“That’s enough. Prim, we’re leaving.”
“Huh? Y-yes.”
Josette couldn’t understand why Caro had intervened and left the scene as if escaping. Prim followed.
“Um… the smaller one of the entourage… what was their name? Come to think of it, I think they were called Caro… Caro?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I got it right. Are you okay? It looked like you were hit pretty hard.”
“Yes, it hurt quite a bit, but I’m fine.”
Rachel found their names in Josette and Caro’s conversation and hesitantly spoke to them. Caro felt a sense of loneliness because someone she had been close to was now acting like a stranger.
“Um, thank you for protecting me. …Well then, I’m going.”
“Yes.”
Leaving only those words, Rachel also departed.
(What am I doing? At this point, Rachel probably only thinks of me as one of Josette’s followers. And since I’ve been harassing her so much, she probably feels closer to disgust than anything else. This is why things are happening like this.)
Left alone, Caro had no choice but to head to her classroom.
Lunch break arrived. Normally, she would have gone to the school cafeteria to eat lunch with Josette, but she didn’t feel like it and unconsciously found herself at the back of the school building. She sat down on a bench installed there and sighed.
“Haa. I ended up coming here without thinking, but since Kent isn’t here, nothing is going to happen, right?”
She spoke her thoughts aloud, but since there was no one around, it seemed safe to do so. She felt a pang of sadness and tears welled up as she remembered the fun times she used to spend in this very spot daily with Kent, Josette, and Rachel.
“What in the world happened…”
“Excuse me for a moment?”
“H-hi!”
She had thought she was alone and talking to herself, but a voice from behind made her jump in surprise.
“You don’t need to be so startled.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
She apologized without thinking.
“May I sit next to you?”
“Yes, please do.”
It was Rachel.
“Why are you here?”
“Well… it’s like I’ve lost my rhythm… or, I was just curious…”
Rachel sat down next to Caro and began to speak.
“Why did you protect me?”
“Because you looked so distressed, and I couldn’t stand it…”
“You’re calling me by my first name.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“You’re the shorter one, so you must be the merchant’s daughter, right?”
“That’s Prim, the other person.”
“Oh? Then you must be the baron’s daughter. In that case, it’s understandable that you’d be called by your first name.”
Rachel seemed to realize she had made a mistake.
“In the game’s strategy guide, was I the merchant’s daughter as a hidden setting?”
“Huh? How did you know that?”
Rachel looked extremely surprised at the mention of the game. In fact, both Caro and Prim were only displayed as followers in the game, with no information about their upbringing or environment. However, one strategy guide, based on information from staff members, had a hidden setting description for Josette’s two followers. It stated that the taller one was the baron’s daughter and the shorter one was the merchant’s daughter. (In reality, this was incorrect; the taller one was the merchant’s daughter, and the shorter one was the baron’s daughter.) Rachel herself had heard this before.
“The title was ‘Complete Strategy! Tale of School in Another World’! Wasn’t it?”
“H-how did you know that…”
Rachel was clearly flustered. She was surprised that Caro was talking about information that no one else in this world should know. Caro, on the other hand, was confident because she had heard it directly from Rachel.
“That’s because someone enthusiastically told me.”
“Heh-heh. Is that so?”
Rachel seemed to feel as if Caro could see right through her and her demeanor had clearly changed. Caro found her unusual expression a bit amusing. As her mind cleared, she even found herself able to pick up on scents.
Sniff, sniff
(She probably isn’t using shampoo or body soap right now, so Rachel smells a little sweaty. But I don’t dislike this scent. It reminds me of Kent, which makes me feel calm.)
“Hey, you’re a little too close.”
“Ah, I didn’t realize… heh.”
Rachel’s comment made Caro realize that she had moved very close to her.
“Here goes!”
“Huh? What?”
Caro’s longing to see Kent intensified, and she impulsively hugged Rachel, who smelled similar to him.
“I’m sorry. Could you stay like this for a little while?”
“Ugh, don’t look at me with that face! I can’t refuse. Fine.”
With that, Rachel hugged Caro back and found herself patting Caro’s head.
