The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 52
EP.52 Discovery (1)
I am, at the very least, a person with a bit of social awareness. I mean, there were times when I mistakenly thought I had gotten close to someone just because I talked about my favorite games, only to realize they were just being polite and not really interested. Thankfully, that was back in high school, and since there weren’t many girls around me, it just ended with rumors of me being a nerd.
After that, I decided to improve my ability to read people. I was not someone who naturally drew people in with my looks, nor was I great at talking. Sure, I used to say whatever came to mind on the internet, but that was different—it was easy to forget you were talking to real people when you couldn’t see their faces or reactions. There was no way to tell if you were making someone uncomfortable online.
Working at a company and navigating social life eventually taught me how to get through most interactions smoothly. At the very least, I could now read when someone was clearly disinterested in a conversation or unsure of how to respond to me.
For example, right now, Mia Crowfield, sitting across from me, wore that exact expression—the one that said, “I have no idea how to deal with you.” People tend to find it uncomfortable to make eye contact with someone who never shows any expression, especially when that person was someone from a high-ranking family.
Of course, there were exceptions—people who confidently claimed they could read my expression, those who proudly declared themselves my younger sister, those who were always confident, or those surrounded by so many women that one more expressionless woman wouldn’t make a difference.
Now that I think about it, I really did seem to attract quite the odd bunch of people. But when you remembered that they were all part of the original protagonist party, their quirks became easier to accept.
Although the protagonist still seemed to have a hard time dealing with me, I figured time will sort that out on its own. So, let’s not worry about that for now.
The real issue was Mia Crowfield.
Up until just last week, Mia would glare at me with a ferocity that was hard to ignore every time our eyes met. She didn’t even bother hiding her murderous intent—it was so blatant that I had to stifle a laugh.
As a heroine in this game, she had quite a curvy figure, but she was a bit short, and her eyes were often hidden by her bangs, making her seem timid. In fact, unless she was glaring at me, she usually remained in that timid state. So, when her attitude toward me changed, I noticed immediately.
This was the same Mia Crowfield who acted like a scared rabbit in front of people like Charlotte or even Alice, the Emperor’s daughter, but would always shoot daggers at me. Yet recently, she’d started avoiding my gaze more and more.
Had something changed in her mind?
If so, why? What had caused this change?
“…”
“…”
Hmm.
Wait a minute.
Why didn’t I just ask her directly?
Seriously, what was stopping me? I’m someone who can reset the time if things go south. All I need to do was ask her upfront.
Moreover, I had said far worse things in the past.
I glanced around the room. Alice and Charlotte were present in the student council room. Other committee members and the student council president were also there.
While we had joined the student council, we didn’t have specific roles yet. It seemed they wanted to keep us around as valuable assets. In the original work, the student council president was quite a noble-minded person but also judged people based on their abilities, though he gave significant weight to their backgrounds. And, of course, the two Graces who had confidently followed Alice were also present.
We offered them some milk tea, though it was clear they weren’t as warmly welcomed as Alice, Charlotte, or Mia Crowfield. It felt more like they were given tea just because they were there. Leo looked as if he were sitting on pins and needles, while Claire appeared entirely unbothered.
Hmm.
I could ask her. Even if people around us got startled, it wouldn’t matter since I could just reset the time.
But Mia Crowfield didn’t know I could reset time. So, she might hide the truth during the conversation. Would I get a proper answer if I asked here?
“…”
I stared at Mia Crowfield, observing her quietly. She began shifting her gaze around the room, clearly uncomfortable, though she didn’t blush. So it wasn’t embarrassment, it seemed.
Why was she acting like this?
Her behavior was making me more anxious.
“…”
Ah, forget it.
“Mia Crowfield.”
When I quietly called her name, she nearly jumped out of her seat like she’d seen a ghost.
Thud!
The sound of her chair and desk scraping echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention to us instantly.
…This felt familiar. Though, it wasn’t as intense as last time. Mia’s reaction was different as well—this wasn’t nearly as serious a conversation yet.
“Y-Yes, yes, yes!?”
Her response was pure panic.
Was it that surprising?
I rarely called others by their names first. I didn’t want to engage in long conversations and reveal any weaknesses. Of course, I could adjust the conversation by turning back time, but doing so was mentally exhausting. Even if my body didn’t tire, my mind experienced several times the duration of a typical conversation.
For someone like me, who was naturally introverted, dragging out conversations I didn’t want to have felt like pure torture.
“I have something I’d like to discuss. Could we talk for a moment?”
