Lucy POV
My plan for raising the affection of capture targets before I leave everything to the real Lucy has mostly gone well so far. I already finished Bernard's part and I was planning to target Arthur next.
Compared to last time, the event I ended up settling on is an even simpler one. Arthur has always forced himself to act like the 'perfect prince' type of character so he never really got to act like a kid before he had to grow up. In the game, there's a pretty important event where Lucy and him go into Academy City and end up playing with some of the local kids.
And that's pretty much it. There were some other circumstances, but those aren't really important right now. And while it might be simple, just acting like a regular kid for a little while and experiencing what he missed out on until now was a pretty important moment for him.
I know triggering all these events early always explodes in my face, so this time I made extra sure to choose something as simple as possible. But I really think this should be fine. Probably.
But anyway, since the summer break is coming up soon, I was thinking about when I should organize this event. But Alice mentioning that she's worried about making friends got me an idea.
"Ah, Hugh. Can I talk to you for a moment? Is Alice with you?"
"Hm, Lucy? Of course, what is it? And she's still in my room, why?"
So I decided to put my plans into action and approach Hugh.
"How long is Alice staying at the academy?"
"We didn't decide on anything specific. She mainly just wanted to thank you with this trip."
"Then, would it be alright if I brought her along somewhere?"
"Um, it depends on where."
"Just to Academy City. Alice mentioned that she was a little worried about making friends in the future, so I wanted to show her around a little bit. I thought interacting with some people would ease her worries. I was also planning on bringing Arthur along as well, though maybe Hina will also be there. You can come too if you want."
I lay out my plan to Hugh, who takes a few seconds to ponder it.
I think bringing Alice into this event might be a nice chance to do two things at once. And actually, I could even count this as also doing an early event for Hugh. Since for him, pretty much all his events revolve around Alice, so if she has fun on this trip, there's no doubt Hugh's favorability would go up as well.
"Hm, it's true that something like that would be a really good experience for her. If you're willing to take her on an outing like that I would be really grateful. It's probably better if I don't go, with the three of you there, I think it would be easier for Alice to try something new as well."
"Of course! We'll take care of her properly."
Hugh seems to like the idea and is happy to see Alice grow. I knew I could count on this sis-co-... I mean this reliable big brother.
"I'll just follow after all of you discreetly and keep an eye on everything at a distance. Hm, that's a good idea."
"..."
I'll just pretend I didn't hear that part.
***
Seraphina POV
"Oh, so this is how clothes like this feel like… it's not that different actually."
"Stop inspecting yourself already. It looks weird."
"Ah."
As we walk into Academy City, I call out to Arthur who is busy looking at his clothes.
"Big Sister Lucy, is it really okay for me to come here too?"
"Of course, when you get into the academy you'll naturally spend a lot of time here as well, so it's good to familiarize yourself with it sooner."
"Hm."
In the meantime Alice and Lucy also exchange a few words while walking.
Lucy and I are wearing our 'casual' clothes that we got from our previous outing, while Arthur and Alice are wearing similar clothes that Lucy got from somewhere.
"Let's go over it one more time, do you remember what our cover story is?"
"Hm, we're four siblings who are visiting the city for the first time. But do we really need something like that?"
"Well, we would probably be fine without it too, but this way we get a more authentic experience of the city. Take this as a tip from your big sister."
Lucy explains to Alice while holding her hand as we walk. The two of them do kind of look like a pair of sisters right now.
Shouldn't I be in her place right now? I'm the one who has known Lucy longer…
"Did someone step on your tail? Why do you look so irritated, aren't you excited to get out for a little while?"
"Shut up."
Arthur tries to talk to me but I decide to ignore him.
Haah, whatever. It's just for today, I can put up with it for this long.
Lucy approached Arthur and me yesterday saying that she wants to take Alice to the city to show her around and asked if we want to tag along. Arthur was a little hesitant at first, but then Lucy brought up the idea of doing this incognito like how she did it with me last time and then he immediately agreed for some reason. And well, I was never going to let her do this alone so I also came along.
I do understand that Lucy just wants to help out Alice, who hasn't been able to go outside for a long time with this event. But the way the two of them suddenly got so close just doesn't sit right with me…
"So? Where are we going first?"
But clearly I'm the only one who isn't excited about this outing, as Arthur cheerfully asks Lucy.
