FEMALE FRIENDSHIP is fleeting, isn't it?
Or so I thought.
If you're wondering who I am, the name is Leon Fou Bartfort. I'm a guy who
died and reincarnated into an otome game world. Specifically, a stupid otome
game I was playing right before I kicked the bucket.
Why stupid, you ask? Because this world was incomprehensibly unfair toward
men while favoring women. In fact, in this world, men only existed to serve
women. Me, I'd have preferred a fantasy world with magic and swords,
especially if it gave men a fair shake.
When I reincarnated, I wasn't given a special role in the world either. I was
simply one of the masses—a mob, a background character. Even my
appearance was average. With black hair and black eyes, I didn't stand out at
all. Basically, I was a late-blooming but decent high school student.
Okay, so this world didn't actually have a high school, but it did have an
academy where you could earn an education appropriate for a fantasy world. It
was perhaps understandably based on a Japanese high school, so my second
term here consisted of a series of school events I remembered from my
previous world—for example, the school festival.
"Hey, guys, move that desk a little more to the right."
Three of us worked in this empty classroom: my two best friends, Daniel Fou
Durland and Raymond Fou Arkin, and myself. We carried tables and chairs in
preparation for the festival. Professionals had already done the real remodeling
work, and now it had all the necessary elements for us to turn it into a café.
The café we were putting together was on a completely different level than
the ones you'd see in Japanese school festivals, namely because nobility
attended this place. I didn't mind the thought of using cheap tables, but the
academy would've frowned on such a thing. Naturally, our furniture had to
match our clientele.
With no other choice, I'd used my own money to outfit our café, and I'd taken
my time meticulously designing our interior, as well as what tea sets, leaves,
and hors d'oeuvres we would provide.
"Hey, Daniel! Be careful with that tea set. It's expensive!"
"If it's that expensive, you shouldn't be using it for the school festival!" Daniel
fussed at me. "You made me nervous, and now my hands are shaking."
Raymond adjusted his glasses as he surveyed the classroom. "Haven't you
splurged a bit too much on this? I don't think most students are being this
lavish. You'll be in the red."
I merely shook my head at them as if to say, You two really don't get it, do
you?
They both frowned, annoyed with my attitude.
"In the red? So what?" I said. "I'm rich. Some nitwits from a certain academy
lined my pockets with their stupidity. Why not invest some of it back into the
school?"
"Your personality is as terrible as ever, I see," Raymond said, exasperated.
"Unsurprisingly, that's exactly why most of the student body hates you now."
"Yeah, you better not forget that a lot of people resent you for what you did,"
Daniel jumped in. "Everyone who thought you were going to lose to Prince
Julius and the others in that duel took a big hit when you won."
Sadly, they were right. I was the most hated person in school. The reason? I'd
kicked the crap out of Prince Julius—one of the game's love interests—in a
duel.
Whatever. He pissed me off, so I beat him up.
The students had decided to gamble on the match themselves. I'd been
certain I would win, so I'd bet a fortune on myself. My two friends here had also
bet on me, so they'd earned some coin for themselves as well. However, a good
portion of the idiots had bet on Prince Julius's victory and even gone into debt
for it. Some of those fools had even gambled their entire fortune away on our
duel. But he'd lost, and now they all had grudges against me.
How depressing. I didn't even do anything wrong!
Ordinarily, my actions could have resulted in my execution. But thanks to an
ample donation and good connections, I'd managed to dodge that bullet. In
fact, in a confusing turn of events, I had even been praised and awarded higher
status for my actions.
The world sure is strange.
I'd gone from being an ordinary student to being a knighted baron with an
upper-sixth court ranking. However, considering I wanted neither success nor
prestige in this lousy world, it was a tragic turn of events for old Leon.
"Don't praise me like that," I huffed.
Daniel's shoulders slumped. "I wasn't praising you."
