1 A sidekick is seventeen and counting

"Your highness, Elysion, it's time to get ready…"

A woman, dressed in a typically medieval maid's outfit, entered my room, appearing slightly anxious.

Understanding the stakes, she maintained a nervous expression, fearing any misstep might worsen my already somber mood.

"I understand. Sorry, but can you wait for just thirty more minutes?"

"Eh!? Y-yes, understood…"

Her eyes widened, and she hastily exited the room, surprised by my swift apology.

"Sigh… it can't be helped. My usual self is, well, my usual self."

'He is really messed up….'

As I scrutinized my reflection in the mirror – featuring two sparkly golden eyes, slicked-back black hair, and a pinkish glow of lips – I couldn't help but release a heavy sigh.

'An unmatched beauty…'

I am Elysion Silvercrest, the third prince of the formidable Silvercrest Kingdom, renowned for my cunning and disagreeable nature.

"Why do I talk about myself like this? Well, because I'm… the sidekick, to be precise, the sidekick for the rival character of the protagonist."

"That too, inside a chat-based romance phone game called 'Engage 100 times.' Well, it's a bit complicated."

Simply put, I'm the guy with the eccentric hairstyle who comically follows the anti-protagonist.

"I try to please the rival character, pick on the protagonist, and end up in more trouble than the rival in the end. A sad existence that can't even be a full-fledged sidekick."

It's just sad.

I discovered this in the morning.

"By the way, in my past life, I was just a normal university student named 'Harry.'"

Moving to the city from the countryside for college, being shy and quiet, I had a hard time fitting in. Being alone, I started playing 'Engage 100 times' to pass the time.

But I got hooked on the fun chats and cute heroines (or the people behind them). I spent most of my part-time job money on in-game stuff…

Darn it.

Anyway, this is a different world now. I really need to stop the game's story from happening.

If not, I'm fated to die.

Well, I'd like to complain and ask why a mere sidekick character has to go through such hardships, but unfortunately, this guy Elysion eventually plans a rebellion.

Naturally, the rebellion doesn't go well. Easily stopped by the protagonist and heroines, he ends up being executed in front of the harem the protagonist built.

Despite wanting to change something, Elysion's reputation is at its worst due to thirteen years of arrogant behavior since birth. It's a negative start even before the main story begins.

By the way, the rival characters, the first and second princes, in the end reconcile with the protagonist and become major allies for the protagonist to fight against the demon king.

In fact, these two princes were originally handsome and cool characters, leading the developers to release "Engage 100 times-exclusively for girls" where they appear as cool and yandere handsome characters serving the female protagonist.

Elysion? No way.

Either way, to avoid such a fate, it's best for me to improve my bad reputation while avoiding getting involved in the main story as much as possible.

"It's not that simple, right?"

Because, you see, the protagonist is my younger brother, the fourth prince, and the rival characters are my older brothers, the first and second princes.

Just living a normal life means I'll definitely get entangled. No chance of escaping.

Fortunately, I'm currently thirteen years old, with three more years until the start of the main story.

During that time, I must forcefully create a route for myself that absolutely doesn't exist in the game, to survive.

For that…

"Today's meeting must not fail."

This game, "Engage 100 times," aims for the protagonist to become the next king by fulfilling the condition of bringing the "world's greatest fiancée."

It's a story of meeting various unique and cute heroines, engaging in romance, solving events in RPG parts worldwide, and progressing the love part with the fiancée candidates in chat format.

However, this game, unfortunately, had excessively innovative features, and with the need for ticket purchases for chat and double the usual in-game purchases for heroine and weapon gacha, it caused significant damage to players' wallets.

Criticism and low ratings from users flooded in upon release, leading to the unfortunate fate of service termination within half a year.

A week before the service ended, when I saw the sudden announcement from the management, I couldn't help but cry, considering the amount I had invested. I slept with tears on my pillow, and when I woke up, I was Elysion.

"But anyway, I won't die! I'll definitely survive!"

Anyway, I know this world of "Engage 100 times" inside out!

So, to avoid all the events in "Engage 100 times," if I work hard with a determination to survive, it should somehow work out.

Please, let it be so.

"And that girl… I'll… Hahaha! I'll do it!"

Laughing in a petty manner like Elysion, I raised my fist towards the mirror.