A Guy Who Thinks He’s a Villain in a World Where Gender Ratios Are Broken - Chapter 27: Side Story – Nako Nijou ②

Chapter 27.6: Side Story – Nako Nijou ②

“Young Master, I’m worried about leaving her alone. Would it be alright if we returned to the estate for now?”

“Well… I suppose that’s fine.”

The young master seemed a bit perplexed by Onee-chan’s words, but after a moment, he gave a small nod.

“Nako, you sit in the front passenger seat.”

“O-Okay…”

At Onee-chan’s suggestion, we all got into the car.

After a few minutes of being gently rocked inside a luxury vehicle, we arrived—

At an extravagant estate, so breathtakingly grand that it left me speechless.

But—This wasn’t my first time here.

As I stood there, memories slowly resurfaced.

We were led into a spacious living room, where Onee-chan motioned for me to sit beside her.

Across the table, facing us, sat the young master—the one Onee-chan had been addressing earlier.

“Allow me to introduce her properly, Young Master.”

At Onee-chan’s words, I quickly straightened my back.

“This is my younger sister—Nako Nijou.”

“N-Nako Nijou. It’s… nice to meet you…!”

My voice wavered slightly from nervousness.

Half of it was because I was anxious…

The other half—

was because I was speaking to a man.

His gaze turned toward me.

And then—

A brief silence followed.

“I see… Nako, huh? My name is Reito Hazumi.”

“Ah, yes… I know. Actually, we’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“Before?”

When I said that, he tilted his head slightly, his expression filled with confusion.

“The Hazumi and Nijou families… our mothers have known each other since their university days. Because of that, we met when we were little. Don’t you remember…?”

His mother and my mother had been acquainted for years, which led to Onee-chan and me visiting this estate several times in the past.

“Nako is right. I’ve known you since we were kids, Young Master.”

Onee-chan added, backing me up.

Even so, he still looked uncertain, his hand resting thoughtfully against his chin.

“Um… Reito-sama?”

“I see… The truth is, I hit my head pretty hard about a week ago, and my memory has been a bit hazy ever since. I don’t really remember much from the past… I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no… it’s fine.”

So his memory is unclear…?

Hearing that, I suddenly understood why something had felt off.

He seemed a little different from how I remembered him.

Then again, I had only ever spoken to him a handful of times.

Because—

I had always found him hard to deal with.

Back when I was around kindergarten age, my mom had brought me to this estate for the first time.

That’s when I met him—a boy the same age as me.

At first, I had wondered what kind of person he was…

“Hmph! I said I want to play with that toy! Hurry up and hand it over!”

The first time we played together—

The boy suddenly grabbed the toy I had brought with me, pulling it away as if it belonged to him.

In the end, he snatched it away by force…

And I ended up falling backward onto the floor.

“Ouch…”

“Nako! Are you okay?!”

Hearing my pained voice, Onee-chan immediately rushed to my side.

But—The adults around us…

“I’ll go buy the exact same toy right away!”

“In that case, why not just get an even better one?”

None of them showed any concern for me.

None of them came over to check on me.

All their attention…

Was focused entirely on the sulking boy.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand, why the adults were reacting like that.

But—

That was the day I started to dislike him.

From then on, whenever we met, I always hid behind Onee-chan’s back.

Bringing my thoughts back to the present, the conversation shifted to Sotei Academy.

“By the way, Nako… Didn’t you say you were going to Sotei Academy today with a friend to check the route?”

“Ah, yeah… That was the plan, but… She messaged me this morning saying she wasn’t feeling well—just a slight fever. Since the exam is coming up, I didn’t want her to push herself too hard, so I told her to stay home and rest. That’s why I came alone.”

“I see.”

“Reito-sama, you’re entering Sotei Academy through the recommendation program, correct?”

“Yeah, well… that’s right.”

At my question, he nodded firmly.

Even if his memory was hazy, he still seemed to remember taking the Sotei Academy entrance exam.

In this world, men are rare.

Because of that, they are given special privileges.

The same applies to entrance exams. Most male students are admitted through recommendations.

Their exam process is different—It’s just an aptitude test and an interview.

To put it bluntly—they don’t even need to study.

They’re guaranteed to pass either way.

I didn’t think it was unfair.

But—

When men accept that privilege as if it’s only natural and start acting superior because of it…

That’s what bothers me the most.

“I have my general entrance exam next week. That’s why I came to check the route today… but I never expected to get hit on.”

“Doesn’t that happen to you all the time?”

“Really? I don’t think so… But still, if you hadn’t come, Onee-chan, I don’t know what would’ve happened… You saw the email I sent yesterday and came to Sotei Academy because of that, right?”

“Well…”

Onee-chan hesitated.

Huh? What’s wrong?

“Onee-chan…?”

