The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs

Part 1

“Did he really cut his ties with Duke Redgrave and support the royal family?”

Ethan heard the news the day after Leon and Julius had walked around to eat in the royal capital.

Even though Duke Redgrave cut Ange off from them, her engagement to Leon was not broken.

Also, the fact that Leon was walking around the royal city with Julius suggests that he is in a position of support for the royal family.

There was evidence that this was not a mistake, and it was delivered to Ethan as solid information.

Ethan, whose schedule has gone awry, scrunches up his face.

“This will ―― make Miss Aare end up with Prince Jake!”

Ethan, cowering in place with his head in his hands, recalls his encounter with Aare.

It was just a few days after the entrance ceremony.

He was dismayed at the low level of the people around him and spent his time at a distance, not talking to anyone.

He is different from those around him.

He was isolated by this thought.

However, there was one person who approached Ethan kindly.

It’s Aare.

The person in question probably doesn’t remember it, but she spoke to Ethan, who was spending some time alone.

It was a conversation that lasted only a few minutes, but Ethan still remembers it.

Having a casual conversation, he felt his heart beat faster.

Then, after Aare left, he realized.

“This perfect me is in love with her, so Miss Aare is a perfect woman. And yet, it is unbelievable that she is so close to His Highness Jake. If things were going to be true, he was supposed to disappear to the executioner’s table as a prince of a ruined country”

He thought that Jake would surely be killed in the future, and if so, he was going to give him time to dream, even if only for a short time.

And yet, Leon has turned to support the royal family.

If Leon were to support the royal family, the lord nobles who want to destroy the kingdom of Horfalt would likely hesitate to do so.

In fact, some nobles had left Duke Redgrave’s faction.

The same is true for Ethan’s family, Count Robson, who has been instructed to be cautious at the school. In other words, the chances of Jake being sent to the executioner’s table have greatly diminished.

“Why are things not going according to my plan?! I’m a genius!!”

Ethan, who believes and has no doubt that he is a genius, decided to take action, forgetting about his position as a noble.

“I guess I should make myself clear on this?”

All in order to tell Aare that he loves her.

Part 2

It’s me and Herring walking down the hallway of the school.

And our partners who don’t get along.

Luxion glares at Brave with red lenses glowing suspiciously, and Brave stares at Luxion with bloodshot eyes.

They float in the air and follow us like two delinquents sending a glare at each other.

And Herring, his master, looked nervous as he loosened his collar.

“Robson ―― I’m going to find out if he’s worthy of Mia.”

Herring, with his sharp eyes, looked like he was about to go into battle.

“Do you want to kill Robson-kun? Do something about that killing intent.”

“S-Sorry. I just can’t help but force myself.”

I feel sorry for Robson, who knows nothing about this.

However, he is the capture target of that otome game.

I can’t imagine any of them are decent, so let’s meet him and see how he is as a person before I decide whether I should feel sorry for him or not.

Herring looks anxious.

“――Bartfalt.”

“Just call me Leon. What?”

“Then, Leon, I’m fine you call me Finn. Also ―― What would you do if Robson was unworthy of Mia?”

You’re too pessimistic, thinking about what if he’s not what you expected before you even meet him.

No, I guess not.

In my experience so far, the world has been just right for me to be overly pessimistic.

“I didn’t expect anything from the capture targets from the beginning, so there’s no problem. Besides, didn’t you say you were going to do something about him by training him.”

“I-I guess so. If he is not good, I can train him. If I let him cross the dead line a few times, maybe he’ll become a little more decent, huh?”

“―― If the conditions are that strict, Mia won’t be able to get married forever.”

Herring――Finn’s overprotectiveness is also a problem.

We’re making our way to the first-year classroom to talk to Robson and we hear a commotion.

“First years are so noisy”

Finn nods his head as he approaches the classroom, thinking the place is noisy.

“No, it’s not usually this noisy. Is something wrong?”

As we run out of concern, we hear Mia-chan’s voice coming from the classroom.

“If you’re a man, you should fight fair and square!”

――What happened to Mia-chan?

Part 3

Let’s turn the time back a bit, Jake and Ethan were staring at each other in the first-year classroom.

The tall Ethan is looked up by the smaller Jake.

They look furious at each other.