"Hm, I thought we should walk around for a while and then maybe sit down at a nearby park?"
"That sounds good to me."
"..."
After that we walked around the city for a while.
"Oh! So this is how this tastes. It's pretty good."
"Do you like it, Alice?"
"Hm, it's really sweet."
"Ah, there's a little at the corner of your mouth. Here, let me get it."
Then ate some crepes at that street stall again.
"And this is where your big sister works. Well, it's closed right now since grandma Hilda isn't home, but you can see some of the flowers I helped grow from the window."
"They are really pretty!"
"Hehe, I can give you some later."
"Um, I thought nobles weren't allowed to work."
"Ah."
After that, we stopped by the flowershop where Lucy works at and she once again showcased how well she can keep a secret.
Then we sat down at a small nearby park to rest for a while. Although everyone seemed to enjoy themselves during this outing, the longer we went on, the lower my mood became.
Most places we went to or saw were previously exclusive to only me and Lucy. But now she just showed everyone the same scenes without a second thought. Last time it was the flowerfield now all of these…
Would she really treat everyone the same way she treats me? I thought I was at least a little special to her, but maybe she's just this nice to everyone…
Ugh, I know I'm just overthinking this. Instead I should be happy for her since she made new friends and seems to be enjoying herself. It's just… I still feel a little off. Especially with seeing her get along with Alice so well…
"Have you recovered by now or do you still feel tired?"
"A little bit, but I can keep going."
"That's good to hear, but don't overwork yourself okay?"
"Hm, so this is how it feels to just stroll around with friends. It's pretty nice, don't you think?"
While I'm listening to Lucy and Alice's conversation, Arthur suddenly speaks to me for some reason.
"It's whatever…"
"Though I feel like something is missing. Maybe a little excitement?"
"Ah! There are intruders on our turf!"
Right after Arthur's words, a young but loud voice suddenly shouts and a series of hasty footsteps approach us.
"Haah, you just had to say something."
"It's not my fault!"
We stand up, just in time to see four kids around Alice's age run up to us. Three boys up front, trying to look menacing and a girl behind them.
"Who are you? Don't you know that this park belongs to us?"
"Should we teach them a lesson?"
"Boss, I haven't seen them around before. They must be from out of town."
Before we have a chance to react, Lucy suddenly steps forward.
"That's right. We're here to challenge your claim!"
"...?"
Confused by her words, I look at Lucy, but she just winks at me, probably signalling to play along.
"Ah, I can't believe enemies have already infiltrated our territory!"
"Hm, us four siblings will take you down. I'm Lucy, and this is our eldest brother, Artie!"
"Huh? Y-yeah, that's me…"
Artie… So he gets a nickname too, huh?
I mean, I get it, if I needed a cover name then Arthur absolutely needs one too and even that might not be enough to stop people from recognizing him.
But I still don't like it!
"This is my little sister Alice."
"H-hello."
"And my big… no, other little sister Hina!"
"...! Me…?"
"That's right, who else would be my other little sister?"
"..."
"And us four have come to take over this park."
"Do you think you can just waltz in here and claim ownership of our turf? We won't go down without a fight!"
"Hehe, you kids might not be so bad after all. So how should we settle this?"
While Lucy is talking with the kids I can't help but get lost in my thoughts for a moment.
Sisters… It's not exactly the role I was going for, but it doesn't sound too bad either, even if it's only for this little time…
Wait, if it's only for the duration of this outing… What have I been doing so far? I should be acting out my role to keep our cover story intact! I can't believe I've been neglecting my duties.
I quickly convince myself and carefully reach out towards Lucy's hand, but stop for a moment. I've already held her hand before and that's what Alice has been doing too. If I have this opportunity I should use it right. So instead I step forward and hug her right arm while standing next to her.
"...! Hina, what are you doing?"
"...just what a little sister would do…"
"Eh? But-"
"Hey, don't just ignore us! We would have gone easy on you, but now this is serious."
Suddenly the young voice of the boy who appears to be the leader cuts through the air. He angrily kicks his foot and continues:
"We challenge you to a duel! Us four against all of you."
"...!"
"Hehe, I was waiting for you to say that. Of course we accept!"
Ah, did I make things worse for Lucy? But she seems to have anticipated this outcome. So she probably wants us to play along with the games of these kids? Well whatever, I'll just use this chance to my advantage.
I mean, I'm her little sister right now after all hehe…