I went to a hangar in order to participate in the airbike race .
Carrying a helmet, I conversed with Luxon, who was attached to an airbike .
[It’s quite unreasonable for you to do this just because you don’t want to anger a duke that happens to support you . How about getting one of Anjelica’s fine followers to do it? Is this really a position suitable for a mob?]
I normally made snide comments towards how I was a mob .
In reality, I was no more than a boy in the academy with nothing worth noting .
I wasn’t overwhelmingly beautiful like how Julian or the others were, and was an ordinary person with black hair and dark irises .
However, I didn’t hate how I was .
So what if I was ordinary? Wasn’t that splendid? I loved how I was .
“I’d love it if I had a position a bit more in the background . I’m afraid of becoming one of the villainess’ followers . Anyways, how about we begin?”
Luxon inserted a cord coming from its spherical body into the airbike . It seemed that it was modifying the airbike, but it kind of looked like we were up to no good .
[They said ten minutes is more than enough for you . It seems that you’re the victim of harassment . It’s like they’re trying to set you up for some kind of engine trouble . ]
“Don’t those guys hate me a little too much?”
It was as if all of the students in the school turned into my enemy after the duel .
[There’s no doubt that the students in the whole school hate you . You should take care of the two that you’re on good terms with right now . Perhaps I should call them your friends, that is if you don’t see them as members of the opposite sex . ]
“Friends of the opposite sex, you say . ”
[You should look after them since they’re valuable friends who aren’t boys, Master . ]
As I was speaking with Luxon in a low voice, I thought about those two .
They were people who normally wouldn’t be friends, the protagonist and the villainess . I didn’t think that it would have been a simple matter for them to become close .
However, the two strangely became close friends .
“I’m fine if nothing happens between us, though . The best result would be if there are no trials and tribulations for me to encounter . Especially with those two . ”
[Don’t you have anything you feel towards them?]
“Basically, those two──”
When I was speaking, a third-year upperclassman arrived .
He was tall, had short hair, and held a stern figure . It seemed that the upperclassman had trained his body for a long time . He had quite the thick neck . Of the top candidates, he was the boy who was most popular in the bets .
“Are you Jilk’s substitute?”
The upperclassman was calling out to me, but I didn’t feel much hostility .
“Oh, aren’t you the one who’s the cream of the crop among the top candidates? Do you have some business with me? I’m a bit busy at the moment, so could we save it for later? I’m having some trouble with this engine . ”
While I was speaking, Luxon hid itself behind my back .
The one I was speaking with was Clarice’s follower .
It felt like the third-year upperclassman was loosening his guard around me .
“So you do understand the situation you’re in? In that case, I didn’t need to come here and give you a warning . Nevertheless, to think that the shovel guy would substitute for Jilk . I have mixed feelings . ”
Shovel guy . I suppose I was called that since I had mistakenly pulled out a shovel during the duel .
“Tell me about this warning . ”
The upperclassman made a bit of a self-deprecating smile, and then made a serious expression .
“Let me apologize in advance . I don’t hold any grudge against you, but I’m going to go all out and thwart you in the next race . ”
Wasn’t that an upright declaration of war?! There was no point in trying to apologize . I hated pain .
“Do you have some kind of special circumstance going on? Did Clarice threaten you?”
“That’s not it!”
The upperclassman took offense at my joke, but soon apologized with “My bad . ”
He then cleared his throat and talked to me about Clarice’s and his own circumstances .
“My family consists of nobles from the lowest seats of the royal court . Without our court rank, I wouldn’t be the heir to anything . ”
The upperclassman was someone from the regular class who was one of Clarice’s followers .
It seemed that he was indebted to her .
“My lady is also kind to me . She recognized my talent in airbikes and supported me . It’s thanks to her that I’ll likely get ahead in employment after graduation . ”
The upperclassman placed his hand gently on his airbike, seeming happy, yet sad .
“She’s a kind person . We admire her . The other girls are cruel, and I’ve heard complaints coming from the followers of other ladies, making us glad that we’re with her . ”
I remained silent, and the upperclassman spoke about his past .
“My lady’s household has an airbike race location . I could use it freely, so I didn’t have any problems with practicing . That Jilk guy also used that spot before their engagement was even decided . The lady prepared a coach for him, and even gifted him an airbike . She supported him with a smile . It was pleasant, but frustrating at the same time . And yet, that Jilk brat swiftly told her one day that he would break up their engagement . Even when my lady tried to see him in order to persuade him otherwise, he absolutely would not meet her . ”
I couldn’t help but get angry .