“I’m sorry, Nako. Kyoko came to the academy because of me—I was the one who asked her to come.”

“O-Oh… I see. Well, even if it was a coincidence, I’m really grateful you were there. Thank you.”

I tried my best to sound cheerful as I expressed my thanks.

But more importantly… 

Onee-chan really is working for him as a maid.

Earlier, when we passed by a maid in the hallway—She had addressed Onee-chan as “Head Maid.”

Onee-chan had told me, “I found a well-paying part-time job, and since it’s close to the university, I decided to live there as well.”

At the time, I didn’t question it, I just told her “Do your best.”

But—I knew the truth.

“Please, Kyoko-chan… No—Kyoko Nijou-san. Could I ask you to take care of my son, Rei-kun? In other words… I’d like you to work as a maid at our house.”

About a year ago—

His mother, Mika-san, came to our house and made that request to Onee-chan.

“Kyoko…? Please, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

Next to her, Mom spoke gently, her voice filled with concern for Onee-chan.

And—

I had secretly watched everything, through the small gap in the door.

I wasn’t called into the room that day. 

Maybe—

Because they knew I would have objected if I had been there.

Or maybe—

Because they didn’t want me to worry.

Or perhaps—

They feared I would offer to take Onee-chan’s place instead.

But, I don’t want to be the helpless one anymore.

“Reito-sama… I have a request.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I was planning to say this after my entrance exams… But since fate has brought us together here, I want to say it now. Please—hire me as a maid in this estate.”

His eyes widened in surprise at my words.

But almost immediately, his expression returned to calm, and he spoke.

“Hmm… I’ll hear you out. But first, I want you to rephrase that properly. After all, you have a different goal in mind, don’t you?”

“…!”

It was as if he had seen right through me.

Even though I was startled, I took a deep breath—

And spoke clearly.

“I will take my sister’s place and work as a maid. So please—let her be free.”

“N-Nako!”

“And what if I say no?”

“That…”

“Well, you don’t seem like the type to back down easily, do you?”

“N-No, I don’t.”

I nodded firmly.

For a brief moment—I thought I saw him smile.

But it wasn’t a mocking smile…

It felt different.

“Young Master, this girl is not suited to be a maid. Please, just ignore what she said—”

“Onee-chan, don’t interfere!”

“Nako…!”

Onee-chan looked at me, stunned.

Come to think of it—I had never spoken to her in such a harsh tone before.

“Ah—um… I’m sorry, Onee-chan. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. But I’ve made up my mind. Even after that man left, the hardships didn’t end. 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?”

“Nako, that’s not—”

Onee-chan looked like she still had more to say.

But—

No more words came out.

“…Are you two done arguing?”

“…!”

A calm yet deep voice cut through the air.

The one who spoke—was him, sitting right in front of me.

“After listening to your conversation, I have a proposal of my own. Kyoko will continue as Head Maid. But Nako—why don’t you work as my personal maid instead?”

“…!!”

“Reito-sama… Are you sure?”

“Yes. I understand that Nako wants to ease her sister’s burden. In that case, the best solution is for her to work here and support Kyoko directly. Instead of taking her place, you’ll become my personal maid. Is that okay with you?”

“…! Yes!”

His words—

They were exactly what I had been hoping for deep inside.

Even though he had given me permission, technically, the real employer was his mother.

But—

For him to say this so confidently…

It meant he was willing to negotiate on my behalf.

“Young Master…”

“Kyoko. I don’t know much about you or your sister, but… at the very least, I can tell that Nako cares deeply about you. And because of that—she seems like the type to push herself too hard for your sake. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“That…”

“Then wouldn’t it be better for her to work somewhere within your sight? That’s why—I want Nako to be my personal maid.”

“…Understood.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. I’ll also inform my mother about this.”

And with that—Reito-sama walked away.

Afterward, Onee-chan drove me home.

During our conversation, she said something about Reito-sama that stuck with me.

“Lately… I don’t understand him anymore. Before, even though we’ve known each other for years—he always treated me like a mere pawn. But now… why is he suddenly… saying such kind things…?”

Even Onee-chan had noticed it. That the Reito Hazumi from back then… and the one standing before us now… were not the same person.

“I see… You’ve been struggling all this time, haven’t you, Onee-chan? But now I’m here too, so I won’t let you go through that alone anymore. And as for me… I want to believe Reito-sama has truly changed.”

“…!”

I said that back then—

But deep down, I wasn’t completely sure myself.

Could I really believe that Reito-sama… was different from that man…?

Different from all the other guys I had known?

——————————————

(Leaving a star would really motivate me to keep updating! m(_ _)m)

This marks the end of Nako’s side story—for now.

Next time, we’ll be diving into a weekend episode!

It turns out… Reito-kun is missing something rather essential…