Is it really okay to use Getter Rays in a world of Otome Games? [MobuSeka/Getter Robo]

Marie Fou Lafan looked on impassively while Prince Julius and the other capture targets fought a group of monsters. They were presently exploring a dungeon that Greg recommended for training. It was one they have gone through repeatedly throughout the summer break.

The prince coordinated the attack with him, Greg, and Chris at the front. Jilk and Brad were further back, providing support and calling out monster movement and actions.

Marie was in the far rear of the group in case anyone needed to be healed using her magic. Prince Julius said that even though he can no longer be her lover, he could still help the development of his friends and protect her. The memory of that duel made Marie grind her teeth.

Leon Fou Bartfort

A name she had quickly learned to hate.

Everything was going perfectly! She was triggering all the right flags and even managed to create her perfect harem! Then that guy just had to stick his nose in her business.

And for what? The useless Saint? The violent Villainess? The irrelevant Fiancée?

He used that dumb imitation Super Robot of his to crush her harem for those worthless women?!

Where did he even get that? Was he some late game optional boss? Why was he yelling like they were in some lame anime?!

Now he was supposed to be a Viscount and an Independent Knight?!

Prince Julius even said that he was offered the hands of Angelica Rapha Redgrave and Clarice Fia Atlee in marriage!

If he wanted to have such a defective harem, then he can have those rejects!

"Marie! It's safe to proceed now." She put on her fake smile with practiced ease when Brad called for her. This was how their dungeon diving adventures had been going recently. When they started, she had to heal them constantly. A lot of the time, she was worried that she wouldn't have enough energy to keep up.

Then their need for healing became less and less as they repeated the dungeon. They stopped fighting around each other and started fighting alongside each other. They constantly talked and met about how to improve their cohesion in combat. Now, they have been trying to see how fast and efficiently they could clear the whole thing.

When she asked them why they were going this far when they were already good enough to clear it, they all looked at each other and gave determined nods.

"Leon Fou Bartfort wasn't just good enough." Jilk answered with a solemn expression.

What?

Greg sighed but was smiling when he spoke. "The bastard ran through us without a second thought and even had time to give Jilk and Julius some tough love. Yeah, I'm pissed that we lost, but I'm not ashamed of losing to a man like that."

Wait.

"Indeed, he has forced me to truly look at my way of fighting and find flaws that I had never considered before." Chris added while staring at the blade of his sword.

Huh?

Brad looked wistful and shook his head. "I felt completely helpless during that fight. It's a feeling I never want to experience again."

But that's…

"He made me reconsider my actions and realize things about myself. About who I think I am and who I can yet become. I can never take back my mistakes, but I can ensure that I never repeat them moving forward." Julius concluded with a handsome smile directed at her. The rest of his friends agreed and they all started to make their way deeper into the dungeon.

Marie looked at their retreating backs in stupefaction.

If they don't even need her to heal them in a dungeon, they might not even need her at all one day. What then?

Would she have to crawl back to those animals that she was forced to call family?

No! She would rather die all over again!

She was the main heroine dammit! She had the affections of the capture targets! She had healing magic! This was her story! She's the protagonist! She would get her happy ending!

She wouldn't let them leave her!

Not like how her big brother did!

…

"So you'll marry them both, right?" Thank you Livia, for having the subtlety of a sledgehammer wrapped in several pillows. I wasn’t surprised that she was able to track me down, she literally had waypoints that lead to me. I was surprised that she made sure that neither Angie nor Clarice were around when she approached to talk to me.

The two girls in question were back at the estate and were having tea with mom and my sisters. Honestly, it was just mom trying to show off the new pastry recipes she got from Control. I guess Livia opted out in order to talk to me about the whole engagement thing.

"You think I should? I would have thought that you would have wanted me to only marry Angie." I asked. With how super close the two girls have been, you'd think that they were long lost sisters or something.

"I used to, but now I also want Clarice to be happy. I think you can make them both happy." Truly, Livia was a Saint, powers or no.

I was about to comment on her faith in me when I saw Black Getter standing in the far distance and remembered something. “How does Black Getter look to you anyway? Does it also glow?”

“Huh? The bunny?” Bunny? Excuse me? “Not really? I guess I can feel the green light from it, but you glow more than it does.”

That’s weird, I should have gotten the Getter Rays on me from piloting it.

“What about the Nagare?”

“The ship? It’s the same as the bunny from the outside.”

She couldn’t feel a lot of Getter Rays from it? Wasn’t it also powered by the stuff? “What about when you got onboard?”

“I could definitely sense the light, but it was coming from deeper inside than we were allowed to explore. It wasn’t bad or overwhelming or anything. The only impressions it could get from the light there were sleep and big.” Huh, that must have been the reactor that Control didn’t want anyone getting close to. “Leon, why are you trying to change the subject?”

“I wasn’t, but I guess it would look that way.” I said with a tilt of my head.

“Weren’t you having trouble with finding a girl to have tea parties with? You said that no one had ever given you a chance to fall in love during the duel with his highness.” Livia correctly pointed out.

“And you’re saying that I literally have two great girls who are giving me the chance I always wanted?” I smiled awkwardly and finished the thought for her. She nodded and waited for me to say more about it.

“This and that are a bit different, at least for me.” I started to explain. “Me finding a wife through Tea Parties was just a requirement for my noble rank before I graduated. At most, I would have been fine with a woman who would marry me out of convenience and we would just stay out of each other’s way.”

“But that’s not how marriages are supposed to be like!” Livia protested with a cutely indignant expression.

“It is for most of the nobility.” A sigh left my lips, thinking about the situation with the engagements more. “But it’s different when it comes to those two. I genuinely like them as people. They’re my friends.”

“Then what’s the problem?” The frustration in her voice was obvious.

“The problem is that I’m scared that I might do something wrong and become another Jilk or Julius for them.” I finally admitted and Livia actually looked mad.

“What?! No you wouldn’t!”

I smiled and shook my head. “Livia, I don’t think I know how to love someone.”

“What are you talking about?” She asked haltingly, like she couldn’t believe what I just said.

“I’ve read the books, I’ve seen other couples, I’ve heard all the advice. If I wanted to sweep a girl off her feet, I can probably do that with enough preparation.” I recalled all the stuff I crammed into my head before I departed for the Academy. “But when I imagine doing that with either Angie or Clarice, I feel sick to my stomach. It’s like doing those things would be a mistake.”

“I think you do love them, Leon.” I looked at Livia with wide eyes at the gentleness and certainty of her words. “If you didn’t, then you would be worrying so much about this.”

“But that doesn’t–”

“I’m not saying that you love them romantically. Yet. I just mean that they are precious to you and you are scared of losing them.” She interrupted, sounding more confident as she went. The words made something stir in my chest.

I believe that the lack of emotional attachments you have experienced in your prior life has amplified your bonds with the people around you in this life.

My eyes widened when I remembered what Control said when we talked about how the Getter Rays were changing me.

You, as a person, found something you never thought you needed and did not want anything to happen to it.

“Then what should I do? I don’t want to hurt them by doing something but I don’t want to hurt them by not doing anything either.” I quickly asked, my mind racing.

Livia just smiled at me and nodded. “Then how about this, what is it you want to do with Angie and Clarice when you just close your eyes and think of them?”

Aside from the obvious loaded answer to such a question, I followed her suggestion and closed my eyes. Then I thought about each girl, really thought about them.

“I want to host a Tea Party with Angie and see her have fun.” I whispered as I saw the scene in my mind. I smiled when I thought about another scene. “I want to hang out with Clarice and just talk about whatever.”

“Then do that!” I opened my eyes at Livia’s happy declaration.

I raised a brow as I didn’t feel as confident about it. “How is that any different from just being their friend?”

“It’s not? But wouldn’t it give you all a chance to get to know each other more? You might even fall in love along the way with one or both. They might fall in love with you even more!” Livia reasoned out with a smile and a clap.

My brain stalled for a moment when she said the last part. “They’re in love with me?”

“Leon, you literally fought for their honor without expecting anything in return. With that and the way you did it, what were you expecting?” She asked with narrowed eyes.

“Gratitude as their friend?” Please stop looking at me like that, Livia. It’s making me want to crawl into a hole and disappear!

Things settled down to a companionable silence and I just had to point something out. “You know a lot of stuff about this.”

“It’s mainly things that the women from my home village say. A good marriage is based on good communication, a great marriage is based on trust and understanding. You need a lot more time for the second one.” Livia explained. I took her word for it as I didn’t really know a lot about her home village, even from the lore of the game.

“You should start advertising about that skill of yours when school starts up. A lot of people would pay good money for love advice that’s useful.” I suggested, making Livia gasp in surprise.

“What?! I couldn’t possibly charge people for that!” I grinned at her indignation.

“Fine, I’ll charge them for you and keep the money for myself.”

“Leon!” I couldn’t help but start laughing when she slapped my arm.

I’m glad I had Livia as my friend.

…

Olivia watched Leon ask Clarice if she wanted to take a walk around the estate grounds. It was pretty cute how he was so uncertain about himself in this when he showed unflinching decisiveness in other things. She walked up to her best friend as they both watched Leon and Clarice walk away, the boy surprised when he was pulled along by the hand.

“Are you okay, Angie.” Her friend gave her a soft smile.

“Of course. I just hope to have the same opportunity with him.” Angie said with a nod and a fond look at the pair.

Olivia reached out and took hold of Angie’s hand, their fingers intertwined immediately.“You will, Leon just needed a clearer vision on how to move forward.”

“You spoke with him while we were with his mother and sisters.” Angie correctly surmised.

“He was nervous about a few things. I think he’ll be fine now.” She explained and gave her friend’s hand a squeeze.

“What about you, Livia?” Angie asked, fully facing her and holding her other hand. “Both Clarice and I had the impression that you had romantic feelings for Leon as well.”

For Leon? She could see it, she supposed. Perhaps in another time or another place.

She smiled and shook her head. “It’s like Leon said at the first Tea Party we had. We’re friends.”

Angie looked a bit skeptical but eventually nodded. As she followed Angie back inside the estate, she took a glance in the direction where Leon’s ship was docked. It was far off at the edge of the floating island they were on.

The distance didn’t matter.

She could hear it.

She could feel it.

She would cherish Leon, Angie, and Clarice.

They were her treasures.

Her purpose

Her destiny

Her love

She would nurture and support them.

Three hearts beating as one.

 

Why? How? When?

I was breathing hard inside Black Getter's cockpit as Holfort's Capital burned around me. I did everything right! When I found out what Marie was trying to do, I did what I had to do in order to get things back on track!

Olivia got together with Julius, beat the Villainess' champion, and I even left them a trail to the easiest Saint Relic!

When I was sure that Olivia was going to be fine, I started training with Black Getter. I stopped going to classes and just went back to the island.