It was justified to beat up Jilk for it . I forgave him . Do your best, upperclassman!
However, I hoped that he would let me off .
“In that case, could you overlook me?”
“I’m sorry . I sympathize with you emotionally, but my lady’s orders are absolute . We have to unconditionally follow her orders . We have to by all means, even if it means doing it in exchange for our lives . ”
What strong determination .
It was this kind of idolization that made Clarice so popular .
The upperclassman then spoke to me about Clarice’s changes .
“I heard about what happened at the medical office . It’s probably impossible, but I hope that you don’t think badly of my lady . She has changed since the summer vacation . She owns slaves and goes wild with them all night . She was not that kind of person in the past . ”
Owning slaves and doing it all night? That’s what a lot of girls did, including my sister .
I wasn’t really surprised, since I was already numbed to it .
──It had finally happened . It seemed that the world of this otome game had seeped into me .
Something like this wasn’t normal! It was frustrating that I thought it was for just a moment .
“If you sympathize, then can’t you cut me some slack?”
The upperclassman smiled .
“So I can’t convince you? It seemed that you weren’t that interested in what I had to say . It’s fine either way . I’m just complaining out loud . You can ignore me . ”
While seeing the upperclassman leave, I sat down on the seat of my airbike and put on my helmet . I tightly fixed the strap of the helmet around my chin .
[The airbike’s modification has completed . ]
“Is that so?”
[Master, are you still aiming to win even after hearing that?]
“Of course . I’d be wrong of me to, but I had bet a large amount of money on myself . ”
When the students heard that I would be substituting for Jilk and that I would be using an airbike prepared by the academy, they were probably thinking that I would lose .
Compared to those who advanced to the finals, it was obvious that I was inferior .
In other words, I was an unlikely winner .
[I don’t think you need money, though . In the first place, since you have me, you wouldn’t be inconvenienced in terms your livelihood, Master . ]
What an idiot . That wouldn’t have helped with marriage, though! It really was a useless AI .
In addition, I also just wanted to win . I loved winning . Furthermore──
“I’d like to see the bitter faces of the people who thought I would lose . For that, I’ll win the championship . The bet is on . You can consider this a separate matter . ”
[What a nice hobby you have . I’d like to follow your example of having a tough, impudent spirit that doesn’t feel anything about using my power to shamefully win a game . ]
Didn’t this thing hate me a little too much?
Now that the race was about to begin, airbikes were hovering in the sky .
The sensation of floating in the air with a bike was refreshing, as long as I didn’t look down . The quality of the ride wasn’t bad either .
The audience was greatly excited to see each airbike rising up .
Among those airbikes, there were some belonging to participants who were surrounding me .
Each of them were openly hostile .
“Yo, we were waiting for you . Today, we’ll repay you for what you did that one time . ”
Who was this person?
He seemed to be a second-year student, but I didn’t remember him at all .
When I tried to ignore him, he collided into my airbike .
“Don’t ignore me, first-year scum!”
I laughed scornfully .
“There’s no way I would be able to remember trash like you, though . I’ll tell a certain duke household your name, so give it to me . Hey, tell me your name!”
While touting my close connection with the duke Redgrave household, I politely looked down on the person I was speaking to .
Perhaps that made me a small fry hiding behind a giant . So what? It was pretty fun .
The person clicked his tongue and took a distance from me .
All the participants gathered at the starting point marked by cloth .
There were obstacles installed in various areas of the field .
[As sharp-tongued as ever, I see . ]
“I’m actually being serious, so why is trouble coming to me? Good grief . ”
[You reap what you sow . In fact, I’ve recently been wondering if you just want to show off . Look, it’s about to start . ]
Once I looked ahead of me, there was a referee who shot a rifle into the sky .
With that as a cue, all of the airbikes simultaneously began to run, and I was in the lead──not .
[You’re completely surrounded . ]
“God damn!” (TLN: Spoken in English)
[And you said you were a Japanese person in your previous life?]
“I just wanted to try saying it!”
Once the race began, participants surrounded me with their airbikes and launched an attack . They collided into my airbike and kicked it .
What cruel people they were!
“Go to hell, you fiend!”
“I’m swimming in debt because of you!”
“Go crash somewhere!”
I would have liked to have claimed that these voices of resent were just misunderstandings .
“You’re all just paying the consequences of your mistakes, idiots! You all are the ones that can go crash somewhere!”
Luxon was amazed when I kicked back at the schoolboy that had kicked me .
[What a pathetic conversation . It really makes me realize how conflict can only occur amongst people of the same level . ]
I defended myself from the top, bottom, left, right, and front in order to endure the attacks of the people surrounding me .
