A Guy Who Thinks He’s a Villain in a World Where Gender Ratios Are Broken - Chapter 26: I’m a Villain, But Did I Do Something Wrong? (Apparently Not)

Chapter 26: I’m a Villain, But Did I Do Something Wrong? (Apparently Not)

Fifth and sixth period came to an end.

The subjects were Modern Japanese and Mathematics—both pretty much the same as what I studied in my previous life.

That said, back in my old world, I went to an all-boys school, and most of the teachers were men.

The only female teachers we had were the school nurse and the ALT (Assistant Language Teacher)—and they were extremely popular among the guys.

But here? All of those positions were held by beautiful female teachers.

Truly, a feast for the eyes.

Since this was originally an all-girls school, it made sense that there were so many female teachers.

With the final class of the day over, it was now time for homeroom before dismissal.

“…And that concludes today’s announcements. Make sure none of you cause any trouble, alright? Alright then—see ya.”

Ms. Oniki waved her hand lazily as she exited the classroom.

“Don’t cause any trouble,” huh… As the villain, I was probably the one who needed to be the most careful.

Thus, my second day at the academy came to a close without incident.

That said… Today was way more nerve-wracking than yesterday.

After all, I had finally met the protagonist.

Minato Amakasa.

A kind-hearted boy with a refreshing smile and a natural ability to be considerate of others.

Both his appearance and personality made him the perfect protagonist type.

Even though I was supposed to be a villain, I hadn’t actually done anything evil yet.

At this rate, as long as I kept things going like today, I could probably build a good relationship with Minato.

And since this school was mostly girls, it’d be nice to have at least one male friend.

On top of that, I had also met a new main heroine today.

Shizune Usano.

A beautiful girl with a graceful aura and refined elegance.

She definitely gave off the vibe of someone from a high-class family.

Also—her chest was huge.

That aside, Shizune was… hard to read.

That gentle smile of hers… what was she really thinking behind it?

I needed to approach her cautiously.

As I reflected on the day while packing up my things to head home—

“U-Um! I was thinking… maybe we could have a class bonding event! What do you all think…?!”

One of the girls in class suddenly spoke up.

For a brief moment, the room was silent.

“Y-Yeah, that sounds good!”

“I want to get closer with everyone as soon as possible…!”

“It’s better to build class bonds early on!”

“Yeah, yeah! We definitely need more interaction between the girls and the boys!”

One after another, voices of agreement filled the classroom.

A class bonding event, huh?

That’s a pretty standard school event.

But…

I was the only guy in Class E.

With 30 students in total, that meant if everyone participated… The gender ratio would be 1:29.

…Oh. The gender balance here is completely broken.

Well, at least it’s only within the academy.

“Reito-san, are you planning to join the event?”

Nako, who sat beside me, leaned in and asked quietly.

She was probably asking because, as my support assistant, she needed to keep track of my plans.

She really was taking her role seriously—which was admirable.

Personally, I was interested in joining.

It’d be a good chance to gather information and maybe even get closer to some of the girls.

I glanced at Nako.

If I decided to participate, then she’d probably end up joining too.

But… wouldn’t that exhaust her?

Even during the event, she’d probably be keeping an eye on me, making sure I wasn’t left out.

And on top of that, since she lives and works at my mansion, she’d still have her maid duties waiting for her after school.

In the end, it felt like I’d just be pushing more work onto her.

Sure, I needed information to avoid my ruin—but right now, I should prioritize Nako’s well-being.

“I’ll follow whatever you decide, Reito-san…”

“No, I won’t be joining the bonding event. I’m heading straight home today.”

“O-Oh, I see…!”

When I said that, Nako looked noticeably relieved.

…Oh? Maybe she really was exhausted.

She probably just wanted to head back to the mansion early and relax.

“Wait… did I just hear Hazumi-kun say he isn’t joining?”

“I really thought we had a shot with him…”

“I guess Hazumi-kun is wary of girls after all.”

“Well, guys never really join these social events anyway.”

“Honestly, we’re lucky to even have a guy in our class at all.”

“Hmm… I won’t give up. Our cohabitation has only just begun.”

Glancing around, I noticed several girls slumping their shoulders in disappointment.

But honestly, me not joining wouldn’t really make much of a difference.

I mean, one less participant wasn’t a big deal.

If it was a bonding event, wouldn’t it actually be easier for them without having to worry about the one guy in the room?

One by one, the girls started leaving.

Meanwhile, Nako and I remained in our seats.

We had already planned this out yesterday—we would wait for most of our classmates to leave before heading out.

That way, the chances of someone seeing us get into the same car would be lower, and people wouldn’t suspect anything about our relationship.

“Nako, shall we head home?”

“Yes, Reito-san.”

We slung our bags over our shoulders and were just about to leave the classroom when—

Despite it being after school, two students suddenly entered our Class E room.

“Ah! Reito-kun, you’re still here!”

“That’s fortunate, Amakasa-sama.”

“Yeah!”

It was Minato.

And standing beside him—probably as his support assistant—was Shizune.

Judging from their conversation, it seemed like Minato was the one who wanted to talk to me.

“Minato, what’s up?”

“Umm, Reito-kun…”

“Take your time.”

