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 20: A Villain, but with Good Friends

Episode 20: A Villain, but with Good Friends

“So, uh, Sasaki… You’re sure I’m not the culprit, right?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
“And why’s that…?”

It was lunchtime. We had gathered at the usual staircase.

It wasn’t exactly that it’d be bad if someone overheard us, but it was definitely better if no one did.

Kana nodded once and began speaking.

“Well, yesterday, I forgot my homework and went back to school to get it. It was pretty late, so I think everyone else had already left. There wasn’t anyone in the classroom. But just as I was leaving with my homework, Saita-kun came in. When I talked to him, he seemed… off, like something was strange.”
“I see. So Saita’s suspicious, huh? Did he say anything weird?”
“No, he didn’t say anything strange, but he seemed kind of nervous. And when I asked what he was doing there, he didn’t answer right away.”
“Did you see anything at the scene after that?”

Narita asked, and Kana shook her head apologetically.

“No… Sorry. I didn’t think it would turn into something like this, so I didn’t stick around to see what he was doing.”
“Well, yeah, that makes sense. No one would suspect someone was ripping up their own gym clothes. But to think it was self-sabotage…”

Narita tilted his head, puzzled.

That’s true. Even I didn’t really think it was actually self-sabotage.

“But this doesn’t really count as evidence, does it? I mean, Sasaki didn’t see the scene directly, and it’s true Kaede was the first one to show up at school today.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. So even though I said I’d help, all I can really do is help look for some kind of evidence.”

The two of them sighed and pondered over the situation.

Meanwhile, I cautiously opened my mouth.

“For now, I don’t really plan on telling the teacher.”
“What?”
“Seriously?”

Kana and Narita both reacted with surprise.

Well, of course they did. If I were in their position, I’d be just as shocked. Honestly, after they’d gone so far as to think this through with me, it felt rude to even suggest giving up on finding evidence.

“Why not? If you don’t clear this up, the entire class will keep misunderstanding you. And we already know Saita’s the culprit.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want people misunderstanding me either.”
“Ah, well… yeah, but…”

I trailed off.

There’s no way I could tell them I was a reincarnator.

As I listened to the two of them talk, I was deep in thought.

Kana suspected that the protagonist was the culprit.

This kind of scene didn’t exist in the original game.

Which meant—

If we go ahead and pin this on the protagonist, it’ll completely sever Kana’s route with him. Well, their route was already pretty much gone, but still.

For the villain himself to eliminate the heroine’s route with the protagonist? That’s way too dangerous.

Besides, if the protagonist started seeing me as a true villain, that could turn into a huge hassle.

“Fine… Alright. For now, we won’t do anything.”
“Yeah. Sorry for having you hear me out and think about all this, but if something worse happens, I’ll definitely gather evidence and report it to the teacher.”
“Got it… In that case, gathering evidence now is probably a good idea.”
“Yeah! That way, we’ll have it ready when we need it, and maybe we can prevent things before they get worse.”
“Man, that’s a great plan. Let’s do it.”

Kana and Narita were now brimming with enthusiasm.

But still…

“Thanks, you two.”

Even as a villain, I’ve ended up with some pretty great friends.