“Say it again”

Ethan responds to Jake’s low voice question in a cold voice.

“You don’t worthy of Miss Aare. Do you really think that you, who can’t even become the crown prince even without pushing your brother aside, can be with the lovely Miss Aare?”

Ethan’s words cause Jake to have a blue streak on his forehead.

“The man who pushed his brother out of the way and took the heir apparent’s position sure is different. It seems that the self-proclaimed genius-dono is unable to measure the abilities of others. ―― You think I’m inferior to my brother?”

There is a lot of noise and words are being said, and the people around them are anxious.

Ethan’s language is extremely disrespectful and goes too far, even considering his status as a student.

Even Jake seems to have forgotten that he was warned by the school to refrain from talking about topics that might touch on the issue of succession rights.

The first-year students start to make a fuss over the situation.

“Where’s Princess Erika?!”

“She left already because she had a doctor’s appointment today.”

“T-Then, where’s Oskar-sama?!”

“――He just left the classroom like normal because he was going to meet his girlfriend.”

“Why?! How can he leave in this situation?!”

Even the first-year students were bewildered by Oskar’s lack of common sense.

Then the gaze turns to the girl who seems to be able to contain the situation.

――It’s Finley.

Several of the girls approach Finley and ask her to calm the scene.

“Finley-san, can I ask you for a small favor?”

Finley, who guessed what was meant, let out a deep sigh and got up from her seat.

“You want me to do something using my brother’s name? Understood.”

Since entering the school, she had been forced into this kind of hassle more often.

Finley is also used to this role and approaches Jake and Ethan to talk to them.

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“May I have a moment, both of you?”

Jake and Ethan turn to face Finley, who is using a soft voice and behaving modestly, but they’re giving off the vibe that they’re about to explode with rage.

Finley asks the two of them.

“Everyone is troubled, so why don’t you call it a day? If it gets any worse, it will be troublesome for both of you, won’t it? Right?”

Considering each other’s position, it would be better to pull back here.

She thought they would both be smart enough to realize that, but Finley’s prediction was easily missed.

“Shut up, Bartfalt. Even if your brother comes out, I’m not going to forgive him.”

When Jake shows no intention of backing down, Ethan laughs mockingly.

“That’s a great nerve. For a prince who can do nothing without the duke’s backing, let’s just say it’s an admirable resolve. ――Bartfalt-san, I can’t back down either.”

Neither of them wanted to back down.

The fact that it was one woman who caused this problem is problematic.

Finley is about to cry.

“No, ano, this is not a good idea.”

The atmosphere in the classroom was even worse when even Finley could not persuade them.

Some of the students appear to run away.

Then one female student stood up with her hands vigorously on the desk.

“How long are you going to keep bickering!?”

When everyone’s gazes ―― gathered on Mia, the classroom became quiet.

Mia is slightly embarrassed, but scolds Jake and Ethan.

“If you’re a man, you should fight fair and square!!”

The classroom is full of noise.

Jake and Ethan looked at each other and remained silent.

Mia did not like their attitude.

“It’s so pathetic for boys to be bickering. Even a person who is liked by the two of you would be disillusioned if she saw you like this.”

Perhaps the two imagined Aare’s disappointment, and it was unnerving.

Mia presses on.

“If you’re a man and have a girl you like, you should head-on match!”

Looking down, Jake and Ethan were accepting Mia’s words.

“You’re right. I was out of my mind. I don’t think Aare would be pleased by a verbal fight.”

“Was it Mia, the foreign exchange student? You’ve just woken me up. Surely, she won’t be pleased.”

Mia smiles at their enthusiastic attitude.

“I see you both understand! That’s right. You both should confess your feelings fairly and square――”

The fair game Mia envisioned was for the two of them to confess their feelings to Aare.

And yet, Jake and Ethan stare at each other.

“I don’t have gloves, but let’s have a fair and square duel for Aare. We’ll duel with armor, shall we.”

When Jake challenges Ethan to a duel, Ethan brushes his bangs away with his hand.

“It’s a clean, fair, and square duel. I have no complaints. I’m just worried that I might injure you. You are a prince, after all.”

When Ethan agrees to a duel, the buzz of the students grows louder.

“It’s a duel!”

“A duel over a single woman ―― that’s the most exciting event!”