Since Minato looked a little nervous, I reassured him.

Then, after a brief pause—

“I was wondering… if we could walk together until we reach the school gate. Would that be… okay?”

Tilting his head slightly, Minato looked up at me with big, expectant eyes.

…Minato. You’re supposed to be the protagonist, but so far, you’re acting more like the heroine.

Still, I hadn’t expected to get a walk-home invitation from the protagonist.

Maybe because the school was full of girls, he just wanted to spend some time with another guy?

If that was the case, I totally understood.

“Of course, that’s fine. I was thinking I’d like to talk to you more too.”

“Really?! Then let’s go home together!”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Ehehe~!”

Seeing my firm nod, Minato’s face softened with a smile.

…He really seemed happy about walking home together.

Minato really was a good kid.

…Wait. Is that something I should just casually accept?

No matter what genre we’re talking about, if the protagonist smiles like this or makes plans to walk home with someone, isn’t the heroine usually the one in that position?

…Hold on. Am I the heroine in this situation?

…Nah. That’s ridiculous. Ha ha ha… 

…Right?

There’s no bad ending where the villain gets “tamed” into a love-struck side character, right? (Serious expression)

Before my thoughts could spiral any further, I quickly shifted my gaze elsewhere—

And noticed Shizune and Nako chatting.

“Since Amakasa-sama and Hazumi-sama are walking home together, it seems we’ll also be walking together for a while, Nako-sama. I would love to chat with you during that time.”

“I’d love that! I’ve been wanting to talk to you more, Shizune-san!”

“Fufu~ Thank you, Nako-sama.”

“No, I should be thanking you!”

Shizune and Nako exchanged warm smiles.

A meeting between two heroines… but for now, it seemed peaceful.

Would this eventually turn into a heroine rivalry?

Hopefully, things wouldn’t turn messy between them.

…Wait. Would Minato’s choice of heroine somehow affect my bad ending too?

Before I knew it, I found myself staring at Minato.

“Huh? Reito-kun, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Well, whoever Minato chose, I was sure it would be a good girl, and they’d have a happy ending together.

As the villain, I had no intention of getting in their way.

That meant Minato was destined for a happy ending.

Meanwhile, as the villain, I still had to figure out which route I was going to take.

“…”

“Hm? Nako-sama, is something wrong?”

“H-Huh? No, it’s nothing!”

◆◆

“Ahh… we’re already at the school gate, huh…”

Minato muttered with a hint of reluctance in his voice.

“What’s this, Minato? Are you sad about parting ways with me?”

“Yeah.”

I had meant it as a joke, but Minato responded with a completely serious expression.

“O-Oh… I see. Well, let’s save the rest of our conversation for tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, you’re right!”

After that, Minato and Shizune both got into their respective cars and headed home.

“They both seem like good people.”

“Yes, they do, Reito-sama.”

Nako and I made our way toward the quiet, empty street where we had gotten out of the car this morning.

As we walked, Nako suddenly spoke.

“Reito-sama.”

“Hm? What is it?”

…Oh? She switched back to calling me “Reito-sama” again.

Well, I guess it was fine now that we were alone.

“Reito-sama, do you… prefer people like Amakasa-sama?”

“Huh? Well, I think Minato is a good guy, but… ‘prefer’?”

“Yes. Is Amakasa-sama your type?”

“No? I mean, I’d like to be his friend, but—”

“T-Then… you wouldn’t want anything more than that?”

…More than that?

Wait. Why was Nako suddenly interrogating me?

Did I do something?

I wasn’t some oblivious protagonist, you know…!

“Nako, what’s with the sudden question?”

“I-I… um… I’m sorry for asking out of nowhere. It’s just that… I was surprised by how quickly you and Amakasa-sama became close. Meanwhile… I haven’t made any progress at all.”

“Hm? Well, we’re both guys, so maybe that just makes it easier to talk.”

“R-Right… I guess it’s easier to bond with another boy.”

“Yeah.”

At my response, Nako lowered her gaze slightly.

…Huh? I wasn’t entirely sure what she was getting at, but—

“It’s not just Minato. I also want to get closer to our classmates… and to you too, Nako.”

Of course, part of my motivation was to avoid my ruin, but I also meant it sincerely.

I needed to raise Nako’s favorability—that was important.

“I-I see… I… um…”

“Hm?”

Was it just me, or was Nako’s face slightly red? 

Then—

“I-I want to get closer to you too, Reito-sama…!”

“!!”

Hearing those words, my eyes widened in shock.

Did Nako just say she wants to get closer to me?

I didn’t mishear that, right? She actually said it?!

But wait—wasn’t Nako supposed to dislike me, or at least be wary of me?

When we first met, she was clearly avoiding talking to me…

And now, she said she wants to get closer?

That means… Her favorability toward me has increased??

But… Why???

◇ Quick Character Introduction ◇

Shizune Usano

A beautiful girl with silky chestnut-colored hair and a generous bust.

She possesses both elegance and grace, making her an undeniable beauty.

However, she remains shrouded in mystery.

Though she seems comfortable interacting with men, she often finds herself surprised by Reito’s unintentional actions.

Moreover… it appears that this isn’t her first time meeting Reito.