Free Web Novel"Hi, Karvaldr, Vigdís! And hello to you too, Yor."
As we arrived at the carriage waiting area, Reisir, who had already been waiting there, greeted us warmly.
Since I had to maintain Karvaldr's character, I deliberately ignored his greeting.
But Vigdís and Yor happily greeted him back.
"Y-yes, hello...!"
"Nyannyang~♪"
Perhaps influenced by Reisir's bright energy, Vigdís wore a cheerful expression and let out an excited response.
And Yor wagged her tail, her meows filled with joy.
Since Vigdís had a one-sided crush on Reisir in the original work, it was only natural that she still felt affectionate toward him.
But seeing that my baby dragon also liked Reisir left me slightly bewildered.
'Is it because she knows Reisir is a good person? Or did her intimacy level rise because he didn't overlook her and even made eye contact while greeting her kindly?'
I briefly considered warning Yor to keep her distance from Reisir, just in case.
But Yor also knows about the original work, so she would know how to conduct herself, and it probably wouldn't help for me to interfere and restrict her free will.
Above all, we came here today to have fun together.
Just as I had decided not to ruin the baby dragon's mood by making her unnecessarily walk on eggshells.
"I wonder when our trendsetter plans to return my greeting?"
Reisir tossed that incomprehensible remark at me with a playful expression and tone.
"Trendsetter? What are you talking about?"
"You know, these days it's become trendy for students to say, 'I will be self-declaring my absence from class today,' when the professor enters the lecture room before walking out? And the origin of that was you, Karvaldr. Doesn't that make you the trendsetter?"
"...That nonsense became a trend?"
"You didn't know? You saw it too during Tuesday's 'History and Ethics' class. Some kid did it and walked out."
Come to think of it, that really had happened.
At the time, I wondered why someone would bother walking all the way to the lecture room just to say something like that to the professor's face and foolishly lower their attitude score.
But hearing Reisir call it a trend, it seemed that a surprisingly large number of students were doing it.
Did they want to imitate me earlier but hold back because it was exam period, only to start doing it en masse as soon as midterms ended?
"As you know, I truly had urgent business that day, so I had no choice. Do not compare me to fools who deliberately get on a professor's bad side because they think it looks amusing."
"Maybe it wasn't because it looked amusing, but because it looked cool? You solved the kidnapping incident right after leaving like that!"
"Cool... you say...? Do you genuinely think so...?"
"What's with that horrified reaction? Are you perhaps... embarrassed about making a self-declared absence statement? Only now?"
"......"
Wouldn't anyone feel embarrassed after finding out students not only copied it, but that it even became a trend?
I swallowed those words and silently stared at Reisir.
Then, cutting through the silence that formed, someone spoke up, and that person was Ríolíkin.
"U-uh, umm...! H-h-hello...!!"
I hadn't had a suitable chance to mention it, but Ríolíkin had been standing beside Reisir the whole time. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Opening and closing his mouth anxiously.
He wanted to greet me, but since the conversation between Reisir and me kept continuing, he hesitated and couldn't find the right moment to speak.
Part of that outcome had been intentionally induced by me, but it was undeniably a welcome interruption.
However, since I had to maintain my character, I mercilessly ignored Ríolíkin's greeting as well.
And seeing us gathered together, I also intended not to say anything to Helga, who was running toward us from afar.
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
"Late? There are still five minutes until the meeting time." freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"T-that's right...! You're not late at all. Karvaldr and I just got here too."
"T-that's right. N-not late at all..."
Taking advantage of how everyone's attention shifted away from me, I quickly examined their outfits.
The newly arrived Helga wore a simple dress that covered her knees slightly along with flat shoes, giving her a style that sat somewhere between nobility and commoner fashion.
Reisir and Ríolíkin also wore outfits that maintained noble dignity while excluding decorative excess.
Rather than true Medieval or Early Modern clothing, they looked more like fantasy-inspired modified attire.
But the same could be said for what Vigdís and I were wearing.
Even so, there was a clear difference in atmosphere between their clothes and ours.
'Especially mine... this outfit seems too excessive...?'
Vigdís was the one wearing the least practical clothes, but in terms of extravagance, my outfit was the flashiest.
I realized I was in no position to criticize Vigdís's attire.
It occurred to me that I should prepare a few neat outfits that still suited Karvaldr's level of luxury while toning down the excessive flamboyance as much as possible.
Of course, there would absolutely never be another occasion where I would go out to have fun with them again, but just in case.
I could simply contact the family and ask them to prepare it, so there was no need to waste my own money or time.
Hárðr seemed reluctant to spend time on Karvaldr, but not reluctant to spend money.
"Now, now! Anyway, since everyone's here, let's get going!"
Whether it was the instinct of a novel protagonist, or whether he felt responsible for managing today's schedule as the one who proposed the outing.
Reisir cut off the small talk and guided us toward the carriage.
Since I couldn't stubbornly refuse after coming all the way here, I decided to obediently follow his lead.
