Episode 05
Isn’t that so?
I let out a short laugh. When I tightened my grip around Saren’s slender wrist, her skin blanched white.
Thankfully, I wasn’t that weak. I’d been worried since I was so scrawny, but Saren, being a young lady, was just that—a very typical body with no muscles to speak of. I felt relieved inside.
I whispered softly, but coldly.
“Don’t look down on people too much. Even a mutt will bite if it’s disrespected—so how do you think this will end when you treat another person like this, *sister*?”
“Why would I be your sister?!”
“That’s true enough. Then I’ll just call you *you*, I guess.”
“Hey!!”
Oh, finally—some real, everyday speech.
My ears stung a little, but my heart felt oddly satisfied. When I released her hand casually, the recoil sent Saren stumbling backward.
“Kyaaah! Miss!”
“Miss Saren! Are you all right?!”
“How dare you lay hands on the miss!”
“Aren’t I a miss too?”
Not that it matters.
The maids who rushed to support the nearly fallen Saren shouted at me. I added a flat remark and turned toward the door.
*Ah, what a waste of a book.*
I’d wanted to read a bit more—it was a shame. I hadn’t finished yet.
These were the protagonists of a story I loved enough to even write fanworks for. Normally, I’d have been confident that I knew them well. But since this place was clearly different, that confidence was outdated.
More than anything, I wanted to know the *real* them.
Leaving my regret behind, I returned to my room.
“How dare you grab my daughter’s wrist like that?!”
“Wow, her skin’s delicate. No elasticity at all.”
“Throw this thing straight into the stable!!”
And so, after the duke discovered Saren clutching her bruised wrist and crying her eyes out, I was quite literally thrown into the stable.
…Damn it.
❖ ❖ ❖
Thud.
Not like some tragic heroine—I was properly slammed straight into a pile of hay.
“Ha, damn it.”
Biting my lip, I shook my head and brushed the straw off myself.
—*If you behave like this even once more today, I’ll make sure you’re thrown into the stable.*
“So he really went through with it. What a uselessly decisive bastard….”
I muttered, recalling what the duke had said yesterday.
I thought it was just something he’d said in anger, but now I couldn’t tell whether to call it good memory or sheer pettiness.
“Haa.”
As I stood up, I felt a horse staring at me from beyond the wooden partition.
True to the Colhartes’ fondness for noble blacks and purples, it was a glossy black horse. The other horses beyond it were also staring at me intently.
“Am I that fascinating? First time seeing a person come in here?”
Prrr—
“Same here.”
It was closer to a complaint than a soliloquy, but unexpectedly, a whinny answered back.
Chuckling softly, I walked closer to the horse.
“Your situation seems better than mine.”
I gently patted the head it offered me and murmured,
“All of this happened overnight, so I’m pretty bewildered too.”
Saren, whom I’d created to comfort the wounds of the five main characters, had somehow turned into a bizarre, anachronistic bigot. The duke was trash who raised his hand against people.
And the broken protagonists of the original story had suddenly become sworn siblings.
*Still, at least they’re friendly.*
Ironically, their goodwill was the only rope keeping me afloat.
Trusting that, I acted as I did—and that’s why I can still get out of this place.
“All right, that’s enough.”
Prrr—
The horse nudged its head forward as if asking for more petting. I lightly pushed it back over the partition and squatted down on the hay.
Spending the night in a stable.
It wasn’t heartbreaking, but it was absurd. Still, throwing someone into a stable—even if she’s a daughter, she’s still a person—was ridiculous.
I hugged my knees loosely and let out a hollow laugh.
“Guess I’m really experiencing everything.”
“Yeah.”
“Wah?!”
I yelped at the sudden voice.
In front of the fading blue light sat a face that had already become quite familiar.
“I–Isaac?”
“Hi, Shunen.”
Black eyes that seemed to hold the universe curved gently.
“You remembered my name.”
Joy colored Isaac’s voice as he tilted his head, resting his chin on his hand.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Father, throw that low creature out immediately!”
Saren shouted angrily. Her eyes trembled with rage, soaked in tears that made them sparkle even more.
If you didn’t know the situation, she’d look pitiful enough.
The duke pulled Saren into his arms and soothed her.
“Just endure it a little longer. We have a deal with Hadenberg tomorrow—if you can hold on until then, that will be enough.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry. Who are you, after all?”
The duke wiped the tears from Saren’s cheek. Every time he saw her jet-black hair and purple eyes—so much like his own—his chest swelled with pride.
Proof of Colhart. The symbol of Colhart.
His daughter, born with noble black and violet hues, was undeniably precious.
“You’re the only daughter of Colhart—and one of the very few gifted individuals in the empire.”
“……”
“Once the deal is complete, you’ll be able to live with them just as you wish.”
After Retillia left yesterday, word came that the final negotiations would be set for two days later. Along with that, they formally mentioned bringing along the ‘daughter’ they had hinted at before.
