Chapter 112 - Volume 4 - Chapter 2 – Academy
Chapter 2 – Academy
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Part 1
It was the new academic term if the academy.
I woke up early in the morning and sat on the bed while talking to Luxion.
「How are you doing with that side?」
Luxion has been gathering information since arriving in Alzer.
First is the search for the main character.
Fortunately, we are able to identify the conquest targets.
The young man who is the main conquest target is the red haired Loic Leta Barriere.
According to Marie, the conquest targets of the second game have deep peculiarity.
Even though I think that Julius and others also already have deep peculiarity, the conquest targets of this time are even more than that. Scary.
Loic is the heir of Barriere House. It seems he is a character that can get closer with the main character easily.
This guy is the one with the highest possibility.
『How about master wash your face first?』
Luxion told me to dress myself first. I rubbed my eyes sleepily while refusing.
「I’m really curious here, so tell me already.」
『It can’t be helped. Then, let me say my conclusion first──I am still unable to identify the main character.』
「Haa?」
I let out an astounded voice. Luxion then started making excuse.
『In the first place, the academy was in spring break until yesterday. It was a bad period for investigating human relations within the academy. Also, there was a problem.』
「Problem?」
I put my hands through my uniform and buttoned it while asking what’s the problem. Then Luxion gave me an answer that I never expected.
『I searched the students with the surname Beltre just as Marie’s information indicated. I found nearly ten students with that surname and then I attempted to identify them.』
「Eh, you already went that far? Then you must have found her right away then? She is a girl with twintails and easygoing personality.」
『──The girls I identified are twins that don’t exist in the information. I can’t specify which one of them is the main character. Because of that I need to ask for confirmation from master and Marie.』
「──Eh?」
I never heard anything about the main character being a twin.
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Part 2
On the other hand around that time.
The mansion where Marie and others were living in was hectic.
The mansion that was prepared for Julius and others was spacious whether it was the building or the garden.
The entrance was also wide. It was a mansion of a noble just like Marie dreamed of.
But, reality was merciless.
They were lacking in manpower to manage such large mansion.
「I already said it right!? I said it right!? It will be a new term from today, so prepare everything beforehand, that was what I said!」
Julius and others were struggling with their uniform with flurried movement.
Julius tilted his head at Marie.
「No, I intended to prepare, but the uniform wasn’t prepared.」
Jilk also nodded.
「I thought that there would be someone who prepared the uniform for us.」
Marie was at her wits’ end.
「We don’t have a single servant here! You can only prepare everything by yourself!」
Kyle and Cara were preparing the uniforms of the five dawdling men.
Greg accepted his shirt and changed into while saying.
「There is Kyle here.」
Kyle whose name was mentioned was already sweating since the morning.
「Are you an idiot? Do you think I can prepare the meal for eight person as well taking care of everything else by myself?」
Kyle was ironing clothes while saying that. Being told that caused Greg to snap.
「What!」
Brad calmed down the angry Greg.
He was wearing his trouser and checking his sleeves.
「Don’t get angry from the morning. More importantly, the length of these sleeves isn’t to my liking. Cara-san, remake it for me.」
Cara who was busy with sorting everyone’s uniforms burst into tears.
「Please bear with it for today.」
「No, I can’t. I’m a type who can’t rest easy if my sleeve’s length isn’t fitting like this. Please do it quickly.」
Receiving that request, Cara looked alternately at the mountain of uniforms in front of her and the clock.
She looked toward Marie and said 「Marie-sama, we won’t make it in time」 with tears streaming down.
Marie knocked Brad’s head and warned him 「We’re going to be late! Endure with it for today!」, but problems kept coming up one after another.
Chris who had already worn his uniform got bored and took a wooden sword.
「I’ll work out for a bit.」
Marie stopped him from doing that.
「Stoooooppp! You’re going to get sweaty. We’re going to depart soon, so endure it for a bit more!」
The mansion of Marie and others was noisy from the morning.
