Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs
Cover of the first volume featuring Olivia (left) and Leon Fou Bartfort (right)
乙女ゲー世界はモブに厳しい世界です (Otomegē Sekai wa Mobu ni Kibishii Sekai Desu)
Genre	Comedy Isekai Science fiction
Novel series
Written by	Yomu Mishima
Published by	Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original run	October 1, 2017 – October 15, 2019
Light novel
Written by	Yomu Mishima
Illustrated by	Monda
Published by	Micro Magazine
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	GC Novels
Demographic	Male
Original run	May 30, 2018 – March 29, 2024
Volumes	13
Manga
Written by	Yomu Mishima
Illustrated by	Jun Shiosato
Published by	Fujimi Shobo
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Imprint	Dragon Comics Age
Magazine	Niconico Seiga (Dra Dra Sharp) (2018–2021) Monthly Dragon Age (2022–present)
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	October 5, 2018 – present
Volumes	12
Anime television series
Directed by	Kazuya Miura Shin'ichi Fukumoto
Written by	Kenta Ihara
Music by	Kana Hashiguchi Show Aratame
Studio	ENGI
Licensed by	Crunchyroll SEA: Plus Media Networks Asia
Original network	AT-X, Tokyo MX, ytv, BS NTV
English network	SEA: Aniplus Asia
Original run	April 3, 2022 – present
Episodes	12
Manga
Otome Game Yōchien wa Mob ni Kibishii Yōchien Desu
Written by	Yomu Mishima
Illustrated by	Noko Ōmi
Published by	Fujimi Shobo
Imprint	Dragon Comics Age
Magazine	Monthly Dragon Age
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	June 9, 2022 – February 9, 2024
Volumes	2

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs (Japanese: 乙女ゲー世界はモブに厳しい世界です, Hepburn: Otomegē Sekai wa Mobu ni Kibishii Sekai Desu) is a Japanese light novel series written by Yomu Mishima and illustrated by Monda. It was originally self-published as a web novel on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō platform by the author beginning on October 1, 2017, and ending on October 15, 2019, concluding with seven parts and 176 chapters. It later began publishing as a light novel by Micro Magazine under their GC Novels imprint on May 30, 2018. A manga adaptation of the series by Jun Shiosato began serialization on October 5, 2018, and is published under the Dragon Comics Age imprint by Fujimi Shobo. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes both the light novel and the manga adaptation in English. An anime television series adaptation by ENGI aired from April to June 2022. A second season has been announced.

Plot

An office worker dies and finds himself reincarnated as Leon Fou Bartfort in the Holfort Kingdom of the otome game that he was forced to complete by his sister. In this world, women reign supreme, and survival is particularly tough for 'mobs', background characters like him. Using his encyclopedic knowledge of the game from his past life, Leon sets on disrupting this world and its social hierarchy by finding the cheat item Luxion and enrolling in the Holtfort Academy. He attempts to live a normal life and find a wife, but through his actions he gets embroiled in all kinds of schemes, all while mingling with the nobility and other characters of the otome game.

Characters

Leon Fou Bartfort (リオン・フォウ・バルトファルト, Rion Fō Barutofaruto)

Voiced by: Yūsuke Kobayashi (Drama CD), Takeo Ōtsuka (Anime) (Japanese); Jordan Dash Cruz (English)

The protagonist of the series. After he died, he reincarnated in the otome game world; he is thoroughly aggravated by this, as it was the game his sister blackmailed him into completing. He has black hair, eyes, and an average look, having plain features that let him blend into the background. Despite looking down on overly prideful people, Leon himself enjoys showing arrogance in his abilities, namely as a tactic to damage his opponent's confidence and pride through shows of superiority. Although he tries to stay out of trouble and not interfere with the story of the otome world, he often drags himself to the center of these events for those he cares for.

Olivia (オリヴィア, Orivia)

Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori (Drama CD), Kana Ichinose (Anime) (Japanese); Jad Saxton (English)

The protagonist of the first otome game, whom Leon befriends. She has light brown hair with greenish-blue eyes. She is a modest girl who is very kind and gentle with people, but lacks self-confidence. This stems from how she is a commoner who attends a school that is dominantly populated by nobles who look down on her. Unlike the main storyline, Olivia is actually happily in love with Leon; as in the game routes, she could not refuse the advances of the captured characters out of societal standing. She and Angelica eventually get engaged to Leon. Had she gone through the game plot, Olivia would have been possessed by an evil ghost; she owes Marie for taking her spot as heroine and making Leon help Olivia.

Angelica Rapha Redgrave (アンジェリカ・ラファ・レッドグレイブ, Anjerika Rafa Reddogureibu)

Voiced by: Yurika Kubo (Drama CD), Fairouz Ai (Anime) (Japanese); Kristen McGuire (English)

The main villainess of the first otome game, whom Leon befriends. She has blond hair with fierce red eyes. Thanks to Marie's meddling, Angelica instead becomes the victim of what should have been Olivia's story. Instead, she becomes best friends with Olivia and engaged to Leon. After all the pressure she put on herself to be Julius' queen, Angie is happy to be with Leon as he has no high expectations of her (primarily because he hates noble ranking).

