I’m Not Even an Otome Game Mob Character - Chapter 33

Spring is here.

The Pieris flowers that have been livening up the promenades will leave soon. The Tulips will probably continue decorating flower beds with their colors until next month.

I wonder what dad will plant next for those flower beds. I do enjoy myself while helping him with work by guessing which flower he’ll plant next even if I get it wrong.

What to do with my practice garden? Right now the Dandelions and Violets make it easier for Flora and Ojou to play, but soon it’ll be the Bugleherbs’ season. They’re getting taller, so maybe I should leave some flowers to form some kind of maze for them to walk through. There are a lot of red and yellow flowers that stand out during spring, but there’s also unexpectedly a lot of blue flowers.

Life hasn’t changed that much for me ever since Ojou and Leo got engaged. If anything, I didn’t have to be her substitute dance partner anymore, so I had more time to focus on gardening. I was happy about that.

But I couldn’t really be happy about it…

When Ojou told me she no longer needed me to dance with her, I was happy that I didn’t have to do dance practice anymore but I couldn’t really be happy.

This was the world of an otome game my little sister used to play, Your Star. I was expecting Ojou to get engaged in the future. I thought it was probably gonna happen. And I also thought there was a big chance she’d fall in love with Leo – the personification of her ideal prince.

I was prepared to congratulate her if she did.

But she told me she didn’t love Leo romantically.

I hadn’t prepared any words for if she got engaged with someone she didn’t love. I saw her face packed with so much determination and knew that I couldn’t interfere. Not knowing what to say, in the end I could only praise her. She’s even cooler than me.

And I’m even less resolved than I thought I was. Pathetic.

I was the apprentice gardener of the Ernst house. I could only support Ojou and watch over her in whichever path she takes. I wasn’t even resolved to do that much, even though I’m not even a mob.

I clench my gloved fist.

It’s exactly because I can’t give her strength that I have to at least make a garden she’ll be happy with.

I continue my work motivated.

“Waa, cute!”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much! Just as I’ve heard from big brother Roy, the Ernst house’s garden is very wonderful!”

“I don’t lie.”

“I know-. Ah, a lady… bug…”

I heard a merry voice and saw two people with bright golden hair with one person who had pale blonde hair which was kinder to my eyes. They made their way to the flower bed where tulips swayed under the warm sun.

The girl whose hair was the longest and reflected the most light followed a ladybug with her eyes leading to me. When she saw me, her expression hardened. Why was she reacting as if she’d just seen something ugly? I hope she’s not just pretending to act all cute.

“Zac.”

“Hello, Zac. Tending the flowers?”

“Yeah.”

I bowed my head at the same time my dad said his greetings.

“Philine-sama, these are the gardeners of this house.”

Ojou doesn’t know that it’s not our first time meeting each other so she introduces us. Erna pinches the hems of her skirt and does a curtsy.

“I am the third princess, Philine Erna Von Rozenhein. I am very happy to see such a wonderful garden. Thank you very much.”

She conveys her gratitude, mainly to my dad. While dad says it’s an honor I go to Ojou and apologize.

“Sorry. I didn’t finish tending the garden in time.”

She told me beforehand that there would be guests coming over. I should’ve finished before they came.

“No, we were just early. I don’t mind.”

“It’s our fault. Sorry. Phil was so excited…”

“I-I mean…”

Leo says, stifling his laughter. Erna’s cheeks dyed red with embarrassment as she hesitated to reply. Seeing that, Ojou’s eyes narrow charmingly.

“I am happy you were looking forward to this so much.”

“…! I-I-I mean, it’s the first time I’ve gotten permission to leave the castle…”

Ojou continues to smile as Erna fumbles up an excuse.

“She used my precedent.”

“Precedent?”

“Phil is seven years old now.”

When Leo turned seven, he used his birthday party as a debut. His little brother and little sister, Erna, seemed to be able to use that for their pre-debuts. So once they showed themselves in public, they were able to get permission to leave the castle.

“Ah, gardening apprentice, what’s that flower called!?”

“Hey…”

Erna suddenly changes the subject, pulls my hand and takes me aside as if she couldn’t bear it anymore. I’m taken to the side of the promenade where Pieris flowers bloom.

“What the heck is your problem?”

“Hey! What’s that!? What is that!?”

“Ha?”

She asks me right to my face and I tilt my head. I’m sure she’s not talking about a flower so what the heck is she so excited about? The only thing I get is that she didn’t want to show this to Leo and the others, which is why she took me away.

I guess her habit of talking about things that make her excited hasn’t changed since the previous world. No, I guess that’s just women in general. When I went to school, girls in class would often scream together with their friends.

