Main Characters:
Razel Bartlet (Looks like Tomozaki Fumiya from Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun)
A young reincarnated man who, before dying, completed a strange Otome game with an RPG theme. After regaining his memories of the game, he understood how bad his situation was since the enemies have the power to destroy the world. Therefore, he will have to take the option of helping the protagonist and the capture targets from the shadows.
Licht (Looks like Joker from Persona 5)
Amy (Looks like Alpha from Eminence in Shadow)
Known in the game as the Witch of Calamity, a woman who only has hatred in her heart and is the right hand of the demon king.
Lily (Looks like Hachimiya Meguru from Idolm@ster)
The protagonist of the game, a pleasant and charming girl who stole the prince's heart, thus becoming a victim of harassment from the terrible villainess Elize.
Elize von Rosenberg (Looks like Kurosaki Chitose from Idolm@ster)
The terrible and hateful villainess. Both she and her mother are horrendous harpies who want to use her engagement to the third prince for profit, but after discovering that he had fallen in love with the protagonist, she begins to harass her to the point of no return.
Cid von Bryes (Looks like Yuuki Makoto from Persona 3)
One of the extra targets of the game; he is the fourth prince of the imperial crown. A boy with a rebellious and conceited attitude according to the game. Earning the hatred of all players, which forced the developers to remove him.
Secondary Characters:
Regulux von Bryes (Looks like Hoshino Aqua from Oshi no Ko)
The main capture target and the third prince of the empire. An attractive, good-hearted boy who is engaged to the villainess, but after meeting the protagonist, he doesn't want to be separated from her, so he will fight for his love.
In the game's ending, after becoming one with the protagonist, he becomes both the White Knight and the new emperor.
Lambert von Attley (Looks like Albedo from Genshin Impact)
Regulux's childhood friend and an honorary member of the imperial family. A very serious boy who neither laughs nor smiles. His future after meeting the protagonist is to protect her, so he will become the world's strongest swordsman.
Bellange von Fraser (Looks like Nanashiro Meiji from Dance With Devils)
The muscle-brained guy who wants to end everything with violence, self-proclaimed rival of Lambert for the title of the strongest at the Royal Magic Academy. When he meets the protagonist, he changes his way of thinking, wanting to use his strength to protect her.
Jake von Fitzclarence (Looks like Akashi Seijuurou from Kuroko no Basuke)
Heir to the main ducal family of the empire. A very self-confident and somewhat arrogant boy. He has a conflict with his father since the protagonist is not worthy of being the wife of a future duke.
Oscar von Pleven (Looks like Sakamaki Subaru from Diabolik Lovers)
A boy with a strange, almost effeminate aura due to all the care for his skin and hair. A talented mage who, after understanding from the protagonist what his problem was, becomes the next head of the holy mages.
______________
Reality is a garbage game. And good and evil are relative.
Those are things I've heard throughout my life, although well, 15 years is a short life.
But it's something I do agree with, not because reality shows me so. But because of what I'm seeing right now.
"Elize, right now I will break off my engagement with you!"
An attractive young man was shouting at a school event.
That was his role in that world. A world of dating sim games.
"Your Highness, understand, that woman is not worthy of you!"
And not just any game world, but one with an Otome theme.
Normally, an average Japanese guy like me shouldn't be playing something as absurd as a game for girls, whose premise is to conquer unreal, very attractive guys.
"As always, you're a woman pretending ignorance. I'll tell you more clearly than this. I will not marry you, a vile woman who only thinks of herself and is willing to trample others to achieve her goals!"
What the hell is that guy talking about?
I mean, is it wrong to be selfish? Many scientific, literary, economic advances, among other things, were achieved through selfishness and achieving one's goals.
In schools they teach you that the world is black and white and that you must obey the law. That's correct, but the world is gray. Not black and white.
My divorced parents are proof of that.
My mother cheated on my father with my aunt because she thought he was also being unfaithful. But my father was actually just looking for a way to fix an impotence problem by going to a specialized doctor who only sees patients late at night.
In the end, my parents separated and never spoke again. From time to time I move to one of their houses to spend time together.
