kscans

Chapter 485 - Self-Proclaimed Mob Character

Parfait somehow managed to get the two beautiful girls, Ginny and Cynthia, who had collapsed to their knees and were sitting sideways on the floor, into chairs. Leaving the two, who for some reason looked utterly exhausted, for a moment, she prepared some cake and tea.

Ginny and Cynthia seemed to have finally calmed down, and they began to sip their tea elegantly.

The visual calorie count is too high... I think I'm getting heartburn...

Elves, the very definition of handsome men and beautiful women in fantasy. In front of Parfait, two modern-day elves were drinking tea gracefully. The sheer resolution was enough to make her brain feel like it was lagging.

However, while their appearances were one thing, their inner selves were something dark and deep. The gap between their excited speech patterns and their looks was enough to make Parfait's brain short-circuit.

As she wondered what to do, Cynthia bowed her head to Parfait.

"Pa-Parfait... san, I-I'm sorry for letting you see such an embarrassing side of me..."

"Ah, yeah, it's fine. I'm used to it. Mostly because of Ginny-chan."

In Ginny's case, they had been together since childhood, so she had gradually gotten used to it. If she had met her for the first time at this age, it would have been rough. So, while she was surprised by Cynthia, that was the extent of it.

"...I-I'm sorry. I'm under a curse that makes me want to give offerings to people with high face attack power..."

"...That sounds tough."

While wondering what "high face attack power" meant, Parfait read the room and offered a sympathetic voice.

At that, as if noticing something, Ginny spoke with a grave expression.

"Actually, I'm also under a curse that makes me want to spend money on people with high cosplay power."

"I know that one. And that it's an incurable disease."

But what is 'high cosplay power'...?

While the two of them claimed to be cursed, Parfait decided it probably wasn't a problem. It seemed to her that for them, it was less of a curse and more of a blessing.

Setting that aside, she understood that they were friends, but there were still things she didn't understand.

"Um, Cynthia-san, you're Ginny-chan's classmate, right? I've visited her class a few times, but I don't think I've ever seen you..."

"W-well... to tell you the truth, this form is a temporary one..."

"A temporary form?"

"My true self is a super-dreadnought class inkyan..."

"Super-dreadnought class inkyan..."

"In a romance game, I'd be a mob character drawn in the background of a still image. Just a classmate who never interacts with the protagonist or the heroine, with no name and no lines, a background element that has no effect on the game... An existence that might not even get a new illustration when the seasons change..."

Is a still image that CG thing? Is she saying she's like a background character in an event scene...? I don't think that's necessarily an introvert, does she mean she has a weak presence?

Parfait wasn't sure how to react. She thought this was probably what Cynthia meant when she said she was good at blending into the background, but she was at a loss for how to reply.

However, a beautiful girl like this would stand out to anyone if she were in the background. On the contrary, if she had no involvement at all, it would be at a level where you'd ask the game's development company, "Who is that?" Parfait had been to Ginny's class many times, so she tilted her head, wondering if it was really possible not to notice her.

Seeing this, Ginny, perhaps thinking of something, spoke up.

"Cynthia-san usually gives off more of a shadow aura."

"...A shadow aura?"

"Yes. A kind of blocking aura that prevents anyone from noticing her. She completely erases her presence. Of course, she can't fool my eyes. Oh, and her hairstyle is different today too. She usually styles it to hide her face more. Today is the first time I've seen her face clearly, so I was surprised... Seriously, an elf...!"

"Ah, I see?"

Cynthia blushed shyly and traced the character 'no' on the table with her index finger.

"Um, you said it's the first time you've seen her face clearly, but you're friends with Ginny-chan, right?"

When she asked that, Cynthia frantically shook her head back and forth multiple times. Her hair flew about wildly.

"N-no, that's too much for me... I-I'm just a classmate, at best acquaintance A, no, acquaintance K... If I were to call myself her friend, I'd be getting ahead of myself and divine punishment would surely follow... I'd probably stub my little toe on the corner of a dresser five times a day..."