Suddenly, two girls entered the room. One of them, Livia (short for Olivia),
wore a chic maid outfit—something you'd never normally see her in. Her hands
gripped the fabric of her long skirt, hiking it up as she struggled to walk in it. Her
flaxen hair curved in a bob around her face, and the gentleness in her blue eyes
was only outmatched by the kind, inviting air she carried. Her outfit tightened
around her waist and stomach, emphasizing her voluptuous breasts (which I
very much appreciated).
"It doesn't look weird, does it?" Livia glanced nervously at me for approval,
fanning my desire to reassure and protect her. She didn't seem conscious of her
ability to bewitch people, but even if she'd been doing it purposefully, I
wouldn't mind.
Is this the power of an otome game's protagonist? She's so unbearably cute.
"It looks great on you, and the size is perfect, too."
Daniel and Raymond blushed as they glanced at her.
Right as I was about to tell them to knock off the ogling, Angie stepped out
from behind Livia, her hands perched on her hips. "Are you sure these outfits
are all right? They emphasize the chest a bit too much. I think something more
modest might work better."
Angie (short for Angelica Rapha Redgrave) also sported a maid outfit. It might
seem odd for a duke's daughter to wear such a thing, but apparently, life as a
noble lady was harder than I'd thought.
"You don't look at all uncomfortable," Livia remarked in confusion.
Angie smiled. "I've worn a maid outfit before, though it differed a bit from
this one."
"You have?"
"I spent two years in the palace as a lady-in-waiting."
Sounds rough.
Angie had sharp, defined features that complemented her willful personality.
Inner strength burned in her crimson eyes, but her face softened whenever she
looked at Livia.
The two were polar opposites. In fact, in that stupid otome game, they'd been
rivals. No, perhaps rivals didn't describe it. If Livia was the protagonist, Angie
was the villainess. Under normal circumstances, they fought over the same love
interest, and not as competitors, but as straight-up adversaries.
Despite being a commoner, Livia had been allowed to enroll in the nobles'
academy via a scholarship. In comparison, high-class Angie was a duke's
daughter. Now, thanks to a certain someone's intervention in the game's story
line, they were the best of friends.
And no, that someone was not me—although the source of this deviation had
also been reincarnated into this world.
"But, Angie," said Livia, "you're a noble lady, aren't you? Why would you do
such a thing?"
"Noble ladies have their obligations, and that goes double for someone of my
status. But enough about that. You look great in that outfit, Livia. Very innocent.
I approve." Angie threw her arms around Livia.
"I think I may actually kind of like it," Livia mumbled, her cheeks red.
As I watched the two, I found myself mumbling, "What an amazing sight."
These two lovely girls were a breath of fresh air for a heart hardened by the
unending hell of searching for a marriage partner.
Light glinted off of Raymond's glasses. "Very nice."
Daniel nodded, too. "You said it. Are these girls really from this academy? Are
you sure we're not dreaming?"
His skepticism didn't surprise me; it couldn't. Most of the girls in this school—
particularly those in the higher class—were deplorable. Fortunately, the only
girls helping at our café for the festival were Livia and Angie.
While the academy mirrored a Japanese high school, we had no homerooms,
and classes more resembled those at a university. As a result, students didn't
participate in the festival in groups determined by homeroom but rather by
individual choice. Just as the five of us had come together to set up a café,
other groups were doing their own thing as well.
Angie turned her gaze toward us. "Were there no outfits for boys?"
"We could've bought some, but no one's going to get excited about seeing
dudes in uniforms." I shrugged. "We're fine in cheap clothes."
Livia had a guilty look. "Does that mean our outfits took up all the budget? Yyou
really didn't have to go out of your way to buy expensive uniforms for us."
Daniel laughed. "Nah, we just aren't interested in wearing them. Besides,
Leon splurged on everything else, too."
"You can tell this is his hobby. He spent way too much," Raymond agreed.
"He's going to make anyone else doing a café look third-rate."
