ALL NOVEL chapter 11
11. The Next Move
The seat by the window at the very back was dazzling once again today.
“Raito-kun, how about going to the beach with me this weekend? Actually, my relative has a private beach, and I was invited to join them.”
“Senpai Miyuki, that sounds great. It’s been getting hot lately, so swimming in the sea could be fun.”
“Ah, that’s not fair! Let me join too, Raito!”
“Of course. I wouldn’t leave Natsuki behind.”
“Yay! Swimming with Raito, I’m looking forward to it!”
“Hey, Raito-kun, you haven’t forgotten about me, right?”
“There’s no way I’d forget. Yuna, you should come with us too.”
“Hehe, Raito-kun. You’re so kind.”
“Then let’s all have a blast together. We’ll swim during the day, and at night, we can have a barbecue and fireworks on the beach. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
“That sounds wonderful. Then let’s all visit my relative’s private beach together this week.”
The protagonist, Fusegawa Raito.
The orthodox beauty sitting next to him, Hanazaki Yuna.
The lively childhood friend who looks great in twin tails, Himeno Natsuki.
The half-British beauty and student council president, Sakuramiya Miyuki.
Once again, I, the villain, was watching the scene of this harem romantic comedy unfold from my seat in the front row.
At this rate, the next episode will surely be the swimsuit episode. It’s a popular service episode in the original work, and when it aired in the first season of the anime, it captivated gentlemen across the nation with its stunning animation.
Fusegawa Raito blushes at the unfamiliar sight of the beautiful heroines in their swimsuits, gets flustered when asked to apply sunscreen, and frolics on the sandy beach with the clear blue sea stretching out before him.
After swimming, they enjoy a barbecue on the beach dyed in the colors of the sunset, and finally, they laugh together while watching fireworks under the starry sky.
And yet, such wonderful youth that they experience will never come to me.
After all, I exist solely to disrupt their relationships as the villain.
If I were to intervene in the romantic comedy of daily life unfolding at that window seat, I would undoubtedly be headed straight for an unhappy, disastrous ending.
This world desires the conclusion as per the original work. It exerts a force compelling me to fulfill my role as a villain, leading to developments that unfold against my wishes.
Therefore, rather than being forced to play the role of a villain, it is wise to remain in the background and avoid causing any disturbances.
(That said, I don’t intend to continue this role forever.)
Two days after my reincarnation.
I had begun to take action to escape the role of the villain and avoid a disastrous ending.
I had various plans in mind for today. Yesterday, while working out, I had been thinking about what I should do.
First and foremost, I would attend class diligently today and answer all the questions posed by the teacher without difficulty. I believe that if I continue to act in ways that are uncharacteristic of a villain, my position in this romantic comedy world will gradually change.
Secondly, I need to cut ties with the other villains in this school, aside from myself.
In this academy, surprisingly, there are many individuals who share the same role as me; we need a variety of supporting characters, big and small, to create events that highlight the protagonist.
If I continue to interact with them, I will never be able to escape the role of the villain. By severing my ties with them, I can gain a different position that is not that of a villain.
Lastly, the third point is to make friends who have roles completely separate from that of a villain.
In romantic comedies, there are many roles. The protagonist, the heroine, the protagonist’s best friend, the rival in love, background characters that serve as mob, and various others.
Not only do I want to avoid a disastrous ending, but I also wish to experience the best youth in this world. To do that, I must acquire a role that is as captivating as the protagonist’s.
I believed that making friends with those who have attractive roles is crucial for escaping the villain’s role.
With these three points as my guiding principles for today, I had been preparing since before the start of classes.
The first plan is simple: just attend classes seriously. The second plan is to avoid creating a situation where I am surrounded by villainous students like yesterday by staying in the classroom.
That leaves me to focus on the third plan.
To become friends with classmates who have completely different roles from that of a villain. For that, I scanned the class roster while looking around the classroom.
I have knowledge of the original work, so I can predict who in this class has what role assigned to them.
The students gathered at the seats by the hallway, with their faint presence, are background mob characters, and the girls chatting in the center of the classroom are the same.
Becoming friends with background mob characters would likely be meaningless. I believe that the role of a villain is relatively high among supporting characters.
They are given a special appearance to enhance the protagonist, providing a different atmosphere from other mob characters.
