Roti and Jake never fully integrated with us, but neither did they try to force themselves into our group.
Being a noble is a position where one inevitably becos keenly aware of social cues. What to ask, what not to ask, what to know, and what it’s better not to know… and, of course, what things to bring up that might make the person uncomfortable. This was sothing that Leo, the baron, Charlotte, the royalty, and even Alice, a princess like , all knew well.
They must have sothing to say, right? Given the situation, it seed everyone thought so.
Of course, I awkwardly inserted myself between the two of them.
“It’s been a long ti since we had fun like this. It really felt like returning to my childhood.”
“Childhood?”
Charlotte, sitting on the mat, asked when she heard .
“Yes, exactly. The tis when I didn’t know anything… When I wasn’t worried about politics or international affairs and just played around.”
…But, you’re only fifteen, aren’t you?
When I was fifteen, I spent my ti watching ani and saving my allowance to buy figures.
No, actually, when I think about it, that kind of lifestyle didn’t change as I grew older. I guess I never really graduated from that stage.
“The ti when you didn’t know anything…”
But it’s nonsense to think that the mindset of an ordinary person from my world would be the sa as soone who is destined to beco a ruler here.
Even Alice, sitting between and Charlotte, proves that. Alice… well, she never had a ti when she didn’t know anything, like Charlotte did.
I couldn’t even imagine the Emperor playing with children.
No, I couldn’t imagine the Emperor sitting leisurely, enjoying a hobby for that matter.
But then again, it makes sense. Even in matters of statecraft, the Emperor is soone who would think of maintaining power and climbing higher as a hobby in itself.
“Alice, didn’t you have a ti like that?”
“? I…”
Alice couldn’t quite answer Charlotte’s question.
A sharp personality, one who never had the luxury of playing around, having never even learned how to have fun.
That was Alice’s original character.
When Alice couldn’t answer, Charlotte’s gaze turned to . Her eyes, slightly lowered as she looked at , were filled with curiosity.
My relationship with Alice was good. In fact, it would be an understatent to say that we were close. I could easily imagine Alice throwing herself into danger to protect if needed.
Whether I wanted that or not, that was another story.
“…Sylvia always followed her father’s orders before she grew up. She probably lived a harsher life than I did, and she probably never had the luxury of just relaxing.”
“…”
Charlotte’s mouth opened slightly when she heard this.
“Ah, so…”
So what?
I wasn’t sure what Charlotte was thinking, but it was clear that whatever she was recalling must have made her feel pity for .
Did she notice how I finish every parfait, leaving no whipped cream behind?
The atmosphere beca awkward for a mont.
“This winter,”
After a while, Charlotte finally spoke up.
“This winter, I’ll make sure to invite you to Belvur. Forget all the worries that fill your head, and let’s just have fun, alright?”
“…Should we?”
Alice’s expression softened a little at Charlotte’s words.
…but, I knew that this invitation was ultimately one that would never happen.
In the original story, war broke out that very winter.
* * *
Before the sun fully set, we quickly changed clothes. Though the sun was blazing hot during the day, the temperature dropped significantly in the evening, making it easy to catch a cold if we stayed in our swimsuits after the sun went down.
Even if the original characters were ticulously designed with all kinds of hidden details, there are parts that can’t be shown.
You can set things like favorite and least favorite foods. You can set character asurents or even underwear sizes.
But you can’t make every little habit of a character, because, in the end, those things aren’t sothing you would necessarily reveal.
After all, given that the studio is known for its reused modeling and motions, it would be hard to add such subtle motions for each character, and if you were to add them, they would be more likely to beco pivotal story clues rather than re “quirks.”
That was sothing I noticed most after coming to this world.
Watching soone blow on hot at to cool it, or the way they hold a fork and knife, the movent of their hands while talking, or their gait.
Those small differences, which felt different from the original, made every character here feel alive.
No, they are alive.
They breathe, they laugh when they’re happy, they cry when they’re sad, and they shout when they’re angry. They don’t just recite preset lines; they speak their minds or show their feelings through actions depending on the situation.
That’s why I want to preserve all of this.
But at the sa ti, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was capable of doing it right.
“Sylvia.”
I turned my head when Alice called my na, and the sausage I was eating accidentally fell into my mouth.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
If she wanted an answer, maybe it would have been better if I didn’t shove a sausage into my mouth.
I chewed and swallowed the juicy, smoked sausage before answering.
“I was thinking about the things to co.”
“…”
Alice stared at silently for a mont.
“Do you know what’s going to happen?”
I didn’t answer right away.
When I didn’t respond, Alice sat next to and asked.
“Is what’s going to happen that terrible?”
Well...
I used to think I knew, but now, I’m not sure.
In the original, battles were just about swords and bullets and people falling over. But here, it’s different.
Bombs tear people apart, swords slice through flesh, and intestines spill out...
Of course, in the original, these were just things that were skipped over for various reasons.
But I’ve seen the battlefield. I’ve seen people fall from the shots I took, and I’ve seen people torn apart by grenades I threw.
If one of my friends were to die like that, would I be able to bear it?
“I’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“…”
When I said this, Alice continued to stare at quietly.
She kept gazing at with her blue eyes, before speaking.
“Don’t try to shoulder everything alone.”
Alice said softly.
“You have so many people around you.”
That’s true. There are many.
So many, in fact, that I don’t know how to protect all of them.
“…I understand.”
But I couldn’t say that to Alice, so I simply responded like this.
Alice’s gaze lingered on for a while after that.
* * *
Things went smoothly after that.
We completed a few more requests to et our quotas.
Even though all the first-year students were gathered, the atmosphere was still relatively relaxed. Most of the requests were for hunting wild animals, so there was no need to rush into them. Jake wasn’t thrilled about hunting, which is probably why we didn’t take on wild animal hunting ourselves.
More importantly, there was nothing particularly hidden about this. There were a few covert quests, but most of them were just to secure Marmaros, and there was only one quest that had a significant impact on the main story.
“Still, I’m glad we got to relax before leaving. Sotis… spending a vacation like this isn’t so bad.”
“You made a good decision.”
I answered.
“If you don’t take breaks and only work, people will break down.”
“…Are you the one to say that?”
I was the one relaxing, after all.
Of course, when I reverse ti, my physical fatigue returns, but I feel comforted by the fact that I can sleep more.
“Since today is the last day, we can just relax and leave tomorrow.”
“I was already planning on doing that, you know.”
Alice responded with a small retort.
Well, I still had one more thing to do.
* * *
One difference between this world and the ga is that I need permission to enter certain places.
In the ga, I could just walk into any house and talk to the people inside. It was “ga allowance,” but strangely enough, quests sotis proceeded like that.
That ans, in this world, to enter the Duke’s mansion again, I would need an invitation from the Duke. Even though I’m a princess, it’s impolite to invade soone’s personal space without an invitation.
But fortunately, I had the ability to sneak into that mansion.
“….”
Alright.
I’ve gotten better at this, sneaking in after getting caught five tis by the guards.
Now, let’s go do the important covert quest.
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