The first semester is almost over.

　It has become an annual event to hold a party for each school year, and the party held at the school's facilities was spectacular.

　The quality and quantity of food lined up on the tables left me speechless. The boys were dressed in school uniforms, but most of the girls wore dresses.

　The boys had a sub-human servant standing next to them and stretched out their noses at the dressed-up girls.

　My gaze also has a hard time moving my gaze, as my gaze automatically locks on to the girls' chests.

　I clear my throat and I put on a serious face.

'Are your breasts an F-cup now?　It wasn't, it's an amazing dish.

　When I look back at the table, I see Danielle eating a large portion of the meat dish on her plate. Raymond was dumbfounded by the soiree.

'I've never had a party this big before. The academy is awesome.'

''Daniel, don't talk with things in your mouth. When you think of three parties of this magnitude held in three different places for different grades, King's Landing is still amazing. It's a far cry from the poor barons in the countryside.

　Luxion had said before.

　He said that he was sending them to the academy to show the provinces what the King's Capital was capable of. Indeed, their financial resources are too different when they are holding such a party.

　Even the nobles who have grown up spoiled in their parents' homes would have a thought or two if they were shown off this much.

　Surrounding them are boys in the same situation.

　Today, students from normal classes are also participating in the party, and there are so many participants in the party.

　Daniel was looking around.

''There are a lot of girls in normal class wearing dresses too. There's too few girls attending in uniform, man.'

　Raymond pushed up his glasses.

　Out of the corner of my eye, I see a slender girl who Raymond likes.

　This one is a muzzie.

''Even dresses range in price from top to bottom. They say you can get one dress for two thousand dias.

　A dress is 200,000 yen!　If you convert to yen, that is.

　Well, I don't know if it's expensive or cheap, but I can't help but laugh at the minimum price of 200,000.

　In the midst of all this, Marie, the hottest girl of the moment, appears in her school uniform. Around her, the students were talking about Zawa Zawa and May.

　In this situation, Olivia-san, the special student who was participating in the school uniform, was completely inconspicuous.

　

　It was a group of His Highnesses who were the highest ranked in terms of caste, and they seemed to be having fun.

　More than that.

　For us boys who are mobs, this party was also an opportunity. According to the information from our seniors, this is when couples can be formed.

Now, are you two ready?

　I called out to them and Daniel put his plate down.

'Yeah, I'm hungry enough.'

　Raymond also straightened his glasses.

'We'll have to work hard too,'

　The three of us start acting quickly.

　Anyway, we go around talking to girls.

　In this kind of atmosphere, maybe some of the girls would be willing to lower their conditions and marry me. At this point in time, it's beginning to look like it's okay to have a mistress as a partner.

'Mmm!　I see three girls over there!　Let's make a quick attack.

　While the other boys were moving, we were also heading to the girls.

　But--

'Huh?　Go back and look in the mirror and come back.
'A provincial baronet?　We don't want any rednecks.
Be a potato and talk to the potato lady. The least you can do is to go after the baroness. And the frontier..........out of the question.

I don't like it when guys try to get married. You just don't know how shallow they are.
A man needs more room to breathe, right?
He's a far cry from the Crown Prince, isn't he?

　The girls treated us lightly, and their dedicated servants - their mistresses - looked down on us. Their masters are the girls, not us.

　Besides, if we strike a girl's slave in the dark, we'll still be under intense scrutiny.

　They know they are in a safe position where they won't be attacked, and that's why they have this attitude.

''Oh, um, just to talk--''

　One of the girls instructed the servants with her chin.

　Then the sub-human, who looks like a muscleman, pushes us away.

　As the three of us roll over, we get a lot of looks around us, the girls laugh at us and the boys look at us to see if we're going to be laughed at or pitied.

You'll get a second chance. No, if you have another life, maybe you should at least wish to be born a better man.

　The girls and slaves around us were laughing at us.