“It’s getting fun!”

The students, who had panicked earlier, were now excited.

Mia alone is confused.

“Eh? Ano? Ah, A-re? Why a duel? All you have to do is confess, right?!”

People around Mia are not listening to her suggestion, and the topic of the duel became lively.

When Finn returns to the classroom, Mia runs out and cries.

“Knight-samaaa!”

“What’s wrong, Mia?! What happened? Did someone bully you? ――Tell me who did it. I’ll make them regret it immediately.”

To a concerned Finn, Mia tells him that she is responsible for causing people to kill each other.

“Because of Mia, there will be a duel.”

“――What?”

Making fearful faces, Finn turned to Leon, who had been standing behind him.

“What does it mean?”

Leon scratches his head and mutters in amazement at the noisy first-year students.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a tradition.”

“The duel is?!”

Part 4

It was decided that men would duel over a man.

The place is the arena in the school.

Students gathered in the spectator area, looking forward to the duel that was about to take place.

We third-year students are also there to observe and watch the first-year students.

The girls are excited about the boys dueling over Aare-chan.

“It’s amazing to see His Highness Jake and Ethan-sama dueling over one woman.”

“It’s like a story”

“I heard there was a duel two years ago.”

Perhaps it was because of the topic two years ago that people around me had bitter looks on their faces.

I’m surrounded by my fiancées and even more so by Marie and the five idiots.

Sitting just in front of me are my friends Daniel and Raymond.

“Leon, they’re talking about you.”

“You are famous among the first-year students”

I know that if I answer seriously, they will make fun of me even more.

Because I know that if I answer seriously, I will be teased unnecessarily.

“I didn’t fight because I liked it. It wasn’t a duel over a single woman to begin with, so it wouldn’t have been a romantic duel like those guys.”

Raymond put his hand on his chin and reminisced about two years ago.

“No~, at that time, I thought Leon would be socially dead.”

Daniel, likewise, apparently thought I was dead in noble society.

“And that Leon is now a Duke. For some reason, he’s accompanied by prince and others.”

I’m the one who wants to know how I got into this situation.

I beat up five idiots in a duel, and for some reason I had to feed them.

This is a punishment.

Noel, sitting right next to me, is dumbfounded with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

She looked down at the two armored figures standing in the arena with grim eyes.

“Didn’t Leon also duel in the Republic? Two years ago, too, which means you duel almost every year. This country is too scary.”

I also agree with Noel.

“Exactly. And I, a sensitive and gentle man, am so anxious to be born in such a barbaric country.”

“――You seem to be enjoying it, though?”

“Because I’m not in it. In the first place, a duel doesn’t involve killing each other. It’s just for a show, so just have fun with it.”

“Just the fact that you can enjoy this, doesn’t that mean that the Kingdom is the right place for you, Leon?”

As I’m talking to Noel, Livia, sitting to my left, pokes my arm with her finger.

When I turned my head, she was pointing at Julius and the others.

“Leon-san, everyone is watching.”

I looked over there and saw Julius and the others staring at me.

“It was wrong of me to pick a fight with you. If I could go back in time, I would never fight you.”

It seems that Jilk regrets it.

“I should have prepared more carefully.”

Brad still hasn’t forgotten what happened two years ago.

“It’s cowardly, isn’t it? You knew you would not lose, and you accepted the match.”

Greg crosses his arms and shakes his legs.

“Remembering that time still pisses me off, doesn’t it.”

Chris had a strange glint in his glasses.

“――Because during the duel, he even broke my heart. I will never forget what happened and one day I plan to take revenge.”

I feel sorry for these five guys and apologize to them by scratching my head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you guys were that weak. If there is a next time, I’ll go easier on you.”

As I am laughing at the indignant faces of the five of them, Ange, who was seated behind me, pats me lightly on the back.

“Don’t stir things up, you idiot”

“I got scolded”

I shrug my shoulders and turn my gaze to Marie and the others.

Next to Marie is Kara, who is watching the match with her, drinks and food in hand.

Marie was still Marie today.

“It’s more entertainment than a duel, isn’t it? Let’s get started!”

When she complained, she gulped down the drink in her hand in one gulp.

Oi, wait a minute.

Is that alcohol you’re holding, by any chance?

Are you drinking while the sun is still high?

