A Monodrama for Carolyn August - Chapter 64

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 64.
‘Why is that?’
For some reason, her co-star was looking at her with such tenderness.
Meeting his gaze made her feel oddly flustered—her cheeks burned, her body twisted with embarrassment—yet Caroline didn’t look away. Instead, she observed him quietly.
‘He’s different. Definitely different.’
His eyes were alive.
Two gentle green irises gleamed with warmth.
Caroline had seen Aiden smile and enjoy himself before nightfall, worn down by exhaustion though he was.
But that version of him bore no comparison to the man standing before her now.
Aiden was the first to speak.
“……Good to meet you, Caroline. Since I encounter you here, it seems you’ve cleared the Quest to learn about Aiden’s past.”
“That’s right.”
“……Truly remarkable.”
Contrary to Friedman’s sinister makeup, the man’s expression showed genuine, deep admiration.
Then he realized he hadn’t introduced himself, and hurried to correct it.
“Ah, I’m 3 AM Aiden, the persona you obtained as a reward.”
“I had a feeling.”
At her response, the man smiled warmly. He was clearly the same person whose other personalities she’d encountered, yet the moment she saw that smile, something shifted in her chest.
“……Ah.”
Then Aiden became aware of his entirely black costume and began removing the makeup.
He rubbed away the eyeshadow that made his eyes look fiercer, peeled off the scar prosthetic he’d stuck to his cheek.
He even roughly ran his fingers through his hair, which had been combed back so tidily with mousse it looked rigid.
Yet even as he did this, he smiled sheepishly, as if embarrassed.
“I suppose today I’m still Friedman.”
And Caroline watched him with fascination.
Though his appearance hadn’t changed, he was a completely different person.
And yet—still one of Aiden’s selves.
‘What purpose did this version appear for?’
What Missions might lie ahead with him?
“This place is easily exposed to the servants, so let me show you to my room.”
Aiden led the curious Caroline toward his quarters.
“……You don’t need a Key?”
What surprised her was that the lock on Aiden’s door appeared designed only for her.
Aiden grasped the door handle as if he saw nothing blocking it and pulled—the door swung open at once. Caroline stepped into the dark space she had visited the night before.
“Since you cleared the Quest, you must have been here yesterday.”
“That’s right. I’m sorry for sneaking into a room without an owner.”
“Please don’t apologize. You’re welcome to enter anytime.”
You’re a Player, after all.
Aiden added this in a gentle tone, and with a familiarity that seemed practiced, he moved his arm into the darkness.
A lever clicked, and the room’s lights came on.
Clunk!
“Mind your step.”
As he extended his arm to escort her, the floor beneath them expanded outward on both sides simultaneously.
‘I saw it yesterday, but this structure really is remarkable.’
Once the room’s transformation ceased, he guided Caroline to a charming Purple Sofa and seated her.
“Please, sit.”
“Oh.”
The moment she sat, the plush cushions drew her in.
As Caroline marveled at the sofa, running her hands across it, Aiden turned away and moved toward the wardrobe to begin preparing tea.
Behind her, she could hear water boiling and the soft clink of cups.
“Isn’t it hard to stay awake at 3 AM?”
“A little. But I’m so curious that the sleep has worn off somewhat.”
“I’ll prepare a tea for you that will help you sleep well once you return to your room.”
“Thank you.”
He spoke gently, and Caroline turned her body to regard him quietly.
‘He’s the same person, yet he isn’t.’
His broad shoulders, his long limbs—nothing about those had changed.
What was remarkable, though, was how his every movement felt profoundly different from when he’d been fully immersed in Friedman’s role.
Aiden moved with a cleanliness and grace that made Friedman—who tended toward brutality—seem crude by comparison.
‘It really is true. Each character is a separate personality.’
As Caroline gazed in silent admiration, Aiden turned with the tray in hand.
Their eyes met suddenly, and she flushed crimson, quickly facing forward again.
‘Why is that?’
It hadn’t been like this when she first met Daytime Aiden.
In the Mansion, surrounded by an unfamiliar gentleness and humanity, Caroline felt her heart quicken in a way she couldn’t quite explain.
