Only a little time left in the first term.
It’s become tradition to hold grade‑specific parties, and the one thrown inside the academy’s facilities was downright lavish.
The food on the tables was so plentiful and high‑quality I was at a loss for words. The boys were in school uniforms, but almost every girl was in a dress.
A half‑human servant stood beside each girl, while the boys stretched their noses toward the dressed‑up girls.
My eyes kept auto‑locking onto the girls’ chests, so even moving my gaze was a struggle.
Clearing my throat, I put on a serious face.
“Is that chest an F‑cup? No, never mind—what amazing food.”
When I shifted my gaze back to the table, Daniel was shoveling a massive serving of meat onto his plate. Raymond stared at him, dumbfounded.
“This is the biggest party I’ve ever seen. The academy is something else.”
“Daniel, don’t talk with food in your mouth. Thinking about how they’re holding three separate grade‑specific parties of this scale, the capital city is still amazing. It’s a world apart from the poor provincial baron families.”
Luxion had said that before.
He’d explained that the capital’s power is being flaunted to the provinces by sending kids to the academy. Sure enough, being able to throw a party like this shows a massive difference in wealth.
Even nobles who were pampered at home would have a few things they’d want to see after witnessing this.
All around were boys in the same situation.
Today even the regular‑class students were joining, so the guest list was huge.
Daniel scanned the crowd.
“Even the regular‑class girls are mostly in dresses. Too few are in uniforms.”
Raymond pushed his glasses up.
In his line of sight was a slender girl who fit Raymond’s taste.
She was a bit of a wallflower.
“Dresses can range from cheap to pricey. Apparently you can get a whole outfit for two thousand dia.”
Two thousand dia is about two hundred thousand yen! I don’t know if that’s cheap or expensive, but at least the bottom price is laughable.
Anyway, the talk of the moment, Marie, showed up in her uniform. The surrounding students were buzzing with chatter.
In this situation, Olivia, the scholarship student who’d come in uniform, was completely invisible.
Still, you’d think a viscount’s daughter could at least afford a dress… but before I could dwell on that, Marie had already merged with the princes’ group.
They were in the top‑tier caste of princes, looking like they were having a blast.
More importantly, for us mob boys, this party was also an opportunity. According to the seniors, couples sometimes form at events like this.
“So, are you two ready?”
When I called out to the two, Daniel set his plate down.
“Yeah, I’m all fed up.”
Raymond adjusted his glasses.
“We’ve got to step it up too.”
The three of us sprang into action.
We’d just go around talking to the girls.
With this vibe, maybe there’d be some girls willing to lower their standards and marry us. At this point, even if they already had lovers, I didn’t mind.
“Whoa! I see a trio of girls over there—let’s attack!”
While the other boys moved, we headed for the girls.
But then—
“Ha? Go check yourself in the mirror first.”
“Baronial family from the provinces? We don’t need country bumpkins here.”
“Just be a potato and talk to the ‘potato girls.’ We’re aiming for viscount families at least. And the frontier? Out of the question.”
“Ugh, desperate guys who are all about marriage. Their shallowness is obvious.”
“You need more composure to be a man.”
“The crown prince is a whole different story.”
The girls brushed us off, and their personal servants—who were basically mistresses—looked down on us. Their masters were the girls, not us.
And if we tried to ambush the girls’ slaves, a harsh investigation would follow.
We knew we were in a safe spot where we wouldn’t be attacked, so we acted like that.
“Um, could we at least talk—”
One of the girls gave a command to her servant with a flick of her chin.
A hulking half‑human shoved us aside.
The three of us tumbled, drawing everyone’s eyes. The girls laughed, the boys either laughed or felt sorry for us.
“Go back and try again. If you have a next life, maybe wish to be born a better man.”
The surrounding girls and slaves were laughing at us.
◇
Outside the party hall.
“Damn it! Getting cocky!”
Daniel shouted, his voice full of anger.
Raymond, sitting on a bench with his knees pulled up, stared up at the night sky.
“Redo your life… that’s how far you’ll go?”
From a nearby building, the sounds of music and laughter from the party drifted out.
We couldn’t take the atmosphere inside any longer, so we slipped out. The girls watching us laughed.
It was the upper‑class girls and the slaves who laughed.
The regular‑class girls either looked at us pitifully or avoided eye contact.
Pathetic.
“…I’m kinda over this.”
When I said that, Daniel opened his mouth to say something, then shut it and looked down.
Raymond stayed silent too.
The three of us sat on the bench, staring blankly at the sky.
“Girls are starting to feel gross.”
Daniel’s words got a nod from Raymond.
“Right? Guys are rushed into marriage before graduation because society’s cold, so the conditions for girls with time are just too different.”
