I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 28

“So, that’s what happened… So, Maxwell is keeping an eye on that transfer student?”

“Yeah. The teacher asked him to, and he’s worried about leaving them alone.”

It was lunchtime. As I sat with Ray, eating, I recounted the events of the morning.

Max had told me, ‘I’ll keep watch over the transfer student. Meanwhile, Rick, you explain everything to Raymond.’

“I see… That’s concerning.”

“Yeah…”

“That person seems to be quite the handful. I just hope Maxwell doesn’t lose his patience and reveal his true nature in front of the transfer student…”

“That’s what you’re worried about!?”

While I was concerned about the future—wondering what that transfer student knew or whether their arrival would change something—Ray was more worried about what Max might be doing right now.

“…Pfft! Haha… Ahahaha!”

Ray gave me a puzzled look as I suddenly burst into laughter.

“Haha… You and Max, you actually get along pretty well, don’t you?”

“H-Huh? Is that so? Well, I’ve never had someone who interacts with me so bluntly before. At first, I thought he was just a rude guy, but now… I don’t really mind it.”

As I watched Ray tear a piece of bread with a slight smile, I couldn’t help but feel happy.

It was just nice to see Ray and Max getting along.

Ray had experienced betrayal so many times through seven cycles of death and rebirth that, despite his friendly demeanor, he didn’t truly trust people.

As the heir to a prestigious noble family—especially a ducal house—it might have been a natural way of thinking. But the truth was, Ray was actually quite lonely.

Whenever people treated him with the formality befitting a duke’s son, his eyebrows would subtly lower in disappointment.

In my case, he saw me as a means to potentially save Lady Violetta. He was so desperate that he probably didn’t even have the luxury of doubting whether I was trustworthy.

I suppose I’m just a “straw of hope” for him.

Not that I’ve ever heard of such a thing.

But what if…

What if we fail to reach the Eternal True End?

What if Lady Violetta meets another tragic demise?

Would Ray once again return alone, facing his eighth life?

Would Max and I, in that timeline, look at him as if he were a stranger, passing him by without recognition?

—Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.

◇◇◇

After school.

Inside the exclusive lounge for high-ranking nobles, the transfer student sat stiffly, looking extremely uncomfortable.

Ray, Max, and I had him completely surrounded.

“Hey, you have something to say to Rick, don’t you?”

“…Lord Patrick, I apologize for earlier. I must have said something completely nonsensical…”

At Max’s prompting, the transfer student mumbled an apology under his breath.

Ray… it looks like Max did end up revealing his true nature.

“Yeah. Um… can I ask? What did Lord Theo mean when he said, ‘Are you guys unaware protagonist types?’”

“Ah, sorry. That must’ve sounded strange. I was just so surprised that I ended up saying something weird… In the world I came from, there was a game set in a school that looked a lot like this academy. And, well… Lord Patrick, you resemble the protagonist of that game, so I kind of reacted instinctively…”

Thump.

My heartbeat pounded in my chest.

So I hadn’t misheard after all.

Me? The protagonist…?

Seeing me frozen in shock, Max continued the questioning in my place.

“Wait, isn’t the protagonist supposed to be Angelica? You’re talking about Academy Prince⭐️Labyrinth! Love is Fickle, Mystery♡, right?”

“Oh! Lord Maxwell, you know that game too? Hearing you say the title out loud is hilarious!”

The transfer student spoke casually, as if oblivious to the tension in the room. Meanwhile, Ray looked like he had just swallowed something unbearably bitter.

Wait… judging from this conversation, did Max tell the transfer student that he’s a reincarnator?

“Just answer the question. The protagonist of that game is Angelica, right? Patrick isn’t even supposed to be involved.”

“Oh, I get it! Lord Maxwell, you’re talking about the original version, right? The one I’m referring to is the remake version.”

“The remake version!?”

All three of us exclaimed in unison.

“What? No way. That game never had a remake or a sequel!”

“It was released years after the original… Lord Maxwell, maybe you just never heard about it?”

The transfer student spoke nonchalantly, but the three of us were completely shaken.

Especially Max—he looked absolutely stunned.

…Not that I wasn’t freaking out too.

“I don’t quite understand… But are you saying that, in this remake version, Patrick is the protagonist?”

Ray, who seemed the least affected among us, managed to keep the conversation going.

“Technically, he was added as an extra protagonist in the remake.”

…Extra… content?

“The big selling point of the remake was the dual protagonist system! It became a huge hit because, even though the original was an otome game, the additional protagonist was male. The game introduced BL elements, which expanded its audience, and it sold like crazy…”

The transfer student continued explaining excitedly, sharing various details.

But…

The shock was too much.

At some point, I stopped processing anything he was saying.

—I’m… extra content…?