Chapter 6

The heroine arrives late. Or rather, it was originally the hero who arrives late. Even that, it seems, was a derivative of the saying "disasters strike when you've forgotten about them."

Anyway, the heroine, who was supposed to be the protagonist of the game, finally appeared before us after some time had passed since Edi's arrest.

"Um... Lord Shiraya, right? I've been watching you study in the library for a long time. I've admired you since then, thinking you're so great... Ah, I said it!"

The heroine, pressing her cheeks and wriggling her body in embarrassment, had come running into the library where Shiraya and I were doing self-study after his return to school, and suddenly spoke to us.

"You haven't been given permission to call my name. I find it unpleasant. Do not speak to me."

The way he dismissed her with such a refreshing sound, I nodded deeply. This is it, this is it. Edi had none of this refreshing quality. He was indecisive and fawning over girls. I feel embarrassed for ever having loved that man.

"Ah, but, if you don't mind, I wanted to ask for help with my studies... Yes, I don't care about the rumors that you're a bastard! I just want to be friends with you, Lord Shiraya!"

Stammering, the heroine defiantly delivered her lines. These were lines from the game, meant to win Shiraya's heart. But that was all it was.

"I do not want to be friends with a rude woman. I never thought I would be called a bastard to my face. Even in the worst of times, I was only spoken of in whispers. Are you out of your mind?"

She's not out of her mind; she's just stupid. No one would call a student duke a bastard now. He is the legitimate heir of the current Brook Duke family. His children will be the direct line.

The heroine's lines, in the game, were meant to comfort Shiraya when he said, "I'm a bastard..." and was feeling down. They were not meant to be said when I, his loving fiancée, was enjoying our time together.

"Why won't my affection level go up... I need to improve my academic performance..."

The heroine muttered, clearly flustered and desperate.

I was actually watching the heroine, worried that the game's mechanics would make her try to approach Shiraya. She seemed to have realized that Edi, who had been expelled from school, had no future and had given up on him early.

She had apparently gone to try to approach other male students and even the school doctor, but the game, a dating app, requires you to choose a route on the first day of transfer. Once she started on the Edi route, no events with other targets would occur, and even conversations wouldn't sync.

Life can change with the slightest variation. And life doesn't allow for a do-over. Unlike a game, you can't restart.

Even though the flow of the game was quite different after I broke my engagement with Edi, the heroine had no choice but to choose Edi. Either way, she wouldn't be able to achieve the happiness she desired.

In the game, I would be dumped at graduation, and Edi would use the connections he had made as a viscount to become a wealthy man... It was a vague ending, and it's unclear if he would actually become one.

Looking back, the game didn't detail the future much. Perhaps the original author couldn't imagine a future where a fiancée could be stolen and a happy life could be lived. If so, can it really be called a happy ending?

"Would you like to know where Edi is? You were such good friends, Miss Elly."

"I don't need to know! Not that guy! Besides, I know! He became a lifelong mine slave for causing a disturbance at the prince's school by being rude to the duke and his fiancée! Why did this happen! If you hadn't broken your engagement with Edi, everything would have gone well!"

The heroine, half-crying, shouted, but did she realize that she was doing the same thing as Edi, putting herself in danger? She's too stupid to realize it. How pitiful.

Shiraya was about to stand up in anger, but when a new person entered the library, both he and I straightened up and stood quietly. The other student users also stood up, as is proper for nobles.

"Hey, Shiraya and Miss Cynthia. Everyone, relax."

With the prince's permission, the students returned to their seats. Though they pretended not to care, all the consciousness in the library was directed at us.

"Prince Adelbert, I have been waiting for you..."

"Wow! It's really him! The art is great! As expected of the main character!"

In terms of etiquette, Shiraya should have been the first to respond, but the heroine stepped forward, interrupting his words and said excitedly.

"My name is Elly! From a baron's family! I'm a transfer student! Prince Adelbert is so wonderful!"

Perhaps because she had become accustomed to reading the prince's expressions, I felt a cold gaze mixed in with his outwardly pleasant smile. The prince had said that a woman like Elly, with a light head, was the best pawn for carrying out foolish acts, but now that he was getting along well with the Grimore Duke's daughter, she was unnecessary.

"The school is a place of learning before entering the social world with the family name. It's inevitable that there will be some rudeness. So I will forgive your rudeness. Go home and ask your parents what was wrong. If you understand, leave the room, will you?"

While the prince was saying this, I wanted to tell her to leave, but if I said anything to her, it would be taken badly and the situation would worsen. Besides, I had no obligation to do so. I remained silent.

"What... The engagement with the Grimore... Duke's daughter isn't going well, right! I want to heal you, Prince Adelbert! Unlike the Grimore Duke's daughter, I laugh a lot! Heal your heart with my smile!"

In the game, the prince had indeed said to the heroine, "For the first time, I feel like I've been given a real smile. Your smile is healing." But for the heroine to say, "Heal me with my smile," was an incredibly arrogant thing to say.

Moreover, getting a noble family's name wrong is unforgivable, whether you're a student or not. You're in trouble, heroine. It's not Grimore, it's Grimore. If you apologize and leave, you might still be okay.

"Stop making such ridiculous accusations. Esterlise and I love each other. Her smile is the highest treasure."

"No, the prince's route is also bugged! What is this, it's full of bugs! The management needs to do something! If it's full of bugs...!"