“Lady Lydia is soooo cute!! Is she a fairy!?”

“Ah. Is that it?”

I understand why she’s excited now. In her last life my little sister seemed like she wanted to rush at Ojou whenever she saw her. I never thought she’d rush at me instead. Well, this is better for Ojou.

“Of course Ojou is cute. She’s a beautiful girl.”

“Yeah, but no! I thought she’d be more tsuntsun, but she’s cute on the inside too!”
(TN: tsun as in tsundere, i.e. mean and prickly)

Erna emphasized her point, but it was so normal to me that I had no idea what she meant.

“You still react to Ojou despite being quite beautiful yourself.”

“Other people are different. Come to think of it, Taichi… I mean Isaac, isn’t something different about you…?”

“You think?”

I reflected on my previous life and decided not to be so stubborn this time. Aside from that, I didn’t really change anything, so I don’t know what she meant.

“Anyway, you’re too close so get off me already.”

Actually having a bright and beautiful girl in my face hurts my eyes. Especially if her hair is golden.

“You’re not different after all!”

Erna takes back her words right away and pouts at me, saying I’m rude as ever.

She’s so excited that she clenches her hands on mine. But I’m wearing gloves, and she’s not really strong so it doesn’t hurt.

Then another white hand joins ours.

“…Philine-sama, there is dirt on your hands.”

Ojou says as she softly takes Erna’s hands off of mine and wipes the dirt off of them with her handkerchief. I breathe a sigh of relief from her help.

“Th-Thank you very much.”

Erna blushes and thanks her, to which Ojou smiles. She can’t hold back anymore after seeing that and hugs Ojou.

“Please be my onee-sama!”

“Huh…!?”

“Oi, Erna! Stop sexually harrassing Ojou!”

“Phil, your big sisters will be sad to hear that you know?”

“Leo, that’s not the problem here!”

“I love my big sisters, but they’re already married off to other countries and I barely get to see them anymore. Besides, I’ve always wanted a big sister who was close to my age.”

“Eh, um…??”

“Please? Please? Isn’t it fine? Lydia-sama?”

“Er…”

Ojou’s eyes are spinning. She can’t quite swallow the situation she’s in yet. Because he’s so sweet to his little sister, Leo is just watching things happen instead of helping Ojou.

I sigh and grab Erna by the scruff of her neck, taking her off her.

“Don’t trouble Ojou with your selfishness.”

“Isaac you cheapskate-”

Erna pouted. Should she really be acting so unprincess-like in front of Ojou? Well, it’s not like she acts like it one front of me, either. Big bro Matteus, the bodyguard pales watching us so I put Erna down as soon as possible.

Erna is mad and Ojou doesn’t know what to do. She speaks.

“Um… it is my honor to be admired by one such as yourself, Philine-sama. I do not hate it.”

“Then call me Phil. Onee-sama!”

“P-Phil-sama…?”

“Just like that, onee-sama.”

Erna hugs Ojou with a smile on all of her face. She’s become completely attached. And she’s also overbearing in how she approaches her.

“She’s forced herself in.”

“Phil has always been good at getting others to pamper her.”

I’m in shock and Leo is bragging about his little sister’s good points. Well, Ojou is afraid of strangers so maybe an overbearing approach was better.

“So then, Phil-sama…”

“Yes, what is it? Onee-sama.”

For some reason Ojou sounded sad as she asked.

“You’re quite upfront with Zac – our gardening apprentice, aren’t you…?”

Erna’s broadly grinning face stiffened with a snap. It stiffened some more and she doubled down with an urgent look.

“Not at all, onee-sama! My ideal is smart and cool people like Roy onii-sama! Isaac is out of the question, he’s not even in my sight!!”

“But…”

“Don’t just stand there, help me explain!”

“Hm. Explain what?”

“She’s getting suspicious of our relationship! Notice already you dummy!!”

“Haa!?”

How did Ojou get that idea? She just called me a dummy. Leo thought the same thing. Do nobles interpret everything romantically? Do they think the way we act to each other is sweet? We were just talking casually.

I really hate it when people doubt my relationship with my previous little sister. Was that why Erna was so panicky? After understanding the situation, I deny it with all I have.

“Ojou, there’s no way! I just met her when she was lost so we kinda know each other a little bit!”

“But I’ve never seen Zac so familiar with another girl before…”

“I mean…”

Would it work if I said we were blood relatives in our previous lives? Even if they did believe that, we’re still strangers in this life. How can I get them to believe that we really are just strangers even though we don’t act like it?

