Chapter 13

"---That's it for today."

In a room lined with bookshelves, Libia was sitting in a chair, reading a story to the children.

In front of Libia, there were many young children.

A boy grabbed Libia's clothes.

"Hey, Mama Libia. What about the rest? What happened to Father after that?"

The story she was reading to the children was about Leon's past achievements.

A boy with blonde hair similar to Leon's pleaded for more.

"I want to hear the rest."

Libia smiled and closed the book in front of the children.

"That's it for today. It's late, so let's go to sleep. And I'm sorry, but I haven't written the rest yet."

"Why not?"

"I haven't been able to write it yet."

A cute little girl with sleepy eyes, who resembled Ange, clung to the clothes of the boy who looked like Leon.

"Write it, please."

"Well, your father is about to go on a great adventure. Once it's over, I'll compile it into a book. Then, I'll be the first to read it to you."

A girl with pink hair was leaning against the artificial intelligence, Fact, and falling asleep.

Fact was at a loss.

'Children, it's not allowed to reduce your sleep time. Now, go to sleep.'

"Fact is angry!"

"Roll him over!"

'No, stop! Can't you see this child is leaning on me and sleeping? Ugh, I'll lower your evaluations!'

The AIs, thought to have disappeared in that war, had actually transferred their data to sub-units and survived.

Now, they support the kingdom from behind the scenes.

However, they are not officially used for state affairs.

The reason is that Leon was against it.

Ange and the others adopted Leon's opinion that they wanted to manage the kingdom with human power.

Libia also agreed with this opinion.

"Fact is right. If you don't go to sleep soon, I'll tell your father."

The children all responded in unison.

"Yes."

But a black-haired girl remained, clinging to Libia's leg.

"What's wrong?"

"Mama Libia, when is Father coming back?"

Libia looked up at the ceiling and smiled, picturing Leon's face.

"Well, I don't know when. But I think he'll come back once summer comes."

◇

This is a continent with deserts.

I, the new teacher at the Ossias Kingdom's academy, Leon, was looking at a photo sent by Marie in the staff room.

In the photo, Marie was happily holding agricultural products, surrounded by three children.

The photo had a message written on it.

'I'll send rice, miso, and soy sauce this year. So, please send me living expenses.'

Several years have passed since I graduated from the academy.

"Those guys haven't grown up at all."

Resting my forehead on my folded hands, I was troubled by my sisters who never grow up.

The one who spoke to me was a handsome young man with green hair styled in a 7-3 cut and wearing intellectual glasses.

"Mr. Leon, shall we go now?"

I looked up and saw my senior teacher, who was two years older than me.

I am a new teacher, and I assist this person as a vice teacher.

---Why am I, the king, working as a new teacher?

Because this country and this academy are the stage for the fourth part.

"Let's go. I'm nervous."

There are only a few people who know the situation and can handle it.

That's why I came to a foreign country myself.

"You don't look nervous. Still, I didn't expect someone to come all the way from the Holfaht Kingdom to become a teacher at our academy."

The Ossias Kingdom is quite far from the Holfaht Kingdom.

We are not neighbors, and we haven't had much diplomatic relations.

"Well, the situation in the Holfaht Kingdom has changed."

The senior teacher, who is tall and walks briskly with a straight back, said,

"Situation? This is a rare country. I heard that the Holfaht Kingdom is a country where women are strong. I think the queen is ruling the country now."

Hearing that, my chest ached.

Because I'm pushing the state affairs onto Ange.

"No, the queen is just the public face. There is a king."

"Is that so? When I talked to a diplomat, I heard that a very dignified woman is in charge of everything."

"Ah, the king is shy, so he doesn't appear in public."

"The king is shy!? ---I feel the cultural difference."

I am the king, but due to the circumstances of the otome game, I can't do the job of a king.

That's the case now.

So, Ange is in charge of everything, and I can move around freely.

In other words, I am the king.

Despite being a very important person, why am I working as a new teacher in a foreign country? It's true that it's too late to enter as a student, and being a teacher is the best position to move around the school freely.

But, this is too much.

Starting as the third son of a poor baron's family, I climbed to the position of king, and now I'm just a teacher.

I wish someone could explain how this happened.

Then, we could see the classroom we would be in charge of.

"Here it is."

"Ah, this class?"

The sign on the door read [1-E].

E class---apparently, it's the class where dropouts and troublemakers are thrown in.

Or rather, Erica hasn't cleared the fourth part yet, so there's no proper walkthrough.

And there's a very disappointing thing about this school.