The heroine, having thought of something, turned back to Shiraya and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Maybe the yandere character Shiraya isn't yandere at all! I don't really understand, but he seems to have become a duke or something! Right, that's it! You also targeted Shiraya because he wasn't yandere! Then I'll target him too! If you could clear his route, it should be easy for me, the heroine! He looks even more handsome than in the game! I really like his type! I'll clear the Shiraya route!"

As I was thinking about how to bring her back to reality, Shiraya pulled me close.

"Stop saying nonsense! I am yandere! I intend to be yandere towards Cynthia! No one is more yandere than me!"

Come to think of it, I might have taught Shiraya something inappropriate. What did I say? I'm sure I didn't teach him the proper meaning.

"Huh!? You're yandere!? The yandere setting is the same!?"

The confused heroine turned to me, seeking an explanation, so I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, he is very yandere. I am loved to death. I am very happy."

"You're not crazy! You'll really die! Your taste is terrible!"

"You! Calling Cynthia stupid! Your numerous acts of disrespect towards us have exceeded the limit!"

"Ah, no, Shiraya is scary!"

The prince clapped his hands loudly as the heroine shrank back in fear of Shiraya's angry voice.

"Security, take her away. She is mentally unstable."

Even without the prince's command, they would have taken her away after all this commotion. But the one who rushed to take her away was, as expected, his personal guard. The prince, it seems, has very capable people.

"I never want to see her face again."

The prince's words, though spoken softly, echoed clearly in the library. With this, the heroine would not be able to return to the school. She would be sent to a convent, no doubt.

"Oh, maybe the security guard is handsome! I can go for the security guard route!"

As she was led out of the library, I heard her say this. Perhaps she would be able to live a relatively happy life wherever she went. Farewell, heroine. This time, it's really goodbye. Let's be happy in places where we don't interfere with each other.

...But I doubt she'll be able to target the security guard.

In the library, which had returned to its usual quiet, we began our regular self-study session.

In the end, Shiraya ended up helping both me and the prince with our studies, but his own grades did not suffer, and ours improved. As the prince's grades improved, the Grimore Duke's daughter's grades dropped, but the girl I had seen more often recently was often smiling. Since we are in different grades, I don't have the opportunity to talk to her now, but when I become a duchess, I will have more opportunities to talk to her. I would be happy to become friends. As a fellow villainess character... Of course, I can't tell her that.

The former Duke and Duchess of Brook were charged with sexual abuse in addition to the daily abuse of their third son, after it was discovered that Shiraya had been kept naked in confinement. Sexual abuse by parents is a more serious crime than simple abuse, and the former Duke had committed the grave crime of lying to the royal family. Their status as symbolic dukes was also a factor, and after a long trial, they were given a severe sentence.

After being paraded through the capital for three days, they were branded on the forehead and exiled from the country. Though they were not executed, it would be the same for them. Unless they were extremely lucky, they would not survive.

On the day the sentence was handed down, Shiraya went to the prison where the former duke and duchess were being held to confirm something. I went with him to support him. I was prepared to comfort him if the former duke and duchess said something cruel and he was hurt again, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

The former duke and duchess, who had tried to flatter and beg for forgiveness from Shiraya, were not the main reason. After looking at them for a while, Shiraya smiled happily, his cheeks tinged with pink.

"I'm glad. I no longer feel anything for you."

Shiraya, who looked happy, took my hand and escorted me out of the prison. The couple's cries for help continued, but Shiraya walked forward with a relieved smile.

From the time he was old enough to understand, Shiraya had wanted to be recognized, loved, and cherished by the couple. He didn't know if he had cut off those feelings, but he had come to confirm it. Now, there was no place for them in Shiraya's heart.

The eldest and second sons of the Brook family were not charged with the crime of abuse against their third brother. It is difficult to apply the crime of abuse between siblings. They can always claim it was just a fight.

Therefore, they were not given any official punishment, but they were kicked out of the house by Shiraya, who had become the current head of the family.

They apparently sought refuge with their mother's marquis family, but after living off Shiraya, they were truly useless. The marquis family, unable to entrust even simple tasks to the brothers, kicked them out as freeloaders. I don't know what happened to them after that, but I'm sure they didn't have a good life.

One day, in the garden of the Brook Duke's mansion, Shiraya was burning various things in a bonfire. When I asked what he was doing, he said he was burning things that had been taken from him by his brothers and things that only his brothers had been given.

When I asked if it was fun, he said, "It's very fun." So I joined in the fun of the bonfire. I asked a servant to bring some potatoes, and we enjoyed roasted potatoes. It was good. We should do it again.

In the game, at the graduation party, which is the ending, if the heroine had a major role, someone would definitely break their engagement here, but the party proceeded very peacefully, and everyone enjoyed it with smiles. The Grimore Duke's daughter, who was a year older and had already graduated, came to attend with the prince and happily danced with him. After that, we also started dancing. Dancing with Shiraya in matching outfits was a memory I would never forget.

After graduation, the days passed in a hurry, but we steadily progressed with what we needed to do and were able to have our wedding as planned.

After the vows and the kiss, Shiraya didn't let go for a long time. It was quite a long kiss, and when the guests started to look a little uncomfortable, he finally ended it.

"Finally... I could kiss you."

Hearing Shiraya's whispered words, I continued to giggle. The one who had been refusing to kiss was actually the one who had wanted to all along. He had done a good job holding out until today.

"From now on, we can do it every day. My yandere."

"Yes, I will always be yandere for Cynthia."

The yandere villain's son became my best husband today. And he will be for the rest of our future.

What do you think, the original author of the game?

This is what a real happy ending is!

Happy End