Chapter 49

Since that incident, Louie had been absent from class. We were told that he was down with fever. That was no surprise. To experience something like that, anyone would get a trauma. I had memories of my past life, so compared to Louie, I was already an old man(?)1, but even with my greater tolerance, I still received a big shock.

Opposite to Louie, I needed to have somebody with me. Thus, being inside the class full of people made me feel at ease. Al and the others stopped me, but I went to class from the next day.

The problem was during the nights; I became so scared that I couldn’t sleep alone anymore. For me who turned like that, everyday Al would hold my hand until I finally fell asleep. He must’ve been busy, yet he still held my hand until I was asleep, every night.

Since the incident, a week passed and I eventually calmed down. I could fall asleep without holding Al’s hand anymore. It only made me feel lonely without it. I wouldn’t actually tell that to him though.

I finally managed to visit Jil, Trois and Arlo, so I decided to visit Louie next.

Al was busy so he couldn’t make it; Jade and Zernite accompanied me (there were also a lot of knights following us). Actually, I already told them that I could go by myself, but no one listened to me.

Louie’s house was located a street away from the main road. I was told his family was a textile wholesaler; the first floor was the store, while the second floor was their house. The store appeared to be bigger than I had thought, however… The building had really aged.

“Uwah, Fania, you’re the son of a Duke, aren’t you? Why are you coming to the house of a commoner?”

“Eh? I’ve come all the way here to visit you, don’t chase me away.”

When Louie first saw me, he had a drained face.

”

”

It would be bad to suddenly stop by his house, so I properly contacted his house beforehand. However, from the perspective of his family, to have so many high nobles coming to their house, undoubtedly that had stirred a panic among them.

In front of the entrance, the family members along with their servants all bowed down their heads in waiting. I felt so bad to make them being so considerate like this.

“Well, it’s like this already, so just come in.” Only Louie maintained his usual attitude, probably he was used to being tossed around in Class 1.

His parents’ faces were pale as they responded with, “Please, come to the reception room—“ but Louie acted as if he didn’t hear it and guided us to his room instead.

The room area was around 6-tatami-mats2; from the sense of this world, this is too small a room. But maybe my previous life’s memory still stuck with me, I tend to approximate room area by tatami-mats. Anyhow, the room really felt like a boy’s room, it was to my liking. At a corner of the room, a worn jacket was lying down on the floor; yup, this was how it should be.

There was no table set in the room, so Jade, Zernite and I sat on Louie’s bed. Louie was sitting on a cushion on the floor near us.

“Hey, we’re here to visit the sick, but isn’t this wrong for us to monopolize the sick’s bed?”

“Ha~, how can I possibly let the nobles sit on the floor.”

“No, well, that may be true, but…”

Louie looked like he was healthy again, no signs of fever anymore. Although he’s not exactly bed-ridden, I still thought there was something wrong with the current arrangement.

“Ah, actually I, I already decided to quit from the academy.”

“EHH!” I yelped out without thinking when I heard Louie said that so casually.

“Eh, you must be lying. Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious. I won’t be coming to the academy anymore.”

Louie seemed determined about it; his face was lucid.

“Wait, wait! Eh, Ehhhh, WHYYY? Ah, no-no, but there was that incident, I understand if you wanted to quit after that. I understand, but… But, but, the MC. You’re the MC! Louis is the MC. If Louie is gone, what will happen to the BL game then?!” I was thrown into panic.

How could I not. The BL game was supposed to unfold in the academy. WIthout the MC, there would be no game in the first place.

“Wh-what’s wrong Fania? I don’t understand a thing of what you’re talking about.” Louie was taken aback by my sudden outburst.

“But, but, how can Louie just suddenly quit the academy… Why? how come? Just what’ll happen to the game. Is this ending even acceptable, eh? …Could it be, while I don’t know, the game actually had advanced. Hey, hey Louie, this might be abrupt, but who is the one that you like?” I subconsciously got off the bed, and approached Louie.

“Uweh! WH-what is it out of the blue? To suddenly enter a love talk, that’s too crazy.” Louie who sat on the floor shrank away from me who had a menacing air around me.

“Louie, you mentioned that you worked hard in order to enroll in the academy, is it okay to quit just like this?” Zernite who stayed quiet all this while pulled me who was approaching Louie back onto the bed.

I was pulled back onto the bed so easily, I didn’t feel nice about that at all. When I become as big as you, I’ll also be able to do that to you so easily, you know.

“Hurmm, I don’t have to do it anymore, or should I say I was exposed…” Louie mumbled as his face flushed red.

This felt different. Louie who usually was valiant, seemed cute.

“Excuse me.” Along with a knock, a young man entered the room while holding a small table.

After the man placed the table in front of us, he received a tray from a servant who followed in his wake, and set some snacks and tea on the table. The servants went away after it was done, while the man bowed his head to us.

“I am Louie’s older brother, Ron Isis. Thank you for all your help regarding my little brother.”

His reddish-brown brown was shortly trimmed, and he had a nice figure, quite good-looking. He should be in late 20s? His age seemed quite apart from Louie.

