I’ll try to recall the day I came to this world.
It feels like a lifetime ago, yet it was only six days ago.
The reason I was sent to this world in the first place was my cousin Maki, who found a strange item in a warehouse and wished, “I wish I could go to a game world.”
Although unintentional, Maki did something terrible to me, but I’ll put that aside for now and try to remember that day more clearly.
The items found in the warehouse were not just one.
There were seven orbs that seemed to grant any wish, a mummified monkey’s paw that granted up to three wishes, a broken phone booth, a dried-up well, and the Uchide no Kozuchi that sent me to this world.
And there was one more thing Maki found there.
Yes, it was a long, slender piece of paper that seemed ordinary at first glance.
It was a “tanzaku” for Tanabata.
Even if told such items could grant wishes, I’d be skeptical. But if that Uchide no Kozuchi was real, it’s not impossible that the others also had the power to grant wishes.
Maki told me that day that she wrote “I want to be a princess” on that tanzaku.
Of course, nothing happened then, and I thought for sure that tanzaku had no special power until now. But what if it simply wasn’t the right time?
What if her wish, “I want to be a princess,” suddenly came true today, on July 7th, as in Tanabata?
Couldn’t it be that Maki became the princess of this world, “Princess Maki el Light,” and Princess Shelmia, the original princess, was pushed aside and sent to me?
Naturally, this is a biased interpretation. It doesn’t provide all the answers, such as why Maki specifically became the princess of this game world, why the original princess had to be replaced to fulfill the condition of becoming a princess, or why Princess Shelmia, instead of disappearing or becoming someone else, was sent to me in a buggy state.
However, even if I accept all these inconsistencies, I believe it’s a hypothesis that can be supported to some extent.
The fact that it happened near midnight on July 7th is too much of a coincidence. Apart from this, I honestly can’t think of any other situation where the buggy Princess Shelmia would suddenly be sent to me.
“Are you alright? You’ve been muttering to yourself.”
The old woman at the greengrocer’s shop called out to me, jolting me back to reality.
My consciousness, lost in thought, surfaced back to the real world.
“Ah, sorry. I actually just arrived in this country recently, and my memories are a bit jumbled. Isn’t the princess of this country Maki… Princess Maki? Do you have any rumors about her?”
I quickly composed myself and asked. Her gaze towards me was that of someone looking at a suspicious person, so I hadn’t really fooled her. However, the old woman was even more of a gossip. Forgetting my suspiciousness, she immediately started talking about rumors of the princess.
“Hmm. Even I don’t hear much about Princess Maki. Royal family members are usually shut up in the castle all year round, never coming out. Oh, keep what I said a secret, won’t you?”
“Haha, I see. Thank you.”
As we chatted, I pondered.
If Maki switched places with the princess, it must have happened this morning. After all, that troublemaker wouldn’t stay quietly in the castle for days. If there are no rumors about her, it’s more natural to think she just arrived.
What should I focus on next? Perhaps her role in this world. Should I consider her to have inherited the princess’s flags and abilities? Also,Personally, I’m curious about the extent to which she’ll be affected by event compulsion.
At least for me, I feel I’m barely affected by the system interference I experienced as a Player. Digging up the treasure of Thief Melipe when event flags weren’t active is one example. Also, in this world, I was able to move freely during events where I should have been in spectator mode and unable to move. Since Maki wasn’t originally an NPC in the game, she might also be subject to few event restrictions, similar to me. What if, in the worst-case scenario, her memories and personality were forced to be the same as the game’s princess? That would be a lot of trouble.
However, in any case, everyone except Maki will likely act similarly to how they did in the game. That would make interacting with Maki extremely difficult. The princess, who only comes out for events, has very few opportunities to appear in public. Nevertheless, if “Princess Maki” is indeed the Maki I know, I absolutely need to meet and talk to her.
Conversely, if things proceed as in the game, the possibility of Maki being in danger is very small. Apart from the “Capital City Attack” event, there shouldn’t have been any situations that would put the princess in danger. I can assume I have some time.
I hope she’s the same Maki from her original world and that her status doesn’t restrict her, but either way, I want to find a clue about returning home before an event occurs that allows me to talk to her. If only I had disappeared, it might not have had much impact, like a lonely university student suddenly vanishing. But if Maki also came to this world, the situation is different.