◇

　Outside the party venue.

'Shit!　Get on with it!

　It was Daniel, whose voice was filled with anger.

　Sitting on a bench, holding his knees, Raymond was looking up at the night sky.

'You want me to get on with my life ... that's as far as you're going to go.

　We could hear the music and laughter of the party hall from a nearby building.

　We couldn't stand the atmosphere of the party and went out as if we were running away. The girls who were watching us were laughing.

　The girls who were laughing were the upper class girls and slaves.

　The normal class girls were either looking at us pityingly or trying not to look at each other.

　Miserable.



　Daniel is about to say something at my words, and he slumps down with his mouth closed.

　Raymond remains silent, too.

　The three bastards sat on a bench and looked up at the sky in a bong.

'I'm starting to feel kind of queasy about women.

　Raymond agrees with Daniel's words.

'That's right. Men are in such a hurry to get married because the world is so cold if they can't get married before graduation. The conditions are too different from those of girls who can afford the time.'

　It's not that all the girls at the school are terrible, but the percentage of terrible girls is too high.

　Therefore, if you live in the school, more boys will feel bad about it.

　I remembered something I didn't like.

　Lucle senior said--.

I heard there are boys in the academy who become disgusted with women and run straight to men... but before I entered the academy, I used to laugh at them. It's hard to laugh now, isn't it?

　Daniel and Raymond both nodded.

　Some boys get sick of girls on campus and run to the guys.

　What's not funny is that it's normal for girls to have a pre-incarnation sister - a girl who prefers BL - among the girls. It's an irredeemable world.

　Enroll in a school, become misogynistic because of the cruelty of the girls, run to men, and foul girls rejoice.

　This is the cycle that has been created.

　 Well, if you think of this kind of sad event repeating every year, you could say it's a spiral of rottenness. No, can't you say that?

　Time passes in silence.

　Then, before I realized it, I couldn't hear the music anymore.

　There must have been live music going on at the party. I took out my pocket watch and found that it was not the end of the party.

　I thought it was a break, but if I listened carefully, I couldn't hear any laughter from the venue.

　Occasionally I would hear someone shouting.

'Hey, is there something wrong with you?'

　At my words, Raymond turned his attention to the hall.

'Come to think of it, it's kind of weirdly noisy.

　Daniel stands up.

'You wanna go check on him?　And if you peek through the window, you won't have to go inside.

　Raymond stopped him.

'Don't pile on the embarrassment any more. It would be a laughingstock if they found out. But it would certainly bother you.'

　The three of us show interest, but as we're talking about how we can't go back to the venue now, one of the girls comes outside.

　She looks around and runs when she notices us.

　The girl in the uniform was Olivia-san.

'Rion-san!　It's a big deal!

◇

　When I returned to the party hall, the place was quiet.

　No, the students by the wall were quiet and subdued, but the group making noise in the center of the hall was different.

　I asked Olivia about the situation.

'What on earth happened?'

'It was a mild argument at first. But.....

　In the center were five boys surrounding Marie. Among the surrounded boys, a blond-haired, blue-eyed elf boy [Kyle] could be seen.

　In front of the seven of them, Angelica-san was raising her voice.

　It sounded like a sad cry.

''Why can't you listen to me!　I--I am for your highness!

　His Highness was cold to all intents and purposes in response to the trembling voice.

'Your words are unbearable to listen to. That's all I have to say.'

'Wait. How can you accept it when you know the nature of that person!

　I didn't know how it was going to go, but I could tell that Angelica was desperately trying to make a case for something.

　When I looked at Olivia-san, she told me the rest of what I had just said.

''Well, Angelica-san got angry when she saw Marie-san holding hands with another man who was not the Dauphin, so she got angry. Then she said that His Highness the Dauphin would not make a fuss over it.

　I can forgive my woman for having another man in her life.

　Such a big man is His Highness.

　No, I would definitely not like it if it were me, but His Highness seems to be OK with so-and-so.

