"Ely, do you know your acquaintance will pick us up here? I can see that there will be a festival or a celebration here. Are we going to have some fun?" Sylvia looked left and right like a curious little girl.
"Ehm, Erina-san told me that she would pick us up instead. And, yes, there will be a cherry blossom festival. Some might make it a party or picnic." Elysia gave her confirmation.
"Wow, are we going on a picnic? The castle over there looks really eye-catching, and there are lots of trees around it. Ah, look over there, Ely. The humans over there are having a picnic, right?" Sylvia pointed towards a place that looked like a park.
"Hey, please don't say it with such kind of pronoun, Sylvi. Would you like to have a picnic while viewing the blooming cherry blossoms?" Elysia lowered Sylvia's hand so as not to point something so obvious.
They were currently in an area not far from Osaka Castle, and it didn't look polite to point at this and that with a finger.
"En, it looks fun." Sylvia nodded and invited Vanessa to agree with her with the temptation of delicious food at an open picnic.
*Bzzt* *Ring*
Elysia's smartphone rang and vibrated, an incoming call from Erina. Therefore, she simply picked up the call.
"Elysia-san, where are you now? We have arrived near Osaka Castle." Erina asked.
"We are somewhere in the southwest part of Osaka Castle. Did you come in a white sedan, Erina-san?" Elysia used her sacred vision for a moment to find Erina's whereabouts.
"Ah, can you see me?" Erina was a bit surprised.
"Mm, thanks for coming. Then please wait there, and we'll come to you. We're currently at the higher ground, across the small lake." Elysia signaled Sylvia to leave.
"Mm, okay. I'll be waiting for you." Erina simply agreed. Elysia then hung up the call. "Phew..."
"How's it going, milady?" Mio looked back.
"Elysia-san is coming here. Ah, looks like it's her. Hmm, she came to Japan with her cute pet and her foreign friend." Erina put her hands together when two masked girls approached her car.
*Tap* *Tap*
Elysia took off her face mask and knocked on the car window. "Erina-san, it's me."
Erina immediately opened the back door and gave a wave. "Elysia-san, I'm here, here."
"Eh?" Elysia looked at the back door, then at the front door again.
She then went to the backseat as Erina invited. Sylvia just followed.
Erina looked at Elysia with a happy smile. "I'm glad to see you again, Elysia-san. Did you just arrive in Japan?"
"The pleasure is mine, Erina-san. Thank you for coming to pick us up. We arrived in Japan this morning and in this city this afternoon." Elysia answered in a friendly manner, although she didn't know why Erina looked so excited.
"You arrived this morning? Ah, so you were already in Japan when you sent me that message? Meany, you should have told me earlier." Erina sulked a bit with a pout.
"Ahaha, I don't want to bother you so much. I thought you were still in Tokyo at first." Elysia scratched her head. For some reason, she could see Evelyn's vibe from Erina.
"E-eh? Were you in Tokyo this morning? Erm, I'm feeling guilty... You should have told me when you were going back to Japan, Elysia-san." Erin felt guilty.
"No, no, it's my fault. I'm late to announce my arrival." Elysia shook her head.
"Hm, anyway, I'm glad you decided to address me with the honorific '-san' instead of 'miss'. Ah, who is this sweet and beautiful white cat? Is she your pet, Elysia-san?" Erina moved her hand to stroke the cat, but she gave up that idea right away.
"Mm. Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Vanessa." Elysia waved Vanessa's hand as she gave an introduction. She then pointed her palm at Sylvia. "And she is my friend, Sylvia."
The cue was coming, and Sylvia waved her hand in greeting. She then took off her mask as she just realized that. "Hi."
"O-oh~ A European girl. Nice to meet you, Vanessa-san dan Sylvia-san. You have beautiful snow-white hair, Sylvia-san. Erm, you also have attractive eyes. It's the first time for me to see someone's eyes with blood-red irises." Erina also waved her hand with a smile.
"Are you busy, Erina-san? You said that you were at the grand theater earlier. I hope our arrival doesn't bother you." Elysia raised the topic of the previous short message.
"Ah, you don't have to worry, Elysia-san. It's just, I have to attend an event there for the festival night. Oh, right, could you come to watch the music show this night?" Erina dropped her fist onto her open palm.
