It was the season that had just entered summer, the sunlight was dazzling, and the greenery was fresh.
On my way to the local cafe where we were supposed to meet, I stopped to look at my reflection in the shop window.
It was definitely me, but it looked a little different from what I saw in the mirror a few days ago.
My snow-white skin had vanished, and my hair, which had once reached my waist, now reached only my shoulders. My facial features were still distinct, but somehow, they felt blurred.
The clothes I was wearing were white frilled one-piece dresses.
The one-piece dress was the same as the one I wore there, but the length was strange, coming up above the knees.
I felt very familiar yet strange.
Bang bang!
Perhaps I had been standing too long when I heard the loud honking of a car horn behind me. I quickly pulled over to the side of the road.
Starting with the sound of a horn, the loud noise of machinery, and the chattering voices of people that had passed me by without meaning until now began to pierce my eardrums.
"Ha..."
As soon as I step outside, I feel it for sure.
I've been to another world and now I'm back in my own.
But something felt off, so I paused for a moment as I walked, and I was often startled by the sound of a horn. Sometimes, I bumped shoulders with pedestrians, startling them and leaving them flustered.
“Wake up.”
I was only there for two months.
I've lived here for a much longer time.
“This is where I belong.”
I muttered to myself as if brainwashing myself to get to my destination.
Ding.
The interior of the cafe, which opened with the sound of bells, was white and neat.
“It’s here.”
A man raised his hand to indicate his location.
All eyes of the few customers in the quiet cafe were focused on him.
The man was none other than a senior wearing a white round t-shirt and jeans.
Just two months ago, I enjoyed having a meal and chatting with my senior, but now it doesn't feel real.
No, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I've lost interest now.
"Long time no see."
The man, still with a radiant appearance, stood up from his seat and smiled brightly.
“Come here and sit down.”
He personally pulled out a chair for me, and I, who had become accustomed to it, sat down naturally.
“Look at that.”
I realized this fact because of a woman's comment about her failure to control the volume of her voice.
“You are so arrogant.”
As I turned my gaze towards the sound, the woman who was looking this way flinched and turned her head.
Ah.
I was treated so casually.
My mouth was sour at the belated realization of the truth.
The seat where the senior was sitting was in the corner by the window, and there was no one around.
“Shall we start by ordering?”
"Yes."
“What kind of drink would you like?”
The thought that occurred to me at that moment was, 'Do I really have to tell you this?'
I flinched as I found myself becoming overly accustomed to having someone do my bidding.
“Green grape smoothie... I’d like to drink that.”
The senior ordered an Americano.
No one spoke until the drinks were placed in front of me and my senior, and water droplets began to form and flow down the surface of the clear glass.
If other people saw us, they would think we were a couple about to break up.
It was my senior who broke the silence first.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. Are you eating well?”
“...”
“Actually, I heard from your mother that you don’t eat well.”
No, this guy keeps in touch with my mom, not just my little brother?
The senior's face was too convincing to ask how he knew my mother's number.
My mom is the type of person who would readily give up her number if a senior asked her to exchange numbers, saying something like, "Mom, I'm worried about my junior, so can I contact you sometimes?"
My preference for good-looking faces is genetic.
Yeah, that's right.
"You've lost a lot of weight since I last saw you. If your health deteriorates—"
“-So, why did you come here?”
I cut off the worried stranger's words.
The senior opened his eyes slightly wide, perhaps because it was something that would never have happened in the old days.
Today, the eyes felt unusually blue, and it felt very foreign.
Perhaps the original color of those eyes is silver-gray.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
For a brief moment, silence fell between me and my senior.
"This."
Soon, the senior's lips curled up into a smile. He gave an exaggerated shrug, but didn't deny it.
“Did you notice?”
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“I was surprised when I first got a call from the police station.”
The senior lowered his eyes slightly. His gaze seemed to be fixed on the glass droplets forming on the surface of the cup, but it was unclear what exactly he was looking at.
“Until I saw a book in the West.”
It was easy to figure out what book my senior was talking about.
