The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 96
EP.96 Proof (2)
“What’s got you so deep in thought?”
Claire’s question made Leo flinch, his shoulders jerking in surprise.
“Oh, it’s you?”
Realizing it was Claire who had spoken, Leo sighed in relief.
“What’s with that relieved expression? It’s so annoying.”
Claire grumbled, catching on to the fact that he wasn’t seeing her as a woman. Not that Claire saw Leo as a man, either, so there was no real reason for either of them to be annoyed by it. Still, it was somehow… annoying.
Leo thought to himself that he wasn’t quite sure what he was even thinking.
It was late at night. The weather outside was finally starting to reach bearable temperatures. Although Northwood lay south of the capital, the climate here was a bit warmer even on nights like this. The name Northwood was a holdover from the time when it was a separate kingdom. Now, though, it had been fully absorbed into the Empire, with no trace of its former status as a kingdom.
“So, why are you here?”
“Why? Can’t I take a stroll too?”
Claire’s response held a hint of something on her mind, though. Before Leo could ask what was bothering her, Claire flashed him a teasing smirk.
“Why, are you still thinking about those breasts?”
“……”
Leo shot her a glare, but Claire only shrugged, completely unfazed.
“It’s not that. I just feel bad for Bella, seeing her in that situation. There are probably a lot of people like her here.”
“That’s…”
However, Claire couldn’t continue teasing Leo after he said that. Leo knew some of Claire’s past. On the night Claire was sold off, Sylvia had helped the children escape from the orphanage, allowing Claire and the children to be safely taken in by the Grace family. Sylvia, meanwhile, had somehow ended up in the imperial palace.
Hearing that story, Leo had wondered if Sylvia had been part of the imperial family from the beginning… But even if Sylvia was older, she couldn’t have been more than two years older than Claire. Even if Sylvia was seven at the time, it seemed unlikely that the imperial family would use a seven-year-old as an agent, no matter how capable she was.
“Hmm.”
Claire folded her arms and closed her eyes, as if in thought. She stayed like that, head bowed as if contemplating something, then suddenly looked up.
“Alright.”
“Alright?”
Leo echoed, unable to follow her line of thought.
“Let’s go to the casino.”
“Huh?”
He could only stare, not quite able to catch up with her logic.
“You’re worried about Bella, aren’t you? Honestly, I’m worried too.”
Claire shrugged again, speaking lightly.
Leo looked at her, mouth slightly agape, as Claire scratched the side of her head.
“Yeah, maybe it’s just meddling. Everyone here probably has their own story. But still…”
She gave Leo a bright smile.
“…we can’t just pass by someone in trouble right in front of us. We’re Grace, after all.”
“Even if you can’t save everyone, don’t ignore those in need right in front of you.”
Leo murmured, repeating the Grace family’s motto.
“It’s thanks to that motto that I’m here today.”
Claire said with a refreshing smile.
*
…I feel incredibly exposed.
I had thought I was making a grand entrance with Alice by my side, spouting cool lines and all, but maybe I should’ve tried different approach.
Parts of my body that usually only saw the light of day when I changed clothes or showered were suddenly on full display. The black fabric covered most of my torso, yet only about half of it. It barely shielded the area just below my chest, leaving the pale skin above in plain view.
At least I hadn’t gone as far as Chiara Verratti, who’d dusted her chest with some kind of glitter.
“…Don’t go too far, alright?”
“Don’t worry. I’m right behind you.”
Alice replied reassuringly.
Despite confidently declaring that she would prove herself as a worthy princess, Alice seemed incredibly embarrassed by her outfit. Alice usually dressed very neatly, given that she was surrounded by nobles. In my memory, Claire wasn’t a character who dressed so neatly. Though to be fair, thinking back to her in the game, Claire was definitely… well-endowed. Larger than she looked, at the very least. And Alice was no different in that respect.
The game developers had gone to meticulous lengths on the character models, even if they skimped on background textures and recycled character motions. Each character’s chest was carefully modeled to distinct sizes, especially in outfits like this bunny-girl. They’d even sculpted the pressed flesh with such dedication that some players jokingly labeled the developers as perverts.
Then again, omitting such attention to detail in a character game would have been almost disrespectful.
Whoever on the dev team decided to dress Alice in a sky-blue bunny outfit certainly knew what they were doing. Alice’s golden hair looked perfect against the pale blue, not too flashy but striking just enough. The faintly visible skin through her stockings paired beautifully with it.
And the bashful expression that peeked out from beneath her white half-mask was practically magnetic, drawing everyone’s gaze.
…I couldn’t understand how I hadn’t noticed her before turning back time.
To put it bluntly—
Well, let’s just say, I hadn’t realized my own, er… my chest—Sylvia Fangriffon’s chest—was no less impressive than Alice’s. I was used to seeing it often enough, but somehow, this outfit, with its upward lift, reshaped the silhouette, making it seem far more prominent than usual.
Whistle—
Someone nearby whistled at us, but we didn’t pay them any mind.
Nothing strange about that, either. Many people here liked acting high and mighty until they were put in their place, and some folks probably took pleasure in knocking them down a peg or two.
“Let me remind you one more time—if anyone tries to touch you—”
“—I know, I know, kick them where it counts. You’ve told me enough times.”
If any guards ran over, all we’d have to do is reveal our identities. No one would dare lay a hand on the princess, after all. Though, honestly, it would be safer to reset the time and give Alice a chance to take a different route.
“Don’t worry, I have the information. I don’t plan on wasting time.”
It seemed Bella had given her some hints.
“Hey, over here—”
As I carefully followed behind Alice, trying not to bump into people, someone called out. A hand raised high in the crowd held a few bills between its fingers.
Of course, we ignored it and kept walking—
“Hey, you’re just going to ignore me?”
Right, in situations like this, there had to be someone like this.
It’s such a cliché.
We could hear the sound of someone getting up behind us, clearly annoyed that we had ignored them.
I wasn’t sure what he expected us to serve when we weren’t even carrying drinks… or maybe he just wanted us to sit on his lap for a bit of fun. He was shorter than both of us, even with us in high heels, but he had a bulky, rough appearance.
“Let’s go.”
Alice had heard him, too, but she simply grabbed my wrist and pulled me along. It was reassuring, but trying to speed up in heels she wasn’t used to wearing didn’t exactly make for a fast escape.
“Hey, you! Didn’t you hear me? I said I like you.”
Suddenly, I felt a rough hand grab mine.
It would have been great if I could just pull away, but with Alice holding my other wrist, I ended up awkwardly spread out between them, unable to move.
…Getting tugged on both sides like this in an outfit like mine was beyond embarrassing.
Caught in the moment, my mind started to go blank—
“Hey, you.”
Unsurprisingly, another cliché scene unfolded.
“Let go of her hand.”
“Huh? And who the hell are you—argh!”
Despite her appearance, Claire had an incredibly strong grip. And she looked a bit angry.
It was a look I’d seen a few times in the game, but seeing it in person was much more intimidating. The man’s hand dropped from my wrist.
“…You don’t need a man to escort you, right?”
Before Alice or I could react, Claire pulled out a bill from her pocket and slipped it between my breasts.
…The fact that she managed to do that without actually touching me was, in a way, quite impressive.
“Princess… Alice, this way.”
Leo, who was almost always at Claire’s side, appeared next to Alice, bringing his hand near her waist—close enough to guide her but not quite touching. He gently pulled Alice toward him.
Oh, so, that explains why Alice, Leo, and Claire all showed up at once.
As I let Claire pull me along, I braced myself to avoid any more embarrassment, piecing things together in my mind.