　The uniform-clad Marie is hiding behind His Highness.

　With an attitude that seems to inspire a desire for protection, Angelica-san, on the contrary, was dressed in a red dress and wore her makeup well--and looked radiant.

　Is it called a contrast?

　Ms. Angelica and Marie seemed to be the exact opposite of each other.

　There were boys and beautiful slaves around Marie, but no one around Ms. Angelica.

　Brad stepped forward.

'The Redgrave girls are miserable when it comes to this, too. Look, there's no one here who agrees with you.

　As Angelica looked around, the students who had been sucking her sweet juices as a crony averted their faces.

　The students who had been antagonistic, though not hostile, looked at her with a grin.

'Who are you talking to?　I'm a daughter of a duke and a Redgrave. Don't get carried away with your frontier countesses. Do you two know what she's done?　All of you...

　Has he groped everyone?

　But the boys don't seem to be in a hurry.

'I know that much,'

　When the blue-haired Chris said that, Angelica was surprised.

''Nah!''

　Chris thought he smiled for a moment when he saw the frightened Marie. The girls around him had their cheeks dyed when the man who usually seemed to be expressionless and wielding a sword made such a face.

　Is it the face, after all?　Is it the face?

'She saved me. She listened to my problems. And I wanted to protect her - I wanted to protect her.

　I thought it was commendable to have the mentality to be able to make such a confession with all the students in the grade watching, without a care in the world.

　The next one to come out was Greg.

'You're so cryptic,' he said. Why don't you just be honest and tell me you like me enough that it doesn't matter?

　Zirk brings his hand to his mouth and smiles.

'Yes, she is. She's a lovely woman. Though I think I'm the one who loves Marie-san the most, though.'

　Angelica-san, who was speechless, looked at His Highness' face.

　His Highness has a slightly miffed expression on his face.

''Zilk, even if it's you, I don't think that's right. The person who loves Marie the most is me.''

　The girls, who had been silent at those words, let out a yellow cheer.

'Did you hear that!
''I want to be told too!''
I envy you. A duchess, on the other hand, is so clumsy.

　Angelica giggles.

　She looks down and clasps her hands together.

''........Are you saying that Your Highness doesn't intend to end up playing around while in school?''

　His Highness dropped his gaze at Angelica's question.

''There's only one woman who is irreplaceable to me. Angelica, before I entered the academy, I wouldn't have disliked you. But I will not condone you if you hurt Marie.

　The girls around me were laughing.

'Did you hear that?　I suppose that's the end of the duchess.
Isn't this already the same as breaking off the engagement?
I didn't like her, you know.

　You can say all you want when your opponent is weak.

　Well, I don't know how I feel....

'Is this how girls feel when they see a harem?　It's kind of itchy, or these scenes look painful.

What can I do for you, Miss Lyon?

　Olivia is craning her neck next to her.

　Daniel and Raymond are surprised to see the look on Ms. Angelica's face as she raises it.

'Oh, hey, isn't this a bad idea?'

You look like you're about to commit a murder.

　A blank look of resignation, as if he's resigned to something. I think I can see something dark in his eyes, without the light that had been in them before.

　Angelica-san threw something at Marie.

''--Heh?''

　As Marie was stunned, something thrown at her fell to the floor after hitting Marie. It was a white glove.

'Pick it up, whore. The witch who seduced your lordships.'

　It was an application for a duel.

　In this case, picking up a glove would be a signal to take the duel.

'Come to think of it, there was a setup like that. 'A dueling event?'

　As I was muttering something like that, Raymond began to panic.

'Another incomprehensible thing to say!　You know what this duel is all about, don't you!

　The duchess challenged the daughter of the Viscountess to a duel.

　Formally, though.

'Was I supposed to have an agent?

　When dueling, girls could use boys as proxies. But the boys did not have the right to have a proxy.

