I’m in Love with the Villainess Vol. 1

  Table of Contents

  Color Inserts

  Title Page

  Copyrights and Credits

  Table of Contents Page

  Chapter 1: Transmigration to Dating Sim

  Chapter 2: Academy Knights

  Chapter 3: The Commoner Movement

  Bonus Chapter: My Lady, Claire François

  Afterword

  Newsletter

  Chapter 1:

  Transmigration to Dating Sim

  “TO THINK A COMMONER would even fathom sitting next to me. Know your place!”

  When the young lady with golden curls spat these words at me, I didn’t really understand what was happening. She looked at me as if the very sight of my face infuriated her. I told myself to stay calm and assess the situation. Nothing good could come of panic.

  I was seated in what looked like a typical high school classroom. It had far fewer desks than the high school I’d gone to, giving it a spacious feel, though a crowd had now formed around the girl with golden curls and myself. The problem was that no one I could see, including the young lady, looked even remotely Japanese.

  Putting the young lady aside for the time being, I racked my memories to retrace my steps. I remembered finishing up some overtime work at the small business that employed me and then settling down to play a game. I didn’t have many hobbies, so my only real pastime was playing games; I loved everything from traditional board games like shogi and go to MMOs with beautiful 3D graphics.

  My favorite games, though, were dating sims—the kind where you played as the heroine and got to romance a bunch of boys—though I tended to play them a little differently from most…

  That was when I recognized the girl in front of me.

  “Ahh,” I said. “Claire?”

  “Well, I never! Who do you think you are, calling me by my first name?!”

  That shrill voice was unmistakable. The girl with the golden curls was Claire François, a character in one of my favorite dating sims, Revolution.

  But that would mean… It couldn’t be, could it? Had I been transported to a different world?

  “Miss Claire.”

  “That’s better,” Claire huffed. “A commoner should show respect.”

  “Do you remember my name?”

  “Are you stupid? You’re Rae Taylor.”

  Revolution let you select the heroine’s first name, but her last name was fixed as Taylor. My name was Rei Ohashi. If I was Rae Taylor here—then this world was the stage where the game was set, and I was now its heroine.

  It seemed I really had been transported to a different world.

  “Yes!”

  “What are you going on about?” Claire muttered, but I wasn’t paying attention. How many times had I fantasized about being transported into the game world, just like this? I could communicate with any character now, not just the ones the game allowed you to. And—

  “Miss Claire.”

  “What is it? It is most displeasing to have a commoner think she can simply call out to me.”

  “I like you.”

  “Huh?” Claire looked puzzled.

  “Miss Claire, I love you.”

  “Wh…wh-wh-what…?!”

  As my words sank in, Claire rapidly grew flustered. She really was too cute.

  My favorite character in Revolution wasn’t one of the boys the game set you up to choose from. It was Claire. Claire François, the villainess who bullies the heroine, becomes her rival, and finally loses to her.

  This was Claire. This was the villainess, and I was completely smitten.

  She had a shrill voice and thoroughly malicious demeanor, but even though she was standing before me in the flesh, remembering the game made me grin.

  I could never find it in me to hate Claire. Her towering pride, the threatening gestures she made to hide the fact that she was easily hurt, her jealous rage after losing her love to another—those uniquely human qualities pushed all my buttons just right. If anything, it was the most popular male love interest who made me uncomfortable. The game made him out to be some kind of saint, and it was just a bit much for me.

  “What in the world are you talking about?!”

  “I just love you, that’s all.”

  “Hmph! The likes of a commoner trying to get on my good side? Don’t waste your time.” Claire turned away in a huff.

  “You’re so cute.” Oops—the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  “Wh…wh-wha…!” Claire looked even more upset. “You… Are you trying to say you’re batting for that team?”

  “Ah, I’m… Well, it doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s irrelevant to cuteness—because, Miss Claire, you are cute.”

  “Huh?!” She pulled away. It was perfect—such a pure reaction.

  “Miss Claire, you hate me, right?”

  “Of course!”

  “That’s fine. Please keep teasing me. I love it.”

  “Wh-what in the world…?” Claire was starting to look seriously weirded out.

  “Now, let’s get this super-fun school life started, Miss Claire! We’re going to have a great time!”

  “What makes you think I’ll have anything to do with you?!”

  And that was how I kissed my life of daily overtime goodbye and found myself in a place where I could spend every day with my beloved Claire, able to dote on her to my heart’s content.

  My future was looking bright.

  ***

  “Rae, I heard what you did. Don’t tell me you really attracted Claire’s attention on your first day of school?”

  That mature, husky voice belonged to my roommate, Misha Jur. Her long, straight blonde hair swayed as she sat down on her bed in the room we shared in the Royal Academy dormitory.

  The room was about two hundred square feet in size, with a desk for each of us and bunk beds that didn’t take up much space. The furnishings and decor were simple. It differed from modern dormitories in Japan in that everything was antique, but it was otherwise essentially the same.

