When you think about it, the kids’ personalities still shine through even after coming to this world.
For example, Claire always enjoyed the situation here. It wasn’t just a sense of duty that made her go on requests with Leo from dawn while in Azernar; she seemed to genuinely enjoy it to some extent. Here, she quickly understood and embraced the local culture.
She was also the first to grab cosmetics, watch idol music videos, analyze patterns while viewing internet broadcasts, and inform us about short-form videos.
Honestly, she seemed to know a lot more about the latest trends here than I did, who had my tastes somewhat set in stone in my 30s.
As a result of her diligence in embracing those tastes, it seemed like she could thrive anywhere in Korea.
Alice was just as diligent. She adapted to the culture by watching videos on the internet at a fairly swift pace. But her focus was more on “study.”
When I saw her pour herself into studying in her childhood, I thought it was just her forcing herself to do something she didn’t want to. Apparently, that wasn’t entirely the case.
For a while after coming over, Alice lived quite comfortably, but over time, her interests shifted back toward learning. The intensity of the studying was very relaxed compared to when she was in Azernar, yet I think the simple act of studying showed her ambition.
Considering that she primarily watched science and health videos, it made sense.
In comparison, Charlotte and Mia haven’t fully revealed their characters like those two, but bits of it were showing.
Charlotte was studying various aspects of the culture in this world. She showed quite a bit of interest in the fallen monarchy of her country that underwent modernization, thinking that this could apply to her own nation too.
If she can learn lessons from that, then all the better. And having the perspective of a country that has already gone through similar experiences is surprisingly valuable. Even if the future events won’t be identical, it could significantly aid in recognizing the signs of somewhat similar incidents.
As for Mia… it seemed like she had a strong desire to rediscover her lost childhood.
“Are you all not eating…?”
After dinner, we brought back some snacks to the hotel. Mia and Charlotte hadn’t tasted the franchise ice cream yet, so we got the largest size of ice cream and stopped by a convenience store to grab heaps of snacks and beverages.
Honestly, there wasn’t anything particularly significant about that process. I just thought my mouth would get bored if I returned without snacking. It wasn’t so much about being with these kids as it was about simply doing what you do when you go on a trip.
I enjoyed watching Charlotte and Mia’s reactions while eating the ice cream. Although this ice cream brand wasn’t from Korea, thinking of it as something only available in this world gave it a different feel.
There were various flavors, most of which weren’t common in Azernar yet. Some were flavors that hadn’t even been released.
Charlotte, still a girl, lit up every time she took a bite of the ice cream.
But Mia’s reaction seemed similar yet different.
Her eyes sparkled while she kept moving her spoon, which was cute yet somehow pitiful.
I’d seen this kind of behavior before, so I didn’t initially pay much attention. I just brushed it off.
But every time she opened a new snack, grinning with sparkling eyes, I thought her reaction was genuinely childlike.
And only then did I recall Mia’s unfortunate childhood.
Mia, raised solely for revenge during her childhood. Naturally, that meant she couldn’t experience her childhood like most kids.
As for me, I wasn’t really a child at that time, and Alice had me, allowing her to retain some innocence. Claire was adopted into a very good family and grew up with a bright personality.
In contrast, Mia… well, her family situation wasn’t great.
“No, I’m eating.”
I said as I picked up a snack to eat.
I’d already thought about this before, but observing closely again to see her reaction in this world revealed that part of Mia was showing.
Perhaps this innocent appearance stems from how much she suppressed that youthful essence of hers.
…Speaking of which, Mia mentioned she was watching magical girl shows.
Maybe I should avoid that topic altogether.
“So where are we going tomorrow?”
As I resumed eating the snacks, the atmosphere around the kids, who were just following my gaze toward Mia, seemed to lighten.
In response to Claire’s question, I answered.
“We’re going to an amusement park.”
“Amusement park!?”
“Yes, I’ve already booked the tickets. They had a discount event recently.”
“Wow!”
“Is it that great?”
Alice asked with a smile at Claire’s reaction.
“Because I’ve always wanted to go while watching videos.”
If the food in this world is a ‘very rare type or difficult to make’ kind found in Azernar, then the amusement park was something exceedingly hard to replicate due to technological differences.
Well, considering it’s a world where people are dressed in powered armor by steam technology, they could manage to make something similar, but there are still many safety questions. Plus, with a ‘steam’ engine, the surrounding area would be filled with white steam.
“An amusement park?”
Mia looked cutely puzzled, and I unconsciously almost reached out to pat her head, but I held back.
It just seemed… too creepy.
Honestly, in Chronicles of Aetherna, the heroines weren’t the touchy-feely type.
“There are various rides, and it’s a place where you can enjoy yourself on those.”
In foreign countries, they call them theme parks, which typically have a clearer theme compared to our amusement parks, but in the end, the well-known attractions are still ‘rides.’ They even make movies based on those rides.
“There are parades too; in any case, it’ll be a lot of fun when we go. Since we’re here in this world, I think it’s best to enjoy everything we can here.”
Maybe if there’s time in the future and more leisure, we could broaden our horizons.
“It’ll probably be here.”
In the meantime, Claire showed Mia a video on her smartphone, and Mia’s eyes sparkled.
“Um, Sylvia?”
“Yes?”
Charlotte cautiously called out to me from the side.
“Since you haven’t asked us to pay separately, does that mean you booked all those tickets?”
“That’s right.”
“But then…”
Why?
Am I at too much of a loss?
“I’m just doing this because I enjoy it.”
Exactly. I do this because I want to.
What I first felt when I came to this world wasn’t a relief of returning but a sense of loss for what I had lost. Maybe the Goddess knew that, which is why she sent me back here.
Of course, I could try to find family or friends in this world and somehow persuade them to rebuild those relationships. Whether that’s possible or not is something to be seen, but I could at least try to make the effort.
But before making those attempts, Claire and Alice chose to come here to find me.
And spending time with these two in this world was so much fun.
So, I just wanted to do various things for them. I’ve received so much.
“…Is that so?”
Seeing my expression, Charlotte must have felt something, as she didn’t press any further.
But it seemed like she found our conversation heartwarming, judging from her smile while observing us from a distance.
“And just in case, I think I’ll be getting smartphones for you two soon. Both of you must have some information you want. I think it’d be good to be able to search for it yourself. It might be more accurate reading there than me just telling you.”
At my words, the joy on their faces was impossible to hide.
There’s certainly a sense of fulfillment in doing something for them.
“I think Alice and Claire have adjusted to this world just fine. As for you two… I’m still a bit concerned about you going out separately, so it might be better to go out with one of us who’s here.”
“Really!? …Oh, but I don’t think there’s any need for us to be separated.”
Claire, whose face brightened at first, quickly reverted back to her original state and said that.
Yeah, I expected she’d say that.
“Are you avoiding going out with us for any specific reason?”
“….”
I averted my gaze at Alice’s words.
“Okay, so you have to stick with your sister from now on.”
Ah, this isn’t working.
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