The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs - Volume 11 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 “Little Sister in a Previous Life”

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Part 1

“You bastard! What makes you dissatisfied with Mia-chan, goraa!”

Late at night.

When I was brought to the lounge, I saw Finn being questioned by Marie.

Finn, who is depressed, folds his hands and rests his forehead on them.

“I’ll do whatever I can, but I can’t be a lover.”

During the day, Finn was apparently confessed by Mia.

Finn, who was confessed by the protagonist of that third Otome game, turned her down.

I know how Finn feels.

“It’s that, right? You thought you weren’t a capture target or that you were a mob, didn’t you? I get it. I get it, Finn.”

When I nodded alone, Finn raised his head and tilted.

“No, that’s not the reason.”

“Eh?”

I look dumbfounded, and Luxion takes the opportunity to criticize me.

[You should not think that everyone has the same problems as you do. But still, isn’t it embarrassing to fail to guess correctly with a straight face?]

Marie glares at me too.

“A useless big brother. The only one who cares about the mob is you. In the first place, even you said about mob, who is the one who got himself three fiancées?”

—— Isn’t everyone cold to me!

When I’m down, Finn comforts me.

“My bad. I’m not a mob, but I’m not the right man for Mia, you’re right. I can’t be Mia’s lover.”

Marie clicks her tongue as she feels the warmth of Finn’s kindness.

“Don’t be so worried about it. If you like her, you like her.”

Marie is annoyed by his reluctant attitude, but Finn has his own reasons.

“It’s not like that. To me, Mia is my sister.”

Then Finn started talking about his relationship with his sister in his previous life.

“My little sister——my little sister in my previous life was sick and hospitalized all the time.”

Finn tells us a story about his previous life.

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Part 2

Evening.

A young man who had finished his part-time job came to visit with a souvenir.

On the way to his familiar hospital room, he bows to the nurses who have become acquainted with him.

He opens the door to the hospital room and heads for the bed at the far end by the window.

“Is that interesting?”

The young man called out to his sister, who was playing on a portable game console.

When the little sister realizes that her brother has come to visit her, she looks up and smiles.

“Yes!”

She had a big smile on her face, but her sister, who was hospitalized for an illness, was thinner than before. She looked smaller than before she was hospitalized, and her portable game console looked bigger.

This made the young man sad, but he knew that his sister would be sad if he looked gloomy, so he did his best to smile and talk with her.

“I see. That’s good to know.”

He sat down on a chair next to the bed, and his sister put down the portable game console.

The software she was playing with was a gift from the young man.

Not knowing what to buy, he picked at random a title that looked like an Otome game.

The little sister was happily playing the game that the young man had bought for her.

So he is curious about what it is all about and asks questions.

“What kind of game is it?”

When he expresses interest in the details, his sister tells him, a slightly embarrassed, but happy, look on her face.

“It’s a game where the protagonist enrolls in a school and becomes friends with the boys. It’s fun, so I’ve already played it several times.”

Perhaps because of the extra time she had in the hospital, his little sister played the games that the young man had given her as a gift many times.

That is exactly what it is, over and over again.

The young man thinks that since she does not have a lot of software to play with, she does not have many options.

“When I get my part-time pay, I’ll buy you another one. Let me know what you like this time.”

When he says so, his sister looks apologetic.

“It’s okay. It must be hard for onii-chan too, right?”

“Don’t worry about it. I can afford to buy at least one game. What do you want?”

As the young man manages to get her hope up, his sister’s gaze turns to the darkened screen of her handheld gaming console.

“Then I want this series.”

“Otome game’s? Do you like it?”

“——Yes. Because it makes me feel like I went to school.”

The little sister had been acting cheerful earlier, but when she muttered the word “school,” her expression darkened.

She had not been able to attend school for years.

The young man grips his hand tightly, in a position where his sister can’t see it.

However, his expression did not break his bright smile.

“It’s going to be all right. It may take some time, but you will be able to go to school again.”

The little sister looks at the young man’s face. The pleading expression tightens the young man’s heart and torments him.

“Really? Can I go out and play again? Can I go to school again?”

“Aa, you’ll be able to hang out, you’ll be able to go to school.”

—— The young man told a lie.

