"It won't?" The girl asked with a playful pout, clearly dissatisfied with Alisa's response to her little excuse. However, it seemed that for the time being they would focus on the search for Lumen, and it seemed her attempt to bait out the girl didn't exactly work. Perhaps another means of lure had to be prepared? Indeed! It seemed Alisa had quite an idea herself, and as she ordered some delicious dango on a stick the girl hummed in approval. "This is kind of like fishing for Lumen! But the bait is the dango, and the stick is the fishing rod." The girl exclaimed with a mischievous grin while nodding her head in approval at Alisa's plan. "But I wonder how long it will take before she comes out~"

Who knows, the festival was kind of large, so perhaps they would be stuck searching for the girl for a while longer... "We'll find her soon enough~" The girl told herself, perhaps both to reassure Alisa but also to motivate herself. Finding Lumen in a crowd like this would prove to be quite challenging, but with the dango sticks, it might not have been an impossible task!

"Dango~ Dango~" The girl hummed happily as she did her best to resist the urge of taking a bite right away!

Speaking of the hot springs, that day had certainly been quite interesting and entertaining in the young lady's training, and it was equally amusing to see her fiance being confused about why Esperia was even more eager and perverted than usual that night. "Mhmm~ I'm sure if she sees us with the Dango she will get to us in no time~" However, it obviously also depended on where within the festival grounds the shapeshifted girl was wandering currently.

"Thank you~" The girl answered Alisa with a smile as she was given a dango stick, a soft chuckle following as the sculptress mentioned that they just lost their original intention of luring out Lumen while using the dango sticks as bait. However, it was fortunate that Esperia was rather eager to reunite with Lumen, for if not for the fact her attention was derailed toward searching for the lass, she would have no doubt been looking at a certain pillow fortress again!

"I didn't nibble yet! But if you insist~" Esperia declared with a mischievous smirk as she brought the dango stick to her lips and took a little nibble from the first dango. "I think she would likely be wandering either around the area where there are sweets vendors or those merchants who host their own games?"

"We just got to be careful~" Esperia declared with a sheepish grin as she took another nibble from the first dango and soon clarified a bit further in a way that only she could possibly do. "Dango are like lewd thoughts, the longer you keep them going the better they get." There was no doubt that the longer one was able to enjoy a sweet, the longer the aftertaste remained! In a way it was also the same with her perverted thoughts, the longer she kept them fanned the stronger and more silly they became till at long last she gave in to them and pounced her fiance.

However, as they approached a certain avenue and Alisa pointed in the direction up ahead the girl shook her head lightly and answered confidently. "That's not Lumy." It must have been odd how confident Esperia might have sounded with that statement, but after a moment the girl explained further with a sheepish grin. "Lumy has a softer-looking body and her pillows have this innocent charm to them, that girl over there is too developed."

Her gaze turned sideways as she pointed with the dango stick in the direction of a rapidly approaching pink-haired lass. "Now that is without a doubt Lumy~"

And indeed, with the objective nearly complete, one couldn't help but wonder what they would end up doing next after they reunited with the shapeshifting lass!

"It's a great comparison, right?" Esperia answered with a sheepish grin yet when Alisa praised her unusual ability the girl grinned sheepishly and leaned closer to the sculptress. "Your three sizes are eighty-nine centimeters for the hips, fifty-six for the waist. And... ninety-seven centimeters for the bust, right?"

A sheepish snicker escaped her lips as she leaned back away from Alisa and clarified further. "Information verified by Asmodeus~ Although, that's an I cup... I still got room to grow I guess before I catch up to you~"

The girl remarked with a sheepish chuckle as they spotted the approaching Lumen, but unfortunately before the girl could reach them a stream of visitors entered the street, even the smaller obsidian-haired trickster found herself panicking and with a tap of her foot created a small blockade of flower petals around her, seemingly barely allowing her to be kept from being swept away in the stream while Alisa took a more hands-on approach. "No wonder they bumped into you first~ I bet that guy wanted to find out your three sizes also~" Esperia hummed teasingly when a kind middle-aged man called out to them, and with Alisa seemingly interested in the game Esperia chased after her, a sheepish grin on her lips as she asked in a cheerful tone. "How good is your aim Ali?"

Poor Esperia, she clearly wasn't prepared for an intimidation attempt from Alisa, for the moment those knuckles cracked and those words left her lips Esperia felt her body jolt lightly, both hands instinctively reaching for her head as she expected to be 'kabonked' for her little teasing response, leading the poor lass to reply in a clear state of panic. "I promise I won't tell anyone!" Almost like a frightened little bunny she had made herself tiny, mumbling under her breath. "Yikes, you reminded me of a demon just now, one who would have tied me up and punish me till the only words that I could speak were 'Yes' 'Mistress' and 'Please forgive me!'" Gulping lightly at the thought Esperia nodded her head lightly at the expertise attempt to distract the conversation to the darts.

Fortunately for Esperia she was actually extremely good at a game like that, no doubt because her roots had taught her how to use projectiles and ranged weaponry a lot in the past since they were the favored weapon of choice for the Eisenberg. Even at her age Esperia had played a lot of times with darts before, so after watching Alisa perform her toss and hit a mid-range balloon the girl decided to surprise her senior a little.

