Why did we move to such a big place—no, maybe it’s because we moved to a bigger place?
The space we lived in was practically the living room. Whenever we were home during the day, we almost always gathered in the living room, watching TV or chatting together. Well, most of our stuff still ended up around the living room rather than the individual rooms.
All the snacks we stacked up were in the kitchen, and most of the things I brought from my old one-room place ended up in the living room as well. A lot of what I bought for myself ended up getting used by everyone in the house.
…Now that I think about it, leaving a hairdryer in the living room for everyone to share is a bit weird, but since it’s already happened, as long as no one complains, I guess we’ll just keep using it.
In this household, the only ones who could be called introverted were Mia and me.
“Hey, sis, what about this?”
Claire was, without a doubt, an extrovert. She preferred wandering outside rather than spending time at home and had no hesitation when talking to others. It wasn’t to the level of having no boundaries with others, but whether in Azernar or Earth, Claire gave off the energetic vibe of an exuberant puppy.
And when I saw Claire picking up an air freshener, I advised her.
“If it’s an air freshener, you should probably buy a slightly more expensive one. If you get something too cheap, the scent can be polarizing, or it might be too strong to use for long. Generally, those are best bought in bulk for common areas.”
“Is that so?”
Claire tilted her head but put the item down anyway.
“What about cups or plates? Since there are five of us living together, shouldn’t we stock up a bit?”
“Definitely, that’s true. Considering the money we have, I wonder if we should spend a bit more on those, but once they start getting expensive, it can go up endlessly.”
At Alice’s suggestion, Charlotte nodded.
Although Alice and Charlotte were a bit different from Claire, they were both extroverted.
Charlotte had developed her sociability by attending various social gatherings since childhood. Alice, who had been somewhat stubborn and difficult in the original story, had become much kinder and more sociable simply because I had been by her side since childhood.
“Until now, we’ve mostly been eating instant foods and takeout, but I think it’s about time we try cooking for ourselves. Now that the kitchen is bigger, multiple people can fit in there without it being too crowded.”
Charlotte smiled at me.
If this had been me during my time on Earth, that smile would have felt extremely awkward. There weren’t that many times when a girl, especially a pretty one, smiled at me.
But ironically, now I was one of those “pretty girls.”
Not that I could easily return a smile though.
“How about this? The room feels a bit barren…”
“If it’s decorations, feel free to buy as many as you want. Some people even collect small figurines for decoration. As long as you can handle it, I won’t say anything about it.”
I responded to Mia, who had brought over a small rabbit-shaped ceramic figurine.
Both Mia and I had introverted personalities, but we often craved company.
When I was living alone on Earth, I didn’t feel that much loneliness since I was busy trying to survive, but ever since moving to Azernar, making friends and having sisters around, being alone… felt a bit different.
Claire wouldn’t leave me alone, and Alice suspected that I was up to something when I was alone, so being alone was quite hard for me in many ways.
Mia was the same. At first, she was very introverted, making it difficult to bring her out, but once she started interacting with the kids, she became that type who always stuck close to them.
I guess she wouldn’t have liked being alone in the room.
So as a result, we spent almost all our time in the living room.
It wasn’t anything to complain about. The living room was definitely spacious enough for five people.
Even though the parents weren’t around, having all five of us felt a bit like family, which was nice.
But still, having a room in the house felt a bit off when nothing was decorated at all.
So Claire suggested visiting Daiso.
I thought it was named after the idea that you could find anything you needed nationwide, but it turned out it was named after a different Japanese company, famous for having practically all daily necessities if you took a look.
There was one in our neighborhood too, but the fact that she insisted on going all the way to Myeongdong was quite obvious, yet none of us bothered to object.
Well, it was fun.
“Every time we come here, it makes me realize just how amazing mass production is,” Charlotte said, holding a basket filled with several plates as she approached me.
When I was younger, I had heard that the 21st century was all about small-batch production, yet there were indeed more types of products, but honestly, was this really ‘small-batch production’? I wonder if they ever produced this much even during the Industrial Revolution.
“Economies of scale are truly impressive,” I said, and Charlotte nodded as if she envied me.
To think she’s still having such thoughts even while out having fun seems quite princess-like.
Not that I meant in the fairytale sense. I meant as a political princess.
If a princess from the Kingdom during the Industrial Revolution and a fairytale princess had a conversation, I bet the fairytale kingdom would turn into a colony.
*
That’s right.
Now that I think about it, there were three people in my apartment that could certainly call themselves princesses, and one of them shared blood with a true princess.
And I was among them too, as I was the Crown Princess.
But the room we decorated certainly didn’t give off the vibe of being “decorated by princesses.”
“…It’s dull.”
“Alice, I’m really curious, but what’s that book over there called ‘How Steel Is Tempered’?”
Seeing the sickle and hammer boldly engraved on the spine, it seemed like an extremely questionable book. Forget other books, what’s up with that one?
“Oh, this?”
The cover of the book Alice took from beside the desk prominently featured a proud Lenin.
It looked like a book that a certain government agency would absolutely love.
The publishing house was one I’ve heard of often, so it probably wasn’t illegal or anything.
“In Azernar, such things haven’t happened yet, but it doesn’t hurt to know beforehand, right? I don’t subscribe to this ideology, but knowing the opponent’s thoughts might make it easier to deal with if a similar incident happens in the future. And just to be clear, it’s not a novel praising that side, despite the cover.”
“…Is that so?”
I was worried that Alice might start a revolution when we returned, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case.
Considering there were also plenty of capitalist books right next to it, it seemed she was just trying to accumulate knowledge about society in general.
“Ugh.”
Claire gasped.
“But your grades were good, right? Why’re you reacting like that?”
“Just because I had good grades doesn’t mean I like studying…”
Claire replied, shivering at Alice’s question.
Claire’s desk was quite simple. Alice’s, Claire’s, and mine were arranged in order, and since there was no wall next to Claire’s desk, it was a bit awkward to put a bookshelf next to it. Of course, it seemed like Claire didn’t really mind.
On her single-tier bookshelf, there were several novels. Most of the covers had pastel colors.
“I’ll probably place a doll on it later.”
Claire said.
“A doll, you say?”
“Yeah. One that you’ll buy me.”
She declared that quite boldly.
But somehow, I didn’t feel bad about it. After all, I had the money to buy a doll, so why not?
Lottery jackpot!
“Well, I’ll make sure to buy one for you soon. What kind would you like?”
“Just have my sister pick something out. That’s the fun of it, right?”
Is that so?
The only woman who has given me a present was my mother, who preferred receiving money more than anything.
“Your side… um, there’s nothing.”
“There’s no need to fill it up unnecessarily.”
I didn’t intend to study or anything here. I just wanted to relax comfortably and chill before I left.
I might read some books and could do a little studying if I found something I wanted… but that’s not on my mind right now.
“Should I fill it up?”
Claire said with a big smile.
“Since you promised to buy me a doll, I’ll also buy you a doll!”
“That’s a good idea.”
Alice said as she put the books back on the shelf.
“It might be nice to decorate it since she doesn’t usually do it.”
No, I doubt guys my age would spend time decorating their places anyway.
As for the things in the room, isn’t it fine as long as they function properly?
“Well, then I’ll tell Mia and Charlotte too!”
But before I could say anything, Claire had already dashed out of the room.
Alice wore a wry smile watching Claire’s back.
…Well, whatever.
I wasn’t saying I disliked receiving gifts.
Thinking back to Claire’s words made my heart race a little.
When was the last time I received a gift from a girl?
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