It is doubtful that she will be able to leave the hospital, but in order to give her sister hope, he says that she will be fine.

The little sister smiles.

“If onii-chan says so, I feel better.”

“! T-That’s right. That’s why you have to get yourself well soon.”

“Yes!”

The young man had a hard time looking directly at his sister’s smile.

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Part 3

“Then it was a few months later. I was on my way to the hospital after buying some software that my sister had been looking forward to the day it came out.”

Finn, sitting on the sofa, rested his forehead on his crossed hands and spoke painfully.

Before I knew it, both Marie and I were listening to Finn’s story.

Luxion, who is in the room, remains silent.

But Brave has tears spilling from his eyes.

[Buddy——]

“I had a bad feeling because my cell phone rang on the way out. When I answered the phone, it was from the hospital——I was in a hurry. I ran and ran, but I couldn’t get there in time.”

Painfully, bitterly, Finn clutches his chest in reminiscence of his previous life.

To Finn, his sister in his previous life seems to be different existence from mine.

Finn raises his head.

“Mia looks a lot like my little sister.”

Normally, he has a calm face, but only today he is showing his vulnerability. Even I, a man, want to be kind to her, so if it were a woman, I am sure her maternal instincts and feminine feelings would be strongly stimulated.

“I heard that before. That’s why you want to protect her, right?”

“She looked so much like my sister, I thought she was a reincarnation of my sister. When I first met her, she was still an active little girl, playing around outside.”

He thought his sister, who died in her hospital bed, had been reborn and was in good health. No, did he assume it?

Finn hid his face with both hands.

Apparently, he is crying.

“And yet suffering from a mysterious illness —— There is no way I can allow this to happen. I would do anything for her. I’m willing to risk my life. ——But I can only see her as my precious little sister.”

If things go badly, she is more than a lover. Mia is treated by Finn as if she were family.

But they just can’t seem to become lovers.

“Well, I can’t blame you. If she looks like your sister in a previous life, it’s hardly like a lover.”

“Right? But Mia fell in love with someone like me. What am I supposed to do?”

I couldn’t find the words to say to Finn, who was holding his head in his hands.

When I try to comfort them harmlessly, Marie, who had been silent, shouts loudly.

Our eyes turned to Marie as her voice echoed through the room, making our ears hurt.

“If I just shut up and listen to you, you’re just whining about it! If you like her, just say you like her!”

Finn flinched at Marie’s angry voice.

“Did you not hear what I said? To me, she’s like my little sister——”

“It’s weird to bring up the subject of previous lives. Mia-chan is not your sister, to begin with.”

“R-Right, but.”

“She looks like your sister from a previous life, so what? You are her beloved knight. And you can’t accept her because she looks like your sister? Think a little more before you answer, you idiot!”

Finn, who has been called an idiot, tries to retort, but gives up mid-sentence and shuts his mouth.

He must have realized that he was the one who had seen his sister’s face in Mia.

That girl is not Finn’s sister.

Marie crosses her legs in anger and starts tapping unconsciously.

I could feel her irritation next to me.

“I will admit that you were a kind and idealistic brother to little sister, but that has nothing to do with Mia-chan. Don’t you dare look at her like she’s your sister, you’re disgusting.”

Finn looks a little shocked.

Why is it so traumatic for a man when a woman tells him he is “disgusting” or “physiologically impossible”?

I want a heart of steel that won’t be swayed by anything they say.

For some reason, I was getting depressed too.

Marie gives Finn a second blow.

“I mean, you knew Mia-chan was going to go into the capsule for a checkup, didn’t you? What were you thinking, causing unnecessary problems? Did you really care about her?”

“It’s true! I’m sincerely——”

“I see it as you putting yourself first. You’re just doting on Mia-chan as a replacement for your sister, whom you couldn’t save.”

At first, Finn was furious and gritted his teeth when he was told, but he clenched his fists and held back his anger.

Apparently, Finn also admits that he is at fault.

Brave, seeing his partner in such a situation, defends Finn.

[Stop it already! Don’t bully my partner any more! I’ll be angry instead!]

The sight of Brave stepping out in front of Finn and spreading his small arms makes me think that this is a figure befitting a partner.