Luxion (ルクシオン, Rukushion)

Voiced by: Yusuke Shirai (Drama CD), Akira Ishida (Anime) (Japanese); Jim Foronda (English)

An artificial intelligence item with a personality of its own, Luxion assists Leon with his activities. Its main body is a giant black spaceship-like airship but to get around, Luxion takes on the appearance of a small metal ball with a single red lens. Since Leon is technically a New Human, Luxion sometimes messes up his orders as it hates new humans, although it can be loyal to Leon anytime because the latter has a bloodline of the Old Human, a human race who is reincarnated from their previous life on parallel Earth.

Marie Fou Lafan (マリエ・フォウ・ラーファン, Marie Fō Rāfan)

Voiced by: Atsumi Tanezaki (Drama CD), Ayane Sakura (Anime) (Japanese); Sarah Wiedenheft (English)

The daughter of a Viscount family. She's petite, being short with a small chest and slim body, with long blonde hair that frames her face and sky-blue eyes. She comes off as a kind and shy young girl, but in reality, she is selfish and manipulative, taking a central role with the boys while pushing Angelica and Olivia away. She is also Leon's sister from his last life; she feels deeply sorry that she pushed him to play the game causing his death, which started a chain of events that lead to a bad life. Marie did leave a positive legacy, with her daughter; said daughter later reincarnated as Erica, the sister of Julius (one of the game's capture targets). After reuniting with her brother, Marie eventually reconnected with her daughter, finally earning some happiness.

Julius Rapha Holfort (ユリウス・ラファ・ホルファート, Yuriusu Rafa Horufāto)

Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (Drama CD), Kenichi Suzumura (Anime) (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo (English)

One of the main capture target in the first series of the otome game and the crown prince of the Holfort Kingdom. He's considered an idiot and hypocritical by both Marie and Leon, and even his own mother Mylene; considering he ignored Angelica's sound advice. The humiliation conga is only worse by the fact his sister is Marie's daughter from her past life reincarnated; meaning he is stuck with Leon's family one way or another.

Jilk Fia Marmoria (ジルク・フィア・マーモリア, Jiruku Fia Māmoria)

Voiced by: Kohsuke Toriumi (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)

One of the capture targets. A green-haired young man who is fanatically loyal to Julius and acts as his right-hand man. While he likes to play the part of loyal subordinate and gentlemen, he is actually quite devious. He will not hesitate to use under-handed or dishonest means to achieve victory, such as when he convinced Leon's sister to plant explosives on Leon's mech during the arena battle.

Brad Fou Field (ブラッド・フォウ・フィールド, Buraddo Fō Fīrudo)

Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese); Justin Briner (English)

Brad is a purple haired young man who is one of the five capture targets. He is considered the weakest physically among his peers, though his magical abilities are slightly above average. He is knocked out with a single blow from Leon during the mech battle.

Chris Fia Arclight (クリス・フィア・アークライト, Kurisu Fia Ākuraito)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa (Japanese); Eric Vale (English)

One of the five capture targets. He has short, light blue hair and glasses, and is considered a master of swordsmanship, owing to a high degree of training and hard work. While he represents the "smart guy" trope, he is actually just as arrogant and smug as his associates, and is easily defeated by Leon.

Greg Fou Seberg (グレッグ・フォウ・セバーグ, Gureggu Fō Sebāgu)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese); Clifford Chapin (English)

Greg is a meat-heated member of the five main capture targets, who represents the "dumb jock" of the group. While physically strong and skilled in combat, he uses mass-produced arms and armor to show off his personal prowess. Arrogant and bull-headed, he will often charge into battle stupidly without any strategy, such as when he tried to attack Leon's mech suit Arroganz with a piece of metal in his bare hands.

Mylene Rapha Holfort (ミレーヌ・ラファ・ホルファート, Mirēnu Rafa Horufāto)

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Kelly Greenshield (English)

The Queen of Holfort Kingdom. She is the wife of Roland and the mother of Julius Rapha Holfort and Erica Rapha Holfort, whom Leon took an interest on her. As she is in a loveless marriage, Mylene was easily wooed by Leon's genuine affection for her.

Noelle Zel Lespinasse (ノエル・ジル・レスピナス, Noeru Jiru Resupinasu)

The protagonist of the second otome game. She's the first daughter and once former of the Lespinasse Household and a second-year high school student at Commonwealth Academy. She is the eldest twin sister of Leila. She becomes Leon's third fiancee.

Leila Zel Lespinasse (レリア・ジル・レスピナス, Reria Jiru Resupinasu)

She is the youngest daughter of the Beltre Household and once former of the Lespinasse Household. She is the younger twin sister of Noelle. Like Leon and Marie, she is also revealed to be originally an Old Human.

Louise Sara Rault (ルイーゼ・サラ・ラウルト, Ruīze Sara Rauruto)

The eldest daughter of the Rault Household and a third-year high school student at the Alzer Academy, a senior of Leon.

