I woke up slowly, sensing the faint morning light peeking through the gaps in the curtains. My alarm hadn’t gone off yet; I just had the feeling that I’d opened my eyes a bit earlier than usual.
They say the early bird gets the worm, so maybe something good will happen on a day like this...
"Finally awake? You certainly lead a privileged life, Kaito."
"............What are you doing here, Serious-senpai...?"
I sat up and looked around the room with bleary eyes. Sitting on my sofa and sipping coffee with unnecessarily elegant movements was Serious-senpai—the woman who appeared once a year and looked exactly like Shia-san.
Having seen her several times by now, I could distinguish between Shia-san and Serious-senpai at a glance. Putting that aside, I had no idea why she was having a coffee break in my room.
"How long have you been in here?"
"Oh, I arrived about ten minutes ago. Since you were still asleep, I thought it would be rude to wake you, so I just helped myself to some coffee. I’m not entirely sure why stepping through the door landed me on your sofa, though."
"I... I see?"
I didn't really get it, but Serious-senpai was a mysterious person to begin with. She was a strange woman who appeared out of nowhere on April Fools' Day, and apparently, she lived in some weird room she couldn't leave on any other day of the year.
It sounded like she was being held captive, but since she didn't seem to mind—or rather, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world—my overall impression was that she was just someone I’d never fully understand.
"Wait, where did that coffee even come from?"
"Hm? It’s mine, so don't worry. I had a Magic Box made by a certain crazy goddess who constantly leaks madness and devours my sugar-crystallized body, just in case something like this happened."
"I really think you should cut ties with that Goddess. She sounds incredibly dangerous..."
"I keep telling you, she’s one of your associates... Anyway, never mind that. Let's take care of business first!"
"Is this that 'Searching for Seriousness' thing I don't quite follow?"
"It's not that hard to follow! It’s simple!! As the Incarnation of Seriousness, the Serious-of-Serious, it is only natural for me to conduct a Serious Search for seriousness! If anything, the problem is this world! Due to the recent Lack of Seriousness, I, Serious-senpai, have been reduced to a pathetic existence that does nothing but scream in agony over lovey-dovey nonsense! It’s madness!!"
I felt like the word "serious" was starting to lose all meaning. I didn't say it out loud because it seemed like she'd get loud if I did, but I still had my doubts about her being the Incarnation of Seriousness. I’d met her many times now, but I hadn't felt even a shred of seriousness from her...
"Anyway, getting back to the point..."
"Your emotions are as volatile as a Jet Coaster, as always..."
I gave a wry smile at the staggering shift in her mood. One moment she was screaming with inexplicable passion, and the next she was perfectly composed.
"This has nothing to do with seriousness. This is my actual reason for being here."
"What's in the box?"
"A birthday present. I figured I should probably have one ready. Happy birthday, Kaito."
"..."
Actually, today wasn't my birthday at all. It was April 1st—April Fools' Day. My birthday was July 2nd. It wasn't even close.
Wait, could it be? Just as the flow of time in Trinia was different from my old world, maybe time moved differently in the room where Serious-senpai stayed? Perhaps it was currently around my birthday in her world.
"...Th-Thank you. By the way, Serious-senpai... in the place where you usually stay, what's the date today?"
"Eh? It's April 1st because it's April Fools' Day. Obviously. What are you talking about?"
"...Then it's not my birthday at all..."
"It doesn't matter. The Main Story is currently doing a Birthday Chapter anyway."
"Main Story?"
"Look, even setting that aside, I can only manifest on April 1st. I’d have to give it to you today regardless. So, don't worry about the date."
"I-I see."
Well, she had a point. If I were ever going to receive a birthday present from Serious-senpai, this was the only day it could happen. When she put it like that, it actually felt quite natural.
"Well, thank you very much. May I open it?"
"Go ahead. Feel free to be moved to tears."
"Ahaha... Let's see... Huh? What is this, a flag?"
I opened the box she gave me. Inside was a small flag, just large enough to hold in one hand, with the words "Lovey-dovey" written on it.
"That... is a Lovey-dovey Flag!"
She was starting to say weird things again, just as I’d expected.
"Normally, I’d be the one snapping such things in half, but since it's your birthday, I’ll allow you to use that Lovey-dovey Flag and trigger a Lovey-dovey Event just once!"
"...Oh, okay."
Use it? Was this thing actually functional, rather than just being a flag with weird words? But how? Did it mean I should give it to someone...? Wait, if I gave it to someone else, would it even mean anything to them?
In that case... was I supposed to give it to Serious-senpai?
"...So, um, should I give this to you, Serious-senpai?"
"Wha!?"
I still had no idea how the Lovey-dovey Flag was supposed to work, but judging by the look of pure shock on her face, as if she’d been struck by lightning... it seemed I had used it in a very unexpected way.
Serious-senpai: "Hey, you, Title!! Up until last year, you at least... well, it was almost omitted, but you at least had the spirit to try and use my name!! Why did you give me a title that makes me sound like some Neighborhood Suspicious Person!!"
???: "Putting that aside, are you two actually going to get lovey-dovey or what?"
Serious-senpai: "...No, look, April Fools' Day is almost over... My time's up... you know?"