I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“So, you’re saying you started searching for ways to guide me so that I could feel joy, right?”

I asked calmly while sitting across from Yoo Ha-neul.

Despite my appearance, I was quite cautious in my previous life. I thought my looks were above average, but many around me argued otherwise. Everyone has their own standards, and some have high standards that set ‘handsome’ as the average.

Whether I personally thought my face was above average or not, I had never received a confession like those heavenly beings in gaming worlds.

Of course, I had crushes on pretty girls. Some kind-hearted classmates in college spoke to me even when I was a loner, while there were also super sociable ones who gathered everyone for drinks, regardless of whether they were a loner or not.

That’s why I had to be extra careful.

How many posts about break-up dilemmas have I seen online? I would usually come across people who mistook a simple, harmless friendliness as a personal favor and ended up in angst about whether to keep attending this school or not after making an overly dramatic confession.

It’s one thing to daydream about naming your grandchild after a casual brush of fingers, but it’s incredibly dangerous to misunderstand that fantasy as reality.

I was just now learning about Ye Sara’s true story and trying to devise a plan to change the future. I couldn’t let a friend—who might even accidentally step on a landmine—fly away without a care.

The problem is that the situation now was different from then.

In my previous life, of course, I thought my appearance was above average, but I never considered it to be completely appealing to the opposite sex. My experience of never having been confessed to supported that belief. Naturally, there was no reason for anyone to think of another person’s kindness as personal affection.

But what about now?

The lively girl in front of me blushing with a red face, visible even beyond the light radiating from her face, looked undeniably like a beautiful girl. It made sense. Typically, girls in romance games may be described as average, but they often look stunning enough to knock out other harem heroines in CG.

…Of course, the CG for ‘If You Wish’ looked like it was hastily drawn in Paint. Anyway, that’s just a cliché.

So what about my own appearance as Ye Sara?

Ye Sara looked pretty; that was certain. Even the game made several mentions of her beauty. I looked pretty when I checked my reflection. While one might say her chest is small, her figure still had a nice line that made her look good in any outfit.

Lastly, what about this world?

In this world, there’s nothing strange about women falling for women, or men falling for men. It’s the kind of world in a dating sim. Plus, Yoo Ha-neul is actually the heroine of a dating sim. That means she has enough plausibility to express affection towards someone within just a few days.

…To put it bluntly, it wouldn’t be weird if it were love at first sight. After all, most first love stories begin that way. In this business, even looks can contribute to plausibility.

So now I was extremely confused.

Is the kindness Yoo Ha-neul shows me as a friend, or as a romantic interest?

Until just moments ago, I would have simply overlooked it, but then I caught a glimpse of Yoo Ha-neul openly searching for dating spots. It wasn’t an accident; she was searching for that word outright.

In a world where it’s perfectly normal for women to date women, she takes me, another female friend, and navigates through dating courses.

If one of us were a guy, it would undoubtedly be laden with implications. Of course, we’re both women right now.

“W-well, um…”

After hearing my question, Yoo Ha-neul pondered for a moment before finally speaking.

“Y-yes! So, I thought it would be great to look for places that are nice for us to walk around together and ended up following a dating course! The descriptions were just perfect, so I picked that one!”

Indeed, the atmosphere felt very much like a path where couples stroll together. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that I often saw groups of girls walking around like that.

But—

“What about the ‘couple-sized mega parfait’ right in front of me?”

That’s right. While I was momentarily in the restroom, Yoo Ha-neul didn’t order coffee but a mega parfait. And not just any; it’s meant for two. We had our own spoons, forks, and straws, but the menu clearly labeled it ‘couple.’

“W-well, that’s—”

Yoo Ha-neul’s eyes trembled slightly. When I raised an eyebrow, they trembled even more.

“Because it’s economical!”

After a long pause, Yoo Ha-neul shouted that out.

*

After hearing that it was “economical,” the doubt on Sara’s face still hadn’t completely faded.

Well, to be honest, it was true that I had somewhat been feeling the dating mood. Sara didn’t specifically pick that outfit, but it looked good on her, and she wore something a bit stylish. So, I thought why not choose a dress while I was at it? And Sara said it suited her.

I enjoyed it a bit when she blushed every time she stood close while crossing her arms. Honestly, it was cute.

Sara usually accepted any snacks I would feed her, and I enjoyed seeing her get embarrassed while eating, so I purposely fed her snacks in crowded places.

After wandering around for a short while, yeah, I ended up buying a couple’s menu after getting swept up in the mood.

However, even so, my relationship with Sara was still at the ‘friendship’ stage. A close friend I saw every day at school.

So I had not a single thought of it being anything more—

……..

………

………

—Well, I can’t say I had not even a tiny bit of those thoughts.

Yoo Ha-neul had to admit that. Up to now, she had never felt any romantic feelings towards girls, and while she had never fantasized about dating friends, she had recently thought that if a girl like Sara confessed, she might accept it.