Erica Rapha Holfort (エリカ・ラファ・ホルファート, Erika Rafa Horufāto)

The main villainess of the third otome game. She's the youngest child and a crown princess of the Rapha Holfort Household and a second-year high school student at Commonwealth Academy. In reality, she is in fact Marie's daughter and Leon's niece. Back in her previous life, following her mother's expulsion from the family for the role of Leon's death and her selfish life, then followed by her tragic fate after being abandoned by her ex-husband, Erica's former father, Erica herself lived a happy and humbled life with her grandparents and grows mature and wise while still missed her mother. By the time she died at 60, she reincarnate into otome world where her former uncle and mother are reincarnated there too. Originally, Erica's character was meant to be a very cruel war-mongering princess, particularly towards Hertrauda before being condemned for her crimes. By the time she reincarnated as Erica and is immediately aware of the current situation in the new world she is now living in, the villainous role of the original Erica does not come to pass, and the said reincarnator who became Erica prefers to observe her allies and reincarnated former family members from the sidelines with a stable position that did not harm her nor the otome world itself, unlike Marie and Leila. Erica and Marie resume their previous mother-daughter relationship; both happy to be reunited.

Hetrauda Sera Fanoss (ヘルトラウダ・セラ・ファンオース, Herutorauda Sera Fan'ōsu)

The final boss of the third otome game.

Hertrude Sera Fanoss (ヘルトルーデ・セラ・ファンオース, Herutorūde Sera Fan'ōsu)

The older sister of Hetrauda.

Media

Light novel

The light novel is written by Yomu Mishima and illustrated by Monda. Micro Magazine has published thirteen volumes under their GC Novels imprint since May 30, 2018. It was originally self-published by the author as a web novel. The series ended with the release of its thirteenth volume on March 29, 2024. Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series in English in April 2020 and the first volume was released digitally on November 19, 2020.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	May 30, 2018	978-4-89637-753-8	February 16, 2021 (print) November 19, 2020 (digital)	978-1-64505-950-9
Prologue 01. A Reason to Fight 02. Lost Item 03. Enrollment 04. The Protagonist and the Villainess 05. Noblemen's Etiqutte 06. The True Protagonist 07. White Glove 08. Duel 09. A Personal Grudge 10. Love 11. The Fools Epilogue Bonus Chapter: Luxion's Report
2	October 30, 2018	978-4-89637-830-6	May 11, 2021 (print) March 11, 2021 (digital)	978-1-64827-197-7
Prologue 01. The Queen 02. A Confession of Love 03. Airbike Race 04. Weakness 05. Dispatching Pirates 06. Vented Anger 07. Karma 08. The Principality 09. Laughter 10. Friendship 11. The Black Knight 12. Rematch Epilogue Bonus Chapter: Luxion’s Report 2
3	March 29, 2019	978-4-89637-864-1	September 7, 2021 (print) July 8, 2021 (digital)	978-1-64827-295-0
Prologue 01. The Elf Village 02. The Ruin’s Secret 03. An Ill Fate 04. Behind the Scenes 05. The Fake Saint 06. Bonds 07. Destiny 08. Into Battle 09. The Demon 10. Livia’s Power 11. The Power of Love 12. The Cruel Truth 13. Game Complete Epilogue Bonus Chapter: Trude and Rauda
4	August 30, 2019	978-4-89637-911-2	January 4, 2022 (print) November 18, 2021 (digital)	978-1-64827-570-8
Prologue 01. The Alzer Republic 02. The Academy 03. Twins 04. The Republic’s Nobility 05. Oath to the Sacred Tree 06. Betrayal 07. The Descendants of Adventurers 08. The Sacred Tree’s Sapling 09. A Despicable Trap 10. Marie’s Turn 11. Leon’s Turn 12. The One-Horned Beast 13. The Oblivious Protagonist Epilogue