Unlike me, who was alone, Maki must have had many things left unfinished in her original world. She’s a troublesome cousin who always causes trouble, but I want to at least send her back to her original world.
“Ugh…”
Thinking that far, I had a terrible realization. If I prioritize a means of return, the only way is to meet “that person” again. I don’t want to, but if it comes to this, I should go now…
(No, wait, wait.)
Going now would be pointless. Besides, it’s too dangerous to get involved with “that person” before I have the skills to match them.
“… Let’s calm down a bit.”
There’s too much to do, and I seem to be getting confused. I need to figure out what needs to be done first, what I can do immediately, and handle things step by step.
“… Ah.”
Only after calming down did I notice her, standing awkwardly a short distance away, holding an apple with only the core left.
(What am I doing?)
The first priority shouldn’t be myself or Maki, but her, who lost everything because of Maki’s wish.
“Um, Shel… Apple.”
I started to say Shelmia but quickly corrected myself. At least until I tell her, she’s not Shelmia, she’s Ringo.
“I’ve learned a lot about you. I want to go back to the inn and explain it.”
I said that to the apple. Even then, her eyes weren’t looking at me, but she responded to my words with a tiny nod, barely perceptible.
After returning to the inn and having a meal with Ringo, I decided to explain the situation to her in the room.
“Already, while it’s still daytime…”
Alice muttered with a shudder as she saw us entering the room, but I pretended not to hear and went back to the room with Ringo.
“First, about why you’ve lost your memory…”
Explaining that this world is a game or that I came from another world would make things too complicated. It would be easier for her to accept that the wish-granting items are part of this fantasy world.
I explained that my cousin used an item said to grant wishes and wished “I want to be a princess.” By doing so, Shelmia, the original princess, might have been banished from the world and sent to me.
If I stick to the main points, there isn’t much to say. I told her everything I remembered about her original self, but she didn’t react much. Feeling a bit anxious about her indifference, I decided to ask her something.
“So, is there anything you don’t understand or want to ask?”
Even when I asked, she stared into space for a while, as if she weren’t listening, but then she suddenly uttered,
“…name.”
She, who hadn’t moved at all, finally said, hesitantly.
“Name?”
I unintentionally asked back, and she nodded very slightly.
“I haven’t heard it yet.”
This was the first time she had spoken in a long time, but her words confused me. I had told her her real name was Shelmia several times…
“Ah, perhaps, my name?”
I voiced that thought, and she nodded slightly. Come to think of it, I don’t think I properly introduced myself to her yet. I was certainly distracted by the unusual situation, but I had been careless.
“My bad. I’m Sagara… no, Soma Sagala.”
“……”
However, she showed no particular reaction even after I introduced myself. It seemed it didn’t matter to her.
(Ah, right, her name…)
Her original name was “Shelmia el Light.” The appraisal paper showed “*ェ♯*♯・*♭・゛※＊,” so it was correct in terms of character count. And perhaps it was an act of compassion from the “power of the wish” that banished her from her original place. The fact that only the second character coincidentally matched was somehow touching, or maybe not.
Thinking that far, a small question popped into my head.
(Come to think of it, if I use the appraisal paper now, will the result change from before?)
From a game or computer perspective, it’s unlikely that a character’s name data would be rewritten mid-process due to their consciousness. However, in this world where digital and non-digital elements are strangely mixed, I felt it was possible that the bug might be fixed if she recognized her own name.
“May I check your name again?”
With that expectation, I asked for her permission and attached the appraisal paper to her arm. The result was…
Ringo Sagala: LV1
It completely defied all my expectations.
“No, this is strange.”
I muttered, snapping back to reality. Suddenly, we seemed to be set up as siblings or something, and Ringo, whom I had casually named, seemed to be her official name.
“Hey, is this… okay?”
When I showed her the paper, she nodded, so small that one had to look closely to see it. But that was what bothered me.
“But your real name is Shelmia, isn’t it? Even after you realized that, you’re still going to use a temporary name…”
However, to my words, she only shook her head slightly, looking very annoyed. Then, with her blue eyes that held a deep intelligence, and with her own firm will… she unusually looked up, met my eyes directly, and said in a clear voice.
“Because Ringo sounds tastier.”
“Wha?”
I learned that day, that sometimes, a person’s name is decided based on “tastiness.”