The other person remained silent and stared out the window, as if hoping I would continue the story.
The Crown Prince is fundamentally very affectionate and kind. He's the most normal of the male protagonists.
The only light in the ruins!
But what about the seniors who came to this world?
“...Senior, did you tear the back part off?”
"Yee."
"Why?"
“Well, why?”
Wow, look at his personality!
When I made a bug-biting face, my senior burst out laughing. His smile was so refreshing that everyone around him was amazed.
“Should I consider it an honor to see this expression on my junior’s face?”
“Was it your goal to see me frown?”
"Yes."
"Then you've achieved your goal. I'll take my leave."
I was the one who felt sorry, but I stood up from my seat.
Then, the senior was surprised and quickly got up and apologized.
“I was joking, and I’m sorry if I offended you.”
The Crown Prince is always serious and doesn't know what a joke is.
I stared intently into those blue eyes. The only emotion I could discern was regret.
The Prime Minister's thoughts are inherently unpredictable, so it's only natural that we don't know his true intentions. But the other characters are different. Their next actions are predictable.
But my senior was completely out of my hands.
A complete person, neither a letter nor a doll. A single entity.
“I think they’re breaking up.”
“Is the man catching it?”
I heard another conversation where the volume seemed to have failed to adjust. No, was this something I was supposed to hear on purpose?
This time, I didn't turn my head towards the voice.
“I guess we look like a couple.”
Meanwhile, the senior smiled and closed his eyes as if he had heard a story he really liked.
“Would you like to go outside and talk?”
I pointed out the window. There was a table in the small backyard, and the senior nodded.
Even though everyone's seats are quite far apart, it seems like they're very interested in us.
If you have a conversation with a senior, you'll probably end up hearing a lot of things you don't want others to hear.
"Good."
The senior agreed, and we went out with our drinks without even taking a sip.
Fortunately, the table, shaded by a tree, was cool. As soon as I sat down, I got to the point.
“So, why did you come?”
“Of course, I came to see you, my junior.”
The senior smiled broadly. It was the smile of a truly well-bred man, different from the neat, yet knowledge-obsessed, priest.
“Because I’m the author?”
"That's right."
The other party readily agreed.
“When I first heard that the place I was in was actually inside a book, I was really shocked.”
“...”
“After being lost in thought for a while, it occurred to me that if this was the world inside the book, then there must also be a world outside the book.”
I dared to kill the one who created me, I wondered if this world was really created, I wanted to see the god who created the world... It was a different reason from these.
"So, what would the world outside books be like? What kind of people would the author living there be?"
It's certainly a reason the Crown Prince might be curious. He's the Emperor's successor, both curious and capable of execution.
The Crown Prince was someone who steadfastly maintained his central position even when the mad minister tried to manipulate state affairs.
Although his abilities cannot keep up with Shish, Dietrich, and Yuno, he is the strongest among the main characters in that he has the most tenacity.
“That’s why I came to meet you. My author.”
The pleasant voice added persuasiveness to the senior's words.
But the ordinary table and the nearby skyscrapers of the city center clearly revealed my location.
This isn't a novel, and I'm not the heroine, so the other person won't fall for me helplessly.
Those blue eyes, which should have been silver-gray, stared intently at me, as if they held no shame in their hearts.
Is that person the Crown Prince or a senior?
“Since we met, we achieved our goal, right?”
“First of all, yes.”
“Is there another step?”
"Yes."
“What is it?”
The senior also made his eyes crescent-shaped. He had a neat expression, but the teardrops made him look quite alluring.
I used to be able to laugh it off, but now I can't. Let's reflect on the past me, the one who shed tears, loving this contradictory image.
The senior's lips, with their distinct lines, formed a curve, and the words that came out between them were not the answer I was looking for.
“Where did the junior who always smiled brightly at me go?”
Do I look funny now? Huh?
But thanks to my senior, who told me indirectly that my expression was stiff, I came to my senses a little and answered with a bright smile as usual.
“The junior who always smiled at his senior went on a trip.”
"Why? Because I didn't act according to that junior's intentions?"