Since summer vacation ends today, I came to Tokyo to stay with my dad for the season. My mother and my aunt, who are now a couple, went to Hawaii on vacation while my father works hard to pay for my university.
Anyway, my parents' situation isn't important at all. I was raised more by video games and forums than by my own family.
"Your Highness is mistaken, I only do what's best for you, but that woman by your side is manipulating you!"
Strong declarations towards the girl who was being criticized not only by her fiancé. There were 5 other people by his side, four of them were other boys and a medium-height girl next to the prince.
"You lie! What she and I have is true love; you just want to take advantage of my position so that your horrendous mother and you can benefit! Your heart, like your face, is horrible, hahaha."
Why the hell are you laughing, bastard?
This guy, the radiant prince, is an idiot who loves justice and kindness.
That's why Otome games disgust me; the personalities are so unrealistic they seem made with some program that randomly generates personalities.
The reason I play it is because the developer that created it is a small game company that has been becoming very famous.
Part of that fame is due to a strange game they released.
I heard rumors on forums that the Otome game developers went to work with another team, which was making an RPG game about a fantasy world where there are flying ships and they use strange, almost giant robots as combat armor.
I want to buy it, but it seems it's so popular that it sells out quickly.
The cashier at the store I went to recommended I buy this game; it was that same person who told me about that rumor.
Maybe it's true, because from what I've played of the story so far, I've been getting into trouble fighting monsters.
I really like the combat and magic system. There's a lot of variety so you don't get bored, but I hate having to choose the radiant types as members of my team.
After several hours of playing, I finally completed it.
"Damn it. I have to admit that despite having grotesque romance elements and shirtless men, it really was an entertaining game."
I saved my game, turned off the console, and stood up to stretch my body.
I heard the sound of a beast growling. It was my stomach asking for something to eat.
"It's almost 10 pm; some family restaurant must still be open."
I took my wallet, keys, and smartphone to go find something to eat.
◇
I was approaching a two-way street.
The traffic light was red; a notification message arrived. I took out my phone to check who it was from.
Upon seeing the content of the message, I made a grotesque expression.
"Really, again?"
The message was from those annoying spams sent by people who want to ruin your life. This time's message was stranger than usual; it said:
"Have you ever wondered that if you were to die, you would have the chance to start over? Either somewhere in your city, a foreign country, or perhaps... another world?"
Undoubtedly, this message makes no sense; I'll delete it.
Oh, it seems the traffic light is green; I'll delete it while I walk.
"Let's see... delete and block, with that... huh?"
I didn't realize it in time, but a light was coming towards me at great speed, and then everything went dark.
◇
I just woke up after a very strange dream.
I was looking at the concrete ceiling of my apartment.
I turned my head to see the other things in my room; everything the same, nothing strange.
"Razel, wake up and come have breakfast."
A woman's voice called me; it was my mom.
I stretched a bit and then put my feet on the floor to put on my slippers.
I walked to the door to open it, and upon leaving, I walked a few steps and arrived at the kitchen, which was also the living room of our house.
I, Razel Bartlet, am the firstborn of a knight family.
My family was gathered around a small square table.
A large, muscular man with a very serious face; his arms are as hairy as his chest; you could easily mistake him for a mountain bear.
He is the head of our small semi-noble house. Roland Bartlet, my father.
At the other end of the table were two women; the little one was a girl smearing her face with strawberry jam; she was my younger sister, Gina Bartlet.
Beside her was a woman who looked young but clearly wasn't; my mother, Miranda Bartlet.
Everyone in this family has black hair and black eyes. Unfortunately, I'm not the most favored because, unlike my parents, who are attractive in a certain way, I'm something like the ugly duckling of the family.
I have small eyes that give the impression of being a badly drawn picture, unruly hair. My face is round like everyone else's, but somehow I don't seem to be part of the family when people see me.
There are strange shadows under my eyes, and my parents thought it was leukemia or some disease I had, but it was just something similar to a strange mole.
How unfortunate for me.
After sitting down, we gave thanks for the meal.