“Ouch! Who threw that thing just now?! I hope you’re prepared to come face me!”
In a paid longue that gave off a high-class aura, there were students who gathered to cheer people on in the race .
“Do it!”
“Over there . Give him a larger dent!”
“Aren’t you being a little too meek?!”
Everyone was excitedly cheering for the students that were attacking Leon .
Anjie held her head due to a headache .
“Their dissatisfaction will accumulate, even if we try to stop them . Leon had also said that it was fine for them to let out some steam, but this is crueler than I had imagined . ”
Livia had teary eyes .
“I feel bad for Leon . Leon, I know that you didn’t do anything particularly wro──w, well, actually…”
Anjie comforted Livia, who tried to stand up for Leon somehow .
“You don’t have to go that far . He has his faults as well . However, even if it’s just you and me, we can cheer for Leon . Anyways, it’s ironic that those related to Clarice aren’t near . ”
Clarice’s followers were attempting to thwart Leon .
However, before those followers could surround him, other boys had gathered around Leon and persistently launched an attack .
Instead of getting near him, Clarice’s followers seemed to be moving indecisively, perhaps in confusion .
Leon had avoided receiving any fatal wounds, but Anjie, who was watching in irritation, was clenching her fist . Thereupon, the daughter of the earl household from the first day of the school festival appeared .
With a smile, she looked beyond the glass, towards the race .
“Your follower really is detestable . ”
Anjie objected to the earl daughter, who thought that Leon was her follower .
“Leon isn’t my follower . ”
“I don’t care about that . What’s important is that he’s your colleague . Because of you guys, my household has been criticizing me for so long──”
She had called the queen, Milaine, an old lady, and furthermore instigated an incident through her exclusive servants . Due to that, it seemed that the earl daughter was harshly criticized by her family .
Her followers were around her, but her exclusive servants were nowhere to be seen .
Anjie laughed scornfully .
“If you’re looking for something to blame, then how about blaming your own short-sightedness?”
The earl daughter, who seemed like she was about to lunge at Anjie, had a sharp gaze and dark circles around her eyes .
Livia stood in front of her .
“Don’t lay a hand on Anjie!”
“──Livia . ”
When Anjie felt a little reassured by Livia, the girl squinted her eyes .
“Don’t interrupt our conversation, lowly commoner . ”
“──Err, um . ”
When Livia flinched upon being called a commoner, Anjie stood to protect her this time . When seeing that, the girl made an ill-boding smile .
“You’ve changed, Anjelica . Perhaps you’ve gotten timid from having all of your followers betray you . If it was you from before, you wouldn’t even have cared for commoners . Could it be that you’re clinging onto one in desperation? You’ve changed despite having looked down on commoners like her . Or perhaps it’s that your household is on a decline, so you can only draw close with them . ”
Anjie glared at the girl, but soon turned around and looked at Livia .
She tried to resolve the misunderstand, but struggled to get the words out .
“──T, that’s not it . Livia, I . . !”
The words couldn’t come out, and feeling ashamed about her former self, she averted her gaze from Livia .
Seeing Anjie’s behavior, Livia broke into tears and ran off .
Anjie tried reaching out towards Livia’s back, but Livia ran out from the lounge .
“──Ah . ”
When Anjie was about to chase after her, her legs halted . She lowered the arm she had reached out with .
(What right do I have to chase after her?)
She stopped and thought about her past .
When it came to being the daughter of a duke household, her life was different from even Leon’s . She had never gone out to a field and it was unlikely that she would get the opportunity to make contact with normal citizens .
What was someone like her thinking, interacting with a commoner?
“Aah~, she ran off . In the end, it seems that even your friends are cold towards you . ”
When the earl daughter said that, a vein appeared on Anjie’s forehead and she glared at her .
“──What do you know?”
“Huh?”
When seeing the girl laugh, Anjie proceeded to slap her on the cheek, making a sharp sound .
“Y, you actually did it!”
“What about it? Lowly people like you shouldn’t pick a fight with me . ”
Pinning down the girl after she tried lunging at her, Anjie pressed her weight onto her, starting a fight between the two .
The lounge, which had gotten excited not too long ago, was now silent .
When the people around tried to intervene, Anjie grabbed the girl by the collar and drove her fist into her cheek .
“What do you know──what do you know about me?! I’ll crush you . I’ll crush you with all I can!”
The girl clutched Anjie’s hair .
“──I said it before, you stubborn jerk! Don’t get carried away for someone from a declining duke household!”
The lounge was in chaos .