That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us - Volume 3 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The Being Locked In the Holy Relic

THE INCIDENT IN QUESTION had taken place the very same night that Marie accepted the Saint’s necklace from Leon. She’d crawled into bed and was fast asleep, her stomach exposed since she’d kicked her blanket aside.

Marie smiled to herself, mumbling in her sleep. “Leon, you dummy… Luxion, you big jerk… Zz…”

While she was oblivious to the outside world, her desk drawer began to rattle. When it finally popped open, black mist spilled forth. It floated through the air, stopping near Marie, where it finally took the distinct shape of a woman. The way her almond eyes narrowed into upside-down crescents suggested that she was grinning maniacally.

“Finally, I’ve found you. I’ll be taking your body.” 

The black mist figure stretched her hand toward the sleeping Marie. The moment she touched Marie’s skin, there was a snap of electricity, almost like built-up static. 

The mist quickly retracted her hand, eyes widening in shock. “You’re resisting me? Considering how foolish you look, I didn’t anticipate that you’d be so stubborn.”

Marie continued sleeping, blissfully unaware of the danger, although her unconscious mind had somehow rejected the mist’s attempt to possess her. 

It was clear now to the mist that taking over Marie’s body would be no simple task. Even so, she had no intention of giving up. “If that’s how you want it, I’ll just have to interfere with your mind.”

Such manipulation typically met with fierce resistance from the host, but the mist was fortunate; Marie was unconscious now, so invading her mind would be much less difficult.

“This would’ve been far easier for both of us if you’d simply let me possess you.” Ignorance was bliss, after all.

The mist delved deep inside Marie’s mind, to the very depths of her soul. “You’re making this a lot more difficult than it needs to be,” she grumbled. 

Marie’s mental fortitude was proving an unfortunate obstacle to the mist’s plans, and she was opting for a much more roundabout method of achieving what she wanted. Sadly for the mist, this route was substantially more draining; it was something she would’ve preferred to avoid if given the choice. Still, she wasn’t about to let this long-awaited chance slip through her fingers. She had to get a body no matter the cost, and she was willing to push her limits if that was what it took.

The mist snickered to herself as she finally arrived at the deepest depths of Marie’s mind, where she found a door in front of her. “There you are.” Naturally, the door was locked. “Of course you keep it locked to protect yourself. But however strong your defenses are, they’re pointless against me.”

The mist forced the lock and wrenched the door open. She strode confidently inside, only to be hit with confusion at what lay within.

“What is this?” she blurted. “The inside of your mind doesn’t look like a room from this kingdom.”

This room was supposed to be a manifestation of someone’s heart—the place they felt most comfortable, which was typically their personal quarters. Marie’s room was feminine, to be sure. That part wasn’t odd at all. It was more that the items and decorations in the room were wholly unfamiliar. That could also be said for the furniture itself, of course, and there were many other items the mist couldn’t fathom the purpose of.

“Oh well. It doesn’t matter. The bigger question is where this room’s resident is.” 

The mist scanned her surroundings. The chamber wasn’t all that spacious, so it proved easy to locate Marie immediately. She was sprawled on her bed in the center of the room. 

Curiously, her body here differed wildly from the one in reality. Someone’s inner self took whatever form they most strongly identified with, and it wasn’t rare for that to differ from their actual physical appearance. In Marie’s case, though, the discrepancy was more pronounced than any the mist had ever encountered. In reality, Marie had blonde hair and blue eyes. Here in this room, her eyes and hair were incredibly dark. On top of that, her figure was more feminine and curvaceous.

“She looks like an entirely different person. Is this how she wishes she looked?” The mist shook her head. “I can’t believe she’s still sound asleep, even with an intruder present.”

As if on cue, the woman meant to represent Marie’s inner self—though she looked nothing like Marie—blinked away her drowsiness and let out a great big yawn. “What is it? You’re disturbing my beauty sleep,” she grumbled, annoyed.

This woman was Marie’s core essence, a completely unfiltered version of her personality. She rubbed her eyes and studied the mist, looking tired. “Who are you?” She still wasn’t fully awake. 

