Tre-san being a bundle of positivity, not being bothered by her words, she just spoke with a smile.
[In other words, I think we need measures to prevent us from straying away from each other!]
[...Fumu. Well, I think you have a point, but what exactly are we going to do?]
[That being the case, I think we should hold hands! As expected though, four people holding hands side by side in a row would become a hindrance to other people, so Kaito and I would hold hands, while Cento and Cien would hold hands with each other!]
[...Errr... What do you think, Cento-san, Cien-san?]
I understand the point Tre-san was trying to make. And Tre-san being Tre-san, I also know that she's just saying this with the momentum. However, the problem here is that if we refuse here, there's a possibility that Tre-san really might get lost.
With that in mind, I asked Cento-san and Cien-san for their opinions as well...
[If possible, we would appreciate it if we could accept Esteemed Sister Tre's suggestion...]
[In fact, ever since we took a break, we have just been making sure Esteemed Sister Tre doesn't get separated from us...]
[...I understand.]
I don't know if I should say that this is to be expected or not, but because of their usual experience, it seemed like they were also worried about the possibility of Tre-san getting separated from the group. In fact, they even got separated from each other back at the White God Festival...
That being the case, if we hold hands and worst case scenario, if Tre-san gets lost, I will be with her, so it would be easy for me to contact the two of them.
[...You're right. Well then, Tre-san. Shall we hold hands?]
[That's strange. That doesn't sound romantic or sweet at all, sounding more like a suggestion to hold hands with a small child so that they don't get lost.]
[That's exactly what it sounds like though...]
[Arehh? This isn't going as I expected... Well, it's fine! Alright, let's hold hands and go!]
Even with the fact that this is a measure to prevent Tre-san from getting lost, Tre-san is the same always, as without thinking too much about it, she held my hand with a bright smile on her lips and started walking away.
Even though she's quite older than me and was tall, she really is like a child... Well, I suppose that too is part of Tre-san's charm...