A Guy Who Thinks He’s a Villain in a World Where Gender Ratios Are Broken - Chapter 02: Since I’m a Villain, I Should Raise Favorability, Right? (Not Really)

Chapter 02: Since I’m a Villain, I Should Raise Favorability, Right? (Not Really)

When I woke up from my second nap, I saw the same scene as before.

Kyoko was there, and a dozen or so maids were standing quietly at the edges of the room.

The only difference was the addition of a woman in a white coat—a doctor—who immediately started examining me.

It seemed like Kyoko and the maids had left earlier to arrange for the doctor to come.

For someone who’s supposed to be a doom-flag-laden villain, I was being treated with a surprising amount of care.

The doctor, who gave off the vibe of a seasoned professional, conducted the examination smoothly.

But… why were her cheeks faintly red the whole time?

“—The examination is complete. Now, I’d like you to answer a few questions.”

She proceeded with a simple interview.

She asked about my name, age, blood type, family structure, the current year and month, favorite foods, hobbies, and so on.

The results?

I got every single answer wrong—except for my name.

Weird. No matter how much time passed, I still couldn’t remember anything about the villain I supposedly reincarnated as, the world’s setting, or anything else. Nothing clicked.

But I did gain something useful from this.

If I was being asked questions, it meant I could ask questions in return—and hear their answers.

My name is Reito Hazumi.

I’m 15 years old and the only son of a famous, wealthy family.

I don’t have a father, so I was raised by my mother in a single-parent household.

Currently, I live in this ridiculously huge mansion with dozens of maids.

I also figured out that this isn’t a fantasy world filled with swords and magic—

It’s the modern world, just like the one from my previous life.

Ah, I see now…

It looks like I’ve been reincarnated as a villain in a modern-day romantic comedy!

Villain reincarnation stories are pretty popular in rom-coms these days!

Sure, it’s a bit disappointing that I don’t get to use swords or magic in a fantasy setting. But at least in the modern world, I don’t have to worry about being brutally killed. I mean, that’d be a crime here.

With my life less at risk, I felt a little relieved.

But I couldn’t let my guard down.

I’d still been reincarnated as a villain, and I had no idea when or where I might trigger a doom flag.

As I was sorting through all these thoughts, the doctor, who had been jotting down notes, finally set her pen down.

“Since you’ve only just woken up, it seems there are still some gaps in your memory. However, there are no physical abnormalities. You should be able to go about your daily life without any issues.”

Hearing the doctor’s diagnosis, the maids standing at the edges of the room all looked visibly relieved.

All except one person.

“…”

Kyoko, standing right beside me, hadn’t softened the stern expression on her face.

“Your memory is unclear… so that’s the case. I thought your tone and demeanor seemed different from usual, Young Master.”

Her words made my shoulders stiffen instinctively.

I’ve been reincarnated as a villain.

Which means… I’m not the original Reito Hazumi inside.

Naturally, my way of speaking and acting would feel off to anyone who knew the original.

And to make matters worse, I have no idea what kind of person the original Reito Hazumi even was.

Why can’t I remember anything about him?

But I can’t let that show, or things will get suspicious.

Right now, Kyoko’s gaze was filled with a mix of worry and doubt as she looked at me.

Still, maybe it’s not something to panic over?

Villain reincarnation stories were super popular in my previous life. Tons of novels and manga came out, and I read so many of them that I’ve practically mastered the genre.

Even if I don’t know the exact scenario of this world, I can probably mimic the speech and attitude of a classic villain-reincarnation protagonist.

In fact, the reason I realized so quickly that I’d been reincarnated as a villain is thanks to my memories of my past life.

Yep, past-life memories are definitely useful!

“If you’re still concerned, we could arrange for a more thorough examination at the hospital. Or perhaps you’d consider being admitted for observation, Reito-sama?”

“Huh?”

Lost in thought, I was caught completely off guard when the doctor suddenly spoke to me, causing an unintentionally dumbfounded response to slip out.

“Hospitalized…?”

It didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

If I were admitted, I could take my time to carefully plan my next moves and figure out how to handle things going forward.

“If you choose to be hospitalized, I could… um… personally take care of your every need. A-And, well… even at night, I’d be happy to—”

The doctor suddenly shifted her gaze away from my face, looking downward instead.

Huh? Did her eyes just glint for a second?

And why does her breathing sound… a little heavier than before?

“—That’s enough.”

A calm yet commanding voice interrupted from the side.

It was Kyoko.

Kyoko’s expression carried a faint trace of anger as she locked eyes with the doctor.

“Thank you for examining Reito-sama, Doctor. However… anything beyond that is unnecessary, wouldn’t you agree?”

“B-But…”

“If you insist on providing any unnecessary treatment to the Young Master… we will not stand idly by.”

“Hie…!”

Under the weight of Kyoko’s pressure, the doctor let out a small squeak.

“Well then, please take care on your way out.”

“Ugh… I finally had a chance to care for a male patient…”

Muttering something under her breath, the doctor quickly gathered her things and left the room.

Once the door closed, Kyoko slowly began to speak.

“Go and make sure she actually leaves the estate.”

“““Understood!”””

The three maids responded in unison before swiftly leaving the room.

Watching their smooth coordination, I couldn’t help but be impressed by how efficient they were.

Still, to go as far as kicking out the doctor who suggested further tests and hospitalization…

It almost felt like Kyoko didn’t want me to go to the hospital.

If I were some beloved young master, wouldn’t they be encouraging me to go for my health?

This just confirmed it—I must’ve been reincarnated as a villain.

Could it be… that Kyoko doesn’t like me?

Well, maybe that makes sense.

From what I’ve observed so far, Kyoko seems to be the one who takes care of the original Reito the most.

She also feels like the leader who keeps all the maids organized.

And being the one who looks after me the most probably means… she’s also the one who’s had to deal with the most trouble because of me.

In other words, there’s a very high chance that Kyoko doesn’t think too highly of me.

But maids in villain-reincarnation stories are often the first ones to notice when the protagonist starts to change.

They’re usually the ones to reassess their opinions and end up becoming the protagonist’s most loyal allies.

Without a doubt, Kyoko is a key figure in this world.

So, the first thing I need to do is… raise Kyoko’s favorability!