<Author’s Notes>
Thank you very much for your patience. I’ve been busy with Monste…… work and the Light Novel, so the update was delayed. This time, as it’s April Fool’s Day…… That person is making her appearance, just like last year.
(T/N: The raw chapter has been posted on that day.)
Also, the release dates for Light Novel’s Volume 11 and manga’s Volume 4 have been decided.
Light Novel’s Volume 11 will be released on May 19 and the manga’s Volume 4 is on April 24! We’ll let you know when the covers and other information are released in the Activity Report.One afternoon, I was looking around the city, looking at the other stores while planning to buy a new diary. The amount of writing I did was much less than before, but it has already become a habit, I still write a little bit every day.
The diary I had bought before was a bit difficult to use because the width of the columns didn’t match the width of the diary, so I was thinking about buying a different diary book when I saw the back of someone familiar.
[Hello, Shea-sa———]
[What is it that the world needs?]
[———-Yes?]
[I asked you, what is it that the world needs?]
When I tilted my head at the question Shea-san asked, with her arms crossed and still facing away from me, she continued without waiting for me to answer.[What the world needs is THAT! It’s not passion, nor ideology! It’s not ideals, nor intellect! It is not grace or elegance! It is also not diligence or speed!!! Yes, what the world lacks, more than anything……]
[………………………]
[——-IS SERIOUSNESS!!!]
[……It was Senpai huh.]
A person with the exact same face as Shea-san, who confidently shouts incomprehensible things even when we just met…… Yes, it’s the self-proclaimed Incarnation of Seriousness, Serious-senpai. Incidentally, the senpai part was also her name. She also has the Gag Status Correction which makes her immortal, so her existence itself is rather insane.
……No, I feel like there are a lot of people around me whose very existence is insane.
[……Isn’t your reaction too pale?]
[No, please pardon me from that. Even if you were that high tension when you spoke upon our meeting, I don’t think I’d be unable to respond with the same intensity……]
[I guess that’s true……]
A lot of what she says is incomprehensible, but rather than saying that she’s a good listener…… When it comes to non-serious matters, Senpai is a rather sensible person.
For the time being, we decided to move to a nearby park to resume our conversation, since we didn’t want to keep talking in the middle of the street.
[……It’s been a while. Errr, it’s been about a year, right?]
[Unnn, it seems like “the door to my room opens once a year and I can go outside”.]
[…………………]
Errr, was it that? As I thought, was she suffering under some kind of special torture? No, but for someone who I think was under such a thing, she doesn’t seem to be feeling sad at all, and when she comes out like today, she wasn’t asking for help.
[……That aside.]
[Unnn?]
[You’ve got to be kidding meeeeeee! Youuuuuuu!]
[Uwooohhh!? W- Why are you suddenly……]
When I asked Senpai who suddenly grabbed me by my collar while shouting, she shouted back with tears in her eyes.
[Seriously, there really isn’t any seriousness in the After Story!? Back in the Main Story, there were at least some salted watermelon, you knoooooow!!!?]
[Huh? Eh? After Story? Watermelon? What in the world are you……]
[It’s basically just a stable heartwarmingly story, with some lovey-dovey parts added, she said! Heartwarming, your face!? Bring out the seriousness! Where’s my seriousneeeess!!!?]
Most of what she’s saying doesn’t make sense, but she had been saying incomprehensible things from time to time when I’ve met her before, so I guess there’s no point in worrying about it. Also, even when I said that she was grabbing me by my collar, she was doing it “very gently”, and I don’t feel like I’m suffocating at all…… In many ways, it’s difficult for me to react here.
Just like that, Senpai shouted out her complaints and displeasure, but looking like she realized something, she let go of her hold on my collar.
[Well, I guess there’s no use telling you that huh…… S- Sorry, I might have grabbed you too hard…… Are your clothes wrinkled?]
[It’s alright, don’t worry about it. It seems like Senpai too, errr…… also have your own troubles.]
[You’re so kind……]
One minute, she’s crying and screaming, and the next minute, she’s meek, or rather, she looked like she was deeply moved…… Just like usual, her tension fluctuates wildly, switching speeds as fast as a roller coaster.
[……Errr, you’re looking for seriousness again?]
[Exactly! Also, I was thinking of eating something delicious while at it……]
[I think the latter was your main purpose though…… That reminds me, do you still eat only baby castellas and choccy milks?]
Apparently, she was half locked in a room with a lot of baby castellas and choccy milk, and for a long time, she had been living a hellish diet of only baby castellas and choccy milk.
……That isn’t a criminal case, right? I mean, her situation is just too unique…… Also, I hope it’s just my imagination, but I have a feeling that Kuro is somehow involved in this. It was Alice that had come to fetch Senpai before, and when it comes to baby castellas…… She’s definitely involved.
But in the end, I’m really clueless about her situation. Was she being held captive? No, but here she is, visiting the royal capital like usual…… Their intentions as to why Senpai had to live in that room were a mystery to me. However, I somehow feel like this isn’t a topic I should touch.
[No, some sort of God of Logistics has been frequently showing up in my room, so I’ve gotten much more comfortable lately. Even when I told her how I was going to the royal capital today, “she gave me some money”…… However, these white gold coins…… can it be used in normal stores?]
[No, putting aside if you’re going to shop in high class stores, if you want to shop in normal stores, you have to exchange it for smaller coins…… If that’s the case, I’ll exchange it for you later.]
[Thanks, that would be great.]
