Even now I remember those days.
It was a private hospital room.
A little girl was playing on a handheld game console on the bed.
I can’t even recall her name now.
I, her older brother, spoke to her—my sister.
“Having fun?”
“Yeah!”
The game she was playing was the one I’d bought her as a present.
I still remember that I’d just picked something at random from the otome game section because I didn’t know what to choose.
I had no attachment to that game.
But my sister did.
She treated the console like a treasure and truly enjoyed it.
She was frail, spending most of her time in the hospital.
“Big brother—do you think I’ll ever be able to go to school?”
The setting of the otome game was a school, and she seemed to long for it.
—My brother lies.
“You will. So let’s get you better, okay?”
“Yeah!”
The brother—now a young man—can’t even remember his sister’s face anymore.
All he could do was watch his sister grow weaker day by day—he regretted it.
He still dreams of his sister calling the game software he gave her a treasure.
Then a voice reaches him.
It’s a voice that sounds a lot like his sister’s.
“—Sir Knight. —It’s time, Sir Knight.”
◇
When he wakes up, he finds himself at a zeppelin port.
A young man sitting on a bench—Fin Luta Herring—blinks and looks up to see a girl peering at him.
She has dark brown hair in a ponytail, is small for her age, and has violet eyes.
She looks oddly like his sister from the dream; her name is Mia.
Sixteen this year, Mia is about to set off to study abroad in the Holfart Kingdom.
And the young man isn’t her escort—he’s a formal knight of the Holy Magic Empire.
He’s eighteen, with tanned skin, long silver hair tied at the back of his neck, green eyes, and a sharp gaze.
His features are chiseled; the handsome knight is also Mia’s personal guard.
Fin runs his hand over his sweaty skin and thinks,
(There’s that dream again.)
A lingering regret from his past life.
(Seriously, is this all because of my own regrets? Of all things, being reborn into that otome game world and becoming the guard knight for a girl who looks just like my sister.)
Fin is a reincarnated soul.
And Mia—she’s the protagonist of “that” otome game.
“Sir Knight, are you feeling unwell?”
Mia worries, but Fin shakes his head.
“Just a short nap. By the way, is it time to depart?”
Mia, clutching a large travel suitcase, beams with excitement.
“Yes! We’ll leave soon. My heart’s racing.”
“—Indeed.”
Thinking about what awaits them in the Holfart Kingdom fills Fin with mixed feelings.
‘Honestly—pull yourself together, partner.’
Then a black sphere pops out of Fin’s luggage.
It’s about the size of a softball and has a single huge eye.
That eye looks like a vivid, living eyeball—red and unsettling.
“Black‑suke, you’re too conspicuous—stay inside the bag.”
The thing called Black‑suke protests, looking disgruntled.
‘It’s Brave! Start calling me by my proper name, partner.’
Even though it has a grand name, Fin calls it Black‑suke.
Brave is a cheat item Fin acquired.
Its true form is ancient armor.
It’s an ancient weapon left behind by the New Humans—its real identity is that of Brave.
Mia smiles brightly.
“Boo‑kun, you shouldn’t get angry.”
‘—You’re the worst, you know that. What’s with the “Boo‑kun” anyway?’
Mia, trying to stay calm, looks troubled.
“R‑really? I think it’s cute.”
‘It’s absolutely weird—ouch!’
Seeing Mia in distress, Fin slaps Brave.
“Stop it, Black‑suke. Don’t bully Mia. Even Boo‑kun’s cute, you know.”
‘You always go all‑in on Mia! Show some respect for me too, partner!’
Ignoring the irate Brave, Fin stands and grabs Mia’s hand.
“Alright, let’s go. Don’t let go of my hand, Mia.”
Mia shyly takes Fin’s hand—her knight’s hand.
In the Empire, noblewomen have personal guard knights—a unique custom.
Normally a commoner like Mia wouldn’t have a guard knight, so she calls Fin “Sir Knight.”
“I— I don’t think I can become one yet.”