5	January 30, 2020	978-4-89637-975-4	March 8, 2022 (print) January 20, 2022 (digital)	978-1-63858-138-3
Prologue 01. Two-Timing 02. Temporary Return 03. Idiot Brigade, Begone 04. The Great House Barielle 05. Oblivious 06. Destined Partner 07. Collar 08. The Idiot Brigade Returns 09. Former Crown Prince 10. Villainess 11. Bride Thief 12. Everyday Life Epilogue
6	July 30, 2020	978-4-86716-033-6	June 28, 2022 (print) May 5, 2022 (digital)	978-1-63858-314-1
Prologue 01. Human Garbage 02. Serge 03. Siblings 04. Our Promise That Day 05. Human Sacrifice 06. Ideal, the Supply Vessel 07. The One Who Operates Behind the Scenes 08. The Pirate Flag 09. Love Interests vs. Love Interests 10. Manipulator 11. Little Leon 12. The Truth About House Lespinasse Epilogue Bonus Chapter: Aar-bear
7	January 30, 2021	978-4-86716-106-7	December 6, 2022 (print) August 18, 2022 (digital)	978-1-63858-651-7
Prologue 01. Mother and Son 02. Holy Kingdom of Rachel 03. The Republic's Pride 04. Milady 05. Traitor 06. Revolution 07: A Fight Between Sisters 08. Familial Bonds 09. The Mastermind 10. The Most Dangerous Man 11. Master 12. Liar 13. Remuneration Epilogue Recollection: Ideal's Promise
8	June 30, 2021	978-4-86716-157-9	February 14, 2023 (print) December 29, 2022 (digital)	978-1-63858-885-6
Prologue 01. Marriage Meeting 02. Introductions 03. Unexpected 04. Collar 05. The Scumbag Knight's Older Brother 06. Marriage 07: Earl Roseblade 08. The Truth Behind Sappie 09. Colin, the Youngest Son 10. Little Sisters 11. A Bond More Unbreakable than Any Chain Epilogue Bonus Chapter: Dorothea, the Wife Bonus Chapter: It Was All a Dream
9	November 30, 2021	978-4-86716-214-9	May 2, 2023 (print) March 30, 2023 (digital)	978-1-68579-638-9
Prologue 01. The First Prince 02. Unexpected 03. Reversal 04. Investigation 05. The Holy Kingdom of Rachel 06. The Strongest Knight 07. Those Who Slither in the Dark 08. The Bartfort Sisters 09. The Fate of Zola and Her Brood Epilogue
10	May 30, 2022	978-4-86716-299-6	September 19, 2023 (print) May 25, 2023 (digital)	978-1-68579-925-0
Prologue 01. The First Princess 02. Date 03. Devotee 04. The Nature of the Kingdom’s Aristocracy 05. Fortress of the Golden Hands 06. Erica and Mia 07. Adventurer’s Blood 08. Master of the Fortress 09. Separation 10. The Ghost Ship 11. Cutting Ties 12. A Regular Event Epilogue
11	December 28, 2022	978-4-86716-367-2	February 20, 2024 (print) January 18, 2024 (digital)	979-8-88843-444-4
Prologue 01. To the Border 02. House Frazer 03. Mylene’s Scheming 04. His Eminence’s Motive 05. House Fanoss’s Representative 06. Long-Lost Little Sister 07. Womanizer 08. Get Them Before They Get You 09. The White Whale 10. The Submerged City 11. Roland’s Secret Strategy 12. Soulmates 13. Awakening Epilogue
12	July 31, 2023	978-4-86716-451-8	August 13, 2024 (print) July 11, 2024 (digital)	979-8-89160-312-7
Prologue 01. The Final School Festival 02. Two Dudes and Their Partners 03. The Empire's Envoy 04. An Assassination 05. Erica and Mia 06. New Family 07. A Decision 08. The Annulled Engagement 09. Marie's Hero 10. For My Big Bro 11. For You 12. Everyone's Effort 13. The Essence of the Idiot Brigade 14. Leon's Regrets 15. One Versus Five 16. The Throne 17. Those with Courage 18. The Fake Saint 19. Assembling 20. The Empire's Strongest Knight Epilogue Bonus Chapter: Your Name
13	March 29, 2024	978-4-86716-555-3	January 7, 2025 (print)	979-8-89160-672-2

