“H-hey.”
Seeing Saito, Louise, who was sitting at the fountain, puffed out her cheeks.
“What‘s up with you?! You're late!”
“No... when I was about to leave I was caught by Scarron.”
“Just ignore him!”
“I can‘t, for the time being, he is my employer...”
Nagging, Louise urged Saito. Aah, I should have saved my head and not come to the date if she was going to be angry like this.
Louise was dressed for the occasion. She was embarrassed, because even though she looked gorgeous, her clothes were still not suitable for a noble… She was dressed in a recent trend, popular among town girls – black beret and black dress with a plunging neckline. The pendant that Saito gave her was hanging on her neck. In these clothes she really looked like a true town girl. As one would expect from a girl in her pubescence, it was hard for Louise to acquire a suitable dress in town.
Aah, when silent, she really looks pretty charming. With her arms folded and tilted chin… the young girl looked across the street intently. Her strawberry-blond hair shined vividly in the rays of the sun. Her big hazel eyes were an obvious sign that she was from another world. Aah, his lovely master looked very cute right now, furiously tapping her feet.
“Hey, lets go! Before the play starts.”
Louise said, still sounding little shy.
Saito nodded and started to walk. However, Louise remained standing in her place.
“What is it?”
“Muu! Escort me properly!”
“Escort?”
“Right. Hey!”
Louise pulled Saito's arm.
“Kuh?” He looked dumbfounded at their united arms.
Holding hands! It made Saito very awkward. Though she had used his hands as pillows to sleep on lately, he still wasn’t used to them walking while holding hands in the middle of town. Saito felt nervous. Then she stepped on his foot.
“W-what?!”
“During our Void day off you should lead me. Why won’t you say something? Uuuuh!”
Louise groaned.
“W-well, this is our Void day. H-how about going to the t-theater?”
Louise shook her head while sighing, and then pulled his arm dragging him after her.
“Muu! Useless escort! This way! Here!”
And so, walking in a way that still was not clear who was escorting whom, the pair went down the streets of Tristain, bathing in the sunlight of summer.
Well, as to why the couple went to see a play…
Today was the day of Rag and the inn was closed. “I want to go to the play,” Louise had said early in the morning, when she was having her breakfast (though it actually was a dinner, because they went to sleep late yesterday) with Saito in the attic.
“Play?”
“That’s right.”
Louise muttered somewhat ashamed.
“You like things like plays?”
“I don't like them, but I want to see one.”
“See it?”
Louise nodded. When you think about it, she grew up in a different environment. Louise was strictly disciplined at home, so she probably never went to the town’s theater.
Thinking this way, Saito suddenly felt pity for Louise.
“All right, but why do you want to see a play now?”
“Jessica told me that today there is a very popular play on stage.”
Louise was a girl, after all and fashionable things attract her just like any other.
And…
Louise for some reason insisted this to be a date.
“It doesn’t feel right just going there. The mood is important! Therefore let’s meet each other!”
“Meet?”
“All right? Meet me in front of the fountain, in the central plaza.”
“Bothersome.”
“Not bothersome. Hence, lets go to Royal Tanaijiiru Theater.”
“Fuu~n.”
And so, they met.
Royal Tanaijiiru Theater was indeed majestic, a splendid theater of gorgeous stonework. The lined up columns made it look like a temple.
Gentlemen and ladies fashionably dressed up gathered up in the theater.
Saito followed them as well.
After buying a surprisingly cheap ticket from the box office, Saito headed towards the seat. A thick curtain was dropped over the stage, and it was gloomy around it… indeed, Saito was getting excited by the mysterious atmosphere.
Seats were marked by numbers and it was written on a ticket where one should sit, however agitated, Saito, without noticing, sat down in a different seat.
When he and Louise waited for the play to start, a good looking middle-aged noble with beautiful silver hair tapped his shoulder.
“Listen, pal.”
“Y-yes?”
“This is the seat I have had reserved for some time. Isn’t your seat different?”
This being said, the number of the seat was confirmed. It was as the man said. Hastily Saito, being urged by Louise, stood up.
“Muu! You have no shame!”
Louise complained shaking her head. Searching for the seat, Saito asked Louise.
“What was the play again?”
“…Tristania’s Holiday.”
“What’s the plot?”
“Princess of a certain country and the prince of a certain country come to Tristania secretly. The pair meet each other hiding their identities, however once they fall in love… they learn each other’s identities and separate. A sad story.”
Such a story shared a great popularity among the young girls. And indeed, the theater was crowded with young women.
After he found his seat, with much effort, the curtain rose. The play started. Music played and… it sounded beautiful in the theater.
“Amazing.”
Louise watched the stage with absorbed interest.
Saito, who was seeing a Halkeginia play for the first time, at first gazed at it attentively as well. However… he got tired soon.
The scenario wasn’t so bad – he thought. Yet, the actors were unskilled. Though Saito was not very interested in plays, he still saw various movies back on earth and saw some school plays as well.
Compared to that… these guys were ham actors. Occasionally the voice turned inside out and singing scenes were executed in a tone-deaf manner. Was this really a royal opera?
Yet Louise was still deeply moved by it, laughing ‘Ha!’ and sighing weakly. Waa, I should just enjoy the play like them, Saito thought.
However… the play still seemed to be no good. He looked around yawning, watching the visitors. There seemed to be some well known faces of society there. However, only young women were intensively gazing at the actors. Guess some things do not change even compared to Saito’s different world.
Saito became sleepy while watching.
Not being able to bear it anymore, he started to snore slightly.
Louise threw an angry look at the sleeping Saito.
Wh-what?! This fellow… even though it is such a special play! I invited him!
For Louise this was a date. This should have been her memorable first date. Therefore she was so picky about such details as meeting, yet this familiar didn’t notice that.
More so, he didn't escort me!
Did not know where the theater was!
I had to buy the tickets!
Furthermore, he shamefully mixed the seats!
Moreover, he fell asleep!
Though she chose him to be her long-awaited first date companion, this familiar was reluctant to be his master's date! Reluctantly he chose to do so! Un-for-gi-va-ble! Louise restrained her feelings that she wanted to shout out and stared at Saito, who had started a journey to dream land.