I trained and trained and trained!

Everytime Control said that I should reconsider my actions, I just told it to just trust me and follow my orders. I beat the game back to front over and over again, I knew what I was doing!

When Fanoss attacked, I just came back and started eliminating enemies. There were probably some casualties on Holfort's end, but it was fine as long as Julius and Oliva were okay.

So why?! Why was I watching Olivia discard Julius' lifeless body?!

The girl who was supposed to be the Saintess turned her gaze up at Black Getter, her disheveled hair being unable to hide her empty eyes. She gave me a happy smile and an enthusiastic wave.

I gripped the levers in the cockpit tighter as a message kept blinking on the screen.

[Enemy of Humanity Identified]

 

Clarice Fia Atlee always believed in Destined Love. How could she not? She saw it every time she looked at her parents.

When it was explained to her that she would be betrothed to a boy named Jilk, she was so happy. It meant that she would get to experience the love and happiness that her parents have been.

When she met him, she was immediately smitten. A kind, considerate, and handsome boy. A bit shy and someone of few words, but Clarice was taken all the same.

As they grew up, her love for Jilk grew as well. When his talent in riding airbikes surfaced, she personally sponsored the acquisition of a top of the line model for him.

When he was finally enrolled at the Academy, Clarice could not have been happier. She would finally have the chance to spend more time with him. Granted, his duty was to Prince Julius, but she knew that they would have time to be alone.

It did not take long for things to unravel. It started as whispers and absurd rumors. A first year from a poorer noble house getting the attention or the heirs of the great houses? She just laughed off the concerns of her followers when they told her that Jilk was one of those involved.

The rumors continued as time went by and she became worried. She tried whenever she could to get an answer from Jilk, but her love would not give her the time. Frustration and desperation drove her to try to change her look and behavior to get his attention. It was less than successful.

It was then that one of her followers gave her an invitation to a Tea Party. To her disappointment, it was not from Jilk. Instead it was from another first-year named Leon Fou Bartfort. One she later looked into and found herself impressed, but she already had a love.

Her decision to attend was more of a whim and a bit of anger towards said love. She had other obligations on the date suggested, so she just decided to barge into a Tea Party that he was already hosting. It would have been a good chance to see if she could be convincing as a rebellious type.

That decision was probably the most life changing one she had ever made so far.

New friends made and another reunited.

The truth about Jilk revealed.

A fateful challenge.

A duel.

Heartbreak.

A bet made for her sake, one she couldn't comprehend.

Why had Leon gone so far for her?

He claimed friendship, but the actions of knights in stories of love paled in comparison.

His actions for Angie's sake were equally as surprising.

He fought himself to exhaustion for them. When they scolded him for it, he simply smiled and claimed it was not a big deal. He hadn't even asked anything in return.

Honestly!

Clarice wasn't exactly sure, but that was probably the moment when she started to truly see him as a man.

The moment when she started seeing him as someone she could love was because of Jilk.

True to his word, the two of them talked. He explained his stance. She cried, she begged, she screamed, she struck. Jilk accepted it all. Damn him.

"Leon Fou Bartfort would be a worthier match for you. He is a good man. I suggest you take the initiative before the Redgrave House does." Were the words Jilk left her with when their talk concluded.

The more she thought about the possibility, the more appealing it started to become. He was already a good friend. She was sure that she would fall for him more as they spent more time together.

There was one concern though.

Olivia

She and Angie had the impression that Leon and Livia loved one another, regardless of their assertions. It made too much sense for them.

They had talked to the girl about it over the break, even before her father broke the news of the engagement offer between her and Leon as well as the similar offer from Angie's family.

It frustrated her that Livia continued to assert that they were just friends. It was obvious that she just wasn't being honest with herself!

Angie and her had already agreed to work together for an outcome where Leon would marry them both. They just needed to get Livia on board.

Clarice Fia Atlee believed in Destined Love. She saw it with her parents and she could see it with Leon and Livia. She deserved to be with him as well. It was meant to be!

When Leon asked her to take a walk with him around the estate, she giggled at how innocent it was. She was happy though, and couldn't help but take his hand as they walked off.

All they did during their walk around the estate grounds was just talk about any little thing. Despite the seeming lack of substance of their conversation, Clarice didn't want her time with him to end. Such a simple thing.

"Leon, can I ask you about something?" Clarice asked as she looked out to the distance, she could even partly see the red of Leon's ship from the hill they were on.

She couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat when he looked at her with intense seriousness. "If you heard it from Jenna or Finley, then I had nothing to do with it."

"No, silly. I'm being serious here!" She laughed at how easily he broke the tension.

"Fine. What is it?"

Clarice took a calming breath and spoke what had been on her mind. "It's about Livia."

"I had nothing to do with it." She actually reached out and pinched both his cheeks for that. She was being serious! "Okay! I'm sorry! I'll answer seriously!"

"Are you sure that there isn't anything romantic between you two? Angie and I both feel like there is something more there." She explained. She had talked with her friend about it and they both agreed that they would have been more than fine with Livia being taken as Leon's concubine. If only the two would stop being so stubborn.

Clarice blinked when she thought that she noticed something.

It was a faint feeling from somewhere she couldn't descri–but it was something she probably didn't need to worry about.

Leon gave her an easy smile and confidently responded. "Livia and I are just friends."

There it was again. Clarice tried to focus on what it was and where it was coming from. It was like there was something in Leon's eyes that she couldn't–

–seem–

–wha–

"If you're sure." Clarice said with a smile, relieved that she hadn't been inadvertently getting in between her friends.

The two of them proceeded to walk back to the Bartfort estate, hand in hand.

She was overjoyed that everything was fine.

…

In comparison with the walk I had with Clarice, the Tea Party I attempted with Angie had a bit more distractions. Confusingly, the girl herself seemed happy with having Colin and Finley join us.

I suspected that it had to do with both of my younger siblings liberally calling her Big Sister.

In any case, Livia's advice came through and I was actually having fun spending time with Angie and Clarice individually. None of the anxiety I was worried about ever surfaced. I still wasn't sure if I could be the man they wanted, but I wasn't afraid to find out.

The remainder of the week was spent like that, with my three friends even watching some of the training maneuvers I did with Black Getter. A bit more and I might even be able to catch Tomahawk Boomerangs!

Eventually, the final day arrived and I decided to give the three girls a surprise.

It turned out that, since the Nagare was designed to take on civilians for an extended period of time, it had the amenities that people would need. One of those very amenities was what my friends were looking out in awe.

"Is this a bath?" Livia asked as they took in the indoor hot springs.

"It's not really a bath. It's commonly known as a hot spring." I explained while fanning away some steam from my face with my hand.

"I mean, it looks like a bath." Clarice pointed out.

Allow me to explain.

Control got the girl's attention. They had previously run into Colin cradling the AI in their regular drone form and speaking to them. I was asked about it and decided to properly introduce everyone to Control.

They took it pretty well, all in all.

"It's unsurprising. It is a Lost Item after all." Angie helpfully explained. The others nodded as if it was no big deal. I supposed that was also the reason why my family accepted Control's existence so easily.

Control proceeded to explain the purpose of the hot springs as a place of relaxation as well as the number of health benefits that it provided. They were particularly interested when they were told of the skin care benefits of the minerals in the water.

It took very little convincing for them to partake.

It was unfortunate that I couldn't join them out of personal principle, regardless of how Clarice teased that she and the other girls wouldn't mind.

Instead, I spent time with Control at the hangar. That was when I asked about all the extra empty space.

"I mean, can't we just make more Getters?" I suggested. If I could learn to pilot one, then others should be able to as well.

I would suggest against the idea. The reasoning for the lab, Black Getter F, and the Nagare as the only ones powered by Getter Rays is to prevent gathering attention. The latter two in particular are heavily insulated by design, in order to minimize Getter Ray emissions during regular use.

I nodded at the words. "Why would we need to do that?"

The enemies of humanity are assumed to be gone by this era. Otherwise, I would have detected them. However, we cannot guarantee that there are no beings in deep space that would not be attracted to Getter Ray dispersal. I would rather avoid the possibility entirely in case they end up as hostile.

Right, don't get the attention of any space monsters. That was a pretty reasonable reason.

I went back to the hot springs after a while and saw the girls cuddled up together on a bench while wearing the provided yukatas.

"I'm guessing you three had a good time?" I asked rhetorically, smiling at the contentment in their faces.


"Can I live here?" Clarice asked as she snuggled against Livia's back.

Angie nodded while rubbing her cheek against Livia's. "I admit, the experience was very soothing. You are also correct about the health benefits. Livia's skin is so smooth now."

Was Livia stealing my prospective fiancées?

"Leon, heeeelp~" The girl in question whined as she tried to reach out to me. It was futile, she had become a Livia sandwich.

We eventually had to go back to the Academy, Nicks and Jenna joining us on the Nagare after their own preparations.

We split up when we arrived, though the girls all stayed together since they all went to the same dorm. When I went to the front desk to get the key to my room, I was helpfully informed that I was actually transferred to a better room.

Oh yeah, I was a Viscount now.

A marked improvement in accommodations.

"More chairs for Daniel and Raymond to knock over." I pointed out to Control with narrowed eyes. I was looking forward to seeing the two again.

Have you thought about how to proceed in regards to the engagement proposals?

"Hm? Yeah, I'll spend time with both Angie and Clarice and we'll all see where it goes. We have a bit more time before the deadline their dads gave me." I explained as I sat down on my new bed. Man, this was way softer than my old one.

You seem much more confident in your plan of action.

I smiled at the memory as to why that was. "Livia gave me a pep talk and the initial idea."

I see. I hope you reach an outcome you will all be happy with.

"Thanks, Control." I said as I started unpacking my things.

A few days later, I found myself sitting at a bench in the Academy grounds as I waited for the next class. People had been greeting me whenever I walked in the hallways and the guys usually gave me nods of admiration and respect. It was weird. Didn't I cost most of them a lot of money?

"Leon!" I turned to the familiar voice and was surprised at who it was. Greg Fou Seberg approached me with an easygoing smile.

"Hey Greg, you need something?" I asked warily. The man didn't seem to mind my apprehension and sat on the available space at the bench I was on.

"Not really, I just wanted to get to know you more." He said with a grin. What? Get to know me?

"Huh, why?"

"You're kidding right?" He asked and shook his head when he realized my confusion. "Dude, you made Knight at sixteen. You went from Provisional Baron to Viscount in a single term."

"Okay, when you put it like that." I coughed when he just laid it out.

Greg's smile became a bit gentler as he continued. "I wanted to thank you too."

"I'm an Adventurer too. I'm not too shabby at it if I do say so myself." He was right too. If Greg had been able to equip more things in the game, he could have breezed through most of it by raw stats alone.

