I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“Hey, don’t be like that.”

Sohee said as she dragged a desk over.

Ah, come to think of it, since Sohee came to this school, there had to be a desk and a chair for her. Still, the fact that there were spare desks and chairs in the classroom meant that Sohee was recognized as a proper student here. This school usually didn’t keep spare desks and chairs lying around.

…But here she was, forcing the desk between Ha Neul and me.

“…What are you doing right now?”

Ha Neul had a lot of things she wanted to say, but it seemed she decided to deal with this first to avoid it dragging on.

“Oh, this?”

Sohee puffed out her chest in response to Ha Neul’s question.

“Of course, I’m the exclusive maid of Ye Sara, so I should sit as close as possible.”

“…But this is where the kids walk around?”

That was true. Normally, there was space between the desks where students sat in a line. It was unclear if it was designed for students to walk easily or if it just ended up like this because the classroom was left vacant after the population decline began.

“Anyway, there’s no one here, so it doesn’t matter. They’ll figure out how to get by, whether they crawl over the desk or jump across.”

I wasn’t sure how many kids in this class had the physical ability for that.

No, I didn’t think they would go that far to avoid it. Who knows when they turn around?

Sure, Ha Neul seemed like a kind-hearted person, so I worried she might be bullied easily. As for Sohee… um, it’s a bit mean to say, but honestly based on her looks, she seemed more like the type to bully rather than be bullied. Whether her skin was just slightly darker or if it was a unique trait of tanning, it was hard to tell, but from just her appearance, she looked like the kind who enjoyed playing around.

No kidding, she probably did like to have fun. She had plenty of friends in the game. She mostly kept going to school but had the bulldozer-like personality to willingly skip if she wanted.

In this school, even those who played around didn’t openly announce, “I’m the one who plays around.”

Moreover, even now, Sohee had three buttons of her shirt undone. The ribbon that should have been tied up like a necktie was loose and hanging.

Even the homeroom teacher would feel embarrassed to point that out.

…Could it be that she acted like this in her last school because the teachers couldn’t bring themselves to criticize her? Afraid of being reported for sexual harassment?

“…”

Ha Neul pressed her nose with her finger as if she had a headache.

“Well, still, this isn’t a place with assigned seats…”

I had spent a lot of time next to Ha Neul, and we were already notorious for not paying attention to the teacher during class. So, thinking about enforcing rules now felt a bit off—though I understood where Ha Neul was coming from.

“How about asking someone nearby to switch seats?”

Ha Neul suggested, not giving up.

“Oh, is that so?”

Sohee jumped up as if she just remembered and without a shred of hesitation, marched straight to the kid right behind me.

She boldly entered between my chair and that kid’s desk and looked down at them.

“Hey.”

…Can’t she at least show some intention to read their name tag?

“…”

But the other kid didn’t answer.

However, judging by the fact that they had just stopped talking to someone else, they were clearly a bit nervous. The way they didn’t respond when Ha Neul spoke stood in stark contrast to this.

That made sense. Ha Neul looked friendly and earnest, and when she talked to somebody, she did so sweetly. But if Sohee just bluntly says “Hey” like that, anyone would be scared.

Moreover, Sohee was relatively tall for a girl. Who wouldn’t be scared when someone like her towers over you like that? If a guy like me who stood around 187 cm came up and asked to borrow a textbook, I’d hand it over immediately.

But these kids likely knew. Since Sohee had confidently declared she was my maid, they wouldn’t mix in with anyone related to me. They would have to avoid talking to Sohee to uphold that principle.

Well, looking at the teachers making Ha Neul do this and that, it wasn’t like there were strict rules against talking, but unlike Ha Neul, who was just a friend, Sohee was outright my maid, which probably made them more on edge.

Sohee showed her back to me, so I couldn’t see her expression. But from what I could hear, it didn’t seem like she wore a very friendly face.

“Excuse me~ Are you ignoring me?”

Sohee tapped on the kid’s desk. knock knock, and I could hear the sound of the chair scraping the floor; they probably flinched a little.

“…”

The surrounding eyes turned towards us. But Sohee seemed completely unconcerned.

“Hmmm.”

She waved her hand right in front of the kid’s face and even slapped the desk a few times.

Still, no answer came back.

From here, it looked like they were just stubbornly holding it in.

The kid’s face didn’t face Sohee either, but it wouldn’t be surprising if there were tears welling up in their eyes.

“Sigh.”

