The Mob Noble Who Got Reincarnated in a World Where Men Are Naturally Protected—So I Trained Like Crazy to Protect Girls Instead, But Their Love Got Way Too Heavy - Chapter 07: The Standard Noble Boy

Chapter 07: The Standard Noble Boy

I was sulking, half-ignored by the entire class, when I heard a timid, “Um, e-excuse me,” and looked up.

“…Ah! Wiz!”

“Y-Yes! I’m your Wiz, Tect…!”

The one smiling at me was Wiz—the girl I’d shared a carriage with on the first day we arrived at the academy.

She had her bangs neatly pinned back with the hairpin I’d given her. Long black hair, big round eyes, a surprisingly nice figure—and that pure, classic beauty look, paired with a radiant blush and a bright smile, all directed at me.

…Wait. Did she just say your Wiz? …No, no, must’ve been my imagination. There’s no way she’d just drop a heavy word like that out of nowhere.

Either way, it was a happy reunion. I smiled back at her.

“When I checked the class roster, I was like, ‘Oh hey, Wiz is here!’ Sorry I didn’t talk to you sooner. Got caught up in all that nonsense earlier.”

“N-No, really, it’s fine! You were instantly surrounded by the whole class, Tect.”

“Hahaha, yeah. Then Narcis opened his mouth, and poof—everyone abandoned me.”

Forget a reign of three days—I barely lasted thirty seconds. My springtime of youth got cut down way too fast.

And then, in the tiniest little voice, Wiz murmured:

“…But, um, I’m just really happy I get to talk properly with you like this, Tect. If you were still surrounded, I don’t think I could’ve even approached you…”

“…True enough. Wiz, are you secretly a genius at positive thinking?”

“Eh!? N-No, I-I mean, that was just my honest thought, really!”

“Hahaha, no need to downplay it.”

Being able to talk with a friend—even just one—lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Nobody wants to start the school year as a loner.

Still, my eyes drifted past Wiz’s shoulder.

There, a crowd had already formed around Narcis.

Layer after layer of girls surrounded him, like he was the centerpiece of some grand ritual. And at the very center, Narcis basked in it, spouting whatever he pleased.

“You there—you’ve got a cute face. Come up front.”

“Ehe, y-yes! Thank you so much!”

“You, though—your looks are a bit lacking. Tell you what, I left my entrance assignment blank. Do it for me, will you?”

“Eh? Um, but… that’s something you should really—”

“Oh? In that case, I don’t need you around.”

“Eh!? W-Wait—!”

“Hey! Narcis said you’re not needed, so get lost already!”

“M-Me! I’ll do Narcis’s homework! Please let me do it!”

“Good. Then I’ll leave it to you. Come up front and get it.”

“Yes!”

On the very first day of school, Narcis was already treating the entire class of girls like his personal servants.

I-I mean, sure. A 1:30 gender ratio really was insane. But still—did it really have to turn into this?

“…So that’s… what a normal boy looks like, isn’t it…”

“Huh? Wiz?”

I glanced over and saw Wiz glaring at Narcis and his entourage with a look of pure disgust.

…Wait. That? That was what she considered a normal boy? Seriously?

“Eh!? Ah, Tect? D-Did I say something weird?”

“Nah. Anyway, orientation’s over. Wanna head out?”

“Y-Yes! Let’s go!”

I stood up, and together Wiz and I slipped out of the classroom, stepping into what felt like an early dismissal for lunch break.

Walking down the hall, I quickly realized—every class looked the same.

Each one had forty girls practically dancing attendance on a single boy. In the classes with two boys, the popularity was split between them, but the vibe wasn’t any different.

“…Hey, Wiz. Is this seriously how noble academies usually are?”

“That’s what I’ve heard… Especially with nobles, since their families put pressure on them to treat the academy like marriage hunting. It’s really intense… I’m from a viscount family, and even I get told to aim for a count’s house, which is basically impossible…”

“I see…”

Here I thought being a knight’s son was rough, but it looked like noble girls had their own share of burdens too.

As we walked, I gave Wiz a small smile.

“Man, I’m really glad you came up and talked to me, Wiz. If you hadn’t, I probably would’ve ended up spending my whole school life as a loner.”

Sure, the lady of my territory was in the same year, but she was in the upper noble class. No way I could just casually go hang out with her.

As I muttered that thought, Wiz suddenly went pale.

“…I-I’m also glad I worked up the courage to talk to you. A boy being all alone… that’s way too dangerous…”

“Eh? I mean, I don’t think it’s that big a deal…”

I tilted my head, confused, and Wiz whipped around to face me.

“No, it is a big deal, Tect! Boys are fragile, and they can get attacked at any moment! Even if you’re from a knight family and not considered marriage material, that doesn’t stop anyone from trying something if all they want is to attack you!”

What intensity.

So even from Wiz—who looked so delicate herself—boys were still considered fragile creatures.

Yep. Truly, this was a chastity-reversed world.

I gave a wry smile and nodded.

“Alright, I get it. Then maybe I should stick close to you whenever I can, Wiz?”

“…～～～! Y-Yes! P-P-P-Please, definitely do that!”

Wiz nodded so hard her whole head bobbed up and down like crazy.

Then she turned her face away and muttered under her breath, “That was huge, that was such a big play! Nice one, me!”

“Wiz?”

“Hyah! Ah, um, s-so, uh… Tect, what are you planning to do after this?”

When Wiz asked, I just nodded and answered.

“Oh, I’ve got something I want, so I was planning to head into the forest. Uh, here—the Orc Forest.”

At my words, Wiz’s eyes went wide.

“The Orc Forest!? Wait—you mean you were planning to go there alone!?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve got the gear for it.”

I said it casually, but Wiz started trembling all over as she pressed me.

“…Tect, has anyone ever called you reckless before?”

“Eh? Wait, how’d you know my nickname back home?”

During training, I was always the first to charge in on monster hunts. Early on, my sisters constantly called me “reckless” or “the wannabe suicide case.”

Hearing my reply, Wiz clutched her head like she couldn’t take it anymore.

“…Tect. I’m coming with you.”

“Huh? Nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I can handle this by myself—”

That’s when it happened.

Wiz grabbed both of my arms with her slender hands. And despite how delicate they looked, her grip locked down like an iron vise. I couldn’t move an inch.

Her face flushed red, eyes shimmering with tears, she shook as she insisted:

“I’m coming with you. Got it!?”

“…Alright. I’ll count on you, Wiz.”

Sure, I technically didn’t have a choice with my arms pinned down like that…

But the truth was, against a girl’s teary-eyed pleading gaze, I never really stood a chance anyway.