Chapter 1640: Hydra Kingdom Founding Festival ⑤

Chapter 1640: Hydra Kingdom Founding Festival 5

After Neun-san and Hapti-san stopped playing around...... I mean, after Neun-san finished scolding Hapti-san, Alice created a subspace, and just like how she did with Olivia-san before, she coordinated Neun-san’s disguise within it.

The result was that Neun-san’s image had completely changed from her usual self, wearing denim pants and a jacket, adopting a casual style. As for her face, she disguised it with a hat and sunglasses.

[......That’s quite a significant image change, isn’t it? Even people who are well acquainted with Neun-san might not immediately recognize her in that outfit. Even so, that casual attire suits you quite well.]

[T- Thank you very much. These are clothing I’m not very accustomed to wearing...... but it’s comfortable and easy to move in, isn’t it? Indeed, for my image to change just with clothing, a hat, and glasses...... Knowledge about Recognition Inhibition Magic may have made me overthink what “being in disguise” means. Sha..... Alice-sama, thank you very much.]

[No, no, something like that is no trouble at all.]

Perhaps having realized that even a simple disguise would allow her to go unnoticed, Neun-san happily thanked Alice, to which she responded with a gentle smile.

To an onlooker, this would have been a heartwarming scene where Alice provided helpful advice to Neun-san..... but considering that the bizarre disguise until just now was the result of Hapti-san’s suggestions, and Alice just provided follow-up and retouched her disguise...... As someone who knows their true identity, I couldn’t help having an indescribable expression on my face, seeing this situation as just profiting from solving a problem Alice herself created.

N- No, well, Hapti-san is a clone that acts independently, and that happening to Neun-san might just be the usual action for Hapti-san but...... Hmmm, this feels complicated.

Perhaps, regardless of the reality, in the interest of my peace of mind, it’s best for me to just think of Alice and Hapti-san as separate individuals.

[Unnn, unnn. You look good in it, Neun. That’s pretty much the get-up I advised, right?

[......Hapti, aren’t you going to reflect at all?]

[I will. I’m very much reflecting. With how much eye damage you inflicted on me, I’m really regretting what I did...... but well, I already consider that water under the bridge, so there’s no point dwelling on it too deeply.]

[Well, you sure don’t sound like you’re reflecting at all!]

While Hapti-san heartily laughed, Neun-san sharply threw her tsukkomi...... but while she might look angry, it somehow still looked like Neun-san was enjoying herself.

It seems that Neun-san truly considers Hapti-san someone she can open up her heart to. An especially close friend to whom Neun-san can express her anger in such a genuine way.

[Speaking of which, we got a bit off track, but are you two here sightseeing for the festival?]

[Right, right. Neun here was skillfully talked into coming by Laguna and she got tired, so we’re looking around for a change of pace.]

[Ahh, for “that thing”, right? So that really wasn’t something you had prepared in advance, but a last-minute item huh.]

[Yes, well, it’s not really that big of a deal. It’s not that I’m expressly hiding the fact that I’m living in this world, I just don’t like drawing attention to myself and being in the spotlight......]

Come to think of it, when she and Lilia-san met face to face, she also mentioned that she didn’t mind her true identity being revealed, and from Neun-san’s perspective, as long as she doesn’t stand out, she doesn’t seem to have a problem with others knowing that she’s alive.

The name value of the First Hero is indeed powerful, and if Neun-san were to take the center stage, there’s a high possibility that she would be perceived as being on par with Human Realm’s rulers and the Six Kings. Given Neun-san’s personality, she would definitely dislike that. In fact, she would probably hate it, which is why she usually wears full-body armor......

Moreover, from Neun-san’s perspective, she sees herself as someone who has “already fulfilled her role and exited the stage”, and I don’t think returning to the public’s eyes would sit well with her either.

[Well, since we’ve met here, how about going around together for a bit?]

[Ehh~~ Going around with my boss, what kinda punishment is this......]

[While you’re with us, everything will be Kaito-san’s treat, you know?]

[Even if it’s a chance encounter, it would be a shame to part ways so soon after meeting someone we’re familiar with, so we’d be delighted to join you!!!]

Oi, you b*stard! Not only are you starring in your own play, you’re even trying to double the spending speed of my wallet!? Hapti-san, being the tightwad she is, has her eyes gleamingly and readily agrees...... Looking at it this way, being the same person, the two of them really have some similarities huh......

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [In reality, when Neun is with Hapti, she seems to be more excited than usual, and you can tell how close they are with each other. Now that they’re in touch, I feel like they’re doing things together quite often......]