Bang!
“!”
Seeing the door open, a question mark appeared over Charlotte’s head.
“Um, excuse me, is the order done yet?”
It was a bit funny seeing Mia peeking in cautiously through the slightly open door, even though it was her own room.
“No, we’re still deciding on the menu with Charlotte.”
“Y-Yeah! We were just debating what to eat.”
Honestly, we were talking about something completely different, but since Charlotte had just said not to mention it, I decided to bring up another topic for now.
“That’s a relief.”
Mia let out a sigh of relief and stepped inside.
“Shall I change the menu to something else?”
“No, not really, but I have something extra I want to add…”
Mia opted to double up on the ingredients. It was going to be quite thick—would she even be able to chew it?
Well, considering Mia always managed to finish whatever food was in front of her, there was no need to worry.
With a refreshed expression, Mia stepped back a bit.
“Shall I add something else? I could add another cookie separately if you’d like.”
“No, that’s not necessary… Huh?”
Mia, who had been smiling, suddenly turned her gaze to my bed.
On the bed lay the magical girl outfit that Charlotte had tossed aside while following me out.
In an instant, Charlotte’s face froze. It was as if she had literally turned to ice.
“…Huh?”
Mia, going back to pick up the outfit, tilted her head. She was puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, I’m pretty sure this outfit was hanging in front of the wardrobe…”
Certainly, she must have seen it with her own eyes. If it had been tucked away in the wardrobe, Charlotte wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of taking it out to wear.
“Do you usually hang it in front of the wardrobe?”
“Um, yes. It’s a bit embarrassing to wear all the time, but staring at it makes me happy.”
So it seems it gives off a poster-like vibe. I could understand that. Sometimes people hang clothes with anime characters on them outside the wardrobe or on the wall. It makes sense; if it’s something you can never wear, it would feel wasteful to tuck it away inside.
“Did I misinterpret things?”
“Th-That could be possible, right?”
Charlotte spoke quickly.
“You often hold it in your hands and try it on, don’t you?”
“I suppose that makes sense? There’s no reason for Charlotte to go and handle this.”
As she said that, Mia hung the outfit back up in the wardrobe and went outside.
“I’ll call you when the delivery arrives.”
“Thank you!”
As I watched Mia leave, I quietly closed the door again.
“Be grateful that Mia trusts you. Her memory is quite good. To be honest, this is almost like being ‘fooled.’”
Mia is smart. It’s not just that she studies well; she once concocted a plan to assassinate me. After she relaxed, she seemed to live comfortably, but still, she could instantly recall where her things were if she put her mind to it.
There was simply no need for her to do that here.
“…I know.”
“Since it’s come to this, why not just say it comfortably?”
“No way.”
“Why not?”
“Because I must maintain my dignity as a princess. Besides, everyone here is royalty and nobility from other nations, right?”
“Didn’t you say you consider me just a friend?”
“…”
“And by that logic, I’ve danced shaking my butt in front of hundreds of people.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, Charlotte finally spoke.
“Th-That still doesn’t work.”
She said it as if forcing the words out.
So in the end, it’s just pride.
Until now, I thought she was the most mature among us, but perhaps that’s not the case.
Shrugging, I showed my smartphone to Charlotte.
“So, what will the menu be?”
“…”
Seeing me ask so calmly, Charlotte seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
*
The reason I could remain so unshaken after witnessing Charlotte’s antics was that I felt a sense of camaraderie in a way.
Where else would I find the motivation to speak politely to kids over ten years younger than me?
Exactly.
It comes from my concept.
The reason I wore a coat on my shoulders unless it was extremely hot, and didn’t bother to take off the winter fur unless it was actually a frigid place, was all to maintain a cool concept.
Now that I’ve lost the powerful ability to manipulate time, which was the most crucial part of maintaining that concept, I had let go of it, but for quite a while, I managed to uphold the concept of a cool, emotionless, sniper girl.
Charlotte’s dignified princess cosplay was something I could definitely understand and overlook.
“Then what about princesses from manga?”
However.
“Manga princesses?”
“Yes. Especially those from American media. Do you think those princesses have dignity as princesses?”
Wouldn’t it be a waste if I didn’t tease her about this?
It was a slightly forced question to connect to the movie chatter we were just having, but judging by everyone’s reactions, my question seemed to be interesting in its own right.
Alice, who had lived her life as a princess, and Claire, who held a princess-like position in the illusion created by the goddess, both fell into deep thought with serious expressions.
Mia, too, seemed intrigued.
Although not as much as in this world, in Azernar, the positions of princess and noble were still somewhat esteemed. There were still quite a few fairy tales related to those titles. It’s not easy to imagine the honest feelings one might experience in such positions unless you’re truly from royal blood or very high nobility.
Typically, people just have idolized fantasies about those lofty figures.
Mia’s love for magical girls is likely a remnant of her childhood innocence. At the same time, since she’s a noble who has been involved with a princess, she wouldn’t idolize a real princess, but if it was an American manga-style princess, that would be different.
“Dignity? Hmm, I’m not so sure.”
That was Alice’s answer.
“I think they might have some capable aspects, but it’s hard to consider them as dignified. They usually come off as a bit childish, don’t you think?”
Alice tilted her head as she spoke.
“Well, since the target audience is children, they probably adjusted the tone to suit them.”
A few stories floated to mind that I could tease Alice about, but I held my tongue, figuring she might genuinely get upset if I pointed them out.
“Still, they’re cool. Honestly, I can understand why they’re popular here. The content may seem fairy-tale-like, but if you’re looking to capture the feel of a classic tale, you must consider that level, don’t you think?”
Claire said while nodding.
“What do you think about adult women liking them?”
“It shouldn’t matter, right? If we start nitpicking those, we won’t be able to enjoy the games we play. Moreover, the people making them are all adults too.”
Alice coolly replied.
Well, otherwise, they wouldn’t be collecting figures and all, would they? Especially not female figures.
Though, I think Alice still views it as something akin to a bust of royal garments, even now.
“I like magical girls.”
Since magical girls were originally created to target young girls. Manga often needs a certain level of childish exaggeration to be fun. That’s why it resonates with the public. If a parent went to see a show with their child and fell asleep right next to them, how heartbroken would the kids be? So it must be made in a way that appeals to adults as well.
And therefore, there’s no need to be embarrassed about enjoying it.
Listening to the three of them talk, I nodded and glanced over at Charlotte.
Charlotte was desperately avoiding eye contact while eagerly chewing on her sandwich.
Suppressing a laugh, I focused back on my own sandwich.
*
“A manga event?”
At my suggestion, Claire’s eyes sparkled.
Mia also brightened up at the idea.
What I had displayed on my smartphone was a subculture event that regularly takes place in Seoul or its nearby areas. Usually, people sell fan comics, novels, and fancy products there. They enjoy the festival itself while buying and selling these things, or—
“Cosplay.”
Mia nodded as she read what it said.
“Do you know about that? The event staff tend to be a bit picky, so it’s not uncommon for them to lump too flashy outfits together and demand a cosplay entry fee out of the blue. Since we could blend in with the character directly, I was thinking it’d be better to just pay in advance and cosplay ourselves.”
“Oh.”
Claire’s eyes glinted.
Alice let out a laugh that seemed incredulous, while Charlotte looked at me with a hint of confusion.
“If we all wear them together, it wouldn’t be embarrassing, right?”
I suggested while watching Charlotte.
Since we’ve come this far, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to have some memories to take home.
Well, if they didn’t want to do it, that was okay too.
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