While Cynthia was saying that, Ginny, after a moment of confusion, smiled.

"Cynthia-san and I are best friends. It's no exaggeration to say we're as close as mountain and river, yin and yang, nullpo and gah."

While some of the analogies were lost on Parfait, hearing them made Cynthia tumble out of her chair. Quite dynamically.

"Hey, Cynthia-san..."

"I have no choice but to say that Ginny-shi is the best! This one would follow Ginny-shi to Neptune or even Pluto, de gozaru!"

Did she fall out of her chair from happiness...? Or rather, did she jump...?

Cynthia pressed both hands to her heart and, after taking a deep breath, quickly sat back down in her chair. She then unceremoniously grabbed her cake and ate about half of it in one bite. Then she chugged her tea wildly. It was an act devoid of any ladylike grace, but it seemed to calm her down a bit, as Cynthia then put on a sad face.

"But it is a shame, de gozaru. This one is a mob of mobs. You called me your best friend, but I am not even a sub character involved in Ginny-shi's story route..."

Ginny took Cynthia's self-deprecating hands and held them in both of hers.

"What are you saying, Cynthia-san. Everyone is a protagonist and a heroine. Just as in the protagonist Cynthia-san's story, there is a sub character called me, in the protagonist me's story, there is a sub character called Cynthia-san. To me, Cynthia-san is by no means an insignificant mob character."

"Ginny-shi...!"

"Is being treated as a sub character really okay...?"

It might be better than a mob character, but she wasn't sure if one should be moved by being called a sub character. That's what she thought, but Cynthia shook her head.

"A sub character is good, de gozaru! This one loves romance between sub characters more than the main characters. Just imagining it, I could devour five slices of honey toast, de gozaru!"

That wasn't what the conversation was about, but it was Ginny who responded to that.

"I know, right! Oh man, Cynthia-san is truly a soul friend! By the way, I think the best kind of romance is the one that's hinted at in the main story, not the one that's written in detail in a spin-off!"

"Is Ginny-shi the best or what! I completely understand! Yes! Imagination is the lifeblood of romance between sub characters! The best part is imagining what happened from the small hints in their lines and descriptions, de gozaru yo! Ginny-shi really gets it, de gozaru na!"

Ginny and Cynthia shook hands firmly. Parfait's brain was overheating from the gap between the beautiful scene and the content of their conversation. She hadn't been talking about the romance of sub characters, but they both seemed to be having fun, so she began to think it was fine.

"My, my, romance talk is truly the best buff for a girl, de gozaru na! This one is getting excited, de gozaru zo!"

Whether this was romance talk or not, Instructor Ren said something similar. She had said that romance talk was the strongest buff for a girl. Though for Instructor Ren, it was more important than a buff, something like air that she couldn't live without.

"What kind of romance talk does Parfait-shi..."

Cynthia, now hyped up, tried to bring Parfait into the conversation, but she suddenly looked apologetic and bowed her head.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I got carried away and spoke to Parfait-san in my true form... Please accept this as an apology... Also, if you could tell me your bank account number..."

"No, no, don't try to give me rare materials. And what are you planning to do with my bank account number? Also, it's fine for you to talk to me the way you talk with Ginny-chan. I was surprised at first, but you're forcing yourself to speak politely, aren't you? And I'd like to call you Cynthia-chan, if that's okay?"

When Parfait said that with a smile, Cynthia's eyes filled with tears, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

"Eh? What's wrong? You didn't like me calling you chan...?"

When Parfait asked that, Cynthia let out an unladylike grunt, "Guo."

"Me..."

"Me?"

"There is a goddess here, de gozaru!"

"...Excuse me?"

Cynthia slammed both hands on the table, peshi, and then looked down, trembling, before quickly raising her face.