Other languages

The light novel series is also published in:

• Korea as 여성향 게임 세계는 모브에게가혹한 세계입니다 under the label S Novel Plus by Somy Media, who began publishing on March 13, 2020.
• Taiwan as 輕小說 女性向遊戲世界對路人角色很不友好 by Chingwin Publishing Group beginning on December 17, 2020.
• Thailand as ชีวิตตัวประกอบอย่างตูช่างอยู่ยากเมื่ออยู่ในโลกเกมจีบหนุ่ม under Luckpim Publishing beginning on October 16, 2019.
• Vietnam as Thế Giới Otomegame Thật Khắc Nghiệt Với Nhân Vật Quần Chúng by Tsuki LightNovel beginning in August 2020.

Manga

A manga adaptation by Jun Shiosato began serialization on October 5, 2018, and is published under the Dragon Comics Age imprint by Fujimi Shobo. The manga moved from the Dra Dra Sharp online manga website to the Monthly Dragon Age magazine on January 8, 2022. Seven Seas Entertainment announced their licensing of the manga adaptation on December 4, 2020, and published the first volume in July 2021. It has been collected in twelve tankōbon volumes.

A spin-off manga illustrated by Noko Ōmi, titled Otome Game Yōchien wa Mob ni Kibishii Yōchien Desu, began serialization in Monthly Dragon Age on June 6, 2022. The first volume was published in April 2023.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	June 8, 2019	978-4-04073-204-6	August 3, 2021 July 27, 2021 (Early Digital)	978-1-64827-426-8
01. Reincarnated into Darkness 02. To The Decision 03. That Which Sleeps Deep Underground 04. Enrollment 05. Routine, Then Disaster
2	September 9, 2019	978-4-04073-321-0	October 5, 2021	978-1-64827-447-3
06. Force 07. White Glove 08. The Night Before The Duel 09. These Guys Are Annoying 10. It's The Best
3	April 9, 2020	978-4-04073-613-6	January 25, 2022	978-1-64827-471-8
11. Love 12. Fools 13. Episode I (Part I) 14. Episode I (Part II) 15. Female Friendships Are Fleeting 16. The Queen
4	August 7, 2020	978-4-04073-770-6	April 26, 2022	978-1-63858-172-7
17. A Confession of Love 18. The Saint's Items 19. Upperclassman Clarice 20. Individual Circumstances 21. Rift
5	December 9, 2020	978-4-04073-901-4	June 7, 2022	978-1-63858-284-7
22. The Harbinger of a Collapse 23. Vanquishment of the Sky Pirates I 24. Vanquishment of the Sky Pirates II 25. Vanquishment of the Sky Pirates III 26. The Right Path
6	July 9, 2021	978-4-04074-171-0	November 15, 2022	978-1-63858-670-8
27. A Short Respite 28. Gertrude 29. Uprising 30. Going to War 31. The Power of the Saint
7	January 8, 2022	978-4-04074-384-4	April 11, 2023	978-1-68579-478-1
32. Friends 33. Livia 34. The Black knight 35. Vanquish 36. Post-Battle Cleanup
8	May 9, 2022	978-4-04074-528-2	September 5, 2023	978-1-68579-921-2
37. Episode II, Part I: Rematch 38. Episode II, Part II: Marie 39. The Saint's Bodyguards 40. New Embarkation 41. The Elf Village
9	October 7, 2022	978-4-04074-714-9	January 23, 2024	979-8-88843-123-8
42. The Subterranean Ruins 43. Secret of the Ruins 44. The Town Elder's Divination 45. Conspiracy 46. Unexpected
10	April 7, 2023	978-4-04074-934-1	June 25, 2024	979-8-88843-653-0
47. Respective Agendas 48. Get on Your Knees 49. Chivalry 50. The Path to Commander-in-Chief 51. You?!
11	September 8, 2023	978-4-04075-124-5	January 7, 2025	979-8-89160-204-5
12	April 9, 2024	978-4-04075-407-9	—	—

Other languages

The manga is also published in:

• Korea as 여성향 게임 세계는 엑스트라에게 엄격한 세계입니다 under Shift Comics by YNK Publishing, beginning on February 13, 2020.
• Taiwan as 女性向遊戲世界對路人角色很不友好 under Chingwin Publishing Group beginning on December 17, 2020.
• Thailand as ชีวิตตัวประกอบอย่างตูช่างอยู่ยากเมื่ออยู่ในโลกเกมจีบหนุ่ม under Luckpim Publishing beginning on August 5, 2019.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on November 25, 2021. It is produced by ENGI and directed by Kazuya Miura and Shin'ichi Fukumoto, with Kenta Ihara writing the scripts, Masahiko Suzuki designing the characters, and Kana Hashiguchi and Show Aratame composing the music. The series aired from April 3 to June 19, 2022, on AT-X, Tokyo MX, ytv, and BS NTV. The opening theme song is "Silent Minority" by Kashitarō Itō, while the ending theme song is "selfish" by Riko Azuna. Crunchyroll has licensed the series. On April 11, 2022, Crunchyroll announced that the series will receive an English dub, which premiered on April 17.