"Oh great goddess Alexia, bless this food we will eat to have energy all day long. Blessings to the goddess and to us."
I proceeded to eat my toast with blueberry jam, accompanied by fried eggs, bacon, and fresh goat milk from the supermarket.
It was undoubtedly a delicious and energizing meal.
"Razel."
My father called me while I still had toast in my mouth.
I turned to look at him, and before I could ask what he wanted, he told me.
"Today you will accompany me to work as well."
In response to that, I choked on the bread.
I was hitting my chest due to the surprise of what I heard.
I took my glass of milk to wash down the food and then replied to my father.
"Seriously, I have to go?! I don't want to meet her again!"
My father had a very serious look; I couldn't even tell if he was angry or not.
But in a calm tone, he told me.
"The Duke told me to bring you. So you have to obey the order; we are his vassals, so we can't do anything."
It was just as he said. The Duke is the man we serve as his vassals.
In this society, there are two types of people: those who are nobles and those who are commoners.
Nobles are those who have privileges while commoners do not. Fortunately for them, the country doesn't treat them badly because they want to show they are superior even in dealing with the rabble.
As a knight house, it's normal to be nobles, but by not receiving the surname prefix "von," it means we are not official nobles to others nor commoners to the rabble.
We are an ugly gray point, just like me.
"I-I understand. I'll go get ready then..."
"Thanks for understanding quickly. For a 7-year-old, you're very smart."
I don't think that's a compliment worth considering, given that I'm about to meet that little demon.
◇
"Take care~"
My mother was saying goodbye from the balcony of the condominium.
We waved to her as well before getting into a carriage.
We were both in different places; the reason was that my father takes up a lot of space with his corpulent body.
Will I be like that someday?
I hope not. I wouldn't want my arms to look like logs and be almost two meters tall.
Through the window, I saw the city and the people.
It was an ordinary view for me.
Men and women wearing expensive and elegant clothes on one side; while on the other side, young people wearing fashionable clothes and short skirts listening to music on their magical devices.
Oh, that girl has the new Youfone magical player. Due to the magical element, it can store more memory, so it's good for places where the magical element isn't very stable.
"Today's traffic is undoubtedly horrible."
My father said that because, despite being in a carriage, other people were using state-of-the-art automobiles.
Automotive transportation is very advanced, but that means its value is over 1 million crystalia.
Crystalia is the name of the official currency of the Arklight Empire. As the name suggests, it's a precious crystal made into light blue paper.
We also use coins; their system is outdated, so I think it needs updating.
Bronze, silver, gold coins, and the most expensive of all, white gold.
One silver coin isn't enough for a plate of food.
But 10 silver coins are enough to buy bread and milk.
One gold coin is enough for lunch; while one white gold coin is enough to eat for three days.
We are poor, so I've never seen beyond silver coins.
I'd like to have money and buy things for myself and my family.
"Razel, we've arrived."
I was having many diverse thoughts when, without realizing it, we arrived at the gate of the Duke's mansion.
The guard saw my dad and then let us pass.
The carriage is rented; it's like a taxi. Since no one would send one to pick us up.
... Huh? What is a taxi?
Upon entering the mansion grounds, I observed an immense garden that looked like a miniature forest.
There were beautiful shrubs cut into shapes of animals and fish.
Exotic flowers you would only see in dreams.
Miniature trees of different colors. I don't quite understand why they are small and the colors, but everything was beautiful.
Upon arriving at the center of the grounds, the Duke's mansion lay.
It was so big; no, enormous is a more suitable word.
Its length is over 200 meters and a height of 50 meters.
At least, if I'm not mistaken... it's equivalent to the size of eight large neighborhoods.
Without a doubt, being rich is something wonderful.
When we got off the carriage, my father said.
"Wait here. I'll go tell the Duke we've arrived."
The stairs to go up to the house door were automatic. That's because there are quite a few steps. So automating them using magical elements is normal.
I watched my father being carried up by those strange stairs that made a "zuu" sound while taking him up.
Once I couldn't see him anymore, I stayed waiting with my head down looking at my feet. I played with my feet while the reflection of the tile showed my face.
