Atelier Tanaka - Book 7: Chapter 1 (9)

Ordinary Day

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

Elf-san invited all of us to stay at her home for the night.

Inside the living room, I was sitting on one of the Elf-san’s luxurious sofas with her seated right beside me. The Dragon-san was seated opposite us on her own sofa while the Goggoru-san was sitting in the corner nearest the door.

“I’m not going to ask you what you’re doing here, but if you’re not going to fulfill your duties as mayor, you could at least give the man that let you join his city, be it from Mount Pepe or the Dark Continent, the courtesy of telling him your plans.”

The Elf-san directed her pointed words at the Dragon-san.

『Are you speaking to me, little elf?』

“….”

The Elf-san was already looking defeated.

This isn’t going to end well.

I’m afraid of helping, but I can at least try to say something to calm her down.

“Um, w-what brought the two of you to the capital?”

I asked the obvious question.

I wasn’t expecting a straightforward answer, but I was surprised to receive one.

『That man broke his response to me. Unforgivable.』

Her frustration would be cute if she wasn’t so scary.

“A promise? About what?”

“Are you talking about his promise to take a look at the tower you built?”

The Elf-san asked her own question after I asked mine.

I’m surprised I’m even able to speak in the presence of the Dragon-san, but maybe the aphrodisiac is giving me some courage.

『Yeah, that’s right! He made me a promise….』

This complaint matched her childlike appearance.

However, such a simple promise was clearly important to the Dragon-san.

The expression the Dragon-san made and the words she spoke seemed to be something the Elf-san could relate to.

She gave a small nod and fell into a pensive silence.

“He certainly has seemed busy lately.”

『Y-You think so too!? He has, hasn’t he!? That’s exactly how I feel!』

The Goggoru-san also chimed in.

“He has.”

She also nodded.

Well, when it comes to Goggoru-san, I feel like Tanaka-san has spent a lot of time with her. Perhaps her standard for satisfaction is a little higher than what Tanaka-san feels.

“And now he’s going on vacation with that n-noblewoman from the Pussy Republic….”

『Vacation? Oi, elf, what do you mean vacation?』

“They’re going on a vacation! J-Just the two of them!”

『…hou』

“When we were on the airship. He was talking to that woman from the Pussy Republic about going on vacation. That woman wanted to join him and you said yes! He said he was tired so he’s not planning on returning until after he’s gone on vacation.”

『He broke his promise with me so he could come here and play around with another woman….』

The Dragon-san’s eyes changed colour.

Goggoru-san’s face was blank as she spoke,

“…where are they going?”

“I wasn’t able to find that out….”

“….”

The Elf-san’s answer caused the Goggoru-san to shoot to her feet.

Her sudden movement caused both the Elf-san and the Dragon-san to look in her direction. The latter looked terrified as her whole body trembled and her tail stood straight up.

However, the Goggoru-san left down the hallway, causing the Dragon-san to relax.

『O-Oi! Where do you think you’re going!?』

“…I’m going to find out.”

“Eh? Ah, w-wait a minute….”

The Goggoru-san left down the stairs and ignored both the Dragon-san’s and Elf-san’s words.

Her footsteps faded into the distance before disappearing altogether but was shortly followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

『…oi, where do you think that goggoru is going?』

“H-How would I know…?”

What’s she thinking?

I’ve had this strange feeling of being an outsider this entire conversation while all three of them have something in common that I don’t fully understand.

My heart has been racing for some time now and my armpits are already soaked.

***

I spent the night in my dorm at the Academy. When I awoke, it was time for our departure.

The Kimoronge, Drill-chan, and I were all gathered outside the dormitory in a nearby courtyard. THe two of them carried no luggage and intended on surviving off goods they could buy locally as we traveled. The only bag I could see on them was a small pouch that contained some gold coins.

“Okay, then, let’s get started.”

“Are you really planning on flying the entire way there? You’re not going to fall out of the sky halfway there are you?”

“I’m just worried that we’ll have to take a break to accommodate your servant.”

“Gu…y-you bastard….”

