I Got Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble, and When I Tried to Create an All-Male Academy to Avoid a Bad Ending, for Some Reason the Gender Ratio Reversed? - Chapter 16.1

Chapter 16.1: The No-Romance School Rule

“You’re as noisy as ever.”

It was an extremely calm voice.

Even though the pitch was high like a child’s, the tone strangely carried a gentle and composed quality.

The owner of that mismatched yet somehow soothing voice was the academy principal.

—Pales Luma.

Even though I had barged in without knocking, she looked at me without the slightest sign of being rattled.

She seemed to be taking a break; a persimmon and tea were placed on her desk.

The choice of tea snack felt very old-fashioned, but since she looked like a child of about ten years old, the gap was still as huge as ever.

This was because the academy principal belonged to the elf race—an existence that couldn’t be judged by human standards of appearance. By the way, her age was unknown.

However, considering that she had been the principal ever since this academy was founded and looking at all the achievements she had left behind, she had to be at least over a hundred years old.

I immediately turned to that principal and pleaded.

“Help me.”

“Oh? Specifically?”

“An assassin is after me, so please hide me here for a while.”

When I honestly begged, her long, narrow eyes turned toward me.

The principal had taken care of me since I was little, and she even gave me New Year’s money during the holidays.

Although she looked like a child, she was like a grandmother to me.

That was why I figured a selfish request like this would probably work, but…

“Who is this assassin?”

“My fiancée, my classmate, and the saintess.”

The moment I said that, she gave me a look of utter disbelief.

“They’re all your women, aren’t they?”

“Absolutely not. Only Fran.”

“To begin with, what kind of situation has your fiancée chasing after you? Are you just being henpecked like always?”

“There are deep circumstances behind that.”

Then I explained.

I told her how I suddenly found myself being chased one after another like pulling potatoes from a vine.

“Sigh…”

After listening to the whole story, the principal let out a deep sigh.

“This academy has a no-romance rule. Do you understand that?”

“I do understand.”

“It really doesn’t look that way. In fact, a ton of complaints about you have been coming in. Especially from the upper-year boys.”

“…Is that so.”

I had thought it was possible, but it seemed I had accepted Fran’s skinship too much.

Of course—if the very person who proposed the no-romance rule was openly holding hands with a girl inside the academy, it was only natural that it would buy resentment from those around him.

“Right now we’re somehow keeping it under control, but if things continue like this, we’ll eventually reach the limit. The backlash is bigger than you imagine. So here’s my proposal…”

The principal let out another deep “fuu” sigh, then spoke while her narrow eyes glinted.

“How about we abolish the no-romance rule starting next month?”

The moment she murmured that.

—Bang bang. The sound of the door being pounded echoed.

That was definitely not a knock. It carried the force of someone ready to smash the door itself.

“Principal, I need to talk to you. Ol-sama is inside there, isn’t he?”

“Eh, why did I have to come all the way to the principal’s office too? I’m nervous and I don’t like this.”

“Ol-san, you’re not getting away anymore. You’re going to listen to my thoughts all the way through!”

The voices of three people resounded through the door.

It looked like they had finally caught up to me.

Even so, they seemed to hesitate to open the principal’s office door without permission, because there was no sign of them bursting in right away.

If the principal would just send them away like this, the matter would be settled.

That was how it was supposed to be, yet…

“It might be good to hear what all three of them have to say.”

Murmuring that, the principal finished her tea and used some kind of magic to open the door.

“Wha—”

This was bad. If things stayed like this, I would get caught.

Thinking that, I hurriedly tried to hide under the sofa. But it was already too late.

“Ol-sama. What exactly is going on here?”

My eyes met Fran’s as she stepped into the room.

She wore her usual calm smile, and in an instant my whole body froze.

Fear made it so I couldn’t move even a single finger.

“Now then.”

With the three of them entering the room, the place instantly became noisy.

As if taking control of that chaotic atmosphere, the principal began to direct the situation.

“Since you’re all here, let’s have the three of you listen as well. This is about the currently problematic no-romance school rule.”

For the time being, we sat down on the sofa.

By the way, Fran sat right next to me, and because she grabbed my thigh, I couldn’t run away.

Alenaria looked clearly unhappy that Fran was sitting beside me, while Lucina couldn’t hide her confusion.

In the middle of that chaotic situation, we listened to the principal’s words.

“The no-romance rule. This regulation was established to protect the women.”

“Yes. It was based on Ol-sama’s noble idea.”

Fran nodded.

“However, right now that rule is facing backlash from many directions.”

“Backlash?”

“Every single day, complaints come in from the upper-year boys. Mostly from the noble young masters.”

“Isn’t that what we expected from the beginning?”

Fran said.

“Yes. We did predict there would be backlash. We’ve taken measures against the nobles.”

“Then—”

“What’s really the problem isn’t that. Honestly, if it were only the boys, we could have suppressed it as much as needed. But lately, voices questioning the no-romance rule have started coming from the girls as well.”

“From the girls?”

“Mainly from the first-year girls.”

Fran’s eyes widened in surprise at that statement.

To be honest, I was surprised too. I had thought those girls would be the ones supporting the no-romance rule.

“Why—”

The principal spoke to the bewildered Fran.

“Fran, it’s your fault. You got too carried away just because you’re his fiancée. From your classmates’ perspective, they’re forbidden from romance, yet right in front of them they have to watch you and him getting all lovey-dovey. Of course they can’t stand it.”

“That’s true. Sometimes it really gets on my nerves.”

Lucina agreed with the principal’s words.

“Eh?”

“I won’t let you say you had no idea. Orufusen, for better or worse, you stand out way too much.”

I wanted to deny it immediately, but unfortunately I didn’t have any words of denial.

Because I had plenty of things I was guilty of.

“That’s how it is. So let me propose once again…”

The principal stated calmly.

“How about we abolish the no-romance rule?”

“That would…”