I was blown away by how capable Claire was.
My hands shaking, I clutched the photo and got all excited over Libya’s underwear.
“She's more capable than you, huh?”
‘Changing my assessment just because of that? I have to question the Master’s humanity. Oops, sorry about that. I guess I was doubtful of their humanity from the start.’
“I love that side of me, though. Alright, I’ll keep this photo as a charm.”
After changing into my new uniform, I carefully stored the photo in the living room at home.
My favorite is the one where she’s sticking out her butt.
I like the pose that’s ambiguous—whether she’s clumsy or inviting a guy.
“Alright, let’s hear the report.”
I checked the intel Luxion had gathered.
The reason I was reviewing it early this morning is that today’s the first day of the new semester.
Luxion also took a while to dig up the info.
‘The current candidates are these few individuals.’
There are a lot of blond twins, but apparently few students have pink mixed in.
But every girl is different.
None of them were strikingly beautiful.
“…All these girls feel different.”
‘I agree. It’s a bit off the criteria, but how about this one?’
When I looked at the floating image, there was a girl with pale pink hair tied in a side ponytail.
“She’s got vibe. Is this the one?”
Her hairstyle’s different, but she probably doesn’t keep the same look every day like in a game.
Her hair color’s within the acceptable range, right?
“I should double‑check with Marie.”
‘Got it.’
I watched Luxion head out the window, then sipped my tea.
“…Nice tea leaves. It’s pricey, but worth it.”
Since it’s the first day of the semester, I splurged on good tea.
I felt great from the morning.
◇
Marie’s mansion was noisy from the get‑go.
“Anyone seen my jacket?”
“Who are you? Who drank my tea without asking?”
“Don’t you have my socks?”
“Hey, where’s lunch?”
Julius was looking for his jacket, Jilk was a bit mad that the tea he’d prepared was missing. Brad was rummaging for socks, and Greg was yawning in his pajamas while waiting for breakfast.
Marie, in an apron, was holding a frying pan.
“Everyone, hurry up and get breakfast! Come on, set the table already!”
Toast with fried eggs and bacon.
Kyle carried the plates to the table, and Greg immediately dug in.
Marie glanced around the room,
“Huh? Where’s Chris?”
Julius was staring out the window.
“If it’s him, he’s probably practicing swings from the morning. He’s pumped today.”
She got annoyed hearing everyone call him diligent.
“Get him back, give him a shower! It’s the first day of the new semester! No way we can be late! The carriage is coming, so everyone get ready!”
The mansion was a whirlwind from morning onward.
Mostly five people kept everything running.
Luxion, watching from outside, turned right and headed back under Leon’s.
‘Looks like it’s not possible right now.’
Someone must’ve stained a shirt; Marie was screaming like she’d go insane.
◇
We arrived at the academy by carriage.
The vibe was a lot different from the Holfart Kingdom.
On the way there, I kept seeing students in uniform.
It’d been ages since I’d seen a normal school commute scene.
In the kingdom, the academy had dorms on campus, so the atmosphere was a bit different.
The buildings too—different design, definitely foreign.
“…Aren’t Republic girls amazing?”
When the staff guided us and we passed the students, they greeted us.
At the kingdom’s academy, it was rare for the girls to be the ones to say hello first.
I never expected to be shown such a cultural gap here.
But the staff seemed to have misread my comment.
‘Looks like you liked it. But please don’t make a move. Some of them are noble ladies, and it could become an international incident.’
Marie, trailing behind, looked exhausted from the morning.
Kara was with her.
“Marie‑sama, are you alright?”
“I told them to hurry up, but we’re still not ready.”
Kyle wasn’t by Marie’s side, muttering complaints.
He’s not a student, but a servant—actually a slave.
Entering the academy was forbidden.
While Marie was wiped out, Julius and the others were lively.
“Definitely different from the kingdom. The vibe alone says it.”
You could list endless differences, but there are also many similarities.
Maybe it’s because this otome game world models Japanese schools.
We walked in a group of eight, and were led to a big building.
They said they’d introduce us at the opening ceremony.
The staff told us,
“At the opening ceremony, Prince Julius will give the representative self‑introduction.”
…I guess that’s how it goes.
Julius seemed prepared; he even had a script.
These guys never miss a beat.
◇
So the opening ceremony introduced the foreign students…
Nothing special happened.
I tried to spot a protagonist‑type girl, but there were a decent number of good‑looking ones.
I couldn’t find anyone.
After the ceremony, we were taken to our class, and the teacher asked,
“Brad‑san, may I ask about your hobbies and what you like?”
“You’re a baron, right?”
“That’s impressive. Do you have a girlfriend?”
“Stupid. Of course I have a fiancée.”
In the same class, the purple‑haired guy—no, Brad—got bombarded with questions.
Maybe because his usual goofiness isn’t obvious to the girls, he’s super popular.
Brad’s a narcissist, but if he keeps quiet he’s still handsome.
“Man, I’ve got a fiancée. I’m even thinking about marriage. Hobbies… probably reading.”
He gave a safe answer, so the girls started squealing.
The boys in the class gave each other that nostalgic, heated look.
A massive wave of jealousy seemed to unite the boys.
Me?
…I’ve got two fiancées already, so I’m not lonely.
Even though nobody asked me a single question.
I did mention I hold a count title, but the girls’ attention stayed on Brad.
About thirty students were in the room.
Unlike the kingdom’s huge lecture halls that felt like university, this felt more like a high school from my past life.
The boys’ voices rang out.
“Don’t mess around.”
“The kingdom’s culture level is low, huh?”
