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~ - 6

Chapter 6: Noah’s Shopping and Abel’s Scheme

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“So, Layla, what are you planning to buy today?”

“Since foreign merchants are still staying in this town, I think it will mostly be ingredients for sweets. Other than that, just things the mansion is short on, but there aren’t many.”

With that, Layla paused her words and, wearing a sweet smile, wrapped her arm around Noah’s.

“So today, I’ll be with you the whole time for your shopping, Noah-sama.”

“Ah—uh, y-yeah… I mean… Well, um, don’t you think you’re a little too close…?”

Seeing Noah like that, Layla let out a small chuckle.

“Isn’t it fine? Come on, let’s go, Noah-sama.”

“No, no! It’s not fine! Look, see? It’s hard for me to move like this…”

I mean, with my arm pressed against her chest, I can’t focus on anything else!

The fluffy, soft sensation wrapped around his arm made his heart race nonstop.

And Layla is surprisingly…

He couldn’t tell from her usual maid outfit, but Layla apparently had the kind of figure that looked slimmer when clothed. With his face turning bright red, Noah’s gaze unintentionally drifted toward Layla’s chest.

This is bad!

He thought, snapping his head up. At that moment, his eyes met Layla’s, who was wearing a sly grin.

“…Noah-sama, you’re being naughty.”

“H-Hey! Now you’re being unfair!”

“What will you do then? Will you order me to attend you for the night?”

“No, no, I won’t! Just let go of my arm for now!”

After that, Noah negotiated with Layla and somehow got her to stop linking arms with him. Although, in exchange, Noah ended up being fed with an “ahh” by Layla.

Could it be that Layla planned this from the start, even calculating that I’d hate linking arms with her, all just to get the ‘ahh’…? No, no way, right?

Incidentally, though Noah didn’t know this, when Layla won the right to feed him, she may or may not have muttered, “All according to plan.”

And so, the two of them began their shopping. Meanwhile, a single man was watching the pair from the shadows of an alley…

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“Noah-sama, next is the bookstore, right? When I went around the market yesterday, the stock was getting low, so we might want to hurry.”

“Yeah, we should.”

Just as Noah replied, something slammed into his leg.

Thud!

When Noah looked down, he met the eyes of a girl who looked like she was about to cry. At her feet was an ice cream that had fallen to the ground.

Ah, this is bad…

By the time Noah realized that, it was already too late.

“Waaahhh!”

The girl burst into loud tears.

“I-I’m sorry. That was my fault.”

Noah crouched down to the girl’s eye level and spoke gently, but she just kept crying, not responding to his words. He looked around, but her parents were nowhere in sight.

Did she get separated from her parents…? No, more importantly, I need to calm her down…

“Layla, could you look after her for just a moment?”

Noah hurried to a nearby shop and quickly returned to the girl. As expected, she was still crying, and Layla looked completely at a loss.

“Here, a new ice cream.”

Saying that, Noah handed the girl a fresh ice cream he had bought nearby.

“Hic… sniff… thank you…”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry for ruining your ice cream.”

Smiling gently, he wiped the girl’s tears with a handkerchief.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“I’m Mimi.”

“Mimi-chan, got it. I’ll remember that. I’m Noah. Where’s your papa or mama?”

When he asked, Mimi puffed her cheeks and shook her head. Just as Noah had suspected, she seemed to be lost.

“I see, I see. You got separated, huh… Then we have to find your papa or mama! It’s okay, I’ll definitely find them for you.”

Mimi nodded at Noah’s words.

“Alright! Then let’s start looking right away.”

When Noah stood up, Mimi grabbed his hand as if asking him to stay close. At that moment, Layla spoke to Noah.

“Then, Noah-sama, how about I look for Mimi’s parents, and you finish your shopping first?”

“…Huh?”

A faint, fragile voice reached his ears. It was Mimi’s voice. Looking up at Noah with teary eyes, Mimi made Noah speak gently.

“It’s okay. We’ll look together. Layla, please search in the opposite direction.”

Layla softened her expression and replied that she understood.

And so, they began searching for Mimi’s parents.

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(Abel’s POV)

“Heh… I finally found them.”

Time went back a little, back when Noah and Layla were shopping.

“Still, I’m really glad my Layla was safe. I was worried how it’d turn out, but that Noah guy was useful for once.”

Hiding in the shadows, Abel—the original protagonist of this world—let out a sigh of relief. At thirteen years old, Abel was already nearly 170 centimeters tall. Paired with his well-shaped features, many women’s gazes were drawn not to his flashy accessories, but to Abel himself.

“Still, damn it! Why does a guy like Noah get to be with Layla? A villain like you doesn’t deserve to be next to a woman like her. Getting cocky even though you’re just a bad guy… He probably just saved her by dumb luck back then… I was supposed to save her more smoothly…”

When Layla said she felt like she’d met someone’s eyes when she was about to be attacked by vagrants, she wasn’t mistaken.

“Noah rushing in like an idiot ruined everything. I found Layla in danger first and was about to go call for help…”

In truth, Abel had arrived at the scene before Noah did. But after seeing Layla about to be attacked by vagrants, Abel turned his back on her and left.

“But it couldn’t be helped… There’s no way a kid could beat adults like that… You can’t protect someone else if you can’t protect yourself… I wasn’t wrong… If anything, I made the right call…”

Abel muttered complaints under his breath.

“Still, that Noah bastard, dragging my Layla around… And Layla too. She’s way too careless around Noah…”

Shaking his knee restlessly, Abel clicked his tongue in irritation.

“Or could it be… He’s got her weakness and he’s using that against her? No, actually, that’s more likely.”

While muttering to himself, Abel organized his future plans in his head. Once his path forward seemed set, a sloppy grin spread across his face.

“Alright. If that’s the case, I’ll wait for the moment Noah’s alone… Hehe….”

If I save her from Noah, Layla will definitely fall for me… And then I’ll build a harem one after another.

Watching Noah and Layla walk away together, Abel murmured with delight.

“Hey, Noah. Enjoy your happiness while it lasts… Until the day I take every heroine… Including Layla!”

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