“Phil-sama is also very cute…”

“Erna is cute, but for me you’re way cuter!!”

“…Wha-!?”

“Erna’s eyes are blue like jewels, but I like yours better because they’re blue like flower petals. And-”

“I-I-I understand, so close your mouth already!”

I argued to stop her from misunderstanding and before I knew it Ojou got red in the face and scolded me.

“You won’t doubt us anymore…?”

If she still misunderstands then I can only be sad about it. I stared at her worriedly until she nod her head up and down.

“I won’t do it again…”

“What a relief…”

My face loosened with her reassurance.

I feel bad about making her mad enough to turn red, but that was a matter of life and death. I’m really glad.

“…Roy onii-sama?”

“What is it Phil?”

“Onee-sama is Roy onii-sama’s fiancee, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is this okay?”

“I’m really glad they’re getting along.”

Leo smiled broadly and Erna sighed. I didn’t hear what they said.

For some reason, I feel like Erna will start calling me a dummy in a different sense from now on.

 

Anyway, after Ojou stops misunderstanding, I spend the rest of that time cheerfully. Then after a few days, Ojou visited me with different guests in tow. A girl reserving herself behind Ojou who looked to be about her age and wore a maid dress like Katherine-san. Her straight black hair was arranged neatly and reached just under her shoulders.

“…We are inside the mansion.”

“Even so, at least one person must accompany you at all times.”

Ojou’s shoulders dropped as she spoke. The maid replied clearly, kind of like my master, the butler Heins-san. But this girl spoke more assertively.

“Ojou, who is this?”

“Zac, this is…”

“How rude of you, servant!”

Before Ojou could finish introducing herself, the girl reacted like a cat whose fur was bristling. She pulled out a metal cross-shaped thing from her sleeve and thrusted it towards me. It looked like she was aiming for my throat. I dodged.

“Aah, the bodyguard. It’s dangerous to be packing a stiletto in there.”

Her dagger was shaped like a cross – even shorter than the ones I know. I guess it must’ve been made to fit into her sleeves.

“Wha – to be dodged by the likes of a gardener…!”

“That doesn’t matter. Look behind you.”

I lightly pointed behind her back, and though irritated she turned around.

“What’s behind – me…”

When she turned around, Ojou’s face was deathly pale. She looked like she’d stopped breathing and couldn’t even scream. The girl looked at her and stiffened, realizing she’d done something wrong.

Ojou is not used to violence. When Nico and I hit the mitts, it’s more like sports. I don’t want her to get used to it either, and neither do I want to get used to it myself.

“If you’re a bodyguard, don’t frighten Ojou.”

“Ugu…”

I guess she didn’t wanna take that from me. The girl grimaced. I obviously dodged, so Ojou’s face warped into anger and her lips opened back up.

“Emilia… in any case, he’s one of our people. Can you not differentiate between my enemies and allies?”

“B-But, this man was rude to-”

“Emilia.”

“…I have no excuse.”

It was the first time I saw Ojou scold someone other than me. The girl, Emilia, must’ve been frustrated as she apologized.

“Don’t apologize to me. Do it to-”

“It’s okay, Ojou. This is because of how I talk to you.”

“How dare you still speak that way to…!”

“Emilia.”

Ojou glared at her and Emilia shut her mouth. Emilia’s eyes are sharper, but Ojou can be scary when she’s mad.

Anyway, it’s as Emilia said. The way I act around her ignores our differences in status.

“Hm… I can’t be a bad example if someone younger than me is gonna work here. I’ll change my…”

“No!”

“”Eh?””

Surprised by the sudden scream, Emilia and I looked at Ojou. It looked like she did it on reflex. She blocked her mouth with her hands instantly, but you can’t take words back.

Ojou’s eyebrows dropped and she muttered, little by little, with a blush.

“I… don’t want Zac to start acting… formal, now…”

Ojou seemed to get smaller with every word she spoke. Emilia was confused and looked like she wanted to groan, but after some time she let out a long sigh.

“Understood. I will overlook him.”

Ojou smiled broadly. She must’ve been really happy that Emilia understood her. Emilia looked troubled, like she didn’t know how to react.

Since it looked like they’ve settled down, I try greeting her.

“I’m the gardening apprentice, Isaac Baumgartner.”

I extended my hand to greet her, but she glared at me and looked away.

“…Emilia Von Pechstein. Please don’t get carried away just because Lydia-sama has her eyes on you.”

I kinda felt a lot of hostility from her, but she felt like a cat so I didn’t mind it and smiled.

“Yeah. Nice to meet you, Chairwoman.”

“Ha!? Don’t call me that!”