The senior teacher, chest puffed out, opened the door and entered.

"Congratulations on your enrollment!"

He looked calm and cool, but he also had a passionate heart like a dedicated teacher.

He was a serious and good teacher.

When he opened the door and entered, a blackboard eraser fell.

His neatly set hair was dirtied by the white chalk dust.

Then, the classroom erupted in laughter.

A red-haired boy with his hair spiked up and his shirt buttons undone was banging on his desk and laughing.

"What's wrong, teacher?"

He was a rotten kid who knew what was going on but asked anyway.

A black-haired boy with straight long hair was holding a spear in the classroom.

"Hmph. You're immature. Can you even be a teacher?"

What are you planning to fight with in the classroom? Don't bring weapons.

A small boy with short, wavy blonde hair, who looked cute, had a uniform that was clearly the wrong size.

His sleeves were too long, hiding his hands.

"Everyone, it's not nice to laugh."

While saying it wasn't nice, he had a very cheerful smile.

He was a very bad kid.

And a boy with long, fluffy blue hair had modified the school uniform to make it more luxurious.

He looked like he had a lot of money.

"The homeroom teacher and the vice teacher look so poor. Is this school really okay?"

---If I go back to my country, I'm richer and in a higher position than you!

These rotten kids are probably the male characters I need to target in the fourth part.

That's how it feels.

The boys were laughing loudly and rudely.

---That's right! This is a boys' school!

A place with no dreams or hopes.

I was hoping for a girls' school where I could have a cute and fun time.

Ah, no.

I don't want to be suspected of cheating, so it's better that it's a boys' school.

But it's rough.

The senior teacher picked up the blackboard eraser, put it back in place, and placed both hands on the lectern as if slamming them down.

"You are now students of this school! Stop such childish pranks."

The boys' gazes became harsh when they were called childish.

They seemed to feel belittled and took a confrontational attitude.

Being thrown into a delinquent class at the start of a new job is too much for a new teacher.

A red-haired boy stood up from his seat, one eye wide open, and a vein bulging on his forehead, laughing.

What is this guy, he's scary.

"Got some guts, huh? Then, let's stop the childish pranks and have a real fight."

Adults don't normally fight, though.

I am a normal adult, so I don't fight. But if they become enemies, I will crush them!

As the red-haired boy approached, a small boy? stood up.

He had short hair and looked like a serious and studious student---a narrow-shouldered, sloping-shouldered boy.

"Can't you stop this? I came here to study. If you're going to be a nuisance, please leave."

The boy, despite his appearance, was quite assertive.

The red-haired boy approached, trying to intimidate him.

"Huh? I didn't hear that. Say it again."

The frail boy slapped the red-haired boy.

"I told you to be quiet."

The classroom fell silent.

But the senior teacher calmly interjected.

"You, violence is not acceptable. Come to the staff room after class."

And the one who was scolded was not the red-haired boy but the frail boy.

"Huh? Me!?"

"Of course. You slapped him, so it's only natural."

The frail boy's shoulders drooped.

---But, you know.

His voice didn't sound like a boy's, and his build was different.

He was somehow hiding his chest, or maybe it was small to begin with---well, to be honest---can't at least one person notice?

There's a girl mixed in with the boys at this boys' school!

◇

So, after the first day, I was spending the evening on the rooftop with Elyssion.

Elyssion, floating near my left shoulder, was complaining a lot.

'I've added the one who called you poor to my blacklist. Don't worry, I'll make him disappear without a trace tomorrow!'

"Are you an idiot? Why would you delete a potential target character? There might be someone in there who will become friends with the protagonist and save the world. Don't get angry over a few complaints."

'I'm not angry. I'm just deleting. Deleting!'

Elyssion has a different kind of troublesome side compared to Luxion.

He's a good and serious kid, but he tends to go overboard because he's too serious.

"Leave it alone. Have you forgotten why I came to this country?"

'To avert the crisis in the fourth part of the world, right? Still, this world is always on the brink of destruction.'

"I really wish it would stop. I'm actually the king. I should be lounging around like Roland, making my subordinates do the work. I want to slack off like him."

'The late King Roland was stabbed by a woman a while ago.'

"That was a masterpiece."

However, Roland was tough. He survived the stabbing, calmed down the situation, and even got a new woman.

A man who lives by the phrase "hated by all, yet unafraid of the world."

But, that's not important now.

More importantly, I didn't want to be a king.

I was supposed to aim for a slow life, but somehow I ended up as the king of a country.

