Prologue
MY name is Mio Sato. Or at least it had been before I renounced my life as a commoner and became Lady Mio Sakurazaka. I changed my name, my identity, my entire existence for one reason and one reason only: to save my sister Shizuku, who is suffering from a terminal illness.
Shizuku is a kind and compassionate girl who’s wise beyond her years despite only being in her second year of middle school. Despite knowing she had only three years left to live, she’d said to me on one quiet evening, “Mio. You’ve done so much for me—more than anyone should. Please, you don’t have to keep forcing yourself.”
Her words had pierced my heart. Could I have been as brave as she was, still thinking of others in the face of such a cruel fate? I was sure I couldn’t. I would’ve succumbed to the sadness, the unfairness of it all, bawling my eyes out and resenting the world for dealing me such a hand. But Shizuku, my sweet, selfless sister, bore her burden with grace and strength that humbled me every day.
My sister is irreplaceable to me. That was why I agreed to this contract, to become an adopted daughter of the Sakurazaka family—all to save her.
The agreement was mostly straightforward: I would take on the role of the villainess in place of the illustrious Lady Shizuki and attend Sosei Academy in her stead. My task was to become the catalyst for the protagonist Nonoka’s growth, sacrificing myself to my doom in order to lead the world to its happy ending.
There were other caveats I had to come to terms with. For example, there was the fact that the world we lived in was supposedly based on an otome game and that Shizuki was supposedly a real-life “villainess.” Oh, and also the fact that I may or may not have been truly of the Sakurazaka bloodline. But besides those factors, the matter was straightforward: to save my sister, all I had to do was be a menace to Nonoka.
That was all I had to do.
That was all I had to do, and yet…
“Ms. Mio, Ms. Mio! Which skirt do you think works better?” Nonoka asked, holding up an option in each hand.
Nonoka and I had become, um, friends?
We were on a school field trip. I’d successfully accomplished my task of sparking Nonoka’s interest in fashion, but not in the way I’d intended. The idea had been to mock her sense of style, which would make her want to improve her fashion sense to spite me, but instead, I’d managed to become so supportive that she felt comfortable asking me for advice!
And not that I’d done anything supportive at all! My comments to her had been nothing but harsh, each calculated to sting and alienate, yet my words seemed to just bounce off of her, inert duds that did not affect her psyche.
I found no joy in the role I was forced to play—I felt the weight of each unkind word keenly—but there was no way for Nonoka to come out of this unscathed if I were to save my sister. No matter what, I had to push her away.
“To even suggest a color other than lavender with that base? Have you learned anything—anything at all?” I said as venomously as I could, hoping to shatter any illusions that we were on speaking terms.
She blinked, a moment of realization dawning on her. “How did I miss that… Of course! And what about the top? Which one works?”
“I’ve spent this entire time trying to explain the concept of balance to you,” I sighed. “If you go with that one, the whole look will be thrown off.”
“Got it. Then what about my purse?”
“That really depends on personal preference, but I would pick…this one. Nonoka? Are you even listening to me?”
“I am! You really know your stuff, Ms. Mio!”
“Is this girl all right in the head?” I muttered under my breath.
I’d never met such a clingy person in my life. She must’ve been a dog in her previous life because I could almost see that tail wagging furiously behind her.
Sure, you could argue that I answered each of Nonoka’s questions carefully and accurately, but what other choice did I have? Lie? Lying would hinder her growth, the very thing I aimed to support. So, I resorted to pushing her away using a dismissive attitude—because even the best advice has no value if it’s delivered poorly—or so I thought! Any normal person would not have stood for this shabby treatment and stormed away ten times by now, but not Nonoka. She weathered the storm of my verbal barbs, unwrapping each harsh comment to find the hidden gem of truth within. Now do you see the quandary I found myself in? Every bit of attitude from me was met with a big smile and an even bigger heart.
Shizuki—you said this world was based on an otome game—but what was the title of said otome game? It wasn’t “Reincarnated as the Villainess, But the Heroine’s the Last Boss!” or something along those lines, was it? Based on Nonoka’s current performance, I could hardly imagine any villainess breaking her spirit, in this timeline, or any other.
“Ms. Mio, Ms. Mio! I think I’ll wear this outfit on my next day off. Wanna join me?” Nonoka asked.
“No. Why would I take time out of my busy schedule for you?” I replied. “You have friends for that, don’t you?” I couldn’t have made my disdain clearer. But Nonoka just looked at me with those confused puppy dog eyes, as if to say, I do have friends for that. I’m looking right at one.
Please don’t tell me you think of me as a friend. The question remained unspoken; the answer to it, I feared, wouldn’t be one I’d like to hear.
Nonoka’s friend had once remarked, “I was a little scared of her at first, but it turns out she’s actually a good person,” about me; Ruki had called me a tsundere the other day. All signs pointed to the fact that I was on track to avoid my downfall and live a full and fulfilling life.
That would’ve been good news—had I been your average reincarnated antagonist. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a role I had unwittingly stumbled into, it was a mantle I’d assumed willingly to save my sister. Thus, I had to lose Nonoka’s favor.
Fortunately, that was a task easier than most. Trust can take decades to build, but only seconds to destroy. One moment was all I needed to shatter Nonoka’s trust irrevocably—I just had to pick the right time, the right place, and the right occasion.
“Now then, let’s get to villainessin’.”