The girl, ‘Lily von Asgard,’ who had been reincarnated into an erotic game and subsequently enrolled in school, was currently striving to recall the intricate details of the story.
“Lily~ Are you writing in your diary again today? You’re not an elementary schooler anymore. Let’s just go to sleep already.”
“This is a crucial diary entry concerning the fate of the world, Lis!”
The delicate, black-haired girl was meticulously jotting something down in her notebook, illuminated only by the soft glow of a magic lamp.
Meanwhile, her roommate, Lis, a girl with flowing red hair, grumbled with growing weariness.
“Can’t this world-ending business or whatever wait until tomorrow?”
“If I don’t properly complete the main quest, a terrifying Demon King will revive, and my yuri (TL Note: A Japanese genre focusing on lesbian relationships, often called ‘girls’ love’ in English.) harem will be completely out of reach!”
“If it’s flowers you want, there are plenty blooming in the garden, Lily. I’ll even go with you tomorrow.”
Of course, the ‘lily’ Lily spoke of bore no resemblance to the botanical definition, but such nuances were beyond the grasp of a red-haired girl who had only just entered middle school.
“Today, I met the main heroine! Princess Adelia! That’s why I absolutely must write in my diary!”
Adelia, the Third Princess of the Eliya Kingdom, was unequivocally the girl considered the main heroine.
From Lily’s recollections, she was undoubtedly a heroine of considerable significance within the narrative.
‘The main heroine, which means she’s someone I just need to get close to!’
With a carefree mindset, the girl was approaching the Princess, convinced that once they became acquainted, everything else would simply fall into place.
The red-haired girl responded with an utter lack of interest.
“But you met her yesterday too. And she coldly rejected you.”
“Ugh, tsundere (TL Note: A Japanese term for a character who is initially hostile or cold but eventually warms up to another person.) heroines aren’t very appealing in this day and age, are they? Surely there’s a way to get closer to her. Help me, Speedwagon!”
As fate would have it, a student well-versed in all manner of information was present in her room.
Of course, that student’s name wasn’t Speedwagon.
Yet, Lis, already accustomed to the bizarre pronouncements that spontaneously erupted from Lily, naturally proposed a remarkably sensible solution.
“How about giving her some kind of gift?”
“Oh. A gift? Ah, right, that’s it! There was such a method!”
“Hmm… wasn’t the concept of a gift around since ancient times?”
The game she had so thoroughly enjoyed in her previous life featured a comprehensive favorability system.
It was a system where players would bestow gifts upon female NPCs to cultivate their favorability, and upon surpassing a certain threshold, a minor reward would be granted.
However, during her time playing the game, Lily’s sole interest lay in the pure yuri (TL Note: A Japanese genre focusing on lesbian relationships, often called ‘girls’ love’ in English.) relationships between the heroines, causing her to entirely overlook this mechanic.
‘Come to think of it, to progress the story, I think I had to maximize a certain heroine’s favorability. What was it again?’
Though she promptly jotted down the sudden revelation in her notebook, she found herself unable to recall any further knowledge.
“If it’s a gift, what would be best?”
“For a gift to a woman, flowers, handkerchiefs, or snacks would be appropriate.”
“But with such common gifts, the favorability parameter only increases a little!”
Lis stared at her with a pitiable expression, utterly bewildered by what she was saying.
She couldn’t help but think, ‘Surely, she wasn’t like this when we first met upon enrollment.’
Oblivious to Lis’s bewildered gaze, Lily remained utterly engrossed in her own profound thoughts.
The girl, idly murmuring the gifts that sprang to mind, presented a charming image befitting her age, yet the actual content of her musings was far from endearing.
“Items that greatly increase favorability… Aegis’s Shield? Crown of Black Roses? Gold Dragon Heart?”
“Are you planning to go find some legendary treasure? I was thinking something heartfelt would be better.”
Ignoring Lis’s reply, she remained deep in contemplation for a considerable time before finally slapping her knee and exclaiming.
“Ah! I’ve got it! I’ll give her Ifrit’s Demonic Sword as a gift!”
Certain NPCs exhibited varying favorability increases based on the type of gift received; notably, when presented with ‘Ifrit’s Demonic Sword,’ the main heroine, the Princess, would experience a substantial surge in favorability.
As ‘Ifrit’s Demonic Sword’ was also an essential item for story progression, it had been designed as a convenient game mechanic for players.
Even though Lily’s recollection of the story was rather hazy, its significance as a crucial item allowed her to recall it with ease.
“Lily, giving a sword to the Princess? You’re not some knight.”
