episode_0081

Before long, Meiru and I were able to talk again, having calmed down.

First, we asked about each other’s well-being and recent status, and then about future plans.

And so, naturally, I was able to talk a lot about my relationship with Lillith, which had recently developed into a romantic one.

…Of course, I didn’t mention what happened with Seraphina, Eligio, and Isabella.

No, it would be more accurate to say I couldn’t mention it.

“…Ah, yes, I see. That woman… no, the young lady of the Tistina family, you intend to be together until marriage.”

“Yes, I’m serious about my relationship with Lillith. My main family was planning to discuss my marriage soon anyway, so it worked out well. Instead of having an arranged marriage with someone we don’t even know through our families’ arrangements, it’s better to marry someone we were already close with, isn’t it?”

“…You were close with me originally, too. No, actually, I was the one who became close first.”

Meiru grumbled, her mouth jutting out.

She whispered in a very low voice as if she didn’t want me to hear, but since she and I were sitting closely together in front of the fountain, I couldn’t help but hear it.

Now that the situation had somewhat calmed down, it was time to get to the main point.

“Meiru, can I ask you something? You perhaps…”

“Wh-what are you saying? Why are you suddenly bringing up something strange? Why would I like you…”

“I haven’t gotten to that part yet.”

“….Ah, I… I see… ….Haa… yes, honestly, what’s the use of hiding it now.”

Meiru bowed her head down again, just like before she met me.

And after letting out a deep sigh as if the ground were collapsing, she seemed to resolve something in her heart, raised her gaze, and turned it towards me.

“…Is it because of what I said earlier? Asking if you were dating Isabella Kshatri, and then… shouting all sorts of things in excitement.”

“Ah… yes…”

Yes, I absolutely have to ask about this part right now.

Putting aside the reason Meiru speculated that I might be dating Isabella, her reaction to thinking so was simply too strange.

Shouting things like what part of her was lacking compared to Isabella, and various other things.

It was a reaction as if she was very uncomfortable with me dating another woman.

And generally speaking, in this situation, one can only suspect that she harbored feelings for me.

Not as a friend, but as a woman towards a man, that is, in a romantic relationship.

“Haa… yeah, well… it’s strange that you didn’t notice until now anyway… yes, what you suspected is correct, Ropel.”

She leaned her head on my shoulder, as if weakly drooping.

“…I’ve liked you all along. And a lot.”

“…How could this be… Just when, from when?”

“…It’s a long story to explain. Really… it’s too long…”

Really?

I couldn’t help but be shocked once again.

No, well… I definitely suspected and anticipated it based on her reaction, but I never thought it would be true…

I was already confused by the fact that Lillith Tistina, Seraphina Serion, Eligio Gremlyna, Isabella Kshatri… that is, the main heroines from the original work, liked me.

Amidst all that, I didn’t know there was yet another woman who harbored feelings for me.

Even though Meiru is merely an extra who doesn’t even appear in the original work, she also possessed outstanding appearance and charm that weren’t inferior to the other heroines.

By the way, I wonder if this will lead to even the Princess confessing that she liked me.

That absolutely must not happen! Regardless of the number of women who harbor feelings for me increasing beyond this, her status is a significant problem.

The Emperor of this world is an incredible doting father to his daughter, someone who could erase an entire country if Tiara wished it.

In fact, there was a time in the past when she, the Princess, suffered severely from a serious illness, and during that period, the country was literally turned upside down.

He declared that he would bestow official titles and generous rewards without question to anyone who could cure her, who was hovering near death, and he actually kept his word.

At that time, Duke Axel Saan, who solved the Princess’s illness, immediately rose to the position of the nation’s Prime Minister and is still the Emperor’s favored right-hand man.

In other words, the Emperor is not just a father with a shotgun, but someone who pulls out a father’s heavy machine gun.

But what if such an Emperor’s only daughter likes a nobody from an unknown noble family on the frontier?

It’s no exaggeration to say that for him, bringing about the downfall of not only me but also the Teufel family would not be difficult.

Perhaps something might happen where I would rather beg him to kill me.

… Still, that kind of thing won’t happen.