"I was so sure of myself and my strength that I didn't think I needed to get stronger anymore." He looked up at the sky as he kept talking. "You made it perfectly clear that I was wrong."

We both sat in silence after that. The speed and decisiveness of his elimination probably weighed on him. Honestly, I took him out first because he was the most dangerous. Greg was using an outdated Armor but he had the most actual combat experience of the five. I didn't want to give him the chance to coordinate his friends.

"Let me guess, you've managed to go even further beyond?" I asked and got a grin in return.

"You got that right! The five of us have been training all summer and we've managed to come up with all sorts of cool stuff!" He proudly stated with a flex of his arm. "So thanks, for kicking us in the right direction."

I blinked and couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't think that's how the saying goes."

It was strange how easy it was for us to share a laugh.

"You know what, me and the guys are going out for some meat skewers. Why don't you join us?" I was nervous about the offer. Greg was one thing, but the others might not be as friendly.

"I wouldn't want to impose." I reasoned out.

"Nah, the others would probably want to talk to you too. I know for sure that Julius and Jilk are pretty grateful that you knocked some sense into them." He powered through with a slap on my back before pulling me to my feet. "C'mon man! Let's go!"

This was definitely not what I was expecting when I encountered the love interests again.

 

Completely understandably, both Angie and Clarice had extremely complicated feelings when they found out about me hanging out with the love interests. On the other hand, they both told me that it would be wise to have them as allies politically.

“Regardless of our feelings on the matter, your position in the court would greatly improve by befriending them.” Angie said with a sour expression, one she proceeded to cure herself of by hugging Livia. Those two, I swear.

There had been rumors rolling around about Julius and the boys being disinherited by their families for all losing to me at the same time in front of nearly all their peers. However, it didn’t come to pass as they didn’t utterly humiliate themselves in combat due to the sheer difference in power between them and myself. They had conducted themselves as best as they could against impossible odds. At least, that was the official word from the crown. It reminded me too much of the old corporate-speak back from work in my old life. Spinning things to sound positive just to cover up failures.

I don’t know if any of the houses really believed it, but that was how it went. Interesting that there was no mention of Marie at all in the news nor the prospective engagement between myself, Clarice, and-slash-or Angie though.

“So this is what’s called the bonding of men?” Raymond asked as he sat next to me at one of the long tables in the Academy library. Daniel was poring some subjects that he was having trouble with, Chris was actually helping him. I had just finished helping Greg with some math, while both Julius and Jilk were absorbed in their own studies.

“Don’t be so dramatic. At least be glad that there are more people to help with studies now.” I whispered to him. He nodded in realization that some of the top students of our year were actually at our table. In a rare feat of coincidence, Marie wasn’t present in our little study session. It seemed that the tiny knockoff had a class that was exclusively for girls only. When I thought about it, I had heard that Livia and Angie were also having that class but I never really paid any attention to the details about it.

“Leon, may I have a moment?” Julius called out as we were about to leave the library. The rest of the boys, which now included Raymond and Daniel I suppose, went on ahead and decided to get some food. Julius led me to one of the more isolated areas of the library. Were there just designated areas here for privacy purposes?

The prince looked at me with a complicated expression, seemingly having trouble getting the words out. I raised a brow and thought about why that was. “Please don’t tell me that you’re going to ask me to join you five in Marie’s boy-harem.”

“No! Of course not!” My eyes widened at the indignance in his voice. Julius cleared his throat and recomposed himself. “That is not what I wished to talk to you about.”

“Good, because I would’ve just jumped off the island if you did.” I seriously stated with a determined nod.

Julius winced at my words. “Do you hate Marie that much?”

“More petty annoyance at this point. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to harm her.” I clarified. She still messed up the plot, such as there even was anymore, but I didn’t want to hurt her over it or anything. Not anymore, anyway.

“I understand that my love for Marie is not allowable, however–” Julius began with a sad sigh but I interrupted him because he could continue.

“Julius, we’ve already been through this.” I said with a roll of my eyes. Honestly, these guys were always so dramatic at the weirdest times. “I don’t care if you love Marie. I don’t even care that you’re still hanging around her even though you lost, do whatever you want. My problem with you was how you treated Angie, that’s it.”

“I understand. I hope she finds the happiness she is looking for with you.” He responded with a relieved smile. I chose not to comment about how certain he was that I was going to marry Angie. When I thought about it, I remembered that Jilk asked me to make Clarice a happy bride as well when we talked while eating meat skewers. Thanks for making it seem like you two just dumped your ex-fiancées on me while sounding grateful.

“So what was the thing you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked, I was getting hungry too and wanted to catch up with the others to eat.

“Ah, yes. I wanted to talk to you in order to warn you about something.” Well, that got my attention. “I have heard that my mother wishes to speak with you about what happened in the duel.”

“Doesn’t she already know? I mean, it was a pretty hot topic for a while.” I sighed. She definitely should know all about it. Angie’s dad was able to piece everything together in a pretty short amount of time. I was sure that the QUEEN had ways to do the same.

“I believe she wishes to take your measure herself. I apologize in advance, I would have stopped her if I was able.” Was I going to be scolded by Julius’ mom for bullying him?

“It’s fine. It’s just a talk with a concerned mother. When should I expect a visit?” I asked instead.

Julius nodded and hummed in thought. “I don’t know of any specific dates, but I have a feeling that it would be during the school festival.”

“Oh? How do you figure?”

“There will be many more people from outside the Academy visiting and most of the students will be distracted by their own activities. It would likely be an easy task for mother to slip in undetected.” He explained. It was true, with everything happening everywhere.

The students weren’t actually required to do anything or host activities, but the Academy offered extra credits for effort and success of any student-made attractions. Regardless of time and place, there are fewer things students love more than extra credits.

“That makes sense. Thanks for the warning.” I said with a nod. I blinked when the subject actually brought something up I never thought about. “But there is something I’m wondering about.”

“What is it?”

“Has your mother ever met or spoken to Marie in person?” I couldn’t help but snort in amusement at the faces Julius was making at that moment. I wished that I had a camera. “Ah, looks like I won’t be the only one getting a visit from her then.”

The rest of the guys worriedly asked why Julius was so pale when we finally caught up to them at the cafeteria. I might not even have been the one in actual hot water when the Queen showed up.

A couple of days later, I finally had a chance to relax and have tea with Angie and Clarice. Livia was originally there as well, but she excused herself in a hurry. When Clarice asked her why she couldn’t spare a few minutes to hang out, my best friend just smiled apologetically.

“I’m going to study at the library. There are a few things from Magic Studies that I’m having trouble with.” The three of us easily accepted the excuse. Magic Studies was pretty hard, even the material for First Years. It wasn’t a surprise that Livia was having challenges with the subject.

“So any advice to not make myself look like an ass in front of the Queen?” I asked my two–Friends? Girlfriends? Angie and Clarice! I asked them while I poured us all some tea.

“Well, Angie would know more about the Queen since she spent a few years learning etiquette at the Palace.” Clarice confidently stated as she ate some sweets I prepared.

Angie nodded after thanking me for the tea. “Indeed. As a lesson in propriety and humility, I spent an extended amount of time working as Queen Mylene’s personal maid.”

Wait, really? A Duke’s daughter being told to serve as a maid? How did that even work? Did Angie walk around in a maid unifor–

“You’re imagining Angie in a maid uniform aren’t you?” My expression was as granite when Clarice asked that question.

“You can’t prove anything.” Clarice just smiled wider in response.

“I wouldn’t mind wearing one for you, if that is what you wish.” Angie immediately said with a happy smile. Excuse me? Miss Redgrave? Should you really be so enthused about dressing up as a servant?

“See that? Aren’t you happy to have a woman like Angie be so willing to do that?” Clarice asked in a passionate voice while embracing Angie from the side. “If you want, we can even both be your maids for a while and tend to your every need.”

“Did you have to phrase it like that?!” I asked, my face feeling hot. All Clarice did was just to waggle her eyebrows at me. Angie was blushing but wasn’t giving even a bit of resistance. Hello? Angie? Your friend just implied something pretty risque.

“As long as we don’t take things too far…” My face felt like it was on fire with the way she shyly trailed off like that. Even Clarice was surprised that she was actually willing to–

“Okay, back on topic. Queen. Visit. Help.” I struggled to say through gritted teeth. Clarice thankfully let Angie go and the two of them took a moment to recompose themselves. I took that chance to move my seat closer to the table for purely innocent reasons and not to hide anything incriminating from view.

“If it truly is just her wanting to talk to you about what happened, then you should be honest and respectful to her.” Angie said when she got ahold of herself again. She then went on to talk more about the Queen and her background.

“Wait, she’s not from Holfort originally?” I asked in surprise. I never really looked too deep into the character lore in the game outside the important ones, so it was a surprise.

Turned out that Queen Mylene was actually from the United Kingdom of Repard. It was a smaller country that was made up of several even smaller states that banded together because of certain circumstances. The Queen’s family was one of the ruling houses of Repard and she was apparently sent to Holfort to marry the King so the two nations would be bound by marriage.

I blinked when I realized something that I might be able to use. “So she never attended the Academy then?”

“I don’t think so, why?” Angie’s head tilted cutely at my question.

“You think she's ever attended a Tea Party before?” I followed up as I bit into a biscuit. Clarice and Angie looked at each other in alarm before they both leaned forward on the table. I actually jumped a bit in surprise at their action.

“Leon, please don’t try to seduce the Queen.” The two of them said at the same time. Wait, what?!

“What? No! That’s crazy! I was just wondering if she ever experienced it before!” I quickly protested. They seemed to calm down, marginally, due to how alarmed I was at their words.

Angie pouted at me a bit but then looked contemplative. “Unlikely. She married the King quite young. It actually makes her competency at managing the kingdom’s affairs more impressive.”

“Isn’t that the King’s job?” I mean, that was the job description wasn’t it?

“I’m not sure myself but, when I served as her maid, I couldn’t help but feel that Queen Mylene was quite overworked.” She frowned as she looked to the side, recalling a memory. Aha! I clapped when I saw the opening!

“Well, if that has continued then wouldn’t it be better if she had a place to relax for a bit? Maybe vent about how stressful work can be?” I suggested as I deeply understood the feeling of being forced to take a workload that was way above what you were supposed to be responsible for.

My smile faltered when the two of them looked at me blankly before sighing at the same time.

“Leon, you realize that way of thinking is what got this whole thing started?” Clarice pointed out while gesturing to the three of us. I mean, she was technically correct.

The circumstances were totally different though!

“I’m not going to try to seduce a woman old enough to be my mom, c’mon!” I asserted with a shake of my head. “I just don’t know what else to do. My best skill outside piloting Black Getter is hosting Tea Parties!”