　In the game, instead of the protagonist being asked to duel by the duke's daughter, a good friend of the attack character would take over - maybe in this route.

　I had a bad premonition from the earlier exchange.

''........Angelica, you've let me down.

　His Highness seemed to be at the height of his anger as he wrinkled his brow and cast an insulting glance at his fiancée.

'Pick it up, Marie,' he said. It's okay. You have me. I'll be your agent.

　Those words were followed by Jilk and the others.

''We can't let His Highness only dress well. According to the rules of the school, there is not always one boy who is a proxy for the girls. I'll run for office as well.''

　Greg slams his fists into his palms.

'I'm in for the fun. Anyone can come on board!

　He took off his glasses and Brad looked abhorrent.

'It's hard to hear you as a whore. I hope you'll correct me, but you'll also have to apologize to me after the duel. Naturally I'll join you.

　Chris crossed his arms.

'I'm confident in my sword skills. I'll show you how to fight as Marie's sword.'

　Marie wipes her tears away with her fingers.

'Guys I'm scared, but I'm safe with you guys. I'll take this duel. Angelica, I will fight you all.

　Kyle was taken aback by such a master. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

You really are a silly master, aren't you? Did you forget that I am here?　I can at least cheer you up.

　Marie was smiling.

'Thank you, Kyle,'

　That's what I thought.

'This is the reverse harem route,'

Leon is saying something else. I wonder what the Duchess will do in this situation. Who would take on those five people?

　Raymond agreed with Daniel's question.

'His Highness is usually at the top of the grades, and everyone else has great grades too. There's no boy here who could fight against five people. First of all, you're up against Chris, the leading candidate for the most powerful swordsman in the next kingdom. There's no way we're going to be able to match him.''

　Because we know what it is. No, most of the boys didn't want to fight. Normal boys would refuse to fight His Highness.

　This wasn't a practice match or anything like that, it was a duel.

　Even the boys who had been Angelica-san's cronies until now had an attitude that they didn't want to get involved.

　When Angelica-san turned her gaze to her surroundings, the boys all averted their gaze at once.

　Greg agitated the others.

'Hey, is there anyone out there who is the odd man out who would want to help this guy out?　I'm sure he had cronies, but I'm tempted to feel sorry for him when he's so uncharitable. Well, I won't. I'm going to challenge you to a fight. Don't run away from it, even if you can't afford a proxy.

　The sound of laughter at Angelica filled the party room.

　No one would help her.

　The dueling rules in the school, as I recall, forbade bringing a proxy from outside. There's an unspoken rule, to be precise, that adults can't come out for a children's duel.

　It's Angelica-san who breaks the solemnity in the game and loses even more, adding to the shame of the game.

　It's just--.

''Hey, why don't we make a bet on what kind of blandness that woman will expose?''
I'm done crying to my parents. There's no way they'd approve of a fight like this. I'm sure they'll never find a representative.
The guy might come out himself. When that happens, I want him to beat the crap out of me.

　--the reaction of the girls around me is cold. Too cold.

　She was so quiet in front of Angelica-san when she entered the school, but if her position changed, she could be so bossy?

　

　Was that the end of the game forced upon her by an ugly man in the country?

　Angelica-san, who acts stoutly, looks around and seems to be impatient.

　Our gazes meet.

　Angelica, who is a passionate person and has a tendency not to think ahead, was visibly upset. I don't know if she was clutching at straws, but she had a look in her eyes that called for help anyway.

　But he averts his gaze from me and looks down and grits his teeth.

''Even if you don't have someone to represent you........''

　Greg snickered.

'What's up?　Where's the bluster from earlier?

　The people around her are terribly cold to Angelica-san.

　Among them, the coldest one would be His Highness. He was supposed to be my ex-fiancée, in case you were wondering.

''Angelica, you're ready for this, aren't you?　You can't pretend it didn't happen now.

　Really I don't know why.

　I couldn't leave it alone.

