Do It Again

The train showed no signs of moving again. Thinking something big had happened, I looked out the window, but nothing unusual was visible. Like… train robbers or… monsters. Things like that.

Beyond the vast horizon, the sun was merely slowly setting.

Ah, of course, the scenery was beautiful, but….

A groan was heard, and Veronica, still seated, stretched and spoke. She was still smooth.

“Why is it suddenly like this?”

“…Since Claudia went, I think we’ll know soon.”

Claudia, having judged that it wasn’t a task requiring strength, had left the Passenger Cabin a while ago to investigate further. Wouldn’t she be back soon?

While I was resting my chin on my hand, thinking nothing much would happen, and gazing at the sunset, the Passenger Cabin door opened and Claudia entered. She had a somewhat strange expression.

Claudia, who had walked in with heavy steps, sat down on a chair and sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… well.”

As Claudia opened her mouth, Cecil, who had been watching the fading sunset, and Veronica, who had been lounging in her chair, both perked up their ears and gathered around the table. Perhaps energized by their attention, Claudia leaned close to the table and spoke quietly, as if whispering a secret.

“It seems there’s some problem with the Power Unit? This is a real secret, but… they say the personnel who can fix it are far away, so they don’t know when we’ll depart again.”

I think I understood what was going on. To maintain this crystallization of Magic and Alchemy, one would need to possess both types of knowledge, or at least two or more people.

How common would people capable of that be?

Unless they had a passion for trains, who would do this obviously arduous work?

“But how did you know that?”

“I have my ways.”

Saying that, Claudia, with a smirk pulling up the corners of her lips, looked somewhat trustworthy. At the same time, I also felt that I shouldn’t pry any further.

“…So we just have to wait indefinitely.”

“Right? Going to the Capital isn’t urgent, is it?”

“Hmm… it’s… not urgent, no.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

If Master had already departed, we might miss each other, but seeing as she arrived with a letter last time, it was highly probable she was still at her Workshop.

Though I didn’t know what she was doing.

In the end, nothing much had changed except that the travel period had lengthened… but with the train stopped, time somehow felt boring.

Perhaps the specter of ‘hurry-hurry’ was still casting its shadow over me. I got up from my seat and approached the backpack Cecil had brought. As I rummaged inside, Veronica’s voice was heard.

“What are you trying to do?”

I stopped rummaging and replied.

“Research…?”

Then, it wasn’t Veronica, but Claudia who shook her head and approached me. With a look of disgust, she put her hands under my armpits and lifted me straight up.

My hands, which had been inside the backpack, flailed as I was lifted into the air. From a distance, I heard Veronica stifling her laughter. I squirmed in embarrassment.

“W-What are you doing?!”

“We finally got out of the Workshop, Shaa, aren’t you being a bit much?”

Claudia skillfully set me down in a chair. Veronica was still giggling and letting out laughs. Cecil, finding me amusing floating in the air, was asking Claudia to lift her too.

When Claudia readily agreed and lifted Cecil up, a burst of giggles was heard. Her pure white Dress fluttered, revealing her black underwear.

I turned my head and poked Veronica’s side, who was still snickering.

“Keck.”

While Claudia was distracted with Cecil, I punished Veronica. Soon after, Claudia and Cecil, having finished their ‘up-high’ game, sat down in their chairs. As I stroked Cecil’s head, who was excitedly chattering, I asked Claudia.

“…So what are we going to do? You were chattering so much earlier.”

What on earth was she suggesting we do?

Thinking about it, my memories of enjoying leisure were faint. The closest thing I could call a hobby was… reading books or….

…drinking Milk?

Others might call it a boring life, but I like Alchemy. Of course, I like Money too, but.

Somehow, Veronica was looking at me with an unenthusiastic expression.

After a moment of thought, Claudia pulled something out of her own backpack. It was a deck of cards.

She skillfully shuffled the cards, then with a ‘chwarreuk’ sound, she fanned the deck from her right hand to her left.

Was she going to show us some Magic trick? Unlike me, who was indifferent, Cecil was clapping her hands softly and enjoying it. Veronica also seemed interested and was watching Claudia.

…Am I the strange one?

Claudia, gathering our gazes, chuckled.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you ladies, but it’s not that… I was thinking we could play a card game.”

“A card game?”

As Cecil tilted her head and asked, Claudia, after a brief thought, began to explain the rules. It was a simple game. It was similar to UNO… or ‘One Card’ as I remembered from my past life.