The two girls still seemed skeptical about the whole thing even after our Tea Party ended. Seriously! She’s literally married to the King of Holfort! The hell would make her interested in a kid like me?!

One of the things that I wanted to make sure I was able to do while at the Academy was to be able to practice piloting. Unfortunately, my higher rank still did not afford me special treatment in terms of Armor storage space. Fortunately, Control had a pretty nifty solution to that.

I smiled as I looked at the large angular black box that was now placed in the space that my personal Armor would have, if I had a regular sized one. It was as large as Black Getter’s head, which made sense as it was actually a piloting simulator. Control immediately suggested bringing a simulator here when I brought up my concern on getting more piloting hours. It was originally located in the lab but we managed to transplant it here. Control even made modifications to ensure that it was portable. Well, relatively portable. I did have to pay a premium to be able to safely move it from the Nagare’s hangar to the school, but it was all worth it.

When I asked why we didn’t do this the first time I got to the Academy, Control just pointed out that we didn’t know about the storage capacity situation at the Academy so it might have been a waste of time and effort at the time.

Hello, Leon. Do you feel any discomfort?

“Nope. Feels just like Black Getter’s cockpit.” I said, adjusting my seat to the way I liked it. “Say, where have you been recently anyway? Researching more cultural stuff?”

In a manner of speaking. I am presently investigating something that I have noticed recently.

“Anything dangerous?” I asked with a raised brow.

I can safely say that it is something that will never harm you or those you love.

Strangely specific, but okay. “Well if you need help, I’m here.”

The offer is noted and appreciated.

“So how is this thing being powered anyway? I didn’t see any power cables leading anywhere.” I asked as the screens started lighting up to a gentle blue standby screen that had the Saotome Research Lab logo on it.

Don’t worry about it.

Of course.

“Right, what’s on the menu?” I asked stretching out. I didn’t wear my pilot suit in the simulator at Control’s suggestion. They noted that I might not always be able to wear it when I launch with Black Getter, like in emergencies and stuff.

Since you have an acceptable grasp of the controls, I am hoping to move forwards to actual combat simulations.

“Oh? Against what? Armors?” I asked, gripping the levers and feeling a bit excited.

I presently do not have enough data on Armors to be able to construct simulation scenarios featuring them.

A bit disappointing, but it made sense. “Okay, then what’ll I be going up against?”

The things that I do have extensive data on. The Enemies of Humanity.

“So the things the other Getter pilots fought against.” I asked, getting nervous about the whole thing.

Correct. We will be going through different types. Ideally, it will only take about a week for you to clear each scenario.

“A monster a week huh?” I asked with a chuckle, remembering the old Sentai shows I watched as a kid.

We will start off with a relatively straightforward foe.

The screens changed and I suddenly found myself in the sky. A very modern looking city was situated below me. I had almost forgotten what buildings from Earth looked like. Black Getter’s warning tones got my attention and I looked up to see what I was going to be up against.

“That is a flying saucer with two sauropod heads coming out the sides.” I blankly observed as the thing moved closer. The monster then spotted me and decided that it took offense to my presence. “Why are there lasers coming out of their mouths?!”

Don’t worry about it.

 

“I regret every decision I’ve made that made me reach this point in my life!” I grit out as I tried to avoid another combination of corrosive acid and eye lasers. The weird UFO sauropod thing wasn’t as dangerous as I thought it was, especially after all the practice I had in flying during the summer.

The next two monsters didn’t really pose much of a challenge either. One was just a skeleton guy with a red vest and scythes for horns and another was just a two headed green monster that shoots yellow lasers from their mouths. When I asked about them, Control said that those two were monsters that appeared when the dimensional boundaries became weaker due to a certain incident. They were really durable but they didn’t really do much else. It didn’t help them that they couldn’t fly either. A few careful applications of Getter Tomahawks with hit and run tactics and they both went down pretty easily.

I jokingly asked Control if they had any harder monsters for me to fight. I shouldn’t have done that based on the words they said next.

Very well. Allow me to challenge you with a foe that gave the Getter Team of that era a more difficult time. This was a monster that also came from a dimensional incident.

When I first saw it, I actually laughed out loud. It was just a giant turtle looking thing with a spike on its back and six insect legs. It didn’t look like it could fly, so I just started throwing tomahawks at it.

That was my first mistake.

It turned out that it’s body was a lot more durable than I thought. Some of the tomahawks connected, but they weren’t able to bite deep into the monster’s hide. That was when the monster started eating the tomahawks on the ground. As it ate, the body started getting bigger and bigger. I decided to stop messing around and flew right at it with a pair of tomahawks in Black Getter’s hands. It responded by moving way faster on the ground than it had any right to while spitting acid at me and firing lasers from its eyes, which led to my current problem.

It managed to keep me from flying around it by somehow being able to turn on a dime and reorient itself fast enough to face me. Every time I tried to take a swipe at it, the monster’s jaws were there to meet me with acid or just trying to take a bite from my weapons directly.

“Control! I gotta have something that can take this thing on, right?” I yelled out while using the buildings as cover. They didn’t really last long, either melted by acid or just run through by the monster that was now way bigger than I was.

Black Getter F does have several weapons that would be useful in this situation. Unfortunately, since you wished for a challenge, they are weapons you presently do not have certifications for.

I hate past me so much!

“Oh no!” I gasped when the monster stopped trying to run me down. Instead, it decided to double back and keep eating the rest of the tomahawks I had thrown at it. I flew at it at top speed and was about to strike, when it suddenly turned red and a giant hand shot out of its body and wrapped around Black Getter’s head. The screens turned red before swiftly going black.

Do you wish to challenge Gilgilgan again?

I covered my face with my hands. “No, thank you. I would like to request that we go back to the regular progression that you had originally planned out, please.”

Very well.

Control could be downright savage when they wanted to.

Eventually, the School Festival finally commenced. I didn’t really feel like making any attractions as I was busy preparing for the Queen’s visit. However, Daniel and Raymond managed to tempt me with those sweet extra credits that the school dangled over everyone’s heads. It was far too late to make something but we knew other people who did, people who might appreciate some extra hands.

“Leon Fou Bartfort!” Marie called out when she spotted us approach her and the boys. “Are you here to get in my way yet again?!”

I sighed and looked at her boy-harem, silently asking them why they fell in love with this girl. I looked back down at the indignant gremlin and shook my head. “Stop making it sound like I’m your nemesis, it’s weird.”

Julius explained to Marie that Daniel, Raymond, and myself are just extra hands to help out. The girl pouted and said that she wouldn’t be paying us for our services even if we helped. That was totally fine with us as we were just there for the extra credits. We weren’t really strapped for cash anymore.

“This is literally just a Host Club.” I muttered when they showed me what exactly Marie had planned for the festival. I glanced at Marie when I noticed her looking at me with wide eyes. “What?”

“How do you know that?” she whispered. I grinned and shrugged at her.

“Why do you think, Chibi-usa?”

“I’m not that shor–” she caught herself when she realized what I had just said. I just let her chew on that and turned to the boys instead. I would have been worried that they’d be jealous of my interaction with Marie if they didn’t already know that their collective love interest wasn’t my type at all.

“So I’m pretty sure that the three of us won’t cut it up front, but we can prepare orders for you guys so you can focus on the customers.” I suggested and was met with no complaints from the others, even Marie.

Myself and the guys were all in the back, unpacking supplies and tea sets, when the curtain that separated the work area from the back suddenly opened to reveal a mildly irritated Jenna. No Miauler this time though.

“Jenna!” Daniel happily exclaimed. “What are you doi–”

The poor guy was cut off when my older sister suddenly got up to his face. “What are you doing here? You said that you would be showing me around the school festival.”

“Well, yeah. But I wasn’t sure if you wanted to look around on the first day so early.” He quickly answered. The madman didn’t even back away or look intimidated. He just stood there, smiling at my sister.

“Of course I wanted you to show me around as soon as you could!” Jenna scolded Daniel before taking his hand and turning to me. “I’ll be borrowing this idiot for the rest of the day.”

Without another word, Jenna just up and dragged Daniel away.

“I guess Daniel will be helping out starting tomorrow then?” Brad joked and we all laughed at his expense, though he didn’t seem like he minded his situation at all.

“Speaking of tomorrow, I have confirmed that my mother will be visiting the festival during that time as well.” Julius said to me. “Best be prepared for her to track you down, Leon.”

“Don’t worry. I managed to get briefed on her by Angie. I’ll be sure to treat her with the respect and dignity she deserves.” I assured him with a smile and a thumbs up. It took a bit of looking, but I managed to find some really high end tea thanks to the Academy’s Master of Gentlemanly Ways.

“I…thank you, Leon.” Julius looked both surprised and relieved at my words. “That honestly means a lot to me.”

“Please stop having such a heartwarming bromance back there. We need to have all this set up as soon as possible.” Marie flatly said as she peeked from the other side of the curtain.

The School Festival proper was underway. As expected, Marie’s High School Host Club was a big hit with the female students as well as several visitors. Angie and Clarice didn’t visit as expected, but Livia did stop by to say hello and assure me that she would be accompanying them while I was helping out Julius and the boys. The fact that I was sure that the two other girls would be more than happy to have a festival date with Livia probably should have bothered me more, but it didn’t.

Speaking of dating.

“So, any luck on the Tea Party front on your end?” I asked Raymond as we prepared more tea and snacks that Marie called out from the other side of the curtain.

“Yeah, actually!” My friend happily began after handing Chris a tray of sweets when the spectacled guy peeked in. “I followed your advice from the end-of-term party and sent out invitations to the higher year girls. I’ve managed to successfully have Tea Parties with a girl from the second year a few times now. We’ll actually walk around the festival tomorrow.”

“My man!” Customary high-five done, I was eager to know more. “Got a name?”

“Yep! She’s from a Barony in the south, her name is Artesia and she is a really nice gir–you okay there Leon?” He asked when I suddenly became pale. I slowly walked up to him and placed both hands on his shoulders.

“Please don’t tell me that she has an older brother who is incredibly charismatic and a generational talent in Armor combat.” He blinked at the worry in my voice. Please just say no.

“That’s…really specific. No, she has a younger sister who’s still just a toddler. You okay?” I sighed in relief before sitting down on one of the boxes that held some tea supplies.

“I’m totally fine, man! Don’t worry about it!” I happily assured him. I would have lost my mind if I had to worry about any possible Red Comets flying around. I was genuinely happy that Raymond found himself a nice girl though.

My shift at Marie’s High School Host Club ended without any incident and I spent the rest of the day preparing for my meeting with the Queen.

You seem rather serious in this endeavor.

I snorted at their comment as I adjusted the table I was going to use for the Tea Party I had planned just right. “Control, it’s the Queen.”

Quite. With that in mind, I have independently researched some customs from the United Kingdom of Repard that she may appreciate.

