I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange - Chapter 48



Episode 47 – Hansel and Gretel

The pillars were sweet candy canes, the roof was made of chocolate biscuits. The door was made of jelly and the walls of biscuits and cake, it was truly a delicious-looking house. We were speechless for a moment, just blankly gazing at the candy house.

“It’s a house made of candy…?”

The words slipped out of my mouth without thinking. Looking at it this way and that, it was definitely a house made of candy. How could a house like this be in the middle of the forest? Ariel, with eyes full of childish curiosity, observed the house, then carefully took a dab of cream from the wall and put it in her mouth.

[!!!Delicious! This is real cream!]

It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t intangible. It was really a real-life candy house. And it was quite well-preserved. How it was made and how it could be preserved was a mystery, but what was certain was that a romantic candy house existed here.

“Heh~ That’s some serious effort you put in? How did you even make a house like this?”

Alice spun around the house, a naive smile on her face. She gave the wall a little tap, and since it was made of biscuits, it shattered immediately.

I watched the scene, my mind racing.

A house made of sweets. A trail of breadcrumbs leading here, as if beckoning us.

There’s only one answer.

Hansel and Gretel.

In my memory, when their family’s finances got tight, Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother convinced their father to abandon the children, and they were ultimately left in the forest. But clever Hansel deliberately dropped breadcrumbs to find their way back. However, forest animals ate all the crumbs, and lost, Hansel and Gretel found a candy house, just like us now.

Then, what came out of it was…

*Squeak*

A semi-transparent, delicious-looking jelly door opens. I’d assumed a witch would be there, but shockingly, the entities that bounced out were enormous bouncy balls. No. They weren’t bouncy balls. They were people, so swollen they looked like bouncy balls.

They were so fat, you couldn’t even guess their gender. It was even questionable how they could move. Their flesh had surpassed the limits of human ability.

One of them, a blonde, opened its mouth, showing off its plump neck.

“Hee hee hee, we have guests. Welcome.”

A composed and refined voice. Judging by his voice, the blonde one was a man. He offered a gentle smile, and the one next to him with pink hair nodded in agreement.

“Everyone looks so hungry. We invite you to come in and have a meal with us.”

Similarly kind and gentle, a young girl’s voice. So, the one next to him was a woman. With that, I could assume they were a man and a woman. In other words, if my hunch is right, those two are Hansel and Gretel. Maybe.

I forced a smile, looking at their mountains of flesh. Are those really Hansel and Gretel?

“Um, are you the owners of this house?”

“Haha, that’s right. We are the owners of this candy house. Isn’t it delicious-looking?”

The man said, wiping the drool from his mouth. Aeriel frowned and stepped forward.

[This forest is enchanted, made inescapable. Following the traces, we ended up here, and it seems you’re the ones who cast the spell?]

“Magic?”

“Oh my.”

The two exchanged startled glances, then offered sheepish smiles, waving chubby, pig-trotter-like arms.

“We’re not mages. And to think this is happening again.”

“Again, you say…?”

At my words, the pink-haired girl let out a short sigh.

“Haa. The truth is, we weren’t originally the owners of this house. What you’re experiencing is all because of the witch who lived here before.”

Could that mean the witch who tried to eat Hansel and Gretel was behind this?

*Grumble!*

Then, simultaneously, a loud stomach clock rang out from both my and Ariel’s bellies. We flushed crimson with the wave of embarrassment.

The blonde man burst into a hearty laugh, looking at us.

“Hahahaha! You all must be very hungry. Let’s eat while I tell you the details, please come inside first.”

“Ahem, y-yes, thank you.”

[Awkwardness. Shame. Gratitude]

With abashed expressions, we were about to head inside, but strangely, one person was missing.

*Crunch.*

*Crunch?* The irritating sound from earlier echoed around the house. The sound of something shattering. Curious, we headed to the back of the house and found Alice, her face as pure as a child.

“Aah! Stop, stop breaking it! There’s plenty of food inside, please stop!”

The blonde man, shocked, yelled as he caught sight of Alice casually tapping and breaking a biscuit wall. Alice tilted her head in confusion.

“Why can’t I break it?”