　When I took a step forward, Olivia-san pinched the sleeve of my uniform with her fingers.

''Ah, um.......what are you going to do?''

　I look at her anxious face and wonder why she's here. And why is there a woman called Marie or something like that in the place where Olivia-san is?

　...I've got my answer.

　Danielle steps in to stop me.

"You're a fool. Why are you trying to get involved in this? I'm not supposed to get involved in this.

　Raymond is the same way.

In a duel like this, the game is already decided before the fight even starts," he said. And whether you win or lose, your agent is not going to get away with it. His Highness.

　The three of them stop me, but I grin at them.

'I mean I........I don't like those guys.

　I'm not close to Ms. Angelica, who is ridiculed. I'm not saying that I don't feel sorry for her. But the main reason is my feelings.

　As I wade forward through the people, all eyes are on me.

'Yes, yes~!　I'm running for dueling agent!

　I put my hand up in a light-hearted manner as I come forward as the agent for the duel, but as I endure the "what the hell is this guy, read the air" stares around me, Greg looks at me.

"Who the hell are you?

　He really doesn't know.

　It's called a hard reality for a mob.

　Bread pushed his glasses up and looked at me like I was priced out.

'As I recall, there was a guy who made it as an adventurer before he enrolled. I heard he was planning to become an independent baron, is that you?

　It was clearly a condescending statement.

　Well, considering my grades and position, I guess it's not in my eyes.

　I ignore him and keep talking.

'Well, I ran for office and I want you to acknowledge me?　Angelica, look, you have to admit it soon.

　Angelica is in trouble.

'Eh, uh...'
You see? I'll admit it. Just say that and everything will be fine.
I admit...

　I turned back to his lordships - Marie.

''So, that's why Leon Faux-Baltfalt has taken on the role of dueling agent. You're sure it's the five of your highnesses, right?　I'd also like to see how we're going to duel, but what do you want to bet on before that?

　Marie looked at me, stunned.

　She didn't seem to think that this, me, being involved at all. I've been having Luxion gather information these days, but I'm sure of it.

　This guy is a reincarnated person just like me.

　Moreover, he's someone who knows this otome world. Was he also a woman in a previous life?　It's possible that he's a guy like me who was made to play damsel-in-distress games. No, could it be a guy who likes damsel-in-distress games or some other type of game?

　I turned back to Angelica.

'In case you're wondering, Angelica, what was your reason for signing up for the duel?　We need you to make that clear.

　Angelica-san and the people around her were stunned. They looked like they couldn't believe that she was proceeding with a light-hearted conversation like mine.

　However, he changed his mind or maybe he changed his mind and stated his wishes.

''........Stay away from Your Highness. That's all I want.

　I could hear voices whispering from around me.

'Did you hear that?'
No! Maybe you're jealous?
It's really ugly. He said it was all he could do because he couldn't turn them on with his charm.

　Angelica-san looks down and grits her teeth.

''So, since it's a duel, I'd like to hear your wishes as well.

　I turned to Marie and asked her, and His Highness stepped forward to block my gaze.

'You want to tear us apart to that extent. It's hard to know which one is the witch. Angelica, even if you tear us apart, my feelings will never return to you!

　Angelica murmured.

'I know. I know, but pulling that person away is the last thing I can do...'

　I clap my hands.

'No, those things can wait, please. See, you'll have to come up with those terms quickly. Ha~yeah~

　It's the miffed Marier camp, but I don't care.

　Marie stepped forward and stated her terms to Angelica.

''Wah, if I win, please stop this awful thing already. Imitating my family's power to make me do what they say is.......not a good idea.''

　If you think I heard that line somewhere, I think this was the main character's line. This guy just took a line from the protagonist.

"Well, if we win, Your Highness and you will be separated. And if we lose, it's like you don't have to get involved anymore, right?　So now we need to figure out how to fight. How about a duel in armor with a rented arena?　I think it's a common dueling method.

