A Guy Who Thinks He’s a Villain in a World Where Gender Ratios Are Broken

Please Rate this Novel 5★ on NovelUpdates!

Click Here

Chapter 27: I’m a Villain, But Is It Okay to Get Close to the Heroine? (?)

As soon as I got back to my room, I collapsed onto my bed, arms and legs spread out.

The words Nako had said before we parted kept looping in my head.

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

She wanted to get closer to me.

A heroine wanting to become close with the villain…

“Why?”

I thought about it, but I couldn’t figure it out.

And then I thought about it again.

And again.

And again…

This cycle had been repeating in my head since I got home.

To be honest, hearing Nako say that made me really happy.

Even as a villain, I wanted to build a good relationship with the heroines.

That was crucial to avoiding my bad ending.

And personally, I also wanted to be closer to Nako.

I wanted us to be friends—to enjoy spending time together.

But the fact that she herself said she wanted to get closer to me…

That meant her favorability toward me had increased.

And yet—I had no idea why.

I didn’t think I had done anything that would suddenly make her warm up to me.

With Kyoko, it made sense—I started exercising, cleaning the floors with a wet rag, and most importantly, I stopped being cold or rude to her.

That was just basic decency.

That kind of behavior was drastically different from how the original Reito acted.

Honestly, at first, I was nervous about whether people would find it suspicious.

But lately, Kyoko had started responding more naturally when I talked to her, and our conversations were lasting longer.

So, maybe her favorability had gone up a little?

But with Nako—I hadn’t done anything special.

In fact, I had only spent two days with her.

If you counted the day we first met, that was a total of three days.

Raising favorability in such a short amount of time seemed unlikely.

That’s why I had no idea what I had done to make Nako warm up to me.

“Hmm… but maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

I quickly sat up, shaking off my thoughts.

Reflecting was important, but if I overanalyzed everything, I’d end up spiraling into negativity.

I was already in a confusing situation as a reincarnated villain.

I needed to stay positive.

Alright—so if I thought about this in a positive light…

It just meant that I was on the right track to getting closer to Nako.

Now, the real question was—how should I approach her?

…Yeah, that was the hard part.

Back in my old world, I never really put effort into getting close to girls.

As I racked my brain, trying to come up with an approach—

Knock, knock.

The sound of someone knocking on my room door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Excuse me, Reito-sama. I’ve brought your dinner. I’ll be coming in now.”

The one who entered was Nako.

Even now, she was diligently fulfilling her role as my personal maid.

She wore a classic black-and-white maid outfit, paired with white thigh-high socks.

…Truly a feast for the eyes.

Yeah, this was great.

Nako’s school uniform suited her and made her look adorable, but…

There was just something else about seeing a classmate secretly wearing a maid outfit and serving me behind the scenes.

That forbidden kind of atmosphere… it really hit differently.

…Huh? What about Kyoko?

Of course, Kyoko’s maid uniform was amazing too.

When a beautiful woman wears a maid outfit, it’s simply unbeatable.

But with Kyoko, what really gets me isn’t just the outfit—it’s the way she calls me “Young Master”.

I mean, come on.

A gorgeous older woman calling me “Young Master”—as if she’s still treating me like a young master?

That’s top-tier.

Even now, as a high school student, I definitely want her to keep calling me that.

While I was lost in thought, Nako had already finished setting the table.

I took my seat.

Tonight’s dinner—

A meat dish as the main course, accompanied by salad, soup, and rice.

As always, the nutritional balance was on point, and just from the presentation, it looked incredibly delicious.

Just looking at it made me even hungrier.

And on top of that—I could get seconds if I wanted.

Even before taking a bite, I was already planning to go for a second serving.

I mean, this kind of amazing food was being served every day, and yet—

Apparently, the original Reito had a bad habit of leaving food unfinished.

And not because he didn’t like it—but because he would stuff himself with junk food beforehand, making it impossible to finish his meal.

…Yeah, that’s not okay, Reito-kun.

More than anything, that’s incredibly rude to the people who put effort into making the food.

So, when I first asked for seconds, it had apparently become a big deal among not just Kyoko, but all the maids in the mansion.

Honestly, finishing your meal should be common courtesy to the one who made it.

And if the food is delicious, of course, I’m going to ask for more.