Marie thought.
(It’s really busy since we’re coming here!)
The cause of this situation was the instruction of Hohlfahrt Kingdom’s queen, Mylene.
She intentionally ordered to reduce the number of servants so they could taste hardships.
Because of that Marie couldn’t focus on just her study. She also had to think about their daily life.
Originally she should work together with Julius and others so they could support themselves but──.
「By the way, will we make it in time to the opening ceremony?」
──Julius was only looking at the watch without any care in the world.
Marie yelled.
「AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!」
(YOU GUYS HELP OUT TOOOOO!!)
Marie’s voice echoed through the mansion.
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Part 3
The academy of Alzer Commonwealth.
I am sitting on a sofa in the reception room. I checked the time with my pocket watch.
This room, the furnishings are pointlessly extravagant.
It showed off just how rich Alzer Commonwealth is.
I’m waiting for Marie’s group who haven’t come even when it was already time. Fifteen minutes has already passed.
The teacher who was keeping me company had some business and left the room.
「Coming late right from the first day. Those guys are really astonishing.」
Luxion is blending into the surrounding beside me so that his figure cannot be seen. He started projecting an image into empty air.
It seems he is gathering information even now through the drones that are scattered all over the academy.
As for Marie’s group, there is an image of them rushing to the academy.
『Apparently they were slacking with their preparation a day before.』
「Even though there is a lot of things I want to talk about beforehand.」
Right now I don’t have any information about the second game.
I was unable to judge which of the information that Luxion gathered was the correct one.
「In the end we still don’t know which of them is the main character.」
『The previous information mentioned that she has twintails, but both of them styled their hair into side tail.』
「I was surprised that they are twins, but even before that the hair style information is also wrong that we can’t decide who is the main character. Why are both of them wearing side tail. One of them should wear twintails.」
Was it because the main character with twintails became two so their hair style also became side tail?
Their face is also the same because they are twin.
But, according to Luxion’s investigation, there is difference in personality between the two of them.
The one named Noelle is a lively girl. She tends to move around energetically.
While the one named Lelia feels like a normal girl.
From what I saw in the information, their hair color is slightly different.
After that, it only left their breast size I guess.
Noelle is bigger. I think she is around C cup?
「I guess we can at least differentiate them by looking at their hair color and breast.」
『That’s the worst way to differentiate someone.』
「Or rather, is pink really the real color of their hair? Another world is amazing.」
『We got diverted from the topic.』
Luxion suddenly turned quiet in the middle of our tedious talk.
The image projections around us vanished. That must mean that someone is approaching.
I straightened my posture. The teacher entered inside together with a young man and a girl at that timing.
「Sorry to have made you wait. The remaining foreign students have also arrived, so you will be shown to your classroom after this. Also, these two will be your guide within this academy.」
One of them is a plain young man who looked kind.
「I’m Jean. Please don’t hesitate to ask me if there is anything you want to know.」
But, the problem is the girl.
「Nice to meet you.」
The two are talking fluently in the kingdom’s language.
The young man looked earnest, but the girl was talking in an informal way.
What is more troubling than that is that the girl is the main character candidate.
Noelle Beltre──the candid looking girl is standing in front of me smilingly.
「Do, do you not understand my words?」
「I don’t think there is any problem with our wording though?」
I waved my hand and talked in the kingdom’s language jokingly.
「No, I’m just surprised because you two are speaking really fluently. I’m Leon.」
I made a harmless and inoffensive greeting while feeling bewildered from the sudden entrance of the main character candidate.
──I never thought I would suddenly meet her like this.
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Part 4
I didn’t participate in the opening ceremony──or rather, I didn’t make it in time.
I gave my greeting in my class but, it’s quite a lonely start.
We the foreign students are separated into two people per class.
The academy in the kingdom was similar like a university, but the academy here reminds me of my high school period.
