I was pretty excited too.
When I was a guy, I hadn’t spent that much time in hotels.
Thinking back to trips I took with friends, during high school it was basically just school trips, and in college, we reserved a pension to all crash together on the floor.
Even after graduating, when I went out with friends, we just casually booked a nearby pension, so hotels weren’t really part of the picture.
A cozy atmosphere, with three proper beds, and outside the window, the city lights really were something.
…Sure, most of those city lights were probably made by people working, but anyway, we were having fun right now, so let’s not think about that.
“Delicious!”
After tearing open a bag of snacks I bought on the way to the hotel and placing it on the table, Claire said with a genuinely happy expression, grabbing one of each type to munch on.
Mia flashed through my mind for a split second. The only difference was, Mia would’ve stuffed her cheeks full of snacks. Claire was better behaved, only taking one at a time.
If I had to nitpick, the snacks tasted good, but the atmosphere was what made it exceptionally enjoyable.
Is it really this good?
“If this were game Claire, she’d be snarky while eating the snacks, wouldn’t she?”
When Alice remarked after seeing my expression while looking at Claire, Claire froze, still holding a snack.
“…And you’d be full of complaints while eating, right?”
Claire shot a glance at Alice before popping a twisted snack into her mouth.
It seemed like Alice had nothing to say to that.
…After all, the heroines in games are rarely perfect from the start. If they were, pursuing them wouldn’t be much fun at all. The best character dynamics are when they complement each other’s flaws.
“…”
“…”
As they munched on the crispy snacks, the two fell silent.
When I looked up, both of them were staring at me intently.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that it annoys me a bit how you seem so unconcerned.”
“I’m sure you have flaws too.”
Well, I’m a person too, so of course, I have flaws—ah, they’re still talking about the game, huh.
Claire and Alice’s flaws had already been glaringly obvious from the beginning of the game, both in their backgrounds and personalities.
On the other hand, my weaknesses hadn’t been revealed yet in the latest game we were playing. From what I’ve seen online, people were already complaining about Sylvia Fanggriffon being too perfect a character, so it seems I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
Well, characters like that usually have flaws that come out later on.
There’s no need to worry about flaws that haven’t shown up yet.
If I’m gonna get teased anyway, it’d be better to just accept it merrily and enjoy.
“Your expression is really annoying. It’s like you’ve reached some level of enlightenment.”
“You better be ready for all the teasing when your flaws come out too.”
…
It seemed like Claire was one thing, but Alice was increasingly sounding more serious.
Well, it’s more accurate to say she felt liberated than untamed, which is fine, I guess.
As I shamelessly munched on snacks without saying anything, the two narrowed their eyes at me.
*
“I feel kind of strange.”
“Strange? How so?”
Claire mumbled while lying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling, and Alice asked her.
“It’s only been a day, hasn’t it? It’s still not even midnight, and we’re not that far from home, but it feels oddly like we’re in another world.”
Alice said, her voice a bit dazed.
“If we’re being technical, you’re in another world right now…”
“…That’s not what I meant, sis.”
Whatever.
“What I mean is, have we ever gone out like this, just the three of us? I mean, when we went out it was usually with teachers or staff from the academy.”
“And with the escort soldiers, too.”
Alice chimed in while perched on the bed.
“Yeah. The escort soldiers too. It wasn’t exactly easy to roam freely, was it?”
Though it felt like we roamed almost freely… well, the actual reason we did was not to have fun but to fulfill requests.
I might find it hard to relate, having come from a typical humanities high school, but for them, it might’ve just felt like just attending class. Of course, it was vastly different from a typical class experience.
“True, thinking about it, I do feel a bit strange myself.”
However, my reason was different.
It felt fascinating to be ‘back’ in this world rather than related to the academy.
My family might still be living peacefully, and right now, at this very moment, some of my friends could be working late, one of those lights shining in the distance.
I hadn’t shared this with the two yet, but since I was here, I hoped that one day I could see my family and friends again.
I wondered how they were living after I disappeared—my curiosity was slightly piqued.
And, well.
…In truth, I felt a bit excited.
Thinking of family and friends brought me down a notch, but just looking at the two in front of me made it feel like saying this was perhaps a bit over-the-top otaku-ish, but—
—Doesn’t it feel like we came on a school trip from a Japanese manga?
Of course, I was aware that my age had already well surpassed that of an adult.
Moreover, according to our IDs, all three of us were adults here.
But still, I looked like I was in my mid-teens. Just because the ID says I’m 18 doesn’t mean I suddenly age two more years.
Maybe not now, but during my high school trips, it was always a group tour. We’d generally roam in groups, and let’s be honest, it was more like a package travel experience.
Of course, that was enjoyable at that age, but I didn’t long for it. There were always some classmates I felt uneasy about, and some I didn’t want to get close to.
And in the Japanese manga I read back then, the close friends in a class formed groups and roamed freely, popping into each other’s rooms, and wandering around during the day almost at will.
Though I wasn’t too clear about what actual Japanese high school trips were like.
…Maybe I was reminded of a Japanese school trip because these two seem like characters from a game made by a Japanese company.
“Sis?”
Ah, I think I might have been wearing a bit of a spaced-out expression.
“Honestly, I haven’t really explored while living here either. I had a lot on my plate.”
Well, it was mostly going to and from work, but still.
“So, let’s go check out some landmarks together tomorrow. If you can’t think of any specific places, just tell me a theme, and I’ll plan a route for us.”
Claire and Alice’s eyes both sparkled at my words.
Looks like they must’ve been looking up various things while learning to read.
Well, if they’re happy about it, I’m all for it.
*
The next morning.
We left the hotel a bit early.
It overlapped slightly with rush hour, but our destination wasn’t the subway.
Our lodging was a hotel right in the heart of Seoul. Since we decided to really treat ourselves, there were abundant tourist attractions within walking distance.
“This city is said to be the capital of this country, so I’d like to see some places where I can feel the traditional vibe of this city.”
That was Alice’s suggestion.
Following that, I pondered between visiting a nearby hanok village or a museum that required taking the subway, eventually choosing the hanok village.
The museum was a good place, but it didn’t exactly fit the ‘enjoyment’ vibe. Since it was our first time out like this, I wanted us to walk around together, sightseeing and eating.
“Oh, sis, what’s that outfit?”
Claire quickly spotted something interesting.
“That’s a hanbok. It’s the traditional attire of this country. I think wearing it grants free admission to the nearby palace—”
It was a common sight here. Usually worn by couples if it was local, or by foreign tourists otherwise.
And thinking about it, we must’ve looked like foreign tourists to others too.
“Wanna try it on?”
Actually, I hadn’t worn one despite living in Seoul for quite a while.
“Sure!”
At Claire’s words, I nodded and glanced over at Alice.
Alice was giving Claire an “I-can’t-believe-you” kind of look, but—
Well, since I could read Alice’s expression a little, just as she could mine.
I accurately picked up on Alice’s face showing interest and excitement.
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