Naturally, the most comfortable seat was by the window where there was something to lean against.
But after giving that seat to Yor so she could enjoy the scenery outside and sitting beside her instead, we ended up in almost the exact same arrangement as when we ate in the campus cafeteria.
As Reisir sat across from me, perhaps reminded of the cafeteria incident as well, he said this.
"Right! Karvaldr, I tried looking for a restaurant that sells the kind of food you like, but I seriously couldn't find one anywhere."
"That is also why Yor and I only choose such dishes at the campus cafeteria. They are difficult to find elsewhere."
"So it really was an incredibly rare dish...! Hearing that only makes me feel like I should start ordering it myself tomorrow."
"......"
The campus cafeteria menu also had a dish with a suspiciously trademark-safe name: 'Nuclear Spicy Fire Chicken Flavored Stir-fried Ramen.'
If I used that dish, it might be possible to get revenge on Reisir for constantly teasing me.
However, since neither my tongue nor my stomach was accustomed to spicy food either, I decided to give up.
"Anyway. I don't know whether I'll be able to satisfy your refined palate, but I reserved a private room at a restaurant so you won't have to worry about people staring while you eat. I hope you'll be satisfied."
"...You did something unnecessary."
Words of gratitude for his consideration rose to my throat.
But since I couldn't let those words escape my mouth, I turned my head toward Yor to avoid his gaze and replied sarcastically.
Even so, Reisir didn't seem offended in the slightest. Rather, he seemed amused.
"Ahahaha! I knew you'd react like that! See? Karvaldr really is a tsundere after all."
I wish he would stop using the word tsundere when he isn't even a transmigrator or reincarnator character. It gives me a strange sense of dissonance.
Of course, that was something I couldn't say either.
No, I couldn't say anything right now. Whatever I said, Reisir would obviously use it as another opportunity to tease me.
So I kept my mouth shut and continued looking away, while the baby dragon met my eyes and let out a cheerful meow.
I truly don't understand why Yor was born so cute when it makes managing my expression this difficult.
Yor soon turned back toward the window again, and I watched both the back of her head and the scenery outside at the same time.
"Seeing how embarrassed you are to receive thanks, it seems you're also too shy to say those kinds of words yourself."
Although Reisir continued spouting nonsense, I suppressed the urge to refute him and kept my gaze averted.
That effort seemed to pay off, because Reisir soon shifted to talking with someone else.
Even while chatting with Helga and Vigdís, he didn't forget to occasionally include Ríolíkin in the conversation as well.
He was making sure Ríolíkin didn't feel left out.
And whenever Yor pointed outside the window and meowed, he would also show interest in whatever direction she indicated.
'I've been thinking this for a while now, but Reisir is unusually sociable for a fantasy novel protagonist...'
If not for Karvaldr's bullying, Reisir would have made far more friends than Helga.
Because Helga's sociability was merely a facade, while Reisir's was genuine.
However, for Reisir, that ability was nothing more than a beautiful but poisonous persimmon.
Because he was the protagonist of 《NaSE》, a novel built on despair and death.
Becoming close to people easily and quickly meant witnessing that many more deaths, and therefore suffering that much more pain in return.
Furthermore, he wasn't capable of easily pushing away people who approached him with affection.
'So after experiencing the deaths of his companions too many times, he vowed never to grow close to anyone again, yet he repeatedly became close to people anyway and ended up hurt again.'
Why did Author Senna treat the protagonist they created so cruelly?
Perhaps because I am a healing genre specialist writer who seeks vicarious satisfaction through protagonists, I simply couldn't empathize with that mindset.
'Ah, if I keep thinking like this, my resolve will weaken. I shouldn't...'
Fortunately, the carriage arrived at our destination and stopped just in time, allowing my thoughts to stop as well.
However, even after getting out of the carriage, I couldn't shake off my worries.
"Kar, your complexion is too pale... Are you perhaps carsick?"
While Reisir spoke with an employee and confirmed the reservation.
Vigdís quietly approached me with a worried expression and asked that question.
She was completely mistaken, but I nodded anyway and added a suitable excuse.
"I think a little. Perhaps because I rarely ride such low-quality carriages."
"Still, the carriage we rode in was fairly decent and barely shook, wasn't it...?"
"If you think that, then why did you ask whether I was carsick?"
"Well, your complexion {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} noticeably worsened after getting into the carriage...? Even a good carriage can make someone carsick if they aren't feeling well..."
"......"
I stared at Vigdís for a moment before letting out a sigh.
It would have been nice if my condition stemmed from something minor like motion sickness, but instead my heart was aching over something far more serious.
'But if you think about it, the reason I'm tangled up with Reisir like this in the first place is because this character was written to be so sociable, isn't it?'
The real culprit behind all this was obviously the original author, Senna, but why was I, an author from an entirely different novel, transmigrated into this world?
The more I think about it, the harder it becomes not to suspect the existence of a third writer who came up with the utterly wicked idea of, 'Let's transmigrate a healing genre specialist writer into a depressing novel!'
