Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Vol 2 Chapter 68

「With you, I feel like it always end up like this, Alice.」

Eclair, looked over here with serious eyes.
Receiving that gaze, I nodded gravely.

「Eeh, let’s settle this, Eclair.」

The night of the second day at the travel lodge.
On the room’s table, we confront eachother with our yukata’s arms rolled up.

――It’s arm wrestling.

「Ne～, s.h.i.+on? Des.h.i.+ and Ekurea are, fighting?」
「That’s wrong. They’re just messing around.」
「That’s wrong!」
「That’s right oneechan! I’m, super serious!」

Arm wrestling and the like, if it’s a man he surely wouldn’t lose!
Please watch, these well trained arms!
With the rolled up arm, I announced this as if to make the others see.

「……Thin.」

You intend to pressure me do you, for some reason having Eclair look down on me is frustrating.
Your side also isn’t all that different right!
Fine then.
Then……Please watch, these biceps!

「Un, soft isn’t it.」
「Ow oow! Please don’t grab my arms!」

Oneechan, I’ll cry!
Gazing at my ane with teary eyes, she replied with a bitter smile like, my bad, my bad.

「……It really is fine to modify the compet.i.tion rules.」
「Naa! An insult is it! Something like running away from the proper lineage of the contest of power, There’s no way I could do such a shameless act!」

I’d already put my elbow on the table, come then, I will take you on, I saw that sort of atmosphere brew up.

「Fun, I’ll give you cause to cry in regret.」

Eclair also put her elbow on the table, we tightly gripped our hands together.
Ilya took the role as referee, she placed her hand on top of where ours were clasped together.

「Then, please relax.」

At Ilya’s voice, I let out my breath.
――Fu, for something like biceps anything is fine.
Since what’s necessary in arm wrestling is, power from the wrist to the elbow.
To go further, firmly fixing the body, mow down with the upper arm like pulling in!
That’s what I’m depending on.
I haven’t forgotten the sensations that rang out long ago!
Amateur――――It’s time you realized this!

「Ready――」

I crossed my gaze with Eclair’s.

「Goー!」

The moment Ilya raised the hand she had covered ours with, I pushed out energy!

「Teeyaaaaaa!!」
「……」

The match was truly instantaneous――――Rather it wasn’t.
――What is this!?
My preemptive attack with my full body weight is……ineffective?
What a person, Eclair……is she a monstrosity!?
From the start, she’s barely moved!

「What is this, this sensation like it’s too pitiful to stay and watch this……」

Even so gradually for that portion of my body weight, I pushed her arm.

「……Eclair is also not strong so, coming at me with your body weight does have a little effect but…… Even with that Alice is, weak!」

Kuu!
It really did, come to this then!
Hai hai, I understand!
With a carefree face, what should I do～?
With this side being overly weak, can you not stand the match, Eclair?

――However!!

I’ll teach you that, that carelessness is

what will determine the match!

「Eclair!」
「Wha, what is it?」

My gaze, was slowly lowered from hers――and so, it stopped at Eclair’s yukata’s breast opening.
I saw that Eclair, following my gaze, somehow seemed like she was unsettled.
Maa, since they’re sensitive to where people look, girls.

「――Your breast, is visible!」

Pointing out her yukata that had come open during our arm wrestling――

「Ha, wai!? ――Ah」

When Eclair noticed her yukata’s breast opening I didn’t let the opening escape――I decided the match.

「……Fu, when you underestimate your opponent this is how it ends.」
「Ojousama’s victory.」

Ilya raised her hands way up for me.

「Haa!? Isn’t this strange! Why is Ilya boldly announcing the winner! What is she refereeing for!?」
「I was moved by ojousama’s wisdom and courage.」
「This is clearly evil wisdom and, there isn’t anything like courage anywhere in this is there!」
「I am profusely sorry, I was so moved that I couldn’t see forward well, besides the result.」
「What is this, this predecided race!」

And like that, a peaceful peaceful episode at the hot spring travel lodge came to an end.
To say why we did something like arm wrestling, it’s wasn’t anything but simple play in the end.
Ma, for that she became heated didn’t she, Eclair.

「Master, should I?」

Aim rolled up her arm like she was deeply interested.

「……I think there are, things that wisdom and courage can’t deliver.」

Know the enemy, know your self and you will fight a hundred battles without danger.
This isn’t running away, this is a strategic retreat.
Power 5 is like……my arm will break.

From here, on the final day’s night at that hot spring travel lodge it happened, a it really happened story――

Suddenly, I awoke within the night, I realized that I couldn’t move my own body.
Though I thought, that’s it, it’s Till or Rin-chan again, but somehow it seemed that wasn’t it.
Looking over the surroundings, in everyone’s various futons no one was present.
Of course, my futon as well.

――Sleep paralysis!?

Quickly, an indescribable anxiety tormented me as cold sweat came out.
Even though I’m conscious, my body won’t move.
This is a really creepy and, frightening phenomenon.
I got a premonition that I might see something I didn’t want to see, I promptly closed my eyes.
I was close to raising a meaningless scream.

After a little bit, I realized that it seemed like my body could move.
First, slowly closing and opening my hand, I confirmed my body’s movement.
I still hadn’t opened my eyes.
It was too scary to confirm the interior of the room, as such I buried my head in my futon.

Though there should be eight people including myself lined up and resting on futons, there was no presence at all.
I am, counting from the hallway, the third in and, right beside me nearest the window there’s Rin-chan.
It’s the sort of setup where across the open pa.s.sage s.p.a.ce, four more people have futons lined up.

