Persona Erosion
I doubted my own ears.
After days of trailing me, after shoving me against a wall only moments ago, the words that came out of her mouth were nothing more than an invitation to lunch.
My mind, which had been burning white with confusion, felt as if it had rebooted at the sheer absurdity of the situation.
“……Food?”
“That is correct.”
Panir blinked her clear blue eyes at me as if she could not understand what was strange about it.
That pure expression was the most unreal part of this entire scene.
“No, but… why all of a sudden?”
“I have come to wish to know more about you in detail, Saya. The first step in getting to know a person is sharing a meal together. I read that in a book.”
I gave up on thinking any further and simply opened my mouth.
“So… you followed me around like that just to ask me to grab a bite?”
At my question, Panir’s shoulders gave a small, startled twitch.
“That was… simply…”
She could not meet my eyes and dropped her gaze to the floor.
It was a shy, awkward manner completely different from the one she had shown only moments before.
“I… did not really know how to go about it.”
“Huh?”
“I am used to speaking when I have a specific topic to discuss… but I spent a long time wondering how one is supposed to start a conversation with a stranger in everyday life. If I made you uncomfortable, I am truly sorry.”
There was not a shred of malice in her. It seemed pure curiosity had simply expressed itself in a slightly off-kilter direction.
“After all that deliberation, I have even decided on the menu.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Yes. You appear to prefer the student cafeteria’s cutlet. According to my observations over the past week, you ordered cutlet a total of five times.”
A chill ran down my spine.
That is not just ‘observation’ level anymore…
“I’m fine with that, but do you like cutlet?”
“Yes. As it happens, I am very fond of cutlet myself. Shall we go together?”
Panir smiled at me with pure, childlike innocence.
The student cafeteria we arrived at with Panir was packed with students for the lunch rush.
Yet the moment we stepped inside, a strange hush fell over the noisy space.
For some reason, every gaze in the room seemed to turn toward the two of us standing at the entrance.
Panir, however, appeared completely oblivious to the atmosphere. Instead she looked at me with a face full of anticipation.
“I shall place the order. You may go ahead and secure us seats, Saya.”
She sat me down at an empty table and headed for the serving counter without the slightest hesitation.
A short while later, two plates of cutlet still sending up warm steam were set before us.
Crisp golden batter and a rich demi-glace sauce draped over it.
No matter how many times I saw it, the sight made my mouth water.
“Please enjoy your meal.”
At Panir’s words I picked up my fork and knife.
She, too, cut a piece of cutlet with practiced ease and put it in her mouth.
“Mm. As expected, it is delicious. The ideal harmony of protein and carbohydrates, plus the proper richness of fat from the frying. From a health standpoint it may be questionable, but from a gourmet perspective it is an excellent dish.”
Listening to her food-critic analysis, I put a piece of cutlet in my own mouth.
The crisp texture and savory juices spread across my tongue.
It really was good.
“So then…”
The instant I swallowed, Panir spoke.
“May we proceed to the main topic?”
So the whole ‘getting-to-know-you meal’ was just a pretext?
The cutlet I had been enjoying suddenly felt stuck in my throat.
I set down my fork, forcing myself to look calm.
“Main topic… what do you mean?”
At my wary question, Panir only tilted her head with pure eyes, as if she could not see the problem.
“Dessert after a meal is the stage that deepens social exchange. That is what it said in the book I read, The Art of Socializing Without Making Enemies. Therefore we ought to move on to the next stage, should we not?”
“……Next stage?”
“Yes. Would you care to go for tea?”
“Hold on. We just started eating. I’ve only had one bite of cutlet. And you already want to go drink tea?”
“Ah, I am speaking of where we shall go after the meal.”
“Setting the next goal the moment we start eating… you really are diligent.”
She was definitely the Panir I knew, yet facing her and talking outside the limited dialogue options of the game made her unique personality stand out even more sharply.
“The truth is, there is a place I very much wish to take you. It is the club to which I belong.”
If I remember right, the club Panir joined was…
“Would you care to join our Research Club on Absolute Purity Extraction and Preservation of Liquid-Type Mana Catalysts Through Critical Point Control?”
From the name alone it sounded like a place that researched magic potions or forbidden drugs, but in reality it was closer to a tea research club.
Or simply a tea ceremony club.
In the game, that club was a path the protagonist Basil absolutely had to walk in order to win Panir’s heart.
And now Panir was holding that hand out not to Basil, but to me.
