I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“That person has been following me around since earlier.”

Lunchtime.

The number of members increased during meal time.

Of course, Sohee joined us. It wasn’t just because she couldn’t refuse since she’s my maid; she truly had no intention of ignoring a friend from the same school. Even if she said she wanted to eat separately, it would be right to call her over.

“Wow, the lunch here is fancy too. The expensive tuition really pays off.”

Sohee beamed—surprisingly, her plate wasn’t piled high with food.

Thinking back to when we first had a meal in the mansion, I expected her to fill her plate, but it was even less than Ha Neul and Sua’s servings. Of course, it wasn’t to the extent I did with mine.

“Hmm? Oh, this? What’s the big deal? I’m eating gourmet food three times a day now. I had a hearty breakfast, so it’s no problem.”

As I alternated my gaze between the plates of my other friends and Sohee’s, she seemed to have picked up on what I was hinting at and said that.

That meant she had already eaten a lot for breakfast and wasn’t particularly hungry now.

…How much did she actually eat?

Of course, asking something like that seemed a bit too much, so I quietly pulled my plate toward me—

“Ah, please hold on a moment, Miss.”

Sohee said this and then pulled out a handkerchief from her uniform pocket.

She deftly unfolded the delicate handkerchief and laid it over my knees. The handkerchief was surprisingly thin, and even though it came from her pocket and was folded in half, it easily covered about half of my thigh.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s a napkin.”

Sohee said while looking at the white napkin on my thigh, looking rather proud.

But seriously, what’s the deal with the different levels of honorifics and casual speech? Does she forget about it most of the time and only use it when maid duties come to mind?

…Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.

“A napkin?”

Sohee nodded.

Then she sat down without any further explanation.

“…….”

Well, okay then.

In a super fancy restaurant, sometimes there are napkins on the table before meals, and I vaguely remember reading about how placing a napkin on one’s lap is considered proper etiquette in some fantasy novels.

Anyway, I occasionally used napkins in the mansion. There were times when Yang Hye-in would lay it out for me, and there were times when I put it on myself.

But I had never used a napkin at school.

…Well, was it really something to fret over?

There isn’t a maid following me around at school, so it wasn’t like I needed one, but now there was a maid trailing me.

Just not in her maid outfit, but in her school uniform.

I stopped pondering and looked at my plate, now noticing the incredibly well-arranged dishes and utensils. There’s that plate with the fork and knife that look like the kind of drawing you’d see on a poster, perfectly aligned in an orderly manner.

If only I had a bit more time, I could’ve slipped something under the plate.

The only imperfect part of that picture was the food I had haphazardly piled on my plate.

Sohee seemed to be genuinely taking her responsibilities seriously.

“Uh… thanks?”

“Not at all. I just did what I had to do.”

At my compliment, Sohee slightly bowed toward me. She didn’t get up from her chair, but it was still a somewhat dignified gesture. Not quite up to Yang Hye-in’s level, but still.

“…….”

If I said anything more, it would probably turn into a full-on conversation between a lady and her maid, so I just picked up the fork and knife next to my plate.

At that moment, Ha Neul and Sua, who had been staring at me in a daze, finally picked up their own utensils.

They must have been completely dumbfounded by the unbelievable situation, so they just stared—

But the unexpected guest sitting at our table didn’t seem to think that way at all.

“……Just as I thought.”

I halted the fork and knife I was bringing to my plate. Lifting my head, I looked at the girl sitting diagonally across me.

On my left was Sohee, while Ha Neul sat on my right. Sua was almost directly across from me.

Since we were seated at a round table, there should have been pairs directly facing each other, but in reality, Sohee and Ha Neul seemed to have pulled closer to me, leaving some extra space.

And occupying the space between Sua and Sohee was the Lead Committee Member… Son Ah-reum.

I almost forgot her name since I always just referred to her as the Lead Committee Member. Thankfully, this school’s name tags are in Hangul instead of Hanja. Back when I was in high school, name tags were in Hanja, making it so hard to remember everyone’s names.

I had no idea what she thought was “just as I assumed,” but I couldn’t just ignore her naturalness in mixing in at our table.

“Um, but how did you end up here?”

To my question, Son Ah-reum confidently declared, “Of course, I’m here to keep an eye on you.”

Heh heh heh.

