I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, but I’ll Live Honestly ~Because the Protagonist Was Useless, I Ended Up Making the Heroines Smile and Somehow Built a Harem~ - 1

Chapter 1: Noah Regains His Past Life Memories

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It had never been a smooth, trouble-free life. Even so, I thought my life had been enjoyable in its own way.

I had gotten fired up talking about eroge with my otaku friends, gone to VTuber live events, and had fun every single day. And on that day, I had been heading home with a light step, thinking I would play through my favorite eroge one more time. But then I was hit by a car driven by someone who had nodded off at the wheel, and my life ended just like that.

I was recalling those memories of my past life along with a headache so intense it felt like my skull was about to split open.

“Please, stay with us!”

“Are you all right, Noah-sama!? Someone, please fetch a doctor at once!”

The servants called out to me with desperate expressions, but I had no strength left to even respond.

Well, I guess everyone will be happier if someone like me is gone anyway…

Mocking myself with that thought, I lost consciousness on the spot.

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When I woke up, a pure white canopy came into view. The fluffy bed felt incredibly comfortable, incomparable to the futon I had slept on in my past life. The headache from earlier was gone now, as if it had all been a lie.

His name was Noah Maycraft. He was the third son of the Marquis Maycraft family and thirteen years old.

This place was the world of the eroge his former self had played obsessively: Quintet Lover ~Which Melody Will You Play?~, commonly known as Quilover. Reincarnating at all was something I could barely accept if I really stretched my tolerance. But why did it have to be Noah, of all people?

In the world of Quilover, Noah was the villain who drove the heroines straight into the depths of hell. He used every trick in the book to get close to them, stole them away from the protagonist, and left indelible scars on their hearts. Because of that personality, he was hated by the servants working in his mansion, had his engagement annulled, and came to be known among other nobles as the lowest, most despicable trash of the aristocracy.

Only when the player reached the true ending was he made to pay for his misdeeds with his life, at the hands of the protagonist and the heroine. And then the game reached its happy ending… Well, that happy ending was ridiculously hard to achieve though.

Just when a heroine finally found happiness with the protagonist, one wrong choice was enough for Noah to steal her away again. It was an incredibly unfair game, but that unfairness was also what made it so gripping back then and now the memory of playing that game served as a fond memory in my mind.

That said, now that I’ve reincarnated, I’m absolutely not going to steal the heroines… I mean, I don’t ever want to see the girls I love be sad. That’s just normal. As long as I keep my head down, that part should be fine… But what am I supposed to do from here on?

I looked around the room, but there wasn’t a single person concerned about Noah collapsing. Perhaps because I had regained my memories of my past life, a hollow emptiness welled up inside my chest, like a hole had been punched straight through it.

If this follows the game, then this is my mansion. No family, just servants and a ton of money…

Sighing, Noah rang the bell, and there was a knock almost immediately.

“E-excuse me…”

One of the maids entered the room carrying a drink, her voice trembling.

“Huh? Layla…?”

Layla was the head maid working at Noah’s mansion. In the world of Quilover, she was also one of the main heroines. And for some reason, during the early-game flashback scene involving Noah, she was the only person who treated him kindly. Perhaps Noah’s silence frightened her that much, since the maid’s face turned pale as she trembled all over.

“…M-my apologies. The head maid is currently out purchasing supplies.”

Noah then asked in a deliberately gentle tone.

“The head maid went personally? Why?”

“Foreign merchants have arrived at the market today. They’re said to be bringing rare ingredients such as scarce honey and nuts, so the head maid went herself to make the purchase.”

“I see, I see… Thank you…”

At Noah’s words of thanks, the maid’s eyes went wide. She replied in a faint voice, “You’re very welcome,” but she was clearly shaken. Seeing her reaction made me want to sigh.

Seriously, just what has Noah been doing all this time…? Well, considering how he’s been persistently bullying people, I guess it can’t be helped…

That was exactly why I swore anew that, now that I had reincarnated, I would never bully anyone again. I was just about to say as much to the maid when…

“…Hm? The market… Foreign merchants… Rare ingredients.”

Those words snagged in Noah’s mind. I was forgetting something important. And then I remembered.

“…This is exactly the same as Noah’s flashback scene.”

One of the game’s major branching points, one that led to the death of one of the heroines, Layla. That scene flashed through my mind.

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“Damn it, damn it! You bastard… Are you trying to kill me!? You’re just a measly maid, and you dare defy me…!? I’ll never forgive you!”

A man glared with eyes wide and blazing with fury. That man was Noah. And before him, Layla was prostrating herself on the ground, her shoulders trembling.

“I am terribly sorry… I am deeply sorry, Noah-sama. I have no excuse. I will accept any punishment you deem fit—”

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“Wh-what should I do!? For now, I have to go check on Layla!”

If this world followed the game, the protagonist should exist somewhere. But with five heroines in this world, there was no guarantee the protagonist would choose Layla’s route. And if the protagonist didn’t intervene in her route, she would lose her life.

And the beginning of that tragedy started with Layla being made into a plaything for vagrants.

I want to avoid getting involved as much as possible, since people become unhappy when they’re connected to me… But if something happens, I want to be the one to save her…!

Wanting to save her might be an arrogant thought. But back in my past life, when I was being bullied and suffering, Quilover had been my support. I had encouraged myself by replaying my favorite flashback scenes from the game, and I had been genuinely healed by the heroines’ smiles.

Even if I was a villain destined to bring misfortune to the heroines, I wanted to repay that debt, even if only a little. As if propelled by the thought, Noah burst out of the room, grabbed a wooden sword, and hurried toward Layla.

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