That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us - Volume 1 - Chapter 2.2

The secluded spot Luxion led me to was a narrow space between the school building and a hedge. It wasn’t far from where the prince still stood near the rear courtyard’s pond. Thankfully, we were sufficiently hidden by the trees and shrubbery, and far from any foot traffic. This was as good a place as any to talk.

When I finally released Marie, she yanked herself away, trembling in fear even as she glowered at me. “Wh-what do you think you’re doing?! I’m in a hurry here. Don’t think I’ll let you off so easy—you’re gonna pay!” For all her bluster, her legs were shaking like jelly. I’d really spooked her.

Her bravado reminded me of my sister—the one from my last life. She didn’t look the least bit like her, though. Or wait, maybe she did? Her aura was similar, at least. Maybe that was why she had infuriated me on sight.

“Why?” I challenged. “Because you don’t want me ruining your li’l meet-cute with Prince Charming?”

Marie’s eyes widened. Once she’d fully digested my words, however, they slowly narrowed again. The fear on her face had vanished, and she regarded me coldly. “So you’re like me,” she said.

Her reaction confirmed my suspicions. She had no intention of hiding the truth, either.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked. “What exactly are you trying to pull?” 

“What do you mean?”

I sighed impatiently. “You were trying to interfere with the protagonist’s first encounter with the prince, weren’t you?” In truth, I’d already guessed her motivations, but I wanted clarification.

“What’s it got to do with you?” Marie huffed and looked away.

Yep, figured. She was trying to steal the protagonist’s limelight for herself.

“Everything,” I snapped. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” 

I wanted to warn her not to overstep her bounds, but she wouldn’t hear it.

“Oh, stuff it! And let me go already. If I don’t hurry, the stupid protagonist will get here before I can make my move!”

I wasn’t physically restraining Marie anymore, but I had backed her against the wall, my arms on either side of her to keep her from running. For a half-pint, she sure had guts.

“Don’t get in the heroine’s way,” I warned her. “It’s the end of the world if she doesn’t meet the prince and the other love interests.” If the protagonist didn’t fall for one of them, it was game over for everyone. And no offense, but it’s way too early for me to go kicking the bucket again.

“And why would that happen? If you’re gonna threaten me, at least come up with something more convincing.” Marie sneered. “If you don’t let me go now, I’m gonna scream for help. Your life here at the academy—no, your life period—will be as good as over.” Marie smirked over her sinister backup plan.

If my impression of her had been bad before, this just cemented my suspicions that she was a real nasty piece of work. The same kind my sister had been.

Marie was right, though. If she screamed, I’d be painted as the bad guy. But something about this whole situation still felt off. Why was she pursuing the prince?

“You’ve played this game, haven’t you?” I said. “So why would you disrupt the protagonist’s events?”

“That should be obvious. I—”

Marie cut off her explanation as bickering voices reached us from the distance.

We exchanged looks briefly, then scrambled to investigate. We were still headed in the direction of the commotion when we heard a sharp, dry slap. We both immediately knew what that sound meant.

I scratched my head. “Crap, and after I went to all that trouble to come here to watch.” I wasn’t too bummed, really, but I wished I could’ve seen the crown prince take it to the face.

Marie’s reaction was far different. She sagged against a nearby wall and slid down to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes. “N-no… After I went to all the trouble to come to the academy. I waited ten whole years for this!” She broke into sobs.

Even I felt bad now.

“H-hey…” I said.

“I thought I finally had a chance to be happy! This is your fault!” she spat, jabbing a finger in my direction. “It’s your fault I’m gonna be dirt poor forever!” More tears streamed down her cheeks.

It really got under my skin when girls cried. Seriously, I hated it.

“Master, would it not be wise to share the information you possess?” Luxion interjected.

He was right. If Marie had cleared the full game, she wouldn’t have dreamed of trying to disrupt an event like this.

“Yeah,” I said. “Hey, quit crying already. Let’s at least talk—” I extended my right hand as I spoke, ready to help her up, but Marie knocked it away, effectively cutting me off.

Clenching her fists, she glared at me. “I’ll never forgive you for this.” With that, she hopped to her feet and ran off.

“Hey, wait!” I hurriedly called after her. But she never once glanced back. I watched as her form receded in the distance, my hand dropping back to my side.

“It appears the lady despises you,” Luxion observed helpfully.

“Guess so.”

I glanced back at the scene where the game event was unfolding. Julius still stood by the pond, the protagonist beside him.

The prince smiled. “What? So you truly have no idea who I am?” He sounded genuinely amused.

The girl stared back at him, puzzled. She had aqua eyes and flaxen hair cut in a short bob—though the feature that most assured me she was the protagonist was her ample bosom.

“I-I have no idea,” she stuttered. “This is our first time meeting, after all.”

“For a commoner, you have some guts. Slapping one of the elite?” He flashed her a teasing smile.

Olivia shrank back. Julius’s words had reminded her that everyone else at the academy was a member of the aristocracy. She alone was not. The academy had specially allowed her to attend on scholarship due to her impressive magical talents. If the school staff were to learn she had slapped another student, it would end poorly for her, no matter how well deserved the slap had been.

“Ngh…” Olivia groaned, face scrunching.

“I’m not particularly angry,” Julius said gently. “Although, I now realize that I haven’t yet introduced myself. My name is Julius. Julius Rapha Holfort.”

Olivia’s jaw dropped. “As in the prince?”

“Indeed. No one has ever slapped me before.” He smiled. “You’re not like other women.”

The color drained from Olivia’s face.

