Even Though the Gender Ratio Has Changed, My Attempts at Flirting With Women Are Unsuccessful - Chapter 26-27

Chapter 26: The Villain Is a Ladies’ Man

From the window where the outside scenery was visible, we saw a secluded seat in the back of the store, far from the entrance.

We four sat down there.

The seating arrangement had naturally fallen into place.

Sheffy sat next to me.

Across from us sat Crora and Tiana.

If we continued to have meals together from now on, this setup would probably become the standard.

As for the food, we all ordered the same thing that Crora had requested.

Because it was bound to be delicious, no doubt.

We were looking forward to the food arriving, but…

“Still, this place has such a nice atmosphere. It’s relaxed and calming.”

The interior was fairly spacious, but the number of seats was limited.

It lacked any flashiness and was a great shop with a serene vibe.

We had flown here using Crora’s teleportation magic, so I didn’t know exactly where this place was, but…

It was clear from looking that it was a shop quietly situated on the outskirts of town.

“Y-Yes… This place is on the edge of town with sparse customers, so it’s quiet… The husband and wife who run it provide bright and kind service… And the food is incredibly delicious too.”

Crora spoke in a slightly tense manner, but still with a bright tone.

From her demeanor, it came across that this shop was truly one of her favorites.

“Thanks for inviting us to a place like this.”

“N-No…”

I had meant to smile softly at her, but Crora shyly bowed her face.

Hmm… Had I been coming on a bit too strong?

“Yeah. Ark, you’ve been so nice to Crora lately. …It’s almost like you’re flirting with her.”

“Ark-sama… I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I have no intention of giving up my seat next to you so easily?”

Suddenly, I noticed that Tiana and Sheffy had stern looks on their faces.

What was up with those two?

“Sorry to keep you waiting~ Here’s the daily special set meal!”

Just then, the server—or rather, the wife—brought our food.

A large flat plate held a thick pork steak, giving off a wonderful aroma.

In a wooden bowl was clam chowder loaded with chunky ingredients.

A colorful salad lined up alongside, and the table instantly became vibrant.

“Whoa, looks delicious…”

My stomach growled immediately.

The cafeteria food had been tasty too, but this place was definitely going to be amazing.

“Hehe, you have such a cute reaction, young man.”

When I looked up, the wife was gazing at me with a chuckle.

“And to think, Crora-chan, who always comes here alone, brought a boy and his two female attendants… Could he be your boyfriend, perhaps?”

Oh? It seemed she had mistaken me for Crora’s boyfriend.

But even with two other girls here, it was possible to get the wrong idea like that, huh.

“Yeah, Ark. Deny it already.”

“Ark-sama, please correct the misunderstanding right away.”

Tiana and Sheffy furrowed their brows and put strange pressure on me.

“Uh, yeah… Crora and I aren’t in a romantic relationship. But… I do want to start as friends with her.”

“…!”

Crora’s shoulders twitched and shook. The skin visible through her long bangs was slightly flushed red.

What I said about wanting to become friends with Crora was true.

Even as the villain, I wanted to support her as a friend so she wouldn’t fall into darkness!

“By the way, Crora. You still haven’t called me by name yet, have you? I’d like you to call me casually without any honorifics, like Tiana does.”

“Uh, um… That’s…”

“Take your time.”

“Um, uh… Ark-kun?”

“Oh, that’s good! With the -kun. Then I’ll keep calling you Crora without any honorifics, okay?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Thanks, Crora.”

All right, I had gotten her permission, so from now on, I’d stick with calling her Crora.

“Oh my, oh my, oh my~”

The wife covered her mouth… but I could tell she was grinning.

She watched us with an amused expression.

“The mood between you two is quite heated, but the food will get cold. Sorry for interrupting. Enjoy your meal~”

With that, the wife left.

Was it that unusual for the regular Crora to chat with others?

“Ark, that wasn’t really a denial.”

“Ark-sama is such a ladies’ man…”

Tiana and Sheffy directed stern faces at me for some reason.

—

Chapter 27: The Villain’s Future Is Nothing to Worry About

“Thank you for the meal!”

I clapped my hands together to finish the meal.

“Satisfied, satisfied. I’m so full now~”

“Yeah, Ark, your eating was great today too.”

“Ark-sama eats so deliciously and a lot, after all.”

Tiana and Sheffy said that with smiles on their faces.