Seeing this as an opportunity, the mist jumped on her chance to possess her victim by first starting to introduce herself. “You want to know who I am? My name’s…”

Before the mist even finished her sentence, Marie let out another huge yawn and nodded off again. Her eyes had slid shut; she was clearly headed back to dreamland.

“How dare you fall back asleep after asking me who I am?!” screeched the mist.

Marie flinched, eyes flying wide open. She stared at the mist and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I-I wasn’t asleep. And if I was, well, you managing to put me to sleep is pretty impressive.”

If that was an excuse, it was a poor one, primarily because it made no sense. But maybe that was because Marie still wasn’t fully awake.

Standing in front of Marie’s true form, the mist resisted the urge to sigh. Am I sure that this is who I want to possess…? No one else is available to me. I can’t be too picky. 

Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, the mist told Marie, “I have an offer for you. Wouldn’t you like to have my power? I am the force that resides within the Saint’s necklace, you see. If you accept me, I can lend you even greater strength. Don’t you want full access to the Saint’s power?”

Marie hugged her pillow to her chest, not bothering to neaten her hair, which was tousled from sleep. Instead, she just sat there and studied the mist for a moment. Her eyes were intensely skeptical.

“Wh-what? Don’t you want power?” the mist asked again. “I’m talking about enough power to achieve whatever you desire.”

This simple spiel was normally sufficient to entice someone’s inner self. Even if they had the good sense to doubt the authenticity of the mist’s offer, their lust for power would be too great for them to heed their better judgment. A desire for power was universal, after all. This speech had worked perfectly for the mist numerous times.

The only difference this time was that none of the other people she’d tried this with had been her direct descendants, so she hadn’t been able to possess them anyway. The best she could do was manipulate those victims from behind the scenes. Even then, things never went exactly the way she wanted.

Marie snorted with laughter.

“What’s that snickering about?!” the mist demanded, indignant. She was baffled, since that wasn’t normally the reaction such an offer received.

“What you’re saying sounds fishy,” Marie said. “Besides, I don’t need the Saint’s power.”

The mist gawked. “Why not? It can achieve anything you want.”

Marie sneered at the mist. “See, that’s exactly why I smell a rat. You’re offering me incredible power without asking something equivalent in return. You’re basically hinting that there’s a catch—that you’re plotting something.”

The moment Marie saw right through her, the mist lost her composure. “Th-that’s not true at all!” The stammer in her voice gave her away. 

Marie grinned knowingly. “Looks like I was right on the money. If I were trying to hoodwink someone, I’d do the exact same thing.”

“What?” Then the mist reached a realization: We could be two sides of the same coin, couldn’t we? Was Marie also a villain? But, no, she couldn’t be. The mist had seen numerous people as simple and transparent as the woman before her. “Hmph. I suppose you won’t be so easily duped. In that case, why don’t we make a deal, you and I?”

The mist still wasn’t being sincere; this was just another ploy, meant to appeal to Marie’s pride and move the conversation along.

Marie lounged on her bed, propping herself half-upright on one elbow. Her derisive snicker at the mist’s counteroffer made the pose seem even more arrogant. “It’s no use lying to me. The two of us are too similar for your fibs to work.”

The mist’s blood boiled at the insinuation. She didn’t want to believe they were really related anymore; Marie was too infuriating. “Don’t lump me in with the likes of you! You’re obviously far worse than me!”

“Nope. I can tell. I’m good at picking up on another girl’s worst aspects, and women’s intuition tells me you’re bad news.”

The mist balled her fists. “R-ridiculous! Your ‘intuition’ is a pain in the neck.” She’d had enough of trying to deceive Marie. It obviously wouldn’t work. Instead, the mist lunged at the woman—it was time to take Marie’s body by force!

But an invisible barrier blocked the mist’s attempts, proving much more resistant than she anticipated. 

“What?!” the mist cried. Her hands groped the empty air as she reached toward Marie. The invisible barrier kept her far from her target.

Marie simply watched her and yawned again. “It’s useless,” she said. “I don’t trust anyone on principle. If you really think you can take over my body and do whatever you want with it, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“You wicked witch!” the mist howled.

