Chapter 11 - The Next Move
The seat by the window at the back of the class was as dazzling as ever today.
“Raito, would you like to go to the beach with me this weekend? Actually, one of my relatives owns a private beach, and they've invited me to bring someone along.”
“Miyuki-senpai, that sounds great. It’s been getting hotter lately, so a trip to the beach might be fun.”
“Hey, that’s not fair! Count me in too, Raito!”
“Of course. I wouldn’t leave you behind, Karen.”
“Yes! I’m so excited to go to the beach with you, Raito!”
“Hey, Raito-kun, you haven’t forgotten about me, have you?”
“How could I? You should come with us too, Yuna.”
“Hehe, Raito-kun, you’re so sweet.”
“Alright then, let’s all have a blast. We’ll swim during the day, have a barbecue and fireworks on the beach at night. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
“That sounds absolutely wonderful. Well then, everyone, let’s all head to my relative’s private beach this weekend.”
Fusegawa Raito, the protagonist.
Hanasaki Yuna, the classic beauty who sits next to him.
Himeno Karen, the energetic childhood friend with twin-tails.
Sakuramiya Miyuki, the half-British beauty and student council president.
And here I was, the villain, observing the harem rom-com scene unfolding in the classroom from my front-row seat.
If things continue this way, the next episode will probably be the swimsuit episode. It’s a fan-favorite service episode in the original story, and when it was animated in the first season, the stunning visuals captivated gentlemen across the nation.
Fusegawa Raito will blush at the sight of the beautiful heroines in unfamiliar swimsuits, get nervous when they ask him to apply sunscreen, and frolic on the sandy beach with the clear blue sea stretching out before them.
After the day at the beach, they’ll enjoy a barbecue at sunset and end the night laughing together under the starry sky with fireworks.
But I’ll never experience such a splendid youth as they do.
After all, I exist solely to sabotage their relationships as the villain.
If I intervene in the rom-com daily life playing out by that window seat, I’ll surely be heading straight for an unhappy, ruinous end.
This world desires the original story’s conclusion. It forces me to fulfill my role as the villain, and no matter what I want, the plot will lead me down that path.
So rather than be forced to play the villain, it's wiser to stay in the background and avoid triggering any events.
(Though it’s not like I plan to keep playing this role forever.)
It’s only my second day since reincarnating.
I’ve already started making moves to break free from the villain role and avoid a bad ending.
I’ve come up with various plans today. Yesterday, while doing some strength training, I thought long and hard about what to do.
First, I’ll focus on attending classes diligently and answering all the questions the teachers throw at me. If I keep behaving in ways unbecoming of a villain, I believe my position in this rom-com world will gradually change.
Second, I’ll sever any connections with the other villains in this school.
Surprisingly, this academy has quite a few characters who share my role. To highlight the protagonist, the story requires plenty of lesser villains to stir up trouble.
If I keep interacting with them, I’ll never break free of my villain role. By cutting ties with them, I’ll gain a different standing in this world, no longer as a villain.
Lastly, third, I’ll make friends with someone who has a role completely different from that of a villain.
A rom-com story has many roles: the protagonist, the heroine, the protagonist’s best friend, the romantic rival, background characters, and more.
I don’t just want to avoid a bad ending; I want to experience the best youth this world has to offer. To do that, I need to acquire a role as captivating as the protagonist’s.
And I’ve concluded that making friends with someone who has such a compelling role might be the key to breaking free from my villainous position.
With these three objectives guiding my actions today, I’ve been preparing since before school started.
The first plan is straightforward: just attend class seriously. The second plan involves staying in the classroom to avoid being surrounded by the villainous students, like yesterday.
That leaves the third plan as the focus of my preparations.
I’ll make friends with a classmate who has a role entirely different from that of a villain. With the class roster in hand, I scanned the classroom.
Thanks to my knowledge of the original story, I have a pretty good idea of what role each of my classmates plays.
The students gathered by the hallway are background characters. The girls chatting in the middle of the classroom fall into the same category.
Making friends with background characters likely won’t help me. After all, being a villain puts me relatively high in the side character hierarchy.
