Reincarnated as a Mob in an Otome Game, but the Characters Were Worse Than I Expected, So I Crushed Them All and Destroyed the Story - Chapter 28: Mob Witnesses a Conflict

Chapter 28: Mob Witnesses a Conflict

“Everyone, take your seats. The bell’s about to ring.”

Just as I let out a sigh of relief after clearing up Alicia’s misunderstanding—

A young man walked into the classroom, holding a roster in his hands.

His sharp, narrow eyes immediately landed on me—narrowing even further.

“You’re Edward, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Well, damn.

I didn’t expect to run into him this soon.

But then again—

This was Class A.

It was only natural.

Brad Baker.

That was the name of the man now standing before me—

And the homeroom teacher of Freesia Academy’s 1-A.

As I stared up at the tall man looking down on me, his piercing gaze practically radiating authority—

I couldn’t help but smirk.

(Figures. Class A really is a nest… A nest of capture targets…!)

That’s right. Brad was one of the seven romanceable characters in MagiRom.

A teacher-student romance? Yeah, in real life, that’d be all sorts of problematic—

But in the world of forbidden love, those obstacles were nothing more than spice to enhance the drama.

Even just slapping the “forbidden romance” label on something would instantly boost its popularity—

But Brad?

He was more than that.

Cool. Handsome. And dangerously appealing.

A fan favorite, consistently ranking in the top three of every popularity poll.

(Now then… what kind of guy is he…? I still didn’t have enough information to make a judgment, but if he turned out to be garbage… I’d erase him without a trace.)

With that thought in mind, I met Brad’s gaze head-on—

And silently made my vow.

◇◆◇

“So yeah, starting today, Edward’s part of this class. Do as you like. That’s all.”

As the bell rang, I was forced to stand at the front of the class while Brad gave a very brief explanation to the students.

Not that I minded.

Honestly, I was just as clueless as everyone else about the details—so I was technically in the same boat as them.

“Wait a moment.”

“Hm? What is it, Alec?”

Prince Alec stood up, challenging Brad’s statement.

Despite speaking to royalty, Brad remained completely unfazed, addressing him in the same casual tone as before.

Was this… the power of a capture target?

Or just another case of plot armor?

Because if anyone else spoke like that to the prince, they’d probably be executed on the spot.

Then again, seeing the lone wolf, cool character groveling would feel wrong, so maybe this was for the best.

“Why is he being transferred into our Class A? Sure, there may not be a system that outright prevents commoners from rising up, but in this academy, that’s just not how things work.”

Alec’s voice was calm, but there was a clear undercurrent of anger in his expression.

Though, considering Jessica was also in this class—

He probably didn’t want to make it sound like he personally disliked commoners.

Instead, he framed his argument around the academy’s status system, rather than his own views.

…Still, if he really wanted to sell that neutrality, he should work on keeping a poker face.

Then again—

Maybe I was only noticing because I’d stared at the default game sprite of Alec so many times that even the slightest shift in expression stood out to me.

“A request came in from one of the great noble houses. The academy didn’t have much of a choice.”

“…A great noble house, you say?”

“Fufu… Is something the matter, Prince Alec?”

The one smirking, openly provoking Alec—was Charlotte.

Given that she was the second-highest-ranking noble in this class after the prince, I didn’t think she’d actually go out of her way to challenge him like this.

Then again, despite their engagement, their relationship was already ice-cold.

It wouldn’t be surprising if it fell apart completely at any moment.

“Hmph. Oh, that’s right—you lost to that commoner, didn’t you?”

Alec sneered, his gaze filled with contempt.

“As a noble… as a representative of the kingdom… You love looking down on others from your high horse, don’t you? And yet—how pathetic it must be, losing your place as Freesia’s top student so easily.”

His words were sharp. So sharp, in fact, that if he had said them to anyone else, they would have definitely left a lasting scar.

But I was panicking inside.

