I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Something about the atmosphere became incredibly uncomfortable.

Or should I say it got comfortable?

…I guess it’s accurate to say it’s comfortable yet uncomfortable.

It’s understandable, considering there were girls literally clinging to my side right now.

Well, yeah. It’s all my fault for asking them to do it. So… they’re trying to make me think there’s something going on between us.

Honestly, I wondered if they really needed to stick this close in a café with not a single other student in sight. I also thought they could at least let one of my hands go. After all, having to eat everything with my mouth was mentally exhausting.

At least my body was comfortable, though.

Yeah. My body was comfortable.

I didn’t need to move at all.

“Umm, well, I think we can stop eating now.”

I said that while looking at Sohee’s fork that was being shoved in front of my mouth. Sohee had already offered me three tiramisus. No matter how small a square dessert it is, if I eat too much, it’ll create issues during dinner. So Sara’s stomach is still way too small.

“Hmph. Really?”

Sohee slightly retracted her fork as she spoke.

“So, are you saying you don’t want to accept what I give you anymore?”

“Uh, no….”

That’s not it!

It’s just that my stomach can’t handle it! If I eat too much, I’ll feel bloated!

“Or?”

Sohee stared at me intently. She had no expression on her face. Whether standing or sitting, Sohee, who was definitely taller than me, was just quietly looking down at me. Since she usually showed a variety of expressions, her blank stare was a bit scary.

Uh-oh, I feel like I’m digging up some past trauma.

“N-no.”

“Right?”

Sohee immediately grinned and shoved the fork back in front of my mouth. A bit of chocolate powder from the tiramisu brushed against my lips. In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth and accept that piece.

Immediately afterward, Sohee took another piece of tiramisu and popped it into her mouth, savoring it.

“……”

Lee Soo-ah, who was sitting next to us, pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the powder off my lips.

…Am I being treated like a baby right now?

I have no idea how the situation turned out like this.

“Uh, hey, everyone. The thing I asked for…”

I was about to say that I wanted them to do this in front of others, but those words didn’t come out.

“Doesn’t eating just sweets make your mouth too sweet? Here, drink some coffee while you eat.”

A straw suddenly jabbed into my open mouth. Yoo Ha-neul had thrust a cup of coffee into my mouth.

“……”

In the end, I could just suck on that straw.

It seemed to have a slight fruity scent.

Is this the kind of aroma that comes from coffee made with premium beans?

*

After sitting in the café for quite a while, we finally stepped outside. Considering how long we sat, there wasn’t much conversation. I’d even say there was absolutely no conversation. My head felt so full of blood, I hardly remembered anything properly.

If I had been incredibly close with girls in my past life, or if I had been a real girl myself, I might have been able to stay calm and collected in that situation. But unfortunately, in my previous life, I had never even had a date and was a certified lonely person.

…Even after entering a body that’s undeniably cute, it seems like nothing changes.

“Ah, right. Something just came to mind.”

After walking in silence for a bit, Sohee clapped her hands in front of a convenience store. Startled by the clap, a few people passing by glanced our way. Then they started whispering to each other as they looked at me, Ha-neul, and Soo-ah next to me.

…No, this wasn’t the kind of effect I was hoping for.

Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I suddenly felt like a bad guy. Living in a world where same-sex relationships are norm feels more exhausting than I thought.

“Just going to stop by the convenience store for a bit. Is that okay?”

Fortunately, Sohee said this in a manner totally different from the oddly angry vibe she had in the café. I don’t know what she was so mad about in there, but thankfully, she didn’t seem angry now.

I nodded.

“Then you three wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Sohee quickly dashed towards the convenience store. Just as she said, she returned shortly.

“Sorry, I just needed to quickly grab something.”

As Sohee said this, I realized I was still aware of the two who were clinging to my arm.

“……”

I’d think I could walk on my own now, but… I felt like they wouldn’t let go if I said that, so I decided to just give up.

*

If today were the same day as last week, I would have asked these three to have dinner together and then head back. But today was too tiring to wander around outside any longer.

The path of becoming an attention seeker is long and perilous, especially if one chooses the wrong target for their attention. I physically learned through my past life how painful it could be to provoke someone active while I was living a life distance from exercise. I promised myself never to do that again.

Is it true that if I enter that gym with my alluring scent, they’ll rush over and turn me into a gym rat? Well, I’m sure that would be much weaker, though.