Even the classroom’s structure was a familiar structure like in the elementary school until high school of my previous life.
Though it was obvious that they would be similar seeing that the game was modeled after Japan’s school.
Even the tables and chairs are similar with the ones used in my previous life’s school.
There is difference in some details, but I’m feeling strange when I’m sitting on my seat wearing a uniform.
Thanks to that the flashy hair colors of the students around me like red or blue also looks odd to me.
I’m staring in a daze at the classroom that is mixing nostalgia and oddness together.
The girl sitting in front of me turned around toward me.
──It’s Noelle.
「Hey, is it true you’re a knight already in your age?」
It seems she is curious at a foreign student like me.
She couldn’t be called ladylike. Noelle was a lively girl who showed interest to anything.
Putting it another way, she had no calmness.
「It’s true.」
I answered shortly, but it’s not like it’s because I’m disliking her.
I’m still not used talking in the commonwealth’s language.
Also, in case the girl in front of me is actually the main character, it won’t be good if I get too deeply involved with her.
According to Marie, apparently there was an event in that otome game where foreign students from the kingdom came here.
If you have the clear data of the first game, Julius and co would come to study abroad here.
But, only one person would come. It wouldn’t be at the scale like right now where the five idiots plus three more people enrolled here.
「You’re amazing Bartfalt. And you’re also a heir of a house of count?」
It seems she doesn’t think that I have a peerage at my age.
「No, I’m a count. I’m what you called an upstart.」
「Can you become a count even at that age if you raised an achievement? The kingdom is amazing.」
About the reason Noelle is talking to me like this, other than interest she is also sympathizing with me.
After all──.
「Brad-sama, please tell us more!」
「No fai~r. Please talk with us too!」
「Um, what is the type of girl that Brad-sama like?」
Brad too didn’t seem to dislike the attention. He was dealing with the girls happily.
In the first place Brad is a narcissist.
He is unbearably happy to hear the voices praising him.
「My type? It’s a small and frail girl. Actually I have a fiancée. My bad but, I can’t answer the feeling of you girls.」
The girls raised shrill voices hearing that.
「Brad-sama, you have a fiancée? What’s more you’re devoted to her, how wonderful!」
──The girls inside the classroom are surrounding Brad.
Brad is a handsome man as long as he doesn’t open his mouth. The mood feels like there is an idol inside the classroom.
Noelle made a troubled smile seeing that.
The boys are sending Brad gazes that are filled with jealousy. They won’t talk with me.
In other words, I’m──completely becoming a background character which is befitting of a mob.
「Aa~, about that──sorry. Everyone is getting excited.」
「Don’t mind it. It was also like this in my previous academy.」
I didn’t particularly feeling disappointed but, Noelle talked to me due to her concern.
She looks like a strong-willed girl, but it seems she also have kindness with it.
Perhaps it’s just to be expected from the main character candidate?
Now then, I should gather information too.
「By the way, does Noelle-san has a sister?」
「I have. Actually I’m a twin. I have a little sister.」
Noelle talked about her little sister happily.
「She isn’t crude like me, should I call her ladylike and know how to goes with the flow? She is smart, and also a reliable little sister. Also, too bad but she has a lover, so don’t hit on her okay?」
「──Hee, that’s unfortunate. What about Noelle-san?」
I too have two beautiful and nice fiancées! I almost said that, but I swallowed my words back.
It’s a bit hard to declare that I have two fiancées. Also, I’ll also be troubled if she bites at that topic so keeping it quiet should be the best.
「You can call me without honorific. As for me, because of my coarseness too I’m free right now. Also, there is this troublesome fellow who keeps picking a fight with me, so no boy will approach me. I’m taking application for boyfriend right now.」
She was a girl who was fun to talk with.
Also, the two phrases she mentioned, 「troublesome fellow picking a fight」and 「free right now」 are bothering me.
Her little sister has a lover, but at this time there is no decisive factor to single out which of them is the main character.