I turned my gaze to Luxion.

Luxion noticed my gaze and seemed to have guessed what I was going to say.

[I will not pamper Master. Pampering is not good for Master.]

“You’re just being harsh, and I don’t sense the slightest bit of kindness, though?”

As I was talking to my own partner, Marie said a few words while looking at Brave.

“Gross~”

Brave, who had been called gross by Marie, slowly dropped to the floor and burst into tears.

Apparently, he was quite shocked.

[——I don’t mind. My buddy and Mia say I’m cute.]

I saw Brave crying and I had to say it.

“Is the core of the demonic armor also sensitive?”

Finn, who had been silent, got up from the couch and picked up Brave.

He leaves the room, so I call out.

“Where are you going?”

“——Mia’s place. I want to talk to her properly.”

As Finn leaves the room, I give Marie a somewhat stern look.

“You’re out of line. Think about how men feel.”

“What are you talking about? I’m talking about the knight who does unnecessary things before the checkup. There’s a lot that he could have said, like putting the answer on hold.”

“Finn can only see Mia-chan as his sister, right? To begin with, I can’t even see my sister as the opposite sex.”

I looked at Marie from her toes to the top of her head, but I didn’t find her the least bit attractive as a person of the opposite sex.

Marie gets displeased with my gaze and turns her back to me, hiding her breasts with her arms.

“Don’t look at me with strange eyes, damn aniki!”

“I didn’t know there was anything to see. Compared to Ange and the others, you’re —— buho!”

Before I knew it, Marie had gotten up from the couch and crawled into my bosom.

The elbow strike that Marie released was smashing into my gut.

The pain was so great that I put my knees on the floor and pressed my stomach with both hands.

“I-I am so sorry. I overstated things.”

“As long as you understand.”

After apologizing and asking for forgiveness, Marie sits down on the armrest of the couch.

“Well, I can’t have romantic feelings for my siblings either. I can’t see my shitty brother as the opposite sex, and I’m not attracted to him in the first place. I’d rather be alone all the time than choose my brother.”

Suffering from the pain in my stomach, I say back.

“The people you fell in love with are now my subordinates with no charms. And don’t you forget that I’m the one who pays your living expenses?”

“You really are a horrible person! That’s why you’re such a shit brother!”

As Marie started fussing, Luxion was looking at us and waving her red lens from side to side.

[I don’t see any change in them. I don’t feel any growth at all.]

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Part 4

Night.

The visitors to Milene’s room were Ange, Julius, and her daughter, Erika.

The three appeared to be in a great hurry, so Milene guessed what was going on.

“——All three of you showing up together with a furious looks on your face, you’ve grown up a bit.”

Milene puts the book she was reading on the desk and gazes into the faces of the three people.

It was Julius who opened his mouth first.

“Is it true that the royal court is trying to reduce the power of the feudal nobles? Why? Why are you doing this now?”

Julius had a stern look at his mother, Milene.

That’s how angry he must be.

Milene looked at Julius with cold eyes.

“Isn’t that what the Kingdom has been doing for the last hundred years? We just haven’t changed our policies then or now.”

“The situation has finally calmed down, so where is the reason to be rough! Now that Leon has sided with the royal family, we must join hands——”

“—— Join hands? It’s ridiculous.”

Milene laughs at Julius’ idea.

After that, she immediately turns to a straight face and points out the problem.

“So as long as we have peace in the present moment, no problem? I’m not talking about a few years. If you are royalty, look decades or centuries into the future.”

Julius bites his back teeth, and now Erika is trying to persuade Milene.

“Mother, even with that in mind, you have gone too far this time. If the country is ruined, the people will suffer. That makes no sense. Please reconsider. It is not too late.”

It is not only the nobles who are hurt. People living on the borders and frontiers are also harmed.

When she asks to avoid that, Milene is harsh with Erika.

“I will not allow you to meddle in national politics with that level of thinking. In the short term, there will be damage. But what about the long term?”

“Long-term? Eh, ano——”

As Erika is puzzled, Milene gets up from her chair and heads toward the window.

Talking with her back to the three of them was the past of the kingdom of Horfalt.