With the other heroines, I had at least a close relationship, but with Princess Tiara Altalion, we only knew each other by face.

She has shown me a smile, but we have never done anything significant together.

At most, we’ve only made eye contact a few times.

So I can feel relieved.

….Truly.

Anyway, apart from the shock I felt, Meiru’s confession, blurted out rather blandly, seemed poignant yet resigned.

And she moved closer to me, who was sitting next to her, and before I knew it, she had placed her hand on my lap.

I felt her soft touch, which was both cool and warm.

“No, more than that, you mean you really didn’t know? All this time?”

“Yes… I couldn’t imagine that I would be loved romantically by someone.”

“…Then you didn’t know how many women were eyeing you around? All the other ducal daughters were practically drooling over you!”

“That’s not…!…Hmm… I guess you could say that…? I only found out one by one recently, but honestly, I didn’t know until a few weeks ago.”

“Oh my head… Then you must not have known that secret photos of your body were circulating among some female students?”

“..What? That happened?”

“I know you exercise consistently every day, but you’re too defenseless when you do. Especially your attire, does it make sense to wear shorts and a stretched out sleeveless shirt? There were photos showing your chest or abs, of course, but also secretly taken photos from the changing room! Honestly… at that time, how much trouble did I and the other young ladies go through trying to get our hands on… no, trying to stop them!”

“That kind of thing happened too?”

“Is that all? There were even seniors who were trying to get you into bed! Well… certainly, your grades in the academy were mediocre, and you had no notable achievements, so maybe the public saw you as just one of the ordinary students. Among the women, you were quite famous, and there were so many young ladies aiming for you as a trophy husband. Hah… thinking about it again now, I feel completely drained.”

“No, what is that… But you mean I didn’t know all along?”

“Yes, you blockhead!”

Meiru shouted as if venting her pent-up frustration.

…Is it really that bad?

All this time, I had clearly thought I lived a life appropriate for an ordinary extra, being pushed around and buffeted about.

I barely survived the terrorist incident that happened on the entrance ceremony day and the dungeon rampage during the midterm exam, and I was disgracefully defeated in a spar with Mark.

Luckily, in my second year, I was chosen as one of the exchange students, an event that also appears in the original game, but while Mark, the protagonist, was resolving the incident, I could only manage to preserve my own life.

After the incident occurred, I returned to the original academy a bit early due to safety concerns, felt that a change was needed as things were, and happened to take a solo trip during the break period that arrived.

However, even with this, I got lost and wandered, and ultimately could only barely return alive with the help of others.

In fact, in my third year, which is effectively the final chapter of the story, Mark was likewise the main character, and I was just doing miscellaneous tasks in the background that nobody knew about.

And even those miscellaneous tasks were so difficult for me that if I had been unlucky, I would have simply lost my life.

That is, for me, who had never defeated any strong enemies or monsters, nor encountered any incidents.

Furthermore, for me, who could barely handle even trivial matters and nearly lost my life multiple times.

To think that I am receiving the love of multiple women, a kind of event that would only happen to a light novel protagonist, is occurring.

Thinking about it that way, doesn’t it feel a bit unfair? I was needlessly living quietly. If I had known sooner, I would have aimed for a rosy life!

..That thought did cross my mind for just a moment, but recalling what happened with the main heroines recently… perhaps it’s fortunate that I lived a quiet life.

No, if this is how it was even when living quietly, what would have happened if I had just swung my lower body around like a dating sim protagonist?

It’s no exaggeration; I might have been truly dismembered, committed seppuku, and been drowned in a lake full of cannibalistic crabs?

“..But why…? What part of someone like me is good enough…?”

“…Are you really asking because you don’t know? Haa… you really are…”

Meiru let out another long sigh as if she was truly fed up.

“It’s better this way, actually. You asked when I started liking you, didn’t you?”

Saying that, she opened her right hand wide and showed it to me.

A clear green light, resembling the color of her eyes, sparkled.

It was her ring, which had become so very familiar to me by now.

Along with that, as if tracing back memories, various recollections began to vividly resurface.

To that day, back then, when our connection truly began.