Refuse Harem
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Prius
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 208 – Dear Tenma, Are Men Really Such Troublesome Creatures? IV
Author Note:
Actually, this chapter title wasn’t over yet (;´・ω・)
But this finally ends it!
“Seriously, what’s wrong with the men at this academy?! How can they be so insensitive toward a lovely and weak young lady like me?!”
My current self is so beautiful even my previous self Tasuku would hesitate to even talk to me! Shouldn’t a girl like me be treated with more care?!
As Sophie was screaming in her mind, she heard Gerald’s suspicious voice softly say behind her, “Lovely… and weak?” but of course she pretended not to hear it.
But she was troubled. Until just earlier, she had been so shocked that she wanted to go home……but she couldn’t return to the dormitory with these wild emotions.
If she returned with her current expression, Sunny, who was the most sensitive person when it concerned Sophie, would notice and worry immediately. The reason for her irritation was so trivial that Sophie hesitated to even talk about it.
Just as Christina was the most important person to Sophie, Sophie was the most important lady to Sunny.
Because Sophie had exposed her weak side to Sunny a while ago, she wanted to maintain her proper self and do her best to live up to her expectations.
That’s right, I’m an aristocratic young lady of this nation and Sunny’s beloved young lady. If I keep getting angry like this, the wrinkles on my brow will never go away.
It would be a matter of life or death if her angry face became her default expression. If Christina and Lilina were to see Sophie with that face, Sophie wouldn’t be able to bear it.
Sophie took a deep breath to calm herself, then slowly exhaled the same amount.
When one is feeling down, the best thing to do is think of things they adore.
Beautiful, golden, wavy hair. A pair of dazzling blue eyes like the clear sky. When Sophie pictured Christina as the incarnation of a vibrant crimson rose, even her roughest heart immediately became calm and full, as if she were soaking in a hot spring.
Aah, Christina onee-sama. At this time of day, I wonder if you are having a lively conversation in someone’s room.
It was amazing. It might just be her imagination, but she could almost smell the sweet fragrance of flowers.
As Sophie walked along, entranced by the incredibly healing effect, she heard a voice from behind her.
“Sophie-sama, you seem unsteady on your feet.”
Gerald asked, less out of worry and more that he was just checking.
Sophie was pulled out of her beautiful reverie by a voice that sounded like an inorganic machine, devoid of any emotion.
“I was just thinking about beautiful flowers. Don’t disturb me.”
“I see. I apologize for that. But please think about it after you return to your room, as it might be harmful to your health.”
A literal translation should be something like, “You’re going to stumble and fall, so walk steadily.” It was a nagging remark that hit Sophie right in her ears, just like a voice-over.
No, at this point, Sophie had no expectation of any consideration from Gerald. What was more bothersome was his nagging.
His nagging was increasing with each day, and Sophie was afraid it would soon reach the level of a nagging sister-in-law.
I wonder why the men who interact with me tend to nag me more and more as time goes on……
Starting with Bart, and recently even Marcus started saying things like, “That is no good, this is no good.”
[“Okay okay, don’t walk through the swamp in those ridiculously expensive-looking shoes. Even if I know Miss won’t fall, it’s scary for the person who watches it.”]
[“Hey, could you please stop approaching a horse in a dress? Not only will it get dirty, but in Miss’ case. I feel like you might just ride on the horse and ride off somewhere, which scares me.”]
[“No, I won’t take you on the mountain training.”]
For some reason, the last example was spoken in polite language.
Marcus kept repeating “no” over and over, but unlike Gerald, he wasn’t emotionless, so Sophie could see that he was genuinely worried.
[“Onii-chan?”]
In response, Sophie put her finger to her mouth and tilted her head cutely, exuding a cunning little sister vibe.
Well, Sophie was proud of herself, thinking that it was an extremely adorable gesture, but Marcus’ reaction was very negative.
With a genuine look of displeasure on his face, Marcus said, [“Seriously, stop it……”]
Sophie found it strange. She knew any person with XY chromosomes couldn’t feel bad toward the little sister vibe. Yet he looked extremely uncomfortable.
Maybe I don’t have any little sister power?
Even though I have the appearance of such a cute girl?
Or is it because I was a man in my previous life that I can’t shake the vibe of being an old man?
Sophie didn’t understand. She didn’t know if there was something wrong with her or with Marcus’ aesthetic sense. She couldn’t decide which.