But the smile remained frozen.
On my way to the local cafe where we were supposed to meet, I stopped to look at my reflection in the shop window.
It was definitely me, but it looked a little different from what I saw in the mirror a few days ago.
My snow-white skin had vanished, and my hair, which had once reached my waist, now reached only my shoulders. My facial features were still distinct, but somehow, they felt blurred.
The clothes I was wearing were white frilled one-piece dresses.
The one-piece dress was the same as the one I wore there, but the length was strange, coming up above the knees.
I felt very familiar yet strange.
Bang bang!
Perhaps I had been standing too long when I heard the loud honking of a car horn behind me. I quickly pulled over to the side of the road.
Starting with the sound of a horn, the loud noise of machinery, and the chattering voices of people that had passed me by without meaning until now began to pierce my eardrums.
"Ha..."
As soon as I step outside, I feel it for sure.
I've been to another world and now I'm back in my own.
But something felt off, so I paused for a moment as I walked, and I was often startled by the sound of a horn. Sometimes, I bumped shoulders with pedestrians, startling them and leaving them flustered.
“Wake up.”
I was only there for two months.
I've lived here for a much longer time.
“This is where I belong.”
I muttered to myself as if brainwashing myself to get to my destination.
Ding.
The interior of the cafe, which opened with the sound of bells, was white and neat.
“It’s here.”
A man raised his hand to indicate his location.
All eyes of the few customers in the quiet cafe were focused on him.
The man was none other than a senior wearing a white round t-shirt and jeans.
Just two months ago, I enjoyed having a meal and chatting with my senior, but now it doesn't feel real.
No, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I've lost interest now.
"Long time no see."
The man, still with a radiant appearance, stood up from his seat and smiled brightly.
“Come here and sit down.”
He personally pulled out a chair for me, and I, who had become accustomed to it, sat down naturally.
“Look at that.”
I realized this fact because of a woman's comment about her failure to control the volume of her voice.
“You are so arrogant.”
As I turned my gaze towards the sound, the woman who was looking this way flinched and turned her head.
Ah.
I was treated so casually.
My mouth was sour at the belated realization of the truth.
The seat where the senior was sitting was in the corner by the window, and there was no one around.
“Shall we start by ordering?”
"Yes."
“What kind of drink would you like?”
The thought that occurred to me at that moment was, 'Do I really have to tell you this?'
I flinched as I found myself becoming overly accustomed to having someone do my bidding.
“Green grape smoothie... I’d like to drink that.”
The senior ordered an Americano.
No one spoke until the drinks were placed in front of me and my senior, and water droplets began to form and flow down the surface of the clear glass.
If other people saw us, they would think we were a couple about to break up.
It was my senior who broke the silence first.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight. Are you eating well?”
“...”
“Actually, I heard from your mother that you don’t eat well.”
No, this guy keeps in touch with my mom, not just my little brother?
The senior's face was too convincing to ask how he knew my mother's number.
My mom is the type of person who would readily give up her number if a senior asked her to exchange numbers, saying something like, "Mom, I'm worried about my junior, so can I contact you sometimes?"
My preference for good-looking faces is genetic.
Yeah, that's right.
"You've lost a lot of weight since I last saw you. If your health deteriorates—"
“-So, why did you come here?”
I cut off the worried stranger's words.
The senior opened his eyes slightly wide, perhaps because it was something that would never have happened in the old days.
Today, the eyes felt unusually blue, and it felt very foreign.
Perhaps the original color of those eyes is silver-gray.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
For a brief moment, silence fell between me and my senior.
"This."
Soon, the senior's lips curled up into a smile. He gave an exaggerated shrug, but didn't deny it.
“Did you notice?”
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“I was surprised when I first got a call from the police station.”
The senior lowered his eyes slightly. His gaze seemed to be fixed on the glass droplets forming on the surface of the cup, but it was unclear what exactly he was looking at.
“Until I saw a book in the West.”
It was easy to figure out what book my senior was talking about.
The other person remained silent and stared out the window, as if hoping I would continue the story.
