I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

Chapter 164: Demon in the Bottle – 3

Two days after the draft ended, Ella and I found ourselves at Tettromino Plaza.

It was because of the announcement made by the school during yesterdays induction ceremony.

The six main theaters, as a basic gesture, distributed several free tickets to their shows to the participants of the competition.

Rose Windmill Cabaret did the same.

They provided tickets not only for halls 2 and 3, where the Circus Grand Prix battles were taking place, but also for hall 1.

However, we didnt have the opportunity to use the tickets for hall 1.

The cabaret was a place offering provocative dances and songs for adults.

Ella and Maya couldnt use them, and the nave rural lady, Yurakne, felt ashamed to go to such a place.

Anais was too busy since the opening ceremony to make time for it.

With no one else to go with other than me and Sven after the test was over, we mentioned the idea of sneaking a visit after the exams but had to give up after receiving consecutive gazes from Yurakne, Ella, and Maya.

Lekachep also offered opportunities for watching performances, like the other theaters.

However, the method here was different.

This place was called a theater, but its essence was a school.

The performances shown here were all small-scale, held periodically by student clubs rotating.

So the school decided to provide not only free tickets but also opportunities to observe classes.

The Vice Principal, Elpara, declared during yesterdays induction ceremony that any teenager affiliated with the Circus Grand Prix teams could attend classes at Lekachep.

There was a reason why the school announced this in the middle of the competition.

The opening ceremony of the competition was held on May 31st.

After that, from June to August, for three months, there was no occasion to announce about observing classes at Lekachep because it coincided with Lekacheps summer vacation period.

Announcing this information before the opening ceremony might have led to circus troupes exploiting the opportunity to accept money and admit many minors.

To prevent this, the school had kept it secret until now.

She also announced the rules to be followed to observe classes.

First, the circus troupe had to be staying in Yeterinpuurk.

So the circus troupe couldnt just leave for another city, leaving the kids to enjoy school life alone.

And although it might seem obvious, students had to wear uniforms inside the school.

The professors didnt want to see hundreds of students wandering around the school in casual clothes, as that would disrupt the order.

It was already famous for the number of injuries occurring here, and if the atmosphere became chaotic as well, it could lead to uncontrollable confusion.

Because of this uniform rule, Ella and I were at the plaza today.

She wanted to experience Lekacheps classes, and to do that, she had to buy a uniform.

Of course, I could have used the wardrobe feature to immediately put on the uniform.

But there was no need to waste precious debulroots when the situation could be solved with money.

She knew about this situation, so she came out to get the uniform even though it meant reducing practice time.

When she was at the Golden Carnival, I explained to her the reason why I couldnt keep the voice chat connected to her.

My magic has limited resources.

The alley next to the school was packed with stores for students.

Stores for magic and acrobatics equipment.

A shoe store advertising the latest functional sneakers.

Pet shops selling animals for taming classes.

And there was also a Slagbrot snack souvenir shop seen all over the city.

We rummaged through the alley like that and finally found a uniform store.

Inside the store, it was already bustling with teenagers.

Kids from other circus troupes, freshmen, and current students were mixed together without distinction.

Male students, please go to the store across the street!

Female students, come this way!

The clerks were shouting while carrying stacks of thick gym clothes.

We grabbed an old employee with a tearful tape measure.

She looked over Ella from top to bottom, lifting her thick glasses.

Are you a freshman?

No, Im here to observe classes!

Oh, your voice is deep. What major are you aiming for?

Taming!

I see.

As she asked and answered, the old woman measured Ellas body here and there with the tape measure.

Hips, waist, chest, measurements

Id appreciate it if you didnt say it out loud!

Ella looked at me briefly, her face turning red, and shouted.

Okay. How long are you going to be here?

Except for the exam preparation period, um, about a month?

Really? Then about five gym uniforms should be enough.

Ellas eyes widened at her words.

Five sets?

Thats a conservative estimate. You dont know how quickly students here wear out clothes as much as they get injured. Some students come to get them repaired several times a week. Gym uniforms at Lekachep are consumables.

I picked up a gym uniform hanging on a hanger and held it up.

Is it because the clothes are made too thin?

The old clerk made a clicking noise at my words.

Arent you with the circus? If we make them thick and tough, of course, the clothes will be fine. But theyll be a hindrance during acrobatic practice.

Ah, I see.

Ella had never had her clothes torn during practice until now.

Even now, she managed difficult acrobatics in her red leotard and skirt, wearing heels.

Of course, that was only applicable to her.

Ordinary students seemed to experience torn knees, ripped buttocks, or snagged clothes even while wearing such light gym uniforms during acrobatic practice.

Because of this, the uniform store stocked a considerable amount of gym clothes.

So, one could purchase the necessary clothes right away without waiting.

What about those clothes?

Ella tossed the purchased gym uniforms into my arms and pointed to a corner of the store.

There were white uniforms there that combined neatness and splendour.

Those are worn for competitions. Freshmen rarely wear them Are you planning to attend the freshman welcome party?

