A Drunken Suggestion
I offered a polite smile to the Principal, who had seated herself with a somewhat awkward air. "Is there anything you would like, Lady Veronica?"
"How do you know my name...?"
"The Bar Owner told me. I've heard a great deal about you—that you are a true leader who cares deeply for her students..."
"I-is that so? That girl, spouting such embarrassing nonsense..."
It was a lie. I had never once discussed such things with the Bar Owner. So, how did I know all this? Simple. She was a character from a game I used to play.
The Principal of the Academy. On paper, she was the strongest being in the world, possessing power befitting her lofty status. ...Why did I say "on paper"? Because she had never actually demonstrated that power in the game.
Players theorized that if someone as powerful and good-aligned as her actually intervened, the plot wouldn't be able to progress. An NPC whose immense strength existed purely in the lore, always conveniently absent whenever an incident occurred. That was Veronica—the entity currently sitting before me in the form of a little girl, smiling bashfully.
"Do you have a drink in mind?"
"I do not wish to indulge too heavily tonight. A gin and tonic, if you please."
"Right away."
Mixing the drink was simple enough. I had spent months working here, preparing for her eventual arrival. I served the cocktail with practiced ease, and she accepted the glass with a nod of thanks.
"By the way, I am quite surprised. A new employee?"
"Yes, well... you could say that. I'm helping out here for a short while."
"How strange. She told me just recently that she had no plans to hire anyone else..."
"..."
I flinched inwardly, staring at her. Did she catch on? I hadn't expected the Bar Owner to go around talking about her hiring plans. It was entirely reasonable for Veronica to find it suspicious that a woman who insisted she didn't need help had suddenly hired a part-timer...
"Well, no matter. She has always been a whimsical creature. How did you end up here?"
"Ahaha, well... she took me in while I was wandering the back alleys."
"Indeed, that sounds exactly like something she would do."
I stuck to the cover story I had implanted in the Bar Owner's mind via Hypnosis, just in case Veronica ever asked her about it. Veronica nodded, fully convinced. So, the Bar Owner really is the type of person who would do that, even without hypnosis. It made sense. That was probably why she and Veronica were such close friends. A cold-hearted person would never have earned the Principal's companionship.
I stared intently at Veronica. I never truly believed I would see a game character in the flesh. Even though I had spent months loitering in this bar specifically to meet her, the reality of it still felt surreal.
"...Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, my apologies. I was just a bit starstruck..."
"Starstruck?"
"I was just so deeply moved to meet the legendary Lady Veronica in person."
"A-Ahem...!"
Her personality was identical to the game. Just look at her trying—and failing—to hide her delight. Her weakness to flattery was perfectly intact. ...Right, I shouldn't get distracted.
"Oh dear, your glass is already empty. Shall I mix you another?"
"Oh? ...Ah, yes. Another, if you please."
"Certainly."
I still didn't know how I ended up in this world. I hadn't attempted a speedrun, I wasn't some hardcore veteran player, I hadn't left a scathing review, nor had I exploited some game-breaking bug like the protagonists of those web novels. I had simply fully cleared a popular game recommended by a friend and was quietly basking in the afterglow of the ending.
It was a game that had completely captivated me, even though I wasn't much of a gamer. My only lingering thought was how tragic the fates of the characters were. While the characters chosen by the player would somehow grasp a happy ending, those left unselected were not so fortunate.
If you played through the individual storylines, you would occasionally catch glimpses of their fates. Rumors would reach you: a guardian possessed by a devil, an imperial princess ruined after losing the war of succession, or a victim of Devil Possession laying waste to a small village before wandering off as a wanted fugitive. The characters not chosen by the player would reappear only as rumors, letting you piece together their tragic ends. ...And the problem was, every single one of those ends was miserable.
Perhaps that was why so many players had begged the developers to release a DLC where everyone could achieve a happy ending. Well, considering no such DLC existed by the time I played it, the developers' response was obvious. Regardless, I was still lost in my thoughts about the game when... a strange text message arrived on my phone. What did it say again? Something about a prank, or a game... Just as I was about to dismiss it as a wrong number, my vision was washed in pure white. When I opened my eyes, I was in this state. I had been turned into a woman. Along with my new body, basic knowledge of this world and my own abilities had been implanted directly into my mind.