“The nobles of this country have always been very independent-minded. The descendants of adventurers may sound nice, but let’s just say, they were get-rich-quick people. They inherit the qualities of putting their own interests first, not loyalty or righteousness.”

All three could not argue with Milene because they all remembered.

Milene turns to the three of them and begins her history lesson.

“Didn’t history teach you that? Don’t you remember how much the kingdom suffered at the hands of the feudal lords? —— You have been taught that the feudal lords and nobles are potential enemies of the kingdom.”

The feudal lords and nobles have been cut to the bone in the long history of the kingdom, but many of them are descended from those who originally fought against the kingdom.

They were merely swearing allegiance to the kingdom of Horfalt in the face of the trump card of the royal ship and its overwhelming national power.

Still, there were many who rebelled and took the fight to the kingdom.

“Policies favoring women and squeezing feudal lords are all designed to reduce the power of the enemy. This was only possible because the kingdom had sufficient military power until now. Now that we have lost that power, the feudal lords are our enemies who could betray us at any moment.”

“B-But…”

“Think about what happens after this crisis. Suppose the foolish lords were to dance their way to independence by the neighboring countries? How much blood do you think will be spilled in that war? If there is a wave of independence within the country, the war will intensify. In that case, the population will be drafted into the army.”

When Erika stops talking, Ange talks to Milene.

“Now we have Leon. The lords and nobles will follow Leon if he sides with the royal family. They will hesitate to become independent.”

“Yes. So? How many decades will Duke Bartfalt live to fulfill his duties? How can we be sure that his successor will not consider usurping the throne? Will this country really still be around in a hundred years?”

Milene, who does not listen to the opinions of the three, appears to be stubborn.

Julius, having given up trying to persuade her, asks her about the development that Milene envisions.

“So what is your goal then, Mother? What do you hope to gain from this war?”

Milene explains in front of the three of them as if she were teaching them a lesson.

“—— A complete victory is a bad thing. If we win too much, it will put the countries that are watching this battle into a sense of crisis. Especially if the empire becomes the enemy, it will be troublesome both militarily and politically.”

If we win too much, another enemy will be born.

Milene was trying to avoid such a future by taking damage.

“Even if some damage is done, we will create a narrow victory. If this happens, many countries will be relieved. Finally, we would ideally be able to extract favorable terms through negotiations and make peace.”

And Milene gives a dark smile.

“Before that happens, though, I want Raschel to perish. That is also the purpose of having the Duke here. We will attack and destroy Raschel near the end of the war. The military alliance that has lost its allies will collapse, and we will have no problem making peace with them individually.”

Ange raised an eyebrow and glared at Milene with a furious look on her face.

“Are you trying to use Leon? You said you would not let him fight!”

An ordinary person would have shrunk from Ange’s glare.

But the other party was Milene.

Facing Ange, with a cold face.

“A nobleman has to fight. He has sworn allegiance to the royal family, so I’m sure he will accomplish this. In the first place, this is nothing to him, right?”

With the power of Luxion that Leon possesses, he can certainly get through this level.

But Ange was worried about Leon’s mental health.

“You know how much Leon adores Milene-sama.”

“I taught you that personal feelings are meaningless in the face of a nation’s future. —— It is you people’s fault that we are in this situation in the first place.”

The three people who were accused of responsibility by Milene were wondering because they had no recollection of what happened.

But Milene looks at Erika.

“If Erika had married the Duke, I would not have gone to this length. If only their two children had eventually taken over Luxion and given the royal family new power.”

The blood was draining from Erika’s face as she felt responsible.

Julius, seeing his sister downcast and a little shaken, defends her.

“If that’s the case, it doesn’t have to be Erika. Why not welcome the son of Leon and Ange into the royal family?”

Milene was mocking Julius’ line.

“You are forcing your children to enter into a political marriage while you are putting your own will before theirs? I don’t trust you when you put your own will before others.”

He kicked off a political marriage. That meant he put the personal first.

So, even if they force their children to enter into a political marriage in the future, they might give a reason to disobey. Such a worry always haunts them.

Milene lets out a small sigh and gives the three of them a final instruction.

“This is the last lesson I am going to teach you. Take responsibility for your own actions. Then tell the Duke. He who is too powerful has an influence on the world, even if he doesn’t like it.”