"Aah, that's it, I'm making a donation box for Parfait-shi on the internet, de gozaru! I'll raise money through crowdfunding and start a new religion... Ah, it's fine, de gozaru yo. I'll do it legally through a lawyer, de gozaru. It'll only be a little bit gray... no, I'll use the power of money to make even black white, so rest assured, de gozaru!"

"There's not a single element of that I can rest assured about!"

"Ah, you are anxious about becoming a new god, de gozaru na? They say there are eight million gods, so no one will notice if one more joins, de gozaru yo. And the gods won't care about such things, de gozaru. Ah, is it okay if I make merchandise too, de gozaru ka?"

"I'm the one who cares. Hey, Ginny-chan, stop spacing out and say something."

Ginny, who had been lost in thought with her hand on her chin, quickly nodded.

"Let's make her the goddess of cosplay."

"Now I have another enemy!"

After that exchange continued for a while, in the end, Parfait emerged victorious against the Ginny-Cynthia alliance. The two of them slumped their shoulders in disappointment.

"It is not my intention to trouble my idol, de gozaru. It is regrettable, but I swear I will never do it again, de gozaru yo... Ah, a figure... is that not allowed, de gozaru ka..."

"Ashley-sama also says that knowing when to retreat is crucial in battle... I shall withdraw for now."

"You two seem like you have the means to actually do it, so please don't... By any chance, Cynthia-chan, are you related to a Foundation, or the daughter of a major company's president?"

Her appearance suggested as much, but the pressure of money had been strong from the start. It was reminiscent of a large corporation on the level of "Hyper Toy Maker," where Ginny's parents worked.

"No, no, this one is a commoner who grew up in an ordinary family, de gozaru. However..."

"However?"

"My parents work for the major brand 'Black Rose,' de gozaru yo. They are not executives on the level of the Ten Saints, of course, but they hold decent positions in the sales and design departments, de gozaru. I am currently in training so that I may one day work there myself, de gozaru yo."

"Ah, I see."

The major fashion brand "Black Rose." Not only was Rosalie the president, but it was also a company directly under the Foundation Overseer, Lunaria, making it a corporation so large that the term "major corporation" paled in comparison.

It was so pervasive that a woman would be laughed at if she said she didn't own a single piece of Black Rose clothing, and at one point, tailoring appointments were booked five years in advance.

To hold a decent position in such a company undoubtedly meant earning far more than the president of a typical company.

As Parfait understood various things, Ginny spoke up.

"Actually, the reason I called Cynthia-san here today is because Rick-san asked if I knew anyone in the fashion industry."

"Eh? Rick-kun did?"

"Yes. He said it might be good to have someone strong in the fashion industry for the next event. I heard that Cynthia-san wanted to work in design like her mother, and I knew she played AFO, so I invited her here today."

She didn't know what information he based his predictions on, but Rick's predictions were correct at a very high rate. Then, Parfait began to wonder if the next event would be one influenced by sewing-related skills.

But she immediately had a question.

"Huh? But the next event is the Spirit Festival, right? The one in the Spirit Country."

"According to the event cycle, that should be correct, but apparently, there's some movement from the Virgo Foundation. And Rick-san said that Black Rose's movements are also suspicious. From that, he concluded it would be fashion-related."

"Rick-kun's information gathering ability is scary..."

"I do not know in what form I will be needed, but this one will work herself to the bone to contribute to everyone, de gozaru! My sewing skill, at least, I have been grinding diligently, so please let me know if there is anything I can do, de gozaru!"

"Yeah, thank you. Well then, shall we go hunting somewhere today? Maybe gather some materials that can be used for sewing?"

When Parfait said that, Cynthia's eyes once again welled up with tears, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

"No offerings and no spending money, okay?"

"...She saw that coming, de gozaru!"

"...Sometimes, money is powerless... A valuable lesson..."

While thinking that it was tough to handle two of them by herself, Parfait smiled and invited her new friend to a hunting ground.