“Girls who swing their hips at nobles are the worst.”
They were clearly looking down on us.
When the homeroom teacher entered, the students sat down.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s start homeroom.”
The male teacher’s voice was oddly feminine, and he wore a light touch of makeup.
“Foreign students are a novelty, I get it, but don’t cause trouble. Leon‑kun, Brad‑kun, if anything comes up, come to me.”
…What a great teacher.
His shirt was barely buttoned, chest muscles showing, biceps bulging—clearly well‑trained.
His jaw was chiseled, his beard trimmed but with a bluish tint.
Deep facial features… and he spoke in a feminine tone, which only made his character stand out more.
He’s not a she—he’s Mr. Kremann, the homeroom teacher.
The classmates gave off a weird vibe.
“Kremann‑sensei’s the homeroom teacher?”
“He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, but sometimes his back just gives me the creeps.”
It was a guy saying his back felt weird.
…Nothing’s wrong. I’ll just tell myself it’ll be fine.
Kremann clapped his hands.
“Alright, I’ll go over this year’s stuff. We’ve got two cute foreign boys, so I’ll be thorough.”
For a split second Brad shivered.
Looks like I’ll be tense but ready for class.
◇
Lunchtime.
I slipped out of the classroom and met up with Marie, who seemed a bit recovered from the morning.
We hid in the courtyard and surrounded Luxion, talking.
In front of the floating images and videos, Marie looked confused.
“…Maybe this isn’t the one?”
She pointed at a girl in the footage.
“Not blond, pink hair. Not twin‑tails, side pony.”
Marie was equally stumped.
“The vibe, the looks—this is the only one that fits. The others just don’t feel right.”
Only Marie knows the protagonist’s identity. I can’t tell.
“Is there any chance she’s not enrolled?”
“The continent the academy sits on belongs to the Respinas family. The academy’s run by them to train the next generation… Anyway, there are people inside watching the protagonist, so they’d definitely have enrolled her. At least in the game’s story.”
Luxion played a new video.
‘Footage we got this morning.’
It showed a plain‑looking guy with blue, silky hair down to his shoulders, chatting happily with the pink‑haired girl.
Marie leaned in on the screen.
“Emil! I don’t know his middle or last name, but that’s Emil! He’s a target male, a ‘safe pick’ Emil!”
What a terrible nickname.
“Safe pick?”
“The second game had a lot of changes, and the target guys are super quirky.”
“More than Julius and the others!?”
Honestly, even they were quirky, but now they’re trying to make him stand out even more?
“Yeah. Emil’s trait is ‘plain’!”
…Is that even a trait?
Like a fake plain character?
Honestly, he seems more distinctive than me.
Blue hair’s normal in this world, but it feels off to me.
“Plain makes him a safe pick.”
“What? No. ‘Safe pick’ means he’s easy to攻略, fewer annoying events. If you get stuck, switching to Emil guarantees a clear game‑over.”
Man, poor Emil.
He smiles nicely in the video, but being called a ‘safe pick’ by the girls—by the player—makes me want to cry.
But now it’s clear.
“So basically, Emil’s girlfriend is the protagonist, right?”
“Probably. In the dress scene, the protagonist had a side pony, which matches. Changing hair isn’t unheard of.”
It’s a game‑vs‑reality thing.
Luxion added,
‘Her name is Leria Beltre. As Marie said, there were a lot of data tampering at enrollment. She’s hiding her real name. She’s probably not dating the guy yet. His name is Emil Raz Prevan, from a noble class.’
Marie kept nodding.
“No doubt! This is the protagonist! Her hidden surname is Respinas, for sure.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Then we’re good. If things go well with Emil, we’ll end up with a happy ending. Our study‑abroad goal will be achieved.”
I stretched.
All the worries felt like a slap in the face.
“We didn’t even need to come here.”
Marie, having solved a big issue, placed her hand on her right shoulder and swung her right arm around.
Shoulder stiffness?
“Yeah. Now we can enjoy the study‑abroad life. But brother… I’ve got a serious problem.”
“What’s up?”
“Lend me some money.”
Seeing Marie’s almost‑crying face, I snorted.
“No way. You’re not broke, are you?”
“It’s not for living expenses! I need cash for something else!”
“Apply to the embassy. They’ll give you money. I’d have to pay out of my own pocket.”
Julius may be a rotten prince, but the Holfart Kingdom has set aside funds for study‑abroad costs.
I said I wanted to study abroad on my own, so I paid my own way.
“You cheap brother! I can’t even buy snacks. The queen’s anger cut the budget down to the bone!”
“Good thing you didn’t do something disgraceful. I came here for a study‑abroad I didn’t even need, and now I’m feeling down.”
Having a problem actually fires me up, but if nothing’s wrong, I wonder why I even came.
“Can’t go after girls, and studying’s a pain. What now?”
“…Brother, you’re such a wimp you can’t even make a move on a girl.”
“Don’t mock me. In the kingdom I was hitting on every girl.”
“That was because of the marriage‑hunt, right? If you didn’t need it, you’d just chill.”
Luxion kept nodding.
‘By the way, Master, should we lock in Leria as the target and proceed with investigation?’
“I’ll leave it to you. If anything messes up with Emil, let me know. I’ll back you up fully.”
For the world’s sake, I’ll support the couple… Is there anyone else like me?
“Brother, I want some pocket money!”
“Shut up. You already paid for cleaning, didn’t you?”
“That money won’t even last a year! I need it for everything, please~”
Marie clung to me, annoying as ever, and I handed over a small amount from my wallet. Maybe I’m just soft.