I Was Reincarnated as the Villain Who Confines the Heroine in an Eroge World, But for Some Reason I'm the One Getting Confined by the Heroine Instead

Chapter 3: For Some Reason, I Got Caught by the Main Heroine

Five years have passed since I locked Safira away.

Nothing much happened during that time.
No rumors about her ever reached my ears, and the Hartz family seemed to keep running just fine.

Even the part where her brothers died from an incurable illness went pretty much like the original story.

The only thing different from the original plot is me.

For these five years, I never skipped my training. When I had free time, I helped harvest grapes at the nearby vineyard. It was a calm, peaceful life.
The perfect slow life, really.

If I could, I would’ve kept living surrounded by grapevines forever.
Unfortunately, those peaceful days end today.

That’s right—today is the entrance ceremony.

In this country, anyone with high magical power has to attend the academy once they turn fifteen.
Even though there’s no actual magic in this world.

Magical power lives inside the body and boosts physical ability. The amount differs from person to person, and the more you have, the harder it is to control.
If you can’t handle it, you might hurt someone or even destroy part of a town. It’s dangerous.

And me—Ask—was born with a decent amount of it.
Not noble, not freakishly strong either.
Just a little above average compared to commoners. The very definition of a disposable side character.

Still, thanks to all my training, I’m probably stronger than the original Ask ever was.

“This is the academy, huh.”

I looked up at the Royal Hartz Academy.

Seeing the stage of the original story in real life made my heart race with excitement.

Honestly, I don’t have any big goals here.
Most students aim to become knights or get hired by a duke’s household, but my dream is to live surrounded by grapes and wine.

Getting ahead in society isn’t important. Learning specialized knowledge is.

That said, there is one thing I’m looking forward to.
The academy has a huge library, and I want to study winemaking there.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

And just like that, my new life began.

※

Once inside the school building, I headed to my classroom.

Just like in the original, I was placed in Class 1-A. The name list had Safira on it, of course, and also Luxol Grey—the protagonist of the story.

Luxol is an orphan who became a scholarship student thanks to his absurdly high magical power.
Classic protagonist material.

In fact, on the very day of the entrance ceremony, he triggers events with several heroines.
The saintess, the knight commander’s daughter, and the main heroine—Safira.

Look—his first event is about to start right now.

I sat in my seat and watched the classroom door.

Safira walked in.

The moment she appeared, the air in the room changed completely.

All the noisy classmates instantly went quiet, completely captivated by her beauty.

She carried an untouchable, aloof aura, yet no one could look away. Every little movement drew every eye toward her like a magnet.

And in that tense atmosphere, the protagonist Luxol—completely oblivious—made his move.

“I’m Luxol! Nice to meet you!”

His cheerful voice rang out.
Exactly like the original story.

Then he slowly held out his hand, but Safira—who doesn’t trust people—ignored it completely.

After that, they were supposed to start arguing.

“………………”

“Huh? Did you not hear me? …I’m Luxol. Nice to meet you!”

He greeted her again.

But she didn’t even glance at him. She walked past as if he wasn’t there—

And then, the next moment,

Safira’s eyes turned toward me.

“Huh?”

This is not how the story goes.

She shouldn’t even know I exist. There’s no reason for her to look at me.

I’m just a background mob in this world. A villain who only exists to kidnap the heroine and get beaten by the protagonist.

That’s how it’s supposed to be…

Yet those clear blue eyes slowly came closer. And for some reason, they were looking at me, not the protagonist.

Slowly, slowly. Her slightly teary eyes sparkled as they locked straight onto me.

Then, without any hesitation, she walked right up to my desk and smiled—like a flower suddenly blooming.

That smile was delicate and breathtakingly beautiful, yet still held a trace of innocence. It was the perfect blend of two kinds of charm.

I couldn’t help but stare, completely entranced.

“Ask-kun,”

she said softly, gently saying my name,

“I’ve wanted to see you for so long. Ever since that day you saved me.”

Then she held out her hand straight toward me.

“Eh? Me?”

I blankly stared at her hand. Before I could react, she grabbed mine, lacing our fingers together and squeezing tightly, as if she’d never let go…

“N-nice to meet you…”

I squeezed back without thinking.

Then it hit me.

Wait—how does she know my name?

When did I ever tell her? I definitely didn’t introduce myself five years ago.

Even if she saw my name on the class list, there’s no way she’d match the face to it.

Yet she walked straight to me and called me by name without hesitation.

Something was seriously wrong.

But she still wouldn’t let go of my hand.

Just like five years ago, she held on tightly and looked up at me with those sapphire-blue eyes.

“Um…”

I glanced at our stunned classmates, then leaned in and whispered so only she could hear.

“…Are you sure you have the right person?”

※

Let me go over the original event again for a second.

In the story, Luxol walks up to Safira when she enters the classroom and offers a handshake.

She ignores it, and the two of them end up arguing.

So everything was going according to script up until she ignored Luxol’s hand—that part was the same.

But what happened after that was completely different.

For some reason, she came straight to me, smiling, and took my hand.

That scene doesn’t exist in the original at all.

Yet here she is, still casually holding my hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

To put it mildly—I was terrified.

“Wrong person?”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

She must have me mixed up with someone else.

Because I never saved her. Not once.

If anything, five years ago I tried to kidnap her—but it barely even counted as an attempt, and the ones who actually saved her were the two guards.

So the person who helped her definitely wasn’t me.

“It was you who took me outside five years ago, right?”

But she tilted her head, looking confused, and asked anyway.

“You’re the one who gave me hope when I had lost everything, aren’t you?”

“Uh—no, that’s definitely wasn’t me.”

I have zero memory of doing anything like a prince on a white horse.

I’m not a prince, and I’ve never even ridden a horse.

I’m just a villain. A disposable bad guy who kidnaps the heroine and gets defeated by the protagonist.

“Maybe there’s someone else who fits the description. Like that handsome guy over there, for example.”

I pointed at Luxol.

His mouth was hanging wide open in shock. When our eyes met, he started shaking his head wildly.

“No, it’s not a mistake. You’re the one—the person I’m destined to be with.”

Safira glanced at him for a second, then immediately looked back at me and asked again.

“You’re the one who showed me a whole new world when I knew nothing, right?”

“Uh… no, that wasn’t me either.”

I really have no idea what she’s talking about.

A new world? What does that even mean? Wine?

Sure, in the wine industry there’s something called the Old World—Europe, where wine has been made for centuries—and the New World—countries outside Europe that started making wine more recently.

If I had somehow recommended New World wine to her and let her try it, then maybe her words would make a little sense.

But no commoner would ever offer wine to a duke’s daughter, and besides, you’re not allowed to drink until you’re fifteen in this country.

Absolutely no exceptions before your birthday.

So the person she’s looking for can’t possibly be me. Case closed.

“Maybe someone else fits better. Like that guy.”

I pointed at Luxol again.

He’s the protagonist, after all. He’s literally destined to end up with the main heroine.

And a protagonist should be able to show someone a new world, right?

That’s why I pointed at him—

“Huh?”

—but surprisingly, he was teary-eyed and shaking his head.

His face practically screamed, Please don’t drag me into this.