I’m Just a Background Character, But I Used to Be a Delinquent, So Why Are the Girls Falling for Me?!

The light woke me up. It was thin and yellow, pushing past the curtains and cutting a bright line across the wooden floor. I opened my eyes slowly. My mouth was dry. My neck felt tight because of how I’d slept.

For a little while, I just stayed still. The ceiling was new to me. My mind was slow, still half-asleep, trying to figure out where I was.

Then I remembered. This place. This body.

I wiggled my fingers under the blanket. My arms and legs felt heavy. They should have felt like mine, but they didn’t. They moved when I told them to, and that was normal. But there was a constant feeling of being wrong, like putting on a shirt that wasn’t your own. Everything looked almost right, but not quite.

The room was quiet. Inzo wasn’t here, maybe he’d already gone out to train or studying. It was just me, the silence, and the faint chirping of birds outside.

I pushed myself to sit up, wincing a little. My arms still felt weak, almost useless. Even lifting a cup yesterday had made them shake. I hated it. I wasn’t used to feeling this helpless.

A soft knock came on the door.

“Young master Callen, may I come in?” Maid voice it’s calm, polite and careful.

“Yes, come in” I said.

She entered, carrying a tray with breakfast. The smell of warm bread and tea filled the air. She placed it gently on the table and bowed.

“Good morning, young master”

I nodded. “Good morning.”

For a moment, she looked surprised that I greeted her back. Then she give a small smile. “You seem different today.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

She hesitated, as if no one had asked before. “Lira.”

“Thank you for my breakfast, Lira.”She blinked, then smiled again, shyly. “You’re welcome, young master.”

After i finished eating i stepped outside to breathe the clean air.

The garden was quiet. Everything looked calm, but I could still hear a faint sound of steel hitting steel. Clang. Tap. Swish. It came from the training grounds, far across the grass.

I walked closer, drawn by the noise. A group of knights moved quickly, practicing their moves. They were sharp, fast, and strong. Every swing of the sword, every block, was powerful and polished. I watched them for a long moment, the feeling of wrongness in my own body becoming sharper.

My stomach felt tight.. knowing what I had to do. I need to start my training also this body might feel like a borrowed suit, but if i remain stuck in this life, i need to be ready. It needed to learn the strength and power.

As i was lost in thought. I didn’t even notice I had walked to unfamiliar place, I didn’t know.

It was then I spotted Lira again.

She was standing near the big stone fountain. She was struggling to carry a heavy wooden bucket filled with water. Her thin arms shook badly with the effort, but she kept going, taking slow, heavy steps without stopping.

I walked toward her. “Let me help.”

She gasped. “y-young master, its ok-”

“It’s fine,” I said, taking one side of the bucket. “You’ll hurt yourself doing this alone.”

Her expression softened. “Thank you… no one’s ever helped before.”

Before I could answer, a familiar and arrogant voice cut through the air.

“Well, well. The young master Callen playing servant now?”

Darren Verdan.

He approached, with two of our other cousins walking beside him. They both wore the same smug, empty look. Lira saw them and quickly lowered her head.

“Good day, young masters,” she whispered quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

Darren didn’t answer her greeting. Instead, he reached out quickly and grabbed her wrist. “Did I tell you to speak?”

“I-I’m s-sorry,” Lira stammered, fear swimming in her eyes.

One of the cousins, the taller one named Ray, let out a loud, nasty laugh. “Oh, look, she’s shaking!”

Darren ignored Ray’s foolish comment. He used the hand holding her wrist to lift her face roughly, forcing her to look at him.

“Not bad,” he sneered, looking her up and down. “I’ll accept your apology if you agree to sleep with me tonight. Do that, and when Uncle gives me his title, I might even consider making you my mistress.”

Lira froze, her eyes wide with shock and terror.

The third cousin, a thick-necked boy named Vance, snickered and elbowed Darren. “Just tell him yes, You’d be lucky to warm up the Master’s bed!”

Darren’s grip tightened on Lira’s wrist. The smile on his face was ugly.

“Well?” he pushed.

I felt a sudden, cold surge of anger a feeling that felt new in this body, yet completely right. I took a step forward, the heavy bucket of water forgotten on the path between us.

“Let her go, Darren,” I said. My voice was calm and low, but it cut through the noise.

Darren slowly turned his head to look at me, still holding Lira captive. His eyes were full of surprise, then pure mockery.

“What was that, Callen?” he asked, pulling Lira closer to him. “Did the servant boy just try to give orders? Maybe I should teach you both your places.”

I kept my voice flat and even, hiding the sudden rush of anger in my chest. The old Ren wanted to smash his face in, but the weak arms of Callen could barely lift a spoon. I had to use my brain.

“You’re making a scene, Darren,” I said, emphasizing the word. “This is a public garden. I suggest you release her wrist and remember where you are. Your performance here isn’t exactly making you look like the next family head.”

Darren’s lips peeled back in a sneer. Ray and Vance giggled like fools. “Oh, a clever one now? Too weak to fight, so you talk instead?”

Darren suddenly shoved Lira away from him. She stumbled, catching herself just before falling. Freeing his hand, he swung it, not in a full punch, but a slapping motion aimed at my face.

My body was slow, but Ren’s instincts were still alive. I didn’t completely dodge, knowing I couldn’t move fast enough. I just turned slightly to reduce the impact and letting his hand strike my face cheek.