I would certainly need to build some goodwill with Panir, whom I would keep meeting as the story progressed, but there was no need for an extra like me to get tangled any deeper into the Panir route.
I shook my head firmly.
“Sorry, but I don’t have the free time for club activities.”
“Why is that?”
“Just… a little busy. After school I have to clean the library stacks, run errands for Lady Ricotta… and I have a lot of personal things to do as well.”
“Hmm. You need not join officially. Simply think of it as a trial visit. Could you not come to our club room just once?”
“Well…”
“Please do not feel pressured! Just come and taste the tea I brew! I am certain you will like it! Our member Salad will also be very happy if you come!”
Salad.
At that name I flinched without meaning to.
Ever since we formed the ‘Losers’ Alliance,’ Salad had been following and relying on me a great deal. And she belonged to that club…
Panir did not miss the way my resolve wavered.
“Salad talks about you whenever she has a free moment. Thanks to you she has become truly bright. If you would come, it would surely give her great strength. I request it of you.”
In the end I let out a sigh and nodded.
“……Fine. Just once. I’m only looking around.”
The moment permission left my lips, Panir’s face bloomed bright again as if nothing had ever been wrong.
“This way! Let us go at once!”
“Can’t we finish eating first?”
“Haha, it seems my heart ran too far ahead. I apologize. Please take your time and eat.”
The place we reached following Panir was the deepest part of the annex, where students rarely went.
Outside the windows a well-tended little garden was visible, and a faint floral scent drifted through the corridor. It was a quiet, peaceful space completely different from the noisy main building.
At the end of that corridor we stopped before an old yet dignified wooden door.
Beside it hung a long nameplate written in elegant cursive.
Research Club Room on Absolute Purity Extraction and Preservation of Liquid-Type Mana Catalysts Through Critical Point Control
No matter how many times I see it, that name is really…
Panir carefully knocked on the door.
“It is I. I have brought a guest.”
“Yes~ Coming~!”
A gentle voice answered from inside, and a moment later the door slid open.
The one who opened it was Salad, with her soft pink hair.
She smiled brightly at the sight of Panir, then spotted me standing behind her and her eyes went round.
“Sa… Saya…!”
“Salad! I have brought Saya!”
Panir declared triumphantly.
I gave an awkward smile and waved.
“Please come inside!”
Following Salad’s guidance, I stepped in. Instead of horrific magical tools or suspicious experimental equipment, a cozy space flooded with warm sunlight opened before us.
One entire wall was taken up by a massive bookshelf that reached the ceiling, packed with books on every kind of tea and medicinal herb.
In the center stood a table with a gleaming tea set and a teapot bubbling with a pleasant sound.
“Please make yourself comfortable. I shall serve you a very special tea.”
Like a master craftsman, Panir took a tea caddy from the shelf without the slightest hesitation, checked the water temperature, and added the leaves to the pot.
Her serious expression seemed to prove that the scholarly spirit of inquiry contained in the club’s name was no empty boast.
A short while later, a mysterious fragrance rose from the tea Panir set before me.
I carefully lifted the cup and took a sip.
The moment the warm energy slid down my throat, it spread gently through my entire body.
As if by magic, my stiff shoulders lightened and my head, which had been throbbing with confusion, cleared refreshingly.
“Wow, the aroma is wonderful, and my body feels lighter.”
At my evaluation Panir lifted the corners of her mouth in a satisfied expression.
“It is a tea made with precious leaves I obtained with difficulty, and Moon Shadow Moss.”
Moon Shadow Moss.
The item I had spent all night wandering the Moonlit Forest to obtain with Abo’s help when I played the original game…
I had only ever gone through the trouble of collecting it; this was the first time I had actually drunk it.
While I was lost in that brief recollection, a sweet, savory butter scent brushed the tip of my nose.
“Saya! Want to try this too?”
I turned to find Salad beaming as she held a plate of freshly baked cookies still steaming.
She sat down naturally beside me and set the plate on the table.
“Tea alone is nice, but it tastes even better with my cookies!”
“Ah, thanks. I’ll dig in.”
I gave her a small smile of gratitude, then took another sip of tea along with a cookie.
That was when a translucent window floated up before my eyes.
The side effects of Moon Shadow Moss are activating.
Side effects?
Startled, I lifted my head—and my eyes met Panir’s, who was looking at me with a worried face.
“Saya? Your complexion does not look good. Is something the matter…?”
You have entered the Persona Erosion state.