  Revolution was set at the Royal Academy, the most prestigious boarding school in the Bauer Kingdom. Regardless of family or financial status, students were treated as equals once enrolled in the Academy, so we all got assigned double rooms.

  “I don’t know. Did I get her attention, or did she get mine?”

  “What are you doing, Rae?” Misha sighed and looked down, exasperated. “You should stay away from House François. They eat ordinary people like you for breakfast.”

  The noble house of François—Claire’s family—were one of the most famous in the country. They had headed up the Ministry of Finance for generations, placing them behind only the king and prime minister in terms of power and influence. And that was before you factored in all their intermarriage with the royal family.

  While Revolution was set in a world similar to that of medieval Europe, the politics of the Bauer Kingdom, where the game was set, were noticeably corrupt. Nobles inherited most of the key positions in the country, and important government officials were appointed due to their personal connections. The disparity between the aristocracy and the commoners widened by the year, and the peoples’ discontent was so great that it was difficult to ignore.

  This concerned the king, who began to promote a meritocratic policy. The idea was to vigorously promote talented people, regardless of family or financial status; the scholarship system at the Royal Academy was part of this policy’s implementation. Talented students who couldn’t otherwise afford higher education were granted government scholarships and allowed to enroll.

  One of the students selected by this system was my character.

  “But Misha, I love Miss
Claire.”

  “That selfish brat? You’re weird, Rae. To an aristocrat like her, scholarship students like us are nothing but obscene upstarts.”

  The scholarship system had gained the support of the commoners but been poorly received by the aristocracy. Nobles, who valued tradition and formality above all else, couldn’t stand the thought of ordinary people attending the prestigious Royal Academy.

  Misha was also a scholarship student. Her house had been noble in her childhood but had fallen into financial ruin; perhaps because of this experience, she was adamant she understood the nature of the world better than other nobles. At the very least, since we had attended the same commoner finishing school, she saw me for who I was without bias.

  Unfortunately—I don’t know if you’d call this pessimism or something else—she was a little bit too helpful sometimes.

  “I don’t mind being hated. Actually, I prefer it. It’s the best way to be avoided,” I said.

  “You really have no idea what you’re doing.”

  “Hey, what do you think the best way to maximize my time with Miss Claire would be?”

  “Were you always such a pain in the butt?” Misha held her head in her hands as if she had a headache. “I suppose you’d need to be someone Miss Claire couldn’t ignore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Miss Claire is proud, right? She’s never satisfied unless she’s number one. So if you improve your skills and show her what you’ve got, she won’t be able to dismiss you anymore.”

  “That’s it!”

  It was so simple. If I just went about things the same way I would if I were actually playing the game, Claire would have to keep paying attention. The harder I worked, the more severe her bullying would become. She was the persevering type, so she wouldn’t back down—she would torment me, and I would dote on her. It was a win-win situation.

  “Thanks, Misha. I can always count on you.”

  “I don’t get it. All I did was tell you how to make her hate you.” Misha couldn’t hide her confusion, but, well, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand her confusion.

  “Spending every day teasing and being teased by Miss Claire…such bliss.”

  “Seriously, what has gotten into you…?”

  ***

  As I walked down an Academy hallway, someone slammed into me from behind. I almost fell but caught myself just in time.

  “Oh, I beg your pardon? You were standing there staring off into space, so I thought you were a statue.”

  I turned to find my beloved Claire. She was a picture-perfect villainess as she stood there with one hand on her mouth, all smug giggles. This was going to be my new normal.

  “Miss Claire…”

  “What? Don’t bother asking for an apology. Like I would ever apologize to a daydreaming peasant.”

  “You’re great!”

  “Huh?” Claire looked like a pigeon nailed by a BB gun.

  “You have minions that could do your bidding, but you do your own dirty work and don’t rely on others! I would expect nothing less from you, Miss Claire.”

  “Huh…? Huh?”

  “Just as I thought, you’re no ordinary bully. I love you so much, Miss Claire!”

  “Wh-what are you…?” Claire abruptly fled the scene, muttering something about being creeped out.

  “Oh, there she goes.”

  “Why do you look so disappointed?” Misha asked, looking dumbfounded.

  “Hmm? Because Miss Claire didn’t stay to taunt me, obviously.” I sighed. “Don’t you think Miss Claire is especially radiant when she’s insulting me?”

  “At least you’re aware you’re being bullied…” Misha sighed too, apparently somewhat relieved. “C’mon, we need to hurry to the lecture hall. Class is about to start.”

  “Ohhh, beg your pardon. I thought you were an insect.”

  Such went the time Claire stepped on my foot.

  “Please…”

  “Huh? I can’t hear you, peasant. If you have something to say, speak up!”

  “If you must step on me, then please stomp harder!”

  “Eh?!”

  Claire was so precious when she was caught off guard.

  Another time, Claire hid my textbook.

