#ahhhh it's like going on a treasure hunt or solving a riddle

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Watching the 'Inside Vice Versa' videos and feeling very called out...

Why yes...you betcha I am.

And also...for those or you who read my long-ass post about ep 1, here's yet another example of what I think are the four main/important colours together in the clothes on the bed: red and blue, and yellow and green. 👀

Anyway, is it Saturday yet?

[ingoldentent]

The treasure hunt

When he woke, there was nothing. No matter how much he searched, there weren’t flowers waiting on his bed, no breakfast being served by her enthusiastic wife, or big boobed women jumping out of a cake.

Nope! None of those were there. Or anything else like that by that matter.

Could she have forgotten?

Could Beatrice truly have forgotten about her beloved husband’s birthday…?

…. Now that you mentioned it, there was definitely something odd with this place. The presence of nothing might not indicate that there wouldn’t be anything present later today, right? It was highly likely, perhaps the witch was scheming something, only to have him surprised in the end…!

And, as soon as one could be done with this line of reasoning, a letter arrives through the mail. It was but a single… letter?

No. Upon further inspection Battler would surely recognize the speciality of this letter in particular: the one adorned with the one-winged eagle crest.

It was, if not a perfect replica, of the letters Beatrice used to use during their games. Hehheh… Hopefully this time it wasn’t anything that sinister!

…..

Right?!

And, as one might expect from a special day, inside was a letter from the golden witch herself.

Greetings, Ushiromiya Battler!

I do sincerely hope this letter reaches you on this day, the 15th of July. I hope you have been getting enough rest because I, the golden witch Beatrice, hereby challenge you to a battle of the wits, in the form of a treasure hunt!

If, and only if, you can find my location during the date specified above according to the hints provided by me, may you receive your present! Well, what are you waiting for, don’t keep me waiting!

I will be waiting for you!

- Beatrice the golden

And, surely, the second page of the letter contained his first hint. It seemed to be some sort of a riddle on words. Very much like her, to start things off with something easy… and then make it harder and harder as time goes on, right?

Surely, Battler must find her… and her bountiful booty!!

Ahhhh, typical of her. Every year, she finds a way to surprise him at this date. Without the resources that her Endless Magic would usually provide, she has to resort to creativity, which she has in leaps and bounds. Upon reading her letter, Battler grins. Of course he’d accept her challenge!

The first hint was easy enough. A reference to boxes, which naturally leads him to his box stuff wardrobe. Next, a math puzzle, which results in the number of a townhouse close from his.

Some walking later and he finds the next letter at the residence’s door, where another hint can be found. It takes him a couple minutes to figure it out, but it soon becomes clear. A seemingly abandoned tool store down the street, where he finds the final hint glued to a mannequin.

He’s already walked a bunch so far, but he enjoys it like that. Exercising is good for your health, after all! As for the final hint, once again he takes his time thinking of it. He can feel it, he’s close to a breakthrough, but the answer doesn’t come! Yet, Battler has to solve this. He can’t leave his wife waiting for him anymore!

At that, something clicks. He rereads and rushes to his destination, where he has to go...!

The park has been better days, but it’s a pleasant location nevertheless. The only people here are children, whom like the other citizens act in an automatic, almost robotic manner. But Battler isn’t here for them.

Rather, his goal is the woman sitting over a table towel at the floor, a selection of foods and drinks in front of her. A picnic might not be the sort of bombastic thing that one would imagine Beatrice to do, but it’s what she can do for now. And for Battler, that’s all that matters.

He sits by her side and gains a kiss and a hug immediately. His face quickly becomes red, not helped by the frenzy she unleashes on him soon after. Gosh, she must have been crazy to give him caresses after spending all day long away from him! And of course, she makes question to feed him cake. It’s super delicious, she assures him!

After they’ve eaten enough for their bellies to explode, Beatrice lays her head on his shoulder. He moves to caress her hair, but before that, she suddenly sits up. She was almost forgetting the most important thing of today! Frantically, she looks through her pockets, a scene that warrants a couple chuckles from Battler, much to her embarrassment.

At last, she pulls something - a book, from the looks of it.

“Can I...?” Open it, he wants to say, but he has no time to complete his words. Beatrice is already frantically opening a page in front of him. It seems to be some sort of... diary? One written by Beato, judging by the letters, and it talks about... him? Yeah, he recognizes some of the stuff mentioned here! There’re photos, there’re poems, there’re gluings, several things showcasing Beato’s love for him.

It must have taken... so long for her to prepare all of this...

Tears come to the sorcerer’s eyes. To think that... he’d receive such a special present, laced with love and care throughout it...

It’s enough to make him cry and hug her tightly, as if never to let her go. His beloved Golden Witch, his queen, his goddess!!

“B-Beato... I-I love you...”

To seal that, he gives her a passionate kiss, one that he wishes would last endlessly...