I just called her as I saw her, but she nitpicked.

“Ehhh. But you kinda feel like a chairwoman on a public morals committee.”

“Of course I value things like public morals and proper decorum. Why must you go out of your way to call me a chairwoman because of that!?”

“But you’re like a chairwoman.”

“Like I said-!!”

Chairwoman gritted her teeth at me and Ojou scolded us both, telling us not to fight. Why scold me too? I was just talking to her normally. I don’t get it.

Inside I was relieved that the duke kept his promise and gave Ojou a bodyguard. Now there’ll be less chances of her getting in danger.

 

A few more days later, Ojou came with someone who seemed like another bodyguard. Also with Nico.

I was curious because she looked like she was already tired. What happened?

“Zac-, I’ve been wanting to see you.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

Nico clings to me once he sees me. I know he’s just excited to hit the bags so I let him do as he pleases.

The bodyguard looks at me, opening and closing his mouth. I call Ojou, who looks like she’s a bit angry.

“Ojou, you okay?”

“I-I’m not jealous!”

“? No, that’s not what I meant.”

Her reply was off the mark. I guess Nico must’ve said something to her before he arrived and started teasing me. But that’s not what I’m worried about.

It was a bit hard to move so I tell Nico to wait a second and peel him off of me. Then I head to the flower bed I’ve been working on. I choose some select flowers, pick them and give them to Ojou in a bundle.

“Here.”

“These are… chamomiles?”

Ojou must’ve realized it from how they smell like tea. It’s an herb that’s known for having healing effects, so it’s used in tea and potpourri.
(TN: Wikipedia: Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant materials, used to provide a gentle natural scent, commonly in residential settings.)

“Yeah. I was pruning them just now. Oh, but I picked these carefully!”

“Fufu. I won’t be able to help if Dennis scolds you.”

“Ah…”

I didn’t think that far ahead. Right now, Ojou looks better so I guess it’s fine. I’ll eat dad’s knuckle sandwich later.

“Hey, you! Do you swing for both teams!? Get your evil clutches off of Lydia-sama…!!”
(TN: He’s accusing him of being a homosexual. The term used here is double-sword fencer ??, but I don’t think many people are familiar with that term)

The boy suddenly pointed at me and shouted. It seemed like there were a lot of energetic people in Ojou’s bodyguards. Does he even know what he’s saying? He kinda reminded me of Johan.

“He’s been barking at me like this since a while ago.”

Nico says, throwing his arm around my neck. I think he should stop making fun of people while doing that though.

“Swing for both teams…?”

“Ojou, you don’t need to remember that. Don’t worry about it.”

Ojou tilted her head at the boy’s words. I warned her that there’s no use in learning what they mean.

It looked like he was misunderstanding Nico’s Onee roleplay, so I greet and correct him at the same time.

“I’m the gardening apprentice, Isaac Baumgartner. Nico is just a friend.”

I extend my hand and he slaps it.

“I’m Jorg Von Kollwitz. As Lydia-sama’s knight, your evil ways will-!?”
(TN: Pronounced something like Yerg.)

His head of light-brown hair got smacked by someone’s palm. Nico’s.

“…Nico.”

“But you see, this damn brat is being rude to my Zac.”

It’s not my fault, he says while clinging to my neck. I’m happy he’s passionate about our friendship, but that had to hurt. Nico has a habit of hitting the mitts after all. Also, your true personality is leaking, Nico.

Jorg clutches the part of his head that got hit with both of his hands and bites his lip. Looked like it did hurt.

“What was that you transvestite!?”

“It’s Onee. I won’t forgive you if you bare your teeth at Zac again.”

“I’m just trying to protect Lydia-sama!”

Nico and Jorg glare at each other. Ojou and I had no idea what to do.

I now know why she seemed tired. Nico must’ve been provoking him since before they arrived, and Jorg must’ve been pulled along like an honest idiot. Well, Jorg is a bit hard to say. Might make my tongue trip.

“Lady Dia, please train your dog over here!”

“M-Me?”

Nico suddenly shifts to her. Ojou is confused.

“Yes. Look, try throwing this over there and telling him to fetch it.”

Right around there, Nico says as he tells Ojou to throw a branch that had fallen to the ground.

“Nico, are you really gonna treat him like a dog…?”

“F-Feeeetch.”

Ojou throws the branch, still lost, and it lands a few steps ahead of her.

“Pfft.”

I’d forgotten that Ojou had no power in her body. That was so sudden I almost laughed.

I put my fist over my mouth, but Ojou’s cheeks already reddened from embarrassment and glared at me, telling me not to laugh.