Thinking about how Marie is living the slow life I wanted makes me feel complicated.

Taking out a tablet from my pocket, I looked at the image data.

Clarelle in the kingdom regularly sends photos.

"Leaving my cute children behind for a solo assignment. Isn't the world's crisis irrelevant now?"

'Shall I sink this country? Leave it to me. I'll do it in a day!'

"You're scary too."

Cheerfully sinking a continent---he's like Luxion.

He used to say he wanted to exterminate the new humans too.

Looking at the children's faces, my heart warms up---and at the same time, I feel anxious.

There are just too many children.

I've thought many times about what I'm doing in this different world.

'Master, I have a report on your future plans.'

"Is there a problem?"

'Yes. The construction of the mass driver is behind schedule. The kingdom's reconstruction is taking too many resources.'

"It's fine if it's completed within three years. Focus on the reconstruction for now."

'Still, it's tough for you, Master. After working as a teacher in a foreign country for three years, you have to go on an infiltration mission in space.'

"---Where am I heading?"

I'm starting to lose track.

No, maybe it's the otome game that's losing track.

If I could, I'd interrogate the developer for an hour.

No, I'd lecture them for a whole day.

'You'll return to the kingdom in six years! Once you're in space, even a long vacation won't let you return.'

"The children will all grow up! They'll forget about me! Why am I the only one working so hard!"

Crying alone on the rooftop, I heard the door open.

Elyssion immediately disappeared and hid.

I wiped away my tears and turned around to see the protagonist of the fourth part.

"Ah, teacher."

He seemed disappointed to find me there, as he was looking for a place to be alone.

He had come to a school full of only boys.

He looked quite tired.

Seeing him made me feel sorry for him.

"You don't look well. Did the homeroom teacher scold you harshly?"

"Just a warning. But I'm feeling mentally exhausted."

He probably didn't have anyone to talk to after picking a fight with the red-haired boy and ruining the class atmosphere.

I decided to support this boy and think of a way to get through the crisis in the fourth part of the world.

"Well, there are a lot of things going on, but don't worry. If anything happens, come talk to me."

The frail boy was a bit surprised and chuckled while looking at me.

"But, you seem a bit unreliable, teacher."

"That's harsh. I'm actually quite impressive."

While we were talking, Elyssion, who had disappeared next to me, was muttering scary things like, 'This descendant of the new humans is insulting Master---I'll definitely delete him!'

---I don't know, I suddenly feel like I'm about to fail.

The protagonist, looking at me, teased.

"By the way, you're from a foreign country, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you come to this country? This country---it's not that great."

It seems this protagonist also has a lot on his shoulders.

I smiled at him.

"Why am I here? Well---to save the world, I guess."

Saying a slightly cheesy line, Elyssion praised, 'Master, you're cool!'

Sorry, don't praise me there.

It's embarrassing.

Luxion would have laughed at me.

And the protagonist laughed at my line.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

His face was so cute---I wanted to say, 'Are you not trying to hide that you're a girl?'

But his laughing face was better.

So, I said it jokingly.

"You don't believe me? It's true. I've saved the world at least three times. But, I can't save a family crisis."

"I don't think someone who can't save a family crisis can save the world."

"You too, huh?"

It's okay. Ange will support the family.

Actually, it doesn't feel like I've built a harem.

Maybe, as my father said in the afterlife, I'm not the one surrounding them, but the one being surrounded.

The protagonist's smile faded, and he looked a bit sad.

A face that seemed to carry a heavy past and various burdens, typical of an otome game protagonist.

"Then, teacher---if I say I want to be saved, will you save me?"

In front of the new vice teacher he just met, he was reaching out for help like grasping at a straw.

His face seemed to have given up, thinking it was probably hopeless, but also held a faint hope.

---Don't make that face.

It makes me want to lend a hand.

There must be a significant reason for a girl to enter a boys' school.

I don't know what's going on, but I'm trying to help the person in front of me again.

It's really difficult, but---I don't hate this side of me.

Helping a lonely protagonist in a boys' school is no problem at all.

"Of course. That's why I'm here."

I am the author, Yumiko Mijima.

How was it?

This concludes "The Otome Game World is a Cruel World for the Commoner."

If I write an epilogue or interlude, I plan to publish it on "sevens," a short story and promotional site.

I would be happy if you could check it out.

Also, I will use activity reports to inform you of detailed updates, so please check them as well.

Thank you very much for your support.

Despite the ups and downs, I was able to complete it successfully.

I will write my personal thoughts and memories in the activity report.

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