Angie sighed in exasperation. "Leon is a tea freak, after all. He isn't the only
boy fond of tea, but I've never seen it get quite this bad."
I'm not a tea freak! I just fell for Master's expertise.
Master was one of the professors at the academy, a perfect gentleman who
oversaw the men's etiquette classes. I hoped to someday live up to his dapper,
refined example.
"I still have so long to go…" I said wistfully.
"I'm not talking about your skills. I'm talking about the ludicrous amount of
time and money you pour into it." Angie regarded me coolly. "Did you or did
you not abandon us to go with the professor to buy tea leaves the other day?"
Daniel and Raymond both shook their heads in disbelief.
"You blew the girls off for tea? Come on, man."
"You've got me so jealous I almost want to clobber you in the dead of night to
take your place."
No, see, I was procuring tea leaves that day specifically for Livia and Angie.
Also, sad as it was for me to say it, I had no chance with either of these girls.
Livia looked a bit dejected. "We did have tea that day. It tasted amazing, but
the real problem was the hors d'oeuvres. Lately I've been putting on some…
um…"
Angie pulled the other girl close. "I think you look just lovely with those
curves, Livia. Frankly, I think you could do with a little more meat on those
bones."
Tears welled in Livia's eyes. "I want to be skinny and petite like you, Angie."
"I'm flattered to hear you say that, but I think you look absolutely
breathtaking as you are. Your legs are just gorgeous."
"R-really?"
As the two of them fawned and fussed over each other, Daniel and Raymond
shot me envious looks.
No, seriously guys, there's nothing between us.
Out of the entire school's population, those two girls were off-limits. I
couldn't even do anything about it. Our roles—social, narrative, you name it—
were just too far apart.
***
Students scrambled to make preparations for the festival. Girls gave orders
while boys struggled to do all of the grunt work. Seeing that made me want to
cry. It underlined the fundamental rule of this world: the social superiority and
favoritism women enjoyed rode on the backs of hardworking men.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the atmosphere. There was something novel, even
entertaining, about seeing everyone come together for the event. Only one
thing could possibly ruin the festivities…and unfortunately, that thing had to go
and swan into my café.
This harbinger of misery, also known as my older sister, Jenna, reliably
obsessed over the capital and its latest trends. Now, she flopped in a chair and
slumped over the table in front of her. Her lover—a tall, demi-human slave with
cat ears dressed in an expensive suit—hovered close behind.
Most of the girls in the higher class had a lover who waited on them hand and
foot, and no one blinked at girls waltzing around with their servant-slaves in
tow. A tragic sight to behold, let me assure you.
When Jenna first strode in and plopped herself down, Livia and I had our
hands full cleaning the café. I could scarcely hide my disgust. "What do you
want? Hurry up and leave, you nuisance."
"Leon, you can't talk to your sister like that!" Livia scolded.
Jenna looked triumphant with an ally to back her up. "That's right! You should
be consoling me. Isn't there at least some tea around here?"
What a crappy attitude.
Sadly, this being a matriarchal world and all, she held more authority than I
did. And this barely scratched the surface of how truly awful it could get.
"Then hurry up and tell me what you need," I snapped. "I've got things to do."
Jenna sulked but finally explained, "You see…my best friend and I had a fight."
Color me shocked that she even had a best friend. Of course, if I'd said as
much, we'd start sniping at each other and the conversation wouldn't go
anywhere, so I held my tongue.
"A fight? Then that's easy. The two of you just have to make up," Livia said
with a smile.
Jenna snorted. "As if. We're fighting over a man."
"A…a man? Uh, um…" Livia looked to me for help, not having any experience
with romantic relationships herself.
"You're competing for a guy?" I asked.
"I can't help it. He's a viscount's son, and he suddenly gained a fortune."
"What do you mean 'suddenly'?"
Jenna explained that the man in question was heir to a viscounty. His family
had been so impoverished that none of the girls had ever looked his way.
