The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

“Did that really happen?”

“...Yes.”

At my response, Lena’s brows furrowed slightly. It didn’t seem like she was displeased—just processing my answer.

“It’s a strange feeling.”

“I imagine it would be.”

Lena didn’t ask me to elaborate further. She likely already knew the general outline of events and could piece together why this phenomenon was happening.

I couldn’t experience the same dissonance as others did. Because I remembered ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ everything—the moments I had turned back time included.

For me, it wasn’t as if new memories had suddenly appeared. From my perspective, things had always been this way. And even in that illusory world, I had retained my previous memories and intentionally manipulated the situation.

I had no way of knowing what it felt like to suddenly recall something that had been wiped from your mind—to completely forget, only to have those memories resurface as if they had been there all along. I could only guess that it must feel like waking up from a dream.

“......”

“......”

A short silence followed. I was probably the only one feeling uncomfortable. After all, Lena had never done anything embarrassing in front of me.

Now that I thought about it, Lena had always been straightforward in her actions, yet her image had never been tarnished. Even when her expressions changed, they had never seemed out of place or shocked those around her.

Had I leaned too hard into my own character?

“...I’m sorry.”

Lost in thought, I was caught off guard when Lena suddenly apologized.

I stared at her, unsure why she would say that, and she carefully continued speaking.

“If it was something so embarrassing that you had to turn back time... then pretending not to know is the right thing to do.”

Oh.

Well... she wasn’t wrong.

If it were close friends, they might bring up embarrassing moments just to tease me. Unless it was something truly out of bounds—like a personal trauma—then silly mistakes, drunken mishaps, or thoughtless blunders usually made for good conversation material.

And by that logic, most of my mistakes were, in fact, just that—good material for teasing.

“You rewound time countless times, even while fighting brutal battles, just to make sure we wouldn’t have to worry.”

“......”

Or... maybe not? Was it not just teasing material?

From my perspective, rewinding time erased the dangerous situation entirely. Keeping up appearances aside, it was simply the best way to ensure future battles went smoothly.

Of course, I had cared about how it looked. I had wanted to maintain my image of being flawless. And that meant even my combat techniques had to be polished and efficient.

“Thanks to you, we’re alive today.”

“......”

I didn’t respond.

No—I couldn’t respond.

Because hearing those words made my throat tighten.

I wasn’t someone who got overly emotional. But that didn’t mean I was some emotionless psychopath incapable of feeling moved. I could still tear up at a sad movie, after all.

Granted, I had outright broken down sobbing recently—but that was different. That had been about family. That was cheating. I wasn’t going to count that against myself.

You can’t fight against your instincts.

Maybe the reason I wasn’t crying now was simply because I had already cried all my tears back then.

“...I was only doing what I wanted to do.”

“But because of those actions, everything ended the way it should have. You were the one who stopped that war.”

Where was she getting such certainty?

I mean, she wasn’t wrong. I had been the one to stop it.

It wasn’t something I could exactly brag about to others.

...But if I was being completely honest, I did feel a bit proud.

“......”

“......”

And so, after exchanging those awkward words, we fell into silence once again.

I wasn’t used to being thanked.

I wasn’t great at expressing gratitude either, but it wasn’t as if I had heard people say “thank you” to me very often throughout my life. Sure, I had exchanged casual thank-yous in daily life, but those weren’t particularly meaningful. They were no different from the routine “good morning” greetings people exchanged out of habit.

You know, like when you hastily point out a friend’s mistake, or when you hold a seat for someone who’s running late. It’s not that the gratitude isn’t genuine, but it’s not deeply profound either.

But the gratitude Lena was offering now was different. It was a sincere, heartfelt appreciation.

It was the kind of gratitude that suited Lena.

And for some reason, that made me a little annoyed.

Unlike me—who had done my best yet still had my carefully constructed persona crumble—Lena had managed to maintain her character without faltering. Despite being someone whose demeanor overlapped with mine.

Sure, one could argue that it was just her natural personality, but if that were the case, wasn’t envying someone for being naturally good-looking or intelligent the same thing? Wasn’t it only natural to feel frustrated when you worked hard and failed, while someone else succeeded effortlessly?

So, I decided to be petty.

“In that case, I’d like you to share something with me as well.”

Lena, who had been sitting there with a remorseful expression, remained silent. I spoke with a tinge of mischief in my voice, though I didn’t make it obvious. I wasn’t stupid enough to let it show outright.

“If that is what you wish, I will share whatever I can.”

But hearing my words, Lena looked even more apologetic.

Did she think I was going to ask about the Autonomous Region?

From her perspective, that would have been a valid concern. After all, she saw me as someone who had manipulated the world itself, erasing an entire war. Someone who could ride griffons, battle countless enemies without faltering... If you only looked at the results, I must have seemed downright inhuman.

And if such a person asked for information about a country, it would be easy to assume that they planned to use it for some grand purpose.

Lena was sharp but also a bit too earnest at times, so it wouldn’t be strange if she thought that.

And if Lena thought that, then surely her father and the leaders of the Autonomous Region had thought the same when questioning her about me. Lena never hid her emotions, so it was likely obvious to them that she saw me in a favorable light.

Would they have allowed her to hand over any real intelligence?

...Well, maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe she was just a regular teenager. Given what happened with Sophia, it was possible that she really didn’t have any meaningful information.

But that wasn’t what I was asking about.

“I have already shown you all of my hidden sides.”

What a ridiculous statement. It wasn’t that I had willingly shown her—I had simply been caught. But looking at Lena now, she seemed like the type who would believe me if I told her it had all been intentional.

Being too pure would only lead to trouble in the long run. I wasn’t sure how much of a sheltered upbringing she had, but sometimes, a little taste of reality was necessary.

...Or at least, that’s what I thought, still caught up in my petty mood.

“In that case, shouldn’t you share a secret of your own with me as well?”

“A secret...?”

Lena tilted her head slightly.

“Yes. Is there nothing you’ve been hiding from me?”

“...”

Lena fell silent, clearly lost in thought. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Of course, she was hiding something.

She was the textbook “cool beauty” character. And as if she had been designed for it, she also had the perfect hidden side—a contrast element, a “gap.”

It was a trait I had debated using myself but never managed to pull off. Lena, however, had done it effortlessly from the very beginning.

And as far as I knew, no one else had discovered it.

Except for me, back when I had been observing her.

...Ah, wait. Had Mia found out about this too?

Damn it, another piece of blackmail material I needed to keep in check. I would have to negotiate with Mia later—whether through persuasion or trade—to ensure this never reached Lena’s ears.

“...I do have something I’ve been hiding,” Lena finally admitted, after a long moment of contemplation.

“In that case, why don’t we share our secrets? The more we know about each other, the stronger our bond will be.”

...That sounded like something a shady middle-aged villain from a questionable adult comic would say.

Realizing how weird it sounded, the pettiness inside me shuddered slightly in embarrassment.

But by the time I caught myself, Lena was already nodding.

“Understood. There is something I can show you.”

Seeing her brace herself so seriously, the guilt buried beneath my pettiness began to stir.