I don’t really need anyone watching me; I stand out enough on my own. Honestly, even if someone made a story about my activities throughout the day, they could tell exactly what I’ve been up to.

Well, today wasn’t exactly eventful.

It’s just that the people around me are freaking out because of Sohee and Ha Neul.

“Really? Did you discover something amazing?”

I asked while poking at a piece of meat with my fork. Is it beef?

“……”

Son Ah-reum paused in thought.

And she stayed deep in thought for quite a while.

Of course. While she might have had something to say about Sohee in the morning, how would she know what happened in our class? It would be fine if rumors had spread, but today’s incident was certainly something students shouldn’t be spreading carelessly.

The homeroom teacher accepted bribes, and it turned out to be donations he shouldn’t have accepted.

Also, worth millions.

Thanks to that, everyone in the classroom must be wondering how to ignore me.

If such a story got out, it would be dangerous.

“……Why is it that there aren’t many people around here?”

Son Ah-reum asked.

Ah, right.

It was true that the surrounding tables were empty. The rest of the student cafeteria was bustling with students, yet there was nobody around us.

It looked as if I had pushed everyone away to eat comfortably.

Honestly, it was a scene that could easily be misunderstood by anyone who didn’t know better.

“Do you think I cleared out the area?”

“……”

As I stared intently at Son Ah-reum and popped a piece of meat into my mouth, she looked a little flustered.

Yeah, if I said I didn’t clear the place, how could she refute that? Even if she tried to ask the kids ignoring me, they would only respond with nonsense about how there was nothing there. Surprisingly, the way school kids express themselves is very consistent.

“Even if I say it wasn’t me, you probably wouldn’t believe me.”

Besides, just looking at the fact that they “cleared out” also holds some truth. I never asked anyone to clear a way for me. It just naturally became our spot because I kept eating here steadily for the last two weeks.

“You’ve never sat around our group either. Have we ever said anything to you?”

“Ugh…….”

Yeah, it does seem quite awkward to bring that up now.

In the end, Son Ah-reum couldn’t muster a counter-argument after that.

And amidst all of this, I finished my plate cleanly.

Well, the food here is delicious.

*

“Since we’re in this situation, how about we chat?”

As I was finishing up my meal, Son Ah-reum followed me out, so I suggested that to her.

Upon hearing my words, Son Ah-reum curled up her body and declared, “No matter what you say, I’m not going to be persuaded!”

“……”

Seriously, I just wanted to talk.

At school, aside from my friends, the only ones who mix in with me are Nam Da-un or Yoon Da-ho, and maybe the soccer club manager. Team Leader Han Garam doesn’t show up at all during lunch.

“I don’t plan on persuading you. I just thought you wanted to talk to me.”

I shrugged my shoulders and asked, “Do you hate it?”

“……”

For a moment, Son Ah-reum opened her mouth to look at me before suddenly appearing startled as if she had thought of something.

“Forget it!”

And with that, she yelled and spun around to head back.

…She seemed like she really wanted to talk.

No matter how prickly she was to others, she gave off a vibe that she wanted to engage with people. I don’t think I’m reading too much into it.

I mean, there are people who claim they dislike people, but in reality, it’s just awkwardness that has them trying to protect themselves.

They rationalize their isolation, thinking, “It’s not others excluding me, but me excluding them.”

I know because I’ve been that way. No, honestly, this was a necessary mindset to some extent when dealing with society.

That’s why I sometimes end up being prickly toward those who hear me out as well.

The true malice isn’t behind their actions; it comes from a genuine lack of understanding, so it’s not something I can really get angry about.

Feeling the urge to shrug my shoulders again, I turned around and made eye contact with the three people who had been staring at me intently.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

When I asked that, they all sighed as if they were dumbfounded.

Is what I said really that strange to the point of being out of the ordinary?

“No, seriously, why am I being looked at like this?”

“Why bother saying anything?”

Sohee replied. After she rubbed her face with her hand, her expression grew increasingly concerned. I have no idea what she’s worried about to show such a reaction.

“I mean, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to make more friends…”

Ha Neul muttered. Right? It’s not a bad thing.

“Where should I even begin explaining this to you…?”

Sua quietly murmured, but it was audible enough. …Is it something fundamentally wrong?

“Ah, are you concerned about me talking to someone who appears hostile?”

At my words, the three of them sighed simultaneously.

No, please talk to me!

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