Oh, is there such a thing? Great! Please give me one of those too!

Haha, wait a moment. Unlike gym clothes, these need to be fitted precisely.

The old clerk examined the clothes hanging on the rack and nodded.

It seems theres nothing that fits the students perfectly. Unlike gym clothes, its difficult to use these directly from the stock. They need to be tailored to fit the body. It will take some alterations.

Will it take long?

We have many customers right now, so we cant do it immediately. Come back in about three hours.

It took one and a half hours to return from here to the villa.

We had to return immediately.

So, we decided to spend time near the plaza.

We should eat lunch outside, shouldnt we?

Well probably have dinner once were back.

Oh, then shall we go to the place we went to a month ago?

That caf? Sure.

We strolled through the square together like that.

She naturally linked her arm with mine.

It had been over a month since she lost her memory.

Now, I didnt hesitate and accepted her linked arm naturally.

On the way, there was also the factory we visited last weekend.

She, who had been silently observing me, pointed to the banner in front of the factory.

Oh, look at that! At Slagbrot, they have specially made celebration cakes for anniversaries.

I see.

My indifferent reaction seemed to slightly freeze her expression.

Hmm

Why?

Oh, no, I was just wondering Are specially made cakes for anniversaries tastier?

Well, they might be. If you use too many ingredients to make a certain shape, it might disrupt the balance, though.

Even with my answer, she murmured with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

Is that so?

She walked in silence for a while like that.

She had been excited just a moment ago when we started walking together.

But now, she was silent, seemingly discontented about something.

Just as I was about to inquire about the reason, she suddenly spoke up.

Come to think of it, itll soon be exactly one year since leaving my hometown.

Has it been that long already?

It had been five months since I crossed over to this world.

They said it had been about six months since Wonderstein and she met, so it seemed like a year was accurate.

Do you remember?

She glanced at me briefly as she spoke.

My leaving day was my birthday.

Oh, was it?

Nodding, I suddenly realized something and opened my mouth.

If it was her birthday a year ago?

Finally, I realized what she wanted to say.

I nodded and laughed coolly.

Hahaha.

Hmph. Why are you laughing? Whats so funny?

She seemed to know why I was laughing too, but she didnt stop glaring at me.

[Member Quest-Birthday Cake has been activated.]

The system also notified me of the quest

I speculated why it didnt respond even though she clearly had something in mind.

It must have been because there were two conflicting desires in her heart.

Her desire for me to have noticed on my own and her desire to have a birthday cake.

The Quest was suppressed due to the conflict between these two desires, but it was activated just now as the former was fulfilled, triggering the latter.

I approached her gently as she pursed her lips.

Im sorry. I forgot Ellas birthday.

She hesitated for a moment at my words, then lowered her head.

Its not just about the birthday.

What?

She let out a small sigh.

A deep disappointment spread across her face.

After all, that day is the anniversary of our circus troupes founding. Its the day you and I started traveling together.

Oh.

Only then did I understand the disappointment that crossed her face.

That day was more than just a birthday for the two of us.

She walked ahead as if she was deflated.

As I tried to follow her, another quest window popped up to block my way.

[Member Quest-Do you know what day it is today? has been activated.]

It was also from her.

The condition was simple.

I had to resolve her anger before we arrived at the cafe.

I begged her desperately, and thanks to that, I was able to complete the quest 20 seconds before reaching the caf.

As a reward, she demanded that I feed her lunch with my own hands for the day.

It was an embarrassing demand to make, enough to make my face turn red, but as we were only 20m away from the cafe, I had no choice but to accept it.

When we arrived at the cafe, we unexpectedly found a familiar face there.

A girl with a white face wearing a sweater and a pinafore skirt sat somewhat awkwardly at the table wearing a beret.

Maya!

Ella greeted her warmly.

Director. Assistant Director

She greeted us with a very dry voice.

Was this the place you said you come every day? This caf? Is it tasty?

I dont come here because its tasty.

The expression of the owner grandmother, who was bringing the menu from behind, became very gloomy.

I had business at the plaza, so I ended up sitting here for a long time.

I could tell what she was researching by looking at the pattern she had floating in the air and the diagram written in her notebook.

It was a puzzle on the Tettromino Plaza.

Oh, that.

I tried to pretend I knew it, but she cut me off.

Ill handle it myself. Dont interfere.

I felt awkward and stepped back.

Why is she so cold?

Her liking for me felt like something was wrong.

The food came out shortly after we ordered.

The owner grandmother brought our meals to Ella and me respectively.

Well, lets enjoy the meal.

As I was about to pick up my utensils, I noticed Ella was staring at me intently.

She had her arms crossed and hadnt touched her utensils.

Maya looked back and forth between us, not knowing why she was acting that way.

Ah.

The promise I made to her.

At that moment.

For the third time today, a member quest popped up.

[Member Quest-Ah~ has been activated.]

Support TranslatorWrite ReviewJoin Discord

Chapter 163: Demon in the Bottle 2