I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Rapunzel

Just before crashing into the tower, I saw it. The golden hair rising from the ground around Alice and Ariel. The scene of countless strands of hair intertwining and becoming a golden monster in an instant.

They tried to grab my hand in the sudden situation, but the golden monsters blocked them.

I was sucked into the tower. My vision was completely obscured. It felt like riding a roller coaster continuously, my stomach churned, and my head spun. Then, a faint light. No, a strong light. As the dazzling brightness felt through my eyelids gradually subsided, I cautiously opened my eyes.

“Huh?”

I was bewildered by the scene before me. This wasn’t the tower. Birds chirped beautifully, and forest animals lay peacefully in the street. Yes, this was the bustling area of the village. Various shops were visible around.

What? Did I hit my head? Bogart seemed to have pushed me, causing me to crash into the tower’s barrier.

I frowned and observed my surroundings. Then I realized there wasn’t a single person in sight.

No passersby, no one looking out from their windows. No workers, no merchants selling goods.

A truly desolate street.

I cleared my throat and shouted.

“Alice? Ariel? Bogart?”

But the only response was silence. I scratched the back of my head.

“What should I do?”

I didn’t know what had happened, but one thing was certain: staying here wouldn’t change anything. Despite the anxiety, I had to move forward.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand. What was Bogart thinking when he pushed me into the tower’s barrier?

And to say it’s nice to see you. It’s strange to say that when we’ve already met. Usually, people say things like “Have a good trip,” “I trust you,” or “I’m counting on you,” don’t they?

It’s complicated. There’s nothing I can figure out by thinking about it now. Let’s focus on the present.

I cautiously took a step, wary of what might jump out from somewhere. As I moved, the animals that had been lying down got up one by one and passed in front of me as if guiding me. It felt unsettling, but seeing the kind eyes of the animals, I somehow felt it was okay to follow them.

I spoke to the deer walking with a wiggle in its step.

“Hey, can’t you talk? Every animal I’ve met here could talk.”

The deer turned its head, looked into my eyes for a moment, snorted, and then silently went on its way.

“Seems like a really ordinary animal.”

Deer, sparrows, goats, foxes, and more animals than I expected gathered on the main road. Just as I was thinking that maybe this village was a village of animals.

We arrived at the village square.

In the square, there was a huge fountain. And like a scene from a movie, a beautiful girl stood in front of it. A girl with striking blonde hair.

I had a hunch.

It’s Rapunzel.

Her hair reached down to her feet. But is that really Rapunzel? Rapunzel’s hair is supposed to be so long that it reaches the ground from the tower. But that length felt insufficient.

Rapunzel approached with her hands behind her back, smiling.

I swallowed nervously.

“Wow! Seeing you up close like this is amazing! It’s been a long time since I felt this way!”

The girl suddenly ran up and grabbed my hand, shaking it up and down vigorously. Stay calm. Don’t be swayed by the soft touch of the girl’s palm. Rapunzel’s eyes looking at me were like those of a cute, innocent puppy.

Her smiling face was quite charming, tickling my heart. She even had a sweet scent like flowers. Truly, she was a cheerful princess.

“Hey, what’s your name? Come to think of it, I didn’t ask your name.”

“Um, I’m Siyu.”

“Nice to meet you, Siyu! I’m Rapunzel!”

Indeed, it was Rapunzel. When I first heard she was using the power of the curse, I thought she might be a deranged lunatic, but surprisingly, she appeared as a cheerful teenage girl.

Still, with one slip of the tongue, she could suddenly show a completely different, cruel side. This is the girl who killed a maid, was locked in a tower, and cursed the kingdom with the power of her hair. She is not someone to be underestimated, even more so than anyone I’ve met before.

What you see on the surface isn’t everything. She might be smiling, but inside, she could be imagining how to torture and kill me while enjoying it.

Stay calm. Right now, there’s no Alice or Ariel here. I’m alone. The only thing I, weak as I am, can do here is one thing.

Talk.

I spoke, trying my best not to upset her.

“Nice to meet you too. Um… I remember coming into the tower, but suddenly I found myself in the village and I’m confused. Can you explain?”

“Hehe, are you curious?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. I’m curious.”

“Hmm~”

Rapunzel made a mischievous face and giggled.

“Hehe, then you know what!”

She grabbed my hand and started running lightly with a spring in her step.

“I’ll tell you if you go on a date with me!”

“What? Whaaat!?”

Rapunzel ran with a bright smile. I was dragged along, stumbling awkwardly, and the birds chirped as if they found our situation amusing.

A date? Did I hear that right? A date?

Suddenly, my heart pounded. It wasn’t the tension of knowing Rapunzel could kill me, nor the desperation to escape this place.

Could it be that I’m excited by the word ‘date’?

Even though I thought I was pathetic, seeing Rapunzel’s cheerful back made those thoughts disappear. It was as if I was under a spell.

Suddenly, the ground beneath me started to tremble as if an earthquake had struck. My body swayed, and it was hard to keep my balance.

Petals scattered. A rain of beautiful petals fell gently on our heads. Rapunzel and I were enjoying a picnic on a mat spread out in a field full of unknown flowers.

Just a moment ago, I was running, but now I was sitting on the mat, receiving a lunchbox from Rapunzel.

“Here! I specially packed this lunchbox for you, Siyu!”

“Huh? Oh, thank you.”

The lunchbox was wrapped in luxurious silk. Carefully unwrapping the cloth and opening the lid, a delicious-looking sandwich was revealed.

Rapunzel, with a mischievous smile, handed me a sandwich.

“Here, ah~”

“Huh? Wait, I’ll eat it myself.”

As Rapunzel tried to feed me, I, being shy in such matters, couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and hurriedly reached out for the sandwich she was holding.

“Nope~ Not allowed!”

But Rapunzel lightly avoided my hand and pushed the sandwich towards me.

“Hurry, say ah~ My arm is getting tired.”

The sandwich touched my lips. In the end, I had no choice but to carefully open my mouth, and the sandwich went in.

“Mmph!”

It was a familiar taste. It was filled with fresh vegetables, and the tender ham burst with juicy flavor. Gulp. The sandwich went down my throat pleasantly. Rapunzel giggled as she watched me eat.

“You eat so well! Ah~ It’s so fun to enjoy the flowers with you, Siyu!”

Rapunzel lay down and patted the spot next to her, inviting me to lie down beside her. Feeling like I was being too easily swayed, I gratefully lay down next to her and asked,

“Rapunzel, are we still inside the tower? Did you use magic to change the place like this?”

“You are so impatient! I was going to tell you slowly while we were dating.”

She turned over and propped her chin with both hands, staring at me intently. Ah, why is my heart beating so fast when she looks at me like that? I could feel the heat rising to my face. I had never felt this way while looking at a woman before.

“You’re right. This is inside the tower. You broke through the barrier that no one else could pass and came here. This place, as you can see, is a place I created with magic. I didn’t like the original tower because it was so gloomy.”

I expected it, but hearing that it was possible to change the place entirely like this was still hard to believe. Rapunzel swung her legs up and down and said,

“Now it’s my turn to ask questions.”

I nodded nervously, wondering what question would come out of her mouth. Rapunzel smiled mischievously and reached out to tap my nose lightly.

“Do you want to go out with me? I like you.”

“What? What?”

I blinked. It took me quite a while to process what I had heard. My ears doubted, and my mind denied it. There was no way she said something so absurd. I must have misheard.

“Huh? What did you say? Can you say it again?”

Rapunzel smiled and grabbed my cheeks, making my lips pout.

“I said, let’s go out, you fool.”