Villain: Your Heroines Were Delicious - Chapter 133 - 54

Chapter 133: Chapter 54

The gym doors were wide open, and a steady stream of students flowing out into the bright hallways for the start of recess.

The air hummed with the typical chaotic energy of high school, the sound of sneakers squeaking on polished wood and a hundred overlapping conversations.

Hana-sensei paused at the threshold, her shoulders drooping under the weight of her responsibilities. “Well, we completely missed the announcement, and my desk is still buried under a mountain of reports by now. I’ll see you later, Seijirou-kun. Try to stay out of trouble for at least one period, okay?”

“No promises, Sensei,” Seijirou replied with a dry smirk.

As she hurried off, Seijirou scanned the diminishing crowd, searching for Suzune and the others.

It didn’t take long to find them, after all, they were very conspicuous.

In the far corner of the gym, all of them were gathered. He was about to call out to them when he noticed that something isn’t quite right.

Rei was in the middle of a heated verbal sparring match, her face flushed red with indignation.

Standing opposite her was Kurosaki Erina, a figure that looked like an expensive porcelain doll come to life.

Erina was petite, with deep purple hair and a gaze that held a terrifyingly sharp intellect. She leaned lightly on a polished cane, looking utterly bored by Rei’s outburst.

Suzune, Emi, Yukina, and Haruka were standing a few paces back, observing the scene with various degrees of amusement and wariness.

Meanwhile, Touka was fluttering between the two combatants like a panicked bird, her hands raised in a futile attempt to keep the peace.

“You greedy, purple-haired imp!” Rei shouted, her voice echoing off the rafters. “Just because your family has a bit of new money doesn’t mean you can just waltz in here and act like you own the place! That seat was reserved!”

Erina let out a small, tinkling laugh that sounded like shards of ice hitting a glass floor. “Oh, Tachibana-san. You speak of ’reserving’ things as if the world cares for the wishes of a commoner. It’s quite charming, in a tragic sort of way.”

“Why you! What’s wrong with being a commoner! Huh!?”

“I wouldn’t know, I’m not a commoner.”

Rei’s veins popped, “You imp! Let’s see what you’ll do once I knock your cane away!”

Touka stood between them, looking incredibly panicked. “P-Please Rei-chan, d-don’t do that, i-if she tells the school you might get s-suspended.”

“I don’t care! I’d risk expulsion to make sure I drag her back to the hospital!”

Seijirou slowed his pace as he approached, his mind quickly filing through his knowledge of the world.

Kurosaki Erina, in the game, she wasn’t actually a “heroine”, although if conditions are met, there is an extra scene where you can sleep with her and get her help as well.

But she was actually a villainess designed to be the player’s nightmare.

The Kurosaki family were nouveaux riches, a line that had clawed its way to the top after the world war where Erina’s grandfather used the opportunity to make a fortune.

But without the deep roots of families like the Kageyamas, their empire was fragile, and some declining old lineage started suppressing them, jealous of their rapid rise in wealth and power.

Things were still manageable when Erina’s grandfather was still in power, as he was able to shoulder everything.

But after his death, and Erina’s father took over, he, who did not possess the same business skills, intelligence and will of his father, was helplessly toyed with by the old powers, causing their family to decline over time.

And Erina’s father had been desperate to anchor his sinking ship to an old, unsinkable dock: the Kageyama family.

In the original game script, if the player chose to pursue Rei, Erina became a terrifying antagonist.

Driven by her own hidden feelings for the protagonist which was crushed after not being chosen, and also the political pressure of her family, she would accept the marriage alliance and use the Kageyama resources to systematically destroy the protagonist’s life.

When he was still playing, Seijirou actually helped Erina’s family first, saving them from bankruptcy, so she did not get sent to marry the game Kageyama Seijirou.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t a heroine, so she became a very high level NPC that helped the protagonist with her vast wealth and connections.

As he got closer, Erina’s insults towards Rei grew sharper, cutting into Rei’s lack of status and “unrefined” nature.

Rei was vibrating with such fury that Touka looked like she was about to be knocked over by the sheer pressure of it.

Then, the air shifted.

As if sensing the approach of someone, Erina’s words died in her throat. She turned her head, her purple eyes locking onto Seijirou’s face.

And immediately, the icy, arrogant mask she wore, shattered.

Erina froze, her grip on her cane tightening so hard her knuckles turned white.

Her heart began to hammer a frantic rhythm against her ribs—not out of fear, but out of a sudden, overwhelming surge of recognition.

