Claire's sudden joining... posed no problems at all.
After all, everyone already knew her face.
I thought it would end right after we leisurely enjoyed tea following the meal.
But then, Her Highness the Princess looked around at the faces of the group, then looked at me and opened her mouth.
"So, what do you plan to do from now on?"
At first, I didn't think she was speaking to me and blinked, but Her Highness's deep, sea-blue eyes were directed at me.
Ahem, ahem.
Clearing my throat, I cautiously spoke up.
"What... are you referring to?"
Her Highness looked at me with a meaningful expression. Feeling slightly flustered, I glanced around and saw the gazes of the group focused on me.
'...Huh?'
Clearly... it wasn't like this just a moment ago.
Among them, the only one who seemed not to understand... was probably Claire. But even she seemed to have sensed something in the atmosphere that began to flow in the room, as she scratched her cheek.
...Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't know now.
Even Cecil was fidgeting with her fingers.
What on earth could have been discussed while I was out to get Claire?
As I hesitated, my Master, her face flushed, let out a faint sigh.
Then... she pulled something out from inside her robe. Looking closely... it resembled the candle I saw last time.
"...It seems like we'll need this."
"Why suddenly...?"
"It's different from the one we used back then."
When I narrowed my eyes and asked, my Master's already red face turned even redder as she snapped.
"...Then what is it exactly?"
"Just wait and see."
Saying that, my Master placed the large candle on the table and rummaged through her robe.
...As she said, it looked different from the candle I saw last time.
While I was observing the candle, my Master took a match from her robe and lit it.
The candle flame glowed with a strange color.
A fragrant scent began to fill the room.
Tilting my head at the inexplicable action, my Master spoke.
"I've lit a scent that makes one a bit more honest... so I thought we could have a talk..."
"...Makes one honest?"
I was a bit taken aback.
At my Master's absurd declaration, I looked around.
As if they already knew my Master would do this, there was no particular reaction.
...It wasn't that there was no reaction, but rather everyone was looking at me.
"What on earth is this... nonsense?"
Opening my mouth in disbelief, harsher words than I intended spilled out. Surprised by the slightly rough words I wouldn't normally utter, I covered my mouth, and my Master chuckled.
"Pfft... You seem quite flustered."
My Master, laughing as if she found my appearance cute... seemed to be giggling with a very pleased expression for some reason.
...It was a somewhat... frivolous side... I hadn't seen before.
Thump thump thump.
While I was still confused and unable to grasp the situation, Cecil, who had gotten up from her seat, ran over and jumped into my arms.
"Asha-nim!"
"Uh, yeah, Cecil, wh-why are you suddenly..."
"I wanted to do this!"
"...Uh... okay."
At such a bold declaration, I blinked, even forgetting that Her Highness the Princess was present here.
I heard laughter.
...Her Highness's laughter.
"I suggested we speak without holding back... but I didn't expect this."
"...Isn't it better to be certain? It's good to be careful not to spill unnecessary words."
While holding Cecil, I listened to my Master and Her Highness's words, then opened my mouth.
"...I'd like an explanation, please."
"It's nothing much... no, it's just to solve a very important problem, so don't be like that."
"A problem..."
Bang!
Suddenly, the sound of someone slamming the table was heard.
Startled, I turned my head toward the source of the noise and saw Veronica blinking.
She seemed surprised herself that she had slammed the table.
...Soon after, Veronica's mouth opened.
"I-It's obviously because y-you're being frustrating!"
"Right, now... we should make it clear, shouldn't we?"
"Cecil likes Asha-nim!"
I was confused.
The sudden barrage of words was utterly confusing.
Even in this chaos, a few seemed composed.
Claudia was keeping her mouth firmly shut like someone accustomed to this.
...Though the tail on her rear and the ears on her head were wagging and twitching madly.
Claire, who had already grasped the situation, had wrapped her body in a faint membrane.
...But perhaps as a side effect, her lower body seemed a bit uncomfortable.
"What on earth is this all about...?"
Muttering in dismay, Her Highness responded.
"Do you still not understand? Or... are you pretending not to know... no, the effect seems certain, so you really might not know."
Then she leaned forward and continued.
"Since you still can't figure out what to do... think of it like this... hmm, yes, think of it as that 'truth game' that's popular these days."
"...A truth game? That sounds familiar."
"Hmm...?"
Her Highness made a surprised face, as if hearing something unexpected.