“Sophie-sama, could you at least stop walking while thinking?”
Gerald’s nagging came again.
At this rate, Gerald would soon surpass the level of a sister-in-law and move up to the level of a mother-in-law.
In order to avoid that terrible danger, Sophie steeled herself and walked as quickly as she could.
Whether Sophie was walking or sprinting, Gerald was content as long as Sophie wasn’t distracted, and from then on, he followed her in silence.
The big, unfriendly escort had a very handsome face, but his presence was so overwhelming that a storm raged in Sophie’s heart. He lacked cuteness so much that it nearly made Sophie suffocate.
Yep, let’s see Luca’s and Lars’ faces before going home today!
There was the silent guard with a strong face, there was Remiel who stood out for his eccentricity, and there was also Evert who always got upset for some reason. Even among the group of troublesome men, those two were precious people who could ease her mind.
Luca would listen to any story with a smile, and Sophie could have a great time talking with Lars about “It’s a Flower, Whether it Blooms or Buds.”
No matter what kind of hell it was, there were always flowers blooming that could soothe one’s soul.
Sophie decided to go with the flow and headed toward the room where Lars and the others often gathered after school.
Gerald wasn’t confused by the sudden change in course and followed her without asking where she was going. He had a good grasp of Sophie’s behavior pattern.
Before they knew it, Sophie had arrived at her destination. She stood in front of the door and put her hand on the doorknob.
“――Huh?”
Visible through the slightly open door was Remiel sitting on a bench, Evert standing next to him, Marcus of the copper star, and several others.
Not only them, but several gold and silver star students could be seen in the corner.
Previously, it was unthinkable for black star, gold star, silver star, and copper star students to gather in the same room. It might have been possible for only the leaders of each star to gather together, but it was almost impossible for other students to come together.
But that wasn’t the case now.
They themselves had voluntarily arranged for these frequent meetings to serve as a way to grow the seeds that Sophie had developed.
At first, there was a noticeable awkwardness, but this gradually improved, and now even when different families from various stars gathered together there was no awkwardness in the room.
If they don’t get stubborn with each other, I see that they can get along well.
Friendship was a beautiful thing.
Sophie’s lips naturally lifted and a smile appeared on her face.
The anger she’d felt from Vincent’s comment and Gerald’s nagging was slowly fading away.
Sophie didn’t want to disturb them, but she wondered if it would be alright to just listen in on what they were doing from the sidelines. While she was wondering what to do, she heard some kind of conversation.
“Well, that’s no good……”
The voice was Marcus’. The tone was fed-up and shocked, nearly that of a loss for words. The person he was speaking to was Remiel.
Sophie couldn’t help but listen in to learn what they were talking about.
“You can tell just by looking at her that Miss doesn’t have breasts.”
――Hm?
“I know Sophie doesn’t have breasts. I wasn’t trying to contest the obvious. I just thought that her breasts were so small that it made me suspect that she might be a man cross-dressing.”
“No no, it’s pretty rude to treat her as a man just because she doesn’t have breasts…… But it’s true that her behavior and actions aren’t exactly that of a young lady.”
Hold on, what are you talking about?
Sophie still had a smile on her face, yet felt a popping sound coming from her forehead.
“Eh~ it’s not like she didn’t have breasts at all though? It’s more like stubs……? Something like that does exist, right?”
Conrad from the copper star spoke up from the side.
Conrad misspoke so many times that it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that among the students of copper star, the formula of Conrad = idiot was valid. Even his latest comment wasn’t meant to comfort Sophie, but it was simply him saying what he thought.
Conrad made small, wavy movements with his hands ――What do those movements indicate?―― Evert burst out in contemptuous laughter at that.
“Idiot. That’s just the bulge of her corset. If you don’t have eyes to see, you’ll get fooled by a woman who pretends to have good proportions.”
It was a typical statement from a man who had flamboyant relationships with women, but as someone whose age of death equals the number of years he had been without a girlfriend in her previous life, it only made Sophie angry.
Another vein popped on her forehead, but Sophie’s smile remained intact. She thought how ladylike she was for being able to endure so much.
The reason my hand was trembling as I held the doorknob must be because it was chilly, yep.
“Sophie-sama?”