“Marie-sama, good drinking today!”

And Kara is admiring Marie like that.

What is there to admire?

I looked diagonally behind me and saw Mia-chan who is looking anxious and Finn.

Mia, who was the one who initiated the duel, is nervous because she feels responsible.

Next to him, Mia feel uneasy, Finn looked down at Jake and Ethan with a look that made ―― as if they were enemies.

I hear Finn muttering.

“――I’ll make them regret this.”

Hm~m, overprotective after all.

I ask Luxion, floating nearby, about the outcome of the duel.

“Luxion, who do you think will win?”

[Are you going to bet again this time?]

“That’s what I intend to do.”

[――Ethan has the upper hand in terms of ability. If the duel starts at this point, that is. There is a high possibility that it will be interrupted]

“Right”

After all, this is a duel between men fighting over a man.

Part 5

The noble seats in the arena.

There, the woman? who had caused this duel was sitting there.

It’s Aare.

In the arena, a student who plays a lively role tells the story of the duel.

“What is about to begin is a battle of men fighting over one woman! The name of the woman who captivated His Highness the Second Prince and the heir to the Count’s family is ―― A, are?”

A female student was trying to liven up the place, but for some reason she was puzzled by the documents.

Aare sat in her chair, her eyes closed and her hands clasped in her lap.

A female student tells the truth while being confused.

“Etto, Aare-san, who was thought to be female, is registered as a male student under a real name, Aaron. Ano, etto, what does this mean?!”

The audience seats in the arena are noisy.

“Man? A man?!”

“Eh, no matter how you look at it, it’s a woman.”

“――What’s going on?”

Everyone now knows that Aare, who looks like a woman, is really a man named Aaron.

Aaron was prepared for the abuse.

And.

(Even if His Highness Jake hates me.)

It was a short-lived dream, and tears spill down her face, but her friends, who know about Aare’s past, raise their voices.

“Aare, raise your head!”

“You are not bad!”

“Yes. You are our Goddess!”

Aare looked up at the voices raised by some of the boys.

There was also Curtis, her classmate.

“Everyone”

As the warm cheers brought tears to her eyes, the audience in the arena complained about the duel.

“You mean, a man for a man?”

“Isn’t that a scam?”

“This is not right”

From the values of this world, Aare is a very rare case.

Therefore, some students could not accept it.

But Jake in his armor from the arena.

“What does it matter! It doesn’t matter if she is a man or not. Aare is Aare! I’m going to continue the duel. Ethan, tell me when you’re going to quit. And don’t go near Aare again.”

When Jake wanted to continue the duel, Ethan had his armor ready his weapon.

“This throbbing in my heart is true love. Gender is irrelevant to me, a genius!”

There are two armors that hold weapons.

The referee seemed to be wondering if he should start the duel.

Confused voices can be heard from the audience seats in the arena.

“Eh? Is it okay with you if it’s between men?”

“Are you going to continue like this?”

“But Aaron looks like a girl, doesn’t he? A-Are? Maybe he switched with someone else”

Normally, two men would be fighting over one woman, but when the documents are checked, all three people are men.

As a result, the referee signals the start of the match.

“W-Well then, fight fair and square! Start!”

Already, declaring the start in a half-hearted manner, the two armors collide violently, creating sparks.

Part 6

“I don’t know what’s going on anymore”

Capture targets are fighting each other over a capture target.

This means that the three capture targets are no longer candidates for Mia-chan’s lover.

In the current situation where kouhai-kun is not enrolled, it can be said that it is annihilated.

Diagonally in front of me, with my head in my hands, was Oskar.

Jenna and Finley sit on his both sides.

Oskar was cheering for Jake.

“His Highness Jake, there it is! Please attack him more!”

Jenna and Finley, on either side of Oskar, glare at each other like delinquents just before a fight.

I just want to throw everything away.

Livia, who was watching the fierce battle of armors, perhaps reminisced about two years ago.

“There was a duel here two years ago, but it wasn’t a competitive match like this.”

As Luxion observed, Ethan has the upper hand.

However, Ethan is not able to easily settle the match, as there is not much difference in their abilities.

Ange speaks about the evaluation of the two from behind.

“Ethan is a self-proclaimed genius, and he’s strong, but His Highness Jake has a different spirit. He has always been a hard worker, so this is a good match.”