　Dueling itself is not numerous, but it happens every year. Even if the reason for the duel is not very important, it is a showpiece for the boys, and many of them are excited about it.

　It is customary to use armor - something like a power suit. The fact that you have armor is proof of your financial power.

　And if you win, you'll be honored.

　So the form of dueling often involves the use of armor.

　Chris gave me a sharp look.

''You, are you trying to beat us?　I don't think you had any noticeable arms in swordsmanship class?

　He's been watching me. No, he remembers a student with an outstanding arm, and I don't even know his name, so he's just treated like a woodworker?

What?　Why do you assume I'm going to lose?

　I tried to stir things up a bit, and the people around me burst into laughter.

''Hear that for a minute!
'He's going to win. You really don't know your stuff, do you?
That guy's got a talent for laughs!
'The guy who became a baron on a whim makes me laugh.

　I was laughed at by the boys as well as the girls. Well, they are indeed five outstanding freshmen who are outstanding among the freshmen.

　And they're also five who shouldn't be fighting.

　Greg came closer to me. I put my face close to his.

'Come to think of it, the guys who were talking to the girls earlier were pushed out of the hall by the resident servants. Wasn't that you?

　He knows what he's doing and he's listening. This guy's got an evil personality.

"You're no match for me. If you're just trying to show off, get the hell out of here, small fry.

　Greg's power is different from the others because he's had real-world experience.

　No, they really are a fine bunch. They can work so hard for the sake of a frail girl.

　It's also amazing how Angelica-san only looks like she's being badly bullied by a third party who doesn't know anything about it.

　

''Eh, what?　Do you want to put words in my mouth?　Perhaps your preferred method of dueling is to argue?　Oh man, I'm not very good at that one. But I'm the one who challenged you, so you have to take it. It's like you don't want to fight me and want to play with your mouth, you know? I don't blame you. Let's do our best to play with each other.

　Greg, who hates men who play games with their mouths, had a blue streak on his forehead.

　Zilk interceded.

''Let's use a one-on-one format with armor as the method of victory. However, there are five of us here. As long as you have the right number of people by the deadline, up to five people will be allowed to participate. We can probably rent it the day after the closing ceremony.

　I'll nod gratefully as they come to summarize the story. But there are only a few days left, so I don't think I'll be able to get anyone together.

"One to five, huh? Well, if you do five one-on-one sessions, there's no problem.

　It might be dangerous if five of us attacked them, but it's not a problem if it's one-on-one with a stone.

　Zilk looked at me.

''Are you seriously going to win?　It's rare nowadays, but dueling can cost you your life.

　The rule of risking one's life is slowly being abolished, and now the duel is that if you're unlucky, you die. It's like a special rule in the school.

''I know, it's fine. Can I ask you one question?

...What is it?

'Why do we look like we're fine?　I understand that you want to dress up in front of the girls you love. But aren't we being too naive to think that we won't die?

　Zirk narrowed his gaze.

'I've heard that you have a proven track record, but it looks like you've disappointed me. You don't seem to be able to gauge your opponent's abilities.'

'Leave it at that, Zilk. You said Leon. It's not a joke. You're ready for this, aren't you?

　Marie, who hadn't come forward since earlier, didn't seem to have calmed down, as if the situation was unexpected.

　But still, I wish these guys would consider my inconvenience a little.

　On the other hand, if I may say........I'm a petty person.

'Finish saying goodbye to your precious lover, prince. Huh?　The other four don't have anything to do with it, so I can go out with you and try to keep my fingers in my mouth, or should I?

　His Highness's gaze gets tighter.

　I don't want you to be angry at me for stirring things up from that side.

　I mean.........Angelica-san behind me is now treated as air.

　Your Highness should seriously consider the fact that she has a fiancée in front of her.

　You should be more concerned about the fact that all the members of the prestigious aristocracy are being seduced by one woman.