Facing a despairing Marie, Lelia stepped back a little.
We reincarnated folks gathered at Marie’s house.
We’d come together to exchange information, but Lelia jabbed her elbow at me.
“Hey, hey, what’s up with that girl?”
“Don’t worry. The guy she was with was just a clueless idiot. He paid five million for a tea set that didn’t even cost ten thousand.”
“What—!?”
When Lelia gasped, Marie seemed to remember something and started crying.
“I can’t even buy street food anymore.”
Feeling sorry for Marie, Lelia turned to me.
“You’re the older brother, right? Do something for her.”
“Sorry, but ‘brother‑sister’ is a thing from our past lives. Now we’re strangers, just unrelated people who happen to share blood ties. Besides, Marie… I think it’d be more fun to keep pushing her.”
When I let my true feelings slip, Marie clung to my leg.
“Don’t abandon me, big brooo!”
“Let go! It’s your fault for leaving that precious money lying around!”
“I was just about to split it up for later! Then everything got chaotic and I left it for a whole day… Aaaah!”
“Don’t let those good‑for‑nothing guys use it.”
“We told the five of us to act separately, so I thought we’d covered it! Only Jilk didn’t hear us.”
Marie’s luck is terrible.
Leaving the plague‑gods to Marie’s care, the next problem is Lelia.
“Let’s set Marie aside for now; you’re up next. I need you to spill a lot of info.”
Lelia began to speak as if she’d given up.
It was a story none of us could have imagined.
“First, let me confirm something. You’re all ‘reincarnated people who know that otome game,’ right?”
The way she asked felt off. It was like—
“Hey, are there reincarnated people who don’t know that otome game?”
Lelia nodded.
“Broadly speaking, you can split them into those who know this world and those who don’t. I know at least one guy who thinks it’s just a fantasy world.”
That’s a bit of a problem.
If clueless people start messing things up, things could get messy, right?
But Lelia didn’t seem worried.
“…Just so you know, that guy’s harmless. Actually, you’re the ones stirring up the situation. He’s just playing at being an adventurer right now.”
He’s a reincarnated person with zero knowledge, yet apparently active as an adventurer now.
I’m kind of jealous of his carefree life.
“I met him by chance. Talking with him brings up memories from my past life. Our values were oddly similar, so I thought, ‘Maybe he’s Japanese?’ We both doubted it, but after talking… yeah.”
We both felt something off. Maybe we sensed a similarity? Anyway, it doesn’t seem like we’re in a brother‑sister relationship like Marie and I.
…I’d rather have Marie be a stranger too.
A sister from a past life… spare me.
“So there are other reincarnated folks besides us, huh?”
“In Alzer it’s safe. No idiots getting close to Erik and the others.”
When I said “idiot,” Lelia’s gaze landed on Marie.
Idiots happen, I guess.
Marie and I exchanged looks, checking if any other reincarnated people were around.
“Any weirdos?”
“Maybe just you, big bro?”
I pinched Marie’s cheek, and Lelia kept talking.
“I was reincarnated as a twin sister who never appears in the game. When my memories cleared up, my manor burned down. I was on the run.”
She realized she was a reincarnated person at the start of the story.
“It was just like the game. I lived as a commoner, got help from surviving retainers, and eventually could attend the Academy.”
I got the basics.
“Why was it burned?”
She let go of Marie’s cheek, pressed her reddened cheek with her hand, and explained.
“The Fevel family were the front men, the Rault family pulled the strings behind the scenes. It was all about the Guardian’s crest. That crest is chosen from the Six Great Nobles, but the priestess‑producing Respinus family gets to pick. Naturally, Respinus wields a lot of power.”
Lelia agreed.
“The chair‑person role also goes to Respinus because the other five nobles can’t push hard enough. But our mother—the previous priestess—picked a plain commoner. No one touches the former Guardian, but she was a commoner.”
Marie took over the story.
She seemed to be recalling game knowledge as she talked with Lelia.
I wish she’d remembered sooner.
“The Six Great Nobles are boring, right? So the Raults used the Fevels to steal the priestess crest from Respinus. Isn’t that similar to what Pierre did?”
A back‑stabbing scheme.
Did they succeed against a higher‑up?
Lelia didn’t know.
“I don’t know the details. It wasn’t even mentioned in the game. But the Respinus family, after being duped and losing the crest, couldn’t resist and were defeated.”