I figured a good start to our journey would be to annoy the masochist demon.

And, just as I predicted, he was looking frustrated after being insulted in front of his Master.

I’m sure he plans on following me just as his Master decided. I hope he’ll fly as fast as possible even if reaching the speeds of the loligon isn’t possible. The quicker we can get there, the more time we’ll have to spend actually vacationing.

I can’t wait to relax on this extended vacation.

I had already lost the hair that I had regrown after soaking in the hot springs of Dragon City. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Hair regrowth follows the same rules in this one as my previous one. Which means I need to relax. My main concern now is focusing on recovering both my mind and body in order to regrow my hair.

“I’ve got a map to follow, so I’ll leave first and you can follow behind.”

“I’ll happily follow behind. I want to see you fall with my own eyes.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

My flight magic is on par with the loligon’s. There’s no chance I’ll lose to the masochist demon.

I’m going to show off my cool side to Drill-chan.

“We better get going.”

“Gerosu, I want you to smash this guy’s face in!”

“Happily!”

The masochist demon lifted Drill-chan as his body floated into the sky.

I lifted my own body into the air and matched the kimoronge’s altitude.

I don’t mind this sort of competition.

***

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

It was the following day and the Dragon-san, Elf-san, Goggoru-san, and myself had all traveled to the Academy.

We used my job as a school maid to enter the academy and headed straight toward the dormitory. Since I’ve grown familiar with the dormitory, I brought them to Tanaka-san’s room using the quickest route. We went through the kitchen and used a passageway intended for servants.

While we were walking through an open courtyard, the Elf-san spoke as she pointed toward the sky.

“H-He’s leaving!”

We followed the direction she was pointing and spotted Tanaka-san and Drill-sama both flying high into the sky. The only reason we knew they’d be leaving soon is thanks to Goggoru-san.

Goggoru-san arrived early in the morning after leaving suddenly last night. She told us the noble couple were planning on leaving in the morning to travel to some resort town.

I have no idea how she managed to learn about this. Where did she go and what did she do? I suppose it doesn’t matter now that the two of them are already flying away.

『Oi, hop on』

The Dragon-san’s voice reached our ears.

I looked over toward her and…ah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in this position.

The Dragon-san was lying flat on the ground.

The pose made me feel ashamed.

“…okay.”

『N-Not you! You’re never getting near me! Stay away!』

“….”

Goggoru-san nodded and was ready to straddle the Dragon-san without any hesitation, but the Dragon-san rejected her in an instant.

She remained lying on the ground with a desperate look in her eyes. She was screaming so intensely at the Goggoru-san that spit was flying from her mouth. She may not be afraid of the Goggoru-san for traditional reasons, but there is definite fear there.

This sudden rejection made the Goggoru-san look dejected. It made her even cuter.

“Eh? A-are you sure?”

The Elf-san showed more restraint compared to the Goggoru-san.

『Just get on already! We’re going to lose him at this rate!』

“R-Right.”

The Elf-san obediently climbed atop the prone Dragon-san.

『You too, human!』

“Eh? No, umm, I-I’m fine with staying….”

『Shut up and get on!』

“Y-Yes!”

I didn’t want to get on top of her.

I never wanted to experience this again.

However, the intimidating black nothingness that made up the Dragon-san’s eyes were too scary for me to object. I followed her instructions and walked up beside her. There’s nothing I can do against her. She’s so scary. Even the Elf-san is forced to come under heel.

『Finally!』

The Dragon-san’s body lurched vertically into the air with a tremendous force.

“Hahi!?”

I was forced to grab onto her shoulders to stop myself from falling off. As my head snapped back from the sudden force, I noticed the Goggoru-san following after us using her own magic.

Magic is so convenient.

It’s truly amazing.

If it’s possible for magic to heal the pain and anxiety I’m currently feeling, it might be worth learning. Maybe I should ask Tanaka-san about it the next chance I get. No, that’s a bad idea. I doubt I’d be capable of learning so best not waste either of our time.

Ah, Dragon-san is speeding up….

End Chapter 1