I Reincarnated as the Villain Who Bullies the Protagonist in an Erotic Game, but I Just Want to Stay a Nobody, Yet Somehow the Heroines Keep Obsessing Over Me - Episode 12: Am I Still Just a Background Character?

Episode 12: Am I Still Just a Background Character?

I am a background character.

No matter what anyone says, I’m a background character.

In my previous life, I was just an average guy—so average that when people saw my photo, they’d say things like, “You look kind” or “You seem like a nice person.” Just the usual platitudes.

In other words, I’ve always been used to being a background character—or at least I thought so.

“Hey, Nishikikoji-kun, this is super delicious!”

“Yeah, it’s really good…”

Yet here I am, somehow strolling and snacking with a beautiful girl.

Wait, hold on—how did this even happen? This isn’t something a background character would do.

Let’s backtrack. It all started when…

“The rain’s letting up.”

“You’re right. We should probably head back to where the teacher is.”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Kana stood up from the bus stop bench she had been sitting on.

That serious atmosphere from earlier had completely vanished. She must really be hiding her true self. She’s almost too good at maintaining her image as “Sasaki Kana.”

The two of us walked leisurely while chatting on our way to where the teacher was waiting.

“By the way, you know how I used to have recurring dreams? I haven’t had them lately.”

“What kind of dreams?”

“Well… you might think it’s a little weird…”

“I won’t.”

“I figured you’d say that, Nishikikoji-kun. Okay, I’ll tell you.”

Kana mumbled softly while half-hiding her face.

She was wearing my jacket, which made her sleeves too long—the classic “moe sleeves” look. Yep, ridiculously cute. In the game, I got to see her in all sorts of outfits, but this natural look is great too. There’s a unique appeal to her wearing my clothes, but let’s not get carried away.

“Until I got into high school, I used to have the same dream over and over. In the dream, I was dating someone.”

“I see.”

Even as I replied, I started to panic.

Wait a minute!

This feels familiar. I’m pretty sure there was a scene like this in the game.

“The boy in the dream was so kind, so comforting, and I could tell he cared deeply for me. But every time I woke up, I’d forget who he was. I could remember the dream and the feelings, but never his identity.”

That’s it. This was definitely in the original game.

“I stopped having those dreams after the high school entrance ceremony.”

“I see…”

In the game, both the protagonist and the other heroines had dreams just like Kana’s—repeatedly, since childhood.

When their hearts connected, they realized the person in their dreams was each other.

That’s how it was supposed to go. But this is strange. In the game, the dreams were supposed to happen more often after the entrance ceremony.

“I’m sorry for talking so much. I don’t know why, but I feel like I can open up when I’m around you, Nishikikoji-kun. Maybe it’s because you’re so kind?”

“Well, if that’s the case, then I’m glad…”

A terrible thought crossed my mind.

Could it be—no, there’s no way.

The reason she stopped having the dreams… is it because I reincarnated into this world?

And lately, my actions haven’t been very background-character-like. This is worrying. Am I overthinking things? Am I still within the bounds of being a background character? I want to believe I am.

“Oh, there’s the teachers. Looks like we’ve arrived,” Kana said.

Her words broke through my spiraling thoughts.

“Now we can rejoin the group.”

“Yeah. I feel bad for causing trouble, but it looks like everything will work out.”

“Totally. At first, I seriously thought we were the only ones lost.”

We explained the situation to the teacher, who then called Yamada and Kido. After some time, they picked up, but apparently, they were quite far from us. And there wasn’t much time left until the field trip ended.

“What should we do?”

The teacher asked, and Kana and I exchanged glances.

“Um, could you let them know that the two of us will explore on our own?”

“Are you sure? I’ll let them know.”

We bowed to the teacher and ventured back into the crowd.

That’s how we ended up at a nearby soft-serve ice cream stand. The strawberry soft serve looked too good to resist, so we each got one.

“This is delicious!”

“Yeah, it really is.”

Kana smiled, and I returned her smile as best as I could.

Seriously, is this okay? Am I really not in some kind of trouble here?

“Kana… I’m so glad I found you.”

Watching us from the shadows was a single figure—a boy.

“Who’s that guy with her? I feel like I’ve seen him in a dream before… No, I can’t remember.”

The boy muttered to himself as he continued to watch.

“She’s wearing his jacket. Why? Why him?”

His teeth clenched as he glared at us.

“If only I could figure out who he really is… Who is he, again?”

“That’s right. He’s that jerk who used to bully me. But why is he with Kana?”

The boy kept thinking, his gaze locked on Kana as she happily ate her ice cream, smiling like a perfect ray of sunshine.

“It doesn’t matter. Kana is meant to be with me. That’s why I’ll…”

[Author’s Note]
The field trip arc wraps up in the next episode!