Gerald, who was half a step behind Sophie, seemed suspicious when she took so long to enter the room and called out to her. However, he soon realized what was going on from the faint sound of conversation coming from the room and covered his eyes with his right hand.
“Eh, then my master is actually a man?”
Conrad blinked in surprise.
It was clear that he was serious about believing in the theory that Sophie was a man, and before she knew it, the door was opening with a resounding noise.
“What on earth are you people talking about?”
As expected, it seemed that no one had expected Sophie’s appearance, and everyone present except for Remiel flinched in surprise.
Luca and Lars were there trying to stop Remiel and the others from talking, but Sophie, who was trembling with anger, didn’t notice that.
“I’ll ask again――what were you talking about?”
She asked in a low voice, still smiling.
While Marcus muttered. “Oh crap……” Remiel stood up nonchalantly.
“Sophie, you came at the right time. You’re adamantly refusing to answer whether you’re a man or a woman, but is there a reason you really don’t want to answer that question?”
The man, still unable to grasp other people’s emotions as usual, asked insensitively.
“Why should I give you an answer that is obvious at a glance without any particular reason?”
Her reply was full of sarcasm, but there was no way Remiel would put up with something like that.
“No matter how good my eyesight is, I can’t see what is not there.”
The rude man said while looking at her chest.
Sophie could feel that her eyes were starting to widen.
Her ladylike façade was cracking, and her frustration was reaching its peak. But she tried to swallow it back. Even if she got angry now, knowing Remiel, he wouldn’t reflect on it whatsoever. It would only waste her stamina.
Calm down, Sophie! Be a lady and respond to insults with graceful sarcasm!
Sophie took a quick breath and her smile deepened.
“Don’t you know that there is a physical examination before entering the girls’ academy? Isn’t there also one for the King’s Sword?
“I had no such thing.”
Oh right, this guy is a royalty. Of course he is treated differently from ordinary students.
As Sophie swallowed the urge to click her tongue, Remiel nodded as if he understood.
“Okay. Let’s put your one and only modest aspect aside.”
“Hey, what’s with that one and only modest aspect?”
Sophie was annoyed by the blatant emphasis on one and only.
It was a rare considerate tone from Remiel, but to Sophie, it just sounded like an insult.
At times like this, Sophie thought from the bottom of her heart.
Why didn’t this man come to Talis together with Ferio!?
If it was at that time, there must still be a chance to reform him. Sophie wanted to call the person in charge (his brother) immediately and lecture them both.
“Wouldn’t it be more considerate to frankly say there’s none rather than call it modest?”
Followed by Evert, Conrad said,
“If there’s none, isn’t it okay to just say there’s none?”
Marcus next to him tried to stop him by saying “Stop, Conrad. Don’t participate in the conversation,” but it was already too late.
――Seriously, the men at this academy are completely lacking in consideration for women.
Sophie’s forehead was bulging with blue veins, and her fists were shaking violently.
She told herself that she shouldn’t, but before she knew it, her ladylike façade had fallen apart.
“Stop with the no breasts remarks!”
Sophie knew that better than anyone.
She knew that the best!!!!
Sophie shook her right arm in anger and pointed at the people present in an accusing manner.
“All of you will receive between the lines punishment!!!!!!!”
Lars: “S-Sophie-sama?! What is this between the lines punishment?”
Sophie: ”Oh my, both of you were here? You two are okay. I’ll make sure to protect you, so rest assured!”
Lars & Luca: “”Eh……??””
Luca: I’m in the position of protecting her though……
Lars: Huh? Even though I receive Sophie-sama’s concern, I’m not really happy about it……
Alternate title “Uncrossed feelings” has ended ――――。
Author Note:
――and so, we will finally enter the final arc of the next chapter! The next update is planned for January.
Before that, I would have a character introduction. It’s not mandatory to read it, but I will also include background information (*’▽’)
Also, chapter 27 of the comic was just updated the other day!
This is a section that was written specifically for the book, and Sophie’s face was very good there, so I hope you take a look!
Also, the comic version of “Misunderstood Marriage” is currently being serialized in advance in CMOA, so please check that out as well (*’▽’)✨
https://www.cmoa.jp/title/307988
Want early access to Cannon Fodder, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer, and I Was a Man Before Reincarnating, So I Refuse a Reverse Harem? Support the translator on Patreon!
Hey, I was just reading the manga of this the other day.
Thanks for the chapters!