Setting that aside――First, that that Rin-chan isn’t here in the middle of the night like this is strange.

Thinking about it normally it’s a situation where I would jump out and go to search for her but, beyond that a difficult to describe terror exceeded that.
Is there really no one here?
I set my determination, I raised my voice to see.

「……O, oneechan? Is oneechan there?」

At my side opposite from Rin-chan, s.h.i.+on-san is sleeping there――or at least she should be.
There’s no response.
There’s no presence.

「Ilya! Your here aren’t you, Ilya!?」

From within my futon I let out a slightly loud voice.

――Of course I am, ojousama.

That sort of rea.s.suring voice didn’t come back.
This is an abnormal situation.
Certainly, I can’t leisurely stay hidden in my futon like this.
It finally came that I began to take action.
I can’t wait, any more.

――I want to go to, the toilet!

In truth this travel lodge, doesn’t have a toilet prepared for its rooms.
And so without leaving the room to walk to the toilet it can’t be reached.
The building and toilet are tidy, since it’s cleaned it’s not something like a ghost manor, within this strange presence walking alone down the hall is unnerving.

「Ilya～? Wouldn’t you like to go to the toilet～?」

It’s my final resistance.
There’s no reply――it seems that I’m just talking to myself.

……Kuu, I definitely won’t endure until morning!
To leak or the like, is unthinkable!
I firmed my determination, crawled out of my futon――and opened my eyes.

「……」

As always, the surroundings are enveloped in darkness and silence.
There aren’t particularly any ghosts.
And also, there really isn’t anyone present.

――For now, I think I’ll consider that after picking a flower.

Leaving the room, I walked along following the wall.
I definitely won’t leave a dead angle.
If I’m tapped from behind or something――I’ll leak!

In the hallway there are dim magic ores set here and there, with that the darkness is faintly lit.
Advancing slowly down the long hallway for a while――From the front, I heard a creaking sound from the floor.

――Kis.h.i.+ kis.h.i.+ kis.h.i.+ kis.h.i.+ kis.h.i.+.

「……」

Since it’s a travel lodge, even at night it’s obvious that people would pa.s.s by eachother.
There’s a limit to being timid.
Ignoring my raging heart, I also slowly advanced forward.
……But, I advanced forward watching my feet without raising my face.
Is it not scary?
Un, not scary.

――Kis.h.i.+ kis.h.i.+

「……」

――Ki

「……Eh?」

――Just now……wasn’t it only sound that pa.s.sed by!?

「…………Ah, haha. It’s just my imagination. Spiritual phenomenons can generally be explained by science. That’s it, it’s plasma.」

I ran away from reality.
I definitely won’t look back behind me.
With firm resolution, I advanced down the hall.
For some reason, mist like haze came out, my vision worsened.

――Even though this is inside the building.

Somehow my body was cold.
Some sort of presence like an ill omen drifted.
To speak of myself, contrary to how cold I was, I was soaked in sweat.

And so, I finally came to the toilet.
Looking inside, the mist stretched to the toilet and I couldn’t see well.
Even so without advancing forward, it’s an emergency situation.

Changing into slippers, I go toward the toilet.
Unrelated to this sort of night time, the individual rooms’ doors are all closed except the furthest in.

Breathing out, I sweated profusely.
I realized that I absolutely……must not go to that furthest in toilet.
No, absolutely forbidden.

To begin with, are the other toilets actually occupied by anyone?
Thinking that, I won’t peek in――I don’t want to become a pervert.

I’ll try answering my own question.
Will I go――?
Will I turn back――?

Nay, it’s unthinkable to turn back.
I won’t update the record for the world map drawn on the futon.

Firming my resolution uncounted times, fearfully fearfully my feet moved toward the deepest individual room.
Slowly looking inside, there was――――nothing at all.
……That’s obvious.
Calming myself down, I entered the room and closed the door――――

「Al～i～ce～」
「Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!??」

「――And there, stuck to the back of the door was Eclair covered in blood, I was surprised.」
「I see, you saw a scary dream and, it was that sort of story then.」
「That’s it! Please properly reply even within dreams, Ilya!」
「Fufu, that was rude of me, ojousama.」

On the morning of the day we were going to set out on, as I couldn’t clear up my indignation I talked to Ilya about my circ.u.mstances from yesterday.
――Though it was a dream.

「And so ojousama came to wake up first this morning and, it’s the case that she entered the hot spring alone then?」
「U, un. I was free, and I wanted to enter one last time……」
「By the way, it seems like ojousama’s futon can’t be found, where is it folded up?」
「Eh?」

Where?

「……Today there’s, good weather isn’t there?」
「? Hai, it seems like our laundry will dry well.」
「……」
「?」

It seemed like I could see a question mark floating above Ilya’s head.

「Des.h.i.+～～! I went and, wet my bed!」

And there as Rin-chan, the last to wake, was letting out tears while wailing I went to embrace her.
Bed wetting?

「――Rin-chan, that’s a natural occurrence. In life, anyone might do it, it’s an unavoidable physiological phenomenon. There’s no need to cry, that’s it――a natural course of events.」
「Really? You’re not mad?」
「Ee, of course. I’ll speak with the travel lodge’s people so, before then would you come enter the hot spring with me? Rin-chan.」
「Un!」

As Rin-chan and I firmly held hands, we promptly went to the hot spring.
Un un, it’s good to enter it any number of times, hot spring!

「……By the way in that story the main victim was, no matter how you think of it, Eclair, wasn’t it.」

And, like a victim, the perpetrator, Eclair, groaned with an unconvinced face.

That’s so, there was a scary scary story that actually happened there.