Upon hearing the news, Saren, overjoyed, naturally agreed.
*Two days from now, you said, Father?*
*Yes. Since they’ve taken an interest in you, you might even end up with one of those four!*
*It will happen, Father. Don’t worry.*
Strictly speaking, Hadenberg was closer to an “organization” than a “family”—in both reality and reputation.
Still, if she were to be paired with one of them, taking the Hadenberg name wouldn’t be impossible in another sense.
For those dreaming of grand designs, tomorrow’s final deal was crucial.
They could never allow some half-baked handling of Shuneria to disrupt the meeting.
“Just endure until tomorrow. After that, she won’t even be worth a glance in your future.”
“What will you do after I leave?”
“That’s for your father to handle. You just focus on the new life that will unfold starting tomorrow.”
Reassured by the duke, a smile returned to Saren’s face.
“Even when I go there, I won’t forget my roots.”
“Just as expected of my daughter.”
“Hadenberg….”
Saren murmured dreamily. The duke hugged his daughter tightly, full of affection.
“From now on, you’ll be Saren Colhart—Hadenberg.”
Saren smiled happily.
For the sake of tomorrow’s meeting, they could easily ignore a mere whim from someone like Shuneria.
And the duke felt the same.
❖ ❖ ❖
“How did you get here?”
I asked, forcing my pounding heart to calm down.
Seeing my clearly flustered face, he let out a small laugh.
“Didn’t you already see yesterday? It’s my ability.”
“I know that—but how did you find me *here*?”
“It took a bit of searching. I thought you’d be in your room.”
Isaac pointed toward the manor.
“I’m shocked too. I didn’t think they’d really throw me in here.”
“Yeah. I wonder where they’d like to throw themselves.”
…He was smiling, but I’d bet he was internally deciding where to throw the duke.
After watching him for a moment, my gaze dropped. There was hay stuck to Isaac’s pants.
*Oh my god.* Why is Isaac sitting *here* right now?!
“W–wait! Aren’t you going to stand up?!”
“You’re sitting.”
“What does that have to do with anything?! Get up—this place is filthy!”
“It’s not filthy because you’re here.”
“I’m not disinfectant—what are you talking about?!”
I grabbed his hand and urged him to stand, but Isaac just smiled faintly.
*Stop smiling!*
That precious smile shouldn’t be wasted in a place like this.
In the original story, you couldn’t find a sincere smile like that no matter how hard you looked. It made me want to scream. You can’t exactly yell at someone for smiling.
“I’m fine. If it really bothers you, should I take this off and put it under me?”
“No! Absolutely not!!”
My shock was brief; my patience only extended far enough to stop him from taking off his coat.
*Yeah—how am I supposed to stop Isaac of all people?*
Giving up quickly, I was just about to loosen my grip on the hand I’d been holding without thinking.
“Does it bother you?”
“Huh?”
“Can I keep holding it, Shunen?”
Isaac’s fingers slipped between mine like flowing water. He lifted our lightly clasped hands and asked.
*…There he goes again, using that face like this.*
The gap between him and the original was serious—but that face was still absolute truth.
After staring at it for a moment in reflexive admiration, I shrugged.
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
“Well… actually, I should be thanking you more.”
I murmured faintly while looking down at our joined hands.
“I was honestly kind of lost. Spending the night here—I was worried about the cold. That’s today’s share of gratitude.”
I felt Isaac’s gaze on my right cheek.
“And… for some reason, thank you for getting me out of here too. I’m kind of acting up because I’m trusting you and the person I met yesterday.”
“…Shunen.”
“Thank you for coming to find me.”
The fact that I wasn’t from this world didn’t help solve the situation at all.
In that sense, Isaac’s and Retillia’s goodwill was practically salvation.
Silence seemed to linger for a while.
“…I—no, *we* should be more grateful.”
Isaac spoke quietly. His voice was so low and unfamiliar that I looked up at him.
“The five of us could never repay you, even if we thanked you until death.”
“……”
“That’s who you are, Shunen.”
His black eyes looked straight at me, unwavering. Within that strange expression were emotions I couldn’t name.
Whoosh—
The hay rustled with the wind. I laughed softly and brushed my lightly fluttering hair back.
“Well then.”
“Let’s call it even?”
“What’s that?”
“Let’s say we’re even. One thing each to be grateful for. How about it?”
“……All right.”
Isaac nodded. Then, words tinged with quiet sorrow scattered like breath.
*No matter how much of a protagonist you are, you’re still human—there are things you can’t explain.*
Even if I asked more, Isaac would probably remain silent—just like when I first asked how he knew me.
So I decided to let it go as well.
Whatever it was that made me so worthy of thanks, this world was full of things that couldn’t be explained anyway.
“So… when are you going back?”
“Until you can go back.”
“…I don’t even know when that’ll be.”
“That’s fine.”
Isaac stood up.
