This is not the date I wanted.

"What! You are such a blind vulgar person! Can't you see the domineering aura emanating from my body?"

"I'm so angry. It's really bad to judge a person's worth by the quality of his clothes!"

"Everyone, quickly pull Yuxian and Yakuya!"

"Sorry, sorry, we'll leave right away."

Pulling out the Yamai sisters who were about to rush out to argue with the guard, Shidou hurriedly apologized to the guard with a wry smile.

"Everyone...how do you think we can get in?"

"Well... it's unlikely that we can get in. Should we sneak in quietly?"

"No... this probably won't work."

Kotori shook her head helplessly. Before Shidou came, Kotori had observed that the castle was designed with only two gates, each side was guarded by a large number of soldiers, there were no small doors or holes to sneak in, and the height of the wall was not something they could climb over.

"Or, it would be easier to get in by knocking down these guards."

"I agree. That's a great idea."

"No... then we will be the ones to be defeated, right?"

Shidou said with a wry smile. Now they can't use spiritual power and angels, and the only ones who can be counted as combat power are Tohka and Nia. It's obviously unrealistic for them to knock down so many soldiers alone.

"NeNe—everyone, look over there quickly!"

Just when everyone was worrying about how to get into the city, Shiona suddenly pointed in the direction of the street and shouted.

Everyone looked in the direction that Shiona pointed, and saw an extremely gorgeous carriage coming towards them.

Different from other carriages, this pumpkin carriage, pulled by two sturdy and handsome white horses, was carefully decorated. Its body shone with a dreamy light under the street lights.

Because this scene was so incredible, for a moment, everyone's attention was attracted by this fantastic pumpkin carriage and they were unable to speak.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the carriage stopped at the city gate. The driver wearing a toy mask respectfully opened the door - a woman walked down from the carriage with an elegant step.

The gorgeous and dazzling dance dress that seemed to be inlaid with gems and the crystal shoes that were sparkling and translucent showed the elegance and dignity of this woman.

Not only that, the woman's sexy figure with curves in all directions and her beautiful face with a hint of charm yet dignity also made the men present look at her with admiration, and the woman even sighed with shame.

The woman's emerald-clear green eyes glanced around, and when she saw Shidou and the others, she showed a surprised expression.

"Ah, Shidou and everyone else are here."

Shidao and others were stunned.

"...Seven Sins?"

"Yeah~ Who else but me?"

Hearing Shidao's somewhat lack of confidence, Nanashi couldn't help but smile.

"What's going on, Nanashi? You're like this... are you using an angel?"

Kotori asked in confusion. Nanashi's appearance at this moment was exactly the same as the adult Nanashi that she transformed into using the "Fake Witch".

Nanashi shook her head slightly, denying Kotori's guess.

"No. This carriage and this dress were conjured up by a magician not long ago. He asked me to attend the ball he had contracted. I agreed because the dress was so beautiful. Look at the crystal shoes. Aren't they beautiful?"

As she spoke, Nanashi happily lifted up the hem of her skirt and turned around, obviously very satisfied with her current outfit.

"Kotori... Nanashi's outfit and that carriage..."

"Well, it should be Cinderella."

Shidou and Kotori were talking quietly, while Nanashi ignored their conversation and walked towards the guard leisurely.

"——Hello. Mr. Security, can you let me in?"

"Of course! Please go ahead."

Seeing the guard respectfully making way for Nanashi, Yakushi and the others complained about the huge difference in treatment.

"Hey you, how come your attitude towards us is completely different?"

"Shut up! How can such a noble person be mixed up with you guys?"

At this moment, Yoshino and Yoshina walked up to Nanashi and whispered in her ear.

"Nei Nei, Nanashi-chan. Yoshino-chan and everyone else also want to go into the castle. Can you help us?"

"Please...you..."

"I see. I understand. Leave it to me."

Hearing Yoshino's request, Nanashi smiled slightly and assured her confidently.

"——They are my companions, can they come in with me?"

“Hey… this…”

The guard showed an embarrassed expression. Seeing the other party's reaction, Nanashi stepped forward, held his face, tempted his gaze to turn to her seductive valley, and whispered in his ear in a delicate tone.

"--Please--"

The guard's face suddenly turned red.

"Yes... then please, everyone, please pass through--"

Success. Nanashi secretly made a victory gesture to everyone.

Boom--boom--!

However, just as everyone was about to pass through, the big bell hanging on the city wall suddenly rang.

At the same time, Nanashi's body suddenly shrank, and not only that, her gorgeous dance dress turned into tattered clothes full of patches, and the gorgeous pumpkin carriage behind her turned into a real pumpkin.

"What happened?"

After noticing the changes in his body, Nanashi suddenly became panicked.

"Oh no, is it already twelve o'clock?"

Shidao thought to himself that this was not good.

Although he knew that Cinderella's magic in the fairy tale would lose its effect at the stroke of midnight, he had no idea of ​​the exact time because the day turned into night when he came in.

"Seven Sins! Come back soon!"

As expected, after seeing the changes in Nanashi, the guard who originally had a crazy look on his face suddenly looked scary.

……

“Wuwuwu…Witch…That person actually said that I was an ugly witch…Anyway…I am just an ugly duckling who got carried away…Anyway…It’s wrong for me to live in this world…Wuwuwu…”

Nanashi looked deeply shocked, curled up in the corner of the alley and cried silently.

"Ah - I'm so sorry, Nanashi-chan."

"Sorry……"

"Come on, Seven Sins! You did nothing wrong. The one who made the mistake was that short-sighted security guard. There is no need for you to hold a grudge against him."

"That's right. The fault lies with the security guard who didn't notice Xiao Qi's unique charm."

"Comfort. Thank you for your hard work, Nanashi. Eat some donuts to change your mood."

"Um...thank you."

"Hmm, eat more! If it's not enough, I still have dumplings."

Seeing Nanashi gradually calm down with everyone's comfort, Shidou breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a shame, we were almost able to get into the city."

"Well, there's nothing we can do if we fail. Let's think of other ways."

Kotori looked at the guard at the city gate in the distance, then looked at the matches in her pocket, and thought of how Nanashi looked after being cast into magic, and suddenly she had an idea.

……

"Excuse me, but we want to attend the dance tonight. Can you let us into the castle?"

Walking to the city gate again and hearing the conversation between Kotori and the guard, Shidou swallowed and lowered his head, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead due to nervousness.

"Um……"

After the guard looked at everyone, the tense muscles on his face relaxed and he answered in a polite tone.

"Of course, ladies, I hope you have a wonderful dance."

Having passed the city gate without any danger, Shidao couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

"Kuku - a fool with no vision. In the end, you still politely invited me in."

"Complaint. People here only care about clothes."

The Yamai sisters couldn't help but snicker. At this time, they were no longer wearing the ragged old clothes, but a set of very expensive and gorgeous dance dresses. Not only the two of them, but everyone had also changed their original clothes and dressed up like a noble lady.

Of course, these were not specially made at a clothing store. In fact, they didn't have that much money to buy dresses. These were all illusions created by Kotori lighting a match. Kotori specially found a piece of fire-resistant wood as a torch and lit it with a match, so that the illusion could last for a long time.

I have to say, Kotori's trick is very effective. But -

“Why do I have to wear a skirt too…”

Looking at his appearance reflected in the mirror, Shidou's eyes twitched slightly.

Wearing the same beautiful long skirt as everyone else, with a face that looks feminine after makeup, and long hair that reaches her waist - there is no doubt that in the eyes of outsiders, Shidao now looks like "Ms. Shiori".

"If it was a ball that Cinderella went to, then it was probably a ball held by the prince to find a marriage partner. Then wouldn't it be more likely that she would succeed if she disguised herself as a girl?"

Kotori answered confidently.

"Oh... this is the legendary Shiori form..." Niya nodded in realization as she gestured around Shidao with her hands. "I see, no wonder Bili-chan asked me to choose Shiori as the protagonist. Boy - er, no! Girl, how about you apologize to Bili-chan like this? Maybe we can make peace right away."

"How can it be so simple...ah...I feel so tired..."

Not wanting to correct Nia's words, Shidou drooped his shoulders tiredly.

"Wait...you just said Meng Yue chose Shizhi as the protagonist..."

Suddenly, Shidou noticed something strange in Niya's words. However, before he could ask any questions, a cry of surprise from outside the city gate caught his attention.

"Look! In the sky! Someone is flying in the sky!"

In the sky? Shidao couldn't help but look up at the sky.

I saw in the night sky a black shadow approaching this side from afar, just like a swift swift. The black shadow lowered its altitude and landed in the town, nimbly passing through the bustling pedestrians and carriages, and finally stopped at the city gate.

After the black shadow stopped, everyone was finally able to see the other party's true face.

It was a very strange means of transportation. Although its shape was a bit like the trucks commonly used by merchants, there were no wheels under the car, and there were no horses pulling the car. The entire car was just floating in the air. The car was full of heavy goods, and in it, a traveling merchant wearing thick cold-proof clothes was sitting in the car, with his legs crossed in a very arrogant manner.

When they saw each other, Shidou and the others were so surprised that they were speechless, just like everyone else.

However, the reason for their surprise was somewhat different from that of others.

"Sister Mengyue...why are you here?"

That person is the elf named Ryogi Yumezuki who was left in Amamiya City because of a conflict with Shidou.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

Soon, the soldiers surrounded Meng Yue, pointed their spears at her, and interrogated her with a wary look on their faces.

"He was a traveling merchant doing business around the world. He heard that the king was going to hold a ball, so he came to attend it."

Facing the hostile guards, Meng Yue replied calmly.

"Then what is that thing you're riding? I've never heard of a traveling merchant that can fly. What proof do you have that you're not a witch or a demon?"

Hearing the guard's words, Meng Yue laughed out loud as if she had heard some funny joke.

"Haha! That doesn't make sense. This is a magic item. Your king is allowed to get the legendary mermaid, but I am not allowed to have a magic item that can fly?"

"Ugh—shut up! We need to check the goods to make sure if what you said is true."

"Ha...you guys are such a hassle."

Mengyue sighed, got out of the car and came to the soldier who was talking to her.

--boom!

There was only a crisp sound echoing in the night, and the next second, the guard who was slapped by Mengyue suddenly fell in the snow.

The soldier's face suddenly changed and he rushed forward to subdue Meng Yue.