I glanced at Luxion.
Unlike outsiders like us, Respinus should have held the priestess crest—higher than the Six Great Nobles.
‘…It’d be hard to back‑stab a higher‑ranked priestess family. The Sacred Tree’s priority is Guardian first, then priestess second. Even if you use some absurd oath, the side that set the trap would end up losing the crest, right?’
Lelia shrugged.
“So why did our mother lose the crest? Because of that, we can’t get blessings. A clan that loses its blessing can never regain a crest later.”
Pierre would fear losing his crest.
Without a blessing, his descendants will never get one either.
From a noble’s viewpoint in the Republic, that’s practically a death sentence.
‘Not enough info to judge.’
Discussing unknowns here is pointless.
“So what happened after? You’ll tell us what you did to your sister, right?”
Lelia’s eyes were wandering.
“Um… do you know the true ending? You know, the ‘true route’ of that otome game where Erik is the partner? I tried hard to get my sister to get close to Erik.”
She giggled, and I clicked my tongue in irritation.
“So you failed, huh? Useless girl.”
Marie snorted.
“Exactly. You’re a trash girl pushing a DV‑type onto your sister.”
…You can’t criticize others, yet you act so cocky?
Lelia shot back at us.
“What? At that time I thought it was the right thing!”
Marie stood up, complaining.
“I just played it safe, got a boring ‘safe card’ and shoved a yandere Erik onto my sister! Did you even check her feelings? And how the hell did you make them get along?”
Lelia tapped her fingers and recounted academy life.
“...There’s a meet‑up event, right? I made sure my sister and Erik met there, then blocked everything else. Because my sister’s taste was exactly the kind of guy Erik is!”
Rich, handsome, powerful. Most women would fall for that.
If a rich, beautiful woman asked me out, I’d probably fall too. Not now, though—falling now would be a life‑or‑death situation.
Angelica, Libya, Julius… after that whole mess they’re probably strict about cheating.
Just thinking about cheating… gives me the chills. I won’t cheat. That’s fine.
“I worked hard to make my sister vibe with Erik. Meanwhile, I just got friendly with Emil.”
Marie didn’t buy it.
“Didn’t you just avoid troublesome guys and pick safety?”
“You’re the one who chose a reverse harem! You’re the idiot!”
“You’re the one pushing a weird guy onto my sister!”
“It’s not weird! Just a little sick!”
Isn’t that a fatal flaw in reality?
Also, walking around with a collar on her in public isn’t just a little sick—it’s fully sick.
Even if it’s a role‑play, don’t do it in daylight.
I told Lelia to keep going.
“Erik started baking rice cakes whenever my sister talked to other guys. I thought that was a good sign, so I brought up the Jewel.”
I remembered Professor Kureman’s story.
“Is that the shady urban‑legend‑type rumor?”
Marie looked at me.
“Bro, that’s real. In the game, when the protagonists go after it, it actually falls. It’s proof of love—a ‘friendship’ event, or a love‑confirmation event.”
“Ugh, why do we have to confirm love and romance when we’re already doing the stuff?”
Luxion said to me,
‘Even if there’s love, the master who hesitates and won’t accept the pair can’t be the one speaking. I’ve prepared a mirror. Feel free to vent at it.’
Marie and Lelia both laughed at me.
“Bro, you’re such a wimp.”
“What? Virgin? And Erik hasn’t even made a move yet. He’s being gentlemanly, and my sister still seems untouched.”
Is it a twin‑connection thing? Do they just sense each other? …This whole thing is shady.
Anyway… why am I getting blamed? And virginity has nothing to do with it, right? These idiots.
“I get the Jewel thing. So you tried to confirm it and failed, right? Maybe there was no love? Isn’t that why things got tangled?”
Lelia stammered, “Uhh—”
She blamed Erik for getting sick.
Did we rush things too much?
Marie laughed at Lelia.
“What’s with you? You mock others but you’re the one who messed up. Idiot, idiot, you‑”
“What? I just gave a little push because it felt right! So, you guys could’ve done better than me?”
If you hadn’t been involved, maybe it’d have gone smoother—but I won’t say that because I’m being nice.
Hypotheticals are useless.
“Don’t fight. You know fights only happen between equals, right?”
Marie and Lelia, hair‑grabbing, glared at me.