However, the family had just discovered a new mine within their territory—
located on Holfort Kingdom's mainland. Now they would receive financial
support from the kingdom to assist with the mine's development. In other
words, the guy's family had hit the metaphorical jackpot. Suddenly, all the girls
who'd snubbed him saw new prey to sink their teeth into.
"He's definitely going to be rich when he inherits his father's title. No girl
could pass up chasing a catch like that," Jenna continued.
"But what about love?" Livia asked. "Do you have feelings for him, or…?"
"Nobles don't need love to marry. All that matters is whether or not your
partner can earn a living. If a girl wants love or romance, she finds herself a
lover, like Miauler here. But in order to enjoy her time with her lover, she needs
a wealthy husband. Get it now?"
No, and I don't want to "get it." What I wanted was to whop her upside the
head. Yeah, yeah, it's wrong to hit girls, but Jenna wasn't a girl—she was my
sister. Surely no jury in the world…
"You're as rotten as ever," I mumbled.
More importantly, I'd never even heard her say her cat-eared servant's name.
Not that I really cared to know it in the first place, so honestly, whatever.
"At any rate," I continued, "what you're saying is she tried to swipe a guy you
were gunning for, right? You were absolutely right to cut her off. Only a
scumbag goes after the person their friend likes."
Cheating, infidelity, stealing someone else's lover—whatever you wanted to
call it—that, you can't forgive.
"No, that's not it," she said.
"Huh?"
"She went after him first. I only started after I realized he was sitting on that
payday."
What the hell? So you're the one trying to swipe somebody's man?!
My sister really was a dirtbag.
"Okay, so you're the garbage friend. Problem solved. You can leave now."
Jenna protested. "Why won't you help me?! You could fix all of this—you just
have to step in and convince her for me. The only thing you have going for you
is your strength. Make yourself useful and help out your precious sister!"
"'Precious'? Go look that word up in a dictionary and then get back to me."
What was Jenna thinking? Did she really expect me to solve her problems?
How was I supposed to get her friend to stop pursuing the guy anyway?
"Come on, you're powerful, aren't you? All you have to do is talk to those two
and tell them this engagement is what you want for me. Simple, isn't it?"
She really wants to use my power to threaten these guys into submission?
What a lowlife!
"He can't do that," Livia said firmly.
"Why not?" Jenna glared at her. Miauler crossed his arms over his chest and
glowered.
Surprised, Livia retreated a few steps back. "Uh, um…"
I stepped in front of her. "You want my answer? Absolutely not. I refuse to
help you. And don't you dare bully Livia. I like her way more than I like you, and
if anything happens to her, Angie won't take it lying down either."
Jenna recoiled. "Fine, my mistake. Offending a duke's daughter is no laughing
matter. But you're still a worthless louse. Come on, Miauler, let's get out of
here."
"Yes, my lady."
Everything about your entire situation is no laughing matter! Except for where
it's ridiculous.
Jenna flounced out the door and was gone.
Livia slumped in relief. "That was a bit scary."
That cat-eared jerkwad Miauler was slender but muscular, and that
intimidating glare of his could certainly terrify. I couldn't blame Livia for getting
freaked out.
"Don't worry about it," I reassured her. "If they try anything, let me know. I'll
pound her into the ground."
"I'm not sure I want you to go that far, but I appreciate you worrying about
me." Livia smiled at me, and I averted my eyes.
Suddenly, panicked footsteps echoed as Daniel and Raymond rushed into the
room.
"Big trouble, Leon!"
"You have to see the classroom next door!"
***
The four of us ventured outside our classroom to find none other than Prince
Julius standing in the hallway, passing out flyers to a flock of girls. They had
come to peek in at our neighbor's preparations.
"If you have some free time during the festival, we would welcome your
patronage." Julius smiled, and the girls' cheeks flushed.
"Oh, of course!"
"We'll come! On the third day, I will absolutely be here!"
