Chapter 45

A girl with light pink, curly hair tied in a side ponytail.

Due to the volume of her hair, it forms a fluffy hairstyle.

She looks cute, and she wears her uniform a bit loosely, making her stand out in the school.

Her name is Reira.

She has an older sister, but she is not currently at the school.

Reira called out to a boy who seemed to be of medium build and serious.

"Emile"

"Ah, Reira"

The boy turned around, and his straight hair, which didn't reach his shoulders, swayed.

His silky blue hair was very beautiful.

"How's your class? I heard a foreign student came?"

The school has many classes.

One of the reasons is that noble and common students study together.

The difference from the Holfort Kingdom is that it actively employs commoners as officials.

Graduating with good grades from the school makes it easier to work under one of the six noble families.

Even if that doesn't work out, just graduating from the school adds prestige.

Being able to enter the school already made one an elite.

Emile looked a bit troubled.

"He was very popular in the class. The girls are crazy about Prince Julius and Zirk. Are you interested too, Reira?"

To reassure the anxious Emile, Reira smiled.

"I am interested, but not as a romantic interest. Since he's a foreign noble, we can't get married anyway."

Emile, flustered, said,

"N-no, that's not true. You can marry a noble. It might be difficult in the Holfort Kingdom, but in Alzer, it's definitely possible."

Reira, perhaps teasing Emile's reaction, said,

"Really? Then, will you marry me, Emile?"

Emile's face turned red, and Reira laughed.

◇

What was that?

I felt like spitting out sugar.

It was too sweet. Wasn't it too sweet?

Mari and I, who were peeking at Reira and Emile from the shadows, had very awkward expressions.

Mari was even muttering curses.

"Are you kidding me? What a smooth talker. You should suffer the same fate as a reverse harem. Why do I have to suffer like this? I won't forgive the protagonist just because she's the main character—Ouch!"

I lightly punched her because she really seemed like she was about to curse.

"What will cursing the protagonist accomplish? If she's happy, we're happy. That's all that matters."

We happened to spot them and were watching from the shadows. The atmosphere was very good.

Lukseon reported that there were no other men in Reira's life. She wasn't seeing anyone else.

"Still, isn't the protagonist of the second game more like a gal?"

Mari, holding the top of her head, replied,

"The protagonist of the first game was so air-headed and unpopular."

"Say that to Livia and she'll shoot you."

Mari, looking around, said, "I, I wouldn't dare."

"Anyway, this time the protagonist is a more proactive and active girl."

"Is that so? But, isn't it better without a villainous lady for an active girl?"

"Why?"

"Because the fights would be too intense."

Mari agreed.

"Women's enemies are other women. I understand."

...But Livia and Anje are different, right?

They are different, right?

"It seems we can relax here. There don't seem to be any reincarnated people like us."

It was a relief that there were no reincarnated people like Mari and me.

Dealing with them would be very troublesome.

We've been living in the school and investigating, but we haven't found any relevant information.

"By the way, do you know any useful items on this side?"

I wanted to confirm if there were any items like the amulet I have or Lukseon.

But this is Mari.

"I'm not interested in the male-oriented parts of the game. I played to clear it, so I don't know much."

"Did you clear the second game?"

The first game was very difficult, and Mari gave it to me to clear.

"It's easier now. There were also in-game purchases. But, I don't remember anymore. Besides, I was born in Holfort, and Alzer is secondary. Isn't it amazing that I remember this much?"

She's useless.

I wanted to look for useful items on this side.

"Maybe I'll have Lukseon investigate that. It seems there's no problem here, so we'll do something if there's any movement."

"No objections! Hey, big brother. Can you come shopping with me on the way back? It's a special sale day today."

Mari, who supports five men, has become like a mother.

...Why?

I feel like crying.

"Go to the embassy and have them buy it."

"There's a budget limit! After calculating everything, I need to manage every month! ...I need eggs and bacon for breakfast."

She seems to like crispy bacon.

I'll buy it, so stop talking.

She looks so pitiful that I feel like crying.

"Bring Carla too. If it's just you and me, Julius and the others will be noisy."

"I'll call Kyle too. Ah, from now on, we'll have more dishes."

Why is she working so hard?

She could make those five do it.

◇

Julius was a bit troubled in the classroom.

"Your Highness, what do you think of the Alzer Republic?"

"Would you like to go sightseeing next time? I can be your guide."

"Would you like to go out with me? I have a private airship."

He was being cornered by high-status girls and was getting annoyed.

In the classroom, Zirk was in the same situation.

(What a mess)

Julius didn't want Mari to see him like this.

"I can't. My fiancée is here. I can't be suspected of infidelity."

If Leon were here, he would have said something that would make his veins pop on his forehead, but Julius, who had betrayed Anje once, was determined not to do it again.

But the girls' advances didn't stop.

"Being faithful is so admirable."

"Then, why don't you invite her too?"

"You are such a gentleman, Your Highness."

The girls swooned.

Julius was seriously considering where he went wrong.

◇

The popular foreign students.

There was a boy who didn't find them interesting.

His name is [Pierre Io Feveur].

Pierre, who looked a bit pale and unhealthy, was playing with his purple hair.

He was thin and frustrated by the school's obsession with the foreign students.

