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 49: Silencing the Rumors

Episode 49: Silencing the Rumors

As soon as lunch break started, I approached Miki, one of the outgoing guys in class. Since we had been in the same group during the school trip, he was a bit easier to talk to.

He had quickly blended into the class since the entrance ceremony and was now a sort of leader figure.

“Hey, Miki. Got a minute?” “Nishikikouji…? What’s up?”

“It’s something I can’t talk about here. Can you come to the courtyard with me? Somewhere with fewer people.”

“Uh, um… okay. You just want me to follow you?”

“Yeah.” I slightly changed my tone and lowered my voice, trying to sound more serious—maybe even intimidating. I doubted he’d remember much about how I acted during the school trip anyway.

Ever since the whole ex-protagonist incident, I’d managed to be treated as just another classmate, but most people still seemed a bit wary of me. Sure enough, Miki’s smile was a little strained. He was probably wondering if he was about to get beaten up or something.

“By the way, Nishikikouji, it’s been a while, huh? Not since the school trip, right?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.” “Man, you’ve been through a lot, huh?”

“Yeah.” Damn, I wasn’t used to talking to guys like him. It wasn’t going smoothly at all. With Kana, we’d talked plenty in the game, so I managed, but I had zero resistance to dealing with outgoing types like Miki.

“Well, it all worked out in the end.” “Yeah! I’m really glad things got resolved. Sorry about before—I misunderstood, too.”

“It’s fine. I think everyone did.” Back in the classroom during that incident, the only ones who believed me were Kana and Narita.

Awkwardly muddling through the conversation, we eventually reached the courtyard. Since it didn’t get much sunlight, hardly anyone came here. It was perfect for private discussions.

“So, about what I wanted to talk to you about…” When I started speaking, Miki’s expression turned tense.

“Yeah?” “There was a big commotion yesterday, right?”

“You mean about Sasaki?” “Yeah. Here’s the thing—I want you to spread a rumor.”

“A rumor…?” “Yeah. Start saying that Kana  Sasaki isn’t involved in compensated dating, that the photo was fake, and it was all a misunderstanding.”

“But that photo… it was definitely Sasaki, wasn’t it? It looked exactly like her. Nobody’s gonna believe that.”

“Ah, about that…” I racked my brain at lightning speed, trying to come up with an excuse.

“That was… me. Cross-dressing.” What came out of my mouth was an absolutely ridiculous lie.

“Wh-what!?” “So yeah, it wasn’t Sasaki. And of course, I wasn’t involved in anything shady, either. There were… complicated circumstances. It was all just a coincidence.”

“W-wait a second. My brain can’t keep up with this.” “Anyway! The point is, it wasn’t Sasaki—it was me in disguise. Feel free to tell people that, but please stop the rumors. I can only ask someone like you, who’s good at leading the class.”

“Okay, okay! I get it! I’ll handle it. But seriously, what is even going on here…?” “By the way, if you don’t spread the rumor or let this slip to anyone—”

“I get it! I’ll do it properly, I promise!” Miki stammered, clearly flustered.

“Thanks. That’s all I wanted to say.” With that, I walked away.

“Is Nishikikouji a pretty nice guy? Or wait… does he have a thing for cross-dressing…?”

…I decided to pretend I didn’t hear the murmurs from behind me.