A second season was announced on December 26, 2022.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Storyboarded by	Original air date
1	"I Hate This World" Transliteration: "Ore wa Kono Sekai ga Kirai da" (Japanese: 俺はこの世界が嫌いだ)	Shin'ichi Fukumoto	Kenta Ihara	Toshihiko Masuda	April 3, 2022 (2022-04-03)
After completing an Otome game, a Japanese salaryman hits his head and dies, later reincarnating as a five-year-old named Leon Fou Bartfort inside the game that combines rural living on floating islands with futuristic technology. Society is female dominated, and men are husbands or paramours to noble ladies. Leon's father is married to Lady Zora, Leon's stepmother. Ten years later, Leon has prepared to enter The Academy, where men find wives or become paramours. Zora suddenly announces he must marry her friend's ugly 50-year-old daughter. Leon uses pre-knowledge of the story to locate a powerful ship named Luxion, which should have been found by the game's female protagonist in the original story. Luxion is controlled by an Artificial intelligence that attempts to kill Leon because he is a New Human, the current breed of human that can use magic and eradicate the non-magic humans that created Luxion. However, Leon has an Old-Human soul, allowing him to register as Luxion's owner. Zora happily assumes Leon died, only for Leon to appear with an absolute fortune in treasure looted from dungeons using his pre-knowledge. Now independently wealthy, Leon is able to ignore Zora's demand that he get married and attend the Academy as originally planned where the game's characters are gathered to begin the story.
2	"Hey, Girl. Wanna Get Some Tea?" Transliteration: "Soko no Kanojo Ocha Shitekanai?" (Japanese: そこの彼女　お茶してかない？)	Shigeki Awai	Kenta Ihara	Hiroshi Kugimiya	April 10, 2022 (2022-04-10)
Leon is unwillingly made a baron due to his achievements, meaning any future wife must be of nobility. Leon witnesses the start of the storyline and sees the romantic interests, Prince Julius and his friends Jilk, Brad, Chris, and Greg, whom the heroine must choose a husband from, and the rich antagonist Angelica Redgrave. He witnesses a game event where the heroine is supposed to slap a man, but it is a girl named Marie instead. Julius socializes with Marie, to the irritation of Angelica, his fiancé. Leon meets the real heroine, commoner, and scholarship student, Olivia, who begins a tentative friendship with Angelica. During dungeon exploration, Angelica confronts Marie for ingratiating herself with Julius but is told by Julius to back off. Leon realizes the noble students are using him and Olivia as human shields, and after defeating several monsters, Julius and his friends defeat the rest and take all the credit. Marie heals Julius' injury, and when Angelica protests, Julius publicly dismisses her while holding hands with Marie. Olivia heals Leon, revealing her magic skills earned her the scholarship. Leon is troubled by the changes to the storyline, especially concerning Marie, who is more devious than she appears and has somehow replaced Olivia as the storyline's heroine.
3	"Let's Duel, Prince" Transliteration: "Kettō Shiyō ze, Ōji-sama" (Japanese: 決闘しようぜ、王子様)	Chihiro Kumano	Kenta Ihara	Chihiro Kumano	April 17, 2022 (2022-04-17)
Bullies target Marie, so Julius forbids Angelica from socializing with him, an in-game event that should happen much later. Leon and Olivia see Marie secretly kissing Brad. Marie is shown to know she is in a game. Leon asks Luxion to begin gathering information as he suspects Marie is a reincarnation like himself. Angelica attempts to reveal Marie's infidelity to Julius, but he already knows as Marie has successfully made all five love-interests fall in love with her. Angelica challenges Marie to a duel, but all five love-interests volunteer as Marie's champions. Leon already knows that whether Angelica wins or loses the duel event, it ends with her disgraced and forced to marry an abusive husband, so he volunteers as Angelica's champion, and it is agreed they will fight using large robotic suits called Armours. Marie's use of game dialogue confirms she is aware of the storyline. Leon learns students are betting on the duel and bets a small fortune on himself to win. Angelica believes Leon is insane. On the day of the duel, Luxion delivers Leon the armour of Arroganz. However, this is met with mockery from the audience as Arroganz is very different from the love-interests' modern armours, though Leon is still confident he will beat all five of them.
4	"Mind If I Go Easy on You?" Transliteration: "Tekagen Shite Yatte mo Ii ka na?" (Japanese: 手加減してやってもいいかな？)	Sumito Sasaki	Kenta Ihara	Shigeru Yamazaki	April 24, 2022 (2022-04-24)
Angelica explains to a confused Olivia that Arroganz is a Lost Item made by Old-Humans, but it is large and slow, whereas the Love-Interests emphasize speed. Leon first faces Brad, who wields a lance. Leon mistakenly equips a large shovel instead of a sword but uses it anyway. Brad's fighting style is so predictable Leon knocks him out instantly. Greg uses a long spear, but his favourite armour has been repaired numerous times, so Leon is able to break it apart and expose Greg as the weak bully he truly is. Chris wields a sword but is weak against guns, so Leon shoots at him until Chris' sword is destroyed. Jenna, Leon's sister, who is angry Leon is embarrassing their family by making enemies of higher-ranked nobles, plants explosives on Arroganz on Jilk's orders. Luxion informs Leon of this, but Leon expected cheating, and knows Arroganz can withstand the blast. With his cheating foiled, Jilk tries to fight Leon but is defeated just as easily, infuriating Marie. Before they fight, Leon asks Julius about Olivia. Julius admits he has heard of her but has never met her, which is impossible since their meeting was supposed to be the beginning of the story.
5	"It's Awesome" Transliteration: "Saikō da ne" (Japanese: 最高だね)	Yuki Kanazawa	Kenta Ihara	Hiroshi Kugimiya	May 1, 2022 (2022-05-01)
