“In reality, things are stranger than fiction, huh? If only I could be reincarnated into Japan again…!” I complained.

While it might be entertaining to read in a light novel, being the one to actually experience it was a different story. Compared to my previous life, which was convenient and filled with entertainment, living in this different world was inconvenient, and there were few enjoyable things.

Honestly, I never thought something like this would actually happen… But well, there’s nothing I can do about it now that it’s happened. I have to accept the reality, understand the situation, and think about how to live my life. So, I did as much research as I could and grasped the world I had been reincarnated into. Or rather, I grasped it.

“Of all things… Of all things, it had to be the world of ‘Doki Koi’!” I exclaimed.

I didn’t want to know… Honestly, I really didn’t want to know…! If I had to be reincarnated into another game world, I wanted it to be a different one…!

You see, ‘Doki Koi’… or rather, ‘Doki Doki ♡ Ahare Senki Ren’ai Emaki’ with its ridiculously stupid title, was an erotic game where the protagonist, an unremarkable harem MC, is transferred to another world and marries all the beautiful girls he meets… That’s roughly the concept of the game.

By the way, the catchphrase for the game was “Marry all the beautiful girls from another world!” How annoying.

(To be honest, I personally didn’t think it was that great as a whole, so I didn’t buy it, but since there were over fifty heroines, there were a lot of characters that I liked, so I borrowed it from a friend and played it…)

Well, let me explain a little more. It’s a story where the protagonist, who grew up in modern Japan, learned a traditional martial art and ended up transferring to a fantasy world with magic, awakening to cheat powers and becoming OP. He romances all the heroine characters for no particular reason… That’s the basic idea.

There are plenty of harem-themed works in the world, but ‘Doki Koi’ is famous for how the protagonist is extremely popular with the heroines, with over fifty heroines appearing in total.

(Well, I wouldn’t call it a bad work… but personally, it wasn’t the kind of game that I wanted to immerse myself in)

To be honest, it bothered me that the heroine fell in love with the protagonist just by saying a few sweet lines, or by showing a little bit of his strength, or by saving her even though he hadn’t done anything…

(It’s like all the heroines are easy to charm)

They fell in love with the protagonist just because he said something slightly sweet, just because he showed a little bit of his strength, just because he saved them a little… It was nothing but scenes where I wanted to say, “That would never happen.”

I mean, I understand. Setting up the backstory for every heroine to fall in love with the protagonist individually in detail would be a stretch, considering the budget and other constraints. As a player, it’s frustrating when the protagonist doesn’t establish a romantic relationship with any of the heroines for a long time.

(I won’t say it’s a bad work… but I didn’t feel like playing it over and over again)

Honestly, I couldn’t help but think that the story was overly favorable to the protagonist… and to the heroines.

However, I don’t really care about the protagonist or heroines. Well, it’s true that I find the protagonist annoying, but I don’t really have any intentions towards him. If he wants to create a harem, he can do whatever he wants.

(The problem is the world I was reincarnated into)

This is another typical story in a web novel, but… there is a character named Kanatsugu Koshuin who antagonizes the protagonist, Totouya Mitsuru. And that’s who I have been reincarnated as.

Kanatsugu is a completely hopeless character. He is from a famous family in the Yamato Empire, and in the game, he is the fiancé of the main heroine. But since he only appears in the beginning as an antagonistic character, he is nothing more than a petty character who behaves arrogantly while hiding behind his status.

Of course, if such a person were to hold onto the position of the main heroine’s fiancé in a harem game, he would definitely be eliminated by the protagonist.

“Why, of all things, it had to be ‘Doki Koi’…!? Well, it’s not like it would be any better if it were a different world, but… of all things, I never read that scenario!” I complained.

To explain a bit more, I am reincarnated as the exact character that Kanatsugu Koshuin is. I have the same family name, and when I looked up the major characters that I could find, they were really there. Once I realized that, I had to accept the reality.

If things went as they did in the game, there was a high possibility that the route where I, as Kanatsugu, would meet a tragic end would unfold.

“If things continue as they are, my father will return in three years and try to make the illegitimate child with his mistress, who is the main heroine, the next head of the Koshuin family,” I speculated.

This is just a hypothesis, but based on the flow of the game and my father’s actions so far, the possibility of that happening is high.

In the Koshuin family, only my mother and I are direct descendants. My grandparents have passed away, and the branch family has perished. If my mother dies, my father will take control of the Koshuin family as the next head, and then things will go as he wishes. In the game, Kanatsugu, being the eldest son, was discarded as the main heroine’s fiancé and the sister appeared as the next head of the Koshuin family. I think that’s the reason.

“But well, it doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t care about becoming the head of the family.” I had no interest in becoming the head. As a reincarnator, I don’t have any administrative abilities, and even though I have studied unlike the Kanatsugu in the game, I felt that it wasn’t suitable for me.

Rather, if I give up my noble status and live freely, it would benefit me and the people. The more unfit individuals are in positions of power, the more people will suffer.

“And from now on, if I act, I can not only avoid destruction but also enjoy a carefree life!” I declared.

Thanks to the fact that I had the awareness of being a reincarnator from birth and the memories of my previous life, I had a certain adult perspective, moral sense, and knowledge that didn’t match my physical age. Because of that, I believe that if I go all out in abandoning my status as a noble, I can fade out of the original story and move towards a peaceful future. I want to steer things in a direction where I don’t end up getting engaged to the main heroine, who is not to my liking.

After all, I had spent so much time reading reincarnation novels filled with antagonistic characters. I’ll be fine; if I go all out and focus on self-preservation, just like the protagonists who escaped from being villainous characters and grasped peaceful lives, I too will be able to enjoy a peaceful daily life.

“All right! If that’s the plan, then I need to come up with a strategy! A bright future awaits me!” I said enthusiastically.

And so, I proceeded to come up with various plans for my future. Stealing valuable items from the mansion and running away, finding employment at some trading company that would hire someone who can read and write, and gaining a stable source of income were some specific strategies I considered… But to cut to the chase, my wish of living a peaceful life was never fulfilled.

Well, don’t get me wrong, I can avoid the route of destruction itself. I just have to avoid committing any evil deeds.

So all that was left was to live my life freely and how I liked, without causing any trouble to those around me. If I stopped being a noble, I would have a wide range of future choices. I could start a business if I obtained a considerable amount of money, become an artist, engage in agriculture, or even pursue the path of mastering magic like in a fantasy novel.

However, I can no longer choose a future where I can live freely like that. Why, you ask?

To be honest, it’s embarrassing to say out loud, so I can’t tell anyone… but, well, it’s because I fell in love.

You might think it’s exaggerated that my future is being limited by a romantic relationship, but it’s actually true. The girl I fell in love with is the princess, who is an unattainable love interest even for the ultra-harem protagonist, Mitsuru Totouya.

Even Mitsuru, the super harem MC, couldn’t conquer her, so I certainly wouldn’t have a chance…