“Hey. Does it show?”

Alderaan’s lips curled up. Kana nodded at her proud industry friend.

“Very much. It didn’t interfere with the core setting, did it?”

“Of course not. There’s nothing in the core setting that says I’m weak and frail.”

He confidently revealed that he had cleverly avoided any conflict with the core setting and naturally sat across from her.

Kana took out a fan-shaped magical tool from her pocket and used spirit magic to soundproof the area. Alderaan’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the luxurious black fan.

“A magical tool?”

“Yes. I got it from Kiriel.”

“Does that mean he has feelings for you?”

Alderaan rubbed his chin with great interest. Kana snorted and retorted sharply.

“No way. It’s because I’m part of the protagonist’s faction that the sub male lead is at least being gentle. If I were in the villain’s faction, I would have been torn to pieces. No matter how much of a romance story it is, we’re not shooting a romance ourselves.”

“How cold-hearted.”

“…I’ve been through things. Call it realistic if you like.”

“Sure.”

Alderaan backed down easily. Even though he preferred battles, he had no intention of quarreling over trivial matters with a friend from the same faction.

Kana clapped her hands and changed the subject.

“Now, we need to talk about the Monster Hunting Festival. Alderaan, you know that in this episode, the First Prince causes an incident by targeting the male lead, right?”

“Of course.”

Alderaan had already etched the details into his mind. Even participating in the Monster Hunting Festival was a clever trick. He knew when to strike and retreat. Kana’s eyes darkened.

“Be careful. You should be fine since you can use aura, but don’t just jump into the incident because you want to fight.”

“Come on, you should be careful too.”

“I’ll be waiting in the tent guarded by the knights of the Cardium family and the mages from the Magic Tower. You’re the one who’ll be in more danger on the field.”

While the main characters had strong buffs, the supporting characters who played supporting roles did not. She didn’t want her industry friend to be eliminated in a ridiculous way. Alderaan replied calmly.

“Round, don’t worry. I’ll take it easy.”

“Good. Hearing that reassures me. I’ll be off then.”

Kana stood up without hesitation. Alderaan grabbed her as she was about to leave. Kana tilted her head.

“What?”

“Round, it’s sudden, but how many star ratings have you collected?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Kana’s voice was sharp in response to the sensitive question.

Usually, supporting characters kept their detailed star rating information secret. If they were unlucky, they could be harmed or have their star ratings stolen by malicious supporting characters.

It was similar to how characters in fantasy novels didn’t reveal their abilities easily.

Although some shared their detailed star rating information and transferred star ratings to each other, Kana kept it strictly confidential.

Alderaan scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.

“Oh, it’s an uncomfortable question after all.”

“Of course. Even if we’re close, we should be careful about mentioning detailed star rating information. Let’s respect each other’s boundaries.”

“Harsh. Got it.”

Seeing his industry friend’s stern expression, Alderaan raised both hands. Only then did Kana’s stiff face soften a bit. He cautiously started to speak.

“Round, then can I ask this?”

“Go ahead.”

“If you gather the star ratings you aim for, will you return to your original world or settle in another world?”

“It used to be the former, but lately, I’m leaning towards the latter.”

Kana blinked slowly.

Having hopped through so many novels, her sense of belonging to any specific world had faded. She hadn’t lived well in her original world, nor did she have any particularly precious people left there, so she had no strong attachment.

If possible, her dream was to live in a good world, free from the role of a supporting character, and enjoy a leisurely and peaceful life with Celia.

Alderaan could roughly understand the flow of thoughts behind her answer. He reacted a beat late.

“I see.”

“What about you?”

Kana stared at him. Alderaan, uncharacteristically, rubbed his face repeatedly before hesitantly answering.

“…I don’t know yet. Well, if I had to choose between the two worlds, I might be similar to you. I still have a long way to go to gather the star ratings, so I’ll think about it slowly.”

“Right, Alderaan. The life of a wanderer with a time limit is tough. It would be nice to settle in a good world and do what I want until the end of my life, not just until the story ends.”

“You’re right.”

A deep sense of empathy formed between the two supporting characters as they looked into each other’s eyes. Kana’s words reflected the reality and hopes of supporting characters like them.

Even though it was in the form of a novel, it felt vivid like reality since it was another world. Moreover, whenever they tried to achieve something with the connections and results they painstakingly built as supporting characters, the story would end, and everything would be over.

Repeating such tasks multiple times in the name of work could make anyone feel mentally empty. Kana closed her eyes and then opened them.

“I’ll be off now.”

“Okay, see you next time.”

