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 14: Results of the Proficiency Test

Episode 14: Results of the Proficiency Test

There seemed to be more people walking down the hallway than usual.

We were eating lunch on the stairs leading to the rooftop, but even from here, we could hear the sound of footsteps. That had to mean quite a crowd.

“Is something going on today?”
“Didn’t you listen to what the teacher said?”

Narita looked at me with a face full of exasperation. It had taken some time, but he’d finally come to accept the “new me.” His tone had grown more casual, and he no longer acted so wary.

“Ah, yeah… I guess I didn’t catch that part.”
“Seriously, Kaede? You’re so diligent, but you miss the important stuff.”
“Am I really that bad?”
“Yeah, you are. Anyway, today’s the day they announce the rankings for the proficiency test.”
“Oh, right. I vaguely remember hearing about that.”

It came back to me, faintly.

“Not that you need to worry. You’re definitely ranked first. Especially since you studied this time, right?”
“Yeah, I did study… but with the new students from high school joining in, who knows?”
“Come on, you practically aced the test, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah…”

In the original story, though, the protagonist beat me. That was one of the reasons Kaede Nishikōji came to dislike the protagonist.

“So, what do you want to do? Should we go check it out after lunch?”
“Yeah, I guess. I’m curious.”
“By the way, why do you eat lunch here every day?”
“Ah, well… there’s this girl I absolutely can’t let find me.”
“What?! Don’t tell me you screwed up again. You’ve been pretty quiet recently.”
“Well, ‘screwed up’ might be one way to put it…”

Yeah, I definitely messed up—on the day of the entrance ceremony, no less.

Ever since that day, I’ve been living my school life trying to avoid Ayame. Thinking back on it now, the cheesy line I blurted out before leaving was beyond embarrassing. Not to mention, I have this gut feeling that things would go terribly wrong if she found me.

I already feel like I’m failing at living a background character’s life after that field trip with Kanna. Getting involved with two heroines? That’s like grabbing a death flag with both hands.

“Huh. Well, I guess it’s nice here since there aren’t any people around.”
“Seriously, Shun’ichi, I can’t thank you enough for letting me use this spot.”
“Eh, it’s whatever… But Kaede, you’ve changed, you know? It’s like I’m talking to you, but it feels like I’m talking to someone else.”
“Really? I haven’t noticed anything.”

I answered, trying to keep the nervous sweat from showing.

Come to think of it, Shun’ichi is Narita’s first name.

“Well, you’re easier to talk to now.”
“Am I?”
“Yeah, you are.”

I let out a small sigh of relief. As long as the change isn’t negative, I’ll take it.

“So, I’m done eating. Should we go check out the rankings?”
“Yeah, let’s head over.”

After cleaning up our lunch, we walked to where the rankings were posted. Most of the students had already seen them and returned to their classrooms. This meant less chance of running into Ayame, thankfully.

“Not many people left, huh? First place is… yep, it’s you, Kaede.”
“Seriously? Nice.”
“I’m… oh, about halfway. Guess the studying paid off this time.”

Kaede Nishikōji probably had natural smarts. Plus, having gone through high school twice gave him a bit of an edge. Studying had gone smoothly for me, and in the past, Nishikōji had quietly studied late at night at home.

As for Narita, his reduced time spent playing around must’ve helped him focus on studying.

“And second place is… hmm. Someone I don’t know. Must be one of the new high school students.”
“Yeah, seems like it.”

Second place was the protagonist. My reincarnation into this world had caused some shifts in the original story, it seemed.

“Well, no point in sticking around. Let’s head back.”
“Sounds good. Oh, right—mind if I grab some karaage from the cafeteria? I’m still kind of hungry.”
“All you eat is bread for lunch. I’m up for it, though—I want some too.”

Just as we were about to head to the cafeteria—

“It’s way less crowded after lunch, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s our first test, so I’m kind of nervous to see how I did.”

A group of girls approached. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones with this idea.

“I wonder where I’m ranked… oh, there I am. Forty-fifth. Kind of meh.”
“I’m thirty-second. How about you, Natsuki?”
“Natsuki… is dead last.”

A despairing voice echoed. That voice, along with the name “Natsuki” and the fact that she ranked last in the grade…

It all felt eerily familiar.

“Yikes, isn’t that really bad?”
“Yeah, pretty bad.”
“It’s super bad.”

I turned around, trying to stay inconspicuous.

And there she was—

Standing in front of the rankings was a girl with bright chestnut hair tied into a ponytail, wearing an expression of utter defeat.

The final heroine of this story—Natsuki Asahina.