"So this necklace swaps bodies, huh…"
Claire sat on a chair with an unusually serious expression, listening intently as "Alice" explained the situation. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, her composure didn't waver.
"Ugh… If only I were the one who swapped bodies with Princess Alice…"
With that muttered lament, her image as a dutiful knight shattered completely.
Claire's thoughts were so transparent that "Alice" didn't even bother to call her out.
"Umu! Which is why I want you to investigate which noble sent such a dangerous object." "Alice" held up the necklace, throwing Claire a look of disdain. "Although, I wasn't exactly expecting much from you to begin with."
"Guh…"
Claire's frustration was evident, but she couldn't refute "Alice's" biting words.
What made it worse was a certain… other reaction she couldn't ignore.
"Even a disdainful Princess Alice is so adorable… What's wrong with me? Even knowing it's actually Nero inside, the way she looks at me with those scornful eyes… this intoxicating mix of excitement and heartbreak… I think I might be addicted…"
Claire's body fidgeted as her breathing grew heavier.
These thoughts, thankfully, were Claire's own. "Alice" couldn't hear them, but she could certainly see Claire's awkward squirming. The sight immediately reminded her of Darkness.
At that moment, "Alice's" consciousness grew hazy.
"Hey, miss! Want to buy an apple? Fresh and lively apples, right here!"
When Nero opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in front of a fruit shop.
If not for the shopkeeper describing his apples as "lively," she might've thought she had suddenly wandered into Re:Zero.
"Umu! So… I'm back now?"
The familiar weight on her shoulders confirmed it.
It seemed the swap had timed out, and their bodies had returned to normal.
"What a shame. I was hoping to use Alice's body to give Claire a good thrashing during her swordsmanship lesson… but then I got distracted by all that shocking news and blew my cover."
By now, Alice should have returned to her own body and was likely still with Claire.
At that moment, Nero spotted Yunyun walking out of the fruit shop.
"Umu! Yunyun, I thought you'd taken Alice somewhere fun. But here you are, picking out fruit."
"…Huh? Nero-nee? You've switched back?"
Yunyun blinked, surprised, then explained, "Alice suddenly wanted to learn how to haggle, so I brought her here… Where is she now?"
"She should be with Claire. I was talking to Claire before the swap ended."
"I see… I was hoping to spend more time with Alice, though."
Indeed, the time they had to explore in swapped bodies was too short.
They hadn't even done anything significant before switching back.
If Nero had followed through on her initial plan to attend Alice's lesson, the swap would've ended just as class started.
"By the way, what fruit did you buy?" Nero asked curiously.
"I got apples, bananas, and pears… Most of them were for Alice, but before we could eat them, she swapped back and left."
"Well, no helping it. Pack them up and bring them to her later."
As Nero inspected Yunyun's basket, a thought crossed her mind.
"Huh… I don't see any grapes. Do they not sell them here?"
"G-Grapes? What are you talking about, Nero-nee?"
Yunyun's shocked expression puzzled Nero.
"Nero-nee! Grapes are legendary fruits! Even high-level adventurers can struggle against them. Regular merchants would never sell such dangerous items! The kingdom strictly forbids the sale of those!"
...Wait, grapes are considered dangerous?
Yunyun then shared an even more astonishing revelation.
"Nero-nee, did you forget? Alice has a bunch of grapes on her head… Those are her old enemies! Alice fought them as a child and managed to subdue them. Ever since, that bunch of grapes has stayed with her. They protect her when she's in danger and even serve as emergency rations!"
So that thing is a real bunch of grapes?
Nero had always thought it was a grape-shaped magical accessory because of the powerful magic aura it emitted.
Who could've guessed it was just… actual grapes with absurd magic powers?
Are they grapes or some kind of mythical beast?
"Um… Nero-nee…"
Beside her, Yunyun's face flushed red like the first bloom of peach blossoms in early spring. Her idle hands fidgeted nervously with the hem of her skirt.
"Do you… have any plans for now? Or are you heading back to the castle?"
"Umu… No, there's no need to rush back," Nero replied after some thought. "Alice is probably still in her lesson, and the castle doesn't have much to offer. It'd be more fun to explore the capital. This is your first time here, right? I'll join you. I'm not that familiar with it either."
"Y-Yes! Please let me accompany you, Nero-nee!"
With no one else around and just the two of them together, Yunyun's heart began to race uncontrollably.
Stopping in front of a shop, Nero asked if Yunyun saw any necklaces or bracelets she liked, offering to buy one for her.
"H-Huh? Really?!"
"Umu! Of course. It's not that expensive. You can't leave the capital without a souvenir, can you?"
In the end, Nero bought Yunyun a necklace.
It was simple but elegant, adorned with a teardrop-shaped gemstone.
While not a costly item—at least to Nero—it brought boundless joy to Yunyun.
It was like a small firework shooting into the sky with a whoosh, then bursting into a dazzling display of colors.
"You've been staring at that necklace this entire time… Do you really like it that much?" Nero teased.
"Y-Yes! This necklace… I'll treasure it for the rest of my life!"
Nero chuckled at Yunyun's earnestness. "Isn't that a bit much? A lifetime is longer than you think."
Walking through the bustling streets with Nero, stopping at shops, holding hands occasionally, and sharing lighthearted moments—it felt almost like…
"A date…"
Yunyun's heart raced wildly, and she couldn't stop her lips from curving into a shy smile.
"Umu? Yunyun, did you just say something?"
"Ah, no, nothing… Just talking to myself…"
It truly lived up to its reputation as the kingdom's most prosperous city. Yunyun saw many fascinating and advanced things she'd never encountered before.
It wasn't surprising, given the number of Japanese transmigrators living in the capital. To make their lives more comfortable, they had introduced many elements from their world, including food and technology.
With so much to explore, the old Yunyun might've been as giddy as a country girl visiting the city for the first time.
But now… for some reason…
Her gaze kept drifting back to Nero's elegant, radiant face.
All along the way.