“You think so?” I asked, very much interested in what they had to offer.

I very much doubt that the Queen has been greeted in their customary manner since she was wed to the King. Nostalgia can be a powerful way to remind people of simpler times.

“I know all about that.” I chuckled, remembering all the retro-style games that were so popular back on Earth. “Okay, what have you found?”

…

Mylene Rapha Holfort happily walked among the people of her Kingdom alongside her dear Angie and her two friends. She was familiar with Clarice but it was the first time she had actually met the Special Scholarship Student. Olivia was just a darling! She hoped that Erica would grow up to be as sweet a girl as her!

“I’m glad.” She spoke up as the four of them walked around the Academy grounds.

“Your majesty?” Angie whispered at her side. The other two girls also looked curious at my sudden words.

“I can’t imagine what you and Clarice had gone through because of my son and Jilk. I am so relieved that both of you look so happy now.” And she meant it as well. She already had words with her son about it and he seemed genuinely regretful at how poorly he treated Angie.

The girl that stole him away on the other hand…

“Leon has that effect on people.” Olivia confidently spoke up, interrupting her thoughts. “He reached out to me when no one else had. He did the same when he realized that Clarice and Angie were probably going through. Leon is a beacon for those who feel like they have no one else to turn to.”

“While not so dramatic, it’s true that Leon has been the biggest reason why Angie and I managed to emotionally heal as soon as we have. I can’t even imagine what would have happened to me if he wasn’t there.” Clarice spoke up while wrapping her arms around Olivia.

Angie agreed with a smile and a nod. “Yes, Leon is special. A man like no other.”

“Well, he seems quite loved.” Mylene couldn’t help but nod. She then turned to the girl who spoke out about him so passionately. “Will you become his concubine in the future then?”

“Oh no! I’m just Leon’s friend!” Olivia said in a far too joyous tone than Mylene thought she should have. The girl was clearly also–

–a faithful friend. Mylene couldn’t help but admire her. “How wonderful! It’s always good to treasure friendships like that. Those can last a lifetime.”

“I know.” Olivia said with a bright smile. “Leon deserves nothing but the best.”

The girls eventually led her to one of the rooms used to host what the Academy calls Tea Parties. Mylene had never experienced such a thing herself, but it all sounded so lovely! They excused themselves and went off to enjoy the festival. She couldn’t help but smile at how close the three of them were.

Mylene took a breath to center herself before knocking on the door. It opened and on the other side was the smiling face of the boy who her husband knighted a few weeks ago. He gestured for her to enter and Mylene thanked him for his manners. Inside was a vision she would have only imagined before based on the tales of some of the court ladies about their days at the Academy.

Tables lined with teapots, cups, and trays of sweets. A large window with a wonderful view of the school festival below. A central table with two chairs facing each other.

Mylene couldn’t help but giggle. If she was but a decade and a half younger, then she would have expected something else from all this preparation. She turned around and her words caught in her throat when she saw what Leon was doing.

Or more specifically, how he was kneeling in front of her. Down on a knee, a gloved hand over his heart, and a lowered head out of respect. It was something she had not seen in over a decade that she couldn’t help but feel a bit giddy about it.

“You may raise your head, Sir Bartfort.” Mylene said, her mannerism slipping into practiced ease like she had never left her home. “Your Queen greets you.”

As if he was doing it all his life, Leon smoothly looked up and took her offered hand. Mylene couldn’t help the heat that spread on her face when she felt the warmth of the boy’s lips as he placed a chaste kiss on the back of her hand.

A tiny, traitorous part of her mind lamented that she had not been wearing gloves for the occasion.

“You have studied up on my people’s customs.” Mylene observed and got a smile as the boy stood up.

“I like to be prepared for certain things.” He said while giving a more relaxed, if exaggerated, bow. “Welcome to the Academy, your majesty.”

She couldn’t help but smile at how nice he was being. “Thank you, Sir Leon.”

“While I know that I can’t really ask for your favor as I understand what that would mean,” Mylene stiffened at his words, knowing exactly what he was talking about. To ask a lady their favor in Repard was to ask to become their devoted protector in all ways. “I would like to offer you something instead.”

“And what would that be?”

“A place of safety, comfort, and an ear to listen to your troubles.” Okay, now she knew that her face was blushing! Just what was this boy saying?! To a married woman! To a mother! To his Queen!

“Umm…” He didn’t seem to hear her and proceeded to walk towards the tables that he likely prepared himself.

“Now, Angie told me that you’ve never had the chance to experience a Tea Party before.”

Mylene blinked, Angie talked to him about that? “That is correct.”

“Well, before we start with all the serious talk, allow me to provide you with top-of-the-line service as one of the students of the Art of Tea.” He offered with arms out wide and a big smile on his face. “Please do play along, your majesty.”

Play along? With what?

“Oh, hello there miss! I didn’t notice you there.” Mylene blinked when Leon addressed her again. What? What was going on?! “You must be a transfer student. From the rumors, I would guess Repard?”

Transfer student? Oh! Play along! “Umm…yes!”

“I see. Then allow me to welcome you to Holfort, my name is Leon. May I have yours, miss…” He continued while walking towards her. Why was her heart beating so fast?!

“Mylene.” WHY DID SHE SOUND SO TIMID?!

“Mylene. Yes, a lovely name for a lovely girl.” Leon walked up to the chair nearest to her and pulled it out and offered the seat to her. “Then allow me to show you delights that you have never experienced before! Please! Take a seat! By my guest!”

Hawawawawawawa~!

 

Wow! The Queen was a way better actor than I had ever expected! She had the whole Shy Transfer Student role locked down!

She daintily accepted the offered seat and I swiftly moved to serve her the tea that the Master of Gentlemanly Arts recommended. With all the grace I had, I smoothly poured her a perfect cup as well as arranged an assortment of tasteful companion snacks alongside it. I had to be flawless. My pride allowed for no less!

“This tea!” I smiled when I got the reaction I wanted from her.

“I never expected that I would ever actually have the opportunity to serve tea native to Repard.” I explained. It was the high-end tea I got from The Master when I asked for any blends that would be delightful for someone from Repard. “However, I was recommended to keep them and I am glad I did. It’s almost like fate that you would come by just as I was going to try it.”

“Fate?! You believe in fate?!” The Queen, or just ‘Mylene’ right now, squeaked out just as she was reaching for a biscuit.

I chuckled and reached out to place my hand on the one that she wasn’t using to hold anything. “To an extent. I still put more stock in the belief that we make our own fates, but there are just some meetings where you have to wonder if a higher power had a hand in it.”

“We are fated to meet like this…” Oh wow, she was really getting red.

“I would like to think so.” I gave her hand a squeeze before withdrawing mine, her gaze lingering on the one that I held. “But please tell me more about yourself, Mylene. I have never met anyone from Repard and I relish the opportunity to know more about you.”

The rest of the surprise Tea Party went at a far more relaxed pace after my Big Opener. Mylene became more candid at talking about her life in Repard. I supposed that she was telling me an edited version of her upbringing, obviously leaving out the events that led to her becoming the Queen of Holfort. The thing that started to alarm me as the Tea Party continued was how more casually she smiled, giggled, and touched my hand as we talked more and more. In a complete reversal of our earlier interaction, I was the one who was becoming more conscious of her! After I took a metaphorical step back and actually took in the woman I was speaking to, I couldn’t help but realize one unequivocal truth.

Mylene Rapha Holfort was the Perfect Woman.

She was literally flawless in my personal opinion. The way her immaculate eyes crinkled when she laughed, how she would run her fingers through her sparkling hair when she was telling a story, the way her divinely sculpted body would move whenever she reached out to get something on the table. There was only a single impartial conclusion I could come up with after being witness to such a vision:

King Roland Rapha Holfort was the luckiest bastard on the planet!

No! Stop it Leon! She’s literally Julius’ mom! He trusted you to treat her with respect and dignity! You also promised Angie and Clarice not to try to seduce her! Resist! Resist!

Then she stood up, moved around the table, leaned over, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you Sir Bartfort, for giving me the chance to live out such a wonderful dream.” Crap! Was I falling in love with the one woman I really shouldn’t?!

Julius, Angie, and Clarice must never know.

“Y-you too…” I stammered out. She blinked and giggled at me while going back to her seat.

“While this has been quite a joy, I would like to actually accomplish what I came here for in the first place.” Ah, she was back to being the Queen. What a damn sham–I mean, that’s great! Less complications for literally everyone involved!

“Of course, your majesty. This is about the things surrounding the duel at the end of the last term?” She nodded, her expression becoming more like what I expected a powerful Queen would have. “What would you like to know?”

The next hour was spent with me recounting the events from my perspective, as well as explaining my reasonings for my actions. Queen Mylene listened intently, her expression not betraying anything until I was done talking about my move to ask Duke Redgrave for assistance in the aftermath.

“It was wise of you to immediately seek out an ally.” She commented with a nod. “Tell me, Sir Bartfort. Do you hold any contempt towards my son? You are allowed to speak plainly.”

Ah, of course she would worry for Julius. “Not anymore. We managed to deal with most of our animosity in the duel itself. After we talked about the situation, we both pretty much have been able to move past it.”

“You have been speaking with Julius?” The surprise in her voice was obvious. Huh, Julius never told her?

“Who do you think warned me about your visit?” I asked and saw her brow furrow in thought.

“Yeah, like I told them. The only reason why I hated his highness and Jilk at the time was because of how they treated their ex-fiancées.” I continued and thought about my interactions with the guy after we cleared the air, as it were. “He has been a nice guy ever since and it would be stupid if I still held a grudge.”

“I see. I’m relieved.” God, she’s beautiful when she smi–STOP IT! I closed my eyes and took a breath to get my focus back. “I’ve also spoken to Angie and Clarice. Thank you for helping them through that ordeal. I can tell that you have fully captured both of their hearts.”

Oh wow, that made me feel like an asshole. Falling all over myself for another woman when I haven’t even settled my feelings for two great girls. “Ah, well. I’m still working out how good of a man I can actually be for them. They seem oddly fine with me taking them both as my wives, but you can understand how intimidating that can be to any one man?”

“I can see that. However, please do not sell yourself short. Your friend Olivia had nothing but praise for you, Sir Bartfort.” Ah, yes. The girl who was now more than just the main protagonist of the setting for me.

“Well, Livia is like the best friend I could have asked for.”

With the serious stuff out of the way, our meeting had pretty much run its course. I did have one more thing that I wanted to ask her though. It was something my dad told me after I got my new rank.

“I just wanted to confirm, your majesty. Did the crown promote me to the rank of Viscount just so they can tax me more because I beat up Prince Julius?” Oh wow, she just up and stumbled on literally nothing. Good thing she didn’t fall over.