"I heard it's a recent trend... have you experienced it somewhere before?"
"Huh? Th-that, uh, well... in the past..."
Trying to stop myself from blurting out that it was from my memories of a past life, a strange voice escaped my lips.
...But that alone seemed enough for her to grasp the situation, as Her Highness spoke.
"...It seems you also retain memories of a previous life."
"Huh, how...?"
My mouth hung open at the sudden revelation. I wondered if I would have reacted this way even without the effect of the candle my Master lit.
"You... have been to Jedo before, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"You must have wondered about the... strange shops that suddenly appeared."
"Gasp."
"Pfft... Isn't this effect a bit too strong?"
"...I made it, so of course it would be."
Her Highness continued with a smirk.
"It's not particularly a secret story. It's already a publicly known fact... yes, thinking that way, your peculiar attitude makes sense. Those with such memories usually... prefer to have one companion at a time, I hear."
...No wonder I thought they were openly doing business.
Who on earth is reincarnating people over here as if selling travel tourism packages?
...Well, that doesn't really matter.
I was scared of how the group would react to the suddenly revealed fact.
"Um, well, it's not like I was trying to hide it specifically..."
Perhaps due to the medicine's effect, as I panicked, the thoughts in my head spilled out. Covering my mouth, I looked around.
But... the reaction was more muted than I expected.
As Her Highness said... perhaps because they aren't secretive beings?
...No, looking again, for some reason... they seemed rather excited.
"I don't really understand, but Asha-nim really is a special person!"
Cecil, on the contrary, seemed even happier, rubbing her face against me.
"...No wonder I thought your way of thinking was a bit unique. Come to think of it, I thought you were excessively mature even as a child."
My Master, on the other hand, seemed pleased that her question had been resolved.
...The reactions of the others weren't much different either.
Rather, it seemed like they thought my peculiar behavior was because of that, as if a burden had been lifted.
Perhaps seeing their relieved expressions.
I removed my hand from my mouth and spoke.
"Uh... you all don't think it's... strange?"
"Is there any reason to?"
"Huh?"
As if to preempt my question, Claire opened her mouth.
"Did you steal the body of someone who was originally there?"
"No. That's not it..."
Since I remember the end of my previous life and the beginning of this one... I can firmly say that's absolutely not the case. Shaking my head with that conviction, Claire smiles faintly.
"Then... there's no problem, right? It's just... a bit special. In fact, it means... the goddess sent you here, so to me, it's even more special─"
Claire poured out words like an excited person. Now I noticed the thin membrane that had been covering her body had disappeared.
Between her excited words, Veronica and Claudia approached.
"...So that's why you were worrying about something foolish?"
"...Must have been a place with a frustrating culture."
Claudia came behind me and poked my shoulder. Tap, tap. Veronica, who had brought her chair over, slapped it right next to mine.
...The atmosphere felt strange for some reason.
Rolling my eyes, I saw my Master looking at me with a faint smile.
"Even if your body changed, you're still you... would knowing such a 'trivial' thing change our feelings?"
"...Is that so."
A strange feeling, as if my heart was being tickled.
My face grew hot.
...Though it was revealed against my will, I also felt relieved.
Because I sometimes felt guilty about deceiving the group.
But... my Master's face, who had said that, was excessively close.
"Um... M-Master?"
"In other words, it means... our feelings remain the same."
A pale, slender finger brushed my cheek.
"Now... it also means there's nothing left to hold back those feelings. Since you were born here... you should follow the ways of this place."
"Uh..."
Her Highness continued my Master's words.
"As Ariel-nim said... the Empire... isn't monogamous. Though in this case... it might be a bit different."
Veronica, who had attached her chair, spoke in a trembling voice.
"B-but still, shouldn't we decide who's first?"
"Um, hey..."
"Cecil is Asha-nim's first!"
The atmosphere became strange.
The room, which had been warm just moments ago, was now filled with... a subtle current.
"...Naturally, the first should be me, who has known you the longest."
"Shouldn't it be decided by the size of one's heart?"
Claudia, pressing her chest against the back of my head, retorted to my Master.
"Perhaps the person whose hobbies and profession match..."
The conversation was gradually flowing in an unpredictable direction.
"...Shouldn't the first be the one who gets pregnant first?"
...Look, who in their right mind would think that?
My Master definitely used the wrong medicine.
Author's Note (Afterword)
It's a showdown.