The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

“......”

“......”

“...Why are you both staring at me like that?”

I asked, spoon still in my mouth, as Claire stared at me like she was trying to drill a hole through my head, and Alice rested her chin in her hand, watching me with an oddly serious expression. The two of them—very unusually—glanced at each other and locked eyes.

Then they turned to face me again and said,

“That expression—you looked really familiar just now.”

Alice spoke for the both of them, as if she were their representative.

What kind of expression—? Well, I knew exactly what kind of face I’d made just now.

My expression always softens when I eat something sweet.

I don’t know if it was the same when I was a guy, but ever since I came to the Azernan Empire, my face would go slack with happiness whenever I ate sweet things.

I couldn’t say why. Maybe because sweets in that world had far less variety? Now that I thought about it, food drenched in sugar wasn’t exactly common over there.

And this kind of variety in flavors—especially ice cream like this—just didn’t exist over there at all.

“Of course you’ve never seen this expression before. I always rewound time whenever I made it.”

“...Really now.”

Alice looked at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You’re telling me you used your terrifying time-rewinding ability for something like that?”

“If ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) not for things like that, what would I use it for?”

I asked that question quite seriously.

Sure, you might think it’s a powerful ability that should be used only for important matters—but who gets to decide what’s important? The one who has the ability, of course.

And I had reasons to protect my image.

“Hm... I mean, I can understand your face relaxing a little when you eat something sweet, but...”

Claire looked hesitant, uncertain.

“It’s just a little strange, thinking that you used to make faces like that all the time.”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll try to manage my expressions better.”

“Huh? Oh—no! That’s not what I meant at all!”

Claire flailed in a panic at my response.

“I was just trying to say that I like it, that’s all. It’s nice seeing you so relaxed like this, sis.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Since we’ve settled in and are living more comfortably here, I think it’s okay for you to do the same.”

Alice added with a soft smile.

“......”

Hearing that, I fell silent for a moment, which made Claire look at me with slight concern.

“Why? Is something bothering you?”

“I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it worry...”

I paused for a second to gather my thoughts.

“I was just thinking about what might be happening back in the original world.”

Her words about living with peace of mind had triggered that thought. Of course, not that much time had passed since we came here—less than a month, really. ...Though, watching Claire and Alice settle in so quickly, it felt much longer.

“......”

Claire and Alice exchanged another glance.

“There’s not really anything we can do about it right now. It’s not like we don’t know how to go back—we just can’t, yet. So, I think... it’s okay to relax a little for now.”

Claire was the first to speak.

“You... you’ve never really let your guard down, even when you were living with us. But now that we’re back in the world you came from, don’t you think it’s okay to try the things you always wanted to do—while we have the time?”

“Yeah. I don’t think there’s any point in worrying too much. It’s not like we can fix anything right away. We might as well enjoy ourselves a bit—no one’s going to blame us for that. I mean, I am worried too, but... worrying won’t change anything.”

Alice shrugged.

...The things I wanted to do, huh.

I didn’t have the kind of money to live out every dream or desire. If I had, I would’ve bought that Claire figurine back then.

But that didn’t mean I had to give up on the things I could do. Now that I had a source of income—and I was earning just enough to live and have a little left over—I could use the money I’d been saving to do something fun with the three of us.

“......”

“Sis?”

“Sylvia?”

When I didn’t answer for a while, they both looked a little worried.

I checked the time. It hadn’t been long since we finished dinner.

Hmm...

It might be a little sudden to bring this up now, but since it crossed my mind, maybe I should just go for it.

“Claire. Alice.”

“Yeah?”

“What is it?”

“...How about a trip?”

“A trip? When?”

Alice asked.

“Right after we finish this.”

“...Huh?”

Yeah, that’s the reaction I expected.

*

But I was completely serious.

Today and tomorrow were our break days.

And our streams usually didn’t start until around 7 PM.

That meant if we left right now, we could fully enjoy the next day without any worries.

“Are you really serious about going?”

“I’m already checking for places to stay.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I set the empty ice cream container aside, pulled out my phone, and started seriously considering where to go.

Naturally, the one who took this most seriously was Alice.

Claire, who always trusted me 100%, had been giddy from the moment I mentioned a trip.

“Can we really go?”

“Of course. As long as we book a room, we can go anytime.”

Despite how I might look, I actually had a driver’s license. Unfortunately, though, it looked like I hadn’t been granted a valid one in this world. I couldn’t find it no matter how hard I searched through the drawers.

It would’ve been nice if they’d at least replicated the things I actually used. But I guess whoever was responsible had no reason to care.

I found that out a few days ago. I was digging through my desk drawers on a whim, and there it was. Luckily, it wasn’t expired.

“And it’s not like we’re going far. Worst case, we could just spend the day in the city.”

Since I wouldn’t be using a car, I could just use that money on a nice hotel. If we were going to do this, we might as well do it right—go full staycation mode and explore parts of Seoul we’d never been to before.

I figured the two of them would enjoy it. They’d come all this way—might as well explore a little.

“...Sure, the pace is different, but accessibility is a whole other thing. There’s no restriction on where you can go.”

Alice muttered to herself while I continued thinking it over seriously—

“Well then, let’s start with somewhere nearby.”

I said, tapping the reservation button on a hotel.

Now that I thought about it, the idea that “a trip has to be far away” was just my definition. For me, this city was where I’d lived all my life, but for these two, this whole experience was a foreign trip.

Our current apartment was a budget place I’d picked to save money. The hotel I just booked was the real deal—a place for an actual getaway.

I didn’t know how long we’d get to stay here.

But maybe that made it even more important. Who knew when we’d get sent back?

So I wanted to give these two as many memories as I could from the world I lived in.

“Really? You mean it?”

Claire asked, eyes sparkling, and I gave a crooked smile.

Should I say her behavior matches her age—or that it makes her seem even younger?

“If we leave now, it’ll take about thirty minutes to get there. Should we head out?”

“Let’s go!”

She was way too excited.

...But then again, if you’re going somewhere new and don’t have to worry about a single thing—yeah, that’s a pretty good reason to feel happy.

*

“It didn’t feel like this when we stayed at that hotel in Lindburrow.”

“...To be fair, Lindburrow’s hotel was probably better than this one.”

Sure, this world’s manufacturing tech was way more advanced, so things could be produced cheaper and at better quality—but still, this wasn’t a place you’d compare to a luxurious hotel.

The height might be similar, but—

“I mean the view outside the window.”

Alice clarified, pointing out the window, and when I looked, I got what she meant.

Out there was a sea of endless light.

The capital was big, and Lindburrow was fairly developed too. But even so, it wasn’t as bright as a modern metropolis.

Even Seoul quieted down between midnight and dawn, but it never really slept. There were cafés open all night, convenience stores everywhere, karaoke rooms, PC rooms...

“......”

Claire, who’d been wide-eyed with excitement since check-in and through the elevator ride, had suddenly gone quiet. When I turned to look, she was standing beside me, her face pressed against the window.

She was clearly enchanted by the view outside.

“...I’m glad we came. Don’t you think?”

“...Yeah.”

Alice replied with a wry smile.