The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

It’s now been two weeks since the two of them, and I, came to this world.

For me, there was no need for an adjustment period since I didn’t really have to readapt to this world—but things were a bit different for Claire and Alice. It wasn’t just like traveling abroad—they had come to an entirely different world.

A world where even the basic laws of nature were different.

In this world, there’s no such thing as magic. Even if I were to bring over knowledge of how to use magic from the other world, it simply wouldn’t work here. Probably for the same reason, Claire and Alice can’t unleash aura with their swords or anything like that here, either. That said, their physical strength seems to be about the same as it was in the other world.

But if you compare the complexity of both worlds, this one is far more complex. In the other world, things could be handled with magic, but here, people develop technology to replicate those effects, creating countless materials and blueprints to make it all work.

When you grow up familiar with electronics, it’s easier to adjust to new devices later on. But people who lived far removed from such machines in their youth have a much harder time getting used to them. That’s just how it is—especially with how much more advanced and multifunctional today’s devices are.

So I thought it would take them much longer to get used to this world—

“Ahaha! Sis, why are you so slow!? Come on, try running a little faster!”

Claire, who hadn’t even been learning how to ride a bike for a full week yet, was already riding faster and far more steadily than I could keep up with.

“Look at this—there was a feature like this? Did you know about it?”

And Alice, who had just learned how to read, was now fiddling with my smartphone and showing me features I didn’t even know it had.

...These two are adapting to this world way too fast.

Even taking off their shoes when entering the house has become completely natural for them. If I just kicked mine off carelessly, they’d come in right behind me and tidy them up without a word.

Watching Claire lying on her side next to the 32-inch monitor I’d bought for ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) my old apartment instead of a TV, picking chips out of a snack bag while streaming videos—who would believe she’s a hidden princess from another world? No matter how you look at her, she just seems like an average Korean high school or college girl with at least 90 percent local blood.

Well, Claire was only awkward in the beginning. Thinking back, her personality hasn’t actually changed all that much. Even I think she’d live exactly like this in a house with floor seating. Without the Grace baron couple around to keep her in check, it's no surprise she’s rolling around like she’s totally unleashed.

The problem is... even Alice is starting to loosen up.

“...What are you staring at?”

Alice asked, sitting with her legs stretched out and hugging a pillow on the couch as she watched the video over Claire’s shoulder.

“...Nothing. I just thought you must have been holding yourself back for a long time.”

“...”

At my words, Alice opened her mouth briefly, then closed it again.

Then, perhaps realizing just how much more relaxed she’d become, she straightened up and sat upright.

Even then, all she looked like was a college girl living alone who had suddenly decided to sit up properly. If only there weren’t those ketchup stains on her T-shirt—then she might have looked just a tiny bit dignified.

......

Well, not that I hate it.

No, if anything, I hope the two of them can stay like this even after we return to the other world. Maybe it’s impossible to always live like this—but when you’re alone, it’s okay to let yourself unwind. Or at least when someone like me is around.

“Sis, what’s wrong?”

Maybe noticing the way I was staring a hole into the back of her head, Claire turned around and looked at me.

And when I saw that innocent face of hers, it made me feel even more relaxed, as if all the tension I’d been carrying had melted away.

Now that I think about it, I never really liked this apartment. No elevator, the building’s old. Not quite unlivable, but often when I came home alone to this gloomy place after work, I felt incredibly lonely.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even when I wanted to meet up with friends, they all lived too far away, so I couldn’t.

I always thought, “I want to save up money and move somewhere else as soon as possible,” or “I want to go back and live in the neighborhood I grew up in.” I think I had those thoughts literally every single day.

But now... it’s a little different.

If the two of them are here, I feel like I can live here a bit longer. Sure, in the end I still want to go back to where we used to live—but it’s way more bearable than being here alone.

“...It’s nothing. I’m just happy that you’re both here.”

“...”

At my words, Claire looked at me quietly for a moment, then slowly got up and sat upright.

Then she gently moved, pressed a key on the keyboard to pause the video, and suddenly knelt down in front of me.

“Sis, did we do something wrong?”

“...No, it’s not that.”

“Then did you eat something weird?”

Alice, watching from the side, asked with a serious expression. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“...”

I mean—can’t you just take it at face value when someone says something heartfelt?

I seriously thought for a while about what kind of answer would convince these two to just believe me without asking more questions.

*

“I want to play the prequel too.”

Claire said that not long after.

When I went to that other world, learning the written language hadn’t been all that hard for me. I thought it was because the characters looked somewhat similar to the alphabet I already knew, and because I kept turning back time to study more. But maybe it was something like a power I gained from returning to that world in the first place.

Claire and Alice picked up the written language at an astonishing rate. Sure, they’re both smart, but even so, they're technically foreigners—and Hangul must have looked practically like alien symbols to them.

It wasn’t just me who found it strange—both of them thought it was weird too. Maybe it really was one of the goddess’s little tricks.

At least, this was one of the useful ones.

“Is that so?”

Alice tilted her head at my lukewarm reaction.

“Why? You freaked out when we first picked up that game bundle.”

“I’ve already been caught with the figurines. I have nothing left to be ashamed of.”

The truth is, what’s actually embarrassing is the latest release we play on stream.

Because I’m in it. As a romance option.

But in the prequel, there’s no such thing as a character named Sylvia Fangryphon.

From what I found online, Sylvia Fangryphon seems to have a lot of haters. At least, no one in our stream thought I was really Sylvia Fangryphon, so no one directed that hate at me. And maybe they were afraid I’d misunderstand and ban them or something, so even the chat stayed quiet. But on the gallery where I used to post, there were still signs of heated debates splitting people into opposing camps.

Well, I get it. In the new game, she just suddenly shows up without any foreshadowing, rewinds time, and erases all the progress the players had made in the prequel’s story. No wonder people are pissed.

I avoided most of the posts to steer clear of spoilers, but apparently, the story in the second half becomes decently acceptable—so I figured I should try it for myself.

Honestly, if I hadn’t actually met the heroine and protagonist in person, I probably would’ve blown a fuse over the story too.

“But are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Hm?”

Claire tilted her head at my question.

“In that game, your pasts... are portrayed in a very dark way. Sylvia Fangryphon isn’t in the prequels, after all.”

“Ah.”

Claire nodded as if something clicked. She must have at least a vague idea of what might have become of her without me. She probably expected it.

“It’s fine. It’s not like I actually went through it.”

“Well, how bad could it really be?” Alice added from the side, and I just shrugged.

If that’s how they feel, then fine.

I did warn them, though.

*

“......”

“Kh... khk.”

Claire stared at the screen, mouth hanging open, watching the in-game version of herself.

And next to her was Alice, face flushed red from trying not to burst into laughter.

[Ahahahaha!]

On the screen was Claire—wearing an extremely revealing outfit and swinging a dress sword like a whip.

Well... I mean, Bella used to go around like that too.

But to be honest, compared to Bella—who at least had a bit of seriousness to her—Claire’s portrayal felt overly flippant and shallow.

So, yeah. I definitely warned them.

Seeing this side of her was entirely Claire’s own fault.