“N-No, n-no, no, no! I don’t want to!”
Mia Crowfield immediately rejected my request.
I had even suggested having the conversation privately to avoid prying ears, but she refused outright.
For the record, the people around us had their mouths wide open in shock.
…Was this really something to be so surprised about? After all, even introverted people need to talk to others sometimes.
…Wait a minute.
I thought I had built up a cool beauty image for myself, but did others see me as just a socially awkward loner? Like someone with social anxiety who can’t even talk properly to others?
Could it be that I give off a similar vibe to Mia Crowfield or something like that?
“…You don’t want to?”
I asked again.
“No! What do you think you’re going to do to me!?”
I had no intentions of doing anything.
But, that kind of response made me seem like some sort of villainous character who preys on girls. Of course, Mia Crowfield probably meant it as ‘kill,’ but the way she worded it was perfect for causing misunderstandings.
Judging by the dumbfounded expressions on everyone’s faces, except Alice, who was frowning deeply, the others seemed to be staring at me in shock.
…Or am I just overthinking things again? Maybe I’ve just watched too many anime and read too many manga and now I’m paranoid.
I wanted to shake my head to clear the thoughts, but even if I intended to reset time, I still had to maintain some level of character consistency.
“I won’t do anything to you.”
“How can I trust you?”
Fair point.
From Mia Crowfield’s perspective, that’s the only way she could see me. After all, I was the enemy who killed her father.
The real question, though, was why her attitude toward me changed over the past week.
“If that’s the case, I’ll ask my question here. Is that alright?”
“…Ah.”
When I said that, Mia Crowfield’s expression went blank for a moment. She likely wasn’t expecting me to bring anything up here, in front of everyone. She might have thought I wasn’t going to bring up her father, but she had no way of knowing what kind of information I could reveal, especially if she still saw me as an assassin.
“Go ahead, then,” she replied, trying to sound confident but clearly putting on a brave face.
“…”
I narrowed my eyes slightly, studying Mia Crowfield before I spoke again, calmly.
“Very well, then.”
After a brief pause, I continued.
“Mia Crowfield, the way you looked at me last week was different from how you’re looking at me now. May I ask why that is?”
It was as if a light bulb went off above Mia Crowfield’s head. Well, not literally, but that’s how I imagined it. This world didn’t have convenient features like a system or status window.
“Th-Th-Th…”
Mia Crowfield stammered for a moment, before finally blurting out,
“Even if there was a change, it has nothing to do with you! Why do I have to explain every little thing to you!?”
With that, Mia Crowfield spun around and dashed out of the student council room as if fleeing from the scene.
“…….”
Hmm.
In the brief silence that filled the student council room, I quickly sorted out my thoughts. Judging by her reaction, even if I had called her aside for a private conversation, I wouldn’t have gotten a proper answer.
…It seemed there’s nothing I could do for now.
“Sylvia?”
Seeing Claire still looking surprised speak to me, I realized it was time to reset the situation.
Again.
*
I might not have a refined sense for tea leaves, but when something was truly expensive and of high quality, even someone unfamiliar could tell the difference.
The milk tea we drank in the student council was delicious—smooth, fragrant. I felt tempted to dump in heaps of sugar, but with just two cubes, the sweetness was tolerable enough.
Even as a cool beauty, gaining weight wasn’t something I could afford.
The rich aroma of brewed premium tea leaves filled every corner of the student council room. We drank tea so regularly that the subtle scent of black tea had seeped into the space itself, detectable whenever we walked in.
And as I leisurely enjoyed this high-quality tea, I continued to observe Mia Crowfield.
Just like before I reset the time, Mia Crowfield was desperately avoiding my gaze.
…So far, the only people I’d assassinated were the count and his cronies. The Emperor had asked me about global affairs, and I’d provided some information—twisting what I knew from the game’s original storyline—but that was the extent of it. I had been sent on missions to gather intelligence, but the only major figure I had “killed” was the count.
Could she have heard some baseless rumor elsewhere? Maybe Mia learned that I was much more dangerous than she initially thought, and that’s why she was so afraid. That seemed plausible. Her reaction earlier made it clear. She seemed scared of being alone with me.
“……”
I silently took a sip of the milk tea, now cooled to a pleasant temperature.
…Should I follow her?
The weekend was just around the corner, so why not? If Mia was getting her information from someone, I could figure out who. There hadn’t been anyone like that in the original story, but this world had shifted significantly, with the backgrounds of several characters having changed because of me.
Alright then.
Looks like my weekend plans are set.