Not every girl at the academy is terrible, but the proportion of terrible ones is way too high.
Because of that, the more time you spend at the academy, the more boys end up hating it.
I remembered something Rukuru‑senpai had said—
“Apparently there are guys who get fed up with girls at the academy and end up running to guys… they laughed about it before enrollment, but now they can’t.”
Daniel and Raymond both nodded.
Girls get fed up, then some guys turn to guys.
What makes it even worse is that among the girls there are “BL‑loving” sisters from previous lives, just existing normally. It’s a hopeless world.
Enroll → hate girls because they’re awful → run to guys → BL fans rejoice.
That’s the cycle.
A true “fujoshi spiral”… I just said it because it sounds good. Well, if you think about how these sad events repeat every year, you could call it a “fujoshi chain.” Or maybe not?
Silence stretched as time passed.
Then, without noticing, the music faded.
There should have been live music in the hall. I checked my pocket watch; it wasn’t time for the party to end.
I thought maybe it was a break, but listening closely, there was no laughter coming from the hall.
Every now and then, a distant shout could be heard.
“Hey, isn’t something off?”
Raymond turned his gaze toward the hall.
“Now that you mention it, it does feel oddly noisy.”
Daniel stood up.
“Wanna check it out? If we peek through the window we don’t have to go in.”
Raymond stopped him.
“Don’t make a bigger scene. If we get caught we’ll be a joke. But yeah, it’s weird.”
We were all curious, but we knew we couldn’t go back in. Then a girl stepped out.
She looked around, spotted us, and ran over.
In uniform, it was Olivia.
“Leon‑san! Something’s wrong!”
◇
Back inside the hall, everything was dead silent.
Well, the students along the walls were quietly watching, but the noisy crowd in the center was a different story.
I asked Olivia what happened.
“What happened?”
“It started as a little argument, but then—”
In the center were five boys surrounding Marie. Among them was a blond‑eyed elf boy, Kyle.
In front of the seven, Angelica raised her voice.
It sounded like a painful scream.
“Why won’t you listen to me! I’m— I’m doing this for the prince!”
The prince’s response was ice‑cold.
“Your words are unbearable. That’s all.”
“Please, how can you accept someone’s nature like that!”
I couldn’t follow the flow, but Angelica was desperately pleading something.
Olivia continued.
“So, Marie was seen holding hands with another man, not the crown prince, and Angelica got mad. The prince said it’s nothing worth making a fuss over.”
He can tolerate his girl having another man.
That’s a big man—him.
I’d hate it, but the prince seems fine with it.
Marie, still in uniform, was hiding behind the prince.
Angelica, in a red dress and perfectly made up, looked radiant.
A stark contrast, right?
Around Marie were boys and pretty‑boy slaves, but Angelica had nobody around her.
Brad stepped forward.
“The Redgrave daughter looks miserable when this happens. Look, nobody here supports you.”
When Angelica scanned the room, the students who’d been sucking up to her turned away.
They weren’t enemies, just resentful, smirking at her.
“Who are you talking to? I’m a duke’s daughter—Redgrave’s daughter. Don’t act like a frontier baron. Do you even know what that girl did? To all of you—”
Did she threaten everyone?
But the boys didn’t look panicked.
“We know enough.”
Blue‑haired Chris said that, and Angelica looked shocked.
“What!?”
Chris seemed to smile at the frightened Marie. Usually expressionless, swinging a sword, now his face made the surrounding girls blush.
Is it the face? The face?
“I was saved by her. She listened to my worries. And I want to—protect her.”
Seeing the whole grade watch that confession, I thought his mental fortitude was commendable.
Next up was Greg.
“You’re full of sophistry. Just say you like her enough that it doesn’t matter.”
Jilc put a hand to his mouth and grinned.
“Yes, she’s wonderful. But I think I love Marie the most.”
Angelica, speechless, stared at the prince’s face.
The prince looked a bit annoyed.
“Jilc, even you are wrong. I’m the one who loves Marie the most.”
The girls who’d been silent shouted a yellow cheer.
“Did you hear that!?”
“I want to be told that too!”
“How jealous. Meanwhile, the duke’s daughter looks pathetic.”
Angelica giggled, looking down and clenching her fists.
“…Does that mean you don’t plan to make this a school‑time fling?”
The prince lowered his gaze.
“There’s only one woman I can’t replace. Angelica, before you entered the academy I didn’t dislike you. But if you hurt Marie, I won’t forgive you.”
The girls laughed.
“Did you hear? The duke’s daughter is done too.”
“Isn’t that basically a broken engagement?”
“I hated that girl, you know.”
It’s easy to say the other’s weak.
I get it, but…
“Is this how a girl who watches harems feels? It’s kinda itchy, these scenes just look painful.”
