I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

Feeling completely overwhelmed on how to explain this, I just blurted out, “Just come and see for yourself!”

It’s not exactly a good way to handle things. It basically means I’m skipping the explanation.

Last weekend, my friend suddenly announced that she wanted to take the vacancy of the maid position. How could I even begin to explain that? Even if I described it as it is, it just sounds ridiculous. I knew they wouldn’t get it all in one go anyways, so I decided to just brush it off with “See for yourself.”

As a result, it turned into a situation where I couldn’t just walk out the front door and hop into a car like a normal person. Ha Neul and Sua both wore pondering expressions, which lasted all the way home.

If only we had taken the car, the awkward time would have been a little shorter.

…I don’t even know why I should be agonizing over this.

Anyhow, after that awkward silence, we managed to arrive at the mansion.

And—

“Welcome, Miss!”

A lively blonde-tanned maid greeted us with sparkling energy.

“…What about the previous one?”

When I asked that,

“She went to pick you up in the car!”

The new maid responded cheerfully, as if she couldn’t contain her happiness.

Ah, I see. Since we now have two maids, it wouldn’t be strange if they divided the work. Normally, I would have waited outside as time passed, but today, I came straight from school because of the ‘new maid’ in front of me.

I felt a bit sorry for the driver stuck waiting at the front because of Yang Hye-in.

“As for the handover—”

“For now, I’ve been trained in the urgent matters that need to be done when you arrive, Miss!”

…

Hmm, the maid seems a bit too excited, making it feel a tad overwhelming.

Well, at least she managed to button up her top properly. Though it’s not like she’s wearing school uniform but a maid outfit, which, while not cosplay-like, definitely looks like a proper maid outfit. If those buttons were undone, it would have looked just too provocative for comfort.

Not that I have a clue what she’s after, anyway.

I glanced sideways at Ha Neul and Sua, who were both gaping like stones. If this were a shounen manga, they’d probably look like they were thinking, “I’m dead now…!” But this isn’t a dating sim in a shounen manga, so…

Even in front of my frozen friends, Sohee just continued to grin from ear to ear.

It was ironically fitting, that smile of hers matching the maid outfit in a way that was completely different from Yang Hye-in’s.

*

“I’ll take your clothes, Miss.”

With that bright, almost bubbling tone of hers, Sohee was surprisingly competent. She guided the three of us inside and came up at the right moment to take our coats.

Sure, she fumbled a bit more than Yang Hye-in when taking the coat, but still, I think she exceeded expectations. After all, it hadn’t even been an hour since she started.

Though, once she dives into deeper tasks, who knows how that would go?

“Ah, uh, no,”

Ha Neul almost snatched the clothes off Sohee. It seemed she wasn’t used to giving orders. Even more so since the other party was a friend she’d been hanging out with until last week.

“……”

On the other hand, Sua passed the clothes with a somewhat calm expression. Her deep blue eyes looked unfocused, as if she was in deep thought. It was a bit different from her usual thoughtful gaze, making it somewhat unnerving.

“Shall I guide you straight to the cafeteria? Or should I give you a little time to chat? Or… would you like to freshen up?”

Ignoring the last cheeky addition…

“…We can probably wait a little for the meal, right?”

Thinking a brief explanation was in order, I suggested so. Ha Neul and Sua nodded in unison. Ha Neul seemed unable to fully grasp the situation yet, while Sua appeared to have absorbed it all quite well.

“…Then let’s go up to the room for now.”

“I’ll guide you!”

I mean, I do know the way to the room.

*

Luckily, it seemed Yang Hye-in had registered Sohee’s fingerprint for the door lock. Sohee got to the door first and unlocked it before I could catch up. Ha Neul gaped once more at that, while Sua just stood there with a blank expression.

…What’s up with that? Why does she look so unhappy since earlier?

…Could it be that she’s disappointed to see me making my friend into a maid?

Seeing her poker face made me slightly disheartened as I walked into the room.

It didn’t seem like Sohee’s stuff had arrived yet. The rolled-up sleeping bag was still on the table, along with the big bag she’d brought with her on Saturday evening. There wasn’t a bed yet, but there was at least a clothing rack.

Normally, this is my personal space, where any clothes I take off are washed immediately, and any completed laundry slips back into the wardrobe when I’m out. So, I never needed a personal clothes rack.

But for Sohee, who would be living in this room as a maid, it’s a different story. Of course, I’m open to sharing my wardrobe, but I can’t just have another maid or myself collect the maid’s outerwear for her. Naturally, I should at least have a simple clothes rack for her outerwear.

Sohee went to the rack in the corner and hung up her outerwear. Then—

“Oh, right. I’ll hang this here and put it in the styler later.”