Plus, it seems like Ha-neul and Soo-ah have thoroughly decided to help me with my plans while they’re with me, as they stuck close by and had no intention of leaving my side. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even eat my meal on my own, and at the café, I didn’t get to eat anything myself—not desserts or drinks.

…While it was something I’d never even gazed upon, the lavish food felt like it weighed on my mind. Maybe it’s because my current identity isn’t a grown-up, but rather stuck with minors, that I feel psychological pressure from sticking so close to them?

Or perhaps it’s also because Ha-neul, Soo-ah, and Sohee hadn’t said anything at all. That atmosphere felt oddly tense.

How did things end up like this?

So, I wanted to hurry back home and rest.

Just until I could see the mansion in the distance.

…Hmm, honestly, I don’t feel like going back there at all. At least these three are my equals, but there, the servants wait for me like I’m beneath them. Unlike the school where the thought of attracting attention seems appealing, I can’t imagine doing that with the servants there.

Though I enjoyed my meal, that… is a different story.

Well… whether I want to go back or not, regardless, the time to part is drawing near.

“……”

Maybe aware of that, the three of them remained silent too. At this rate, even if we went inside and had a meal, it would just be awkward.

…Did I mess something up?

As I pondered, we arrived in front of the mansion. The gates that looked like they were ready to swallow me whole were already open. And to the side stood a security guard in a black suit.

I had become familiar with this over the little more than two months, but this atmosphere would be quite intimidating for outsiders. Wasn’t this the reason the original Ye Sara couldn’t exit the mansion?

Just as I had been able to go outside the mansion last weekend, the original Ye Sara could have had the authority to do so too, but… if she had grown up seeing those guards standing at the door since her childhood, even coming close would have been terrifying.

Ha-neul and Soo-ah, who had been beside me, also shifted away from me.

I let out a small sigh and turned around.

“Well, I had fun today. See you tomorrow.”

To my words, Ha-neul gave a bright smile. Soo-ah slightly bowed her head, looking a bit shy, while Sohee shrugged her shoulders with a pout.

I flashed a slight smile at the three before turning around.

And I slowly walked towards the mansion.

…But then, I heard footsteps following behind me.

“……?”

When I turned around, Sohee was confidently following me into the mansion.

“Uh…”

Before I could react, the security guard abruptly blocked her path. Because of that, Sohee ended up stuck right at the entrance.

One step.

With just a single step across the large iron gate that separates the mansion from the outside, Sohee had stepped inside.

Even with the security guard in front of her, who was a head and a half taller, Sohee nonchalantly sent her other foot into the mansion.

Thud. She stood as if declaring something.

“This is private property. Outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission.”

Even after hearing the guard’s low voice, Sohee simply raised an eyebrow.

“Whose private property is this?”

Sohee asked like that.

“…This is Miss Ye Sara’s—”

“Oh, is it hers? Then I just need to ask her.”

Sohee tilted her head slightly. This made it look like she was peeking around the security guard’s arm. Sohee’s hair, which was slightly damp at the roots, failed to defy gravity and flopped down.

Seeing that spirited look, I thought for a moment that Sohee was kind of cute.

“So, can I come in?”

“…Miss, you should rest—”

“Um.”

As the guard tried to step away, Sohee made a sound as if to hinder him.

“If you try to push me or touch me, I’ll scream right here. Got it? There are plenty of people nearby. And besides, I already had a meal here last time, you know? What are you talking about now?”

I almost let out a laugh at that scene.

“Well, shall we have a meal then?”

As I teased the guard, Sohee shrugged her shoulders and stepped aside, revealing her full appearance that had been completely obscured by the guard. She was still wearing a school uniform shirt with about three buttons undone, looking extremely suggestive, and her short skirt showed off quite a lot of thigh.

She looked like some sort of cartoon delinquent. Well, to be honest, her appearance was so cartoonish it felt unrealistic.

“Of course, we’ll be dining.”

And true to her delinquent charm, Sohee responded with such confidence.

Her clear response was refreshing enough that it swept away my earlier gloomy thoughts—

“I’m staying over tonight.”

—And just like that, it flew away, taking my sanity with it.

“…Huh?”

“I said I’m staying over.”

Sohee said with a smile, looking at me with a frozen expression.

“Why? Friends do that too, right?”

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