“Of course not! That was a legitimate promotion for your achievements!” Queen Mylene exclaimed indignantly, though I did notice her having a bit of a hard time looking me in the eye as she spoke. At least it didn’t seem like her intention.

“It was a pleasure to host you, your majesty.” I said with another bow when I walked her to the door.

“Thank you for having me, Sir Bartfort.” She responded magnanimously.

I coughed into my fist when I remembered something that I said earlier. “The offer I made before was serious, by the way.”

“Angie told me how much work you take on. If you need a place to relax and take it easy, I’ll be more than happy to host you again. Maybe even have Angie, Clarice, and Livia along for more company.” I elaborated when she looked perplexed. Her eyes widened and she suddenly spun so all I could see was her back. Oh no, did I overstep?! Is she pissed off that a kid like me even considered–

“A continuation of my dream?” I blinked at the soft voice I heard from her. Ah, if that was what she specifically wanted.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind having tea with ‘Mylene’ again.” I answered and saw her shoulders hitch. She was quiet for a few moments and I had to strain my ears to hear something she was muttering.

“Ah…if only…a dream.” I couldn’t hear it all but she quickly turned back around and smiled at me. “I shall consider it. If you would excuse me, I wish to visit my son and speak to the girl he has risked so much for.”

Queen Mylene then opened the door and walked out purposefully into the hallway, right in the direction where the Host Club was located. Uh-oh. Good luck Julius! Have fun Chibi-Usa!

I was cleaning up everything in the room when I heard someone knocking on the door. That was weird. Angie, Clarice, and Livia should still have been out and about the festival. Julius was probably being grilled by the Queen and the rest of the boys were likely still at the Host Club as well. It couldn’t be Jenna because she never knocks. Was it Marie desperate for a place to hide? I walked up to the door and opened it to reveal a girl I had never seen before, one who had long dark blue hair with matching eyes.

“If you’re looking for the Host Club with Prince Julius and his entourage, it’s down the hall that way.” I pointed in the direction of said attraction. I didn’t know why she would be lost, there were literally signs for the place.

The mystery girl shook her head and spoke up. “I’m actually here hoping to speak with you, Viscount Bartfort.”

“You have a name?” I asked, immediately on edge with the way she used my noble title to address me.

“Of course, Viscount.” The girl formally bowed and introduced herself. “My name is Clara Fou Wayne. Our house is a poor Baronetcy and I come before you in a time of great need.”

Well, the way she was talking raised all sorts of red flags. I gestured for her to enter the room and closed the door behind her. What sort of nonsense was waiting for me this time?

“Well, if you’re planning on assassinating me, this would be the perfect time to do so.” She actually looked panicked when I told her that. Hm, actually her name reminds me of something.

“I would never do that, Viscount Bartfort! Not to the only one who can give salvation to my family and our people!” Wow, she was being really dramatic over all this. It’s been a while since I felt like people were talking the same way as the game.

I sighed and sat down on a chair and gestured for her to do the same. Of course, instead of doing something reasonable like that, Clara instead took a knee right in front of me. “Please Viscount Bartfort. I implore you to save us from a band of sky pirates that has been harassing our territory for over a year now.”

Wayne. Sky Pirates. I immediately remembered the event. How could I not? It was the one that officially locked you to a love interest for the rest of the game. On top of that, it was the event that gave you the first of the three Saint relics.

The Saint’s Necklace.

I narrowed my eyes as it was something that shouldn’t have happened until our Second Year. It was used as a major turning point in the story to reveal the main protagonist's capacity to become the next Saint, as well as introducing the first Armor upgrade for the love interest you chose the route of.

“And you want me to get rid of those pirates for you?” I asked with a raised brow while crossing my legs. “For free?”

“Of course not! My father will reward you handsomely for your service!” I narrowed my eyes at the girl, who started to fidget. I couldn’t remember everything about the game anymore, but I did remember that the only real thing you got from that event was the loot from the pirates and the necklace. No actual quest rewards were given out by anyone else.

“Your family has enough resources to give a Viscount a commensurate reward befitting their rank for helping your house, but you didn’t think of just hiring Adventurers or Mercenaries to do it instead?” I tore through her reasoning. Nobility weren’t guns for hire that others could just pick out for a job. Rank, reputation, and honor were the least that should have been considered before even approaching another house. It was why I was prepared to grovel at the feet of Angie’s dad with a small fortune as capital.

On the other hand, a Baronet’s daughter approaching a Viscount with nothing but words violated all sorts of protocols, both written and unwritten.

“M-my father…” She flinched when I scowled at her. It wasn’t because of what she said. It was because of the temptation of getting a Saint Artifact early. Dammit!

“I’ll do it.” I ultimately decided.

“Huh?” Clara looked up at me like I just told her the secret of life’s happiness.

I sighed and walked back to the door, opening it. “I’ll make preparations to deal with the issue during the holiday after the School Festival. The details will be provided to you once I finalize everything.”

“Th-thank you, Viscount Bartfort!” The girl quickly bowed and got out of the room. She was probably terrified that I would change my mind if she hung around any longer.

“What do you think, Control? Aside from this being one big trap?” I blinked when there was no response at all. “Control?”

Huh, they must still be out investigating what they told me about last time.

That was fine. I thought about the situation more and smiled to myself. “Well, Clara never said I had to do this alone.”

I wondered how Julius and the boys would feel about bullying a bunch of Sky Pirates over the holiday?

…

Mylene Rapha Holfort laid on her bed alone that night. It was a situation she had become used to over the years, with her and her husband having separate rooms in different parts of the Palace. She thought back to the day she had and frowned at all the mixed feelings that it brought forth.

The girl, Marie. The one that Julius had bravely declared to dedicate his life to, even though he could not officially be with her. She had some wit and charisma about her. Not enough to survive court, but the potential was there for her to become more. That she also knew healing magic was a positive. She sighed when she remembered the words her son said about that small girl.

If only Roland showed even a fraction of that devotion.

She tossed and turned in her bed, the silence of the night providing little comfort for her. She felt herself smile a bit when she recalled Angie, Clarice, and Olivia. They were such good girls and were blessed to have someone like Leon with them. Two of them would likely be lucky enough to marry the boy–man–one day.

She lightly touched her lips and remembered that one impulsive action she did. The look on Leon’s face was quite adorable and–Mylene shook her head. She had to stop thinking of him like that! He was Julius’ age! She was married! He already had plenty of younger women vying for his attention! She–

She only had one thing. Mylene allowed herself one wistful smile as she closed her eyes.

She dreamt of being an ordinary girl who stumbled into true love one sunny day during the school festival.

 

“Excuse me? Do any of you have any reason for interrupting Sir Leon and myself?” Karen Fou Offrey asked as she pretty much sat on my lap in one of the couches of the Host Club. Angie and Clarice glared at her while Livia stared expressionlessly. The boys, Marie, and the other customers looked on in varying degrees of worry.

Allow me to explain how this whole thing started.

It was the final day of the school festival and it was the day where lots of school sponsored events were held. Typically, they were competitions where students could showcase their talents to their peers and to guests from outside the Academy. One of those events was an Airbike race that was held in the morning. At the mention of that event, I immediately tracked down Jenna and talked her into betting on a little known Dark Horse that was going to compete.

Jilk Fia Marmoria

One of the major events in the game that guaranteed a really big payout in money and affection for the love interest in question was that very airbike race. I didn’t really care about the affection points, but not betting on Jilk would be leaving money on the table that Marie would likely rake in without any resistance. Like hell I was going to let that gremlin get all the money!

My sister was now smart enough not to question me when it came to gambling on very specific things. The seriousness of my voice and expression was more than enough for her to agree. I was going to join her at the bookies but was dragged away by Brad and Greg to the Host Club instead.

No! My money! I had to gamble!

“Come on! You can’t possibly need more money after that big payout when you beat all of us last term.” Greg told me with a laugh when I told them about the airbike race betting. You don’t understand Greg! It’s not about needing more money! It’s about having more money! My complaints went silent and I immediately went on high alert when I saw Julius and Chris waiting in the Host Club with a fresh black suit neatly folded on the table.

“With Jilk competing, we need a fifth man to complete the roster for the cafe. Marie recommended you and we saw the wisdom in her idea.” Julius explained when he noticed my gaze. I glanced around and saw the gremlin smiling and giving me a thumbs up. After getting peer pressured into the suit, I found myself lined up alongside the boys in the main area of the Host Club. Daniel and Raymond snickered and patted my back when I changed in the back area while they were preparing the supplies for the day. Damn them both!

Thankfully, I was more or less ignored by the customers as they chose to be served by any of the other availble guys instead. That was totally fine with me! Please continue to ignore me until Jilk wins and comes back! Man, I wish I was out there betting on him instead of being stuck here! Jenna must have been having the time of her life!

“I would like to be served by Sir Leon Fou Bartfort.” I blinked and turned at the mention of my name. The girl who chose me had dark blonde hair with matching eyes, her hair being styled in a pair of looped side braids. I looked at Marie, who was the one in charge of admission, and she gave me another grin and a thumbs up. What was I expecting?

I got the girl’s order and returned to her with some snacks and fresh tea. Regardless of my personal feelings, I had to be a good host. My pride would allow no less. “Your order, miss…”

“Karen. Karen Fou Offrey.” She told me her name with a smile while reaching out to pull me onto the couch. She also had three demi-human servants standing at attention nearby as well. Sheesh, talk about flaunting your wealth.

Wait a minute. Offrey? Wasn’t that the name of–I glanced to where Brad was and saw him giving me a pitying look. Oh no. This was a girl that Brad Fou Field didn’t want anything to do with.

“A lovely name, my lady.” I responded, deciding to just get through the experience and end it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the girl had other plans as she up and lifted herself off the couch and proceeded to sit on my lap sideways. “Umm, there is plenty of space on the couch, my lady.”

She bared her teeth in a grin as she wiggled her butt on my lap. “I think I like this seating arrangement better. It lets me get a proper feel for the man who defeated the crown prince and his entourage.”

“Feed me a piece of cake, my dear.” She said in an overly cutesy voice, one of her hands reaching out and stroking my chest through the suit.

I need an adult!

Must! Remain! Gentlemanly!

I expertly cut a piece of cake with the supplied fork and offered it to Karen. The girl delighted in eating it and, of course, she also made me hold the cup that she drank her tea from.

“I believe that this is not part of the standard service for this establishment.” I felt my heart stop when I heard the barely restrained anger in Angie’s voice. I looked in the direction of the doors and saw her, Clarice, and Livia just inside and looking right at my current situation.

“If it is, then I’m pretty sure that Leon’s lap is already reserved for me and Angie.” Clarice spoke like it was a joke, but her smile didn’t really look very happy at all. Marie wisely scurried away to the back area while the rest of the guys looked between each other in uncertainty.

And we’re pretty much caught up! What a fantastic situation!

