Chapter 99

"Thank you for waiting! The second volume of 'I Will Not Break Our Engagement, Vol. 2' will be released on October 2nd. We are finally entering the school chapter.

As part of the promotion, I will be doing a short-term concentrated serialization of 'Rejected Storylines'!

"…Could it be that you are the protagonist?"

At their first tea party, where Serah fainted, ten-year-old Prince Shin Midland of the Laster Kingdom visited the Colette family's capital residence under the pretext of visiting her. He received a shocking confession from his fiancée, the duke's daughter, Serah Colette.

"This is not the case."

"Not the case?"

"I am not the protagonist."

"Not the protagonist?"

The young lady sitting on the bed began to explain the bleak future calmly.

"I am the fiancée of the prince who will be condemned, have his engagement broken, and be exiled. I am the villain. I am the 'villainess.'"

"What is a 'villainess'—!"

Shin couldn't immediately understand what the black-haired girl, whom he had met for the second time, was saying.

"The villainess is... a rival. Love is more passionate when there are obstacles, so it's part of the plot."

"I'll be burning up..."

"Of course."

"I feel so bad..."

To Shin, it was an unbelievable fact.

"But if you condemn and break the engagement with someone like her, it will cause a major problem in the country."

Even Shin understood that much. The engagement, which was politically arranged between the king and Duke Colette, was not something Shin could change on his own.

"Of course, it will cause a major problem. By condemning and breaking the engagement with me, my father will switch to the anti-Midland faction, disrupting the factional balance and causing a split in the country. The anti-government revolutionary organization will attack the prison where I am imprisoned, leading to a state of civil war."

"That's terrible... What will happen to me?"

"In the war event after the condemnation, if the prince loses, he and the heroine will be hanged by the revolutionary army, leading to a bad ending. If he wins, he will execute me and my father, leading to a happy ending. It's a trial given to the two to achieve the happy ending."

"...That doesn't sound happy at all. Can't we avoid the war?"

Shin groaned, holding his head.

"Unless the heroine chooses another character, it won't happen..."

"For example?"

"There is a cool character. If the heroine ends up with him, he will condemn me."

"Even if I don't do it, someone else will..."

The game's forced nature is merciless.

"That happy ending is also terrible."

"How is it terrible?"

"After the condemnation, the cool character awakens as the demon king and takes the heroine to the demon world to seek revenge on me and the prince for bullying her. The demon king leads the demons to destroy the country..."

"I wish that would be a normal happy ending... Does the demon king really need to go that far?"

"The game was made during a time when 'serves you right' was very popular."

"What does 'serves you right' mean?"

"Revenge... If it comes to that, I would rather go to a convent or become a commoner."

Shin thought that even a lady would be pitiful in such a situation.

"Let's avoid that. Are there any other characters?"

"There is a silly character..."

"Sure, if it's a silly one, it might work out."

"That person is just pretending to be silly. In reality, he is an angel from the heavens who came to earth to observe human foolishness. The forced event is that the condemnation fails due to the silly character, and the angel, disillusioned with humans, reveals his true identity, takes the heroine to heaven, and destroys humanity with seven days of fire..."

"That angel is a real nuisance..."

"He's silly..."

Shin wondered if there was a better character. He couldn't let the world be destroyed like that.

"Is there another scenario?"

"If the heroine ends up with the muscle-brain character, I will curse the world and turn into a dragon."

"...You'll turn into a dragon. That's unique."

"Yes, as the final boss, I will rain meteorites every day, destroying the capital and leaving the world in ruins. The muscle-brain character, feeling responsible, will become a hero and set out on a journey with the heroine, who has awakened as a holy maiden, to defeat the dragon and come for me."

"...Is that also a trial? What if he fails?"

"Humanity will be destroyed. If he succeeds, the heroine will be with him, leading to a happy ending."

"Where is the happy ending in that? The country will be gone, right? Isn't there a more realistic route?"

Shin thought it was too absurd to be true.

"If it's an adult character, there's an ending where the teacher and the heroine end up together."

"Sure, if it's an adult and a teacher, it seems like a normal ending."

"It's a happy ending, but if it's a bad ending, it's a big problem."

"How is it a big problem?"

"The teacher is originally a bacteriologist. While working as a teacher, he secretly continued his research on pathogens. Despairing over not ending up with the heroine, he stopped his research and discarded his equipment, spreading a virus."

"Will the disease spread?"

"Not only that, but the citizens of the kingdom will turn into zombies, leading to the country's destruction..."

"Wow..."

Shin thought that a school teacher shouldn't be doing such research and that it must be stopped.

"...Tell me the one you think is the best."

"There is a very intelligent character."

"Sure."

"If the heroine ends up with him, it's a normal happy ending. Even if it's a bad ending, it just means they didn't end up together."

"Sure, that sounds good. I like that."

"It's not good for the prince, though."

Shin looked up at Serah, who was saying ominous things again.

"That person will rise to power in the kingdom, eventually leading a bloodless revolution and establishing a republic, becoming the first president of the Laster Republic. The heroine will become the president's wife."

