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~ - 8

Chapter 8: Noah’s Morning-After and the Protagonist’s Misunderstanding

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“Good morning, Noah-sama. Please wake up. It’s morning already.”

“……Hey, Layla. Why are you in my bed?”

When Noah woke up, his eyes met Layla’s. Up to that point, everything was fine. But he wondered why their eye levels were exactly the same.

“Well, you see, Noah-sama, no matter what I did, you just wouldn’t wake up.”

At those words, Noah instantly snapped fully awake. He sprang up and fled from the bed.

F-for now, there were no signs that my clothes were taken off…Good, good.

Noah let out a breath of relief. That said…

“H-hey, Layla… Um, what exactly did you do to me while I was asleep yesterday?”

“Fufu, that’s a secret.”

Layla wore an oddly mature smile and said nothing more. Just to be sure, Noah checked. Layla was properly dressed in her maid outfit, and he himself was wearing normal sleepwear.

F-for now, we definitely didn’t cross any lines… Probably. But still, what happened yesterday? Uh…

Noah desperately traced the threads of his memory.

R-right… I heard about Layla being bothered by some strange noble in the carriage on the way back, then when we returned to the mansion, I ate the scones Layla made and fell asleep… Right?

He knew nothing strange had happened, yet seeing Layla wearing such a suggestive smile made cold sweat pour down his back.

“Even so, Noah-sama, you really must have been exhausted yesterday.”

“Y-yeah… I guess so.”

S-scary, scary, scary! That makes it sound like something really did happen yesterday!

“And so… Achoo. Excuse me.”

Layla’s sneeze cut off what felt like a very important part of the conversation.

“Well then, I’ll be returning to my duties now.”

“H-hey, um… You didn’t finish what you were saying—”

“Noah-sama, the bed sheets are dirty, so I will change them. Please go to breakfast.”

“W-wait, wait… Changing the bed sheets now? No, please, listen to what I’m—”

As Noah spoke, Layla efficiently stripped the sheets off the bed. There was a very good reason why Noah was panicking this much.

Yesterday, after seeing Mimi-chan and her family, I thought I wanted a family too…

And Layla had been eagerly awaiting an order for night companionship from Noah.

“………………”

No, no, no! That’s wrong on so many levels! I mean, I’m only thirteen!

As his thoughts spiraled in confusion, Layla had somehow already come close to him.

“Good grief, Noah-sama, you’re way too flustered.”

Seeing Layla relax her expression, Noah finally felt relieved.

“Hey, don’t tease me like that. I’m going to breakfast now, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Understood. Ah, Noah-sama, please wait a moment.”

“Hm? What is it?”

He realized Layla’s face was strangely close far too late.

──Chu

A soft, warm sensation struck his cheek.

“～～～～!?”

Noah jerked his body and hurriedly pulled away from Layla. His face was bright red as he clutched his cheek, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Only voiceless sounds escaped him.

“Well then, Noah-sama, I’ll excuse myself. Fufu… Yesterday had some unpleasant moments, but I got to see a cute face, so today looks like it will be a good day.”

With that, Layla left Noah’s bedroom wearing a deeply satisfied grin. After she left, it was said that a soundless scream leaked from Noah’s room… or so the rumor went.

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“Still… I wonder who that person was who bothered Layla…”

After breakfast, Noah sat in his study, thinking while drinking the honey milk tea Layla had brewed for him. She had mentioned earlier that something unpleasant had happened.

“If I remember right, she said it had something to do with me… Could it have been Abel?”

Abel—the protagonist of the game world, and Noah’s so-called rival. More accurately, Noah was the one meant to be defeated.

“But nah, that can’t be it!”

Because Noah had thoroughly played the game in his previous life, he knew this for sure. Abel was supposed to be kind to everyone, without discrimination.

“So if that’s the case… Then seriously, who was it?”

No matter how much he thought about it, Noah couldn’t find an answer.

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Time rewound slightly. It was just when Layla was searching for Mimi’s parents. The moment Layla was alone, that person called out to her.

