“Your reward,” she responded promptly.
Uh, okay? I thought, alarm bells going off in my head. But it was too early to jump to conclusions. I sat quietly, and my patience was rewarded as she began to clarify.
“I’ve been remiss in introductions, haven’t I? Shizuki Sakurazaka, a pleasure.”
“Oh, hi, I’m—”
“Ms. Mio Sato, yes, I know all about you. I hope you’ll forgive my prying; I took the liberty of learning a little about my rescuer. Your sister, she’s hospitalized, isn’t she? Has been for some time.”
All right, I thought. In the hour that’s passed since the incident she’s done all diligence that was due, and then some. Her efficiency had me a little unnerved, but I still maintained a calm facade—a facade that shattered with her next line.
“Shizuku’s not doing too well, is she?”
Irritation flared up within me. Who was she to talk about Shizuku so casually? The anxiety I had shelved away to focus on work now burst forth, mingling with my sudden resentment toward her and showing on my face.
But she didn’t care. She continued, her voice steady, her gaze unwavering. “I can help save your sister’s life, but only if you become the villainess in my stead.”
An incredible statement to make out of nowhere. Devoid of any context, her words should’ve seemed absurd, but my mind couldn’t help but latch on to one clause: I can help save your sister’s life.
I eyed her warily. “You can save my sister?”
She nodded. “If you become the villainess in my stead.”
Twice, she’s repeated that phrase. If she’d said, “make a deal with the devil,” I might have been less hesitant—at least that evil was familiar. But this talk of a “villainess” left me utterly perplexed. In my confusion, I blurted out a question, unfiltered and brash: “Is that what you are? A villainess?”
“I am,” she replied immediately.
I was astonished. She had the aura of a well-to-do young lady, sure, but nothing that screamed “evil villainess” as it applied to my understanding of the term. If this was some cruel joke, I wouldn’t be able to keep my pent-up emotions in check for much longer.
“I’m sorry, but could you explain? Preferably from the beginning?” I implored, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Of course, my apologies for being abrupt,” she said. “I simply wish to express my gratitude for your bravery earlier by offering a potential lifeline for your sister, conditional upon your acceptance of my proposal.”
“You know what my sister is suffering from?”
“Yes, I am familiar with her ailment and the treatment she’s receiving. She’s been getting worse, hasn’t she?”
“But you believe you can help her?”
I swallowed, the weight of her potential answer pressing heavily on me. While I didn’t have any way of saving Shizuku, I also was no progeny of the Sakurazaka Group with near limitless resources at my disposal.
“Your doctor mentioned the trials happening overseas, correct?” she finally posed.
“Yes, but he said we couldn’t expect a breakthrough for another five years.”
“Mostly true, but with an important caveat: it might take that long for the treatment to be approved here, but overseas, that could happen in as fast as three.”
“And what does that mean for Shizuku?” I dared to ask. The timeline she proposed—three years—aligned alarmingly with the doctor’s prognosis. Could it… Could it be possible?
“Not much, I’m afraid. An ordinary citizen wouldn’t be prioritized for such cutting-edge treatment abroad. However, with the right financial backing and connections, this scenario could change.”
“Money and connections, right…” I mumbled dejectedly. My family had neither. I could tell she was stringing me along here, but my desperation to help Shizuku overshadowed any caution. I looked at her, my eyes harboring a blend of expectation and anxiety.
She nodded knowingly. “You would do well to know that I have given a substantial grant to the institute spearheading the research. One word from me, and I could have your sister placed at the top of the list.”
And there was the bait. But what was the catch?
“Don’t get me wrong,” she continued. “I am beyond grateful for your actions today, but you’ll understand that saving a mere handbag isn’t quite enough for me to call in such a large favor or cover the substantial costs of the treatment.”
“I… Yes, of course,” I responded. We were already paying several hundred thousand yen a month to keep Shizuku in the hospital, and that was with insurance. To shoulder the full cost of going cash pay and overseas—both of us knew I couldn’t ask that as thanks for holding on to one measly handbag. I bit down on my lip. I felt so powerless. There lay a path to Shizuku’s treatment, and yet I couldn’t tread on it.
“But that is exactly why I would like to give you, my Good Samaritan, a chance to earn that favor.”
I looked up at her. “A chance. By becoming the villainess in your stead?”
“Yes. Become the villainess, achieve your objective, and I will see to it that Shizuku gets treatment the moment it becomes available—all at my expense.”
Her proposal begged more questions than answers—there was no guarantee the treatment would even materialize, and yet I couldn’t turn my back away from the slightest hope that Shizuku might live. Still, the critical issue remained in timing. Three years was a precarious timeline; my agreement would serve no purpose if Shizuku couldn’t hold on until then.
“That, however, is just a proposal for you to mull over. For my actual token of gratitude for your actions today, I propose to transfer your sister to an exclusive hospital, one reserved for the country’s most rich and powerful. Naturally, I will take care of all associated costs.”
“Why?” The question escaped my lips before I could stop it. While generous, her offer seemed to miss the point. Shizuku needed to live for longer, not better in some fancy hospital.
“She will have access to state-of-the-art medical facilities and the finest physicians. Around the clock, top-tier care.”
“And?”
“Better care often translates to better outcomes. That is to say, she has a better chance to live longer there.”
My eyes flew open. That glimmer of hope suddenly turning into something more concrete and substantial. “Tell me what you mean by ‘become the villainess.’”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” She lapsed into thought for a moment. “Are you familiar with the concept of a villainess, as depicted in popular culture?”
“You mean the stuck-up, malicious young lady as seen in dating sims?”
The archetype that sprang to mind was the disagreeable lady who wielded her social standing as a cudgel, antagonizing the kind-hearted heroine in otome dating sims. They were scapegoats, written solely to earn the player’s ire before facing their eventual comeuppance in a grand, satisfying moment of catharsis.
“The one and the same. I want you to be that stuck-up, malicious young lady in my stead,” she emphasized.
“What do you mean by ‘in your stead,’ Ms. Sakurazaka?”
“Please, call me Shizuki.”
“Ms. Shizuki, are you asking me to take on a role, like in a play?”
“It’s interesting you put it that way. Yes, in a sense, you will be playing a role, and the world itself shall be your stage.”
“Um…”
“For you see, the world we live in is based on an otome game.”