That outburst finally seemed to have an effect; Marie’s mood soured instantly.

“What’d you say? You’re the one trying to force your way in. What right do you have to take that kind of attitude with me? I mean, this room is supposed to be my personal, private space. My domain. You’re the one who barged in without permission. If anyone’s a witch here, it’s obviously you.”

Vexing as this was, the mist knew that she couldn’t possess Marie as she’d hoped—not when the woman was so guarded against others. She’s much more resistant than I ever imagined. Given that guardedness, the mist had no choice but to give up, desperate as she was. The woman’s personality was too strong. There was no way to steal her soul and gain complete control over her body. Her overwhelming mental fortitude made that all the more impossible. The mist didn’t intimidate her at all. In fact, it was the other way around.

“If I can’t steal your body, I’ll simply have to leave deep scars on your soul. That’s the price you’ll pay for mocking me!” The mist would have her revenge by going on a rampage and destroying this room’s interior. That would cause Marie substantial mental damage.

At the mist’s declaration, Marie’s eyes widened, her pupils giving off eerie light. Her long, pitch-black hair undulated through the air as if it had a life of its own.

If anyone else were to observe this situation, they’d think the two women were monsters facing off against one another.

“You’re threatening me with violence in my domain?!” Marie hissed, now seething with unrestrained hostility. “Unacceptable. I’ll curse you. You and all your descendants!”

The venomous way she spat the words made the mist believe she truly meant what she was saying. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re my descendant! The same blood runs through our veins!”

Their power clashed, knocking Marie’s entire room into disarray.

What’s with this woman?! The mist was gobsmacked—terrified, even—by the extent of Marie’s power. Her mental strength is almost inhuman! She was a monster, a true monster.

“In case you’ve forgotten, you’re inside my mind right now,” Marie said. “It’s time for you to leave, and I’m going to give you a personal escort in the form of the most powerful existence I can summon.” Her voice went high-pitched as she proceeded to wail, “Save meeee, Big Bro! This girl’s bullying meeee!” She shrank back, playing the part of the wilting flower, the damsel in distress who needed saving.

The mist sensed a presence thundering toward them outside the room. Wh-what now? She could already tell that, whatever this being was, its power far surpassed Marie’s.

The door burst open. A young man stood on the threshold, a dark aura emanating from him. His eyes glowed red, and his hand held a metal bat. “I’ll destroy her,” he muttered. Without a split second of hesitation, he lifted his bat high over the mist.

“Wha—?!” the mist cried.

The “most powerful” being that Marie could conjure in her mind was, apparently, her older brother. She’d imbued him with incredible power, and it slammed into the mist as the man brought his bat down on her.

“Wait! Hold on! Ow! Ouch! That hurts!”

However much she screamed, the man wouldn’t let up. He kept striking her mercilessly with no intention of stopping until she left.

Marie cheered from the sidelines. “Get her, Big Bro! Beat her to a pulp and send her on her way!”

The mist couldn’t defend herself. Since Marie genuinely believed with all her heart that this man was the most powerful, he was simply too strong for her.

Something about the whole thing bothered the mist, though. “You’re really going to let your older brother invade your personal space like this?!”

As Marie had rightly stated, this was her sole domain. Most people wouldn’t want to invite anyone into the deepest, most private part of themselves. But Marie… Not only had she created a version of her brother inside her own personal domain, she’d let him waltz right into this room.

“Are you obsessed with your older brother or something?!” the mist blurted as she scrambled to escape the bat that brother brandished.

“So what if I am?” Marie shrugged, not looking the least bit sheepish. “I adore my Big Bro!” Her inner self was completely true to her own nature, so she felt no embarrassment. “Now, off with you! Get out of my room already.”

Losing all interest in further conversation, she yawned and promptly curled up in her bed, ready to drift back to sleep.

“I cannot accept this! There’s no way you’re my descendant!” the mist howled at the top of her lungs, just as Marie’s older brother swung his bat hard at her. The irresistible attack booted her out of Marie’s mind.

“You rotten wench!” the man cried. “Don’t you dare think for even a moment that this is over!”