It seemed she had chosen a game with relatively simple rules for Cecil, who appeared to be encountering it for the very first time. I found myself thinking she was surprisingly considerate.

…Unlike the first impression I had of her as Shaa, or the impression I had when I encountered her as Asha.

When the rules explanation finished, Cecil’s eyes sparkled, saying it sounded fun. Seeing Veronica straighten her posture… she seemed interested too. Finally, Claudia looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders with a ‘what can I do’ expression.

In this situation, could I really say no?

The cards were dealt, and the game began.

*

*

*

*

“It’s over!”

“Shaa is last again this time, isn’t she?”

Veronica chuckled and gathered the cards. She wiggled her fingers at me, telling me to hurry and put down the cards I was holding.

“….”

I tried to calm my seething insides and poured out the cards from my hand.

How could this be? How could I not win even once? No, not being able to come in first place is one thing, but how could I not be able to put down all my cards even once? That makes no sense, does it?

“So there was something Shaa couldn’t do?”

“…It was just bad luck.”

“Right, right.”

Claudia, smiling faintly, gulped down her drink. My throat was also parched, so I chugged the drink placed on the table. Meanwhile, Veronica, who had sorted the cards, began to deal them out.

I looked at Cecil, who was sitting next to me, and she clenched her fist, cheering me on, saying I could do it this time.

…Then why didn’t you just lose to me?

No, my pride wouldn’t allow that. With sharp eyes, I sorted the cards I had received. This time, I would definitely win. I stared intently at the cards, steeling my resolve.

Claudia’s voice, mixed with laughter, was heard.

“Aren’t you getting a bit tired of just playing?”

“…Are you planning to just win and run away?”

“No, no, it’s not that… I was thinking, what if we made a small bet?”

“A bet? Gambling is not allowed.”

I glanced at Cecil and said that, and Claudia chuckled playfully.

“I detest gambling too.”

“Then what?”

“How about this? The first-place winner gets to give the last-place player one command. Something light, like… asking them to stroke their head, or perhaps commanding them to dance.”

“….”

I wasn’t very keen on it.

Considering my win rate so far, it was highly likely I’d come in last. If someone were to say, ‘Aren’t you backing out after glaring with determination to win just a moment ago?’, I’d have nothing to say, but I wasn’t keen on a fight with no chance of winning.

“Ah, I guess you’re still not very keen on it?”

“Since it’s obvious I’ll lose again, perhaps it’s a wise choice, in a way?”

Claudia and Veronica smiled strangely, provoking me. Their expressions were as if they were saying, ‘Scared?’

Did they think I’d fall for such a shoddy provocation?

But then, even Cecil was seen fidgeting her fingers and avoiding my gaze. It seemed as if she was sending a regretful look, as if she thought I’d be troubled. That’s how it looked to me.

…Isn’t it true that a man awakens in times of crisis?

“…Let’s do it. But no backing out after losing.”

“Of course.”

“Naturally.”

“Understood!”

And so, the bet began.

“Cecil is first place!”

Cecil smiled brightly as she put down her last card. The remaining players were Claudia and Veronica. A tense moment. It was Veronica’s turn next, and she put down an attack card. Fortunately, there was a matching card, so it was tossed to Claudia. However, Claudia also played a suitable card.

The attack, which had grown like a snowball, engulfed Veronica. Veronica, as if expecting it, passed the attack. It was my turn, and I too, sweating, passed the attack. It seemed almost certain that whoever took on that attack would be the loser of this game.

I gulped and checked Claudia’s face. It was her usual poker face. Her expression was unreadable. After a brief pause, Claudia chose a card and held it in her hand. It seemed she had a card she could pass. I glanced at Veronica, who was staring at Claudia’s hand with a stiff expression.

Looks like she doesn’t have any more cards to pass, does she?

I chuckled inwardly, thinking I would avoid last place, and checked the card Claudia had put down.

“…What the.”

“It’s Shaa’s turn.”

It was a card that reversed the order.

In other words… it was my turn to play. I heard Veronica sigh in relief. My hands trembled slightly. A mountain of cards, which had swelled up, came into my hand.

…I haven’t lost yet. From now on, I’ll steadily-

“It’s over.”

“I’m done too.”

No miracle occurred. Claudia and Veronica gathered their cards, clicking their tongues as if disappointed.

“Then Cecil can ask Shaa-nim for a favor?”

“…Yeah.”

Cecil, who had come running over with a woodada sound, opened her mouth.