MagicalExplorer
Reborn as a Side Character in a Fantasy Dating Sim
—Ludie’s Perspective—
I was surprised at how soundly I slept.
I’d wanted Kousuke to enjoy himself a little, but I got the feeling he wasn’t having a very good time because of Father, Mother, and Lilou.
Maybe, just maybe, I actually trusted him even more than I did Father and Mother.
That was a testament to how far Kousuke had gone to protect me, despite being put in harm’s way.
“Kousuke, hmm.”
Just what did he want to do?
It was obvious “getting strong” wasn’t his only objective. He had saved people like Ms. Sakura and me, and he’d said he wanted to protect us, too.
There was something he knew that we were in the dark about, and he was acting with it in mind.
“I want to be there to help him.”
The thing was, Kousuke tended to speak vaguely on a great many things. More often than not, he would avoid bringing up his goals and his true objective entirely.
The only thing that he had clearly conveyed to me was his desire for me to grow stronger. I wanted to get stronger myself, so in that regard, our views aligned with each other. I didn’t want to always be protected—I wanted to be his strength, too.
I had started thinking like this in part because I’d watched Kousuke grow right before my very eyes, but seeing Iori and Rina grow was another motivating factor, as well.
I wasn’t in the Ceremonial Committee, and I generally had no choice but to live a normal school life. That was what made me feel like there was a growing gap between my strength and Kousuke’s. However, Iori and the others were also gaining power at an unbelievable clip, following after Kousuke.
Rina had been especially remarkable as of late.
I didn’t know quite how to put it, but it was like everything about her had jumped up one whole size.
Of course, I didn’t mean she had gained a few pounds or inches, but rather that her abilities had dramatically improved.
The last time I had gone into a dungeon with Rina, I simply stood behind her dependable vanguard and fired off my spells. It had felt less like we were fighting together, and more like I was being protected somehow.
“In the end, I’m still just being protected all the time, aren’t I?”
With how Iori and Rina were now, I figured they could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kousuke eventually. The same wasn’t true for me.
My conversation with Lilou suddenly came to mind.
“If I could unleash the power of the imperial family, I’d actually be able to stand at his side.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about it. About the legendary elf whose power was exceptional among our people, and who had sealed away the calamitous Arch Elf. There was a chance I could draw out the same power myself.
Supposedly, his blood ran in my veins.
However, my father had the same blood and still couldn’t reach such heights, so was there really any hope that I could?
“Thinking about it won’t get me anywhere. For now…I just need to do what I can.”
When I next saw my father, it might be a good idea to get him to tell me about this elven hero.
But he wasn’t here at the moment. And even if I did talk to him, there was very little chance it would solve my worries.
I needed to do what I could do now, or I would be left behind.
“If I knew more about Kousuke’s goals, I’d have a little more to go on.”
What I was able to do would change depending on if I could visualize Kousuke’s end goal or not.
If he was looking to bake a cake, he was preparing the heavy cream and whipping it, while I was simply along with him to help—that was our current situation. However, if I knew that the end goal was to ultimately bake a cake, I could work on other aspects, like readying the batter or getting the fruit toppings in order.
Was there a chance Nanami was aware of something?
She certainly knew about him more than I did.
“I’ll go over to see Nanami.”
I decided to search for her.
I found her relatively quickly. This was because she was currently having a strange conversation with Claris.
“But he won’t accept it. What should I do?”
“It’s quite simple. Master is bound to end up together with her. In which case, we could simply both serve him together.”
“But will he accept someone else…?”
“Oh, but of course. You essentially have an extremely powerful person on your side, after all. Though, I believe you would be more knowledgeable on that front, yes?”
“It does seem that she is quite taken with him, true.”
“It will be just fine. The problem…lies with yourself, Miss Claris.”
“With me?”
“Indeed, the time after they come together will prove the most difficult for you. Once the time comes for the two of them to do you-know-what, you will have no choice but to take part.”
“Whaaaat?! T-take part?! I’ve never heard anything like that before!”
“I believe it is a rare case. However, I imagine things will take on a different shape than normal for you, Miss Claris, and you might be called upon, though I assume infrequently. As it is the occasional purview of any first-rate maid, I would recommend getting accustomed to it while you can.”
“Gulp.”