“Layla! I finally found you!”

Raising his voice in delight, Abel called her name.

“Yes, and who might you be…?”

When Layla turned around, Abel felt deeply moved.

Just like in the game… Straight posture, beautiful black hair. And huge breasts… Truly the ideal woman.

Nodding repeatedly as he looked at Layla, Abel seemed pleased. In contrast, Layla grimaced, hugged her chest protectively with her arms, and took a step back 

“W-what do you want…?”

“Ah, sorry. You work as a maid for Noah, right? I saw it earlier. You were linking arms with him and all… Man, that guy’s seriously awful.”

Heh… First things first, I’ve gotta gently side with Layla like this.

Wearing a friendly, harmless smile, Abel spoke to her. Layla, however, only frowned and kept her mouth shut. She had recognized him as a noble and there was another reason for her silence.

“May I ask you one question?”

“One question? Ask anything. Oh, about me? I’m the eldest son of a marquis family, and my name is A—”

“N-no, that’s not what I’m asking.”

Layla hurriedly stopped Abel as he started talking about things no one had asked.

“Is it possible that Noah-sama did something to you in the past?”

This was the other reason Layla had kept quiet. If this man had been harassed by Noah before his reformation, then she could understand his tone. Even if it made her angry, she intended to endure it for the sake of her beloved master.

“Oh, no, no. There’s no way I’d let trash like that do anything to me. Relax. If something happens, I’ll just beat him back.”

Throwing a few light shadow punches, Abel answered casually.

“More importantly, Noah’s probably got some dirt on you. That’s why he’s forcing you to go shopping with him today, right?”

“T-that’s not true! Noah-sama would never do such a thing!”

At Layla’s denial, Abel scowled.

“H-huh? What are you saying all of a sudden… Come on, you don’t have to push yourself!”

Grabbing Layla’s wrist, Abel spoke roughly.

“I told you, Noah-sama does nothing of the sort.”

Layla spoke quietly, her voice trembling. Her body shook slightly, as if she were desperately suppressing her anger.

“T-that is… Noah-sama has reformed and is now a very sincere person. Please see it for yourself, Abel-sama.”

“Hah? What kind of nonsense is that? Don’t tell me because I didn’t save you sooner, you’ve been brainwashed or something…”

Muttering under his breath, Abel clenched his teeth.

“Anyway, he’s been harassing you in all sorts of ways, right? If you’d just come to me, I could solve it in one shot! So why are you being so stubborn?!”

“T-that’s not true…!”

Layla flinched as Abel shouted. For a brief moment, Abel looked apologetic at her reaction, but he quickly reverted.

“Just think about it for a second! That guy’s trash, a scumbag noble whose crimes were so bad he got his engagement annulled and caused trouble for tons of people!”

The grip on Layla’s wrist tightened.

“Wake up and realize you’re being fooled! There’s no reason to defend someone like that!”

“…How can you speak so badly about someone you’ve never even met?”

In Layla’s mind was the image of Noah apologizing while crying, saying “I’m sorry.” After something like today, she could easily imagine how much Noah would blame himself. That only strengthened her desire to protect him.

“You’re free to hate Noah-sama. It’s true that before he reformed, he committed many wrongs.”

Clenching her free hand tightly, Layla lifted her face and looked straight into Abel’s eyes.

“But everything you’ve said is deeply offensive.”

“H-huh…? Layla, there’s something wrong with you! Why can’t you see it?!”

“I’ll return those words to you exactly as they are.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me!”

“Hey…Shouldn’t someone go stop them?”

“Are you crazy? One of them’s a noble. And if Noah-sama’s name came up, this is definitely bad news.”

As murmurs spread through the crowd, even Abel began to look uncomfortable.

“Tch, damn it… You should’ve just listened to me. Don’t come crying later! I won’t help you then!”

Leaving those words behind, Abel ran off. This was the unpleasant thing Layla had spoken about. And the fact that Abel—who was supposed to be the protagonist of this game—would go on to trouble the heroines was something Noah would only realize much later.

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