“Well, it’s not my fault that you two can’t hang on to your man.” Karen taunted the two girls even as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “But I guess you both have a lot of experience with that, huh?”

Clarice’s smile vanished immediately while Angie looked like she was actually just going to murder the girl. Livia stayed silent in the back but her flat gaze never left Karen’s face. Julius also frowned and nodded to the rest of the boys to intervene.

To everyone’s surprise, before things could escalate, I cradled the girl in my arms and lifted her off the couch in a bridal carry.

She squealed in delight and clung onto me even tighter. “See that? Sir Leon can tell which one of us is worth his time and–”

That was as far as she got before I dropped her on the floor like a sack of flour. Karen grunted in pain as her demi-human slaves immediately went to her aid. Everyone was looking at me in surprise as I moved to stand between her and the girls she was insulting.

“I apologize, my lady. But such behavior is not tolerated in this establishment. Please vacate as soon as possible.” I flatly said as I gestured towards the door where a bunch of onlookers had started gathering from the hallway.

“Why?!” The now very angry girl shrieked out while pointing at the girls behind me. “You’d rather choose these two failures over me?!”

The sound my foot made as it stomped on the floor echoed in the room. Karen backed away and took shelter behind her slaves when I snarled at her. “If you don’t shut up and stop insulting my fiancées, then I’ll tear your throat out myself!”

“How dare you! You’re just a Viscount! I’m the daughter of an Earl!” She didn’t sound happy about that at all and her slaves looked like they were about ready to throw down with me. That was fine with me! I felt like cracking some heads anyway!

“Correct,” Julius cut through the tension and made his presence known. He and the boys stepped forward towards us. “You are just the daughter of an Earl. I would choose your next action in my presence very carefully, Miss Offrey.”

“If you wanted to pick a fight with Leon, you chose a really bad place to do it in.” Greg added with a vicious smile. Chris nodded in agreement while Brad just looked at Karen like she was garbage. Karen and her slaves looked very uncertain when they realized who else was in the room. A weird rush went through me when it finally dawned that Julius and the boys were actually standing up for me. What a strange yet totally welcome turn of events!

The piece of trash girl cut her losses and beat a hasty retreat, pushing past the crowd outside the room along with her slaves. I closed my eyes and took a few breaths to calm myself down. It was over.

I then opened my eyes when I heard someone actually start slow-clapping. I looked around and saw that it was Raymond, with Daniel following soon after. “Congratulations man!”

Congratulations? For what? I looked at everyone else and they also started clapping with smiles on their faces. All this for telling off a shitty customer? I should do that more! I turned to Angie and Clarice and saw that both of them had their mouths agape, red faced, and completely still. I looked past them and saw Livia clapping with a look of unrestrained joy.

“Leon! You dog!” Greg approached me with a bark of laughter. “You should have told us that you chose both of them!”

What?

“To boldly declare both Miss Angelica and Miss Clarice as your fiancées while threatening the fool who insulted their honor.” Chris commented with a rare smile. “I expected nothing less.”

Wait, declare Angie and Clarice as my–

“I’m glad that you chose them both, Leon. I’m certain that you will be able to make them very happy.” Julius said in no small amount of pride and relief while he shook my hand. My eyes widened when I remembered what exactly I said to Karen. I was about to speak out when Angie slammed into me, wrapped her arms around my neck and–man, her lips are soft.

“Hey now, Angie. He’s mine too.” I heard Clarice say as Angie finally let me go, only to be replaced by another girl. My vision was swimming from the kiss so I was completely defenseless when Clarice shoved her tongue down my throat. Oh wow, so that’s what that felt like.

“Hey! This isn’t that kind of establishment! Knock it off!” I distractedly heard the gremlin complain from somewhere nearby. Thankfully, Clarice had enough and ended the kiss. I was still a bit dizzy but I couldn’t help but see the way she and Angie were looking at me. The feeling in my heart when I saw how beautiful they were finally made me realize something.

Ah, I guess I really had fallen in love with them without noticing.

Since I was still on the clock, both Angie and Clarice partook of the opportunity to be spoiled by me as customers. They offered the same to Livia, but she happily declined and chose to speak with Marie instead. The tiny knockoff looked completely lost as the girl whose role she pretty much usurped kept asking her questions about the Host Club. Brad took a moment to apologize for the behavior of her ex-fiancée and I just patted him on the shoulder and nodded in understanding.

“I get why you ended up going after literally any other girl before you met Marie.” I told him in complete sympathy. The poor guy actually teared up and gave me a hug when I said that.

Angie and Julius still had a weird energy between them, but they both respectfully kept away from each other. It looked like it would still take a lot for that relationship to be mended, if it ever would.

That was pretty much the situation Jilk came back to. Clear confusion was evident on his face when he saw me on one of the couches with Angie and Clarice happily trying to fit themselves on my lap at the same time as I struggled to feed them both cupcakes. Thankfully, neither girl commented on the physiological effect they were having on me as they squirmed around. Though, they both looked delighted when they realized what was happening to me.

Obviously, Jilk won the airbike race. Everyone congratulated him, high fives all around. Even Clarice looked happy for his win, much to his surprise. However, I knew that the real big winners were Jenna and probably Marie based on how she immediately embraced Jilk when he announced his victory. We all had a small celebration in the Host Club and had a pretty fun time.

Interestingly, one of Clarice’s followers actually took second place in the overall standings. Neat. Good for him.

I broached the topic about Clara’s request to the boys and they were all immediately onboard with some Sky Pirate suppression.

“We all had some work done on our Armors, so it’ll be great to demonstrate our respective improvements.” Julius said with a smile, the others agreeing with enthusiasm.

I extended the offer to Daniel and Raymond as well, but they declined as they presently didn’t have the means to fight such enemies. Fair enough.

With Pandora's Box metaphorically opened, I spent the rest of the day having mini-dates with Angie and Clarice each. The girl who I wasn’t with at the time had Livia to occupy them with. I first went out walking around the school festival with Clarice, with us mainly visiting attractions that were explicitly for couples. Clinging onto my arm, making sure that I could feel her softness as she pressed her body against me, and with an expression like she had just won in life.

“How do these even work?” I idly asked as we slowly spun around in a magic version of a teacup ride. The main difference was that the individual teacups being ridden were actually floating in the air. “How do they prevent people from crashing into each other?”

“Who cares? Time to spin!” Clarice declared to my alarm before she started spinning us around faster and faster. “Leon loves me! Woooooo!”

The sun was just starting to set when we met up with Livia and Angie. Clarice gave me one more mind melting kiss before tagging in Angie and dragging Livia away to who knows where. In contrast to my experience with Clarice, Angie and I walked around at a much more sedate pace. Hand in hand, fingers intertwined, her head resting on my shoulder, Angie had an expression of complete contentment.

“We can just try a different stall, Angie.” I offered as my other fiancée had a look of focused determination. We were at a stall that had stuffed animal prizes for those who could knock over a certain amount of bottles with a single thrown ball. Angie had not been having the best luck at it.

“Nonsense, Leon.” She waved away my concern as well as ignoring the increasingly worried expression on the poor student manning the stall. “It would be an insult to my pride as a woman if I cannot even win my fiancé a prize.”

Umm, Miss Redgrave? On what basis?

She eventually managed to do it, winning a stuffed lion. Angie proudly presented it to me with a look of accomplishment that was just absolutely adorable. I couldn’t help but kiss her because of it, making her melt into me.

We eventually met back up with Clarice and Livia, the four of us having dinner together as the school festival drew to a close. Both girls gave me kisses when we had to go our separate ways while Livia gave me a big hug.

“I knew you could do it.” My best friend whispered in my ear as she gave me one last squeeze before letting go. I watched Angie and Clarice taking Livia by a hand each as the three of them walked back to the girls’ dorms.

Looks like I was going to be writing letters that’ll make both Duke Redgrave and Minister Atlee very happy men.

The whole thing finally started to sink in when I entered my room. I couldn’t help but feel excited by the prospect of being engaged and eventually marrying both Angie and Clarice.

From your smile, I suspect that you had fun today.

My smile got just a bit bigger when I heard Control’s voice. “Hey Control! Where have you been?! You won’t believe what happened today!”

You’ve accepted both Angelica’s and Clarice’s feelings. I know, I saw your dates with them earlier.

Ah, well then. “Cool.”

I am happy for you, Leon. Congratulations.

“Thanks, Control. I can’t even believe that this is actually happening.” I told them while shaking my head. From starting out at the Academy with no prospects whatsoever to having two fiancées! I mean, come on!

I could talk to Control about the whole Sky Pirate situation tomorrow. I just wanted to savor this feeling for now.

It is the future you have chosen for yourself. There is no reason for disbelief.

“Right.” I agreed with a nod. I sat on my bed and finally started to feel the fatigue kick in. “To think that none of this would have even happened if I didn’t take Livia’s advice during the summer break.”

Control’s next words made my tiredness completely vanish.

Thank you for bringing that up. I actually have something very concerning to talk to you about regarding Olivia.

 

Olivia laid in her bed, the darkness of the room doing nothing to diminish the brightness of her smile. She could feel herself shudder in excitement as she recalled the events of the day.

——.

It was the culmination of the wish she had ever since she first met Leon.

—?

That fated moment when the green light led her to him.

—.

A simple wish, for Leon Fou Bartfort to be happy.

Th——?!

A tiny, foolish, arrogant part of her once thought that she could be the one to give him that happiness. What with his lamentations in trying to find a bride.

—!

She realized how out of touch she was when she met and got to know Angie and Clarice.

—?

She was initially jealous of how insistent Leon was with having a Tea Party with them. She was disgusted with herself as the two girls showed her nothing but kindness and affection.

—.

She knew that both Angie and Clarice were special when they insisted on becoming her friends rather than just stay as acquaintances or ignore her completely. She would come to love them both dearly.

—gie—! —!

She understood why Leon went so far for them during the duel with the Prince and his comrades.

—.

It was the moment she saw Leon’s smile when she, Angie, and Clarice found him after the duel, that was when she realized that she did not deserve him. Such a person deserved better than her.

—!

Leon called her his friend, so that was what she would become. She would correct any misconceptions and end any rumor that the two of them were anything more than that.

—hy?! Le–—!!!

It didn’t matter who it was. She would not allow them to have the wrong idea about her and Leon.

—?

The light showed her the way to her destiny. She would protect that destiny with everything she had.

—.

What happened to her was irrelevant.

Th——!!!

Leon will find happiness. That was all that mattered.

—nt!

Everything will be perfe–

–isten–!

–ct! She would make sure of it.

—op!

Olivia smiled and drifted off to sleep.

…

I sat listlessly on my bed after Control finished explaining the problem they managed to uncover over the course of their investigation.