“Chamomile with a touch of honey. Please, try it.”
He set the steaming cup on the side table before the sofa, then settled into the chair beside it.
“Thank you.”
She sipped.
The liquid, at just the right temperature, rolled smoothly across her tongue.
As she lowered the cup, she noticed Aiden studying her reaction intently.
“It’s delicious.”
He smiled brightly, as though he’d been waiting for exactly those words.
“I’m glad. Take your time.”
He tapped his fingers against the back of his hand, and after a moment of apparent deliberation, Aiden began to speak with some difficulty.
“Since you’ve cleared the Quest, Caroline, you’ll understand—but I have several personalities. The first is ‘Daytime Aiden.'”
“Daytime Aiden?”
“The one who shares breakfast with you, takes tea with you, shares dinner with you. The one who drives the main gameplay of the game—we call him ‘Daytime Aiden.'”
Caroline nodded.
“And all the other personalities are ‘Nighttime Aiden.’ You know that when the sun sets, my Role Personality emerges, yes?”
“Yes.”
“That personality remains in control until precisely three in the morning. And after that, until dawn breaks…….”
“It’s you.”
“Correct.”
Aiden divided twenty-four hours among several personalities.
Caroline, who had been nodding, suddenly thought of something odd and spoke up. She’d come out at three in the morning today, yet he’d only become 3 AM Aiden later—after she’d already encountered Friedman.
“But that’s strange. I came out at exactly three o’clock, yet I met Friedman first.”
“Ah.”
Aiden nodded as though he understood.
“Strictly speaking, I only become myself when each personality wakes from their bed at three in the morning.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You must have noticed the rooms of each Role Personality extending along both sides of this room. When three o’clock comes, the personality version of me instinctively enters their designated room and lies down. Precisely when I rest my head on the pillow and close my eyes—then open them again—I become myself.”
“So just now…….”
Caroline recalled the him she’d met outside Friedman’s Room.
“Friedman must have come to bed and noticed me, then become conscious.”
“Exactly.”
“If I hadn’t struck Friedman down so that the back of his head didn’t touch the pillow, I would never have met you?”
“Struck him down?”
Aiden reacted as though he’d just heard someone thread a needle with an elephant. A bewildered smile played at his lips.
“Well, I mean…….”
Now that she said it aloud, it did sound odd. Caroline hesitated, searching for the right words, before speaking.
“Friedman’s been acting crude toward Regina. He dragged me all the way into his own room and was harassing me, so……. Aiden?”
As Caroline complained like a tattletale, the man’s face had gone cold, and she trailed off.
The expression that had been listening with a smile suddenly froze.
“……He harassed you?”
“Well, you know, just the usual things Friedman says. He only moves his lips as if he might do anything, and when Regina pushes back, he gets scared—that sort of thing, right?”
Though they were different personalities, they existed in the same body and were, after all, the same person. Even though, strictly speaking, it was his own action, even though it was done in the throes of character absorption, Aiden’s expression turned angry.
“It seems you don’t remember what the other personalities do, either.”
“No. The personalities don’t remember what happens between them. They’re like entirely different people. I only ever guess what occurred by tidying up the spaces they’ve passed through.”
“So 3 AM Aiden—you wake up at three, clean up the Mansion, and go about your business?”
“That’s right.”
Caroline looked exasperated. Aiden’s body never truly rested.
“Then when do you sleep……?”
“Ha. Usually, I handle the sleeping. I finish my work and sleep until Daytime Aiden wakes.”
Aiden seemed to enjoy the questions Caroline asked. Each time she spoke, he smiled brightly, and she found it a refreshing sight—so rare among his other personalities.
“But you still need to meet the Player.”
He took another sip of the honey tea before continuing.
“In fact, Caroline, you were the first to clear the initial Quest. Everyone before you failed, so I’d never had occasion to meet a Player.”
“……? That doesn’t seem possible. Actually, it kind of does.”
Given the game’s difficulty, it would have been impossible unless she were a devoted fan.
“This game ought to have the right level of difficulty, don’t you think?”
At her words, 3 AM Aiden smiled once more.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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