Leon torments Julius with the absurdity of sharing Marie with the other love-interests. Julius claims Marie loves him for who he is. Leon points out that if Julius continues to reject Angelica, he might be stripped of his title of prince. Julius still chooses Marie, so Leon destroys his armour and wins the duel. Julius officially cancels his engagement to Angelica. Leon strikes a deal with Angelica's father: expulsion from the academy and surrendering his noble titles in exchange for protection from Julius' family. He agrees but insists Leon take Angelica with him to the countryside. Returning home, Zola is furious at the trouble Leon has caused but is cowed into silence by Angelica's presence. On Leon's private island, Angelica and Olivia enjoy his hot spring baths and become closer as friends. Marie is furious when all the love-interests, including Julius, lose their titles, ending her plans for an easy life. Julius and the love-interests are forced to earn their own money by raiding dungeons, though this makes them happier than they have been in years. Leon is annoyed when Julius' parents, the King and Queen, promote him to 6th rank noble as thanks for teaching Julius an important lesson, necessitating his return to the academy to find a noble wife; though he is happy this time, he has friends in Angelica and Olivia.
6	"My First School Festival" Transliteration: "Gakuensai tte Hajimete na no" (Japanese: 学園祭って初めてなの)	Chihiro Kumano	Kenta Ihara	Chihiro Kumano	May 8, 2022 (2022-05-08)
Leon hosts a maid café with Olivia and Angelica for the academy's student festival. Jenna reveals she has successfully stolen a rich viscount's son away from one of her friends and wants Leon to threaten her friend into not retaliating, but Leon refuses. Leon is furious that Marie opened a competing café with Julius and the love-interests as waiters. Olivia manages to attract one customer, Carla Fou Wayne, who wants to meet Leon. Queen Mylene, Julius' mother, attends the festival to meet Leon. When she sees how much abuse Leon, Olivia, and Angelica receive from a customer named Stephanie, the daughter of Count Offrey, she tries to defend him. Leon finally loses his temper when Stephanie insults Mylene, beats up Stephanie's servants, and causes her to flee when she realizes she has insulted the Queen. Compared to the feral girls at the academy, Leon is smitten with Mylene and half-jokingly asks her to marry him. This flatters her but annoys Julius, who punishes Leon. Mylene is furious at Julius for daring to criticize Leon when he himself is acting dishonourably and demands to meet Marie, who has been blatantly manipulating him. Carla asks Leon to save her Wayne family from ruin.
7	"We Both Hate Hot Guys" Transliteration: "Onaji Ikemen-girai" (Japanese: 同じイケメン嫌い)	Susumu Yamamoto	Kenta Ihara	Shigeru Yamazaki	May 15, 2022 (2022-05-15)
As Carla had officially requested his assistance, Leon is unable to refuse. Olivia and Angelica's friendship is strained when bullies refer to Olivia as Angelica's pet. The festival includes a flying bike race, with third-year student Dan Elgar the favourite to win. Leon uses Luxion's prediction programming to make a fortune gambling on the races. Jilk's ex-fiancé, Clarice, has injured him for dumping her, preventing him from racing. Marie is able to manipulate Leon into becoming Jilk's substitute by pointing out Angelica will be shamed if he refuses. Dan reveals Clarice had her heart broken by Jilk. Despite agreeing they both hate Jilk, Dan swears to beat Leon as Jilk's substitute. During the race, Leon is attacked by all the racers bankrupted by his wagers. Stephanie upsets Olivia by revealing Angelica once treated commoners as badly as she does, causing Angelica to attack her. Leon wins the race, but his bike explodes. Dan saves him from falling to his death since they both hate Jilk. Leon forces Jilk to give Clarice the apology she deserves, surprising her that Leon has a kind heart behind his evil personality. Leon convinces Olivia to give Angelica another chance despite how difficult a future friendship between a commoner and a noble might be. Carla asks Olivia for a private conversation.
8	"This Isn't a Game" Transliteration: "Kotchi mo Asobi ja nēn da yo" (Japanese: こっちも遊びじゃねえんだよ)	Masashi Tsukino	Kenta Ihara	Hiroshi Kugimiya	May 22, 2022 (2022-05-22)
Carla reveals she is taking orders from Stephanie, scaring Olivia into obeying her orders. From the game, Leon knows Carla's land is being invaded by Sky Pirates, who were actually working for Stephanie and Carla in a plot to send Olivia into a winless battle. The defeat of the Pirates is a major plot point for Olivia, but Leon decides to defeat the Pirates himself. Luxion worries Leon is robbing Olivia of opportunities to grow stronger and more confident. Carla, who now controls Olivia, brings Brad and Greg on the mission. Angelica learns what Stephanie did to Olivia, threatens to hurt her if she did anything to Olivia, and rushes to find her. Brad reveals Stephanie is his ex-fiance, and ending their engagement was very risky; her family being essential to protecting the kingdom from the neighboring Fanoss Duchy, particularly their strongest warrior, the Black Knight. Piloting Arroganz, Leon defeats the Pirates. Greg realizes war is very different from duels and gains respect for Leon. Carla attempts to blame Olivia, but Leon instead exposes her crimes to her father, forcing her to confess Stephanie planned everything to ruin Olivia. With Stephanie's lies in her head, Olivia becomes depressed, believing Angelica really does see her as a pet and Leon must only want her sexually. Leon realizes just how much hurt he has caused Olivia by overprotecting her and not letting her learn by doing things for herself. He becomes silent when she tells him she is a person, not his pet.
9	"She's a Doormat" Transliteration: "Tsugō no Ii Joshi Desu kara" (Japanese: 都合のいい女子ですから)	Motohiko Niwa	Kenta Ihara	Toshihiko Masuda	May 29, 2022 (2022-05-29)