As I recalled that moment, I continued staring at the food in front of me—until my gaze landed on something.

“…This is… shortcake?”

Sitting on a small plate, as tonight’s dessert, was a shortcake.

This wasn’t just a random coincidence.

When I pointed at the shortcake, Nako responded, looking a little shy.

“Y-Yes… um… Reito-sama said you’d eat it, so… I made it myself!”

…Wait, what?! A homemade shortcake from Nako?!

“Reito-san, do you like sweet things too?”

“Yeah. I like sweets, and I don’t really have any food I dislike.”

“I-I see… Um, if I were to make a cake… would you eat it?”

“Ah, yeah. I’d eat it.”

“!! R-Really?!”

The moment Nako said that, I instantly remembered our conversation in the school cafeteria.

I did say it—

And I also thought it would be nice if a homemade dessert showed up during dinner.

But I never expected her to make it so soon…

“Reito-sama? D-Did I inconvenience you…?”

Caught up in my thoughts, I must’ve ended up with a serious expression, making Nako misunderstand.

Damn it. I should have just expressed my happiness right away.

“No, not at all. I was just thinking… maybe I was being selfish by asking you for this. But honestly, I’m really happy.”

“N-No! I did this entirely on my own…!”

Crap. Now she was overthinking it because of me.

I needed to fix this.

“I’ll save this shortcake for last and enjoy it properly. Thank you for making it, Nako.”

“Y-Yes!”

When I said that, Nako’s expression brightened up.

Normally, at this point, she would leave after delivering my meal.

That was the usual pattern. I always ate alone in my room.

At first, I actually appreciated the time alone—it gave me a chance to process everything about this world.

But now that I had gotten used to this life… Eating alone in this big room felt strangely lonely.

The original Reito had insisted on keeping his room private and preferred to eat alone. But for me, that kind of routine wasn’t normal.

In my previous life, no matter how late my parents worked, we always made sure to eat dinner together as a family.

We would talk about our day while enjoying a warm meal—To me, that was just how things were supposed to be.

But after coming to this world, I realized that even in the same modern era, life could be very different.

Here, my mother was working hard to support me.

Because of that, she was rarely home, and eating together wasn’t an option.

Maybe that’s why… Having lunch with Minato, Shizune, and Nako today at the cafeteria—It felt familiar.

Even though it was just a simple meal, it had been a long time since I enjoyed eating with others.

It wasn’t anything special, but…

It was fun.

…Maybe that’s why—

Without thinking, I…

“Um, Nako.”

“Yes? Do you have any other requests, Reito-sama?”

As I looked at Nako, the words just slipped out before I even realized it.

“Would you like to eat together?”

“…Eh?”

The next moment, Nako’s eyes widened in surprise.

And that’s when it hit me.

…Ah. I messed up, didn’t I?

Even though Nako had said she wanted to get closer to me, this was too sudden.

Eating alone in a boy’s room—just the two of us—that was probably way too much for her to handle.

I might have just lowered my favorability instead of raising it…

“S-Sorry! Just forget I said that. I guess I got carried away after having lunch together earlier.”

I quickly tried to cover it up, stumbling over my words.

No, maybe I should apologize properly and bow my head…

“…I don’t mind.”

“Huh?”

I heard what Nako just said, but… Did I mishear her?

“I’ll eat with you, Reito-sama.”

She spoke clearly, her gaze firmly meeting mine.

“R-Really?! But Nako… are you sure you’re not forcing yourself?”

Even though I was the one who asked, I started worrying about her answer.

“No, I’m not forcing myself. I also had fun eating with you at the cafeteria today.”

Nako gave a soft smile and nodded enthusiastically.

Yeah… Nako really was kind.

After that, she left the room for a moment and then returned, now carrying her own dinner.

Since she was able to come back, that probably meant Kyoko had approved of this?

…But knowing Kyoko, she’d definitely ask questions later.

Alright. Absolutely no misunderstandings.

If I even thought about making an inappropriate move on Nako, Kyoko would destroy me.

Not that I had any intention of doing that in the first place!

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Facing each other, Nako and I clasped our hands together and started eating.

The main focus here was the meal.

So, it wasn’t like we were having a long conversation, but… Just having Nako here made dinner feel warmer, more comforting than usual.

