The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Well, what could I do?

Here was someone who had done nothing wrong, yet was apologizing to me. The least I could do was ease some of her guilt. Otherwise, things would be unbearably awkward every time we met in the future.

And, to be honest, I already knew exactly what Lena was hiding. I had investigated it before.

If she had been a character I was familiar with from the start, I wouldn’t have bothered looking into her unless she posed a direct threat to my life. But Lena was someone I had never seen in the original story, so I had been cautious.

Lena’s secret?

She was a fan of Digger the Dog.

“......”

“......”

But Lena had no idea that I knew.

In fact, she probably never even considered the possibility. How many people in the world would expect that the person they admired had gone out of their way to dig into their private life?

Even though Lena was usually open about everything, she had been careful to keep this particular interest hidden.

Honestly, I didn’t understand why she was so secretive about it.

Subculture in this world was still in its infancy. Movies had only recently emerged and weren’t even considered a proper art form yet. The techniques that would eventually be recognized as "cinematic" were only just being studied. At this point, films were still mostly short slapstick reels. And animation? Even more primitive.

If anything, the field was so underdeveloped that the concept of "otaku" didn’t even exist yet.

So really, there was no need for her to be so embarrassed about it.

Lena hesitated in front of her door for a long time, stealing a glance at me before finally gathering her resolve and opening it.

As I followed her inside, I was greeted by a dorm room that didn’t look all that different from mine.

Well, it was a dormitory. No matter how much one tried to personalize it, there were limits. Four years wasn’t exactly a short time, but in the end, everyone would have to leave once they graduated.

With that in mind, Lena had decorated her space as much as she could.

Most noble estates kept libraries separate from personal rooms, meaning bookshelves were usually found in studies rather than bedrooms. If a noble wanted to read or work, they did so in the study—it was common sense.

But since the academy couldn’t provide a personal study for every noble student, the dorms were furnished with sizable bookshelves instead.

And on one of Lena’s shelves—an entire section, in fact—was filled with stuffed toys.

I had noticed them before when observing from outside, but now that I was seeing them up close, I realized there was more variety than I expected. Some of them resembled the mascots from my previous world, dressed in different national costumes. Others seemed to be alternate versions of the same character, with different gender presentations.

“Digger the Dog, huh.”

I deliberately acted like I was making an offhand remark.

Of course, I already knew. I had done some research when I considered adopting the character as part of my persona.

It was a fairly cute dog character, but honestly, I thought the name was terrible. Sure, it was common in the West to name dogs after things they did, but naming one Digger just because it liked digging? What kind of lazy naming sense was that?

Still, I wasn’t dumb enough to say something like that in front of a devoted fan.

“You know about it?”

Lena looked a little surprised, and for a moment, I felt a twinge of guilt.

But I played it off.

“There aren’t many popular ‘characters’ like this. And it is cute.”

“......!”

Something about my words must have struck a chord with her.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Thinking about it, she had just revealed a hobby she had been hiding all this time. And it wasn’t even by choice—I had practically coerced her into it.

Not that it was even something she needed to feel guilty about in the first place.

But the fact that she had hidden it meant she considered it embarrassing. Even in my old world, there were people who looked down on adults buying figurines or playing games. In this world? If her family had a military background, she had probably heard something along the lines of, “Why is a grown woman playing with dolls?”

“May I hold one?”

From what I knew as a former otaku, these kinds of collectible toys could be absurdly expensive. Even teddy bears, if they were from famous brands, could sell for millions.

And the reason those teddy bears were so expensive was because they were handcrafted. Over time, they gained additional value as vintage collectibles.

So it was entirely possible that these Digger the Dog plush toys followed the same pattern.

“Yes, you may.”

Hearing Lena’s permission, I picked up one of the stuffed animals. It was the most basic version, without any accessories or outfits.

I squeezed it lightly—it was quite soft. But it was also heavier than expected. Maybe it had more stuffing inside than it looked.

“When did you start liking this character?”

It felt a little awkward just standing there holding the plush, so I asked how she had started collecting them.

“The first one was a gift from my father.”

“...”

Oh.

I had just meant it as a casual question—How did you get into this hobby?—but somehow, it had opened the door to what sounded like a deeply personal and possibly heavy backstory.

And sure enough, Lena’s story turned out to be heavier than I had anticipated.

“My father’s job often kept him away from home. Even when he sent word that he would return, there were times when he couldn’t make it back. My mother and I would stay up late, waiting for him, only to fall asleep before he arrived.”

“...”

“I thought it was fine. After all, it was for the sake of protecting the country. But my father must have felt differently. Perhaps he was troubled by the fact that he would come home late, see me asleep, and leave again without ever having a real conversation. One day, he left a stuffed animal by my pillow before he left. That was—"

Her gaze shifted toward the plush toy in my hands.

...This was way more sentimental than I expected.

I froze, still holding the stuffed animal, unsure what to do. If I abruptly put it back, it might seem like I was rejecting it. But if I kept holding it, my heart felt like it was about to burst.

This wasn’t just an expensive toy. It was something far more important.

“My father was never good at expressing his emotions... There was no letter or message, but I was certain that the toy had come from him. Unlike me, my mother had been awake when he returned, and she had seen him place it there. That’s why she suggested that I write him a letter.”

“...I see.”

I had assumed that her father—who had sent her here to monitor me—was no different from the Emperor, a man with no warmth. But if he had gone out of his way to send his daughter to safety in the middle of a war, if he had left toys by her bedside...

Then he was far more of a family man than I had expected.

“I wrote to my father. I wasn’t very good at writing, so it was just a simple letter of gratitude... but apparently, he enjoyed receiving them.”

Lena had spoken with her usual composed expression, but as she continued, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) I could see a hint of embarrassment creeping in.

Well, exchanging letters with your father wasn’t exactly a common topic of conversation. It was the kind of heartwarming story that made you feel a little ticklish inside.

“After that, my father would occasionally send me stuffed animals. And ever since then... I’ve slept with one in my arms every night.”

“...”

“I know it’s not exactly age-appropriate, but... it’s already a habit. I can’t easily let it go...”

Oh no.

I had assumed Lena just had a simple love for stuffed animals. That’s why I had jokingly suggested we share an embarrassing secret.

But this was way more meaningful than I had expected.

“He sounds like a good father.”

That was the best response I could come up with after searching my brain for something appropriate to say.

Lena’s face was already flushed red, her gaze lowered to the floor.

Sweat trickled down my back. Thankfully, I had my coat draped over my shoulders. Otherwise, the damp patches would have been visible through my shirt and uniform jacket.

“...”

I stayed silent for a long time before finally blurting out,

“...I like sweets.”

Yes. That would do.

At the very least, I had to share something equally personal.

If Lena started feeling awkward every time she saw me from now on, that would be a problem.