“Sorry… Ojou’s just so cute, I…”

I guess I shouldn’t have apologized without completely stopping my laughter first. Ojou’s so mad that she’s getting even redder now.

“~~!!”

“Here you go.”

Ojou raised her weak fist in anger when Jorg offered the branch back to her with both of his hands. He smiled without a shadow of suspicion, and Ojou stopped moving.

I can’t have been the only one seeing an invisible tail wagging back and forth.

“You really are a Pochi. Lady Dia, I leave the training to you.”
(TN: Pochi is a common dog name. If you watch chainsaw man, which should be popular right now I think, the dog is named Pochita.)

“I will not train him!”

Ojou’s utmost refusal echoed throughout the Ernst mansion.

 

Another few days after that, Ojou came with a maid I didn’t know. I wonder how many bodyguards she has. I don’t think I’ll be able to remember any more than this.

A small girl – about as small as Ojou, I should think, wore a maid dress that was one size too big for her. You couldn’t see her hands from her sleeves. And she didn’t walk straight. She swayed and her messy, flax-colored hair swayed along with her like a dandelion.

“Ojou, is this another bodyguard?”

“Yes.”

“Good day-. I am Petra Von Dammer-, a maid and bodyguard under milady’s employ-.”

She smiled sloppily and her words dragged on. Her hands popped out of her sleeves. It was the first time one of her bodyguards asked me for a handshake.

“I am-”

“The gardening apprentice Isaac Baumgartner-.”

She returns my handshake and tells me my name before I tell her.

“My family serves – as the intelligence squad right under the prime minister. Gathering information is like stealing candy from a baby-.”

“I see.”

She answered me before I could even ask how she knew. I could only nod.

“I cannot fight directly like Emilia whose family is of soldiers or Jorg who comes from a lineage of knights, but I specialize in information gathering-.”

I’ve heard from master that manipulating information is vital in noble society. If we were all fighters we’d have no brains behind us. It might be better for us to have a brain.

“Come to think of it-, I’m sorry for their rudeness the other day-. I’ve told Heins-san and had him scold them so please forgive the-m.”

“No, but I’m not mad.”

When did it become like that? Chairwoman got scolded by Ojou. Pochi got a smack from Nico. I think that’s plenty enough. And I wasn’t mad in the first place.

“How do you know anyway?”

Petra wasn’t there. How did she get to know what happened? I can’t imagine those two would tell her.

“Ohhh-, you were looking elsewhere-. But- it’s a trade secret-.”

“I see. Sorry for asking.”

When I apologized, for some reason, Petra stopped smiling for an instant. Then she smiled again.

“Isaac-san, you’re interesting-.”

“Ah. Thank goodness.”

“I’m sorry-?”

“You can actually smile.”

Petra has been smiling from the beginning. But her expression never changed. It must be something like what master has, where his face doesn’t change that much and smiling is his default.

But just now, her eyes did move in humor. I could tell that she smiled because she truly found it funny.

“I am also relieved. Petra never laughs, so I thought something might have offended you.”

“It is worrying for her expression to stay the same.”

I smiled in relief and Ojou smiled happily. She and I had been thinking the same thing.

Petra stares at us. Then she puts her sleeve to her mouth and laughs.

“Fufufu-, I like you two-. It’s nice to meet you-”

“Yes, once again, please take care of me.”

“Yeah, nice meeting you. Petra.”

When I greeted her, Petra started to complain for some reason.

“I’m the only one being left out-”

“Huh?”

“I’m the only one being called by my name. I feel left ou-t.”

“Ehh?”

She flaps her hands and asks for a nickname. Chairwoman doesn’t even like that I’m calling her Chairwoman. I’m just calling her that because I want to. And I didn’t even give Pochi his name.

“Uhhhh, then… Pome?”

She’s kinda like a pomeranian dog. Pomeranians always look like they’re smiling, but that doesn’t mean they’re always having fun. Her hair also looks like a pomeranian.

“Waaaai, Pome-”

Pome, Pome, she repeats over and over again. I think she likes it.

Is such a simple name really okay?

“Then-, in exchange for giving me a cute nickname-, I will tell you about milady’s life until the point she received that locket.”

“W-Why do you know about that!?”

Ojou asks like a cat with its hair bristled. Pome says it’s a trade secret, smiling all the while.

Right now Ojou looked pitiable turning all red like that, so I turn down her offer.

Spring is the season of meetings, and this year seems really lively. At any rate, I’m glad the bodyguards are few enough for me to remember their names.

 

TN: Pome is really cute. She seems like she’ll get really popular.