Marie Fou Bartfort stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was supposed to be the face of a young woman who had finally gotten everything she could possibly want in her new life. Cute looks that could make a guy's heart skip a beat with just the right angle and application of body language. Handsome, wealthy, influential, and devoted young men who were at her beck and call. Money, status, and the envy of her peers. Her beloved big brother, who she thought lost to her from her previous life, had even returned to her. After everything had gone wrong in her life on Earth and again in Holfort, she finally did it.

She had won.

It was all perfect.

"You can always let Julius and the boys in on this. I'm pretty sure that they would believe you being a reincarnate and my sister in our past life."

The memory of her brother's words from a few days ago made her frown in annoyance. She knew that he was just trying to be supportive and giving her advice, but his decision making was colored by his experience with his own harem. She scoffed at the hilarity of the brother she remembered as an awkward nobody, who she still loved dearly, becoming a harem protagonist. Sure it was with a monster and a bunch of defective losers, but she would tolerate them as long as they made him happy.

Alas, not everyone could take the same path that he did. Marie had to claw her way up from the dirt to get to where she was now.

"Don't take her away! She's all I have left!"

"You should have just let me take the money! Stupid bitch! Now I have to make sure you don't take this to the cops! What a worthless whor–"

"Marie? Are you still finishing up in there? The servants have finished preparing breakfast for everyone." Jilk knocked on the bathroom door. Last night was his turn with her and he always woke up first so he managed to get ready for the day before she did. It was a reminder of how well her life had been going.

"I'm fine Jilk." Marie said out loud as she used her hand to wipe away the condensation that had built up on the mirror, her own warped face looking back at her.

"Give me back my daughter!"

"Just die already!"

"Everything is fine."

…

Marie was thankful that the villainess was a year ahead of them. That meant that she wasn't hanging around and making a fuss the whole time they were at Alzer Academy. Control had been going around on their own, trying to gain any information about the possible love interests or either of the twins. It was just good luck that Marie and Brad ended up sharing a few classes with one of the possible protagonists.

"So you came here all the way from Holfort with a bunch of hot guys, including a prince? That's amazing!" Noelle Beltre said from the seat in front of Marie. The way Alzer Academy was set up reminded Marie far too much of a Japanese High School. It seemed that the developers of the second game decided to play it safe and go with what was familiar. A dull wave of nostalgia swept over her the first time she saw how everything was set up, the only thing missing were sliding doors. It was quickly washed away with the reality that she didn't really remember much from her own high school life back on Earth at all.

Marie lightly laughed in a disarming manner, a skill she had perfected during her days as a hostess. "I was just lucky enough that they chose the same exchange program that I did."

"Are any of them single?" Noelle asked, leaning in conspiratorially. They both glanced to another part of the classroom where Brad was surrounded by girls due to his good looks and natural charisma. Marie grinned and decided to have some fun with him.

"Oh no, all five of them are very much taken!" Marie said loudly enough that Brad stiffened and immediately started making excuses to the girls who wanted to get to know him better. How was she supposed to see them as anything but boys when they acted like this? Leon totally wouldn't have acted like that.

"That's a shame. Their girlfriends are pretty lucky girls." Noelle noted with a sad sigh, the feeling of getting one over another Otome Protagonist made Marie smile. Still, she was here talking to the gyaru-looking blonde girl for a good reason.

"What about you though? I would have thought that you already have a man." Marie set her line out and gave it a little tug to see if the girl would bite. "What about that guy you're always with?"

"Nope, sad to say that I'm still single. I would love to have a boyfriend but there are factors that prevent me from getting one normally." She admitted easily enough. Marie raised a brow when Noelle looked away with a sad smile. "I definitely don't want to drag Jean into my life's problems more than I already have. He deserves better than that."

Marie hummed along with the explanation. Looks like there was something there after all, albeit with apparent obstacles. The name Jean didn't bring up any memories though, another anomaly caused by the protagonist being split into two different people? Something to get back to later on.

"What about your sister? You mentioned before that she already has a boyfriend." Marie asked with an interested expression after giving Brad another glance. Ah, he had taken to diligently going over his notes for the next class instead of flirting. Such a good boy.

"Not really surprising that someone as pretty, smart, and classy as Lelia managed to get the attention of one of the great house's sons." Marie's eyes dulled at the way Noelle laughed at her own words. She recognized that laugh anywhere. It was the one she herself made every time she wanted to convince someone that she was fine and that there was nothing to be worried about.

"Oho? Do tell." Of course, that wasn't relevant anymore. Noelle didn't seem the type who was perceptive enough to pick up on that brief slip.