Is the one with higher possibility the little sister?
And then, one more thing.
「Troublesome fellow?」
「I don’t think Bartfalt will get it even if I told you but, it’s the princess of Rault House. She is often picking a fight with me, it’s bothersome.」
The last boss’s family name came out.
Besides, a princess picking a fight with her?
「──You can also call me Leon without honorific you know?」
I’m more concerned with who is the main character rather than the shrill voices from Brad’s surrounding.
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Part 5
Behind the school building.
That place was dim because the building blocked the sunlight. It was a bit cold there.
But, it was convenient because no one would go there.
I called Marie after school and we tried narrowing down the main character from the information gathered until now but──Marie is complaining in her tired state.
「I told them. Prepare properly the day before okay, I said. And yet, I was scolded like it was my fault. Why? I didn’t do anything wrong!」
An opening ceremony was taking place today. After that students could go home.
The sun is also still high in the sky. It’s afternoon right now.
There is one big difference from this academy compared to the kingdom’s academy. This academy has no boarding system.
Because of that, the number of people in the academy drastically decreased when school is over.
「Enough complaining, for now tell me which one is the main character.」
「I already mentioned her characteristic before.」
「──For now, look at this.」
Marie looked at the images Luxion projected at empty air.
Then her eyes opened wide and she held her head.
「What do you mean twins!? I never heard anything like this!!」
「That’s why I’m troubled here. Anyway, there is no doubt that one of them must be the main character. Based on the personality I got the feeling that Noelle is more likely to be the main character but, it’s Lelia who has a lover right now.」
I tried asking various things from her, but I couldn’t decide it myself.
Marie pondered while looking at the two’s photos.
「I never imagined that the hair style will be different, and in the first place the main character also didn’t really show up in the illustrations so I don’t know. ──Ah, wait! If I remember right she tied her hair to one side in the illustration when she wore a dress.」
Luxion expressed his personal opinion.
『Unlike the game, in reality someone can change something like hairstyle as they please if they feel like it.』
Then, the hairstyle isn’t a problem?
Even though I’ve decided to quickly find the main character and focused in being a love cupid, I never thought that we will stumble at this kind of place.
「The little sister Lelia has a lover, but is it not strange to go out already with a conquest target in this pahse?」
I never played the second game, so I don’t know at which point the lover relationship got formed.
Marie put her hand on her mouth.
「That phase is around the middle of second year I think? But, if you got close with one, there would also be event where your surrounding will mention such thing──eh? Was it from a different game?」
Marie was relying on her vague memory to recall that otome game’s sequel.
「If I remember right, there was an uproar and a duel happened. The one who protect the main character there will become her lover. If there are multiple candidates, the player will choose from them I think?」
「A duel again.」
There was also a duel in the first game.
Is having a man fighting for her sake a situation that will make female player happy?
「Is there no photo of the boyfriend?」
When Marie said that, Luxion immediately replayed a video.
『This happened thirty minutes ago.』
A girl who looks similar with Noelle appeared in the video.
──It’s Lelia.
The color of her hair is pinker than Noelle. It’s straight without any curl. This girl also has strong-willed look, but she looked like she is even more strong-willed than Noelle.
There is also a man in the video. He has blue hair.
His silky blue hair grew until his shoulder.
He has green eyes, and I guess his height is somewhat shorter than normal? He is slender and give an unreliable feeling, but he is a kind looking boy.
Marie immediately guessed the boy’s name right.
「Emile! It’s safe tile Emile!」
「──What’s with that unpleasant nickname?」
His name is Emile Laz Pleven.
It seems he is the second son of Pleven House of the six great nobles.
He is one of the conquest targets. According to Marie, he got attached with the awful nickname of “safe tile Emile”.
「He is a character who is easy to conquer. Even if you blundered in the game to some degree and couldn’t get a boyfriend, you can clear the game if you choose Emile at the middle stage.」
I looked at the two in the video.
