Chapter 39

“Isn’t having a childhood friend a defeat flag?”

I’ve never seen a childhood friend in a harem story come out on top, have you?

Isn’t the win rate for childhood friends about the same as that of a blonde, roll-bun-haired heroine?

No, I couldn’t agree with that.

The very first heroine introduced in the story has to be the real heroine, right?

Isn’t that right?

Yet, if the childhood friend suddenly gets a boyfriend, people would throw up in disgust.

Just as introducing a new love interest for a character that’s been built up from the start is as ridiculous as the protagonist not ending up with the character that’s been built up over time…!

If you change the gender, wouldn’t that just be BSS?

A heroine is someone who wakes the protagonist up in the morning, reminding them not to be late, blushes while giving them chocolates on Valentine’s Day, and looks forward to spending Christmas on a date with the protagonist!

That can’t be anything other than a heroine!

“…Isn’t that right?”

“Is it not?”

“Thanks to you, I was able to break the stereotypes I held as a girl. You’re the only person who opened my eyes, trapped under the shadow of my duties in such a narrow world.”

…Don’t make me laugh.

A true heroine has to be diligent and sincere. Even if she tends to act a bit prickly, there’s a dignified essence of devotion that flows from her words.

Tsundere is not a defeat flag.

Countless works have emerged and concluded, passing clichés around, and that tsundere character type has evolved along the way. The violence and cursing that were always present in the early days have disappeared, and the malice has lessened. Nowadays, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that what remains of tsundere characters is just the atmosphere.

So, treating the protagonist a little coldly can’t be called a defeat flag.

No matter how many episodes of the main heroines are placed in front, it doesn’t matter if other heroines have positions of a saintess, a hero, or even a high-ranking noble from some country.

It’s precisely because of that, that the episodes they’ve built together as merely childhood friends shine even brighter—

“Siyoon, actually, there’s something the girl hasn’t told you.”

“Something you haven’t told me?”

“The girl… the girl is actually the only princess of the Elf Kingdom—”

“When did that ever come up!?”

I was taken aback, my eyes wide, as I shot up from my seat.

“…Ugh.”

And then I realized that the place I had fallen was not where I currently was.

I inhaled deeply a few times, releasing a long sigh.

Right. Those eyes.

Ignoring the teardrop, the odd-eyed gaze was definitely the color of a character I knew. Though her hair wasn’t styled in rolls.

In the original story, she was referred to as a noble, not a princess.

Thinking back, I don’t think her true identity was ever revealed properly. It was just glossed over as ‘noble,’ and neither her lineage nor how high-ranking she was ever came up.

I thought it was just a setup the author made to insert an elf character—

…Oh, I see.

Thinking about it, that alone wouldn’t make her competitive with other heroines. A character who is just high-ranking isn’t likely to come off as charming. No matter how beautifully designed they are, that doesn’t mean the other heroines aren’t pretty, too.

If there’s no decent backstory, something that makes her seem pitiful, or some reason for the protagonist to help her, there’s little room to unfold her episodes.

“…What do you mean?”

“Kyaah!?”

Suddenly being interrupted by someone next to me, I squeaked in surprise.

Turning my head, there was Ria.

I held my pounding heart and took a deep breath.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Even after saying something strange, Ria didn’t tease me. She just asked that.

And she wasn’t seated on her bed as usual. She’d pulled up a chair and was sitting next to my bed.

Normally, she would’ve had a book in her hands to pass the time, but right now, Ria had a clean towel in her hands. Was she wiping away the sweat I’d been spilling?

“…Have you been taking care of me all this time?”

“Uh, well.”

Ria threw the towel toward her bed with a hint of embarrassment.

“Hmph.”

“What’s wrong?”

As I chuckled, Ria shot me a glare.

“It’s nothing.”

I replied as I collapsed back onto the bed.

Grrr.

Sure enough, my stomach growled again. Given how much energy I’d exerted, it was expected.

Only after recalling how much effort I’d put in did I think that there might be someone else who got injured.

“Is there anyone else injured? Like someone shot by an arrow from beyond the gate…?”

“……”

But even after I said that, Ria continued staring at me silently. Her expression was a bit scarier than when she was glaring. It felt like there was weight behind her gaze.

“…Let me ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“You said you wouldn’t use that power on your body, right?”

“……”

I did remember saying that.

Well, if we’re being honest, I didn’t completely keep my word. I had used a level of power I could touch directly on myself and on Ria.

In that kind of situation, I had to be alive to save others. And besides, well, I didn’t want to die either.

But still, it was true that I didn’t want to use it if I could help it.

“So you were thinking that even while mindlessly rushing forward?”

“That’s… I’m sorry.”

I replied as I touched my fingertips together.

I knew I shouldn’t act like that in that situation. It wasn’t rational behavior at all. Even with so many people trying to protect me, if I rushed into a dangerous place, I’d put them all in danger too.

Yet, it was hard to just stand aside when I see someone injured.

This is partly due to thoughts I’ve had since my previous life. Maybe it’s become a habit now.

“……”

Ria, perhaps surprised by my sincere apology, stared at me quietly for a moment.

Then she relaxed her body and leaned back in her chair.

“So you do know.”

At Ria’s words, I shrank my shoulders.

But what followed wasn’t a story I didn’t want to hear.

“…Last time, you called me your knight, right?”

“…Wasn’t that a mistake?”

I asked cautiously, wondering if she might be bored of it, and Ria chuckled.

“No, it’s right. I haven’t actually quit that job.”

After saying that, Ria seemed to get lost in thought for a moment before looking at me and speaking again.

“Do you remember? The day I said I would be your escort knight for the first time.”

“…I remember.”

Amidst the overall chaos, her saying that gave me a sense of relief.

I have thoughts of wanting to leave the church someday… but at the same time, I also feel a bit scared of going outside. It wasn’t something I hadn’t done in my previous life. Going out on my own, finding a job. I had lived without my parents’ help before.

But that wasn’t easy.

Finding a settlement without relying on anyone, especially when half of those friendships were already resolved, was tough. This is common sense, but during childhood, friends are bound to be young too. There aren’t many friends who can genuinely help when you ask them for help.

I was so conscious of stalkers because of this.

When I was male, it wasn’t a big deal back then—but that’s not the case anymore.

Having that in mind, suddenly having all the fences around disappear felt terrifying. Maybe that’s why I was trying to escape so much.

“That stuff I told you was sincere. I wasn’t just trying to keep you here a little longer.”

“…Oh.”

“Well, I also have my own duties, and you plan on leaving the church someday, so it’s not like I’m going to follow you forever or anything, but if I hear that someone I shared a room with died for the same reason, I’ll definitely have disturbing dreams.”

“……”

“While I’m here, at least don’t charge in just to die. At least do it when you’ve got a weapon in hand. That’s when it’s appropriate.”

“…I understand. I will keep that in mind.”

Knowing the reason Ria was saying that, I didn’t feel inclined to rebut any further.

A brief awkward silence fell between us—

Grrr.

—I couldn’t sit still.

My stomach seemed to think the conversation was over and was eagerly signaling.

Ria chuckled and then stood up.

“Alright, shall we go eat something? Should we skip ramen today and eat something else?”

“Something else?”

“How about we order chicken? We could just receive it from beyond the gate, right?”

“Chick… Chicken!?”

Of course, I wasn’t sure if that was indeed possible or not.

But somehow, I felt if it was Ria, she could easily pull it off.

No, well, even if the Sister Warden approved, I knew that breaking the rules was still wrong.

…But how can I resist chicken on a night like this when I’m so hungry?