A single white gold coin is worth 10 million yen, so it’s impossible to use it in ordinary stores. Basically, stores on the main street often refuse to accept gold coins, and only silver coins can be used. Well, you can exchange money at the counters of large Trading Companies, so there are still means to use them.
However, that aside…… God of Logistics? So there was a God like that huh. I’m getting more and more curious about what kind of place that room is. I’ve heard that Senpai is also apparently the embodiment of the concept of seriousness, so I guess it’s not surprising that there would also be Gods like that……
[Well, anyhow, I’m glad that you’ve met such a good person…… God?]
[……Good…… person?]
[Eh? Was I mistaken?]
[H- Hmmm…… That’s very hard to decide. Her presence certainly has a lot of advantages, her personality itself basically isn’t bad…… but it’s like she’s a minefield.]
[A minefield?]
[If a certain topic was brought up, “she’ll distort the flow of time and talk about it for a few hundred million hours”, feeling as if she’s trying to brainwash me, “goes on a rampage quite frequently” and repeatedly says crazy things. Her specs are also abnormally high, so she couldn’t be stopped…… and even if I avoid those mines, it’s pretty common for her to “to go on a rampage without any reason”……]
[……Errr……]
Just like that, Senpai continued to talk about the God of Logistics for a while, but the more I listened to her, the crazier that God of Logistics sounded.
After I finished listening to all of this, I told Senpai with a serious expression on my face.
[……Ummm, Senpai. I don’t mean to be rude by interfering with your circle of friends…… but from what I heard…… I think “she’s a very dangerous person”, so I think you should keep your distance from her……]
[I know that! I mean, rather than her being in my circle of friends, it’s more like she’s “in your circle of friends”, you know!?]
[……Eh?]
[……Well, let’s just brush that aside, and go back to the main topic.]
[Ahh, you’re looking for places with good food, right? I could introduce you to some shops I know.]
[Really!? Well~~ I’m looking forward to it~~ The shop you brought me to last time also had great food———— wait, I’m not talking about that!]
A really smooth self-tsukkomi…… Her response was so resounding that she must have had a lot of experience. I don’t know if I should say that it’s to be expected of Senpai or not, but it seems like she’s quite skilled.
[It’s just past lunchtime, so it seems like a good time to eat. How about we talk while we go find something to eat…… Roughly speaking, which do you prefer, meat or fish?]
[Hmmm, it’s hard to say if I prefer one over the other…… but I think I’ll go with meat here. Chicken meat is also great.]
[Chicken meat huh. You like your food spicy, right?]
[I’m fine with eating almost anything, but eating spicy food makes me happy…… No, hold on. I’d like to put that aside, and get back to the main point……]
As for me, I’m not really sure what the main point that she was talking about was, so I’d like to fool her into just going along with this momentum…… but it seems like that would be difficult.
[……You were searching for seriousness, right? I mean, it’s a little late to ask this now, but what kind of seriousness are you searching for, Senpai? Do you have a specific situation in mind……]
[You id—- What the heck are you talking about!? You aren’t supposed to step into that topic!]
[Eeehhh……]
She wanted to get back on topic, but when I tried my best to bring up the seriousness that she was looking for, she got mad for some reason…… How unreasonable.
[Listen here, okay!? Just knowing the details of everything isn’t enough. There are some things in this world that are happier left in the dark!]
[I- Is that so?]
[For example, how do adventurers use the bathroom in dungeon exploration stories, or what happens if something goes wrong with your real body while you’re in-game in dive VR stories…… If you write about such things in detail, it would just be long-winded and only a few people would appreciate it! Just as it’s boring to describe each day in a month’s worth of training in detail, there are some things in this world that are better left vague!!!]
[……I- I see.]
I don’t really know if I understand what the heck she was talking about…… but I’m not sure if the search for seriousness falls into that category. Also, the fact that she mentions “dive VR” as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world…… As usual, she’s as mysterious as ever.
[And so, I guess you’ll just have to accept that I’m looking for something serious.]
[I see…… So, what is your main purpose?]
[I don’t know much about it myself, so if you ask me for a specific explanation, I wouldn’t know what to say…… you’re making me ultra troubled here.]
[……Well, Senpai’s existence itself is rather vague.]
[Doesn’t it seem like you’re treating me more rudely than last year!? If you keep talking like that, you’re going to lower my Affection Meters here! Ahh, there it is, your comment just now lowered it by 1, and it’s now only “4865”, you know!?]
[……What was the maximum value of that again?]
[100.]
[……………….]
Didn’t she say it was around 95 before? It has absurdly skyrocketed…… Heck, what about the maximum limit……
[……W- Well, it’s that, you know? The reason why I’m treating Senpai more roughly than before is that I’m feeling closer to you than before. Or something like that. I think.]
[H- Hmph! It’s too late to try to regain favor by saying that…… It’s “5030” now.]
[Even above the maximum limit, it keeps on instantly skyrocketing huh……]
How should I say this…… Just like usual, she was as unreasonable, but amusing as ever, and I couldn’t help smiling when I talked with her. Although it was a once-a-year meeting, there was no heavy atmosphere around her at all. Just like that, the two of us went to a restaurant together, chatting happily.
After that, I continued to go around with Senpai until evening…… and it wasn’t until I got home that I realized that I forgot to buy a diary.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai (Affection Meter: 9999) : [Oi, what the heck is with that title!? Don’t just abbreviate everything! It’s just a small difference in length, try to finish it, will you!!!?]
? ? ? : [……I thought I had been quite easy back then, but I guess it was just my imagination. I’m not as easy as this girl…… you just played for half a day and he’s broken through your Affection Meters, even multiplying it by ten……]