“You’ll get there soon enough.”
As they’re about to board the zeppelin, an elderly man with a staff appears before them.
He looks like a gentleman in a hat.
“Mia‑chan, I’m a bit late, but I came to see you off.”
“Uncle!”
Mia rushes to the old man she calls “uncle.”
Fin watches the old man with a clearly displeased expression.
“—What are you doing here, old man?”
“Hahaha—Is it a problem for an old man like me to see you off, kid?”
He’s kind‑looking, but his attitude toward Fin is different.
“You must’ve been busy today.”
“Yeah, that’s why I pushed myself to come see you off.”
Mia looks apologetic.
“Uncle, I’m sorry for making you do this for me.”
The old man—Barthol—hastily assures Mia it’s fine.
“Mia‑chan, you’ll be studying abroad for a while, so I wanted to see you before you left.”
“Thank you for everything. Um… I’ll do my best!”
“That’s the spirit.”
Fin pretends to talk with Barthol, and Brave interjects.
‘Mia, the partner and the old man have something to discuss, so stay over there for a bit. Don’t go far, okay? Absolutely, got it?’
“Got it, Boo‑kun.”
Brave leads Mia away while Fin corners the old man.
“What do you think you’re doing? Weren’t you the one who said you wouldn’t get involved with that kid any more?”
Barthol pulls his hat down low and glares.
“What I do is my business. I’ll strip you of your knight title, kid.”
“Try it, you damn emperor.”
That old man Barthol is actually the emperor of the Empire—and also a fellow reincarnated soul like Fin.
Barthol, stepping back, glances at Mia, who’s talking with Brave.
“—I was just worried about that kid.”
“Geez, in that game you were a cold father, but if the script were different you’d be a doting‑as‑hell dad.”
“Say what you want. —Anyway, we’ve got intel on the kingdom.”
Fin’s expression turns serious.
“—Info on Barthol…?”
The hero of the Holfart Kingdom—Marquis Barthol—has become famous even beyond the kingdom.
Rumors say he single‑handedly conquered the Alzel Republic, among other feats.
He’s a prodigy who rose to marquis in a short time.
But both Fin and Barthol admit they’ve never heard of a character named Barthol in the game—they’re not in the game’s cast.
In other words, they’re likely also reincarnated.
“The story about him almost wiping out the Republic isn’t a lie. He didn’t do it alone, but with his own forces and his faction he pushed the Republic to the brink of collapse.”
“Is that true?”
“He’s a troublesome guy. Even outside the Empire, people scramble for any info on him.”
“Couldn’t they have stopped Mia’s study abroad? Delayed it or something?”
“If we interfered too much it’d cause trouble. Besides, that’s what she wants. She doesn’t have time.”
“Right—so it was.”
Mia’s wish is to study in the kingdom and from there become a diplomat.
Fin, and even Barthol, can’t stop her.
“Kid, watch yourself in the kingdom. I’m not thrilled to have you on that girl’s side, but you’re the only one fit for the job.”
Barthol says Fin is the only one who can handle Brave.
“Got it. I’ll protect Mia.”
(—That’ll help me too.)
Fin’s mind blends his unsaved sister with Mia.
Barthol places his hand on his hat.
“Tell Mia to enjoy her studies and not worry about us. But you, get back to work.”
Fin accepts the double‑standard treatment of Mia, though it also irritates him.
“You don’t need to tell me that.”
It’s disrespectful to address the emperor that way, but Barthol doesn’t press the point.
Both are reincarnated, and a peculiar bond has formed between them.
Mia steps closer.
“Sir Knight, we have to hurry or the zeppelin will leave. Uncle, I’m off!”
Mia bows, and Barthol smiles.
“Mia‑chan, have fun.”
Fin turns his face away.
(Yeah, Mia‑chan “is”. He’s really a rotten old man.)
◇
When the zeppelin lifts off, Mia lies on a bed, her face a little flushed.