I’ve been given a special appearance and aura that sets me apart from other background characters.
Specifically, I’ve been assigned the role of the strongest villain in the story. If I make friends with background characters, I’ll stand out too much—it’s too conspicuous for someone meant to blend into the background. That won’t suffice for escaping my villain role.
Therefore, I need to become friends with someone who has a role as memorable as my own—a character who won’t be overshadowed by my special status. Deepening my relationship with such a person might help me shed my villainous role more quickly.
And so, with that thought in mind, I focused an intense gaze on a certain male student.
The male student I was staring at was approached by Fusegawa Raito, who had just been chatting lively with the heroines.
“Reo, why don’t you join us for a day at the beach? It’s more fun with more people.”
The student Raito spoke to was Kizaki Reo, a handsome, athletic guy with a bright personality. His dazzling silver hair, unlike that of a delinquent, lit up the background characters around him.
Reo, who radiates an aura as brilliant as the protagonist’s, was one of the friends I was considering.
“Oh, Raito. I overheard the conversation, but it’s going to be tough—I’ve got club activities all weekend.”
“That’s too bad… I thought it’d be more fun with you there, Reo…”
“I appreciate the invite, really. But I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you. Invite me again another time, okay?”
“Alright. I’ll definitely invite you next time.”
“Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”
Kizaki Reo, who was having a casual conversation with the protagonist Fusegawa Raito, is easy to identify if you use knowledge from the original story.
Kizaki Reo is the protagonist’s best friend.
As a side character, he holds the top position, receiving special treatment.
Fusegawa Raito, the protagonist, is average in looks, academic performance, and athletic ability. He has no particularly distinguishing features, making him an easy character for readers to empathize with.
On the other hand, the best friend character embodies the ideal friend readers would want to have.
He has an easygoing, friendly personality, a sharp intellect that compensates for the protagonist’s academic weaknesses, the courage to face challenges alongside the protagonist, and exceptional athletic ability. Plus, he’s tall and handsome, providing a stark contrast to the protagonist. Kizaki Reo is the embodiment of all these traits.
Moreover, the fact that such a high-spec best friend character exists while the average protagonist gets all the girls helps readers feel superior. In this sense, the best friend character and I, the villain, are similar in that we both exist to highlight the protagonist.
If I were to befriend a background character, my presence would be far too conspicuous. However, if I could position myself as a friend of the high-spec best friend character, there’s a chance I might blend in, despite my distinctive appearance.
But the risk is substantial. Kizaki Reo is the closest male character to the protagonist. If I get too close to the protagonist now, it could trigger events where I have to fulfill my role as a villain.
Even if these events aren’t in the original story, I can’t let my guard down.
The very fact that I’ve been reincarnated here is an irregularity in itself.
My actions might trigger events that didn’t exist in the original story, and I want to eliminate as many of these uncertainties as possible.
For now, I’ll avoid getting close to the protagonist and the heroines, and focus solely on closing the distance with the best friend character. Depending on how I approach this, I should be able to escape my villain role.
With that in mind, I used the brief time before class to closely observe the exchange happening before me.
The swimsuit episode in the original story was incredibly popular, and I rewatched it multiple times. I remember every detail, down to the exact words exchanged between Fusegawa Raito and Kizaki Reo in Fusekoi.
If my memory serves me right, after this conversation, there’s a brief interaction with one of the heroines, and then the scene shifts. The daily school life scenes are skipped entirely, and the story jumps straight to the weekend at the beach.
Based on my knowledge of the original, it’s clear what will happen next. After wrapping up the school-related events, there won’t be any more interactions between the protagonist and the best friend character for a while. There won’t be any Kizaki Reo-related events, leaving free time in the narrative.
So, what I need to do now is take advantage of this period when no events will occur between Kizaki Reo and the protagonist to become his friend. By carefully maintaining the right distance, I can steadily work my way out of the villain role.
Alright, let’s do this.
Just as I clenched my fist with renewed determination, the bell signaling the start of class rang.
My chance will come during the third period: P.E. Reo Kizaki is in the basketball club, and today’s class is basketball. If I’m going to get closer to him, this is my only shot.