Sohee let out an exasperated breath while pushing her hair back. She clearly looked like someone who was extremely annoyed. Of course, her expression was still hidden from my view.

Sohee stepped slightly out from beside the desk. She crouched down in a posture that showed no decorum at all, reminiscent of friends lounging around in a school corner or in front of a convenience store, and then locked eyes with the kid who was slouched down.

“Ugh.”

The kid took in a breath. Sohee looked at the kid and said,

“Are you seriously—”

about to say “ignoring me,” when—

“Wait—!”

She couldn’t finish her sentence because of the absurdly loud Lead Committee Member with blue hair who butted in.

The gazes of everyone who had been intensely observing Sohee quickly pivoted to focus on the Lead Committee Member. I could hear someone sigh deeply. That must have been the sigh of the kid behind me, relieved that the spotlight shifted away.

Sohee, in a crouching position, turned to look at that kid. She tilted her upper body slightly and turned her head side to side, glaring with eyes that seemed like they could terrify even an elementary school student passing by.

…She had been acting so sweet in front of me. Is this a genuine delinquent now?

Well, despite being a delinquent, she didn’t seem to lead a delinquent lifestyle. After all, she was the heroine. If she’s too unlikable, the players might get fed up.

Sohee, making a face that said “What the heck,” slowly stood up.

“Ugh…”

Seeing that scene, the Lead Committee Member took a step back. Here we go, seeing it in person just hits differently, huh?

As a Lead Committee Member, there were plenty of points to criticize. First off, they should point out that shirt of hers; would that Lead Committee Member even dare?

“What’s with her…?”

Sohee asked, looking my way.

“Lead Committee Member.”

“Does this school have those too?”

I figured they would exist in other schools, though they often had zero presence. Honestly, who remembers the name of the student council president while going to school? I always wondered why they did this while voting for the student council president throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Wouldn’t it make more sense to know who you’re voting for?

By the time I got to college, I didn’t even vote anymore.

“Still, she’s a decent person. She’s one of the few who doesn’t ignore me in this school.”

“Don’t just make judgments like that!”

…When she said she’s decent, does that mean she thinks she’s not decent?

Well, it was probably just thoughtless words. Likely a reflexive response. She definitely didn’t want to show weakness against me.

“Oh, is that so?”

At my words, Sohee formed a pretty impressed expression. Even if she didn’t actually see it, she must have heard enough to know I was being ignored. Just the fact that she stood up for me at that very moment indicated she couldn’t be a bad person.

Sohee raised her hand towards the Lead Committee Member, saying, “Let’s not ignore each other and get along?”

“Do you think I approached you because I wanted to talk to you!?”

I guess since we came on too strong, the Lead Committee Member was at a loss for words, shouting back. She jabbed her finger at Sohee, saying, “You were threatening that kid just now, weren’t you!?”

“Huh?”

Sohee lowered her gaze to look at the kid she had been picking on a moment ago. Then, she turned back to the Lead Committee Member.

“No, they ignored me first.”

“That just means they don’t want to talk! There’s no need to force a conversation!”

That was true.

But I figured it was more about them outright treating her as someone not worth talking to than just a mere desire not to speak.

Frankly, it was tough for Sohee to have a good reputation in this school. She only knew the narrative from my perspective, having heard everything through me and my friends. It wouldn’t be unusual for her to think that this place was full of nothing but bad people.

Excluding a few exceptional cases like the Lead Committee Member.

“…Hey.”

Sohee called me softly.

“Doesn’t she know you’re being ignored?”

“I told her. She just doesn’t believe it.”

“Why?”

Curiosity flickered in her eyes as she slightly frowned.

“Um… Maybe because I’m too good at playing the bad guy?”

“…What on earth happened?”

“…I’ll tell you later.”

Let’s just save the story about how I failed at persuasion for another time.

“And you, that ribbon—”

Just as the Lead Committee Member was about to criticize Sohee’s outfit again,

Ding dong ding dong, the school bell rang. It was just the preliminary bell. Since we were in this period, it didn’t concern us, but the Lead Committee Member would have to hurry back to prepare for class in time. After all, usually, homeroom teachers would come after the preliminary bell rings, check attendance, and then start class.

“…Anyway, I won’t let this slide!”

With a not-so-scary threat, she dashed out of the classroom.

“…”

The fleeting silence that followed.

“Well, then.”

Sohee looked down at me with a smile that seemed like it was finally time to relax.

“I guess I’ll have to sit here.”

“…”

I could hear Ha Neul’s long sigh.

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