  “What’s wrong with you? Is the peasant too poor to even buy books?”

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how you felt, Miss Claire.”

  “Huh?”

  “You want to be with me all the time in class, right?! Yes, let’s share your book! We’ll be stuck to each other like glue!”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

  And another, we needed to find partners for an assignment.

  “Oh, you don’t have a partner? That’s what happens when you’re a pathetic peasant.”

  “It looks like Miss Claire will be my partner, Teacher.”

  “I will not!”

  “Hm?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me!”

  She ran away from me that time. Ahhh, she was killing me!

  One day, she doused me with a bucket of water.

  “Oh dear. You’re just so dirty that I thought you were mud.”

  “It’s cold…”

  “Oh ho ho. You poor thing!”

  “Please warm me up!”

  “Hey, don’t cling to me! Get off of me!”

  She was so warm, so adorable. “Oh ho ho. This feels so good!”

  And once, a flower vase was placed on my desk.

  “A gift from Miss Claire!”

  “No, it’s not!”

  “I will press the flower and carry it with me always!”

  “Why would I ever give you a flower?!”

  “Did that hit on the head make you an idiot?!”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  It was after class. Claire stomped her foot as if she were having a temper tantrum; she was obviously displeased all her bullying seemed to be in vain, but I was just being genuine about my feelings.

  Tangentially, I had noticed that even in this fantasy world, Claire’s tactics were of the variety you’d see in a typical Japanese school…probably because Revolution was made by a Japanese company.

  “How are you so calm when I’m so mean to you?!”

  “Mean? Isn’t this just your way of telling me you love me?”

  “It is not!”

  “So then what is it?”

  “Why are you so weird with me?!” Claire’s shoulders shook, her breathing heavy. She reacted to absolutely everything, which was what made it too fun to tease her! “If you still don’t get it after everything I’ve done, let me give it to you straight.”

  Claire fixed me with her sharp eyes as if I were a bug and she were the pin.

  “This Academy is no haven for upstart peasants like you. Know your place and return to your life of menial labor!”

  “My only job is to love you, Miss Claire… No, I am at your service.”

  “Ugh. I’ve had enough…” Tears started to form in her eyes.

  “Miss Claire, don’t lose heart. Slow and steady wins the race.”

  “Seriously, what in the world are you thinking?!” Claire wailed and then left with her entourage at her heels.

  “Hmph. She’s so childish.”

  “I must agree with Miss Claire on this.” Even Misha was siding with her now!

  “Ah ha ha. Don’t be silly, Misha.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t think this is all I’ve got, do you?”

  “Would you be serious for one second? Aren’t you getting tired of this weird game of yours?”

  “Nope, not at all.”

  “Does this have anything to do with your bizarre notions of love?”

  “A bit. I have my reasons.”

  Claire was the villainess; there was no denying that. But I loved the way she went about her villainy. She did all her bullying herself, never calling on her minions to do it for her. That couldn’t be typical for an arist
ocrat. She was careful never to go too far. When she pushed me in the hallway, it was never by any dangerous stairs or corners, but in places where I’d be safe if I fell. Even with my textbook, she didn’t throw it away or tear it—she just hid it.

  Of course, this was probably modern Japanese sensibilities at work, but I was in a world those sensibilities had made, and I was indeed being bullied. I wasn’t trying to make excuses for my perpetrator—it just really, truly, made me happy to be Claire’s target.

  “How do you think she’ll come at me tomorrow?”

  “I have no idea.”

  I was thoroughly enjoying my life in this new world.

  ***

  “Good morning, Miss Claire.”

  Claire and her entourage were sitting in the front row when I entered the lecture hall, so I happily went to greet her. The lecture hall was twice as large as the ones at the high school I’d attended, and the rows got higher toward the back. A blackboard and teacher’s lectern stood in the front.

  When I tried to approach Claire, her minions blocked my way.

  “Would you stop talking to us like we’re friends? We live in a different world than you. Isn’t that right, Miss Claire?” one of them sneered. As if that had broken a dam, the others members of the entourage joined in a flood of agreement.

  “Ahhh. I don’t have anything to say to you, minions. I’m speaking to Miss Claire. Good day, Miss Claire.”

  “Wha?! Ingrate! Who do you think I am? I am of House Kugret, who have served the François family for generations!”

  “So…minion, am I right?”

  “M-Miss Claire…” The daughter of the Kugret family went crying to Claire. What a wimp.

  “Ugh, peasant…” Claire sighed. “Get over yourself. She has nothing to say to you. Don’t you know ‘good day’ is used as a parting term?”

  This was exactly what I was talking about. The minions just didn’t cut it—they couldn’t hold a candle to Claire’s abuse. For the record, there are many uses for “good day.” In present-day Japan it was perfectly acceptable to use it in place of “good morning” or “hello.”

  “Oh, but whenever Claire talks to me, she teaches me the correct way to use words. I do love her so,” I mused.