“What’s wrong, Leon‑san?”
Olivia tilted her head beside me.
Daniel and Raymond were shocked by Angelica’s expression.
“Yo, isn’t this crazy?”
“She looks like she could snap any second.”
Her face was blank, eyes empty of the light they’d held before, something dark seemed to loom.
Angelica threw something at Marie.
“—Huh?”
Marie was stunned, and the object hit her then fell to the floor. It was a white glove.
“Pick it up, witch, you deceived the princes.”
It was a duel challenge.
Picking up the glove meant accepting the duel.
“Now that I think about it, there’s a duel event like this.”
Greg started to mutter, when Raymond panicked.
“Stop spouting nonsense! Do you even get what this duel means!?”
The duke’s daughter had challenged the viscount’s daughter to a duel.
Formally, yes.
“Do we need a proxy?”
When dueling, a girl can appoint a male proxy, but a boy can’t appoint a proxy.
In the game, a friendly character would take the protagonist’s place, but maybe this route is different.
I’d had a bad feeling from the earlier exchange.
“…Angelica, you’ve disappointed me.”
The prince’s brows knit, his insulting stare aimed at his fiancée, anger at its peak.
“Marie, pick it up. It’s fine. I’ve got your back. I’ll be your proxy.”
Then Jilc chimed in.
“We can’t just let the prince have all the good spots. Academy rules say a girl’s male proxy isn’t limited to one. I’ll volunteer too.”
Greg slammed his fist on his palm.
“This is fun, I’m in. Anyone, come at me!”
He pulled off his glasses, looking spiteful.
“‘Witch’ isn’t a term I’ll let slide. You’ll have to apologize after the duel. Of course I’m joining too.”
Chris crossed his arms.
“I’m confident with a sword. I’ll fight as Marie’s blade.”
Marie wiped a tear with her finger.
“Everyone… I’m scared, but with you all I feel safe. I’ll take this duel. Angelica, I’ll fight everyone.”
Kyle rolled his eyes at the protagonist. The slightly sarcastic boy, handsome as always, struck a pose.
“You really are a foolish master, huh? Don’t forget I’m here to cheer.”
Marie smiled.
“Thanks, Kyle.”
Just as I thought.
“This is a reverse harem route.”
“Leon‑san’s saying something again. Anyway, what will the duke’s daughter do against five guys? Is there anyone who can take them?”
Daniel agreed with Raymond’s question.
“The prince is top‑ranked academically, and everyone else has great grades. No one here can handle five opponents. First, Chris, the top candidate for the kingdom’s strongest swordsman, would be the opponent. No way he can win.”
Everyone knew that. Most guys just didn’t want to fight the prince. A duel isn’t a practice match; it’s serious.
Even the boys who’d been Angelica’s entourage didn’t want to get involved.
When Angelica looked around, the boys all averted their gaze.
Greg taunted.
“Hey, anyone want to help her out? You’ve got no virtue, so I feel sorry for you. Well, I won’t. …We issued a duel. Don’t run just because you can’t find a proxy.”
Laughter filled the hall, mocking Angelica.
No one stepped up.
Academy duel rules forbid bringing a proxy from outside. Basically, adults can’t intervene in kids’ duels.
In the game, Angelica breaks that rule, loses, and gets extra shame.
But—
“Hey, want to bet on how pathetic she’ll look?”
“She’ll just go cry to her family. This duel won’t be recognized. No proxy will ever show up.”
“Maybe she’ll show up herself. Then I want her beaten up.”
The girls’ reactions were ice‑cold. The coldest was the prince himself, even though he should be the ex‑fiancé.
“Angelica, you’re ready, right? You can’t back out now.”
I couldn’t just leave it.
I stepped forward, and Olivia pinched the sleeve of my uniform.
“Um… what are you going to do?”
Seeing her anxious face made me wonder why she was even there, and why Marie was there too.
The answer was obvious.
Daniel tried to stop me.
“Stupid. Why would you get involved? You’re not supposed to.”
Raymond agreed.
“This duel’s outcome’s decided before it even starts. Win or lose, you won’t walk away clean. The opponent is the prince, remember?”
The three tried to stop me, but I smirked.
“I… don’t like those guys.”
I’m not friends with Angelica, I don’t feel sympathy, but the main reason is personal.
When I pushed forward, all eyes landed on me.
“Hey, I’ll be the duel’s proxy—sign me up!”
I raised my hand lightly, but the surrounding “what’s this guy doing, read the room?” stares made Greg look at me.
“Who the hell are you?”
He clearly didn’t know me.
Mob life is harsh.
Brad pushed his glasses up, sizing me up.
“Before you enrolled, you were a successful adventurer, right? Heard you were going to become a baron on your own. You that?”