The conversation of the two inside the video can be heard.
『Lelia, about the holiday next week, that──do, do you want to go to a date?』
Emile invited Lelia to a date with a red face. It was an innocent and warming scene.
Lelia was the one who seemed to be used to this kind of scene.
『Alright. But, enough with the art museum tour. I’ll like it better if we’re going shopping next.』
『Eh, art museum is no good?』
『──The date before this and even the one before that were all art museum tour weren’t they? Let’s do a different date sometimes.』
『Ye, yes. You’re right.』
Marie was listening attentively to that conversation.
I asked her.
「Somehow I’m the one feeling embarrassed watching that. And, is Lelia the main character as expected?」
Marie nodded with a serious expression.
「Perhaps. This conversation, I think I’ve seen it in an event. Emile is a conquest target. I think this development is a bit early but I think in a game the main character can also become this close with him at this time.」
It seems she can’t remember the detail but, she said that this kind of conversation should actually happen in the game too.
Luxion turned off the projection.
『Then, is Lelia the main character?』
Marie folded her arms.
「I completely thought it would be the royal road Loic, but it’s unexpected that she aimed at Emile.」(TN: Royal road in Japanese can also mean the common or usual choice)
Royal road Loic.
But, the main character Lelia’s choice was the safe tile Emile.
「From where I stand the main character look more like a normal girl than I thought. If it’s just from their atmosphere then I think it’s Noelle who is more like a main character.」
There are a lot of differences between them even though they are twins.
「Is that so? But, if she is going out with Emile, then Lelia is the main character. It will be perfect if she is also in quarrel with the villainess.」
──Villainess? Does she mean someone like Ange in the first game?
「So there is also a villainess in the second game.」
「She isn’t just her love rival. She is also the daughter of Rault House that the main character is in enmity with. This woman is a year older and will pick a fight with the main character persistently.」
「──Oi, wait a second.」
「What?」
I recalled Noelle’s words.
Noelle mentioned that the princess of Rault House was picking a fight with her.
「About that villainess, it seems she is picking a fight with Noelle.」
Noelle didn’t say that the woman is picking a fight with her and also her sister.
Marie frowned and then she held her head at her wits’ end.
「──I don’t get it anymore.」
Just what is going on?
Luxion advised us.
『We concluded that the source of the main character’s power is the priestess’s bloodline. In this case, it’s possible that both of them are “existence that can become main character”.』
Marie lifted her face.
「Ri, right! The main character is a survivor of Lespinasse House. She had the bloodline of the priestess. That’s why, it won’t be strange no matter who become the main character among them!.」
「Did the role get split after they became twin? Like, one of them has a boyfriend while the other one get targeted by the villainess.」
「──I don’t know.」
Marie threw in the towel, but I’m also the same.
We just don’t know.
But──this is also isn’t the worst case.
「Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that we need to investigate.」
『Yes. I will continue investigating.』
In the end, we didn’t understand which of them is the main character.
However, it’s also a fact that this isn’t a hopeless situation.
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Part 6
Inside the academy building after school was over.
Brad was surrounded by girls.
「Brad-sama, we have special classroom in this building.」
「It also has a music room.」
「There is also a kitchen used for home economics here. Female students would make sweets there. Please eat the cake I make later.」
Because the female students volunteered to show Brad around, they are giving him a tour inside the building while surrounding him like this.
Brad also didn’t look that dissatisfied with the situation.
「Thank you.」
The academy’s female students blushed from Brad’s smile.
There was a group of male students watching that scene.
They were sitting on the stairs with their uniforms worn a bit disorderly. They were the delinquents of this academy.
The young man who was their leader had blood vein bulging on his forehead.
He had curly purple hair and purple eyes.
Brad had the same hair color with him, but seeing him having girls fawning over him made the young man irritated.
However, this young man wasn’t handsome like Brad.
His body was thin and the color of his skin was unhealthy.
