落とし穴１３９堀：咲き乱れる (Part1)
Pitfall 139: In Full Bloom
Side: Kagura
“““Ahhh…”””
We let out those listless sighs as we slumped over our desks.
Another day, another mountain of diplomatic paperwork conquered, and we had finally reached the end of our shift.
Lately, we’ve managed to clock out on time, but perhaps it’s the backlash from being so overworked until now, because I just can’t bring myself to move.
“…It’s still bright outside, isn’t it?”
“Yeah… the days have really gotten longer, haven’t they?”
“…Winter will be over soon, too.”
Before I knew it, winter had slipped away, and spring was right before our eyes.
“Even if spring is approaching, we’re still stuck in the dead of winter ourselves…”
“Don’t say that, Mikos-chan. It’s a huge shock.”
That’s right. We still have no sign of becoming Yuki’s women.
If anything, we’ve been so busy lately that the number of times we even see his face has dwindled.
With the New Year and a string of post-holiday events, we were swamped with reports and all sorts of other duties…
“But we were all able to spend Christmas and New Year’s together nicely, weren’t we?”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
“That was fun. Though, when Enora brought that scarf, a simmering hatred welled up inside me.”
“Ah, I agree with that.”
“Ahahaha…”
That wench acted like she wasn’t interested in Yuki at all, but the moment she happened to win a prize from him, she started treasuring it, staring at that photo frame every single day. The contents, of course, were a two-shot of her and Yuki.
Hah. The day I finally become Yuki’s woman, I’m going to tease her mercilessly.
I’m sure that smug look of hers will crumble into pieces.
…Wait, am I being a horrible person?
Just as I was thinking that, the office door opened…
“Hello there. Are you all working hard?”
“Souta-sama? …Oh, my apologies. Minister of Foreign Affairs for Weed.”
The person who walked in was Souta-sama, who serves as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Weed. He is the great progenitor of my house, the Kamishiro family.
Souta-sama would never go out of his way to show his face here unless there was an official reason. He is not a man who mixes public and private matters.
“Kagura, you’re as stiff as ever.”
“You should learn from Kagura a bit more, you carefree old hag. You’re one to talk, Hairen.”
“Well, surely I’m not as bad as Hairen. Please don’t lump me in with that one.”
…For some reason, Hairen-sama is being insulted with incredible intensity. As a follower of the Hairen faith, should I be reprimanding these two?
“Well, I suppose that’s true. Now, Kagura, the reason I came here today is to invite you to a flower-viewing party.”
“Flower-viewing? Ah, you mean cherry blossoms?”
““?””
Mikos and Solo, who were listening in from the side, tilted their heads in unison.
Come to think of it, the only place cherry blossoms bloom in Haiden is in the underground altar of my family estate, so it’s only natural they wouldn’t know.
“Um, Souta-sama, would it be alright if I explained cherry blossoms to these two first?”
“Hm? Ah, I suppose it’s natural that Mikos and the others wouldn’t know.”
“Indeed. In that case, I shall teach them.”
For some reason, Enora-sama pushed me and Souta-sama aside and began happily explaining the concept of cherry blossoms.
Well, she looks like she’s having fun, so I suppose there’s no need for me to get in the way. Souta-sama looks like he’s thinking, *“Good grief.”*
“…And that is how it is.”
“I see. So it’s a celebration to welcome the arrival of spring. Flower-viewing, huh.”
“And the flower you look at during that time is a plant called a cherry blossom.”
Once they were satisfied, I urged Souta-sama to continue.
“So, what is this invitation for?”
“Ah, as you’ve seen before in Weed, you know that Yuki-kun often mimics Japanese events and customs, right?”
“Yes. Ah, so flower-viewing is part of that?”
“Exactly. Weed holds a flower-viewing party every year, so I’m here to ask if you’d like to participate. Intercontinental exchange has begun, so we’re inviting people on a large scale. We’ll even give you priority for securing a spot.”
“““Securing a spot?”””
Not understanding the meaning of Souta-sama’s words, we all—myself included—tilted our heads.
“Spring flower-viewing is, well, you’ll understand once you experience it, but it’s one of Weed’s premier attractions. Of course, it’s a massively popular event in Japan, the home of the tradition. The competition to secure a spot to view the flowers is fierce.”
“““Haa…”””
Even with Souta-sama’s explanation, it didn’t quite click.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s *just* a cherry blossom, but I couldn’t fathom why people would get so heated over a spot to look at them.
“Hmm. Well, you three have been holed up in this embassy with work, so I suppose you don’t know much about the situation over there.”
“Ah, I see. Come to think of it, that’s true. Well, why don’t you try participating once? Yuki-kun and the others will be there, and the food and drink costs for the flower-viewing are on us. Well, we only have what we’ve prepared, so you’ll need to bring anything else you want or need yourselves.”
“Yuki is coming too!?”
“Yuki-sensei will be there!!”
“And free food!! Ah, does that mean Eoid will be coming too?”
We couldn’t help but react so honestly.
“It’s nice to see everyone’s desires leaking out so openly.”
“It’s a sign of youth. We hope things go well for you all, too.”
“Indeed. In that sense, it would be good for you to participate.”
“Now then, please fill out the number of participants on this form and submit it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“Ah, yes.”
And so, we decided to participate in the Weed event—not for the sake of Yuki, but as an official duty for diplomats.
Yes, this is a legitimate official duty, not a personal matter.
I have to make sure I write that clearly in the application and the report.
“But it’s strange, isn’t it? Flower-viewing. Why would there be a festival just to look at flowers? I don’t really get it, Mikos-chan. Well, as long as I can enjoy it with Yuki-sensei, that’s fine.”
“That’s true. I feel like flowers bloom everywhere, though. Will Eoid be participating as a representative of the Lancer Magic Academy?”
“Both of you, your true intentions are leaking out everywhere, so please restrain yourselves a little.”
It seems that for the two of them, flower-viewing is an event they can’t understand at all.
Though, I don’t exactly know what it’s like either…
“Perhaps it’s like a garden party.”
“A garden party? What’s that?”
“Ah, that too, huh? Solo, you might not know, but it’s a gathering where you invite many people to your own garden, serve them tea, and show off your estate. Well, only high-ranking nobles usually do it.”
“Ohh. So there’s something like that. Wait, does that mean I’ll be meeting other important people!?”
“That’s true.”
“So that’s the purpose of it. Ah, so that’s why they told us to participate. To deepen our exchanges with diplomats from other countries.”
“Ah, I see. Indeed, we’ve been doing nothing but administrative work lately, so we haven’t had many opportunities to talk to diplomats from other nations.”
Well, I imagine the other diplomats are in the same boat.
“I see… so it’s part of the job.”