Chapter 774: April Fools Extra Chapter: Invaders from the Afterword (2/2)

However, be that as it may, I can't just leave her alone like this, especially since I'm the one who approached her…… I can't help but feel that she's unreliable. I have a feeling that if I leave her alone, she might get into some strange trouble.

[……Errr, I don't really know where this seriousness is, but I'm more or less familiar with the geography of this area…… so, errr, should I guide you?]

[ ! ? ……You're so kind.]

She may be a strange person by nature, but I couldn't just ignore her and go home. Knowing it would be troublesome, I still suggested it to her, which made Senpai look like she's overcome with emotions.

But a little later, she looked as if she had realized something.

[Haahh!? Don't you dare misunderstand, okay!? D- Don't think you've raised my flag for just something like this!]

[H- Huhh……]

Errr, is it that? The flags she was talking about in this situation, was she talking about Love Flags?

[I'll tell you this now, but my Affection Meters is still a measly ”96”!]

[……Incidentally, what's the maximum value of that?]

[100.]

[……And the initial value when you first meet someone?]

[About 30?]

She surprisingly has a high evaluation of me. Within an hour of meeting her, her Affection Meters had risen tremendously. Where in our conversation had there been a factor that increased her Affection Meter by 66? N- No, it might only make sense when I've accumulated 100, but still…… She seems like a very gullible person.

[……W- Well, for the time being, how about we look for this seriousness…… Do you have any idea what that might be?]

[Hmmm, for now though, I'd like to eat something. Preferably something spicy. Also, if it's possible, I'd also like to eat something famous here.]

Errr, is it that? In the end, this person was just ”here for sightseeing in Symphonia's royal capital”? Well, rather than searching for that seriousness that I just couldn't understand, I'd gratefully choose that instead.

After concluding that, I opened the food guidebook that Kuro had given me back then, and guided her to the restaurants that fit in her requests.

Because her face resembles Shea-san, I thought the food would have to be very spicy to satisfy her…… but eating foods like that was too much for me, so I brought her to a restaurant that served slightly spicy food.

Senpai seemed to be totally okay with it too, and was eating very well.  I thought I've heard her say things like ”I've only eaten baby castellas all my life” or ”I've only drunk choccy milk”…… but I think it was just my imagination.

The fact that she was crying during the meal was only because she was moved by the deliciousness of the food…… It's not like she was being tortured in some mysterious way.

She didn't have any money and I had to pay for the whole thing, but she looked apologetic for it, so I want to believe that she wasn't trying to cheat me out of a free meal.

Senpai was quick to switch gears, or rather, I had already thought about it before, but her tension swings about greatly. Whenever she feels depressed, she recovers really quickly, and in a way, she might be someone interesting to watch.

She might be weird, but she's not a bad person…… In any case, sightseeing in the royal capital with the excited Senpai was fun in its own way, and I couldn't help but guide her to various places.

In the end, we weren't able to find seriousness, and when the sun had set, we returned to the park where we first talked.

[Well~~ That was fun! Thanks for hanging out with me!]

[No, I had fun too. However, in the end, we weren't able to find the seriousness at all.]

[……Eh? Ahh!?]

[……You forgot huh.]

[N- No, that is, you know, that…… Seriousness isn't something found in a day! It isn't something that someone can just easily find!]

[Please don't make up incomprehensible things.]

Gotten to know each other well over the course of the day, we were able to converse with each other with ease. Well, how should I say this…… I guess you could say that her image is rather similar to Alice's, so there's no problem if I treat her roughly to some extent. Rather, it's more like I feel like I'd be at a disadvantage if I treat her politely.

But on the other hand, I don't have to be overly cautious of her, so it might be easier to talk to her once you get used to her.

[Well, anyway, thank you for to———]

[……Eh?]