The clam chowder and salad were free refills. On top of that, we ate bread and pasta as extras.

Everything was delicious, and it was the best!

At home, I was on a diet restriction, but when I went out, I decided to eat as much as I wanted of what I liked.

“Uh, Ark-kun… you eat a lot, huh… It’s rare…”

Crora let out such a voice.

“Well, I’m at that age where I eat a ton! It’s normal for a guy…”

“N-No… I don’t think normal guys eat that much…”

“Huh?”

An idiotic voice slipped out of me without thinking.

She meant the guys in this world, right?

Even with the gender ratio at 1:9, nothing else should be different.

Guys… especially high school boys, should be at that eating age, right?

“Yeah, in a way, Ark is definitely an eating-age guy.”

“To make Ark-sama understand… now that he’s reached 15-year-old adulthood, this is the perfect time.”

“Yeah, after I properly make him understand, he’ll take responsibility and make me happy.”

“How many children does Ark-sama want?”

“Huh?”

Tiana and Sheffy had been whispering something to each other for a while now.

And they were staring intently at me with unusually serious faces.

What was it, that intense staring…?

No way, did some of the pasta sauce from earlier stick to my mouth?

I took a paper napkin and rubbed my mouth vigorously.

Even though everyone had finished eating, because Crora had spatial magic, we decided to stay and relax at this shop until the very last minute.

Spatial magic was really strong, after all.

The topic naturally shifted to the pair exam.

“But after next week ends, it’s already the pair exam, huh~”

I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and said that.

On top of that, the assignment hadn’t been announced yet, and there was no sign of it being announced.

Since it was hidden this much, it was probably the type that would be revealed only on the day.

“Yeah, the pair exam will be a breeze. And since my pair is Crora, there’s no need to worry.”

“T-Tiana-chan… B-But I can only use spatial magic… Depending on the exam content, I might be totally useless… Even outside of exams, I haven’t been much use normally…”

Crora shrank her body.

I wanted to speak to Crora like that without thinking, but…

Tiana immediately shook her head and opened her mouth.

“Yeah, that applies to me too. I think the pair exam is about covering for each other. So, let’s do our best, Crora.”

“Tiana-chan… Y-Yeah. Thank you.”

Crora nodded repeatedly, as if moved, at Tiana’s straightforward words of encouragement.

Tiana was usually expressionless and rarely showed her emotions.

But like this, she supported people with words stronger than anyone else.

I thought again that this straightforward attitude was probably Tiana’s strength.

…Come to think of it, Crora kind of reminds me of Tiana when she was little.

The Tiana I met back then was timid and often hid behind her mom.

It was unimaginable from her current confident appearance.

Tiana had grown up, huh~.

“Ark-sama, I’ll do my best so I don’t become a burden either.”

Sheffy said that too, perhaps inspired.

“Yeah, I’ll do my best too! And let’s not get too tense—let’s stay calm. I feel reassured just having Sheffy next to me.”

“Ark-sama… I feel the same way.”

“Then good.”

When I grinned at her, Sheffy’s cheeks relaxed too.

“I think the exam will probably not be all first-years in the same place, but held simultaneously by class.”

“A common assignment, huh…”

I muttered upon hearing Tiana’s words.

Considering that pairs were formed within classmates, that possibility was high.

It would be easier for the teachers to divide it by class rather than doing a large-scale one with everyone together.

“So, we’re not enemies.”

Tiana stared straight at me.

“…Yeah. Then, it’s reassuring. But even if we hypothetically became enemies… I won’t hold back.”

When I did it, I would go all out.

Tiana also nodded with a faint smile.

“Yeah, that’s good. It’s meaningless if it’s not serious.”

Our gazes clashed, and for just a moment, it felt like sparks flew.

“Yeah, if Ark gets expelled, don’t worry—I’ll support you for life.”

“No, that’s…”

I wanted to be the one supporting one of them.

Even if I played around with girls, I had no intention of becoming a kept man.

I wanted to use the money I earned to make the girls happy, and that was the romance of being a man.

“Ark-sama. I’m prepared to support you too.”

“What do you mean by prepared!?”

Even Sheffy said something like that as if it were natural.

No way, did I give off such an expelled vibe?

I thought I was reasonably strong…

Even though I had reincarnated as a villain and was breaking doom flags, I still needed to think about the future.

I wanted a secure future.