“No problem, it was us who had been bothering Louie.” Jade gave a greeting on behalf of us. This time, Jade acted as a proxy for Alfred.

Louie was a victim getting involved in a scandal that occurred in the academy, but the perpetrator was a noble—a high noble at that. So the incident couldn’t be known to outsiders. Nevertheless, the academy tried to disclose any information they could to Louie on account that he was the victim. Perhaps, Louie knew even more than me about the inside information regarding the incident. Louie’s family seemed satisfied with how sincere the academy was towards them.

“Louie’s brother, is Louie really quitting the academy?” I was still befuddled.

I knew that BL game would eventually end. But it never occurred to me that it would end this way.

“Yes. I can’t let him do any reckless thing again.”

With a gentle face, Louie’s brother looked at Louie next to him. Louie ducked his head down and shifted his gaze away.

Eh, what is this air around them? This feels like the older brother is saying ‘You can’t do that, okay’ and Louie responds ‘I know’… And look at that, they’re too close. The older brother is simply sitting down next to Louie on the floor. But is it normal for brothers to sit stuck to each other like that? And, why is it that the older brother is sitting, yet his arm is around Louie’s waist?

I had a few question marks on my head at this moment.

“Ah, brother, you’re so close.”

“Is that so?”

Even the conversation between the brothers sounded tender.

“You see, after that incident, the academy explained a lot to me and my family. During the explanation, they heard about the bodyguard who went to call for reinforcements, and my brother retorted, how could I, a commoner, have a bodyguard by my side. With that, the whole matter was exposed.” Louie scratched his head as he talked.

“I would’ve never imagined that the reason he wanted to enter the academy was for the sake of our family, I feel so sorry for Louie, and I feel pathetic for my lack of gut.”

“No! There’s no way you’re gutless. I only did that on my own judgement.”

While the brothers were arguing, we who were watching on the sidelines even felt shy, it was difficult to endure staying there anymore… This looks like they’re flirting, but they’re brothers, aren’t they?

*ting* The lid of my memory opened. And then, the part of the BL game that I couldn’t remember freshly appeared in my mind.

“Ah! The secret capture target!! That’s right, that’s it. Why couldn’t I remember this all along? Ron Isis. The MC’s brother, unrelated by blood. When advancing the game without raising any favorability of all the capture targets, the secret capture target would finally appear!” I shouted that out loud while pointing a finger to the older brother.

I finally remembered the secret capture target that I had forgotten until now.

“Eh~ Louie, so you like your older brother? And now you get your feelings requited? EH, is that for real?”

“WH-what are you-” Louie stopped his speech, his mouth opened and closed repeatedly.

His face that was already deep red was as if affirming my doubts.

“Hey, what the heck are you talking about?” Zernite and Jade were looking at me, perplexed.

“It must be that, I guess when he revealed that he was enrolling in the academy for the family’s sake, he slipped his mouth by saying, rather than the family, it was for his older brother. Then, the older brother responded by saying ‘Louie, I also—”

“UWAAHHH, STOPPP!!”

I was nodding by myself, fully convinced of the situation when suddenly Louie pounced on me. He roughly covered my mouth. Hahaha, Louie, did you forget? I’m a son of a Duke, a high noble. To suddenly commit an outrage towards me, you’ve become so friendly.

“I see, so you like your older brother.”

“I told you, don’t say it!” Louie who was tinted crimson, was still pouncing on me.

As for the surrounding people, they rudely said that we looked like a pair of a pomeranian dog and a chihuahua dog frolicking when they warmly watched over us. They could’ve stopped us instead.

Once the secret capture target—the older brother unrelated by blood, Ron Isis—was revealed, the fujoshis who were playing the game flew into an outrage. They complained: ‘Dumping the prince, then dumping the noble sons, why did the MC get tied to a commoner instead? Isn’t the story about the MC catching a rich guy and then the happy-ever-after? If the older brother is chosen, how could they live a good life? They have to struggle to make the declining family business strive.’

But personally, I think this was the happiest route. To be together with someone you like and live with beloved parents. Although life might not be as easy, wouldn’t Louie be able to live as he likes this way?

“A message from Alfred-sama: Good work for fulfilling your role until now. And then, I also was given this from him, for you.” Jade handed Ron, the older brother, something that looked like a letter.

“Th-this…” Ron’s hand that was holding the letter trembled.

“A recommendation letter from His Highness. He is saying that for the dress that Princess Consort Jane would be wearing during the next evening ball, the fabric could be selected from the ones in Isis Tradings.”

Although the downtown was located inside the royal capital. it was practically impossible for something originating from here to be worn by the Princess Consort. It was a sheer luck that something like this fell upon their business.

It was a chance to be a purveyor to the Royal Household and develop into a royal brand. The recommendation from Alfred was only valid for once. It was up to their own capabilities to retain the relationship.

“Thank you very much.” Louie and his older brother, Ron, bowed their heads low as they watched us leave their house.

There would be little chance for me to see Louie again now he had quit the academy, but I was sure he would lead a happy life with his beloved brother.

After all, it’s a must for the MC of a BL game to have a happy ending! I genuinely had that thought.