"Me, too! I promise I'll spend a lot of money!"
Have they all been brainwashed or what?
Prince Julius kept that refreshing smile plastered on his face as he advertised
for his group. "We look forward to seeing you here at Café Princess!"
Café What Now?!
"No way." Daniel's shoulders slumped. "They're doing a café, too? Right
beside us?"
Raymond glanced around. "Is the festival committee spiting Leon? I'm sure
some of their members lost money on his duel, but this is way too unfair."
When Prince Julius spotted us, he glided over with a meaningful grin.
What, does this jerk hate me, too? What a coincidence. The feeling was
mutual.
An excessively gorgeous young man, Prince Julius practically glowed—and
literally glowed, where his soft, navy-blue hair glimmered under the light. The
embodiment of the prince archetype, the perfect love interest, Prince Julius had
once been the former crown prince and Angie's fiancé.
But Prince Julius was also a moron who'd thrown Angie aside in favor of
another woman. In truth, the game had written him for neither Angie nor the
partner he'd chosen. By now, he should have been well on his way to courting
the game's protagonist, Livia. However, thanks to the meddling of that rotten
girl, Marie, everything had gone weird.
"Bartfort, I hear you're doing a café," said Prince Julius. "We're planning on
doing the same. You're welcome to visit. We'd be happy to serve you."
Was I welcome to wipe that smug look off his face?
Livia accepted one of the flyers from him, and her jaw dropped. "What…? A
tea and snack combo is a hundred dia?!"
Suddenly light-headed, she nearly collapsed, but I moved in to support her
just in time. I plucked the leaflet from her hands and scanned the page.
Talk about exorbitant prices. No, perhaps exploitative better described it.
Who demanded ten thousand dia for some cheap tea and a snack? To make
matters worse, a dozen add-ons further inflated the cost of every visit. In the
span of about twenty minutes, a single person could rack up a bill of twenty to
thirty thousand dia. I'd seen hostess clubs less shady than this.
Daniel and Raymond were equally flabbergasted.
Personally, I'd thought we'd be well in the black with ten or twenty dia per
single customer, but it seemed I'd forgotten: this school overflowed with
pampered nobles. A hefty portion of them were swimming in hereditary wealth,
which naturally skewed prices.
Prince Julius regarded Livia with confusion, tilting his head. "Is it too cheap?
Marie called these prices adequate, though. Personally, I'd like to earn a bit
more if we could."
This casually wild definition of "cheap" left Livia crushed. "These nobles
certainly are incredible, Leon. I would never have the courage to enter a pricey
café like this."
"You're absolutely correct—you should never go to a café like theirs," I
assured her with a nod. "Ignore him. Ignore all of them."
Livia had grown up in such a different environment than any of us had. It was
no easy feat to bridge such a gap. I couldn't blame her for thinking it
insurmountable.
Prince Julius turned sullen. "You're certainly acting laid-back about all of this.
But, Bartfort, I won't be losing to you this time."
With that, he spun on his heel to leave.
I followed after him, intent on collecting information on our opponents. Also,
what was he talking about, saying he wouldn't "lose" to me at the festival?
Amusing. Maybe he had some comedic potential, after all.
When we slipped into the classroom behind him, the prince jumped in shock.
"H-hey! Why are you following me?"
"You know," I said, "reconnaissance. That kind of thing."
"How shameless!"
"I'm just being honest. I wanna know what you guys are doing, so I'm taking a
look. Now let me have a peek, hmm?"
I pushed him aside, only to be met with an unbelievable sight. The first thing
to cross my mind was: The hell? Followed by: This is no café.
Originally, this had been an unused classroom, just like ours, but Prince Julius
and his gang had really glammed it up. Coffee tables surrounded by luxurious
sofas lined the dimly lit room. Toward the back, Chris Fia Arclight and Brad Fou
Field wore matching suits—black, with the top buttons left open, revealing
colored shirts beneath.