"...Fools who fawn over the outdated Holfort Kingdom."

His followers agreed.

"That's right, Pierre."

"What's so good about them?"

"They're barbarians who rose from adventurers."

They wore their uniforms loosely, looking like typical delinquents.

But, since Pierre was the second son of one of the six noble families, no one could reprimand them.

Compared to the serious Emile, Pierre stood out in a bad way.

Pierre, sitting on the stairs, smiled while biting his thumbnail.

"You guys... want to see a good show?"

"Did you come up with something?"

"If we do it right, we can start a war with the Holfort Kingdom. You guys want to advance, right?"

The followers grinned nastily.

It was as if they didn't care if a war broke out.

They even seemed to want it.

Pierre, playing with his hair, saw Brad pass by.

A boy with the same purple hair... surrounded by girls.

"He's a nuisance."

The followers nodded at each other.

"Should we call him to the back of the school?"

"No... let's make it a bit more interesting. How about using him to strip the fools from the kingdom? I heard their airship is a new model we've never seen before."

The airship was inferior to the republic's, but the new technology was intriguing.

Pierre stood up.

"We'll make the arrogant fools from the kingdom a laughingstock."

The nobles of the Alzer Republic, who didn't consider international issues, had a reason for their absolute superiority.

The students coming down from the upper floor were troubled by the group loitering on the stairs.

"Excuse me, we need to pass."

When Pierre realized they were common students, he snapped his fingers at his followers.

The followers surrounded the boy who spoke up for the troubled students.

"Don't talk to me so casually!"

"Do you know who I am?"

"Answer me, damn it!"

—They started to assault him.

The common students could only watch.

Pierre smiled, looking very pleased.

He grabbed the boy, who had been beaten and had a broken tooth, by the hair.

"Did you say you were in my way?"

"I, I didn't—just wanted to pass."

Pierre punched the boy.

"Did you say that?"

"I, I didn't—"

He continued to punch the boy until he admitted it, and the followers let the other students pass, leaving the boy behind.

"This needs to be a lesson."

Pierre stepped on the boy lying on the ground and had his followers prepare.

◇

The next day, at the back of the school.

A boy was found hanging.

"...This is despicable."

The boy had been burned except for his underwear and beaten until he was swollen.

He was still alive, but his body had burn marks.

I asked a nearby boy.

"Hey, who did this?"

"...You don't know?"

The boy said, looking around cautiously.

"It's a noble. The only one who can beat up common students like this and get away with it is one of the six noble families."

"Can't you report it?"

"...If it were that easy, we wouldn't be in this situation."

The boy walked away.

When the teachers arrived, they sent the students back to their classrooms.

"Get back to your classrooms quickly!"

"Hey, let's get you out of here."

"This is terrible."

The boy hanging from the tree looked like his bones were broken.

Feeling angry, I saw students looking down from the school building.

I couldn't understand why they looked so pleased.

In the crowd, Mari approached me.

"Big brother, a moment."

"What is it?"

We moved away from the crowd to be alone.

"Those guys are dangerous."

"Those guys? The purple-haired guy who looks like a failed Brad?"

Mari nodded several times.

"His name is Pierre, and he's the epitome of a bad noble. One of the seven noble families that destroyed the protagonist's family is his family."

He seems to be a very bad character in the game, and there is a villain, even if there is no villainous lady.

"...This is troublesome."

But his position is troublesome.

He's from one of the seven noble families and is the second son, so he has a high status.

"It's best to stay out of it. The protagonist will deal with him soon. I think it's a required event where the protagonist and a target character get along."

I want to take him down, but that would cause problems.

He's really a troublesome guy.

"Understood. I won't do anything."

I'll wait for the protagonist to deal with the unpleasant guys.

◇

On the way back.

On the way from the school to my house, there was an old dog.

It was having trouble walking and was wobbling.

"It has a collar."

When I got closer, it didn't seem scared of people.

It was definitely a pet dog.

Lukseon, who was near me, looked at the dog.

'It's just old. It will die within ten days if left alone.'

"Shouldn't we return it to its owner?"

Then, an auntie appeared from a nearby house.

She saw the dog I was looking at and said,

"That dog was brought by a student from his home. He was a serious kid, but it's a pity."

"Pity?"

The auntie looked at the apartment the student used to live in.

"He used to live there, but he was badly injured today and had to be hospitalized. He can't return to school, and he's canceling his apartment."

He was using a scholarship, so he had to leave his home when he dropped out.

"—If he hadn't attracted the attention of a noble."

The auntie said and went back into her house.

I thought of the boy's face from this morning.

The name was engraved on the collar.

"Are you a girl? 'Noel' is such a cute name."

Noel licked my outstretched hand.

Lukseon asked me,

'Are you going to take care of her as atonement?'

"Is that wrong?"

'It won't be for long. I think it will be difficult to take care of her.'

I picked up the dirty dog.

She was trembling.

"I abandoned individuals for the sake of the world. I can at least save a dog. Can you check on that boy's condition?"

'Understood.'

I stroked Noel while saying,

"Still, this school is terrible."

Lukseon looked at me intently.

'If you want, I can destroy this country immediately.'

"I don't like the idea of destroying the world, so I'll pass."

I decided to take Noel home with me.