He spoke downwards.
Given my grades and status, I wasn’t on his radar.
I ignored him and kept talking.
“Uh, I volunteered, so could you approve it? Angelica, come on, approve it fast.”
Angelica looked flustered.
“Uh…”
“Just say yes. That solves everything.”
“I… approve…”
I turned to the princes—Marie.
“So, Leon‑Fou‑Bartfort is stepping up as duel proxy. You’re the five princes, right? I need to confirm the duel method, but first—what’s at stake?”
Marie stared, stunned.
She hadn’t expected me to get involved at all. I’d been gathering intel for Luxion, so this was no surprise.
She’s a fellow reincarnated soul, maybe even knew otome games from a past life. Could she have been a girl in a previous life? Or a guy forced into an otome game? Who knows.
I faced Angelica.
“By the way, why did you challenge a duel? Be clear, or I’m stuck.”
Angelica and everyone else looked dumbfounded at my casual tone.
She finally spoke.
“…Don’t get close to the prince. That’s all I want.”
Whispers floated around.
“Did you hear that?”
“No, are you jealous?”
“Really ugly. You can’t win her over with charm, so you just brute‑force.”
Angelica clenched her teeth.
“So, since it’s a duel, I want to hear your conditions too.”
I turned back to Marie, but the prince stepped forward, blocking my view.
“Do you really want to tear us apart? I can’t tell who the witch is. Angelica, even if you split us, my feelings won’t come back to you!”
Angelica muttered.
“I understand. I understand, but separating them is the last thing I can do—”
I slapped my hands together.
“No, save that for later. Just give me the conditions already. Come on, hurry up.”
Marie’s side looked annoyed, but I didn’t care.
Marie stepped forward and laid out her terms.
“If I win, stop this cruelty. Using family power to force people isn’t right.”
It sounded like a line I’d heard before—maybe the protagonist’s line. She’d ripped it off.
“If I win, you and the prince break up. If I lose, we’ll never get involved again. Now, let’s confirm the duel method. How about a duel in armor in the arena? That’s the usual way, right?”
Duels aren’t that many, but they happen every year. Even if the reason’s trivial, boys love the spotlight.
Usually the duel uses armor—like powered suits. Having armor shows wealth, and winning brings honor.
Chris gave me a sharp look.
“You think you can beat us? You never showed any skill in sword class.”
I wondered if he remembered me at all.
“What? Why assume I’ll lose?”
I teased, and the crowd burst into laughter.
“Did you hear that!?”
“You think you can win? You’re clueless.”
“That guy’s got a talent for making people laugh!”
“Someone who became a baron by luck is funny.”
Both girls and boys laughed at me. I was one of the top five first‑years, after all.
Greg leaned in.
“Hey, the guys who tried to talk to the girls earlier got shoved by a personal servant and ran off. That wasn’t you, was it?”
He’s a jerk.
“…You’re not even a match. If you just want attention, run away, you trash.”
Greg’s combat experience made him stand out.
Honestly, they’re impressive. They’d go that far for a weak girl.
From an outsider’s view, Angelica looks badly bullied.
…Truly admirable.
“What? Want to argue verbally? Do you prefer a debate duel? I’m not good at that side, but since you chose the other, I’ll take it. Let’s both try our best.”
Greg’s face flushed with a blue vein.
Jilc tried to mediate.
“The duel will be one‑on‑one using armor. But we’re five. If you can gather five on your side by the deadline, we’ll allow it. The arena… summer break is near. We could book it after the closing ceremony.”
I nodded gratefully. With so few days left, gathering people would be tough.
“One‑on‑five, huh. Well, one‑on‑one five times is fine.”
If five attacked at once it’d be dangerous, but one‑on‑one is manageable.
Jilc looked at my face.
“Are you serious about winning? It’s rare now, but duels can be deadly.”
The life‑or‑death rule is fading; now it’s just a chance of death if you’re unlucky. It’s a special academy rule.
“I know, so it’s fine. Can I ask something?”
“...What?”
“Why do you all act like you’re invincible? I get wanting to look cool in front of a girl you like, but thinking you won’t die is naive.”
Jilc narrowed his eyes.
“You’re supposed to be experienced, but you’re disappointing.”
“Enough, Jilc. Leon—don’t joke about this. You’re ready, right?”
Marie, who’d been silent, seemed unsettled.
These guys should at least consider my trouble.
By the way… I’m a coward.
“Finish your breakup with your lover, prince. The other four don’t matter, you can date them, just…”
The prince’s gaze hardened.
Stop provoking me and then not get mad at me.
Angelica was basically invisible now.
The prince should seriously think about the fiancée right in front of him.
All these noble families being swayed by one girl should worry them more.