"Wait, wait, wait. The kingdom will no longer exist? What will happen to me?"

"Prince Shin will be assassinated, and the monarchy will be abolished. All nobles, regardless of their titles, will fall. Of course, I will too."

"..."

"..."

The two looked at each other with complicated expressions.

"If the people are okay with it, I guess I have to accept it..."

"It's fine in a game, but in reality, it's difficult."

"It won't work unless the education level of the people is several times higher than it is now..."

For democracy to work, the people must be educated to the point where they can choose their country's future. There are countless examples in history of revolutionary governments turning into dictatorships due to low education levels. Shin thought that a true democratic state would take centuries to achieve.

"Is there a safe ending, whether it's a bad or good one?"

"There is."

"That's it! What is it?!"

"There is a tsundere character. If the heroine ends up with him, he will break his engagement and renounce his noble status, and they will start a fried chicken shop together. I thought I would be relatively happy with that ending."

"Wow... That sounds nice. Can we guide it that way?"

"Is that okay...? If that route is taken, they will later start a convenience store, control most of the domestic distribution, and drive local shops out of business, leading to the disappearance of shopping districts."

"What's a convenience store?"

"It's a popular business model. They sell everything but only stock popular items, operate 24 hours a day, and sell bentos, leading to longer working hours, wealth concentration, and an increase in non-regular employment, widening the wealth gap and causing a decline in the birth rate due to late marriage. It will drastically change the lifestyle of the people."

"Wow... By the way, what happens to the fiancée who was broken up with?"

"Since Prince Shin is friends with the tsundere, he will comfort the fiancée, and they will fall in love and get married. It's a double happy ending and was quite popular."

"Wait, what happens to you in that case?"

"The engagement with the prince will naturally be broken, and I will remain single for the rest of my life."

"...That's too pitiful."

"...I'm okay with that, though."

The two were silent for a moment.

Then Shin had an idea.

"What if we eliminate the heroine from the beginning?"

"I don't think that's possible. She's the protagonist."

"Can the protagonist leave halfway through?"

"It can happen."

"What kind of ending is it?"

It might be the only hope! Shin leaned forward.

"There is an overwork death ending where the heroine dies from overwork due to doing too much."

"Wow, that's terrible. What happens then?"

"The goddess Ranates appears and says, 'Too bad! Overworking is forbidden. Balance is key! Let the heroine take a break!' and a 'Restart from the beginning' menu appears."

"Restart from the beginning?"

"From the beginning."

"What happens then?"

"Essentially, it's a reset. The story starts over from the beginning of the school year."

"Everything will be erased?"

"It will be erased."

"..."

"..."

Shin looked down, realizing it was impossible. It can't be avoided...

"...Depending on the heroine's choices, the worst-case scenario is..."

"What is it?"

Shin was surprised that there was more.

"It's a reverse harem ending."

"...A reverse harem?"

"If the heroine successfully achieves a reverse harem ending by maxing out the affection of all characters, everyone will be friends, and the heroine will be adored by all in a cozy ending..."

"...What's wrong with that?"

"If the condemnation fails and my engagement with Prince Shin continues, the cool character will awaken as the demon king and attack the kingdom with demons, the silly character will become an angel and rain fire for seven days, the teacher will spread a zombie virus, the muscle-brain character will attack the dragon I become, the intelligent character will overthrow the government, and the tsundere will destroy the shopping districts with convenience stores."

"The convenience store guy sounds particularly lame."

"He's the tsundere."

"Sorry, I don't understand the convenience store or the tsundere..."

Knock, knock. The door was knocked, and Serah's maid, Bell, came in to prepare the tea.

During this time, the two were silent...

"Did you tell anyone?"

When Shin asked Serah, she shook her head.

"I thought I had to tell you since I'm refusing the engagement."

Clatter. The sound of dishes. It seemed that Bell's hand had slipped.

Bell's expression, which had not changed at all, now showed surprise at what the young lady had said.

"I understand."

Shin nodded.

"I will talk to His Majesty the King. It's unfortunate, but let's pretend this engagement never happened. I have other candidates for my fiancée. Although we were not blessed with this opportunity, I wish you all the best, Serah."

With that, Shin knelt beside the bed, took Serah's hand, and kissed it before leaving the room.

-●Rejected Storylines, Part 4 END-

In the school chapter, there is a new story, 'The Heroine's Melancholy,' which is a 23-page expansion. It features the heroine, Rinse. Look forward to the heroine's jealousy over the two's affection.

The characters in the background are... the silly character and the muscle-brain character!

At some supporting bookstores, there will be an additional short story. It's another story about Lady Sara.

It will be available at bookstores nationwide on October 2nd. The bookshelf is 'Ichijinsha Novels.' The illustrator is Nardack. Please look forward to it!

The manga adaptation is already available on Zero Sum Online.

Please check out the meeting of the two ten-year-olds. The artist is Ohitori!

Next time, 'Rejected Storylines, Part 5, First Half'