The Crown Prince is fundamentally very affectionate and kind. He's the most normal of the male protagonists.
The only light in the ruins!
But what about the seniors who came to this world?
“...Senior, did you tear the back part off?”
"Yee."
"Why?"
“Well, why?”
Wow, look at his personality!
When I made a bug-biting face, my senior burst out laughing. His smile was so refreshing that everyone around him was amazed.
“Should I consider it an honor to see this expression on my junior’s face?”
“Was it your goal to see me frown?”
"Yes."
"Then you've achieved your goal. I'll take my leave."
I was the one who felt sorry, but I stood up from my seat.
Then, the senior was surprised and quickly got up and apologized.
“I was joking, and I’m sorry if I offended you.”
The Crown Prince is always serious and doesn't know what a joke is.
I stared intently into those blue eyes. The only emotion I could discern was regret.
The Prime Minister's thoughts are inherently unpredictable, so it's only natural that we don't know his true intentions. But the other characters are different. Their next actions are predictable.
But my senior was completely out of my hands.
A complete person, neither a letter nor a doll. A single entity.
“I think they’re breaking up.”
“Is the man catching it?”
I heard another conversation where the volume seemed to have failed to adjust. No, was this something I was supposed to hear on purpose?
This time, I didn't turn my head towards the voice.
“I guess we look like a couple.”
Meanwhile, the senior smiled and closed his eyes as if he had heard a story he really liked.
“Would you like to go outside and talk?”
I pointed out the window. There was a table in the small backyard, and the senior nodded.
Even though everyone's seats are quite far apart, it seems like they're very interested in us.
If you have a conversation with a senior, you'll probably end up hearing a lot of things you don't want others to hear.
"Good."
The senior agreed, and we went out with our drinks without even taking a sip.
Fortunately, the table, shaded by a tree, was cool. As soon as I sat down, I got to the point.
“So, why did you come?”
“Of course, I came to see you, my junior.”
The senior smiled broadly. It was the smile of a truly well-bred man, different from the neat, yet knowledge-obsessed, priest.
“Because I’m the author?”
"That's right."
The other party readily agreed.
“When I first heard that the place I was in was actually inside a book, I was really shocked.”
“...”
“After being lost in thought for a while, it occurred to me that if this was the world inside the book, then there must also be a world outside the book.”
I dared to kill the one who created me, I wondered if this world was really created, I wanted to see the god who created the world... It was a different reason from these.
"So, what would the world outside books be like? What kind of people would the author living there be?"
It's certainly a reason the Crown Prince might be curious. He's the Emperor's successor, both curious and capable of execution.
The Crown Prince was someone who steadfastly maintained his central position even when the mad minister tried to manipulate state affairs.
Although his abilities cannot keep up with Shish, Dietrich, and Yuno, he is the strongest among the main characters in that he has the most tenacity.
“That’s why I came to meet you. My author.”
The pleasant voice added persuasiveness to the senior's words.
But the ordinary table and the nearby skyscrapers of the city center clearly revealed my location.
This isn't a novel, and I'm not the heroine, so the other person won't fall for me helplessly.
Those blue eyes, which should have been silver-gray, stared intently at me, as if they held no shame in their hearts.
Is that person the Crown Prince or a senior?
“Since we met, we achieved our goal, right?”
“First of all, yes.”
“Is there another step?”
"Yes."
“What is it?”
The senior also made his eyes crescent-shaped. He had a neat expression, but the teardrops made him look quite alluring.
I used to be able to laugh it off, but now I can't. Let's reflect on the past me, the one who shed tears, loving this contradictory image.
The senior's lips, with their distinct lines, formed a curve, and the words that came out between them were not the answer I was looking for.
“Where did the junior who always smiled brightly at me go?”
Do I look funny now? Huh?
But thanks to my senior, who told me indirectly that my expression was stiff, I came to my senses a little and answered with a bright smile as usual.
“The junior who always smiled at his senior went on a trip.”
"Why? Because I didn't act according to that junior's intentions?"
But the smile remained frozen.
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