They seemed ready to say something, but I ignored them.
‘Master, please use the mirror.’
“Shut up, be quiet.”
Anyway, talking with them made me realize my info is lacking.
I’ve been watching the protagonist’s surroundings, but that’s not enough.
I didn’t even plan to fight the Republic—or extort them—but Pierre’s mess really gave me a hard time.
Since I’m curious, I’ll ask.
“Can we change the subject? Sure? Actually… I went into a dungeon with Professor Narciss and the guy isn’t strong, right? Are the target guys weak? Pierre was a grunt, but Emil doesn’t look strong either.”
Lelia smoothed her hair and clothes, exposing her bra as she turned her back to me.
“Put that pathetic thing away. I’m a big‑breast fan. Besides, I’m already engaged, so I won’t get horny over you.”
Who knows what she’ll say next.
“…You’re the worst. Don’t you know?”
“Bro only played the first game.”
“Guys playing otome games is creepy.”
Who the hell? Apologize to the male players!
“You want me to nicely cut off that uncertain chest? I’ll spill all your issues to Emil. Once I decide to do something, I see it through.”
She threatened a bit, then continued.
“Unlike the first game, the second has distinct character traits. Erik is the all‑rounder. Narciss is the academic/knowledge type—useful for researching ruins. Emil is a weakened version of Erik but has high support ability.”
He’s bragging, but the impressive ones are Erik and the others, not you.
You’re truly a useless reincarnated person.
“Why do they have traits?”
“Because the first game was poorly received, so the second aimed to be a game you could clear by using characters well. …Probably.”
Marie agreed with Lelia.
“But the original developer made it for a male audience, so it’s a bit off‑kilter. That’s part of the fun.”
…Otome games are deep.
You can’t just jump in casually.
The dev made it for men, so it’s a bit skewed, yet it still sold and got a sequel—strange.
If there hadn’t been a second game, I probably wouldn’t have struggled either.
“Anyway, if Erik’s no good, we’ll target another guy. Speaking of trash sisters…”
Marie tilted her head.
“What?”
“Not you, but your trash sister.”
“Call me by my name!”
“Enough noise. Because you fail, we suffer too. Now tell me the next target already.”
If Erik’s a bust, we need the next one fast.
We can’t let the world crisis slip; studying abroad would’ve been pointless.
Crushing Pierre socially and extorting the Republic was just a side note.
Lelia stayed silent.
“What? Tell me the next guy already.”
Marie looked puzzled.
“Huh? I don’t see Yandere Erik, Adventurer‑crazy Narciss, or Safe‑card Emil… only a hidden character Fernand showed up.”
Fernand, a hidden character? The second game’s cast is thick. Julius and the others get lost.
But Fernand is a handsome twenty‑something with power and money—sounds like a romance candidate. The second game mixes teachers and adults.
Very different from the first.
Lelia opened her mouth.
“The second son of the Drouil family—Fernand’s younger brother—is a senior student. Apparently he came back to help his brother because you guys caused trouble.”
So Fernand called his brother back.
Now the last one.
Lelia looked troubled.
“…One more is another reincarnated like us, but without any otome‑game knowledge.”
…So that’s the other reincarnated person!
◇
When I got back home and entered my room, I was surprised.
“…Dinner?”
Luxion was staring at the table.
‘A local dish from Alzer, huh.’
In front of a dish unlike the kingdom’s, my sister walked in, apron on.
“Um, I’m grateful for everything, so I thought I’d at least cook something.”
She reached for the food, and Luxion shot a laser from his eyes at my right hand.
“Ow!”
‘Master, that’s rude.’
“No, it looked tasty so I wanted a taste.”
Looking at the back of my right hand, there was no burn—just a faint crest shimmering.
On the table sat a sapling of the Sacred Tree.
My sister giggled at us.
“I’m glad you say that. Even so, I’m good at housework.”
A fallen princess apparently worked hard.
Lelia, who’s also struggled, is fine… but my sister seems normal… Reincarnated folks really are hopeless.
My sister blushed a bit.
“Um, would you like to have dinner together…?”
“Let’s eat right away. I’m starving, can’t wait.”
She beamed a huge smile.
“Yes!”
I hope she finds her next partner soon… but after hearing Lelia’s story, it sounds tough. I just wish the Guardian’s crest on my right hand finds a proper owner soon.