“W-well, it’s our house!”

“The house is made of candy. Who builds a house out of candy? Isn’t it meant to be broken or eaten?”

The pink-haired girl frowned slightly at her words.

“No. My brother and I dreamt of building a house of candy, that’s why we made it!”

“Hee~”

*Crack!* Alice shattered a nearby window and smiled brightly.

“Oops~ My mistake. I broke the window, and it went *crack*.”

“aaargh!”

The blonde man clutched his head in agony, and Alice grinned wickedly, raising a fist to shatter another window. Ariel and I rushed to her.

“Ugh, Alice, please calm down. Let’s go inside for now.”

[What the hell are you doing, you crazy b*tch! We’re about to pinpoint a crucial clue to escape this forest, stop causing trouble!]

“Hmm~”

Alice looked back and forth between the candy house siblings and our faces, then smiled. A bright smile like a child plotting a prank, as if she’d come up with an even more fun idea.

………………

The interior was as lavish as the exterior. The floor was made of delectable and squishy marshmallows, and the table was crafted from hard sugar candy. A glittering chandelier made of candy hung from the ceiling, and a bookcase made of chocolate welcomed us. Colorful and dazzling candies and jellies of all kinds. Delicious cakes were hidden everywhere, and we couldn’t stop drooling at the sight. It was a dream that any child would have had at least once.

Back when candy was better than food.

Seeing Hansel and Gretel, wanting to go to a house made of candy. Wanting to eat our fill there.

Honestly, if I gave in to my desires, I would have opened my mouth wide and shoved the tasty candies in, but I couldn’t act so disgracefully, so I barely managed to suppress the urge. But the drool that kept flowing wouldn’t stop. Ariel, who was just like me, pressed close to me and whispered quietly.

[All the candies here are infused with magic. The weird thing is, it’s a magic that maximizes appetite.]

It figures, my stomach was about to riot with hunger. But unlike us, who were starving, Alice seemed completely unaffected by the candy house’s alluring charm. I could read her expressions a little better now, and I could roughly guess what she was thinking. Right now, Alice wants to smash the flowerpot made of chocolate cake.

“Alice, you can’t break that.”

“Oh my~ what is this? You read my mind? Our little one’s grown so much.”

Her face slightly flushed, Alice ruffled my hair roughly. Ugh, I feel this every time, but her strength is ridiculously powerful, it feels like she could crush my neck bones if she’s not careful.

After stopping the golden goose Alice, we took seats at a table made of chocolate. The pink-haired girl, who I assume made it from a part of the candy house, was bustling around the kitchen and presented us with appetizing dishes.

Huh? What’s this? I was expecting candy, but instead it’s soup and a roasted turkey?

The pink-haired girl noticed my expression and smiled softly.

“We’d love to serve you candy, but it’s not easy to rebuild. Instead, please enjoy some delicious soup and meat.”

“Hahaha, our Gretel, despite how she seems, is an amazing cook. Ah, come to think of it, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I’m Hansel, the older brother, and next to me is my younger sister, Gretel.”

Just as I thought. Hansel and Gretel. Well, it’s such a famous fairy tale, I figured we’d meet them eventually, but I never imagined them looking like this.

Hansel smiled cheerfully, tearing off pieces of the turkey and putting them on our plates.

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“Come on, eat up.”

Hansel and Gretel urged us to grab our spoons. I was starving, close to collapsing, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat right away. Remember, where are we? This world, which was supposed to be a fairy tale, is filled with cruel and strange stories. In such a world, can we really trust the plump Hansel and Gretel? Everything is so confusing. Considering there is no witch, they must have gotten rid of her and taken the house. And for some unknown reason, they’re not leaving the candy house.

Maybe the witch was a good person and these two are the bad guys.

So, I can’t let my guard down. Ugh, but the thunder and lightning rumbling in my stomach was making me dizzy with pain. Ariel seemed to be thinking the same thing, staring intently at the food with a fierce look. It looked like she was analyzing it, checking if there were any poison or spells.

“Mmm, munch munch! It’s delicious?”

But our Alice was oblivious to all of that. She was already chomping down on the roasted turkey, plate and all.