nhp | (Sutamai) 'Placed Under a Spell of Popularity', Part 2

-The Abyss of Doors-

Rei: How do you know my name? Excuse me, but who are you, may I ask?

SUGANO: The name’s SUGANO. I’m the Archdemon’s black cat. You know, that person who placed the spell to become popular on you.

Nice to meet ya~

Rei: …… I’m sorry. You’ll have to pardon my rudeness here, but I have no idea of what on earth you’re saying……

“Become popular”? A “spell”?? The “Archdemon”???

SUGANO: “Just once in my life is fine. I want to be so popular that nothing makes sense anymore”!

Rei: !

SUGANO: That’s what you wished for, right? Looks like the Archdemon overheard you saying that~

That guy has sharp ears after all.

Rei: …… Err……

SUGANO: So that’s why you’ve been successfully placed under a spell, and were invited to this world!

Rei: What!?

SUGANO: Welcome to the Land of the Popular, Alice.

Rei: “L-Land of the Popular”??

SUGANO: It’s still a spell in the experimental stage so there are some unforeseen effects taking place as well.

But it’s not really a big deal~

Rei: ……

(Okay. So this is a dream, and I fell asleep while reading my book.)

(I probably made things even worse with my feelings of wanting to be popular…… I should really keep that in mind……)

SUGANO: By the way, this isn’t a dream.

Rei: !

SUGANO: Well, everything will work itself out. You’re definitely gonna to be so popular that nothing makes sense anymore.

Because, see here…… You have a super lovely smell.

Rei: …… Excuse me?

11.

-The Abyss of Doors-

All of a sudden, SUGANO-san grabbed me by the arm and pulled me towards him, thus closing the gap between the both of us.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he leaned his face closer into the nape of my neck.

Rei: Wait, what!?

SUGANO: This is most likely an effect of the spell too... My heart is pounding super duper fast.

Rei: P-Please let me go!

SUGANO: Sorry. It’ll only be for a little while longer.

Rei: !!!

(Saying that in that tone, and with that face… Isn’t that just unfair!?)

SUGANO: I honestly… can’t get enough…… of this……

Rei: S-SUGANO-san!!

SUGANO: … freshly baked baguette smell.

Rei: Baguette?

SUGANO: Anyhow, it looks like I’m gonna completely fall in love with you too.

Rei: …… Is that... so......

My rampantly racing heartbeat all at once took a dive.

SUGANO: Whaaat? That’s all you have to say? You know, I was for the most part making a move on you.

Didn’t your heart skip a beat or anything?

Rei: Expecting my heart to flutter with a line about the smell of baguettes is a little……

(Both IMAOJI-san from before, and this SUGANO-san...)

(Even if they fall under the influence of the spell, their fetishes are way too hardcore……)

That aside, um, me saying that “I want to be so popular that nothing makes sense anymore” is figure of speech, or like, you know?

It was just a tiny joke? And if you’re saying that this isn’t a dream, then…

I’ll just gladly accept those feelings of yours, and I’d like to be on my way back to the world where I came from please……

SUGANO: You can return to your world if you climb up that emergency staircase over there.

Rei: (Oh. I can actually go home that easily. How unexpected……)

SUGANO: Oh, right. The only one that you can ask for help to undo that spell is the Archdemon.

But he went and took his afternoon nap a little while ago.

So you’re gonna have to go all the way to the castle and wake him up.

13.

-The Abyss of Doors-

Rei: An afternoon nap…… It’d be a stretch, but I don’t suppose that you could go and wake him up for me instead?

SUGANO: Nope. No way, no can do. No matter what I do, he’ll never wake up.

Rei: Buuuuut!!

(I don’t really get it, but from the sound of things, even if I go home now…)

(Nothing good will come out of it……)

…… Sigh, fine. I’ll go to this castle.

At any rate, all I have to do is wake up this person, right?

SUGANO: Precisely. Well, all the best to you~

…… Oh, shit! The Popular Rangers are about to start!

Rei: Huh?

SUGANO: I’ll be waiting for you at the castle then!

Rei: What!? Wait a minute! I thought you were going to come along with me—

(...... He disappeared.)

You’ve got to be kidding me……

(I don’t even know what’s left from right in this place, so what exactly can I do on my own??)

Just as I was being driven to my wits’ end, a merry tune could be heard playing.

Rei: ……?

(I can hear it coming from beyond this door……)

Although I was a little hesitant, I gingerly opened the door with the thought that nothing will start unless you make it happen. It was then that I saw……

-Tea Party Grounds-

Male with Rabbit Headgear: …… Riiight?

Male with Green Hat: …… it would appear…… that this time……

Rei: (I wonder if they’re having a tea party over on that table……)

(They seem like nice people, so I might be able to ask them for directions at least.)

…… Um, excuse me.

Male with Rabbit Headgear: Yeesss~?

Male with Green Hat: !

Rei: Sorry to interrupt your merry going-ons, but I would like to ask you a few questions……

Male with Green Hat: Oh, oooh!!! Yes, you are……

Rei: Yes?

Male with Green Hat: I don’t quite believe my eyes……

To think that I would meet someone like you in this manner and at a place like this!!

15.