"Emile Laz Pleven is his name. They're pretty cozy together whenever I see them." Marie's eyes narrowed at the name. That was definitely one of the capture targets. At least one of the twins was making progress. Noelle then looked like she tasted something bitter. "I am happy for her, just wish that the shrew would leave me alone long enough for me to find a good guy myself."

The shrew was likely the villainess, Louise Sara Rault.

"Any idea why she's focusing on you? Why not pick on your sister as well?" Noelle gave her a long suffering look at the question.

"Like I said, her boyfriend is a member of the great houses. She won't mess with her because of that, so she takes it all out on me instead." Noelle answered with a pout while looking away. So the children of the great houses avoid conflict with one another? That was something useful to know.

Marie reached out and gave a reassuring pat on the blonde girl's arm. "I'm sure you'll find the right man for you. You never know, he might already be in arms reach."

"Thanks for the support. What about you though? Got anyone special?" It was a clumsy attempt to change the subject, but Marie couldn't help but give a fond smile when she thought about her question. "Oooh! I know that smile! Come on girl, don't leave me in suspense!"

Marie giggled at how invested Noelle suddenly became. Girl talk never really changed, no matter where she ended up.

"We were apart for a long time and only rediscovered each other through a weird coincidence. I definitely can't imagine living my life without him anymore." Marie said without naming any names. Noelle's eyes sparkled as she filled in the gaps with her own imagination.

"Is he back in Holfort? Don't you miss him?" Marie's smile became a bit sad but she nodded at the question all the same.

"He is, and I do. But I've been without him for years, I can wait for one more." Noelle let out a jealous sigh and looked away from Marie.

"Lucky~"

…

It was dinner and everyone was gathered at the dining table after they thanked the servants for the food. Julius was at the head of the table, with Marie to his left and Jilk to his right. Chris was sitting beside Jilk, with Brad next to him. Greg sat to Marie's left and let out a frustrated sigh that got the attention of the rest of the table.

"Ugh! I hate that there aren't any adventuring classes on offer out here." His friends easily agreed with his sentiment. Marie didn't mind not having to go down deep dank caves filled with traps and monsters.

"Indeed. We may need to venture out on our own if we want to keep ourselves from losing our sharpness while we are here." Chris said as he cut into his meal. He and Greg's rivalry had become friendlier as time went on. It was a shame that the tension between them was gone, but Marie was fine with not having to break up their fights anymore.

"A dungeon expedition sounds like a wonderful change of pace, don't you think so?" Brad put forward the idea. Marie's face remained impassive as she let the boys discuss the matter between themselves. If they wanted to play adventurers to occupy themselves, then she wouldn't stop them.

"We'll likely need to ask the Holfort Embassy for guidance on that front." Julius muttered, getting everyone else's attention.

"How come?" Greg asked. Jilk wiped some sauce from his lips before answering on his best friend's behalf.

"Adventuring is looked down upon in Alzer, as you all know." We all nodded at his words. "Yes, so we need to make sure that we won't be upsetting anyone if we do decide to delve into a dungeon for training."

"What's wrong, Marie?" Chris asked suddenly, making them all look at her. Was she making a face without realizing it? Marie recovered by shrugging and giving them a sweet smile.

"Just thinking about how different the atmosphere of the Academy here is compared to the one back home." It was almost boring how easily they accepted her words. Not a peep of challenge as to what else she might have been thinking about. Not a single word of concern unless her mask slipped.

How could she possibly love them when they never bothered to try to know what her life was like before she came to the Academy? Even after she was released from the Palace dungeons, and was only allowed to remain in the Academy thanks to Leon's quick thinking, they never bothered to ask how those animals treated her in the past.

Why should she rely on anyone else when her brother was the only one who had always proven that he could be counted on when it came to her well being? The only thing she had ever known from other men was bitter disappointment.

"I know what you mean. Nobles and Commoners freely intermingling like that is unheard of in Holfort." Marie easily slipped out of her thoughts and back into the conversation with Julius' words.

Marie told her boys that she wanted some time alone after dinner, but not before reminding Chris that it was his turn that night. She left the blushing boy to be teased by his friends and met with a waiting Control in her room.

Miss Marie, I have uncovered some additional information about the possible love interests based on the criteria you have outlined.

It was not the first time that Control's convenience made Marie jealous of her brother. Such feelings were fleeting as she was now also being helped by the AI. Marie sat down on her bed and reviewed everything with Control.

