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I Made a Friend

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*****

Still, what was going on? Why was it slightly off from reality?

「Off? As in, slightly off?」

Was it just the difference between reality and fiction? Or would some sort of narrative railroading force kick in eventually? Either way, that single discrepancy felt like it was starting to spiral into a massive divergence from the present timeline.

The very first move was Gerald's choice after catching a glimpse of the future. Was this shift what people call the butterfly effect? If so, did that mean there was no telling how reality would play out from here on? Magnolia tracked her thoughts, trying to organize them.

...Wait, did the game version of Gerald have foresight too? If he did, why did he still choose to become Chancellor in the game?

「...Lady Violet, *Min-Koi* is a world without magic, right?」

「Just Violet is fine. —Magic can basically only be used in the Monteorona Theocracy.」

That setting seemed to match reality. In real life, it wasn't that magic was completely unusable, but rather that human mana was incredibly weak to the point of being practically useless.

「Then what about some kind of mysterious power that replaces magic?」

Like the power of fairies or spirits—the ancient power passed down in the Fairy Kingdom of Haltia.

「A mysterious power...? I've never heard of that. I don't think I've ever read about it, even in the setting design notes...」

「............」

If that was the case, was it just an unreleased setting? Or did something cause a glitch... a malfunction in the original timeline?

「...A bug?」

「Eh? What?」

Violet tilted her head at Magnolia's muttered words.

(Is reincarnation the cause of it? Or did the bug happen because we reincarnated?)

「*Min-Koi* started as a game, and then got a manga and light novel adaptation, right?」

「There was an anime too!」

「...Wow, *Min-Koi* was a beast.」

It was basically a massive multimedia franchise. It felt kind of strange that something so inherently dorky was actually that popular.

「Are there any differences in the content? Like, characters who appear or don't appear, or the lore settings?」

「I don't think there were any in the original... fans call the first game 'the original'. I don't think the original had any, but I'm not sure about *Pre-Koi* (Playback♡Min-Koi II).」

「Because it's a sequel? Like, it had just come out?」

「That's part of it, but...」

Violet's eyes darted around as she spoke. After a moment, Magnolia realized why.

(Ah, the age rating.)

Kasuga Sumire was fourteen when she died. She gave a small nod.

「I had to ask the nurses over and over to tell me what happens in it, and I looked up info online. That's why I don't know it as well as the original *Min-Koi*.」

「You really loved it, didn't you...」

To someone else, it was just a game. But to Violet, it must have been a major emotional anchor.

Should she be happy that Violet found something so precious to her? Or should she feel sad that Violet lacked the time and energy to create something of her own? Magnolia didn't know the right answer.

「Well, there's no point in stressing over things we don't know. Getting this much info is already a total win!」

With a grin, Magnolia held up the two notebooks. Violet giggled.

「Wow, you really are a completely different person! If it were the real Mag-tan, she'd be throwing a screeching tantrum like, 'Why don't you know that?! You're useless!'」

「...Sorry I'm not the Mag-tan from your beloved *Min-Koi*.」

Magnolia shrugged, feeling a twinge of guilt. She felt bad for changing the world that Violet loved so much. Violet probably had deep attachments to every single character and setting.

「No way! The current Lady Magnolia is way better!」

Seeing that Violet wasn't just being polite or trying to flatter her, Magnolia let out a sigh of relief.

「...Can I borrow this notebook for a bit? I want to copy down the important parts.」

Violet shook her head at the question and pushed the notebook into Magnolia's hands.

「Nope, you can have it!」

「Eh... but it's precious to you, I'd feel bad taking it!」

「It's fine! I can rewrite it as many times as I want. I brought it today intending to give it to you anyway.」

Violet's expression turned a little serious.

「So, make sure you absolutely dodge that unwanted future!」

Magnolia blinked in surprise for a fraction of a second, then smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

「You got it! Thanks.」

After that, they spent some time chatting about completely random things.

Like how Violet knew about the royal palace garden tea party—apparently, it had appeared in a flashback scene. She had managed to pinpoint the exact date and time by doing some bizarre calculations and cross-referencing the memories of various characters. It was impressive, but she was honestly a hardcore, borderline terrifying fan.

They talked about wanting to eat delicious sweets, how hard it was living without the internet, and how inconvenient it was not to have electricity. And since they were in an alternate world, Violet mentioned wanting to visit the Monteorona Theocracy someday to see actual magic.

When Violet saw the portrait of the "Margrave of Azenda," aka Servas, who barely showed up in the games, she was completely startled by how much more hyper-muscular he was than expected.

When Magnolia found out Violet's favorite character was Gerald, she was totally grossed out. Violet then passionately ranted about how incredibly handsome Gerald was, which grossed Magnolia out even more. Apparently, through the Violet-tinted lens, his shady, suspicious smile transformed into a sparkling, radiant grin.

(To each their own, I guess...) Magnolia thought as she took a sip of her lukewarm tea.

「...By the way, if someone clears Gerald's route, what happens to that 'engaged to blank' thing?」

Did he divorce Wisteria? Or was it straight-up bigamy?! While Magnolia made a bitter face, Violet's eyes turned dreamy as she began to gush eloquently.

「No, in that route alone, they don't get engaged! Margaret aims to become a civil official instead, and she becomes his subordinate so they can work together for a better country. Their hearts are deeply bound, but out of consideration for his family, they keep it a pure, platonic relationship°!」

「Eeeh...?」

After all that dramatic buildup? She doesn't become his wife, she becomes his subordinate? And on top of that, it's platonic? Even though he's supposed to be a total snake?

Flaunting their feelings that openly while working together 24/7 would give Wisteria a permanent heart attack... Magnolia felt a sudden wave of sympathy for her mom.

Their hearts are deeply bound, which basically meant true love. How was that any better than cheating?

「...Is this the trap of an all-ages rating?」

Magnolia thought of the absolute wild ride the developers went on with her own character's route and made a sour face.

Violet continued to buzz around energetically until her carriage arrived. She gave a thoroughly terrified Dean a good, long stare that freaked him out completely (Dean had come back looking totally exhausted and wilted), and she frantically scribbled notes in a fresh journal because the Margrave's townhouse had never appeared in the game.

(Yep, that's exactly how those research logs get made...) Magnolia thought.

「You definitely have to come over again!」

「If there's time before I go back, let's go on a tour of the Royal Capital next time!」

Having completely bonded, Violet waved energetically as her carriage rolled away.

Watching the carriage leave alongside Dean and the maid, Magnolia let out a wry chuckle at the sudden, serene silence, as if a small hurricane had just passed through.

「...She's a weird kid, isn't she?」

Dean blinked his wide eyes, still looking entirely overwhelmed by Violet's sheer intensity.

The maid prompted them to head back inside the townhouse.

「She definitely is.」

Magnolia smiled as she thought of her brand-new friend—someone who looked way younger than her but was technically the exact same age on the inside.

*****

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