NOVEL NEXT Chapter 435
I had thought about what Alice would do.
But I couldn’t have predicted this.
In this world, Alice had one major hobby.
Cultural content exploration.
It could be from this country or another. Alice didn’t really care.
She watched movies and dramas, read many books, and enjoyed comics and animations.
Of course, there were also purchases of games and figures, but since she bought the bunny girl Claire figure last time, she hadn’t bought any new ones, and it didn’t seem like she was heavily into games either.
So I expected Alice would suggest watching a movie together.
“…Plastic models?”
That’s right.
Alice led us to buy plastic models.
They said that many shops in Yongsan had closed down, but the shops attached to Yongsan Station were still thriving.
In that shopping mall, there were quite a few toy and game shops, but we headed to the plastic model store.
“I heard you can assemble these without glue.”
I knew that.
Where Alice took us was probably a direct store of a Japanese plastic model company famous worldwide, especially for its robot animations.
“…Were you wanting to try making one?”
“Since I was a child, I’ve had an interest in art.”
Had she?
Looking at the types of content Alice likes in this world, it made sense.
When I fell into a bit of thought, Alice shyly said,
“Well, I’ve never shown it in front of you. I figured… it would be a weakness.”
“How could liking art be a weakness?”
“I thought an emperor shouldn’t have such delicate hobbies.”
Delicate…
I mean, it would be pretty jarring to imagine the emperor assembling robot plastic models in a room.
Maybe miniatures would fit better.
“So, are you saying you want to buy one and assemble it together?”
“Yeah.”
Well, it couldn’t be that bad.
As I grew up, I realized there’s little time to assemble, and if just for display, figures were better than models, so I had been buying figures instead.
Thinking this, it felt like now I’d actually have some time.
Perhaps when we return to the Empire, I wouldn’t be too busy for a while.
This kind of gathering with the five of us wouldn’t happen often though.
“What kind do you want to buy?”
“Hmm, well, something with a lot of parts and a bigger model would be nice, right? Since there are five of us, we can work on it together.”
True, the more expensive models tend to look pretty good even without painting.
I nodded at Alice’s suggestion.
*
“Wow, there are really a lot!”
When we returned home and opened the box, Alice seemed excited seeing the mountain of runners spilling out.
After knowing her for so long, I hadn’t realized she had this hobby.
Actually, might she get along well with Rena? Even though there aren’t plastic models in the other world yet, she also likes collecting things.
Thinking this, I felt a bit nostalgic.
I sat down with a bitter smile.
“Alright, here are the tools.”
Alice happily handed out plastic model nippers to everyone.
“There’s no need to be too serious. We’re just doing this for fun, right? If something breaks, we’ll just assemble it and make it look decent.”
Even though it was a bit of an expensive model for that mindset, I didn’t say anything. After all, today was Alice’s day.
If we take turns, my day will come too.
“Um, I’m not very handy…”
“I said it before, but it’s okay if it doesn’t go perfectly. What matters is the process, not the result.”
But still, if those V-shaped horns broke, I feel like that would really bug me… If I pointed it out, I’d just seem like more of an otaku, so I decided to stay quiet.
*
Not long passed before the room was filled with the snip snip of nippers.
Well, saying it was full might be a stretch. The nipper sounds were intermittent, and there were more snap sounds as parts fit together, and the occasional rustle of instructions or tearing open runner bags.
Everyone was quiet.
“Are you too focused?”
Feeling the silence was a bit awkward, Claire opened her mouth.
“Yeah, it definitely requires concentration during assembly. It’s much easier than making sculptures, but you still need to focus to avoid mistakes.”
“Right. That’s why I wanted to try it once. I heard it keeps your mind clear while making it.”
Charlotte replied to Alice.
By the way, Mia, who was worried about her lack of dexterity, seemed to be the most focused among us.
Watching her fumble with her hands felt like watching a small animal.
But petting her head while she concentrated might be a bit tricky.
“When did this all start for you?”
“Hmm?”
As I asked while assembling the plastic model parts, Alice looked back at me, still focused on her parts.
“I mean, when did you develop an interest in art? Did you like novels or paintings… things like that?”
“…”
Alice paused to think, then said,
“You remember how I sometimes read the newspaper?”
“Yeah. You said you wanted to stay informed about international affairs.”
“That’s actually because I wanted to see the four-panel comics.”
“Was that the reason you bought all those newspapers from different agencies?”
“Well, sort of.”
Alice giggled.
“When did I start…? Hmm, I’m not sure. I just liked it since childhood.”
Well, if I were asked when I started liking comics, I wouldn’t really have an answer either. I could confidently say I started buying comic books since middle school, but that was just when I began to have money to spend.
Mainly from the allowance my parents gave me.
“I had to hide a lot of things in front of you, right? In the end, it became harder to hide than to show. I felt like you were so perfect that if you found out something, you might be disappointed.”
“…”
I fiddled with the plastic model parts before replying.
“To me, you seemed perfect as well.”
“Eh?”
“I rewound time several times to study before an exam. If I missed or misunderstood anything while studying, I’d go back and make sure I understood and memorized it. I didn’t cheat too much, but I did bend the rules a bit.”
I began fitting the parts again.
Snap, and they clicked together, making me feel slightly pleased.
“But you didn’t do anything like that and still achieved results far beyond my original ability. You didn’t know everything from the start, but at least you knew how to put in the effort. That’s why I thought you were amazing.”
“…”
“Maybe the reason I didn’t study just by memorizing answers was that I knew you were working hard.”
“Th-thank you?”
As I spoke calmly, Alice’s eyes twinkled nervously.
“Hey, hey, what about me?”
When we paused briefly, Claire called out to me.
“What is it?”
“How about me?”
“…”
I mean, we were a bit too young to talk about things like that, weren’t we?
“…You were a cute and obedient little one, I think. Back then, you were really well-behaved.”
“I’m still well-behaved, aren’t I?”
“Where’s the evidence of that?”
“Big sis. Next time we race, I’ll add a round trip to the course.”
“Of course I’m well-behaved. Probably the most well-behaved among the kids I know.”
Claire stuck her tongue out at me, as if she knew I was just kidding.
A light laughter filled the room for a moment.
Still, Claire really knows how to read the atmosphere well.
If things had gone wrong, the conversation could have turned too heavy.
*
“…….”
“How is it?”
Alice asked, looking at the completed robot, which was primarily white and blue.
“Nice.”
“Looks good.”
Claire and I replied that way.
“Seems more satisfying since we all made it together.”
“It was pretty fun, especially since it was my first time assembling one.”
Charlotte and Mia said the same.
The results turned out much better than I feared. We didn’t swap or polish parts like serious model builders, but the overall look was still decent. Well, that’s just how this company’s products are.
We placed it on the furthest right side of the figure lineup in front of the TV.
I thought it would feel awkward having a robot at the end of a lineup of cute girls, but it turned out better than expected. Maybe it was because they were all otaku goods anyway?
“Great, I’m satisfied.”
Alice said with her hands on her hips.
“So, whose turn is it next?”
“I’ll go.”
Charlotte chimed in cheerfully.
“Of course, I have something prepared for what I want to do.”