Hugh and Fernand of the Druille house were apparently already out of contention. Hugh was to be engaged to the villainess, while his older brother Fernand was already out of the Academy and was a politician. It seemed that their flags needed to have been raised the school year prior. Shame, but there was nothing to be done.

Emile was already with Lelia, which confirmed Noelle's words from before. Nothing to worry about there other than letting nature take its course. Hopefully, neither of them ruin what they already have and cause her more headaches.

Louise's younger brother was also confirmed to be attending the Academy, Serge Sara Rault. Though it seemed that he was adopted into the household. Marie's lips quirked at the coincidence. He was the delinquent type who didn't show up to class a lot and favored going into dungeons instead. The only reason why he doesn't get in trouble for that was because his adoptive father was effectively the ruler of the country.

The only ones remaining among the great houses who would have made sense were Pierre Io Feivel and Loic Leta Barielle.

Control immediately emphasized that Pierre was not a viable option. The behavior and rumors surrounding the boy painted a picture of an abusive child who was never disciplined properly when they were young. Bullying, blackmail, extortion, assault, possibly even rape. Marie mentally chalked him up as a possible antagonist for the twins with how cartoonishly evil he seemed to be. The power of the great houses must have been pretty incredible if they could cover up all that.

Loic was not any better, unfortunately. It made her initial assessment of him completely wrong in hindsight. He was actively pursuing Noelle and was even claiming that they were already in a relationship to anyone who would listen. The fact that Noelle never mentioned him during their talks already raised red flags for Marie. Especially with how much Noelle went on about wanting to have a boyfriend. It was further confirmed when Control said that the few times he observed the two interact, Loic was aggressive to the point of harassment regardless of how much Noelle rejected his advances. More red flags.

Marie's hands clenched into fists so tightly that she could feel her nails dig into her palms. She was very familiar with the types of men that Pierre and Loic resembled.

"Thank you for all that, Control. You went above and beyond with all this." She really did appreciate everything the little drone had done so far. It would have taken her weeks to find out all that on her own.

It is no different to what Leon and I did when we were uncovering what you had been doing with Prince Julius and the others last year.

"Yeah, that figures." Of course they investigated her actions. It was probably what eventually led to Leon getting to know the losers.

I would like to note that there does not seem to be any unifying bond between the possible love interests this time, aside from the two who are siblings.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." The whole point of Julius and the others being friends was to give the player an excuse to be able to easily interact with the love interest of their choice. The sequel was intended to be a lot easier in terms of gameplay, the other side of it was that the player needed to work harder for their flags. It was the whole reason why Emile was so easy to romance, in case the player messed up with the other Capture Targets.

Based on all information gathered, the only real viable option that would not end poorly for Noelle would be Serge.

"And that opens up another can of worms because he's Louise's adopted younger brother." Marie continued the train of thought with Control's drone bobbing up and down in agreement.

Do we instead hedge our bets on Lelia instead? She has already secured one of the love interests.

"I'm not Leon, Control. Giving that many leading statements gets pretty obvious to someone who is used to them." It was a bit amusing to watch the little floating sphere back away from her, like it was startled or something. "I've figured out that we might need to think beyond the designated Capture Targets if we want Noelle to get a guy."

My apologies. I had thought that a similar method would work with you.

"I don't know what kind of issues you helped my brother get through, but I'd like to thank you anyway. It's pretty nice to see him so happy." She meant every word of it as well. If only they had someone like Control during their previous life.

You're welcome. If there is anything you would like to talk about as well, I will always be available.

"Mommy!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

"I think I'll be fine for now." But that didn't mean that she was ready to talk about her life after her brother died.

I understand. Do you already have a plan of action then?

"I think that it's time for me to take a page from Leon's book." Marie said with a more genuine smile.

…

"Hello there, you're Jean right?" The rather plain looking boy with brown hair looked surprised when Marie approached him in the hallway.

"Oh yes, can I help you?" He asked with an awkward smile. If he was placed in any other setting, he might have been considered quite handsome. The boy next door look still had its own merits. Sadly, this world had people who looked like supermodels as the norm.

"My name is Marie," She introduced herself and assuaged his concern with her next words. "Noelle has told me all about you."

"Nothing too embarrassing, I hope." She laughed along with him at his self-deprecating joke. That was a point in his favor. Being able to make fun of yourself was a good trait to have for anyone.

Marie tilted her head and set out her line. "Not at all, I am curious though."

"About what?" A soft tug and Marie knew that she had him.

"How did the two of you become such good friends?"

Marie's smile grew wider as Jean spoke about how his aging dog and Noelle shared the same name. The ease in which he told her about their relationship was just too good.

She could definitely work with this.