A flare of sharp pain shot through me, and my breathing hitched. It was a weak hit, but in this body, it felt like a hammer blow. Darren looked surprised that I hadn’t collapsed.

I used his moment of confusion. Instead of hitting back which would have wasted all my little strength I took a quick, desperate step forward, crowding his space. I grabbed the front of his expensive jacket, and with a sudden force, I shoved him hard toward the fountain’s edge.

It wasn’t a strong push, but it was enough to catch him off-balance. Darren gasped as he stumbled, failing to find his footing, and landed on his backside on the rough stone path with a harsh, humiliating scrape.

Ray and Vance stopped laughing instantly. The silence was heavy, broken only by Lira’s shaky gasp.

Darren scrambled to sit up, his face burning red, clutching the spot where he hit the stone.

“You… you dare push me!” he roared, his voice shaking with pure shock. He pointed a trembling finger at me. “You’ll regret that, Callen! You’re trash!”

I straightened my shirt, ignoring the ache in my face. My breathing was already uneven, but I forced my stance to remain steady.

“I know exactly who I touched, Darren,” I said, my voice dangerously calm. “A spoiled boy who needs to be reminded that the manor is full of witnesses. Go back to your training. And if you ever touch Lira again, or bother my Inzo, I’ll make sure everyone hears about the so called great future Master Verdan who assaults servants and gets knocked on his backside by the ‘useless’ cousin.”

The two ‘idiots,’ Ray and Vance, stood frozen. They looked between the furious Darren sitting on the ground and me, the weak Callen, standing tall. They hadn’t expected this fire. Their faces shifted from amusement to confusion, and finally to a nervous, wide-eyed alarm.

Darren slowly rose, brushing dust and dirt from his clothes. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitching. He didn’t speak another word. He just shot me a look of pure, cold hatred a promise of revenge. Then, without a sound, he turned sharply and walked away, his two obedient cousins quickly following, scrambling to keep up with his angry stride. They didn’t even risk a glance back.

Silence returned, heavier this time. A few gardeners and passing maids, who had paused to watch the confrontation, quickly lowered their heads and hurried away, pretending they hadn’t seen anything at all.

Lira’s hands still trembled as she looked down at the forgotten bucket of water. “T-Thank you, my lord,” she whispered, her voice barely there.

I turned to her, forcing my breathing to steady. The small effort of the shove had left Callen’s body shaking slightly. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head quickly. “No… I just—thank you. Truly.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” I said. The words felt strange coming from Callen’s lips, but they were Ren’s truth. “Just be careful around people like him. And if he bothers you again, tell someone.”

She looked surprised by the advice, but nodded, gripping the handle of the bucket.

I picked up the other side of the heavy bucket. “Let’s get this where it needs to go,” I murmured, walking along side her.

We walked in silence for a moment, the weight of the water bucket pulling on my thin arm. I kept my breathing even, hiding how much that small fight had drained me. This body was truly a joke.

Lira finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “Young Master Callen… you’ve changed.”

I didn’t look at her. “Maybe I just got tired of being useless.”

“No,” she insisted softly. “Before… you never saw us. You walked through the servants like we were air. And you definitely never stood up to Master Darren.” She paused, her grip tightening on the handle. “Thank you for what you did. But… he won’t forget this.”

I know. I didn’t need Callen’s memories to know how spoiled bullies reacted to being embarrassed. Darren would be looking for the fastest, most painful way to make me pay.

“Then I need to be ready,” I muttered, more to myself than to her.

We reached the small pantry near the kitchens where she needed the water. As I set the bucket down, my arms felt like jelly. I leaned against the cool stone wall for a second, trying to gather my strength.

I have five months. That brutal thought slammed into me again. I had to become strong enough to survive the banquet and whatever assassination plot followed. Standing up to Darren was satisfying, but it only sped up the clock.

I glanced down at my pale, shaky hands. The fight had confirmed it I couldn’t rely on brute force. The only way to survive was through speed, knowledge, and cunning. I needed to turn this weak body into something quick, something that could react before anyone else. I needed to know the rules of this world better than the people who lived in it.

“I need to start now,” I thought. I didn’t need a sword yet i needed basic fitness. The only way to build up Callen’s weak strength was slowly, secretly.

I turned back to Lira, giving her a serious look. “Lira, listen to me. If anyone asks about what happened, you tell them that Darren just… tripped and fell near the fountain. Nothing more. Don’t mention the words we exchanged.”

She blinked, surprised by the instruction, but nodded quickly. “I understand.”

I gave her a brief nod and turned to walk toward the back gardens, heading for a secluded path I’d seen on my earlier walk.

‘THIRD-PARTY POV’

She watched him walked away. He wasn’t walking like a grand noble, but like someone trying hard just to stay standing.

Lira gripped the handle of the empty bucket. She needed to get back to the kitchens, but the sight of him this changed Callen held her still. He had stood up to Darren for her. That single fact felt heavier than the water she had just carried.

A strange warmth spread through her chest, replacing the fear. It was a dizzying feeling. She remember how the look in his eyes when he told her, “You don’t need to thank me,” had been more powerful than any sword swing she’d just witnessed.

But still he’s still the Young Master, she reminded herself, shaking her head. A noble. A Verdan.

But the image of him standing up against the bully, his weak body hiding a new kind of strength, wouldn’t fade. Lira picked up the empty bucket, her steps lighter than they had been moments before. She had always thought heroes only existed in the expensive books. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe a hero could look like a weak, skinny noble, standing up for someone with nothing to give back.

To be continued…..