She was about to thank me with a sweet smile, but she immediately disappeared from my sight…… or rather, she was punched out of my sight. In the place where Serious-senpai had been until a moment ago, a familiar ”black stuffed cat costume” appeared with her fist brandished, and immediately afterwards, a thunderous roar rang out.

[Fuuu, good grief. Just when I was thinking where you were…… What a troubling senpai, you are.]

[A- A- A- Alice!? What the heck are you suddenly doing!?]

[Ahh, no, you're mistaken. I'm not the Transcendental Beauty Alice-chan, I'm just her fan.]

[No, no, you're definitely Alice…… No, that aside, what the heck are you suddenly doing!? Senpai!]

While I was stunned by the sudden appearance of the costumed Alice, I hurriedly looked in the direction of the huge cloud of dust that must have been blown up by Senpai's body.

Putting aside if she was Shea-san, but from what I've seen by hanging out with her today, Senpai only has normal physical abilities. If Alice hits such a Senpai, what would happen…… D*mn it, I'll leave scolding Alice for later! I need to make sure Senpai is alright first……

[That really hurts…… Why did you suddenly do that?]

—-is what I thought, but she looked completely composed!? Although she had a bump on her head like those in gag mangas, she seemed to be alright.

While I was confused by the situation, Alice (?), as if she understood my question, spoke.

[Ahh, please don't worry. Senpai has the ”Gag Status Correction”, so she is basically an immortal durable monster, so there's no problem at all.]

[Eh? No, what the heck are you even saying……]

Gag Status Correction sounds like it's straight out of a manga…… This won't do, I'm seriously confused. My head couldn't follow the situation at all.

[Anyway, it's time to go back, Senpai.]

[No! I still haven't found seriousness yet!!!]

[Like I said, that doesn't exist……]

[No, there has to be! It's definitely there! As long the serious of the serious me exists, the seriousness will appear!]

[……Freaking stubborn.]

[Gyaaaaaahhhhh!?]

What is this, I can't keep up with the situation at all. I thought Senpai was mangled up by the black stuffed cat costume, but the next moment, she was back as if nothing had happened.

I don't know if it's because I was unable to follow behind or because I couldn't make any sense of what's happening, but I felt like my head's going to burst…… and for some reason, my consciousness was slowly fading away.

[————–Hahh!?]

Bouncing out of my futon, I got up…… and found myself in my room that I'm so familiar with. I hurriedly looked around, but neither Senpai nor the stuffed black cat costume were anywhere to be seen.

[……Eh? A dream?]

How should I say this…… That was a really strange dream. Am I that tired?

While thinking about this, I got out of the bed…… and found a neatly wrapped package on my desk. Picking it up and inspecting it, I didn't find the sender's name on it.

Tilting my head at the unfamiliar package, I opened it…… and found ”an assortment of powdered cocoa”, the kind you dissolve in milk to make choccy, and ”a flag” that looks like it could be used as a beach flag.

The flag had the word ”happiness” written on it with what seemed to be a magic marker, and there was a message card attached to the handle.

And on the message card, cutely written on it……

I'll leave this flag unbroken. Also, ummm…… I had fun, thank you.

—–Serious-senpai

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai (Affection Meter: 999) : […… W- Well, as expected of the protagonist. He isn't that bad of a guy…… He didn't raise any flag on me or anything like that though.]

? ? ? : [Look at your name…… No, well, if that's what you want to think…… However, cocoa as a thank you huh. I guess it's because there's nothing else here, but it's not like it's a very spicy one, right?]

Serious-senpai (Affection Meter: 999) : [Hahh? What are you talking about…… Listen here, okay? It's obvious that ”what I like” and ”what will make others happy” are different things. I wouldn't be foolish enough to impose my own tastes on them.]

? ? ? : [……How should I say this…… It's more like common sense…… but don't you think that your words are ”sending out a really large boomerang towards the Parallel World you”?]

Serious-senpai (Affection Meter: 999) : [Eh? ……Ahh.]