I pictured Jake making an effort, and my impression of him was a little more favorable.

――No, I won’t be captured.

“Hearing that makes me want to root for Jake.”

Ange is laughing behind me.

“But it’s rare that Ethan, who is so apathetic about everything, shows so much motivation. Aare is a beautiful woman who has misled two men ―― she is a beautiful woman, right?”

It seems that she couldn’t assure the last part, so I’ll nod my head.

“She’s a complete woman because she had a sex change using the Lost Item.”

“Lost item that can only be used once, huh? A bold move”

As I watched the duel in this way, Jake was gradually driven into a corner.

The shoulders of the armor had been stripped and the surface scratches had increased.

Ethan recommends he surrender.

“――Your Highness Jake, I honestly respect you. I did not expect you to fight me so hard. That said, please declare your defeat. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Jake, on the other hand, refuses.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to back down. But I underestimated you, too. You are indeed a genius. Now I recognize it.”

Did a friendship develop between the men?

Ethan’s armor holds a rapier.

He bends down to pierce Jake’s armor with his slender sword.

Jake has a long sword-like weapon called Glaive.

So while holding a long weapon, Jake is being cornered with a rapier.

Ethan’s ability is real and Jake is not weak.

“I’ll finish with this, Your Highness!”

“Come, Ethan!”

When the two armors collided, Jake’s armor was pierced by the blade.

However, Ethan’s armor is also immobile because Glaive is deeply pierced.

Luxion confirms that the armor has stopped functioning.

[――It looks like a draw]

“A~ah, this is getting troublesome”

The match ended without a win.

I turn my face to Finn and ask for their evaluation.

“What do you think of these two men who showed their manliness?”

Finn remains expressionless.

“――No good. Not worthy of Mia.”

It looks like it’s useless.

In the first place, they weren’t aiming for Mia-chan.

Thus, the battle between the men fighting over Aare-chan comes to an end.

I’m not saying it’s going to end, but I’m sure it will continue to do so.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Part 7

After the duel.

I was alone with Marie for the first time in a while.

We are having a conversation in a quiet hallway in the arena, with Luxion keeping an eye on our surroundings.

“In the end, Finn couldn’t find any target that he liked. That doesn’t make it possible for Mia to have a romantic relationship, right?”

When I tell her how overprotective Finn is, Marie lets out a big sigh.

“Finn is just like aniki. He’s really insensitive.”

“Is he insensitive?”

When I tilt my head, Marie tells me how Mia feels.

“In the first place, it’s impossible for Mia-chan to fall in love with the capture target.”

“Why?”

“Think about it. You have an ideal man by your side who will protect you. She’s discerning, and of course she compares. Before that, she doesn’t see anyone but Finn as a love interest.”

I hold my mouth with both hands.

“You’re kidding, right?!”

“I mean, isn’t Finn’s ideal exactly who he is? A knight of rank and honor, a very powerful knight in the empire? I don’t know about his fortune, but he’s strong and puts Mia-chan’s needs first”

I finally understand what Marie is trying to say too.

“That’s Finn.”

“You two look alike. Well, in terms of looks, aniki is nothing like him”

“Is that so?”

“――Eh?”

Marie was surprised for some reason when I took a curt attitude toward her.

Marie looked at me seriously and asked me why I was restless.

“Aniki, did something happen? Before, you’d have gotten all pissed off and said all kinds of things, wouldn’t you? You’re being weird today.”

“I’ve always been like this. More importantly, what happened to become independent?”

Marie had hoped to get rich quickly from dungeon exploration, but she seems to have given up.

She proudly declares with her no chest out.

“I stopped. Erika also said that she was happy just to meet me again.”

“She is a really good child, isn’t she? Unlike you.”

“It’s a catchy way of saying it, but I’ll let you off the hook this time. Rather than that, I’ve realized. It would be better for me to live the rest of my life living under your care.”

What a nasty thought.

As for me, I want them to work diligently and quickly become independent.

“No. Get on your feet and be independent.”

“Are you throwing me away?!”

“I don’t even remember picking you up.”

Now, if Mia-chan is aiming for Finn ――the third work of that otome game scenario has been falling apart for some time.

By the hand of none other than Finn.

It really messy.