I couldn't help shrieking. "This is a freakin' host club!"
Chris, a solemn youth with blue hair and glasses, turned toward us. He fixed
me with a piercing glare. "Bartfort."
Brad swept his hand through his long, purple hair. "Trying to spy on the
enemy team? You're as underhanded as ever, I see."
Who are you calling underhanded?! What kind of cheater calls this setup a
café?
"Pot meets kettle again, you mean," I snapped. "This isn't fair."
Chris seemed pleased by my frustration. "Fair, hm? I never thought I'd hear
those words coming out of your mouth. I guess we had the right idea agreeing
to Marie's proposal. Seeing that vexed look on your face brings me great
pleasure."
So it was that wench again?! She really is a piece of work!
Prince Julius stepped forward, looking doubly smug. "As I said, we'll be
winning the festival. Don't run away just because you feel a little intimidated,
Bartfort."
What kind of idiot are you? We're not even doing the same thing anymore—
you can't call that a competition!
Livia tilted her head back and forth. "Um, is this really a café? It seems more
like a bar to me, given the atmosphere."
Brad strode over and lowered his face close to Livia's. "You got a complaint,
too, scholarship student? You better not bad talk Marie's proposal. Our menu is
entirely tea and hors d'oeuvres, not a hint of alcohol in sight—though we'll be
entertaining the customers, of course. You just don't understand the brilliance
of Marie's plan."
"Um, okay…but I still feel like this isn't quite right."
I inserted myself between them, making a shooing motion. "Don't touch her.
You'll infect her with your cooties. Off!"
Brad's brow wrinkled. "I really do hate to look at you."
Like two months ago you guys were the heirs of esteemed noble families.
Don't you feel even a little embarrassed? I mean, doing a host club at a school
festival? Really? Do you need your heads checked?
Meanwhile, coming in behind us, Daniel peered around the room with
genuine interest. When he glanced at the menu, his expression dropped. "A
hundred dia for ten minutes of service?"
Raymond shared his shock. "This is one insanely expensive café…"
Just then, I spotted the woman responsible for said insanity behind a curtain
on the other side of the room. She wore a dress that matched the boys' suits.
Kyle, her servant, stood beside her.
Is she planning to work as a hostess, too?
Marie Fou Lafan, youngest daughter of Viscount Lafan, had managed to
seduce multiple heirs to the kingdom's most prominent houses—including
Prince Julius. Like me, this profoundly wicked woman had reincarnated into the
game world, i.e., she wasn't part of the original cast. With a slender, petite
frame, blonde hair that extended in a flood of waves and curls all the way down
her back, and blue eyes, she was, at a glance, delicate and devilishly cute…I
guess? If you like them flat as a board.
Ugh. The mere sight of her just pissed me off. I think she reminds me of my
past life's little sister…
"Of course it's expensive," she said with exasperation as she came toward us.
"In case you hadn't noticed, our members are all heirs of highly distinguished
houses. Well, former heirs. But doesn't it make sense that you would be
required to pay an adequate fee to monopolize their attention?"
I clicked my tongue after getting a good look at the dress she was wearing.
"What are you, Café Princess's knock-off royalty? You're just a viscount's
youngest daughter, right? You're no—"
Marie's cheeks flamed. "I'm a princess at heart!"
Brad jumped in. "You will always be our princess, Marie!"
"Thank you, Brad," she said, then turned back to me. "You know, for a useless
background character, you certainly are rude."
"I'm just so pure I can't tell a lie." For example: I wanted to kick her legs out
from under her.
Marie flipped her long mane over her shoulder. "I'm looking forward to the
festival. I doubt you'll find many customers, so we may take pity and visit during
our breaks. Don't worry, we'll be sure to pay. We expect some decent tea in
exchange, though."
Ha! As if I would ever dream of serving subpar tea. I wouldn't be able to face
my master if I did.
That aside, I hadn't expected such a powerful adversary to go and make their
nest right beside us.