Leon realizes the love-interests try to impress Marie but also let her do things on her own, unlike him and Olivia. Marie starts raiding dungeons, determined to retrieve a certain relic before Olivia. The rest of the pirates attack the ship. Olivia tries to help but is attacked by the pirate captain. Brad and Greg intervene, but Brad's sword skills are still lacking. Leon realizes this is how the story should go, with the love-interests helping Olivia without him. He steps in and defeats the captain, looting from him the Holy Necklace, one of the relics Olivia needs to eventually become a Saint. Olivia is devastated when Leon becomes distant from her, hoping she will become friends with the love-interests like she was supposed to and forget about him. Angelica becomes furious at Leon for hurting Olivia so badly. Angelica and Olivia's friendship becomes even more stained, and they distance one another. Luxion finds evidence linking the pirates to Stephanie, who is arrested by the royal family, ending her crimes for good. Leon gives full credit for the pirate's defeat to Brad and Greg and intervenes to have their families reinstate them as family heirs. They are grateful but choose to annoy Leon by having the Queen promote Leon to lower fifth rank nobility, a status higher even than Leon's own father. He is further annoyed when Clarice's father, grateful he forced Jilk to apologize, arranges for him to be promoted to upper fifth rank after he graduates the academy.
10	"Unlike You Wannabe Nobles" Transliteration: "Ese Kizoku to wa Chigatte" (Japanese: エセ貴族とは違って)	Chihiro Kumano	Kenta Ihara	Chihiro Kumano	June 5, 2022 (2022-06-05)
Another game event arrives, the school trip. Leon visits a shrine and coincidentally meets Angelica and Olivia. Leon receives shrine charms that she shares with Angelica, who receives a Red Elemental Blessing, and Olivia, who receives a White Elemental Blessing. Leon, himself, receives Fortune in War. The academy ship is attacked by Princess Hertrude of the Fanoss Duchy, who declares war, an event not supposed to happen until the end of the game. Angelica volunteers as a hostage, and when Leon and Olivia try to protect her, Hertrude's Commander Garrett forces other students to beat them. Holfort kingdom orders Chris to delay Hertrude as long as possible, even if they all die. Most students cowardly refuse, so as a high-ranked noble, Leon orders every student to fight, shaming them by calling them false nobles. Deirdre Roseblade, the highest-ranked noble below Angelica, is insulted and proclaims her family's achievements. Still, even she is shamed when Leon points out those achievements belonged to her ancestors, while she acted the coward like everyone else. Through shame, anger, and wounded pride, every student agrees to fight. Impressed by his rudeness and brazen lack of respect, Deirdre falls in lust with Leon. Leon promises Olivia he will save Angelica. Hertrude reveals she controls her monsters with her flute as they attack Leon as soon as he leaves the ship.
11	"What I Can Do Now" Transliteration: "Ima, Watashi ni Dekiru Koto o" (Japanese: 今、私にできることを)	Masato Uchibori	Kenta Ihara	Hiroshi Kugimiya	June 12, 2022 (2022-06-12)
Garret fires on the academy ship. Olivia, enhanced by the White Elemental Blessing Charm, activates her dormant Saint Powers and conjures a shield around the ship, saving everyone. Leon is glad he didn't hold Olivia back enough to stifle her power. With Olivia protecting the ship, Leon infiltrates Hertrude's ship, frees Angelica, captures Hertrude, and gets revenge on Garret by removing his famous mustache. Furious, Garret resumes firing, and Hertrude releases her control of the monsters so they will attack her in revenge and bring down the academy ship. Enhanced by the Red Elemental Blessing Charm, Angelica uses fire magic to protect the ship when Olivia collapses from magical strain. They reconcile as Angelica assures a crying Olivia she is stronger than she thinks and has never once held them back. While saving Angelica, Olivia falls off the ship, forcing Leon to catch her. Olivia finally scolds Leon for being distant and confesses she loves him despite his claims of being a terrible person. Leon's main ship, the Partner, finally arrives and protects the academy ship. Leon is able to pilot Arroganz and swears he will defeat the Fanoss Duchy so soundly that they will never dare invade again. Garret deploys his secret weapon, Sir Vandel, the Black Knight.
12	"No Matter How Tough the World of Otome Games Is" Transliteration: "Tatoe Dore dake, Kono Otomegē Sekai ga Kibishikute mo" (Japanese: たとえどれだけ、この乙女ゲー世界が厳しくても)	Shin'ichi Fukumoto	Kenta Ihara	Shigeru Yamazaki	June 19, 2022 (2022-06-19)
Leon struggles against Vandel, who has decades more battle experience. However, Leon traps Vandel's armour in a bear hug and holds Vandel at gunpoint. Desperate to preserve his reputation, Garret summons every monster for miles to destroy himself, his army, and every witness. Leon reveals that Luxion's main ship has been hiding above the clouds and destroys the monsters. As Leon claims Vandel's legendary sword, Garret and Vandel are forced to retire in disgrace. Leon forces Chris to take credit for the victory to be reinstated as his family's heir. Days later, the love-interests build a new armour piloted by Greg to re-challenge Leon so he stops meddling in their relationships with Marie. Fed up with dueling, Leon deliberately plans to lose until Luxion analyses the armour, which is so faulty it will explode and kill Greg. Leon is forced to destroy the armour to save Greg, winning his duel yet again. Leon is furious to learn capturing Hertrude has earned him the Distinguished Service Medal and promotion to Viscount. Marie reveals she now possesses the Saint's Bracelet and plots to find the other two Saint items to finally replace Olivia as the heroine. Olivia assures Leon she is happy to wait for his response to her love confession, no matter how long. Luxion comments Leon and Marie are very similar as they both used knowledge of the game to get what they wanted, though he decides this is a trivial matter (which it"' isn't'").

Reception

By March 2024, the series had over 3 million copies in circulation.

See also

• I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!, another light novel series by the same author

External links

• Japanese web novel website at Shōsetsuka ni Narō (in Japanese)
• Official Japanese light novel website (in Japanese)
• Official Japanese manga website (in Japanese)
• Official anime website (in Japanese)
• Official English light novel website at Seven Seas Entertainment (in English)
• Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia