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A Mystery! Mushroom Princess Coming!
After the sandwich-making went smoothly, the group was ready to go find some mushrooms. Each member of the student council went off to finish making any last-minute plans before meeting at the front door of the academy.
At the moment, everyone was there except Mia. When they saw it, the group was wondering where their president had gone. In the distance, the shape of…a mushroom was coming closer and closer.
It was actually Mia, but a white mushroom cap-shaped hat was sitting on her round little head. She wore a thick top with long sleeves and thick pants that she tucked into a pair of hunting boots that were strong enough for mountain climbing.
Someone said “Huh?” in surprise. No one knew who did it, but the fact that they all looked just as confused made it likely that any of them did it. That was how weird her outfit was.
“Well, hello to all of you. Isn’t it a great day for mushroom hunting?” Mia asked with a big smile on her face.
The first person to speak was Citrina.
She quickly asked the question that everyone was thinking about.
“Uh, Your Majesty? Wh-What is that outfit, exactly?”
“Ah, Rina.”
Mia looked at Citrina and smiled when she saw that she was wearing her regular uniform.
“You see, this summer has given me a rare chance to know what it’s like to be stuck on a deserted island.”
“Huh? You were stuck on an island by yourself?”
“Yes, while Esmeralda and I were on the cruise. It was…well, to say the least, a lesson. And a pretty tough one. But it did teach me a few things, like that bare skin is a big no-no when you’re out and about in the mountains or forests,” Mia said with the patient smile of a teacher warning a child not to do something dangerous.
“If you let your skin show in the woods, it could get scratched or bitten by bugs, right? That’s why it’s smart to always wear long sleeves and long pants when going into a forest.”
“But, we’ll be staying near the forest’s entrance today…”
“The forest is still the entrance to the forest. It’s impossible to be too careful. Underestimating how hard something is can lead to bad planning, and bad planning is how you get caught off guard by problems you didn’t expect. To stay safe outside, you need to be smart and ready.”
Even though what she said about safety was sensible, her outfit, which screamed “Look at me, I’m a veteran mushroom guide,” made it seem like she was making it up.
Many people in the group guessed rightly that she planned to go deeper into the forest. One of them was Citrina. Her face went blank for a second, but then it went back to its usual smile.
“I see. Your Majesty is very smart. Yes, to care and planning?”
“Absolutely. There is a plan behind all of this. A deal between man and mushroom that was never said. You’d be doing the mushrooms a disservice if you went in unprepared,” she said with an air of authority, as if she were some kind of fungi oracle here to speak for them.
When Citrina looked up at the fake mushroom god, she wasn’t sure what to do.
She definitely wants to go deeper into the forest, but why? Is it because I told her about the Belluga mushrooms and she wants to see them? Or…because she learned about the other thing?
She kept her sweet smile on while she thought about this possibility.
No, that can’t be the case. She probably just wants to know more about the Belluga mushrooms. If that’s the case, I made a bad choice. I should not have brought them up.
You can also bring attention to something by telling someone to be careful around it or to stay away from it. The best way to hide something is sometimes to not talk about it.
Even so… Oh well. I will always be with her. I’ll gently point her in a different direction if she tries to go deeper into the forest. Those are also at the bottom of a cliff. She probably won’t find them unless she knows exactly where to look…
Bel hopped over to her and laughed, which made her stop thinking.
“Rina, are you excited? I’m so happy.”
She was also in her uniform, just like Citrina.
“I’ve never gone mushroom hunting before. Have you?” asked Bel with a big smile.
“Hmm… I’ve never been with so many people. This is also Rina’s first time,” said Citrina, before she saw something on Bel’s bag.
“Oh… That’s…”
On its side was a small charm that looked just like the troya she got from the girl the other day.
“Oh. I thought it would be funny if we had charms that matched, so I made another one.”
“I guess I should have brought mine as well. Apologies for that. I put it in my drawer because I didn’t want something so valuable to get dirty.”
Bel looked at her funny and laughed.
“Oh, Rina, you’re so funny. Eventually, everything gets dirty, no matter how nice it is. Put it on and have a good time. Don’t even worry. If it breaks or goes missing, I’ll make you a new one.”
She looked at Bel’s smile, which was innocent and full of trust. Something moved inside of her.
Whatever. It doesn’t matter.
She brushed off the feeling with a shake of her head.
“Thank you, Bel. When we go back, I’ll start to use it.”
As usual, she put on a smile that put people at ease.