There was a half emptied wine bottle near him.
His name was Pierre Io Faiviel.
The second son of Faiviel House of the six great nobles.
He wasn’t the heir, but he had hangers-on around him because he was a member of the six great nobles.
Everyone──had a crest on the back of their right hand.
The crest wasn’t tattoo or birthmark.
It was the proof that they received the divine protection of the sacred tree.
And then, even among them Pierre possessed a crest that was only bestowed to someone from the six great nobles.
For the people of the commonwealth, the crest was also a proof of nobility.
「Why are they fawning on a noble from a third rate country?」
The hangers-on were breaking into cold sweat seeing Pierre irritated. They hurriedly pacified him.
「They aren’t anyone that Pierre-san should pay attention to.」
「That’s right. The girls around him are all commoner. They are only fitting for the noble of Hohlfahrt.」
「He isn’t any match for Pierre-san.」
They flattered him. Pierre took the wine bottle and gulped it down.
And then he wiped the spilled wine with his uniform’s sleeve before raising the corner of his mouth in an eerie smile.
「It has been a long time since we last played.」
「Pierre-san want to play, with the girls just now?」
「That’ll be fun too, but it’ll be enjoyable to torment those Hohlfahrt bunch too. If they got angry and started a war with us, then I’ll be able to raise achievements too.」
It was a statement that made light of war.
But, this way of thinking wasn’t limited to just Pierre.
「Great idea. Please let me participate too when the time comes.」
「I’m asking you too, Pierre-san. I want to raise achievements and get myself some prestige.」
「Me too!」
The hangers-on said that and grinned.
They weren’t that shocked even when hearing that it might become war with the kingdom.
Rather, they had the attitude of wishing eagerly for it even.
Their attitude was like they completely believed there was no way they would lose, but the cause of that confidence lay in the crest on the back of their right hand.
Pierre stared at his crest.
「Just wait you guys. Look forward to it. Now then, first──those guys got caretakers right?」
First they would target not the overseas students from the kingdom but from the people around them.
「It’s also going to be amusing to knock them around bit by bit and see which one of them snap first.」
Pierre with his twisted personality set his target on the overseas students from the kingdom.
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Part 7
The twin sisters Noelle and Lelia were living in a normal apartment.
It wasn’t too far away from the academy. It was clean and spacious enough that the two of them could live there without problem.
It was the former retainers of Lespinasse House who prepared the apartment for them.
They were supporting the two from the shadow even now.
The apartment of these two girls of marriageable age was a room with white base color.
The place was kept clean. Right now Noelle was cooking in the kitchen wearing apron.
Lelia returned home while she was humming and cooking.
「I’m home.」
It was a curt voice. Noelle replied back energetically.
「Welcome home~. Wait a bit more for the dinner.」
「──Right」
Unlike the big sister Noelle, Lelia’s attitude was really cold.
Noelle was worried at Lelia who seemed to be tired.
「What’s wrong?」
「──Big sis, you were chosen as caretaker for the overseas students weren’t you?」
「Yeah. It’s because you refused to do it.」
Noelle was confused why Lelia mentioned this topic.
Lelia’s expression was strange, so she turned off the fire and put her hands on her waist.
「Is there anything strange from the overseas students?」
「Anything strange? They’re pretty strange but, all of them are really popular. Don’t you also know how the girls are making a ruckus about them?」
「I know about that. What’s bothering me is──the boy who doesn’t really stand out, and the remaining two girls.」
Leon’s face immediately came to mind when Noelle heard Lelia mentioning a boy who doesn’t really stand out.
「You mean Leon? Now that you mentioned it, he was showing interest when I talked about you. Though he looked disappointed when I said you have a boyfriend.」
Noelle said that with a laugh, but Lelia wasn’t smiling at all.
Noelle got concerned with her little sister who wasn’t like usual.
「What’s wrong?」
「──It’s nothing.」
Lelia said that and entered her room.