"With pleasure. We will definitely attend. For now, would you like to take a picnic with us? My friend wants to join this cherry blossom festival to see the cherry blossom trees in bloom." Elysia invites with an innocent look. She hoped that Erina would agree because she needed a suitable place to chat.
"Hmm~ That sounds fun. Let's do it until the evening comes. I know a good spot around Osaka Castle." Erina nodded in agreement as if she did have that intention. She then turned her head towards the front. "Mio, please help us prepare a picnic spot near Osaka Castle. We want to watch the cherry blossoms bloom."
"Alright, milady." Mio immediately called someone for it. After that, she looked for a parking spot and guided all the girls to the VIP picnic spot.
"You really don't have to worry about wearing a mask to cover your face here, Elysia-san. No problems will come to us here. Face masks might be effective in public, but we're coming to a private place." Erina glanced to the side and asked politely. She honestly just wanted to see Elysia's face without a mask.
"O-oh, alright." Elysia suppressed her intention to wear her mask again.
They then arrived at a particular nice picnic spot. But strangely, there were no other picnic groups in their vicinity. It was indeed a VIP spot.
There had even been provided with a wooden table with various kinds of picnic supplies on it. Famous people did live a good, easy and comfortable life... It was just a phone call, and everything would be prepared in no time.
Erina invited everyone to sit at the table using the cushion seats. They chatted lightly for a while to share their experiences. It was just that chat between Erina and Elysia, while Sylvia just watched confusedly from the side. Mio just listened in silence, and Vanessa just curled up on her master's lap.
"O-oh~ I can see those pink flowers starting to bloom." Sylvia took a lunch box and ate the snack.
"Yes, there are about four thousand trees. This is the end of winter and the beginning of spring." Elysia nodded in agreement as she could also see the blooming flowers.
"???" Erina and Mio looked at each other. They didn't know what language Elysia and Sylvia were speaking.
"Um, is that Russian?" Erin smiled awkwardly.
"No, my friend only knows one language. So, here is a language wall. Please forgive the inconvenience." Elysia felt a little guilty just because of Erina's troubled gaze.
"O-oh~ You were there as an interpreter, right? That wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, is your business at the North Pole done, Elysia-san? That's amazingly fast." Erina waved her hand in front of her face.
"Mm, it's done. Everything went smoothly and finished early. To be honest, we came to Japan right away because I wanted to ask you for help, Erina-san." Elysia decided to get into a rather sensitive topic.
"What kind of help?" Erina tilted her head slightly. However, she felt somewhat disappointed to hear that. Mio didn't even look happy about it.
"I'm curious about some places that hold some unsolved mysteries. Do you have a recommendation or a list? Um, I wonder if this world holds amazing secrets beyond human comprehension. Perhaps, some places that might hold a lot of treasures, such as relics, inscriptions, and artifacts, are also great. Or, a place that has never been touched by humans sounds incredible." Elysia put her hands together and looked up at the evening sky with a soft smile.
"Ah, uh." Erina felt a bit ashamed of herself for suspecting Elysia of ulterior motives like Mio had feared.
Elysia rushed back to Japan because she wanted to ask for help for something so trivial. It was pretty cute, and it amused Erina a lot.
"Fufu, that's easy. I can help you get to all the things that might interest you. This world does hold many secrets that are beyond human comprehension. But, do you want to go explore those mysterious places, Elysia-san? Treasure hunt or the like?" Erina felt somewhat curious and envious. She also wanted to travel the world for just her personal reasons.
"Really? Thank you so much, Erina-san. It really helped me a lot. The internet is so ambiguous, and sometimes I have my doubts about what people write about mysterious places." Elysia felt very happy when Erina gave a yes so easily. Information from top-tier clans was much more reliable. She then brought her face closer to Erina and whispered. "And, yes, we have the intention of exploring those mysterious places."
"Hmm~ I really envy you, Elysia-san. You have a free spirit and are not restrained by anything. Hunting for treasure, solving mysteries, exploring new places, and trying to uncover an unexpected world's secret. That sounds like a great adventure." Erina smiled faintly and looked down. She ended heaved a subtle sigh.
"Hm?" Elysia just tilted her head in confusion.