In the next instant, the mist—fully expelled from Marie’s mind—was thrust back into reality. The ordeal had worn her thin, leaving her exhausted.

“I never anticipated this outcome,” she murmured to herself.

Marie had looked so vulnerable in her sleep. This had been the best chance the mist would ever have to take over her body. Yet Marie’s mental protections were so overwhelmingly powerful that the mist hadn’t stood a chance.

“Damn it! Why did this happen? This should’ve been my moment. Never before has a descendant of mine laid hands on the Saint’s necklace imbued with my bitterness!” That was the mist’s true identity; the necklace harbored the grudge of Marie’s ancestor. “No. No, I won’t squander this prime opportunity because of that wicked little witch.”

The mist lamented her failed attempt. Actually, she might’ve preferred outright failing over being forcefully thrown out, as she had been.

“She’s the perfect candidate, with the right attributes and power. Her appearance is perhaps a bit immature for my liking, but other than that, I couldn’t hope for better. How unfair that her personality’s so distasteful that I can’t use her.” The mist glowered at her would-be victim’s sleeping form—at least until a new presence caught her attention. At the edge of the room, a sphere simply floated in the air. 

“What’s this?” murmured the mist. The sphere’s singular red eye flashed eerily. It was watching her. Sensing danger, the mist’s first instinct was to flee. However, a barrier had already been cast over the window, trapping her.

“Such impudence. Fine, I’ll simply return to the necklace here in the—” She cut herself off as she dropped her gaze and realized the necklace was no longer tucked inside the desk drawer. Panic set in. She whipped her head around trying to spot the object, the room blurring, only to see it floating next to the sphere. 

“Is this what you are searching for?” the sphere asked.

“It speaks?” the mist said to herself in disbelief. “Could it be a Lost Item, then? Strange. I’ve never heard of one so technologically advanced.”

Faced with the mist’s shocked mumbling, the sphere remained perfectly composed. “You are right to be wary of me. That said, I find you to be an incredibly curious phenomenon. I shall capture you and use you as a research subject.”

“Ha! As if I’d let you take me so easily! I have a duty I must carry out, so I can’t allow myself to—” The mist broke off, trying to find another route to flee the room, but magical barriers blocked every corner. As a last resort, she tried to squeeze beneath the small gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. 

Before she could do so, the sphere made its move. “It is my first time encountering an astral spirit like you. It is a relief that magic works so effectively against you.” A vacuum-like object appeared seemingly out of nowhere and sucked in the mist, sealing her in a transparent bag. Try as she might to tear her newfound cage open and take flight, it was impervious to her attempts. “Let me out of here!”

“I cannot. You are an incredibly precious research sample. Besides, there are questions I have to ask you.” The sphere’s gaze wandered back to Marie. “I will thoroughly investigate why you targeted Marie specifically.” 

When his eye returned to the mist and focused on her, she shrank back, terrified. “St-stop this. I have my own priorities—and my own duty I must accomplish! I don’t have time to waste as your test subject!”

“Indeed, I would like to hear much more about that as well.”

“I can’t believe that witch has a minion like this under her thumb, too!” The mist glared at Marie, who was still fast asleep, her stomach exposed and a tendril of drool running down her chin.

“Big Bro,” Marie whined, “I can’t eat any more…” She must’ve been dreaming about delicious food.

The misty figure’s glare intensified. “I can’t believe I lost to this spoiled brat!” she hissed, humiliated.

***

“Who could’ve guessed the Saint’s necklace was possessed by someone’s deep-seated grudge? Not me, that’s for sure. But she’ll pay for trying to steal my adorable body. I can promise you that!” Marie munched on a cookie as she said all this. Her flippant attitude suggested that she wasn’t giving the necklace much thought. She was too focused on the sweets in front of her.

“I can’t believe how carefree you are even though you were almost possessed,” I said. Then I instantly felt guilty. “Sorry. It’s my fault this happened in the first place.”

If Luxion hadn’t stepped in and protected her… Actually, according to him, she’d managed to fend off the astral spirit on her own. Regardless, I felt awful about the close call.