Gently pulling back her hand she aimed at a small balloon at the back of the target range, one of the high point targets and calmed her breathing, allowing her hand to steady and with a swift toss she send the projectile flying.

It was pretty much a straight line, similar to a bullet being fired as the dart went straight at the tiny balloon and punctured it, making the girl look with a clear look of excitement in her eyes at Alisa, hoping to get praised for the result, and hopefully change the sculptress's thoughts away from the earlier conversation subject.

"Mhmm~ I have many talents, in a lot of fields!" Esperia remarked with a sheepish grin, although not quick to admit a lot of her 'talents' involved the perverted field, no doubt courtesy of the demon lord of lust! However, as the conversation shifted toward the dart throwing it seemed Alisa had decided to give it another try, a second dart being tossed that nicely landed near her own, making the girl eagerly clap her hands together in approval. "Hehe~ And I can see that you're able to do more than teasing poor maidens~" A teasing poke of her tongue followed as she gently tossed another dart while musing out loud. "Hopefully this will draw Lumy's attention~" In the end, that was part of why they had been playing at this game, right?

"Still~ this festival certainly is a pleasant change of pace~"

Indeed, just being able to relax and enjoy oneself in a peaceful and lively festive mood like this was amazing, there was no doubt about that. However, she couldn't help but idly wonder how long such a pleasant time would last, and what would happen afterward. Then again, with her approaching wedding plans, it wasn't like she didn't have something pleasant to look forward to!

Poor Esperia was quick to find her cheeks flushing up lightly, doing her best to keep her eyes focused on Alisa's eyes rather than allowing them to take the dive into the sculptress' her grand canyon. "I'm sure there is no doubt that you can do a lot of things! but I'd rather leave that confirmation to Asmodeus, somehow you make me feel this temptation is like a wooden horse with an unpleasant surprise inside it!

However, as if on cue Lumen decided to grace them with their presence, leading the obsidian-haired lass to happily wave with her arms toward the kimono-clad girl. "Lumy!" It was rather well-timed for sure, because she had to admit it was quite difficult to resist all those tempting distractions, and the gods knew that when it came to Alisa there were plenty of those to be found with her! However, she doubted that pair of high-quality pillows was the only thing to blame for that...

"I'm glad you finally found us Lumy~ We were getting rather worried about you." the girl admitted with a sheepish grin, clearly glad that they had finally been reunited. However, now the question remained: what would they end up doing next?

 

Luckily for her the mood and subject of the conversation quickly changed upon the arrival of Lumen, the innocent and playful demeanor of the shapeshifted lass earning a soft giggle from the girl who gently returned the embrace, a hand raised to pet the pink hair of the girl. "Mhmm~ I doubt most people would be able to best Lumy with all the training you been giving her~" Esperia remarked with a sheepish grin.

However, now that they were all reunited there was no more reason for them to worry, and the next attraction would have to be picked out, one that Esperia seemingly had already figured out. "Alisa~ How good are you at singing?" The girl inquired, recalling she had experienced a particular attraction where people could sing before an audience with the support of a band, Karaoke they called it? "Let's go and sing some songs?"

It certainly sounded like a fun idea, and she was kind of curious what type of song Alisa would end up picking! Almost with childish glee a hand wrapped around Alisa's and Lumen's own as she started to guide them toward the section of the festival grounds where the two of them would soon find that a large crowd had gathered to watch the performers sing and dance on the stage! Seems it was quite a popular place for the festival attractions.

 

"Mhmm~ I like Karaoke!" Esperia admitted with a sheepish grin, clearly excited at the sight of the podium and the band that was playing for the participants. However, as Alisa was guiding the two of them to the stage Esperia couldn't help but wonder what type of song the sculptress would sing. Now that she thought about it, if she recalled right neither of them had ever heard the other sing before, which made for a rather exciting event for both of them!

For Esperia the act of singing was something that often brought her joy and excitement since she believed that songs were the embodiment of emotions given form through the voice, and obviously, it also helped that both she and Asmodeus were quite skilled at it! However, she actually wanted to hear Alisa sing also, partly since she was curious how she would sound like when she was actually singing.

"If you want Asmodeus is willing to sing a song also, but I'm also a very good singer!" Esperia proclaimed with a sheepish grin, clearly excited at the idea. "But you get to go first~" In the end, she was sure that Alisa wouldn't mind going first considering the amount of confidence that radiated from her!

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It appeared that Alisa was quite eager to prove her skills when it came to singing, and judging from the enthusiasm from Lumen it was clear the shapeshifted lass was equally interested to see the performance. Meanwhile, Esperia idly mused what type of song she would sing herself, but it seemed the Demon Lord of Lust had an idea of her own for a performance. "Say Espy~ Would you mind letting me do the singing?" The Demon Lord's inquiry made the girl tilt her head slightly to the side in confusion, clearly fascinated at the idea of having a performance to observe from Asmodeus.