“Control,” I nervously began. “The fact that I don’t think that Livia and I can be lovers…”

It would raise the possibility that you are also being affected. The readings I have from the health monitoring bracelet you have regarding your brain activity supports this theory.

I rubbed my temple as I struggled to comprehend everything as it was.

The video evidence as well as personal observations I have been making on the behavior of Olivia and those she has been coming in contact with. It all points to the possibility that she has been manipulating the perceptions and memories of the people around her to only perceive her as your friend.

Well, Control certainly had a way of bringing the mood down.

The high that I felt after affirming the feelings between myself, Angie, and Clarice gave way to a cold feeling at the bottom of my stomach. They said that they never brought it up before as they wanted to corroborate any observations with supporting evidence that went beyond the circumstantial.

This went beyond a rumor fading away into obscurity. What happened was so sudden, so final. It was like everyone was sure that Olivia and I were lovers one minute, then dismissing the possibility as absurd the next. Sure, my actions during the party and the duel would have changed the narrative. However, I would have expected that Angie and Clarice would be added to Olivia instead of outright replacing her. Especially with how the two were all over Livia normally.

“So you think that Livia is preventing people–us–from thinking that she and I could become lovers?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

I would actually like to try something to verify a hypothesis.

I nodded, I was willing to try anything at this point. “What is it?”

I request that you close your eyes and think of Olivia in the following context: Friendship. Hatred. Indifference. Sexual. Romance.

I trusted Control enough to do what they requested. I went through the list, some being easier than others. I gasped and opened my eyes when I fully understood the reality of the situation. The first was easy, the next two were harder, the fourth was even easier, the last one…

“It was a blank, Control.” I said while looking up at the drone. “Everything up to thinking of Livia bent ov–it was just nothing after. I keep trying to think of her romantically but it’s like the feeling of almost remembering something but never quite getting it.”

Selective removal of an idea, a concept. With such fine and complete control. Troubling.

“Is she doing this on purpose?” I quickly asked the obvious question.

From my observations, she does not seem to be manipulating cognition deliberately. She herself may in fact be affected by it.

My face twisted in confusion. “So she’s accidentally and subconsciously mind whamming everyone into thinking that the two of us are just friends?”

It seems to be the likeliest answer as I do not believe that Olivia would do this maliciously.

I agreed.

The establishment of the When, Why, and How would be the best start to resolving the issue. I already have the When.

“You do?” I blinked, that was fast.

Yes. The first minor changes started after your initial Tea Party with both Angelica and Clarice. The changes were initially insignificant and dismissible but, after retroactive observation, the pattern fits.

That far back? So she’s been brainwashing literally everyone since then? I grimaced when I remembered something about the game.

“I think I know the How.” I whispered. It was something that Olivia the Saint would get at the very end of the game. “It’s her final skill: Compelling Voice.”

I began explaining to Control what it was and what it can do. It was the final requirement for the best ending of the game. In order to avoid the bloodshed that would result in a total war between Holfort and Fanoss, Olivia would use the power of the Saint Relics and the Royal Ship to impose her will on everyone in the battlefield. She more or less asks everyone to stop fighting and they all do. Both armies. No confirmation or negotiation. Just a complete end of all activity.

That is a very dangerous ability.

I agreed. It was so powerful that you don’t even get to use it in gameplay. It just unlocks and is listed in her skills but Olivia only really uses it during the cutscene that leads to the Best End. The armies and whoever else bend to her will, Fanoss gets reabsorbed into Holfort, the Saintess and their chosen love interest get married to the roar of approval from the entire country.

“Have the people of the past ever encountered anyone like that?” I asked, wondering if any of the Getter Teams ever had to deal with this kind of problem.

Not with such potency or range of effectiveness. Even then, they were always adversaries and would be dealt with lethally. It is an outcome I want to avoid with Olivia.

Damn right. “What can we do? Should I talk to her about it? Do I ask the others for help?”

This is the first time I have encountered an instance of brainwashing for the benefit of other people. However, I would advise against confronting Olivia about this for now. If she is indeed doing this subconsciously, then informing her may just result in your current awareness being erased by her power in order to maintain her perceived status quo.

“Then I guess the less people that know this the better?” I asked rhetorically.

Correct. Our best course of action would be to monitor her and ensure that she does not escalate. Do you know if the Saint Relics could help with this?

There was an idea! “The Relics were there to both indicate her status as the Saint as well as giving her a power boost. They might just be what we need.”

Would we require all three or would a single Relic be enough?

“I don’t know. But that actually brings up something else I was hoping to talk to you about tomorrow.” I then started telling Control about Clara, the Pirates, the boys, and the stolen Saint Necklace that they possess.

A fortuitous coincidence then. Since we will be hosting the others and their Armors, I assume you wish to use the Nagare as transport?

I grinned, some cheer creeping into my voice as I spoke. “Yep. I want those pirates to see us coming and realize that they’re the ones who are being trapped.”

We still have the issue of the Why on the table. What would Olivia’s motivation for excluding herself romantically be?

That was the golden question, now wasn’t it?

“And why aren’t we allowed to join you in this mission of yours, dear Leon?” Angie asked in an even tone. Oh wow, was this how dad felt whenever he upset mom?

We all stood at the harbor a few days later as the boys’ Armors were being loaded in the Nagare’s hangar. My fiancées were less than thrilled when I actually explained the situation with Carla in detail. They were even less thrilled when I asked them to stay behind with Livia for the duration of the holiday.

“It’ll be mostly an Armor fight in the sky. With his highness and the others there, we probably have way more than enough to deal with this without any issues.” I explained, not saying that it was also so they could keep an eye on Livia as well as to keep them all away from harm.

“I still don’t like this.” Clarice muttered as she glanced to the side and saw Marie pointing at Jilk’s upgraded Armor. “And why is she allowed to join you?”

“Because I don’t trust Marie alone without supervision!” I spoke out loud enough for Marie to hear. She made a face and gave a rude gesture that I just laughed at.

“Leon will be fine.” Livia suddenly spoke up and hugged Clarice from behind. “Believe in the man you both love.”

Oh wow, way to make all three of us blush there Livia.

“Umm…” Someone spoke up. I turned and saw Clara looking around with growing alarm. “What is all this?”

“Preparation.” I simply said with a smile.

Clara looked past me and nervously pointed in the distance. “But that’s Prince Julius and Sir Jilk.”

“Yep. Greg, Brad, and Chris are already inside with their Armors. We’re just loading the last two in my ship.” I wondered if she was going to pass out with how pale she was getting.

“This is your ship?” She looked at the admittedly intimidating looking ship.

“You didn’t know?” Angie asked with narrowed eyes.

Clara shook her head and raised her hands in supplication. “I have heard the stories, but I have never really seen it in person.”

Oh man, she was definitely in for a surprise then.

“I know that Leon accepted your plea of his own will, but I want you to understand something.” Clarice spoke and approached Clara. “If anything happens to Leon, there won’t be a place on this world that you can hide from the three of us.”

Huh, turns out that Clarice can be pretty scary too. With no other choice, Clara desperately hid behind me in fear.

“Okay that’s enough.” I dispelled the tension by pulling the upset senior into a kiss.

Clarice pouted at me after clearly enjoying the kiss. “That’s cheating.”

“She’s right! You should kiss Angie too!” Livia exclaimed as she pushed my other fiancée into my arms. Angie looked cute when she was bashful like this and I couldn’t help but give her a peck on the nose before kissing her on the lips.

“I’m still mad.” She whined into my lips before fully pressing herself into me. I opened my eyes after the kiss and saw Livia giving me two thumbs up. That girl.

As per our plan, Control’s stealth drone would be staying behind to keep an eye on all three girls just in case. We said our goodbyes and Clara boarded the Nagare with me, meeting up with the others on the bridge.

-hat is correct, your highness. Everything on the Nagare is automated and managed by myself. A crew is not required for the ship to function at full battle readiness.

Clara and I walked in just as Control was introducing themselves and explaining what my ship could do.

“I’m starting to think you don’t even need us on this Pirate Hunt, Leon.” Chris commented as he wiped his glasses.

I laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Even if that’s true, I’d rather do this with friends than just me and Control.”

That got a round of smiles from the boys. Despite our rocky start, I could admit that we really had become friends. I guessed that the whole Shonen philosophy of becoming friends after fighting each other applied here after all. I ignored the gremlin glaring at me and asked if anyone had any suggestions for a plan of action.

“What plan? We just find the pirates and crush them until they stop moving.” Greg suggested with a laugh. While it was true that we had a potentially unstoppable death ball with everyone here, I still had a couple of things I wanted to accomplish.

“I actually want to capture the pirates if at all possible.” I suggested. The reactions ranged from confusion and contemplation from the boys, to mild irritation from the gremlin, to barely hidden panic from Clara.

She really wasn’t good at the whole conspiracy thing, huh?

“Why? They are criminals that raised their hand against Nobility. Death is what they deserve.” Jilk said with a scoff. I mean, he was correct and the others largely agreed.

“I want to know how they’re able to become such a problem and evade suppression for so long. I can’t imagine they can move around freely inside the Kingdom’s territory without getting the attention of families other than the Waynes.” I reasoned and saw them start to really think about it.

“You suspect foul play?” Brad asked, clearly interested in the prospect.

“I think they’re getting more help than they should be.” I confirmed with a nod.

“An intriguing prospect.” Jilk stated with a nod. “I’ll follow your lead on this then.”

“I believe that we should all do the same. This is Leon’s mission so he’ll be in command.” Julius suggested and was met with agreement from the rest.

“Jeez, no pressure!” I joked and we all laughed. Well, Marie rolled her eyes and Clara looked like she really was going to faint.

Control got everyone set up with nice rooms, with the boys and Clara being particularly amazed at the automated hot showers and baths that didn’t use magic. They were all getting settled into their rooms and I took the opportunity to have a talk with a certain gremlin about a few things.

“Ack! Why are you in my room?! Are you going to assault me?!” Marie immediately said in alarm and brandished a nearby vase.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Then again, you’re plenty flat already.” I said with a snort and eyeroll.

Oh wow, she really looked like she was going to throw the vase at me. “How dare you! I’ll tell Juli–”

“How far into the game did you get?” I interrupted with a grin.

“Wh-what?”

“You knew how to trigger the flags of all the love interests before the actual main protagonist could. You even managed to get some late game events happening prematurely. The Armor duel wasn’t supposed to happen until year three, for example.” I listed out her actions and saw her eyes widen.

“You know about the game? Then you really are…” She trailed off while lowering the vase in her hand.

“I assume you are also from Japan since I’m sure we’re the only ones crazy enough to actually play that garbage game.” I told Marie in Japanese.

She distractedly shook her head and answered in Japanese. “No, they actually made like four more sequels after this one.”

Who the hell would want more of this?!