Fin, standing beside her, places a hand on her forehead.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I might’ve gotten a bit too excited.”
Seeing Mia smile, Fin feels a pang in his chest.
Brave stays nearby, watching.
Fin gives Mia a smile.
“Just lie down a bit and you’ll feel better. I’ll go get some water.”
He stands up, leaves the room, and Brave follows.
In the hallway, out of Mia’s hearing range, they talk.
‘Partner, Mia’s condition isn’t great. She’s gotten weaker lately.’
“I know. Going to the kingdom and her health are both reasons.”
The protagonist was frail. Perhaps that’s why he saw his sister in his past life’s sister.
But in the kingdom, his dormant power awakens—he becomes healthy.
“I wish we could find a cure for her.”
‘I’m built for combat, not medicine. Sorry, partner.’
“Don’t worry. Thanks to you, I became her guard knight. I’ll handle the rest.”
Normally, a “target of conquest” would volunteer a male suitor for the guard knight role. Fin stole that spot for a reason.
“—I have to protect her as much as I can.”
‘Erika, was it? The villain you and that old man are fussing over?’
Erika Rapha Holfart, the protagonist’s rival‑turned‑enemy, is a princess.
She’s a troublesome position and a cruel bully toward the empire’s foreign student—our protagonist.
But because she puts on a good front, the protagonist ends up struggling.
“Ah, I can’t let Mia go through a game‑like ordeal.”
‘—Both you and that old man are overprotective of Mia. If what you say is true, she could solve her own problems, right? You even said she’d get a boyfriend who’d protect her. Leaving her alone wouldn’t be a big issue, would it?’
“No way. And even if she had a boyfriend candidate, I won’t hand her over to some useless guy. I’ll decide who’s worthy of being Mia’s boyfriend.”
Brave rolls its single eye and sighs.
◇
Holfart Kingdom—boys’ dormitory at the academy.
“Where’s Claireeeee!!!”
I, Leon Fou Bartfort, stride down the hallway with a sword in my right hand, a bit shy but kind‑hearted youth.
I’m a pitiful guy who got made a marquis because of that nasty king.
What I’m hunting with bloodshot eyes is—Claire, the one who’s caused me all this trouble.
“That bastard, I’ll never forgive you for this time either!”
Boys I pass gasp and step aside at the sight of me.
Ignoring them, I keep looking for Claire—because she actually did it.
‘Master, I’ve picked up Claire’s signal. She’s using jamming to hide.’
“Nice work!”
My partner Luxion tells me Claire’s location.
I stride into an unused room and find Claire cowering in the corner.
‘Huh! How did you know it was here!?’
Cornered, Claire trembles.
I grip my sword with both hands.
“Let’s hear your excuse.”
‘Wait, listen to me!’
“Fine, I’ll listen. But after that— you understand, right?”
No excuse will be accepted.
After all, she’s the one who turned a male target of conquest into a girl.
Well, not exactly.
She turned a guy into a girl.
When she came back from studying abroad, the person who should have been male was now female.
—That’s unacceptable.
“Tell me why you turned Aaron into Arene‑chan.”
‘It wasn’t! I didn’t know! I’m innocent! Luxion, you have to convince the master too!’
Luxion, asked for help, looks oddly amused.
‘Claire, I won’t forget you.’
‘You bastard, you twisted‑ass!!!’
I grab the filthy‑mouth Claire.
‘Master, I’m sorry. But losing one guy isn’t a big deal! There are still plenty of targets left.’
“You eliminated one possibility and still have the nerve to say that? You haven’t even reflected.”
Then Claire flips the script.
‘Yeah, that’s right. I don’t feel bad. New Humans should just be wiped out! One or two, use them for experiments! You stingy master!’
Luxion, standing beside me, says ‘I agree with that opinion,’ so I ignore him.
“What else do you have to say, you…!!!”
‘Noooo!!!’
Damn it! Why are all the people around me such a mess?!
Have some sympathy for a guy who’s struggling!!