In particular, I have been assigned the role of the strongest villain in the story. If I were to become friends with background mob characters, I would stand out too much; I would be too noticeable for a background character. Therefore, it would be unsatisfactory to escape the role of a villain.
Thinking about it this way, if I were to become friends with someone who has a memorable role in this world, one that does not fall short of the special role of a villain, it might help me escape the villain role early.
With that thought in mind, I directed my intense gaze toward a certain male student.
The male student I was looking at was approached by Fusegawa Yorito, who had just been chatting cheerfully with the heroines.
“Reo, if you’re up for it, why not join us for a beach trip? The more, the merrier!”
Fusegawa Yorito was speaking to Kizaki Reo, a refreshing, sporty-looking handsome guy. His dazzling silver hair, which is not typical of delinquent characters, brightly illuminated the background mob characters.
He, who radiates an aura that sparkles as much as the protagonist’s light, is one of the candidates I have in mind for a friend.
“Ah, Yorito. I heard the conversation, but I’m busy with club activities on the weekends, so it seems tough.”
“That’s too bad… I thought it would be more fun with you around…”
“I’m glad you invited me. But I’m really sorry; I’ll make it up to you. Please invite me again if there’s another opportunity.”
“Got it. Well, I guess it can’t be helped… I’ll invite you again next time.”
“Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”
Thus, Kizaki Reo, who is having an equal conversation with the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito, can be easily identified using my knowledge of the original work.
Kizaki Reo is the protagonist’s best friend character.
Among supporting characters, he occupies a top-tier position with exceptional treatment.
The appearance of the protagonist, Fusegawa Yorito, is ordinary, and his grades are average. His athletic ability is also average, lacking any distinctive features. This embodies the image of a protagonist that is easy for readers enjoying this world as a story to empathize with.
On one hand, when it comes to the best friend character, an ideal image of a friend that the emotionally invested readers desire is applied.
A friendly and approachable personality that can get along with anyone. There’s also a sharp intellect that supports the protagonist, who struggles with studying, and sometimes an element of a passionate hero who has the courage to face difficulties alongside the protagonist. Additionally, he’s tall and handsome with outstanding athletic abilities, making it easy to contrast him with the protagonist. Kizaki Reo was precisely a male character who encompassed all of these traits.
Moreover, he serves as a presence that gives the ordinary protagonist a sense of superiority by being popular. In other words, while I, as the antagonist, have a different direction, the best friend character exists to highlight the protagonist and is, in fact, similar in nature.
As a background character, my presence would stand out too much. However, if I could act as a friend to the high-spec best friend character, I thought there was a possibility that even someone with my distinctive appearance could blend in well.
Yet, the risks are quite significant. Kizaki Reo is the character closest to the protagonist among the male characters. If I get too close to the protagonist now, it could lead to events that require me to fulfill my role as the antagonist.
Even if it’s content that wasn’t in the original work, I can’t let my guard down.
The very fact that I am currently reincarnated like this is irregular.
There’s a possibility that something in my actions could trigger events that didn’t exist in the story, and I want to eliminate such uncertainties as much as possible.
In any case, I’ll avoid getting close to the protagonist and the heroines, focusing only on shortening the distance with the best friend character. Depending on how I manage that distance, I should be able to escape my role as the antagonist.
With that thought, I used the brief time before classes to carefully observe the interaction between the two happening right in front of me.
The swimsuit episode that existed in the original was a super popular episode that I had reviewed multiple times. I remembered the content vividly, especially in “Fusekoi,” to the extent that I recalled every word of the conversation between Fusegawa Raito and Kizaki Reo.
And according to that memory, after this conversation ends, there would be a bit of interaction with the heroine, and then the scene would change. The daily school life would no longer be depicted, and time would quickly jump to the weekend, moving the setting to the beach.
With this knowledge from the original, it became clear. Since the school events had been processed, there would be no actions from the protagonist toward the best friend character for a while. Events related to Kizaki Reo would not occur, and free time was guaranteed.
Therefore, what I should do now is to take advantage of the current moment when no events are occurring between Kizaki Reo and the protagonist to become friends. By maintaining an exquisite distance, I can steadily escape my position as the antagonist.
Alright, let’s do this.
As I renewed my determination and clenched my fist, the bell signaling the start of class rang out.
The opportunity comes during the third period’s physical education class. Kizaki Reo belongs to the basketball club, and the content of the class is also basketball. If I’m going to get close to him, this class is the only chance.