DO villainesses seem like the kind of people who try very hard? In my mind, no. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that lack of effort is non-negotiable to their character. I mean, how many stories do you read where the antagonist who gets kicked to the curb is someone who tirelessly strives to excel in everything?
But I wasn’t a villainess. I was hired to be the villainess. Every day, my job was to keep the narrative flowing smoothly toward my inevitable downfall—and trust me, that was no easy task.
As the saying goes, there ain’t no rest for the wicked. So, on a beautiful weekend afternoon, I had invited Sayaka and Asuka to my home. Shortly after Shannon announced their arrival, I made my way to the entrance hall to welcome them. I found them awaiting, slightly awkward in their surroundings.
“Welcome, girls,” I greeted.
Two graceful smiles greeted me in response. “Ms. Mio.”
They both wore charming, flowing dresses, seemingly in sync for the occasion. Standing together, they looked particularly striking, even outshining me in my casual-yet-stylish rich girl room wear.
It dawned on me again that these girls in front of me were not some one-dimensional NPC lackeys from a video game, but two fully realized individuals—main characters of their own stories. They had made mistakes, yet they embraced the opportunity to evolve instead of stagnating toward their doom—a choice I celebrated. Internally, that is.
I brushed a lock of hair from my shoulder. “Are you girls going to stand there all day? Now, come in, we have work to do.”
With a swift turn on my heel, I beckoned for them to follow as I strode toward one of our parlors. I had reserved the room for the day, notable for its expansive window that provided a breathtaking view of the central courtyard from wall to wall. We settled around the coffee table near the window, each of us taking a cookie as the tea was served. Once we were comfortable, I began to outline the day’s agenda.
“I’ve summoned you both here to practice for the kibasen,” I announced. “Don’t worry, I’ve arranged a change of clothes for you both.”
“What?” they both uttered, teacups halted in midair.
Well, I’d be surprised too if I was invited to a classmate’s house without knowing the purpose, only to find out we would be doing what said classmate explicitly said she wouldn’t be doing—that is, helping Nonoka.
“We brought our gym clothes, actually,” Sayaka admitted.
“Tracksuit and everything,” Asuka added.
Or…not surprised?
I was the one to mutter a confused, “What?” this time. “Wait, why? I’m certain I didn’t mention anything about this beforehand?”
“You didn’t,” Asuka clarified, “but we guessed that was what you might’ve had in mind.”
Sayaka nodded her agreement.
Strange… I could see how Nonoka or Rikka might still believe in my better nature, but these two? After everything I had done to them? And then undone, slightly—but even now? Surely, they couldn’t still think well of me…could they?
Observing my puzzled expression, Sayaka clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “Ah! Of course, we know you’re not doing this for Ms. Nonoka’s sake. You want to win purely to uphold your pride as a Sakurazaka.”
“Y-Yes, that’s exactly right…”
Even stranger, the excuse I’d come up with beforehand came straight out of one of their mouths and not mine. Well, that was convenient and totally fine.
Something was clearly amiss. Yet, there I was, swimming in denial. From a purely objective standpoint, I really failed to see how they could regard me as anything but antagonistic. Sure, I’d “rescued” Nonoka from their clutches, but my subsequent actions should’ve spoken louder—publicly scorning Nonoka on multiple occasions, mocking her in front of everyone during PE, and that wasn’t even mentioning the recent debacle with these two. If I were on the receiving end of such behavior, I’d label the perpetrator as nothing short of cruel. So, why did it seem like they saw me differently? I wanted nothing more than to ask them outright how they viewed me but feared that if they answered anything but “vindictive bitch,” I would never recover.
Yeah, you know what? I’m just going to pretend that they don’t suspect a thing and that everything is fine for the sake of my own sanity. I’m just going to be a good little background villainess for the rest of the arc and let sleeping dogs lie. After that, then… Yeah. As I said, trust can always be shattered.
With my mind made up to not dwell too hard on present situations, I enjoyed a leisurely little tea break with my new friends. We then donned our gym attire and made our way to the courtyard.
“By the way, was Ms. Rikka not invited?” Sayaka asked en route.
“Are we practicing with just the three of us?” Asuka added.
I flashed them a villainous grin. “A stand-in will replace her for today’s session. We can’t let a Yukishiro catch me breaking a sweat, can we? Oh, and to that end, I must ask for your cooperation in keeping these practices our little secret.”
People love to feel special. Hopefully, hinting at the exclusivity of our little circle would buy their silence and prevent them from spreading any rumors painting me as sincere and diligent. And indeed, their faces brightened as they quickly agreed. Perfect.
With that matter settled, my thoughts turned to the specifics of who might be helping us, or how we would even practice for the kibasen in the first place. I had delegated the organization of this session to Shannon, who managed everything without my input. Therefore, I wasn’t exactly sure what she had planned. I knew she couldn’t be involved directly, given her need to remain incognito at school. The only other person our age I could think of who might be of help was Shizuki, but that was out of the question.
As we stood in the courtyard, awaiting the start of our mysterious practice, a voice—familiar yet noticeably deeper—called out from behind us. Trying to place the voice, I spun around—and promptly almost choked on my own spit. Standing there was a strikingly handsome, blond young man.