(Shit…! Insults are Charlotte’s favorite thing…! I need her to stay on bad terms with the prince—but if she suddenly starts getting attached to him, I’m screwed!)

The worst-case scenario flashed through my mind—

Protagonist + Capture Target + The Most Overpowered Villainess (Charlotte).

If that ever happened—

No matter what I did—

No matter how hard I struggled—

I’d have zero chance of flipping the situation.

[That prince gives off such a nasty vibe. I really don’t like him.]

(Huh? That’s surprising. You didn’t seem nearly as bothered when it was Charlotte.)

[It’s different. He feels… slimy. Like something rotten is lurking deep inside. Charlotte seemed arrogant and full of herself, sure, but she’s not fake. She might be a snob, but she doesn’t seem scheming or underhanded, you know?]

Yeah… that actually made sense.

Charlotte wasn’t the type to scheme behind the scenes.

If she didn’t like something—

She’d crush it.

No hesitation. No second thoughts.

Just raw power and overwhelming dominance.

It wasn’t just because she could—

It was also because she hated wasting time on things she found annoying.

She’d rather eliminate the problem immediately than let it linger.

…Not that it made her personality any better than a scheming noble’s, if I’m being honest.

(Wait—what am I doing? This is no time to be analyzing Charlotte’s personality! What is she—!?!?)

“Ara? If that’s how you feel, then I’ll accept your challenge anytime, Your Highness. The title of Freesia’s top student is far too prestigious for someone like me, a mere woman. If you believe you can defeat me, I’d be happy to hand it over.”

…Huh? I expected her to start panting and getting all excited from Alec’s insults—

But instead, her expression was… furious.

There was no trace of her usual… tendencies.

Instead—This was the Charlotte from the game.

The proud, unshakable noblewoman—who refused to be looked down on.

(W-Wait… Did she actually overcome her weird obsession…? Has Charlotte finally… evolved!?!?)

[You’re acting like this is some emotional breakthrough, but the implications of what you just said are disgusting.]

(You don’t get it, Lana! Look at her! She’s actually grown so much—!)

[You’re the one who broke her in the first place, you idiot!]

Charlotte’s transformation was completely unexpected—even for me.

So, really, this wasn’t my fault.

Who the hell could’ve predicted that putting cat ears on her and throwing in a little insult would awaken some insane side of her!?

She used to be the textbook arrogant villainess—

Someone who hated being looked down on, who refused to be disrespected.

And now?

Yeah. No one could’ve seen that coming.

“Hmph. The Maxwell family has really fallen, haven’t they? You can’t even show proper respect to the royal family.”

“Oh? I could say the exact same to you, Your Highness. A prince—born into the royal family, the very pinnacle of this kingdom—yet unable to best a disrespectful, arrogant woman like me? I think I might just cry.”

…Wait. Isn’t this getting a little too heated…?

I wanted them to stay on bad terms—

But I didn’t want to start a full-blown civil war between the royal family and House Maxwell!

Alicia and Jessica sat frozen behind them, completely unsure of what to do.

…But honestly, who could step in at this point—?

“Enough. Both of you.”

…P-Professor!?

I mean, I appreciate the authority, but—That was way too blunt, wasn’t it!?

“Maxwell. Regardless of your engagement, you will show proper respect to Prince Alec and the royal family.”

“Haa…”

“And you, Prince Alec. Stop provoking her unnecessarily.”

“…Hmph.”

Charlotte let out an exasperated sigh at the reprimand, while Alec simply scowled at her in silence.

The room technically calmed down… But the tension between them? Still very much there.

At the very least, though—we avoided the worst-case scenario.

I let out a quiet breath of relief.

(Well, whatever. The important thing is—I’ve now been thrown into the inner circle of the main characters. If I play my cards right, I can turn this into a huge opportunity…!)

Even as doubts lingered about my survival in this new class—

I began plotting for the future ahead.