“For now, we will be heading into a dungeon to……… Then, you go together. From there, you…………or say something similar to depend on Master. From there, you…”
“Huh? But would that even…?”
“Oh yes, he will be quite pleased. And it’ll make him even happier if you say something like, ‘J-just kill me!’”
“Huh? Would saying that really please him?”
“Ah, Miss Claris, I see you still have much to learn. When an elf—a cool and strong-willed one in particular—talks like that, they become twice as attractive.”
“…I had no idea. Thank you for the lesson.”
“I don’t really get what you’re talking about, but you don’t need to do any of that, okay?”
When I said this, Claris jumped. Nanami seemed less shocked by my arrival and replied with a “good morning.”
“Claris, I have something I’d like to talk with Nanami about… Am I interrupting you two?”
“No, it wasn’t…anything of much importance. U-um, well, I’ll step out for a breath of fresh air, then,” Claris said, leaving the room. She must have surmised this wasn’t something I really wanted her to hear.
“What can I help you with, Miss Ludie?”
“I want to ask you about Kousuke a little.”
In response, Nanami murmured, “I see. Please tell me what you wish to know.”
Of course, I intended to do just that. So, after I began by talking about my own inadequacy, I asked about Kousuke’s ultimate goal.
“The thing with Kousuke is he’s never specific about anything. So I thought you might know something about him. You two are always doing stuff together, right?”
From my perspective, it was an enviable situation, really. It felt almost like he was relying on Nanami more than me.
“I understand. While I can see why it would appear that way, generally speaking, I’m in the same boat as you are.”
“The same?”
“I do not know any particulars, either. I follow along with him without knowing anything, simply doing as he tells me.”
“Huh?”
I was at a loss for words. The phrase that can’t be filled my mind. Nanami was doing all that without a word of explanation?
“It is exactly as I said. In your situation, I would simply do whatever it seemed like Master wished to me to do.”
If that was the case…
“So that’s how it is… Now what am I going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
How was I supposed to explain this?
“Part of me just doesn’t know what I’m supposed to do. Right now, at least, I have this vague desire to grow stronger and help Kousuke. Except, I’m not getting as powerful as I want to be, and I feel like I’m being left behind.”
Nanami nodded. “I see. From my perspective, you are not being left behind at all, Miss Ludie. I believe you can simply continue on as you have been.”
“You really think so?”
“Master has said the time will eventually come when he will reveal everything to us. While I think he should spit it out now, he still refuses, so I have been gathering the people and items that I believe he will need. This was the reason behind why I formed the Maid Team and the Antihero Team, and even why I procured the school swimsuits.”
“You’re saying that you didn’t do all of that mostly out of a joke?”
I had only heard about it from Kousuke, so I was fuzzy on the details, but apparently there was a part-timer from a pizza place among the people she had hired? I had the sense that Nanami should at least let her go. And what did she mean by “school swimsuits”?
“While I admit that, yes, I did do all that for a laugh, those people are working very hard behind the scenes for Master’s sake.”
“Oh, really now?”
“One time, the Maid Team presented Master with some rare items. However, Master regularly stumbles upon far more incredible items, so… In fact, he occasionally gives me ridiculous items, saying that the maid team could probably make good use of them. Honestly…”
He must have given those things to Nanami without a second thought, the same way he’d handed us the Seeds of Possibility like it was nothing.
I smiled weakly as Nanami gave one last exasperated sigh. Pontificating over Kousuke’s goals was causing me to get my priorities mixed up.
“It really seems like Kousuke knows everything, doesn’t it…? Hidden doors in dungeons, items he can amass with the Golden Lucky Cat—it’s like he knows the location and item drop of every last monster, or what’s coming up ahead.”
“I’ve been operating under the assumption he does indeed know everything.”
“So it wasn’t just me.”
“I do believe if we were very forceful about it, he would spill his secrets. However, I’m confident he shall tell us when it’s necessary.”
“You have a lot of trust in him.”
“Is that also not true of yourself, Miss Ludie?”
“…I suppose so.”
“Simply asking him upfront may not be a bad approach, either.”
“Just come out and ask him?”
“Exactly. He might be surprisingly forthcoming. Also, there are certainly things Master can only tell me, yes, but there have to be matters he can only discuss with you as well.”