The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Charlotte didn’t react right away that day.

Which was only natural—everyone was together at the dinner table.

In fact, not just at meals—we were almost always together. There were times when we were alone in our rooms, but for the most part, we shared the living room as our common space.

How could she bring something like that up when we were all lounging under blankets, watching TV together?

Charlotte hadn’t let on at all that she was thinking about me. Every one of us here was sharp—we would’ve noticed if she so much as glanced my way a few too many times.

So, it was the next day when Charlotte finally brought it up to me.

“Charlotte, between black bean noodles and spicy seafood—”

“Can we talk for a minute?”

I’d opened the door to ask about lunch before ordering from the Chinese restaurant, but instead I was promptly pulled into the room by Charlotte.

It was like one of those scenes where a kid gets dragged away by a monster in a closet. Except I was the one being dragged.

Click.

The door closed.

“...You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“You mean choosing Chinese food for lunch? If you don’t want it, I can suggest something else.”

“...”

Charlotte gave me a slight glare, and I quickly decided that joking further would be a bad idea.

“Yes, I did it on purpose.”

I admitted it straightforwardly.

“Why? Was it to tease me after all?”

Of course I wanted to tease her. When someone’s got a persona going, peeling that off is half the fun.

Just like when mine got peeled off.

...Not that I’m doing this out of revenge or anything.

“I didn’t do it to tease you.”

Of course, I couldn’t actually say that aloud. Charlotte was already narrowing her eyes at me.

“I just thought... maybe you could relax while you’re here.”

Charlotte opened her mouth, but I raised a hand gently and continued.

“Of course, I understand that you want to maintain appearances in front of the other foreign royals and nobles here.”

It was easy to forget since we’d known each other since the academy, but Charlotte was still a foreigner. The rest of us were from the same country—she wasn’t.

No matter how friendly we acted, that subtle sense of distance could still remain. Even something like choosing food might not suit her tastes. Not that she had ever really shown that kind of discomfort.

But still, wanting to maintain at least a minimal mask in front of us probably had something to do with that internal barrier.

She once shyly told me she considered me a friend, back in the other world—but still, no one can be completely honest with everyone.

...I was still a bit bitter about her seeing my dark, cringey internet past, but I decided not to bring that up.

“So, you can be honest. Just... ‘not in front of the others.’”

“Not in front of the others?”

Good. She was starting to soften.

“You want to wear the princess outfit, don’t you?”

“I—”

Charlotte’s face flushed red and she started to respond—but—

Click.

The door creaked open just a little, and we both went silent, turning toward it at the same time.

Through the small gap, Mia’s face peeked in.

“Um... were you having an important conversation?”

“Not at all. Charlotte was just picking out her lunch menu. Would you like to add anything?”

“Oh, then... could I make my black bean noodles a large?”

Sliding the door open a bit more and stepping in, Mia smiled brightly as she asked.

“Of course.”

I smiled back and adjusted the order on my phone to show her.

“Thanks!”

Mia left the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

“...”

“...”

We listened quietly as her footsteps grew more distant.

“I wasn’t going to wear it!”

Charlotte spoke up first.

“But you were definitely holding the magical girl costume against your body, weren’t you?”

“I-I wasn’t going to put it on!”

Her voice was practically a whisper-scream. She kept it low enough that it wouldn’t carry outside the room.

“Do you know which event I was talking about?”

“I looked it up last night.”

Charlotte frowned slightly and pulled out her phone, holding it up to me.

The screen was full of photos: people in colorful wigs and full character costumes posing at the event, long lines of attendees waiting outside the venue.

“W-Wearing something like that in front of so many people...!”

“That’s a strange thing to say.”

I replied, this time a bit more seriously.

“Are you implying the people in these pictures are wearing weird outfits?”

“No, but still...!”

“And we’ve already streamed ourselves wearing similar costumes before.”

“But no one could see our faces then...!”

“Also, I wore that outfit and did a truly embarrassing dance. I didn’t know you looked at me that way. As a friend, I’m honestly heartbroken.”

“...”

Charlotte’s eyes narrowed again.

Wait—

“...You probably shouldn’t have said that last part about being heartbroken. It made your whole act less convincing.”

Now that was the judgment of someone raised in a political household—a true princess.

Dropping the sad expression, I said:

“Anyway, that event would be one of the best places to cosplay without worry.”

“...You don’t even bother to make excuses, huh? How shameless.”

“You really do want to wear the princess dress, don’t you?”

Ignoring her jab, I asked again. Charlotte closed her mouth and seemed to fall into thought.

“Let me say this again: everyone here is on your side. If we go to that event, we’ll all be in costume. No one will know you admire those characters. And even if they did find out, no one’s going to blab about it in the other world.”

“...I know.”

“Then why not just enjoy yourself while you’re here? For someone raised in a strict household, this is a rare chance. Just look at Alice.”

I could practically see Charlotte recalling Alice and her... peculiar hobbies. Her face loosened slightly—like she was having a moment of quiet reflection.

“And also—”

“And also?”

“You still haven’t picked your lunch.”

I held my phone out again, and Charlotte finally let out a soft laugh.

*

No matter how much pride Charlotte had, she clearly understood that being the only one to refuse would kill the mood. In fact, because she’d grown up watching others so carefully, she probably sensed it even more.

Just like I predicted, Charlotte eventually gave in—reluctantly choosing a costume.

And the costume she chose was from one of those incredibly famous animated films.

A princess with a blue dress, holding a magic wand and casting spells.

“Oh!”

Claire’s eyes sparkled when she saw /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Charlotte in the outfit.

“Did you choose that princess on purpose?”

Claire was always the one who got most excited during our movie nights, so she knew exactly which character Charlotte had dressed as.

The character had silver hair—just like Charlotte’s.

“O-Of course.”

Charlotte told Claire.

“Since her hair color matches mine, I figured if I was going to dress up, it’d be best to choose someone who looks like me.”

She offered a very logical excuse.

“Makes sense. You look amazing.”

Claire said, and Alice and Mia both nodded vigorously.

“If you learned English, you could probably star in the live-action version.”

“I-It’s not that good.”

Personally, I thought she fit the role perfectly. She was a real princess, after all.

Of course, any film shoot would take months, and since we’d eventually have to go back to the other world, it wasn’t really an option.

But she didn’t seem like she actually wanted to star in anything anyway, so it didn’t matter.

“I’m glad it suits me. I’ll go change now. I can’t wear this all day, obviously.”

Charlotte said, heading back into her room.

“I’m glad she enjoyed it. Don’t you think so?”

“I do.”

I nodded at Claire’s words.

“She seemed really moved by that cartoon. Her expression was different from when we watch other movies.”

Listening to Claire speak so cheerfully, I almost burst out laughing.

She might not know as much as I do, but—

Charlotte, I think your secret’s already out.