“Kent… where did he go…? *sniffle*”
“What’s wrong? You’re crying.”
Remembering Kent, Caro had started crying.
“It seems like someone important to me has disappeared.”
“I see. I don’t really know what to say, but I’m sure you’ll find him. Cheer up.”
The two of them stayed embraced until the very end of lunch break. Eventually, Rachel decided that she wouldn’t get any more answers to her initial question and didn’t press the matter further.
Afternoon classes ended, and it was time for dismissal. Caro usually had the job of seeing Josette off, but she was too embarrassed to face her, so after getting ready, she left the academy.
(I ended up leaving the academy without thinking, but what should I do now?)
Caro retraced the places she had visited with Kent, following his footsteps. She walked through various parts of town, including Etsigoya’s bakery, the restaurant they entered together, the public carriage station, the central plaza, and the commercial district. Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to set.
“I should head back soon…”
She didn’t want to be out too late, so Caro decided to return home. However, she suddenly remembered the forest where she, Kent, Marie, and Catherine had gone for a picnic when she first started staying at Kent’s house. The park on the outskirts of town was crowded on holidays. It was developed as a park centered around a fountain in the middle. Caro felt an irresistible urge to go there. It was getting dark, and walking alone in a dark park as a woman was not safe, but she headed towards the forest, paying attention to her surroundings.
“It’s brighter than I expected, which is surprising. And it has a mystical feel.”
Arriving at the park in the forest, she found the fountain illuminated, lending it a mystical atmosphere. She mused that if it were always like this, it would be a popular spot for young couples. She strained her nose – not her ears – and scanned for any signs of people, but she detected no human scent or presence.
As Caro quietly gazed at the fountain, she suddenly sensed someone’s presence.
“Who’s there?”
“I’m hungry.”
Turning around and looking down, she saw Hanako, Patty’s younger sister.
“Oh, Hanako. What are you doing here? Where’s your sister?”
“My sister isn’t here right now… I’m hungry.”
“Um… Ah, that’s right.”
Caro remembered the bread she had bought at Marie’s Bakery that morning.
“Um, I have a piece of bread. Do you want to eat it?”
“I’ll eat it.”
Hanako took the bread from Caro and began to eat it heartily.
“It’s not very tasty.”
“I’m sorry. This bread doesn’t have yeast in it.”
“Mmm. It’s okay. Thank you.”
Despite saying it wasn’t tasty, Hanako ate the entire piece of bread.
“By the way, Hanako, why are you here?”
“Huh? Caro, I came to pick you up.”
“What?”
Although Caro shouldn’t have had any prior acquaintance with Hanako, Hanako knew her name.
“This is a place called a parallel world. This is how it was supposed to be.”
“What do you mean, ‘supposed to be’?”
“It’s time to go back.”
Without answering Caro’s question, Hanako began muttering incomprehensible words in a rapid stream.
“Huh? What? Aaah!”
The fountain suddenly began to glow, and everything was enveloped in white light, causing Caro to lose consciousness.
“Where am I?”
“Caro, you’re awake. That’s good.”
“Ah, Kent!”
She woke up in bed to find Kent looking at her with concern.
“Caro! You’re awake. I never thought you’d actually do what I jokingly told you. I’m sorry for saying something strange.”
“Huh? That was a joke?”
Rachel said this while scratching her head. After Rachel told her, Caro had practiced undressing instantly numerous times and had finally reached a level where she could perform it. In the end, she had failed by hitting her head with too much force, so she was disappointed to hear it was a joke.
“Caro, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. I don’t seem to be hurt anywhere.”
Al approached Caro and asked.
“Right after Caro fainted, Al entered the room and examined and treated her injuries. Thanks to him, there wasn’t a big commotion.”
“Thank you, Al.”
“It was no trouble at all.”
Al said with a slightly embarrassed laugh.
“Rachel.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for everything. Chu!”
“Huh? What was that for?”
“It’s a secret!”
“Eh, don’t keep me guessing!”
As a token of gratitude for Rachel’s kindness, even though it was in a dream, Caro lightly kissed her on the cheek.
