Chapter 331
The Chronicles of Azerna—no, scratch that. All games released by Millennium Corp were primarily consumed by one particular audience: otakus.
I was an otaku myself, and the community surrounding that game was absolutely teeming with them.
In subculture circles, the word “heroine” usually referred to the pretty girl characters who ended up with the protagonist. And in that sense, the heroines of The Chronicles of Azerna, regardless of the setting, were all undeniably beautiful characters.
Of course, Lottie was a bit of an outlier when it came to the role of a “heroine.” She wasn’t designed to end up with the main character in the first place.
But that didn’t mean they slacked on her design.
Come on—just because she wasn't part of the main couple didn’t mean she wasn’t part of a couple. And if you half-ass the design of a side couple, people just won’t like them. Writers want the characters they’ve created to be loved, not trashed.
Apparently, when The Chronicles of Azerna was released a bit later in the West, some people complained about Lottie being “too PC” or whatever. But the thing is, that series always had dark-skinned characters.
If the girl’s drawn beautifully, she’s just beautiful—skin color has nothing to do with it. Besides, back in the day, skin tones like that were even considered a kind of moe trait. I guess people don’t use the word “moe” much anymore. Maybe it’s still used in maid cafés?
Anyway, in that sense, Lottie was a beautiful character. The fact that she regularly became the subject of those kinds of doujinshi was proof enough of her popularity.
And of course, the Lottie standing here in this world was just as beautiful.
It’s rare to find someone with such well-defined features that still come together in a way that doesn’t feel unnatural or out of place. Lottie was exactly that kind of beauty.
She usually kept herself humble, spoke in polite language, and wore either a maid outfit or a school uniform... Actually, maybe that’s why she stood out even more? Hmm. I think whenever the boys started talking about her, Jake would show up and steer the conversation away.