On the 6th Playthrough of the Otome Game, the Auto-Mode Broke

Prologue

A sound that resembles the dazzling gleam from ornamental lighting reverberates in my ears. 

This is the fifth time it's happened, so it's more than familiar to me. 

Unconsciously, I furrow my eyebrows, bite down on my lips, and painfully clasp my hands. Anyone watching would assume that I've been overwhelmed by humiliation and despair. In reality, I don't feel sad at all, and, if anything, I'm relieved that it's finally ending.

"Why... Why is this happening?!"

While deep in my thoughts, I let out a hysterical scream. Wow, I didn't even know I had that in me. My mouth starts moving on its own, repeating "why" in a pained voice. In this happy atmosphere, this weird behavior isn't creepy at all. Somehow that's much more horrifying than it could be.

"... Mariabell."

Mariabell. Yes, that's my name.

A handsome man with slightly long platinum blonde hair and golden eyes looks at me and opens his mouth.

"Mariabell, my apologies. I... I like Karen."

"Ugh...!"

It takes about three seconds before I'm overwhelmed by shock. And it takes seven more seconds for my world to go dark.

~=+=~

『LinaLia』— the title of a fantasy otome game where you cultivate love with beautiful boys and overcome various challenges in a world ruled by swords and magic. The stage is set at Avantor Magic Academy. Its walls are usually only for those with royal blood and other rich people, but the game starts when the heroine, a rural commoner with a rare talent, joins this prestigious academy.

There are five capture targets. One of them is a teacher, and the rest consists of two upperclassmen, one of your peers, and one underclassman. The balance in romance targets is for the player's enjoyment. Extremely good looking romance targets as you can imagine. Their 2D specs are simply too sick.

The story unfolds with the romance between Karen Fleur and the disgustingly handsome prince, even more so handsome when placed right next to Karen. That golden straight bob, those marine eyes reminiscent of the deep sea, skin with no blemish in sight... Truly she's a beautiful girl who has no choice but to be the incarnation of cuteness.

Then, there's her personality. Gentle and calm, bright and positive, but also dense in matters of love. Plus she has the rare ability of "reinforcement magic", making for a perfect heroine who is both talented and sturdy.

Up to this point, the setting and characters of LinaLia seem simple. However, the connecting theme that all the capture targets share is what makes it unique. It's easy to tell what it is if you read the title in the language of the flowers.

"Please be aware of this love."

That might not be clear enough on its own, so allow me to explain simply. This game's connecting theme is "forbidden unrequited love". Each route has an obstacle in the way of your love in the form of the parent-approved fiancée.

The name of this fiancée is Mariabell Tempest.

She has soft, violet, and wavy long hair and pastel purple eyes framed with natural lashes that could be easily confused for fake. Her smooth skin is comparable to white porcelain, and her small face and delicate, lovely curves do make her akin to a doll of the same material. To sum it up, she's a beauty on par with the heroine. What makes her different from the heroine is her 120% evil face, the antithesis of the sweet face of our beloved heroine.

Well then, I supposed I've talked for long enough. Time to get to the main topic of this predicament I find myself in, and I'm sure that a majority of you can guess where I'm going to start at.

I am in the world of LinaLia.

As the villianess — Mariabell Tempest.