Chapter 6: The Alliance of Evil
I continued eating my udon while listening to Mashiro's lively talk.
It seemed this girl had many gyaru friends, and during our meal, my table became surrounded by gyaru.
Even among the gyaru other than Mashiro, it seemed the name Shindo Ryusuke was well-known, and I was once again reminded of my established role as the villain.
Seeing me at school elicited comments like, "It looks like it might snow soon even though it's almost summer," or, "A meteor might fall from the sky." The remarks were relentless.
But only Mashiro spoke kind words to me. No matter how coldly I treated her, she wouldn't leave my side, likely because we were childhood friends since elementary school. The bond we had nurtured since we were young was strong and wouldn't be easily broken.
If this were the story from the protagonist's side of a romantic comedy, Mashiro and I would be able to enjoy a bittersweet youth together. However, as villains, our situation was a bit different.
"Ryusuke, listen to this. The student council president, Sakuramiya-senpai, told us off about our attire because it disrupts school discipline. Isn't that weird? The school rules say we can wear whatever we want and have any hairstyle we like."
"Mashiro-chan, you too? I was also warned in the hallway just now about my skirt length and hair color. Our student council president is really annoying. She just says what she wants and then goes to the rooftop."
"Mashiro and Nana too? That's awful. We're following the school rules, so we should do something about it someday!"
From the gyaru's complaints, it seemed they were at odds with one of the heroines, the student council president, Sakuramiya Miyuki.
From what I knew about delinquent gyaru tasked with villain roles, their typical actions involved envying the talented and kind-hearted heroine, confronting her with a "Don't get cocky!" attitude, or mentally tormenting her out of spite. These were the usual patterns of villainy.
However, such villainy was always thwarted or condemned by the protagonist, serving as an event to bring the protagonist and heroine closer. This pattern was present in "Fusekoi" as well.
In other words,
We here are nothing but foils. The relationships among us are not sweet romances but rather an evil alliance to battle the protagonist.
What lies ahead is absolute defeat. No matter how cunningly we scheme to bring down the protagonist, the end will inevitably be a bad one.
This was the future depicted in the original story, and we would ultimately serve as mere obstacles to strengthen the bond between the protagonist and the heroine.
If my relationship with them continued, I would never be able to escape my role as a villain. I had to somehow break free from this evil alliance, avoid a ruinous future, and live the kind of youth everyone dreams of.
Starting tomorrow, I should bring my own lunch to avoid getting entangled with them. Eating in the cafeteria was too risky; that much was clear now.
Resolving this once more, I stood up with my empty dishes.
"Mashiro, I'm heading back. See you."
"Ryusuke? There's still about thirty minutes left of lunch break! You're already going back?"
"Yeah. I want to sleep until class."
"Class... Ryusuke, you're not only at school but also attending classes? No way, did you eat something bad?"
"I'm perfectly healthy. I just stayed up quite late last night, so I'm really sleepy now."
"I see. Ryusuke is a night owl after all. An upside-down sleep schedule is normal for you."
Mashiro looked at me incredulously, but upon seeing me rub my eyes sleepily, she nodded in understanding.
Well, I could understand her surprise. The old Shindo Ryusuke before my reincarnation would have skipped classes all the time. But things were different now.
The reincarnated me was on a different path, not as a villain. With barely enough attendance and the worst grades possible, I needed to work hard to improve my situation and find happiness.
Leaving the group of gyaru in the cafeteria, I returned my dishes and started walking to my classroom.
As I walked through the hallway, other students either looked scared or whispered among themselves, but right now, patience was crucial. Acting out as a villain wouldn't do any good. I had to aim to be an exemplary student first.
When I finally reached my classroom, I lay down on my desk and began to nap.
Right now, the protagonist Fusekawa Yorito and the heroines Hanazaki Yuna, Himeno Karen, and Sakuramiya Miyuki were probably having some romantic comedy-like conversation on the rooftop.
Hoping that I could someday experience such a youth in this world, I let go of my consciousness and drifted into sleep.
