*
After glancing through many stalls, they finally reached the place Arin aimed for. It was marked on her map with a big 'X'.
"Look, look! It's them!" (Arin)
She pointed excitedly with sparkles in her eyes. It felt like the air itself was heating up with how much energy she had, bringing vigour to the already lively place. She hopped a couple of times, reaching Yggdrasil's eye level as she pointed, before running off towards the stall.
The stall was slightly more ostentatious than the rest, fully kitted with a overhead sign boasting a drawn character in a laying pose and the name of the author. There was a cosplayer watching the stall while the owner rested in the back, from what Yggdrasil could see, most if not all the stalls had to be set up by the owners themselves. They had simple movable furniture and decorations such as cardboard cutouts, and shelves with wheels under the them. All so they could be moved and packed away at a moment's notice.
The idea of renting a temporary work space only to relinquish it to someone else once done, isn't novel in this day and age. These stalls are temporary, and those who rent them might have to go through a reservation system for their spots. The competition for time in the stalls might be fierce than she thought if packing and unpacking merchandise needed to be so efficient.
There was already a moderate queue forming, so they quickly scuttled towards it. The rest of the group was lost in the way, though Yggdrasil could still spot Faramicia and Hengji in the distance. She had heard Hengji was more into idols, so this place was more of Faramicia's element who was obsess with shows involving magical girls...
Feeling a shiver from that thought, Yggdrasil promptly turned around to observe the line.
"Are queues always this long...?" (Sariel)
"I think this is on the shorter side... Anyway it should move quick, there's only one product that people usually queue for, the main book per se.
No one would put in this much time just to get some small trinkets." (Arin)
"I see... How many times have you been here?" (Yggdrasil)
"Ah. About one time, it was just last year. It was even more troublesome then, and the queue was a lot more longer! It took about an hour just for me to get to the end... " (Arin)
"... My condolences..." (Yggdrasil)
She wasn't sure how to react there, and it might seem perfunctory to just offer her sympathy, so she added a tinge of sarcasm to ease it in with some humour. She felt like a chef adding in just the right amount of spice, and she kept up the confidence too while actually screaming and panicking inwardly. Looking over, she breathed a sigh of relief, no one else knew how they should respond too...
"That must suck. Well, that just means we're luckier this year!" (Sariel)
Nice save! Yggdrasil cheered in her heart. Yggdrasil hadn't watched much of the show, however ever since she revealed that the curse was gone, Arin and Sariel had begun watching shows over at her house, making memories together. The year would soon end and the last of the exams were just about over. It was pretty much break time until next year, maybe there would be some revision sessions or reviews for the work they did during the earlier parts of the year.
In other words, this should be play time! It only made sense to enjoy themselves now, if not when? Scraping what little knowledge she had of the show, Yggdrasil tried to extend the conversation away from a dead end.
"I thought the way they potrayed the emotions was incredibly power at episode 8! There's nothing else like it, and it was so baked into the writing too with how it permeated the dialogue.
You could just hear it in the way they speak, it really made me respect the voice actors! They make it feel so... Alive. " (Yggdrasil)
" Right? I remember reading it for the first time in the manga! It had me crying at that time. I thought it would be too difficult to move me again, considering the anime would be my second time experiencing the story, but they proved me wrong. I was bawling at the end of the episode! " (Arin)
" Oh come on! You were bawling during the rewatch we did with Tia! No way you could avoid crying with how easily moved you were! " (Sariel)
" Fufu... I remember a certain some else also crying their heart out it really was a good show huh. " (Yggdrasil)
She sneaked a furtive grin at Sariel who could only pout in silent protest.
" Mou! " (Sariel)
She leaked a groan before changing topics. Before long, the other two were also sucked into the next conversation, as if by some mysterious suction force.
"I don't think it could match the thrill of real life, but the action made up for it with the presentation and sparkly effects." (Yggdrasil)
"Real life? Are you crazy... Well, I had more faith in the emotional aspects. Recreating their previous fight, but this time on opposite sides? That was crazy..." (Sariel)
"And they weren't used to it either... It was amazing how they managed to make do with what little experience they had!" (Arin)
Their idle chatter quickly drives away the crowd as they advanced forward in the queue. Finally reaching the end, Arin brought out a marker and requested for a signature from the author.
" Did you believe your sins could be erased?" (?)
It felt like for a moment... Someone familiar yet not familiar had superimposed their silhouette on the author sitting before Arin. A voice layered behind multiple filters drifts into her ears, cold sweat poured down her neck. When she blinked, it seemed like the shadow was gone. This wasn't a Trace encounter, was she getting tired? No... It can't be...
She didn't know whose voice it was, whose thoughts it was that permeated her mind. Mental invasion? Or physical delusion... What are the principles? When facing an enemy using magic, it's better to use experience and knowledge, or theory of the abstract, rather than common sense. A subtle trace of magic energy resounded in the air, but it vanished the next movement. Only she could sense it, the other didn't see anything particularly strange. She grasped at the book handed over to her, chatted with the author a little and shook his hand before leaving with Sariel and Yggdrasil in tow.
One way messaging, like a primitive bow shooting an arrow. There is no trace of it once leaving the bow, it couldn't be traced back with her existing skills. The message stands in stark contrast with the lively reality enveloping her, it was clear and concise. A warning.
"n... In... ARIN!!!" (Yggdrasil)
"Hugh!? Huh...? What's wrong?" (Arin)
She choked out a deep breath that she subconsciously took.
"You stopped moving. Are you okay? You got what you wanted right? We can call it off for today if you're not feeling well..." (Yggdrasil)
"No. I'm fine." (Arin)
She gave off her usual smile, an uncharacteristic crown of gentleness worn upon it.