Of course, she knew well that the chances were slim.

So… Sara and Yoo Ha-neul’s relationship was ‘not yet’ at that romantic stage.

“I’ll ask you honestly.”

After listening to Yoo Ha-neul’s response and pondering for a moment, Sara spoke with a serious expression.

“Since I’ve been stuck at home all this time, I honestly don’t know how to gauge the distance between friends.”

“Oh.”

That’s right.

Until now, Sara had been stuck in that mansion. According to Sua, who exchanged contacts with her while hanging out, she had no friend she could truly call a companion throughout elementary and middle school.

Sara’s expression when bringing that up was calm—an expression that could only come with familiarity.

If I were her, I would be in agony the moment I started speaking, Yoo Ha-neul thought.

“Then, let’s start with the first question.”

Saying that, Sara paused for a moment before speaking again.

“Um… Feeding snacks into each other’s mouths—is that common among friends?”

“…Uh…”

If one were to ask if it’s common, I could say no. However, that’s not to say I’ve never experienced it. Among close friends, it often happens playfully.

But typically, it would involve handing over elongated candies or larger pieces that wouldn’t fit in the mouth anyway. And if I handed something over, it wouldn’t be uncommon for the other to unknowingly receive it with their mouth if they were distracted.

However, slipping one’s lips into someone else’s mouth while feeding them snacks doesn’t really happen.

…That’s right. To be honest, Yoo Ha-neul had purposefully touched Sara’s lips a few times.

No, it might not just be a few times; it might be countless. I hadn’t really kept count.

The sensation of those soft lips was, honestly, rather addictive.

“Y-yes! That’s right! I mean, among close friends, it happens sometimes!”

That was not an outright lie. If one were to break it down, about 70% of the response was fibbing. Still, facts were mixed in there.

And that I had told such a lie without realizing it weighed heavily in my chest. My conscience felt heavy.

Sara’s eyes narrowed, and her brows slightly furrowed. It was obvious she was suspicious.

“…Okay.”

But it seemed that Sara decided to trust Yoo Ha-neul.

“Then next question. When we were walking earlier, we were linking arms. Is that normal? Is it appropriate for close friends to do that?”

“Uh, well—”

That’s right, I could say yes, but Yoo Ha-neul clamped her mouth shut.

Certainly, linking arms might not be out of place among friends. It wouldn’t happen all the time, but there were instances you would do that without realizing it when you met a really close friend or felt particularly happy.

…But today was a bit different.

Yoo Ha-neul didn’t merely link arms with Sara; she clung to her as if half-embracing her. The warmth of Sara’s body could be felt almost entirely through her clothes.

…Of course, that wasn’t typical.

“Y-you know! It can happen! If you’re really close friends, it might just happen…”

The weight of my guilt was screaming in my conscience, but Yoo Ha-neul tried to ignore it and responded.

“Hm.”

Sara let out a doubtful hum. However, once again there were no additional questions.

“Okay.”

Yoo Ha-neul sighed softly at Sara’s answer. It seemed she had passed this round too.

“Then lastly.”

Sara’s gaze fell on the couple-sized jumbo parfait resting on the table between them.

“Is it common for close friends to order couple menus just because they’re economical?”

“……”

That was a tough question to answer.

In fact, I had ordered it simply swept away by the mood before even considering that Sara might suspect me.

Sara was staring intently at Yoo Ha-neul, waiting for an earnest answer. It was a genuinely curious tone, as if she was innocently seeking the truth without a hint of malice.

Would it be right to simply lie that I liked it to such an innocent girl?

No, of course not. Just a moment’s thought showed how selfish that behavior was. It was akin to deceiving someone who practically had no knowledge of romance while enjoying a one-sided “date.”

But even so, I was terrified to speak the truth now.

I was afraid that even Sara, the only one in class who would respond to me, might become frightened of me.

But I can’t. A small voice of conscience whispered inside me.

She’s a friend. You shouldn’t tell such harsh lies among friends.

Yes, that was the right thing to say.

But—

“W-wait, was it… not okay…?”

What slipped out of Yoo Ha-neul’s mouth was that kind of question.

“……”

Sara’s eyes widened. It was as if she had never even considered that question could come up.

For a while, Sara stared at Yoo Ha-neul with those big eyes before narrowing them slowly. The narrowing of her eyes felt like it was in slow motion. Looking at that, Yoo Ha-neul felt her heart drop.

Did she not like it? Did she see through my lie? Yoo Ha-neul pondered as Sara’s narrowed eyes looked slightly sideways.

It was the look she gave Yoo Ha-neul at school.

Those eyes could charm a fox.

“Of course I had fun.”

Sara smiled and said that.

Yoo Ha-neul felt her heart, which was about to drop, start to thump rapidly again.

She felt her own face turning red.

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