It was as if a thousand memories she didn’t know she possessed suddenly flooded her spirit.

Pain, longing, the warmth of a shadow she had chased in her dreams, and the agonizing joy of a reunion she had thought impossible.

“Kageyama… Seijirou…” she whispered, her voice trembling.

“Seijirou-kun!” Suzune and the others called out, their faces lighting up with pure happiness as they bypassed Erina to gather around him.

Seijirou nodded to his inner circle, his gaze never leaving the purple-haired girl as he gestured toward Erina. “Who is she? You seem to know her quite well, Rei.”

“She’s no one!” Rei immediately stepped between them, her arms spread wide as if to hide Seijirou from Erina’s sight. “Seijirou-kun, ignore her. Let’s just go. We need to finish planning your return party and this… this purple imp is just trying to ruin the mood.”

“A party?” Erina tilted her head, her composure returning, though her eyes remained unnervingly bright. “That sounds lovely. Perhaps I should join you. After all, a celebration for the Kageyama heir requires someone of proper standing.”

“No way! You’re not invited!” Rei snapped.

“That isn’t for you to decide, Tachibana-san.” Erina stepped forward, ignoring Rei entirely.

She smoothed the hem of her skirt and performed a perfect, elegant bow that spoke of years of rigorous etiquette training. “Greetings, Kageyama Seijirou-sama. I apologize for my lack of an earlier introduction. I am Kurosaki Erina, of the Kurosaki family.”

Seijirou looked her up and down, nodding, acting as if he just knew her. “Ah. So it’s you. The Kurosaki heiress.”

Rei blinked, her face going pale. “Eh? You know this imp, Seijirou-kun?”

Erina straightened up, a triumphant, slightly malicious smile playing on her lips. “Know me? My dear Tachibana-san, it’s much more than that. If the natural order of our families is to be respected, and if nothing unexpected happens, I am the woman who will be married to him.”

The gym went deathly silent.

“EEEHHHHHHHH?!”

The scream erupted from Rei and Touka in a synchronized explosion of disbelief.

However, Suzune, Yukina and Emi merely stared at Erina in wonder. This… Is this the legendary arrange marriage between two powerful families!?

It actually exists! In this day and age!

If Emi has a magical pouch, she would’ve pulled out a potato chips and eat it! Enjoying this show!

Rei grabbed Seijirou’s arm, her eyes wide with panic. “Seijirou-kun! Tell me she’s lying! Tell me you aren’t actually engaged to this… this miniature tyrant!”

Seijirou sighed, looking at Erina. What to say… Well, better just admit it.

“My mother did mention something about a Kurosaki alliance,” Seijirou said, his voice level.

Erina’s smile widened, her eyes shimmering with a mix of victory and a desperate need for validation. “You see? We are bound by more than just words, Tachibana-san. While you play at being his ’friends,’ I am the one destined to carry his name.”

Rei looked like she was about to explode and the peaceful return party was suddenly looking more like the opening act of a war.

Seijirou placed a hand on Rei’s head to calm her down, “Calm down, it isn’t that serious. It’s only all talk for now and my parents doesn’t seem to be too eager to push for this marriage.”

“… Really?” Rei asked, and seeing Seijirou nod, she sighed in relief, before glaring at Erina.

Erina simply smiled, completely ignoring the glaring.

Seijirou turned towards her, “You…well, if you want to come, you can. But are you okay? I heard that the heiress of Kurosaki has a very weak body.”

“My, my, thank for the concern, Kageyama Seijirou-sama.” Erina bowed, showing her gratefulness, “But although I may not look like, I am not that fragile. Although what I said earlier is merely a wish of wine, I cannot actually attend as I have an appointment with my doctor.”

Not that fragile, my ass.

Rei actually stared at her with worry, before her face lit up in joy. Hah! So you can’t join after all!

Seijirou noticed that trace of worry in her face, and couldn’t help but think that they really have a love-hate relationship same as in the game.

He knew that Rei actually wanted Erina to join, that is why she even mentioned the party to him. If she doesn’t really want Erina to find out, she wouldn’t have said anything.

“Anyway, let’s go get something to eat.”

“You’re not invited!”

“My~, I believe commoners don’t have the right to decide what us, the privileged class, do in our life.”

“You—!”

With that, the group, along with Erina, headed straight to the cafeteria.

Unknown to them, a man who watching them secretly took a photo before leaving.