Kana left the parlor, leaving Alderaan behind. She planned to say goodbye to Olivia as well, but she didn’t see her, possibly because she was busy. Kana returned to the Round mansion.

* * *

‘Since I have nothing special to do, should I start embroidering the handkerchief in advance?’

After washing up and changing clothes in her room, she took out a new white handkerchief and embroidery supplies.

She only needed to give it to one person, so it was relatively less burdensome. Instead of the Short family crest, she decided to embroider a book and a sword.

As she mechanically embroidered with an empty mind, the communicator on the desk flashed. It was Kiriel’s code. Kana, curious, answered the call.

“Ah, Lord Kiriel. What’s the matter?”

— What are you doing?

Kiriel’s voice had a hint of laughter. Kana, without stopping her hand, answered honestly.

“I attended a close friend’s tea party and am now embroidering.”

— Are you embroidering a handkerchief by any chance?

“Yes. Can the Master of the Magic Tower know even such details?”

Kana’s voice was lively unlike her expressionless face. Beyond the communication barrier, he calmly corrected her misunderstanding without seeing that discrepancy.

— No, it’s just a simple guess. It seemed like a handkerchief for the Monster Hunting Festival.

“Wow, you’re right.”

Kana whistled in admiration, but there was no response from the other side. Just as she was about to frown and shake the communicator, Kiriel responded as if he had heard something shocking.

— …You have someone to give it to?

“Yes. Is that so surprising?”

Kana unknowingly made a puzzled expression. Luckily, the communicator only transmitted voice, so she didn’t have to worry about her expression.

— No, I just thought you wouldn’t give it to anyone.

“Well, I didn’t have anyone specific to give it to, but I had to.”

Due to the core setting imposed on Lady Kana Round, the supporting character. The setting was seemingly sloppy but thorough, so she had to follow it. Kiriel, unaware of her circumstances, was simply frustrated.

— What kind of contradictory statement is that? If there’s no one to give it to, you don’t have to give it.

“You’re right.”

Kana sneered. Kiriel, not catching the subtle emotion in her laugh, changed the subject.

— More importantly, who is it for? Is it Alderaan Short?

“Yes.”

— …Why?

Why, indeed. Kana tilted her head. Did she need a reason to give a handkerchief? Besides, what did it matter to him who she gave it to? After a brief thought, she replied indifferently.

“He’s a suitable recipient.”

— Then give one to me too.

Kiriel’s sudden request left Kana quite flustered. She blinked in surprise before finally retorting.

“What? Lord Kiriel, you’re not even participating in the Monster Hunting Festival.”

— So what? Mages are going there anyway.

“But you’re not one of the mages being dispatched to the site.”

Kana countered his words, frowning.

In the Monster Hunting Festival episode of ‘Fake Saint Was Real,’ Kiriel appeared leisurely. Initially, he sent other mages, and only after the female protagonist got involved and things escalated did he get called and appear.

Since the location was in the north, it was more of a episode to strengthen Ethan among the sub male leads, except for the main male lead, Richard.

— Then I’ll just drop by to get in the mood.

“In that case, you can get one from someone else. There will be plenty of ladies willing to offer you a handkerchief if you want.”

— How cold. I want to receive it from you, Miss Kana.

What a picky and capricious person. Not wanting to prolong the meaningless argument, Kana reluctantly accepted his request.

“Alright. I’ll prepare a handkerchief for you too, Lord Kiriel.”

“Good.”

He ended the call, satisfied.

Kana chuckled and, feeling it was a good opportunity to repay him, took out another handkerchief and started embroidering. She chose a simple design, taking part of the Curtis family crest and crossing two wands in an X shape.

* * *

Feeling at ease after getting Kana’s confirmation, Kiriel decided to take a break and visited his magical tool shop. There, he saw a customer examining and purchasing auxiliary magical tools.

It was a man with familiar olive-colored hair. He greeted him in a rather prickly tone.

“Well, if it isn’t Sir Alderaan Short?”

The person who had just finished paying turned his head. Alderaan’s eyes narrowed upon recognizing the sub male lead. Maintaining a formal tone for the sake of the setting, he greeted him indifferently.

“Yes. Hello, Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Right. You bought magical tools for the Monster Hunting Festival?”

Kiriel glanced up and down at Alderaan and the basic auxiliary magical tools he was holding. Despite his supposed frailty, Alderaan exuded a solid atmosphere.

Alderaan, unfazed by the subtly sharp tone of the Master of the Magic Tower, responded calmly.

“Yes. The quality is excellent, as expected from your shop.”

“Of course. Did Miss Kana introduce you to this place?”