She suddenly turned around and said that to me. I nodded.

“Oh, and I already ate. Before you guys came. With my senior.”

“…Senior?”

When I asked back, Sohee grinned wider and said, “Yes, with Yang Hye-in.”

“……”

Ah, right. She is a senior after all. Though that doesn’t quite make her a superior, so it’s a bit awkward.

I really don’t think Sohee got close to Yang Hye-in in that time. It’s not something I should say, but Yang Hye-in didn’t seem like the sociable type.

I plopped down on the edge of the bed.

“Isn’t it a bit too early for a meal?”

Well, it’s not truly mealtime yet either.

“It’s fine. The meals here are actually quite good.”

…So they do serve food. After all, since I’m the one who brought in the maid, they can’t treat her poorly. They can’t let her go hungry if we don’t intend to spend every waking moment pulling each other’s hair out.

“…So.”

Perhaps finally coming to, Ha Neul opened her mouth.

“Sohee, you really decided to become a maid? Under Sara?”

“Yeah, unless it’s under Sara, there’s no reason for me to be here as a maid.”

Sohee confidently stated something that made me cringe.

“…Hah, I see.”

Was that sigh tinged with, ‘I wish I could do that’?

“When did you get permission?”

Sua, who had been quietly listening, asked. Her eyes still seemed deep in thought, but she appeared slightly less scary now that she was speaking. Her tone was just like usual.

“On Saturday.”

“Who let you in?”

“I came in myself. I climbed over the wall.”

With her chest puffed out, Sohee said that, and once again Ha Neul and Sua had their jaws drop.

“…Regardless, that’s…”

Could I be imagining it that they were saying, ‘I wouldn’t be able to do that’?

“…That’s amazing.”

For some reason, Sua said that with a tone mixed with admiration.

“By the way, I’m going to transfer to your guys’ school too. If I go to a different one, I won’t be able to properly do maid work. If I go to the same school, I can help you with things inside the academy.”

“……”

With each puffed chest word from Sohee, Ha Neul and Sua looked at her with envious eyes.

…I honestly don’t get why they’re envious. Is it because the maid outfit is pretty? Is it some envy for a lovely uniform? I can’t imagine doing that even with a close friend.

…They wouldn’t be considering doing the same, would they?

I mean, giving all three of them over to Yang Hye-in would be a bit much. Just the notion of all my friends working under me doesn’t sit right, even if my image at school is that of a villain or an attention-seeker, there are lines I want to maintain.

While I was busy sorting through those thoughts, Sohee suddenly looked at her wristwatch and said,

“Ah, it’s time for the senior to arrive.”

It seemed Yang Hye-in was soon to return.

*

Thanks to us arriving much earlier than Yang Hye-in, it had turned into us welcoming her instead.

Following Sohee who darted out to welcome our senior, that’s how it ended up.

When Yang Hye-in walked in through the door and saw us in the lobby, she jolted slightly.

A very brief moment of silence.

…Um, how do I say this?

Typically, in these kinds of scenes, you’d expect phrases like “I’m home” or “Welcome back!” exchanged to create a warm vibe, but unfortunately, Yang Hye-in and I weren’t the type to share such heartwarming dialogues. Rather, we’d spent the last three years in awkward silence before finally having any sort of conversation.

“…I’m back, Miss.”

Well, Yang Hye-in does fit doing the whole ‘Miss’ talk.

Considering she was the one who was called back after sitting idle. Who knows how long that’ll be…

Plus, to be fair, she really had gone outside and returned.

“……”

Um.

What should I even say?

Judging by the silence from everyone around me, even Sohee was waiting silently for me to speak. Looking at their expressions, they probably thought I was having an emotional reunion with Yang Hye-in.

“…Is the handover going well?”

I hadn’t been able to gauge how it was going since not much time had passed, but having nothing else to say, I brought up work-related chatter.

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

And then came a response that felt slightly off-key.

I turned my gaze back to Sohee, who was beaming back and forth between me and Yang Hye-in. The contrasting demeanor between her and Yang Hye-in was striking. Yang Hye-in rarely showed any change in her expression, even when she expressed her emotions.

…Hmm, it seems like this isn’t going too smoothly after all.

“Then, once the handover is finished, let’s discuss what we’re going to do next.”

I never got to ask if Yang Hye-in even wanted to stay here. Since Saturday, after being dismissed by the chairwoman, I hadn’t seen her around.

So I thought I’d just brush past it for now. Whether she stays or goes, it should be her decision. I figured I’d defer that question until the handover was completely over.

“…Yes, thank you.”

After pondering on my words for a moment, Yang Hye-in bowed her head slightly to reply.

As she did, it looked like the three people around me were gazing at the scene with warm eyes.

…Why?

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