Even Though the Gender Ratio Has Changed, My Attempts at Flirting With Women Are Unsuccessful

Chapter 4: I’ve Been Reincarnated as a Villain, but I Want to Get Along with My Childhood Friend!

We were at a café-like place for nobles.

Mainly, our moms were talking.

During their conversation, I got some new information.

The beautiful woman talking closely with Mom was named Ellie Keith.

And the cute white-haired girl was Tiana-chan.

The Nott family and the Keith family had been friends for a long time, and Mom and Ellie were childhood friends who were still close.

Also, both families were among the four great noble families of this country.

The four great noble families were those with power just below the royal family.

In other words, they were almost at the top, except for the royals.

When I found out Ark’s family was a duke, I thought, “That’s impressive,” but…

Hearing we were one of the four great noble families, I was shocked, like, “That’s super impressive!?”

Also, the people from the other two families seemed to have some deep connection in the original story.

But that original story… I still didn’t remember playing it.

I was sure I was reborn as a villain, though!

While thinking about this, I was happily eating cake.

“By the way, does Ark-kun have a fiancée or anything?” Ellie asked with interest.

“Well, the old Ark might’ve had no chance, but… the current Ark would probably get tons of marriage proposals, right?” Mom said.

…It seemed the original Ark had a pretty bad reputation.

Wait, I’m only ten, and we’re talking about fiancées?

In this world, people grow up fast, so maybe marriage happens early too?

And tons of marriage proposals…

Another thing I didn’t understand.

“Then, please consider our Tiana as a candidate,” Ellie said.

“!?”

Her bombshell statement almost made me choke on my cake.

I managed to wash it down with tea and calm down.

But Ellie smiled and continued.

“Tiana is very talented. She’s always at the top of her class in the elementary magic academy, and she’d keep you safe by your side. Plus, she’s so cute.”

“Tiana-chan is cute, isn’t she? Like an angel,” Mom added.

Sure, Tiana-chan was cute, but…

“Also, I’ve long thought it’d be nice to deepen our bond with the Nott family, not just as friends but as family,” Ellie said.

“That’s nice. Wonderful,” Mom agreed, nodding happily.

Wait, wait, was it okay to decide a fiancée candidate so casually!?

If I agreed, would Tiana-chan just become my fiancée like that?

This was moving way too fast…

I glanced at Tiana-chan.

“…”

She hadn’t spoken much since we got here.

At first, I thought she was just shy, but… maybe Ark did something bad to her in the past.

As the villain’s childhood friend, she’d be in the worst position to get hurt.

If I made the wrong choice here, Tiana-chan might end up on a villain route too.

At worst, she could face a tragic death…

“What does Ark think?” Mom asked me.

Well, what did I think…

“I think it’s too early for a fiancée…” I said, pausing and looking straight at Tiana-chan.

She trembled slightly under my gaze.

…Yeah, she didn’t like this talk, did she?

“And I think Tiana’s feelings matter most,” I said firmly.

Mom and Ellie both looked at me.

Tiana-chan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Tiana, it’s better to say what you want when you can,” I added.

I hoped she’d say she didn’t like this.

Being bad at speaking shouldn’t hold her back.

Plus, it might help me avoid my doom route!

“…You’re right, Ark-kun. I should prioritize my daughter’s feelings. Sorry, Tiana,” Ellie said.

“N-no… I’m okay, Mother…” Tiana replied.

Oh, Tiana-chan spoke.

Her voice was cute too…

The mood softened.

With that settled, I continued.

“By the way, Tiana, you can use magic, right?”

She blinked, a bit confused by the sudden question, then nodded.

“A little…” she said.

“But you’re top in the magic academy, right? That’s amazing! You’re a hard worker, Tiana!” I said.

Her white cheeks turned slightly red.

I remembered something else Ellie said.

“Tiana is very talented. She’s always at the top of her class in the elementary magic academy, and she’d keep you safe by your side. Plus, she’s so cute.”

Tiana-chan went to the elementary magic academy… so she was skilled at using magic!

For some reason, Mom wouldn’t hire me a tutor, but… Tiana-chan was a ray of hope.

“Would you teach me how to use magic?” I asked.

“Huh…?” she said.

“I want to learn magic to protect myself. Plus, practicing with you sounds fun!” I said.

Tiana-chan’s eyes widened, then she looked down.

Oh, did I get too excited?

“…Okay,” she said.

“Really? Thanks!” I cheered, as her ears turned red.

“Oh, Ark, thinking about magic training again…” Mom said.

“Isn’t that good? Even for a boy, self-training is never bad. Tiana agreed, and I think it’ll be good for her too,” Ellie said.

“Well… then, Ark, if you decide to do it, do it properly,” Mom said.