-Tea Party Grounds-

Male with Green Hat: My ideal has become a reality!!

I was faced with an almost heated gaze from the male who had feverishly stood up from his seat.

Rei: (No way! Is the spell taking effect already!?)

Er, um. Please wait a minute. What you’re feeling is probably a lie—

Male with Green Hat: To think that I would meet someone with such an ideal head size in this lifetime of mine!

Rei: (...... And once again, I’m popular over something that makes no sense……)

In that moment, a light bulb went off in my head.

Rei: (You don’t mean to tell me that…… the “unforeseen effects” of the spell…)

(... makes it so that it’s not about “being so popular that nothing makes sense”...)

(It’s actually “being popular over something that makes no sense”!!???)

Male with Green Hat: Please, I beg of you! Let me take your measurements!

Rei: N-No, err!!

Male with Rabbit Headgear: Now, now, MIYASE-kun. Don’t bother the lovely lady~

You have to at least give her your name first.

Male with Green Hat: Oh, of course. How boorish of me.

I’m MIYASE. I’m the hatter.

Male with Rabbit Headgear: And I’m the march hare, WATABE. Pleased to meet you~

Rei: Oh, how very polite of you.

My name is Rei. Um, so like, I’m your average human……

MIYASE: By average human…… Do you mean to say that you are “Alice” then?

Rei: Huh? That’s…… It would technically be incorrect to say no, but…

I’ve never once in my lifetime been called that... is what I’d like to say, but that’s not true either so, like……

MIYASE: So it’s like that after all!

I had suspected as much, and I had believed that my ideal woman would be no other than “Alice”.

17.

-Tea Party Grounds-

WATABE: Oh my, it’s an honor to have met you.

Then the rumor of that miraculous lady who one would fall in love with upon first sight is true.

Rei: (They’d probably end up receiving quite the shock if I were to tell them that it’s actually the work of a spell ridden girl……)

MIYASE: Even though I was afforded with the opportunity to measure Alice’s head, I simply cannot do so with a tape measure like this……

Please do wait one moment for me! I shall hastily ready myself with one of the finest to be had, and return at once!

Rei: Huh? No, um, wait……

WATABE: Don’t go panicking and falling over now~

Now then… More importantly, would you care for some tea, Princess?

If you have something that you’d like to ask, then so long as I know it, I will answer it all.

Rei: (He’s kind of carefree going, but he seems like a decent person……)

…… I guess I’ll just have one cup then.

WATABE: Understood. So one extraordinary cup of tea to be served to the princess~

Go on, take a seat.

Rei: Haha, princess…… Well then, pardon the intrusion.

While I was being offered my tea, I went to seat myself on the edge of a chair.

WATABE: !!

Rei: Um, well, about what I wanted to ask.

You see, I have various circumstances and business to attend to at the Archdemon’s (??) castle…… So if you know how to get there by any chance, could you—

WATABE: Oh dear...... So there really is such a thing as this.

Rei: Excuse me?

WATABE: Love at first sight, I mean.

Rei: …… Huh?

(He was normal up until a moment ago, but has the spell gotten to him too!?)

(All I did was sit down, so why has he suddenly…… Don’t tell me there can also be a delayed effect?)

WATABE: …… After having witnessed such a perfect sitting height...

I’ll never be able to have eyes for anyone else besides you.

Rei: (It’s the height at which I’m sitting!? Oh my god, so that’s why the spell took effect the instant I sat down.)

WATABE: I’m aware that I can’t do something as keeping you all to myself, Alice.

…… But if I pleaded with you not to leave me, then would you stay with me here forever?

Rei: !!

19.

-Tea Party Grounds-

I frantically scolded my heart that had, for a second, been shaken by the full force of someone handsome.

Rei: (This is but a spell! Not to mention what was praised was blatantly my sitting height!)

[Screech]

WATABE: Oh.

Rei: Please do excuse me as I am in quite a hurry!!

WATABE: Oh? I see. Okay then. Do take care on your way.

Rei: Huh?

WATABE: It’ll be lonely without a beauty to add glamour to this tea party.

But feel free to drop by again if you’re in the area~

Rei: (Hey, wait. Why is he suddenly letting me go so easily?)

As if it were some hoax that he had been making a pass at me with sorrowful-like eyes up until a few seconds ago...

… WATABE-san smiled as he waved his hand.

Rei: ……. Thanks… for the offer……

(So I’m guessing that someone who’s popular for their sitting height won’t be popular as long as they’re not sitting down, huh.)

-Mysterious Forest-

I dragged around with me an indescribable and precarious feeling.

“MIYASE-kun’s definitely not going to let you go after he starts endlessly fashioning up a hat for you when he gets back.”

That was what WATABE-san had said to me.

I took his piece of advice and hurriedly left the tea party grounds before this MIYASE-san could return.

Rei: (In the end, I didn’t get to find out anything about where the castle is or anything that could’ve been a hint.)

(The door that I came through was locked as well.)

(I wounded up heading in this direction for the time being, but...)

(I don’t get the sense that the scenery is changing the further I go in…..)

…… Siiigh……

???: Whatever vexes you so to let out such a huge sigh?

Rei: Woah!?

(Where the heck did this person come from just now!?)

???: Is there something causing you distress?