I watched from the shadows, finding the whole interaction a little off-putting. “Prince Julius’s affection for her may have increased, but doesn’t it seem like Miss Olivia’s more stressed than anything?”

I couldn’t blame her. Distress was a natural reaction to learning you’d struck a crown prince. Julius showed no outward sign of upset, but Olivia’s expression was grave.

Perhaps it was only normal to react this way. After all, unlike the happy-go-lucky game story, this was real life. Slapping royalty was a big deal.

“Indeed. She appears to be rather profoundly panicked,” Luxion observed.

“I thought this was supposed to be a more lighthearted meet-cute, but I guess this is just what happens when an unrealistic scenario comes to life.”

***

“Dammit! Dammit! What the hell is wrong with that stupid background character? So what if he reincarnated here, too! That doesn’t give him the right to steal my chance at happiness! He’s gonna pay for this.” Having retreated behind a different part of the school building, Marie repeatedly slammed her foot against the wall, trying to blow off some steam.

The moment she’d pinned her hopes on for over ten years had been stolen from right under her nose. She could barely contain her rage.

Marie’s shoulders rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to control her breathing. She tried to refocus, picturing the other love interests in her mind’s eye. “There are other options,” she reassured herself. “Four more, to be precise. Surely, I can snag one of them.” 

Maybe. She hoped.

These love interests weren’t ordinary men. They had riches, status, and power. They were the future heads of esteemed noble houses. All that made them utterly unlike the men Marie had dated in her previous life.

“I still have four more chances. Yes, that’s right. It’s not like this is game over for me. Not yet.”

From the start, Marie had planned to approach each and every one of the love interests to increase her chances of success. Her strategy was to claim the meet-cute events for herself because that seemed like the most effective way to achieve her goal. After all, she remembered what dialogue options would appease and interest these men. All she needed was an opening. As long as she got one, she had the advantage, since she knew their personalities and preferences.

“It’s a shame that I missed Prince Julius. I mean, as the crown prince, that obviously means he’ll be the next king, right? Happiness is inevitable if you get to date a guy like that.”

Yes, if Marie had a boyfriend like the prince, she would no longer have to worry about money, to say nothing of domestic violence. Marie could only dream of such a life.

She slapped her hands over her cheeks, trying to pump herself back up. One thing still weighed on her.

“That stupid background character really pisses me off. He kinda reminds me of…of my big bro.”

Marie bumped her forehead against the wall, her good spirits dashed. The moment she had reincarnated, she had forgotten her brother’s face. She had kept an old photo of him on her phone, and whenever she thought of him, she’d spent time gazing at it. But now she couldn’t recall his features at all. The only thing she knew was that the man who’d disrupted her quest had the same sort of aura—one that really got under her skin.

“I already hate that he feels even a little like Big Bro, but he’s an even bigger scumbag for getting in my way! Ugh, honestly. This couldn’t get any worse.”

***

“Um, pardon me. Do you like that book? To tell you the truth, I’m particularly fond of it as well!”

Luxion’s camera lens was projecting a video for me against the wall. It depicted Marie attempting to strike up a conversation with a man named Brad Fou Field. Brad was the heir to a region on the country’s border and the son of an earl. His purple hair matched equally purple eyes. In game terms, he was a mage and—oh, right—one of the otome game love interests.

Brad exhaled a small sigh before glancing at Marie. “While I appreciate your interest in me, I’m afraid I can’t reciprocate.”

“Huh? Uh, um…” Marie was gobsmacked. Brad was being polite enough, but there was no mistaking his rejection.

The line Marie had just deployed was the one Olivia used during her in-game meet-cute with Brad. The book he was reading interested her, and from there, their relationship began to blossom. However, Marie’s attempt had failed.

Brad made a face. “You’re just forcing yourself to say that to get my attention, right?”

“Huh?”

“You say you’re fond of this book, but where’s the passion? I don’t hear it—or see it, either.”

That was unexpected. So he’d noticed her interest wasn’t genuine. Perhaps he and his rivals had a more discerning eye than she’d given them credit for.

Marie went quiet. She dropped her gaze to her feet.

Brad’s smile strained awkwardly. He scratched his cheek. “I suppose I can’t fault you for it. It’s only natural you’d fall for someone as handsome as me. You haven’t done anything wrong. Oh, I know. I’ll be hosting a tea party in May. You absolutely must come and join me then. I would be happy to see you there.” With that, he left his seat and strode off, book in hand.

Marie stood there, frozen.

Once the playback finished, Luxion ended his projection and turned his gaze to me. “On your orders, I commenced an investigation of Marie. She has continued to approach the love interests, as you can see.”

“Watching that just bummed me out. Guess the impostor playbook isn’t working out too well for her.”

No matter how hard she tried, Marie was no replacement for Olivia. She didn’t even come close. As relieved as I was to see that, Luxion was warier than ever.

“Her endeavors have failed thus far. However, the fact remains that she shares a background with you, Master. I believe you should remain on guard.”

“On guard with someone who keeps striking out? Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way, but do you really think she has any hope of succeeding? Why not just leave her to her own devices?”

“Then shall I cease my surveillance of her?”

I shook my head. “Nah, let’s keep an eye on her for a bit longer.”

I didn’t think Marie was going to make any progress, per se, but we’d be in trouble if she resorted to desperate measures. It was best to keep tabs on her. Thanks to her meddling, I now had to worry about keeping the game’s entire scenario on track. All I wanted to do was watch the protagonist and her love interests from afar. I definitely didn’t want to get involved.