Easily passed the first level!

(Katarina’s Perspective)

“It looks like the only option is to keep moving forward.”

“Mhm… Let’s at least get out of here first.”

That was easier said than done. Every direction was nothing but mirrors. No way to tell where the exit was.

If we bumped into a mirror, we’d get sucked in and sent back to the start—wasting all our progress.

“Young Miss, don’t worry. I have another idea.”

With that, tiny Ailena began casting magic.

Soon, gentle breezes started swirling around us.

…I could feel the airflow had a clear direction.

At the same time, little Ailena explained.

“These mirrors allow objects to pass through, but air cannot cross the surface…

I think the mirrors aren’t actually connected to another area—they just teleport anything that touches them to a set location.”

I don’t understand a thing about magic…

But with the wind showing us the way, at least we won’t get lost anymore.

Getting out of this maze is now only a matter of time.

“Then let’s not waste any more time. Onward!”

“Mhm!”

“Up we go!”

Without warning, I scooped tiny Ailena up with one arm and tucked her against my chest like a stuffed doll.

Mmm, the part resting on my arm is so soft it’s completely molding to the shape of my forearm.

“Eh? E-eh!?”

After a moment of stunned silence, Ailena’s whole face turned bright red. Her wide golden eyes were filled with confusion and shock.

“Young Miss, what are you doing!?”

“Your legs are too short right now—you can’t run fast at all. This way is quicker.”

“W-well… that does make sense… but I-I…”

“You’re not heavy at all! In fact, you’re super light!”

…Like a real doll. Incredibly light.

Normal Ailena is honestly a little heavy… but for some reason, this version is barely half the weight.

No extra padding anymore, so of course she’s lighter.

“Uuu… even so…”

Ailena still looked hesitant.

No use arguing—off we go!

I didn’t give her a choice and immediately broke into a run.

“W-waaah!?”

Because I started sprinting so suddenly, Ailena had to cling tightly to my shoulders.

Hehe… tiny Ailena, soft Ailena, sweet-smelling Ailena…

Ah… no no no, I almost drooled.

Good thing she didn’t see…

Still… if I take a few wrong turns on purpose, she probably won’t notice, right?

Just let me enjoy this a little longer!

(Still Katarina’s Perspective)

Thanks to the wind’s guidance, we progressed smoothly.

…Any “wrong turns” were, of course, entirely intentional on my part.

In truth, the airflow felt different near real exits versus dead ends.

For me, spotting the genuine exit was child’s play.

Fortunately, Ailena’s perception of the wind wasn’t that precise—she could only sense the general direction.

So even when I deliberately took detours, she never suspected a thing.

All in all… we still reached the exit without issue.

Bang!

The moment we stepped through, several party poppers fired in celebration.

Confetti rained down, and along with it fell a smiling paper sticker that was clearly different from the rest.

I reached out and caught the sticker.

Jester Dahlia suddenly bounced into existence from who-knows-where.

“Tadaa! Congratulations on clearing the stage and collecting your first «Joy Sticker»~ Clap clap clap clap~”

While applauding, his masked face turned toward me.

“As the first guests today to clear an attraction, I have a special bonus for you~”

Snap!

He snapped his fingers just like before… but nothing seemed to happen.

“What did you do?”

Not just me—Ailena was staring at him suspiciously too.

“Heeheehee~ Very simple~

Once you leave the «Illusionary Funhouse Labyrinth», your appearances would normally revert.

But I’ve locked your current forms in place until you fully exit the «Paradise»~”

What kind of “bonus” is that!?

Ailena, rare for her, flared up in anger.

Yet the sight of her tiny self barking like a furious Pomeranian had zero intimidation factor…

No, wait—it did have an effect. My heart was melting from the cuteness.

“Heeheehee~”

Jester Dahlia said nothing, but I could feel the eyes behind the mask looking my way.

Had he seen through my desire to keep Ailena in this childlike form?

Was this so-called bonus… a reward for me?

The fact that even my inner thoughts were read sent a slight chill down my spine.

But… well done!

Now I get to enjoy little Ailena for much longer!

“Heeheehee! I won’t disturb you two any further~

Many more attractions await ahead~ See you at the end of the next one~”

Jester Dahlia vanished once more… still as elusive as ever.

“Hey! Change me back right now!”

Tiny Ailena puffed out her cheeks, jumped up and down in protest…

Where did this angel come from? She’s too adorable!

I just want to scoop her up and ruffle her senseless…

“Young Miss! Let me down already!”

“Huh?”

When did I start hugging her again…?

Well, now that I’ve got her, I’m not letting go.

So I leaned close to Ailena’s ear and whispered sweetly.

“Ailena, do you really hate this?”

“N-no… I don’t hate it exactly… it’s just…”

Ailena turned her face away, but her brilliantly red ears betrayed her true feelings.

“It’s… a little embarrassing…”

Seeing her so cute and flustered, my inner sadist reared its head.

So I leaned in again and lightly nibbled her tiny ear.

“Kya!”

Ailena’s shoulders jumped; she let out the sweetest squeak.

What an adorable sound… softer and more lovable than ever.

If you keep resisting, I can’t promise what I’ll do next, okay?

“Nn…”

Ailena finally stopped struggling.

“Hehe~ Then let’s keep going.”

As we left the maze, just as Jester Dahlia said, Ailena’s form remained unchanged—still tiny, cradled helplessly in my arms, unable to fight back.

It gave me a strange, slightly sinful thrill.

But… though we had “left,” we weren’t completely out yet.

The exit connected to a long cylindrical corridor made of glass, stretching so far I couldn’t see the end—probably leading to whatever Jester Dahlia had decided was the next stage.

Through the glass we could see the other attractions around us, but since all harmful actions were blocked, we couldn’t break the glass to reach them.

We had to play in the order Jester Dahlia dictated.

Well… there probably wasn’t any real danger anyway, so it didn’t matter which attraction we did.

It just felt a little unpleasant to be forced along his route.

With those thoughts, I carried Ailena forward through the corridor.

However…

The next building looming before us had a gate swarming with ghostly figures.

A plaque right in the center read: “House of Screams.”

It was probably just cheap scares meant for kids, but…

Didn’t Ailena have a weakness for horror stuff?

Sure enough, the grip on my shoulder tightened, and that little body began to tremble…

I didn’t even need to look to know—Ailena was already terrified.