Still, We Press On (4)

Inside the cramped tent, the bowls of food they’d brought back sat in the middle. A young girl in a hooded cloak sat nearby, calmly holding a cup, while opposite her Kagami sat restraining Alice in a full nelson.

"Wow, quite a crowd."

"...So it really is you, Kagami-dono?"

"If it wasn't me, who else would it be? It's been a while, Menou, Kururu, Tina. Anyway, get inside and close the flap, quick. It'll be a problem if anyone finds out we're here."

Menou, Kururu, and Tina exchanged glances and nodded. Then they followed his instructions, squeezed into the tent, and found places to sit in the cramped space.

"Um... there's a lot I'd like to ask, but what are you doing?"

As soon as they sat down, Kururu timidly raised her hand from her seiza position and asked Kagami.

"What does it look like? I was about to eat, but this girl found where we were, so I had to shut her up. I didn't want her giving away our location, so I covered her mouth and kept her from thrashing around, but... ...Huh? Wait, didn't you just call this girl Alice, Menou-san?"

"That's Alice-chan, you know?"

"Kagami-dono... did you forget what Alice-sama looks like?"...