Marie stared at me. “Did you eat something funny? It’s not like you to apologize so sincerely.”

What a jerk, I thought. Especially after I’d gone out of my way to say sorry. “I really envy your inability to grasp the seriousness of a situation like this. Must be nice,” I said, sipping my tea.

Marie brushed cookie crumbs from her mouth and shot back, “It’s not like my life is all sunshine and roses!”

“No?” I laughed. “What bothers you, then?”

Her gaze darted away from me. “Oh, uh, well… Like, what’ll be on the next test, or how I’ll budget enough money for all my daily expenses. That kind of thing.”

“In terms of the nature of this academy, not much importance is seemingly placed on students’ academic performance,” said Luxion. “Moreover, Master covers your daily expenses, does he not?”

Marie’s face flushed. “Okay, fine. Then my height and breast size.”

I burst into laughter. “Seriously? That’s what you worry about?”

Her face turned even brighter red. “Oh, shut up! Even I’ve got insecurities. What’s wrong with that? It’s not fair that my efforts to improve landed me with a body like this. I was so confident about my appearance before I reincarnated here.”

Here she goes again, bragging about how stunning she was in her previous life. Marie seemed deeply affected by how different her body in this life was.

“You can’t do anything to fix it, so just let it go,” I said. “Or would you prefer Luxion do something to fix your looks?” Knowing the AI, he could probably perform plastic surgery without much effort.

Marie’s face lifted, her eyes sparkling with newfound hope. “Luxion, help fix my height and boobs!” She really wasn’t sheepish at all in her demands.

Despite her earnest pleading, Luxion simply answered, “I refuse.”

“Wha…?” Marie’s smile became strained, her lips pulled tight.

“To begin with, I see no reason to alter your physical appearance,” Luxion explained. “I acknowledge that you lack the physical maturity of other females your age, but you are perfectly healthy that way.”

Marie’s eyes shimmered with tears. “Who cares whether I’m healthy or not?! You could at least make some minor adjustments for me!”

“No.”

“Stingy jerk!”

Such childish banter, I thought. “Why do you want to be taller and bustier anyway? Last time we talked about this, you said you were beautiful enough and happy as you were.”

Marie puffed her cheeks and averted her gaze. “It’s your fault for always ogling Olivia.”

“What? When have I ogled her?!”

When I attempted to deny Marie’s accusation, Luxion projected an image of us in the cafeteria in which my gaze was obviously glued to Olivia’s ample breasts.

“You have ‘ogled’ her chest numerous times. I fail to see how it could be mere coincidence,” he said.

“You guys are misunderstanding things. That’s just male instinct, you know? Not something I can control. A guy’s eyes are just naturally programmed to lock onto a woman’s chest.” It was in all men’s DNA. Inescapable, really.

Marie flung her handkerchief at me. “I knew it! You were ogling her! Are breasts really all that matter to you? You big jerk!”

“I can’t help it if I like big boobs! What? Would you prefer I live the rest of my life lying that I hate them? Hate to break it to you, but that’s not something I can pull off!”

“Why’re you trying so hard to excuse your sexual preferences? Are you an idiot? Don’t you feel at all embarrassed, announcing that kind of private stuff in front of others?”

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed!” I shouted back. “But however embarrassed I feel, I don’t want to lie about who I am, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life! That’s why I’m trying to be open with you!”

“You want to make yourself sound brave and heroic, but this whole argument’s about your obsession with big breasts,” Marie scoffed at me, shaking her head. “God, are all men complete idiots?”

“Call me an idiot all you like. I’m not gonna change who I am.”

She rolled her eyes. “Go play in traffic.”

Why did I have to put up with this kind of vitriol from her? What was so wrong with liking them?

Marie and glowered at one another.

Exasperated with both of us, Luxion cut in. “Please feel free to continue your lovers’ quarrel if you so desire, but I will excuse myself to focus on the preparations necessary for what is to come.”

His framing of the situation floored us both.

“It ain’t a lover’s quarrel!”

“This isn’t a lover’s quarrel!”

Our voices overlapping, we vehemently denied it.