Whether she was a character intended for the sequel or soone never ant to appear in the ga at all, one thing was clear: Lena yer’s presence posed a significant threat to .
The fact that she was a student specially admitted through a request from the governor to the Emperor was unsettling. The governor was rely a passing character in the ga, and I’d never t him directly, so I had no idea what his true personality was or how he might perceive . And as for the Emperor—well, even eting him in person rarely revealed his true intentions.
At least I had so insight into the Emperor’s mindset from the ga. I knew how he viewed the Empire and its citizens, how he treated the nobles, and what plans he had for the people. Due to my presence, he seed to be acting more passively than in the ga, but he was still soone to be wary of.
So, what exactly was Lena yer?
A bit stiff, with a military-like tone, but youthful and attractive in appearance.
…There’s no way anyone would see her as “just an extra.”
Granted, even if she had been a background extra, everyone here had unique appearances, from shop owners in villages to rchants in markets. But among all those people, there weren’t many who “stood out” like she did.
The fact that she was a year younger than us only added to it. Lena yer was the kind of character you could easily expect to appear in a sequel.
…It’s like they added a “cool beauty” character to the roster without even waiting.
I adjusted my binoculars to get a better look inside Lena yer’s room.
I was in the sa spot I’d used to observe Mia Crowfield before.
Of course, I hadn’t brought a gun. Lena was a bit suspicious, but not to the point of needing elimination.
Honestly, even if it ca down to it, killing soone younger than would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
For now, I’d decided to investigate Lena yer properly. Whether I needed to keep her at a distance could co later.
Peering through her window wasn’t likely to reveal anything groundbreaking, but—
—I found sothing surprising.
Inside Lena yer’s room, there was a large stuffed toy by her bedside.
This toy, almost as tall as a person’s torso, hadn’t been among the belongings she’d moved into her room.
She must have snuck it in sohow. If she’d tucked it away in a cabinet and brought it in one go, no one would have noticed.
The toy was easy to recognize. It was the very character I’d once thought of using for my own “persona”—*Digger the Dog.*
…Honestly, it’s not exactly a cute character.
The mascots from my world were designed for 21st-century tastes, with round, soft, squishy looks that made you want to hug them. Or they’d be a bit weird-looking, giving them an odd charm.
But here, chronologically, it’s like the early 20th century.
The character industry was only just beginning, and the “characters” from this era matched those early 20th-century tastes.
Digger the Dog had a long, thin body with extrely spindly limbs. Even in the cartoon, his arms and legs seed to move without joints, probably to make every movent look comical.
His face was based on a brown puppy, cutely deford, and his body was round enough to make for a good hug. Though, admittedly, his floppy arms would likely dangle everywhere.
And Lena yer was lying face-down, her face buried in the body of that toy.
She was probably napping.
I silently lowered my binoculars and ran my hands over my face.
…Was it all just an act with her, too?
It did feel that way. She didn’t quite seem like a cold beauty without any emotions; I’d been able to sense her feelings of anticipation or her admiration for through that blank expression over the past week.
That ant that, even if her stoic look was a facade, the way she respected was likely genuine.
I let out a silent scream and rolled around on the rooftop. Thankfully, I’d prepared three layers of ponchos, so my clothes stayed dust-free.
Having overlapping personalities wasn’t the problem. If Lena yer were a true cool beauty, I could have gradually adjusted my character to set myself apart. Or, if she’d kept that personality all along, it wouldn’t have been an issue for to stick with a cool beauty persona as well.
The problem was that Lena yer might reveal her real personality.
If Lena yer was supposed to be a “character from the original story,” showing her true self was inevitable.
Because it’s a cliché!
She’d laugh at a silly joke, lose her stoic facade over so sweet dessert, or get caught hugging a big stuffed toy if soone barged into her room.
She’d be mortified, coming up with flimsy excuses to maintain her character, but no one would believe her, and eventually, she’d break down into an “adorable character.”
Exactly.
That was the concept I’d co up with.
So what would happen if Lena yer “broke character” before I did?
…Obviously, all my own efforts to keep my act would be pointless.
Realizing this, I stopped rolling and shuddered on the spot.
A chill ran down my spine.
There’s a world of difference between “Oh, turns out they’re just a normal person, too,” and “Wait, you too?” The forr is a subculture character’s fate, a cliché; the latter is the cringe of a real-life otaku caught pretending to be normal.
Besides, the reaction is bound to be different between soone you’ve known for years and soone you’ve just t. If there were only one of us, the others might dismiss it. But if both of us were caught—
—there’d be no question about which one of us would be more embarrassed.
“This can’t happen.”
The words slipped out before I realized.
Lena yer couldn’t break character before .
If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve prepared a plush toy and a list of lines to say…!
I’d postponed it, not feeling ready to fully commit, and now this was the result.
If she’s a sequel character, she should have shown up in the sequel! Why did she have to intrude now?
Not that I had any proof she was a sequel character…
I quickly rolled over, grabbed my binoculars, and looked again.
“Huh?”
Lena yer had gotten up from the bed.
Not only that, but she’d moved to the door.
She stood with it slightly ajar, as if soone were outside.
A fresh wave of chills ran down my spine.
If soone walked into her room—
They’d see the large stuffed dog on her bed, along with the small ceramic figurines on her desk.
Lena yer would be forced to explain, marking the beginning of the trope where her cool exterior cracked.
I shot up from where I was crouched.
There was no ti to gather up my ponchos. This was more urgent.
I hurriedly ran down the stairs.
---
As of late, Sylvia Pengryphon had been acting suspiciously.
Then again, to Mia Crowfield, Sylvia Pengryphon had always seed suspicious.
Since their conversation in her room, Mia had stopped tailing her. There was little to gain from doing so.
Following soone capable of singlehandedly turning the tide of battle wouldn’t lead to any solutions.
Besides, she was soone who, in a private space, had the nerve to hand over a gun to a known adversary.
…The way she subtly showed trust in Mia’s abilities was unnerving.
She’d even gifted Mia a valuable blue marmaros stone, without which Mia might have been seriously injured or worse. The situation had been so dangerous that Charlotte, who’d initially insisted on taking the job, had personally apologized to Mia.
It made Mia think she could trust Sylvia, at least a little.
But recently, she’d noticed Sylvia Pengryphon looking at Lena yer in an unusual way.
Sylvia’s gaze was unreadable, lacking any obvious emotions, but Mia couldn’t shake the feeling that it carried a sense of “danger.”
That’s why, on the weekend after Lena yer’s first week, Mia found herself impulsively standing outside Lena’s room.
After a mont’s hesitation, she decided it was best to say sothing. She wouldn’t reveal everything, but at the very least, a word of warning seed necessary.
After all, Lena was a foreign student, clueless about the undercurrents here.
Taking a deep breath, Mia Crowfield knocked on Lena yer’s door.
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