Then, I heard a terrifying sound.
" Cooooooommooooooneeeeeeeeeeer~!"
I got scared and started looking around; that voice, that horrible, small voice of a spoiled brat was the sound that terrified me.
"Caaaaaatch meeeeeeeeee~!"
"Huh?"
The sound was sharp and seemed to be approaching; when I lifted my head, I saw her.
A beautiful girl was falling from the sky towards me.
"Ehhhh!!"
It would be bad if something happened to her, so I stretched out my arms to catch her and then used a simple spell.
Body Magic Reinforcement.
A light blue glow covered my body. This allows me to nullify a small amount of physical damage received.
It was in less than a blink when she fell on my face, and my head slammed into the asphalt.
"Hahahaha, it was amazing! I was waiting up there all morning for you to show up. Huh, commoner, what's wrong with you? You didn't die, did you?"
My head hurts, but not because of her.
It hurts.
What is this?
Images?
No. They are real images, but those images are strange.
It's strange.
What is Japan?
Summer vacation before starting middle school?
Never in my entire life have I known something called a game console!
No.
A light, there's a strange light approaching.
That light is...
"Commoner, what's wrong with you?"
... It can't be, I... I...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Due to the images coming into my head, I let out a scream, got up, and ran away from there.
"Don't joke about that!"
I entered the small forest called the garden of the Duke's house.
"I refuse to believe it! This must be a lie! I'm still dreaming, hahaha!"
That's right, it's impossible for something like this to be possible.
I must be in my bed, playing on my phone and watching funny videos on Newtube.
"I'm going to wake up from this dream right now!"
There was a tree in front of me; I ran towards it to hit myself and manage to wake up.
Alright. Wake up, me!
"Puah!"
That was the sound I made after hitting my head very hard.
I could feel a liquid running down my forehead and then down my nose.
I looked at the sky; it was covered by tree branches.
As I was about to cry, she arrived.
"Hey commoner, what's wrong with you? You ran off like a madman. Do you have some contagious disease, and we need to sacrifice you?"
Those horrible words came from this girl.
This girl who I hope isn't who I think she is.
I stood up and asked her to clear up my doubt.
"E-Excuse me, can you tell me your name?"
Moments later, she slapped me.
"How dare a commoner like you ask that to your patron's daughter? Learn some manners first!"
My cheek hurt.
It was the second real sensation I felt, but those words from this very proud girl made me fear what is real. But as long as I don't hear her name, it will only be a dream.
"I-I'm very sorry for my behavior. But the blow to the head made me forget some things."
"Hmph, is that so?"
Due to the way my father raised me, I was speaking to her like that so it would seem like I really had slight amnesia.
She looked at me with a face that said she didn't understand what I was saying, but she didn't care and stood up.
The sunlight falling through some branches bathed her in its warm light.
With an elegant and refined touch, she took the edges of her red dress and bowed.
"I am the daughter of Duke Rosenberg. Rejoice in my beautiful appearance. I, Elize von Rosenberg, am the little princess of this house, and you, the son of my father's vassal. That makes you my servant too, ufufu."
Upon hearing her proudly say her name, I asked her one last thing.
"M-M-Miss... by any chance, are you already engaged?"
Upon hearing my question, she boasted about it.
"Indeed. Two years ago, on my fifth birthday, my father officially engaged me to the third imperial prince, His Highness Regulux. Amazing, isn't it? Are you amazed that such a young and beautiful girl like me has been chosen as the partner of our nation's prince?"
"NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
"Uwahh! What's wrong with you now?"
I was screaming because of what I heard.
This is the worst; there's no way something like this could be possible.
But there's no doubt.
Seeing her, hearing the name of the third prince, and moreover... the name of this country.
Arklight Empire.
Third Prince Regulux.
I grabbed my head and looked in panic at the sky.
There's no doubt; this girl, Elize. Is the villainess of that game!
"I... reincarnated into an Otome game!"
And what's worse.
"This game has powerful enemies capable of destroying the world!"
Without a doubt, this outcome is unimaginably the worst!