Honestly, I was incredibly confused at first, and I spent a long time wandering aimlessly. But then, a thought struck me. If this really was the world inside the game, perhaps I could guide those poor children toward a happy ending.
"Here, have another."
"Mmm, thank you... But..."
"Please, don't worry about the bill. Consider it a personal gift for someone I deeply admire."
"W-Well, if you insist..."
That was why I had stayed here, half-doubting myself. I believed that if this truly was the game's world, Veronica would eventually show up. And if she did, I might actually be able to prevent those children's tragedies. The proof of my theory was right in front of me. Unable to refuse the drinks I offered, Veronica had downed glass after glass, her face now flushed a deep crimson. With her help, gaining entry to the Academy would be a breeze.
Of course, even without using Hypnosis on her, I could have sneaked into the Academy. Hypnosis was a remarkably powerful ability, after all. However, a sober, alert Veronica would never fall for such a cheap trick. If she caught me trying, there was no telling what she would do to me. Therefore, the only option was to get her thoroughly drunk and manipulate her as I pleased. ...I felt a twinge of guilt, but it couldn't be helped. It was all for the peace of the world. If those children's tragedies were allowed to play out, the world would be thrown into utter chaos.
"Ugh... My head..."
"Here, Lady Veronica. Drink this too..."
"I-I am sorry. I cannot... manage any..."
It worked. Even if she was completely off-guard and heavily intoxicated, I had successfully brought the world's strongest being under my control. Tense with anticipation, I leaned in and whispered to her.
"Lady Veronica, you care deeply for your students, don't you...?"
"...Yes."
Veronica loved her students. That was the opening I needed. She was always busy running around for their sake, but ironically, that very devotion prevented her from actually helping them. She spent far more time outside the school than inside, constantly traveling to secure student privileges or recruit prestigious professors. Whenever a crisis arose, she was almost always away on business. It got to the point where players would check for Veronica's presence, sparking a superstition that an incident was guaranteed to occur if she was absent. It wasn't always true, of course, but the pattern was hard to ignore.
I whispered to her as she stared blankly into space. "But Lady Veronica, have you ever considered the mental health of your students...?"
"Mental health...?"
"Yes, mental health. Academic stress, family troubles, relationship issues, conflicts with friends... seemingly minor things like that."
She gave a slight shake of her head. I had expected as much. In the game, there were school nurses and regular instructors, but there was never a dedicated counselor.
"When those things pile up, the students suffer terribly..."
"N-No, that cannot happen..."
"Exactly. With that in mind, you realized that you must recruit a counselor to the Academy..."
"..."
"And by chance, the new bartender at your favorite bar turned out to be a master of psychological counseling with a degree in psychiatry... Yes, that is absolutely true..."
It was a blatant lie. I had never once studied psychiatry, let alone dreamed of becoming a counselor. But since I possessed the power to turn this lie into reality, perhaps calling myself a master of counseling wasn't entirely inaccurate.
"Until the moment you fall asleep, you will persistently urge the bartender before you to become that counselor..."
Thus, my entry into the Academy wouldn't be such a bad deal for her either.
"...Lady Veronica! Lady Veronica!"
"...Hmm? Oh, ah?!"
"I'm so sorry, Lady Veronica. I think I poured you a bit too much to drink. Are you feeling tired?"
Opening my eyes with a start, I saw the bartender I had been speaking with just moments ago looking down at me with concern.
"Oh? Was I... asleep?"
"Yes. Quite soundly."
"M-My apologies."
How strange. Had I really passed out from just a few drinks? That shouldn't be possible. Granted, I had been drinking a bit faster than usual, but to think I would succumb to just this much...? Hmm, perhaps I really was exhausted. I had been in the middle of a very important conversation, after all.
"Forgive me. Well, it is a bit awkward to bring this up again under the circumstances... but won't you reconsider? It is for the sake of the young ones."
"..."
"D-Do not worry! I will provide you with all the support you need! If it is for the students' mental health, I will gladly give you as much funding as you desire!"
"Well, if you put it that way..."
I rejoiced as the bartender let out a resigned sigh. Finally, I had found a counselor for the Academy students. She looked back at me, her face bright with a warm, happy smile.