"I guess I don't mind~" The girl answered her with a sheepish grin as she looked up at the performing Alisa. There was no doubt that Alisa had quite some skill when it came to singing, and the song somehow fit her quite nicely, so it was to be expected that Asmodeus would soon pick a song that the two of them were quite familiar with! Once she had picked a song of her choice Esperia smiled sheepishly at Alisa while whispering that familiar phrase beneath her breath, the obsidian-haired demoness taking over the reigns as she stepped onto the stage after Alisa's performance and whispered something to the band, who soon started to play the opening melody for her song.

It was time to give Alisa a performance she wouldn't forget anytime soon!

Alisa's thoughts about her song were natural considering the Demon Lord of Lust her personality, and yet it seemed she would be in for quite a surprise. People often said that songs were the manifestation of emotions through songs and that songs often told tales. As a result Asmodeus had chosen a song that would be quite different from the type one might associate with her, for it was not a song directly related to the Demon Lord of Lust, but to the woman she was before she became said Demon Lord.

I was not afraid of anything when I was a child
I believed that I was special.
With these hands of mine, as desired
I will change the world.
Stretch your hands and grasp it
the one and only 'me'
Let out your voice and praise, the special 'me'

To the audience it might have felt surprising, her songstress-like voice easily mesmerizing the crowd as she swayed lightly on the stage, singing the lyrics that embodied feelings of the distant past.

Don't be afraid, come by my side
Love 'me', who is nobody

It was a soft song, and in some cases also a lonely song, of a young woman who sought to be loved, but also wanted to remain within a dream-like world free from the hardships of reality.

I didn't want to admit that I am the same as others
I pretended to not see it and conveniently closed my eyes
I could not become an adult and stayed a child
I want to see this dream until the day I die.

And hardships she had faced plenty, in the end they had been the cause of forcing her to take on the mantle of Asmodeus, to carry on its role as her own and connected her story to that of the young Esperia.

Open your eyes and project it
The 'me' who has nothing
Envelop and embrace me
The 'me' who is like a child.

And yet perhaps the name of the song was quite aptly named 'Peter Pan Syndrome' because it represented a childish desire to escape from the hardships of reality.

Accept me with your hands
Love 'me' who will eventually disappear

I wanted someone to recognize
the fake me that I have created
I'm alone in this world. Like a child ...

As the song started to reach its conclusion it was clear that even the voice of the Demon Lord felt magical in nature, the crowd mesmerized and cheering along even despite the fact a demon was performing on the stage, and finally, her gaze settled onto Alisa and Lumen.

Open your eyes and project it
The 'me' who has nothing
Envelop and embrace me
the 'me' who is like a child
Accept me with your hands
And love the real 'me'

A hand was gently outstretched toward the duo as she whispered the final lyrics of the song.

Stretch your hands and grasp it
Let out your voice, praise me
Don't be afraid, come by my side

And then came the thundering applause, a playful curtsy being made by the Demon Lord of Lust as she walked off the stage and joined her companions once more. "I always enjoy singing that song~" She admitted with a soft smile while waiting to see Alisa's reaction.

A soft smile lingered on Asmodeus' lips at Alisa's compliment, clearly delighted at hearing the words of praise from the sculptress herself. The fact that Lumen herself seemed equally happy about the performance was an endearing sight that made her lift a hand lightly, ruffling the pink hair of the girl before turning back toward her companion. "It seems Espy gave me the reigns for a bit, and I'm glad she did~"

Asmodeus admitted with a tender smile as she slipped sideways to Alisa's side, locking an arm around the sculptress' own and gestured toward the distant streets. "Because I wanted to spend a part of the festival alongside you Alisa~ So where shall we head off to next? I recall there being fireworks tonight so we could start heading toward the lake~"

A playful wink followed after her suggestion, seemingly all too eager to find the entertainment she sought alongside Alisa! Perhaps that was a part of Asmodeus that would never change, being someone who strived on lust and desires, the search for excitement was a natural part of the demon lord of lust her nature, and as one might had anticipated Alisa was the type of person who could quite easily provide all the excitement Asmodeus sought~

"Of course~ The fireworks are still a few hours away." Asmodeus agreed with a smile, knowing all too well that dusk was still a fair time away, but that was all according to her little plan. "Which means that you'll be able to keep me company for quite a while longer~" A grin lingered upon the demon lord's lips, seemingly enjoying the innocent little showcase of affection Lumen was showcasing, the nuzzling against her hand only coaxing the demon lord to gently pet her head even more!

"Considering we just had some singing done perhaps a little beverage would hit the spot~ I think Espy saw a rather famous tea-brewer have a stall near here, according to the rumors his tea is flavored with quite a pleasant honey, the flavor is said to be truly amazing~"

She admittingly was quite curious about sampling the famous tea she had heard so much about, and while it might had not been ale or wine, she had to admit a nice cup of tea was just as pleasant if it was brewed well enough!

"How about it~ Want to go find that famous tea-brewer together? I'm sure a 'classy' lady like you can appreciate a nice cup of tea~" The Demon Lord of Lust added with a little wink.