“If I offer this, the Princess’s favorability will shoot up! So I’m going to go get it right now! Thank you, Speedwagon!”
“Speed… huh? Hey, it’s almost bedtime, where are you going! Lily? Lily?”
She could only watch, her gaze tracking the retreating figure of the girl who had bolted out of the room.
She pondered why Lily had bothered to ask her at all, if this was to be the outcome.
Lis suddenly recalled an ancient kingdom ritual and murmured to herself.
“Surely she doesn’t know what offering a sword to royalty signifies, does she? Lily? No way, she couldn’t possibly not know that.”
Alone in the room, she let out a small, disbelieving laugh, thinking, ‘Surely a student who has come all this way to the academy to learn wouldn’t be ignorant of such ancient tales, would they?’
****
Fulfill your royal duties.
These were the words Adelia had heard countless times throughout her upbringing.
“All that you possess belongs to the nation, and you must sacrifice yourself for the state. To say such a thing to a mere child of barely a dozen years seems utterly inappropriate.”
“Don’t even mention it. Ever since the concubine passed away, they haven’t shown the Princess any interest at all.”
In her youth, she was utterly incapable of comprehending the hushed whispers that constantly circulated around her.
For these were words attempting to describe and impart knowledge of things that held no place in her insulated world.
She had been born solely to be sacrificed for the nation, and any notion of a personal self beyond that was simply nonexistent.
She understood all too keenly her plight, a destiny that forbade her from harboring any personal desires.
One day, her father, seated within his study, addressed her.
“You are a monster, born by devouring your own mother.”
“Father, I do not know who my mother is.”
“Unlike you, she possessed sparkling eyes, a radiant smile, and a serene beauty. Indeed, you are her complete antithesis. None of these things are yours.”
In a grand portrait adorning one corner of the room, the figure identified as her mother smiled serenely.
Her father, whose gaze remained fixed upon the painting throughout their conversation, soon dismissed her from the room.
****
“Useless old memories have resurfaced.”
Adelia, now slightly more mature than her youthful self, was just beginning to blossom with a feminine figure and undeniable charm.
She suddenly recalled a particular girl who had been persistently clinging to her of late.
It was likely that girl who had stirred these long-buried memories.
“A child from a world different from mine. So bright, radiant, and sparkling.”
Something she yearned for but could never possess.
She understood that she ought to feel nothing, having always accepted it as an immutable truth.
Yet, a pulsating emotion, akin to a burning ember, resided deep within her chest.
She found herself utterly unable to discern its nature.
“It’s somewhat exhilarating and embarrassing. Frightening, too. Could this be… desire?”
Up until this moment, there had been nothing the Princess could genuinely claim as her own.
Every morsel she consumed, every garment she wore, every object she utilized—none of it was truly hers.
She was forbidden even friends, let alone a simple hairpin or a delicate ribbon.
The girl’s bright, clear voice resonated within her mind.
‘Princess! We must become close for the sake of the story’s progression!’
‘Today’s physical education class is in pairs! Oh, Princess, where are you running off to!’
‘This time, I’ve brought a book about yuri (TL Note: A Japanese genre focusing on lesbian relationships, often called ‘girls’ love’ in English.)! Let’s read it together!’
Every time she saw the girl’s brightly shining smile, her chest tightened.
No one had ever endured by her side for so long.
Everyone else had eventually left, saying it felt like dealing with a machine.
“…Envy? Jealousy? No. It’s not that. I want it. I want that bright smile, that untainted innocence, that pristine girlishness.”
For the first time in her life, the Princess had found something she truly desired to ‘possess.’
“I want to hold her in my palm and grasp her. I want to put her in my mouth and swallow her. I want to hide every single strand of her hair. I want to hug her tightly and confine her in my embrace. So that no one but me can ever see her.”
However, her position did not permit such feelings.
“It would have been better if I had never known… How will I reject her again tomorrow?”
Recalling the girl, she sighed incessantly.
****
Late at night, a knock sounded at the Princess’s door.
Adelia, who had just finished her duties and was preparing for bed, spoke with a slightly surprised voice.
“Oh? Who could it be at this late hour?”
From beyond the door came a voice that was both familiar and utterly unexpected at such a time.
“Pwincess! I bwought a gift! Pwease open the doow!”
“Li… Lily, suddenly in the middle of the night? And what’s with your way of speaking?”
“I went into a dungeon and got a curse! It’ll be gone by tomowwow!”
Adelia, concealing her surprise at the sudden visit, began to prepare her room to receive a guest.
Thirty minutes remained until the unsuspecting girl would pledge her entire self, along with a sword, to a lonely Princess.