“I noticed at lunch too, but Reito-sama… you eat a lot.”

“Yeah, the food is good. Besides, I’m still growing.”

Since I’d been exercising more, my appetite had increased lately.

Would be nice if I got taller too.

“I see. That’s quite rare.”

“Hm? Is it?”

“Yes. Then… I’ll eat a lot too.”

“That’s a good thing.”

As we continued our casual conversation, I enjoyed every bite of tonight’s meal, even finishing my second serving without leaving a single grain of rice behind.

But dinner wasn’t over yet.

There was still dessert—

The shortcake that Nako had made for me.

I picked up my fork and gently pierced the cake.

Soft. Perfect texture.

“…”

I felt a gaze on me and glanced up—Nako was staring at me intently.

She was watching closely, as if my reaction would determine the fate of the world.

…Well, I guess that’s normal. When you make something for someone, you naturally want to know their reaction.

Though, honestly—

Just from how good it looked, I had no doubt it would taste amazing.

I cut off a small bite, brought it to my mouth, and—

“…It’s delicious.”

The words slipped out instantly, almost as soon as the cake touched my tongue.

The gentle sweetness spread across my mouth.

Not overly sweet, but perfectly balanced.

And the strawberries between the layers of sponge and whipped cream—sweet, juicy, and refreshing.

Because the slices were small, the flavors of the cream and the sponge blended together beautifully.

…This was seriously good.

Nako had mentioned that baking was her hobby, but—At this level, she could sell this in a shop.

“H-How does it taste, Reito-sama…?”

Just as I was about to take my second bite, Nako asked, her expression filled with nervous anticipation.

I mean, I had literally blurted out how good it was without thinking…

But maybe I should properly say it face to face.

I put my fork down for a moment and looked directly at her.

“Yeah, Nako. This shortcake you made—it’s seriously delicious. Out of all the cakes I’ve ever eaten, this is by far the best.”

“～～! R-Really?!”

“Yeah, really.”

To emphasize my words, I took a big bite and made sure to enjoy it thoroughly.

Then, with my mouth still full, I gave her a big thumbs-up.

“Thank you so much, Reito-sama!”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Even though I should have been the one showing gratitude, Nako just smiled, looking genuinely happy.

Yeah… Her smile is nice.

A beautiful girl’s smile really has destructive power.

If I were just some random background character, I would’ve been knocked out instantly.

…Just like strawberries. (Ichigo. Get it?)

That said—

The first time I ever saw Nako’s face, she wasn’t smiling.

I clearly remembered the moment.

“I-I will never belong to you!”

She had been cornered by a persistent guy, looking completely distressed.

Comparing that moment to now—

Yeah, her smile suits her way more.

I should do my best to make sure she smiles more often.

…But as I recalled that past memory, something else came to mind.

There was something I really wanted to ask her.

“Well then, Reito-sama. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Yeah, thanks again, Nako.”

Nako carefully placed the empty dishes onto the cart and left the room.

Now alone again, my mind drifted back to the day we first met.

The moment after that pushy guy finally left—when we all gathered in the mansion’s living room.

I could still hear her voice from that day.

“Please… let me work here as a maid!”

I remembered how shocking it was when Nako suddenly asked to work as a maid at the mansion.

But what stood out to me even more was what she said afterward.

“Even after he left, the unreasonable struggles didn’t stop. Mom and Onee-chan are working so hard, but… isn’t it strange that I’m the only one doing nothing?”

“Nako, that’s not true. Mom and I are doing this because we want to. You don’t have to worry about anything. Just live your life happily, like you always have…”

“Even if it’s your choice, it doesn’t change the fact that both of you are struggling! And I know our finances are tight, too. I’m part of this family, aren’t I? How can I just enjoy myself while you and Mom are going through so much?”

The conversation between the Nijou sisters resurfaced vividly in my mind.

The argument between Kyoko and Nako had been on my mind for a while.

Without a doubt, I was a villain to them, someone who had treated them terribly in the past.

But that wasn’t all.

There was something else about the Nijou family.

Something hidden.

Something they had struggled with.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to their story.

Then, another memory came back—

The day I met their mother, Maki-san.

It was when she was about to leave, and I casually said—

“Please give my regards to your husband as well.”