Though I Don’t Recall It, I’ll Take Responsibility - Chapter 3

It was likely because I had been bedridden for three days straight.

I woke up with a start at some strange, indeterminate hour—not quite night, not quite morning.

The fire in the fireplace was still flickering faintly. In the absolute stillness of the room, the crackling of the wood echoed with startling clarity.

I gently lowered my feet to the edge of the bed and sat up. I expected to feel dizzy, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared.

Treading carefully across the silent floor, I made my way toward the closet. I pulled a necklace out from beneath my nightgown and grasped the small, shimmering key with my fingertips.

I inserted it into the keyhole, and it let out a soft, discreet click.

Inside, the spines of numerous diaries stood in a tight, orderly row.

They were packed in with fastidious neatness. Same color, same size, same thickness. While the paper quality seemed to shift slightly with each passing year, the sight of a decade’s worth of records lined up so perfectly was nothing short of spectacular.

—”Lara” was quite the diligent soul, wasn’t she?

As I brushed my fingers over the spines, the worn texture of the covers told me they had been used frequently and handled with great care. I reached for a volume buried in the middle, then changed my mind. I reached for the very back—the oldest one. The diary with the earliest date inscribed on the cover.

“I’ve heard the general overview of my life, so I should start with the beginning of the memories I’m missing.”

The light from the fireplace wasn’t enough to read by, so I lit a candle on the desk. The amber glow illuminated the pages.

I took a deep breath and gently turned the cover.

Lara’s Diary

I did it!!

The moment I woke up, a ceiling I’d never seen before filled my vision, and I literally gasped. When I rolled over, soft, light hair brushed against my cheek. Confused by the sensation, I looked toward the mirror and I froze.

In the mirror, shimmering pink hair caught the light, flowing over my shoulders like silk, while jewel-like blue eyes stared straight back at me.

This is “Aira Langford.”

The heroine of the otome game I played for hundreds of hours in my previous life… the one I dreamed of achieving a perfect completion with…!!!

My heart is pounding so hard I had to cover my face with my hands. I hit the jackpot! I pulled the “Best Character” card! I can’t believe that the perfect character I spent so much time simulating in the game has actually become me!

And wait, enrollment at the Academy is coming up soon… huh? TOMORROW?!

Tomorrow is “that,” right?! The start event where the main story of the game begins?! What about my prep? My uniform? My dorm?!

I’m short on time, but there’s no way I’m letting this luck slip through my fingers. God has given me the perfect start!

Now then, which route should I conquer first?

Lately, I’ve been eyeing Serge Arganton. The Prime Minister’s son. He’s the cool-type hottie, but the rare kindness he shows is just unfair. That gap-moe is way too bad for my heart… To think I get to experience those choices I agonized over in the game in real life! Isn’t this heaven?!

But Colin Lykesbart’s Knight route is also hard to pass up. I mean, who doesn’t want a bridal carry? No—not in a dirty way, of course! Being swept up by a knight who’s proud of his strength… just the mental image makes my chest tighten.

Was Leonard Westray the one who’s easy to get? His face is definitely my type, but honestly, he can be a lower priority for now. He’s more of a “keep him on the hook for later” kind of guy. I can clear his route at my leisure.

Which means it has to be the Crown Prince!

The royal road of royal roads. Falling in love with a prince, overcoming obstacles, and reaching a sparkling ending… the Golden Course of otome games! Plus, that’s the route where the difficulty level completely shifts based on the impression you make at the initial event. I can’t afford to be late to the party.

I’m going all out!! I am definitely going to seize the best Happy Ending possible!

Aira’s Perspective

…What? What is this?

I had to maintain my composure; I felt like I was going to collapse. The amount of information was overwhelming.

This was “Lara.” This was the start of my ten lost years.

The rest of the diary was packed with cheers of joy, rankings of “conquest targets,” and detailed memos for strategic meetings until the book ended.

If someone woke up and realized they had become a completely different person, could they really be this happy about it? Lara was a “reincarnator” who could never return to her original world. Did she feel no parting sorrow for the people she left behind? …What a pitiful person.

Wait! Ha, ha… that’s right. She was me.

Still, it seems Leonard-sama was at the very bottom of Lara’s ranking. Why am I with him now? Did that mean everyone else was a failure?

I slowly picked up the diary and threw it into the fireplace. The paper crackled and hissed as it went up in flames.

This is something that must not remain in this world. This is a cursed object that must never, ever meet another person’s eyes.

Realizing that, a sense of urgency washed over me. I had to check the other diaries immediately. I would likely have to erase all of them from existence.

However, my nerves couldn’t handle reading any more right now.

I went back to the closet and looked at the contents of the chest. There were easily over thirty volumes. The lock on the chest alone wasn’t enough to make me feel safe. I should probably put a lock on the closet too. Secure it even more strictly so no one could ever see inside.

Outside the window, the world was beginning to turn a faint, pale gray. The world, not yet fully awake, was silent; the silhouettes of distant trees were mere blurred outlines. I instinctively narrowed my eyes.

I tried to quiet the chaos in my head and the feeling of being utterly lost, but it was no use.

“For now, I’ll try to go back to sleep.”

I wondered if I could sleep. Oh, that’s right. When I wake up tomorrow, I’ll have to steel my resolve and look in a mirror.

Ten years, huh…