The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent-Chapter 435

I’d given some thought to what Alice might want to do.

But I still didn’t expect this.

In this world, Alice had one big hobby.

Cultural exploration.

Whether it was from this country or another, she didn’t really care.

Movies, dramas, comics, anime. She bought and read a lot of books, too.

Naturally, she also bought games and figures. Though after that time she bought the bunny-girl Claire, she hadn’t purchased any more figures. And she didn’t seem particularly into gaming.

So, I thought she’d suggest something like watching a movie together.

“...Plastic models?”

Yep.

Alice had dragged us out to buy plastic model kits.

Yongsan’s shopping area may not be what it once was, but the stores connected directly to Yongsan Station were still thriving.

Among toy shops and game stores, she took us into one that specialized in model kits.

“I heard these don’t even need glue to assemble.”

That much I knew.

The place Alice brought us to was the flagship store of a Japanese company that owns one of the world’s most famous robot anime franchises.

“...Did you always want to try making one?”

“I’ve been interested in art since I was a kid.”

Really?

Thinking about the content Alice liked in this world, it did make some sense.

As I made a thoughtful face, Alice spoke up, slightly embarrassed.

“I mean, I never showed it in front of you. I thought... it’d be seen as a weakness.”

“How is liking art a weakness?”

“I thought an emperor shouldn’t have such delicate hobbies.”

Delicate, huh...

I mean, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° sure. It’d be weird to imagine the emperor sitting in a room quietly building robot models.

Maybe miniatures would feel more fitting.

“So you want to buy one here and build it together?”

“Yep.”

Well, no reason not to.

As adults, we rarely have time to sit and build things. Once I realized figures were easier to display than models, I stopped buying kits altogether.

Now, we had all the time in the world.

Though once we returned to the Empire, that time might become scarce again.

It’s not like we’d have many more moments like this—five of us gathered, hanging out like this.

“What kind of kit are you thinking?”

“Hmm... Since we’re doing it together, maybe a big one with a lot of parts?”

True, the expensive ones often looked great even without paint.

I nodded at Alice’s suggestion.

*

“Whoa, that’s a lot.”

Back at home, Alice opened the box, and a small avalanche of runners spilled out. She looked genuinely excited.

We’d known each other for so long, and I never knew she had this kind of hobby.

Surprisingly, she might get along well with Lena. There weren’t any plastic models in that other world, but Lena also loved collecting things like this.

Thinking about it made me a little nostalgic.

I smiled faintly and sat down.

“Okay, here are the tools.”

Alice handed out modeling nippers to everyone, smiling brightly.

“No need to go all out. We’re doing this to have fun, right? If we mess up, we mess up. Let’s just make it look decent.”

It was a bit pricey to be this casual with it, but I didn’t say anything. After all, today was Alice’s day.

And my turn would come soon enough.

“I’m not great with my hands...”

“Like I said, it’s fine if we mess up. What matters is doing it together—not the end result.”

Still, if someone snapped off that signature V-shaped horn, it would really bug me... but I kept that thought to myself. Didn’t want to sound like a hardcore otaku.

*

It didn’t take long before the room filled with soft snipping sounds from the nippers.

Well, maybe not “filled.” The snipping was occasional—interspersed with the soft clicks of parts fitting together, the rustle of instruction manuals, and the crinkle of plastic bags.

No one really said much.

“Are we just super focused or something?”

Maybe the silence was awkward; Claire finally broke it.

“Yeah, you really have to concentrate while building. It’s way easier than sculpting, but you still need focus or you’ll mess up.”

“Exactly. That’s why I wanted to try it. People say it clears your head while you’re building.”

Alice responded to Charlotte.

Meanwhile, Mia—who had been worried about not having good dexterity—was actually the most focused of us all.

Watching her fiddle with the parts was like watching a tiny animal at work.

Still, petting her while she was concentrating would be a bit too much.

“When did it start?”

“Hm?”

As we assembled our parts, I asked, still focused on mine. Alice responded without looking up.

“When did you start liking art? Novels, drawings, that kind of thing—were you always into them?”

“...”

Alice paused for a moment.

“You remember when I used to read newspapers a lot?”

“Yeah. You said it was to stay up to date on international affairs.”

“That was part of it. But honestly, I just wanted to read the four-panel comics.”

“Wait... is that why you used to buy every newspaper?”

“...Pretty much.”

Alice giggled.

“When exactly it started... I’m not sure. I’ve liked those things since I was little.”

Yeah, I guess I couldn’t pinpoint when I started liking manga either. I can say I started buying manga in middle school, but that was only because that’s when I first had my own money.

Usually, from my parents.

“I’ve always hidden a lot from you, you know? Eventually, hiding things got harder than just being honest. You were always so perfect to me... I was scared you’d be disappointed if you found out.”

“...”

I fiddled with one of the model pieces and replied.

“From my perspective, you were the perfect one.”

“Huh?”

“I studied for exams by rewinding time over and over. Whenever I missed something or didn’t understand a concept, I’d go back and make sure I got it right. I didn’t take the exams multiple times or anything, but still—I cheated.”

I fit another part in with a click and smiled a little.

“But you never did that—and you always got better results than me. You didn’t always know everything, but you knew how to work hard. That’s why I respected you.”

“...”

“Maybe the reason I never rewound time just to memorize answers was because I saw how hard you were trying.”

“T-Thanks?”

My calm words made Alice’s eyes tremble slightly.

“Unnie... Unnie.”

As the conversation paused, Claire called out to me.

“What is it?”

“What about me?”

“Huh?”

“What did you think of me?”

“...Wasn’t that a little early to ask something like that?”

“You were an obedient, sweet kid who looked up to me. You used to be so well-behaved.”

“I still am!”

“In what world are you well-behaved?”

“Unnie. Next time we go running, I’m making you do an extra lap.”

“You’re extremely well-behaved. Easily the most well-behaved kid I know.”

Claire stuck out her tongue at me. She could tell I didn’t mean it.

A small wave of laughter passed through the group.

Still, Claire had good timing.

The mood had gotten a little heavy. She pulled it right back up.

*

“...”

“What do you think?”

Alice asked as we looked at the finished model—mostly white and blue, with a sleek silhouette.

“It’s great.”

“Looks good.”

Claire and I answered.

“Feels more satisfying because we all built it together.”

“It was my first time, but I had fun.”

Charlotte and Mia chimed in as well.

It turned out much better than I expected. We didn’t sand or polish like hardcore builders, but even without that, it looked quite nice. That brand was known for quality, after all.

We placed the completed model on the far right of the figure lineup in front of the TV.

I thought it’d look out of place next to all the pretty girl figures, but somehow it fit. Maybe because it was all part of the same otaku aesthetic?

“Alright, I’m satisfied,” Alice said, hands on her hips.

“Now, whose turn is it next?”

“That would be mine.”

Charlotte stepped forward with a smile.

“Of course, I already know what I want to do.”

Her bright, glowing smile was straight out of a fairy tale.