Rest had solved the simple riddle and opened the box, but... before he knew it, he was standing at a bus stop in a rural Japanese town.
A girl in a high school sailor uniform sat on the bench, watching him while sipping juice through a straw.
"You... No, more importantly, where am I!?"
"There’s no need to be so shocked. Here, want a seat?"
The mysterious high school girl patted the spot on the bench beside her.
"You can have the rest of this if you want? It’s strawberry milk."
"N-No, I’m fine... Wait, who are you? Have I returned to Japan?"
"Hmm, not quite. Well, it’s a long story, so just sit down. It’s hard to talk to you while you’re just standing there."
"……"
Though bewildered, Rest observed her. She wore a short-sleeved sailor uniform and looked to be about high school age. Her hair, permed into soft waves, was dyed brown. In her right hand, she gripped a carton of strawberry milk.
I can't use magic...!
He had tried to examine the girl using his powers, only to realize the mana had vanished from his body. That infinite source, the inexhaustible spring he relied on, was nowhere to be found. He was powerless.
This might be a very bad situation... but it’s not like I have many options.
"……"
At the very least, he sensed no hostility from her. Rest cautiously took a seat on the bench.
"There we go. Now, tell me your name."
"……"
"Oh? Are you going to pull that samurai act where I have to introduce myself first? That’s fine, I guess."
When Rest remained silent, the girl giggled as if finding something hilarious.
"My name is Shoko Sanada. As you can see, I’m a fresh and bubbly high school girl."
"...High school girls don't call themselves 'fresh and bubbly.'"
He retorted automatically, but the realization hit him instantly.
Shoko Sanada.
Wasn't that the pseudonym the Queen Dowager had used in this world?
"Oh, so you can talk. You were quiet for so long I thought maybe you were the silent protagonist type."
"I was talking just a second ago... More importantly, where is this?"
"Before we get to that, isn't there something you should be saying to me?"
"……"
The girl calling herself Shoko Sanada leaned in, peering into Rest’s face with a meaningful look. He was about to ask what she meant, but the words caught in his throat.
Come to think of it, he hadn't introduced himself yet. Since she had given her name, it would be rude not to reciprocate.
"I am... ○○○○."
Rest’s eyes widened in shock the moment the name left his lips. He had intended to call himself 'Rest,' but the name that came out was the one he had carried during his life in Japan.
"Ah, so you’re ○○-kun. In that case, can I call you Wuppy?"
"……Absolutely not."
"Anyway, Wuppy. About this place..."
Ignoring his protest, Shoko Sanada plowed ahead with the conversation.
"We’re inside my memories—the memories of Frederica Aiwood."
"Inside your memories...?"
"They call it a 'Residual Thought.' I don't really get the specifics, though."
A Residual Thought.
In other words, the girl before him was the memory and personality of Frederica Aiwood herself.
"I suspected the Queen Dowager was a reincarnated person from Japan, but this isn't at all what I imagined."
In the Aiwood Kingdom, the Queen Dowager was a legendary figure, for better or worse. She had united the nobility, overthrown a tyrant, and rebuilt the nation with extraordinary skill. She was also the one who had raised the Idiot Prince, Rodel. Rest had pictured a wise, charismatic lady, or perhaps a sinister mastermind of political intrigue.
"I expected someone more like Hojo Masako or Queen Elizabeth..."
"Well, I was created from Frederica's memories of her previous life. The 'real' me was a much cooler, more mature woman, you know?"
"……I see."
"So... what exactly are you doing here? If you made it to me, that means you broke into the villa and opened the box, right?"
Shoko peered at him with curiosity. On the cramped bench, she leaned in close—so close that a glimpse of a pink bra and a deep valley of cleavage was visible through the collar of her sailor uniform.
"Hey... don't get so close."
"Tell me about yourself. If you do, I'll tell you more about me."
Shoko flashed a mischievous, playful smile.