578 - I Was Genderswapped and Reincarnated as a Villainess, but I’m Making this My Personal Yuri Game

Summer classes with the Saburaku Association, training in the Momochi style, and family trips have made time fly by in the blink of an eye. This year's family vacation took us to a domestic summer retreat, where we enjoyed the cool air. Mother isn't a fan of the heat, and she usually endures it to pick places for us to have fun. I was glad this year we chose a more comfortable spot for her. With those delightful moments swiftly passing, we've already reached the Obon season. Yes... that means today is the day of the Konoe family party. "Ah... How dreadful..." "Sakuya-sama seems to dislike Konoe-sama more with each passing year," Momiji remarked with a hint of amusement while helping me into my dress. Admittedly, she was right, though her observation was rather blunt. It's not that I want to go out of my way to hate people. If Ibuki and Enju behaved normally, I'd respond in kind. I converse and interact just fine with the guys in my class. It's not about disliking them because they're male or wanting to avoid them. If there’s one male classmate I'm particularly close to, it would probably be Nishikiori. Although he's fond of dressing as a woman, given he's officially male, he would be the closest male friend I have. Nishikiori and I have been in the same class since our first year of elementary school, spending seven or eight years together, so it’s only natural we'd become friends to some extent. Initially, he came across as a difficult person, often confronting me, but over time we've settled into a normal friendship since he doesn't behave unpleasantly. In contrast, Ibuki always finds ways to irritate or upset me, while Enju quietly smirks from a distance, seemingly mocking me. Enju seems like he’s scheming something, always involved in unnecessary trouble, which makes me suspect they deliberately act in ways to earn my dislike. Hold on... Could it be? If Ibuki truly isn't content with being a potential fiancé, might he be trying to provoke me into retracting the engagement candidate status, hoping I'd incite some issue? For children from our backgrounds, political marriages are expected. Our families decide our partners to strengthen ties between houses. Overturning such an arrangement isn't easy, and saying, "I want to marry this person because I love them!" just doesn't work. You're usually told to keep a lover on the side after the political marriage is done. In the game "Blooming with Love," Ibuki sought to overturn this status quo by thoroughly cornering and ruining Lady Sakuya. He'd provoke her with words and actions, make her uncomfortable, and flaunt his intimacy with the protagonist heroine to incite jealousy. Lady Sakuya would react by confronting the protagonist, and whenever she did, Ibuki was quick to pounce and blame her. It was all a scheme by Ibuki to end up with the protagonist. While Lady Sakuya fell into that trap, her reaction was understandable. Typically, if a fiancé candidate shows interest in another woman, it's only natural to call attention to it. Even though Sakuya wasn’t formally engaged, politically it was almost decided, and ignoring Sakuya in favor of others was unreasonable. It’s logical to think that Ibuki, who had no intention of marrying Sakuya, orchestrated it that way. Perhaps Ibuki in this world, fearing the possibility of our engagement, is trying to harass me similarly, pressing me until I revoke the engagement on my own or waiting for me to act unladylike. If I become known as unfit to marry into the Konoe family, he would succeed in his goal. Otherwise, his constant aggravation and attempts to provoke me wouldn’t make sense. "So that's it... I see now. Heh... Haha... Ahahaha!" "Sakuya-sama?" "Lady Sakuya!? What's wrong!?" I've finally come to understand. Ibuki wanted me to act unladylike, presenting me as unfit for the Konoe family. But now that I know, I won't fall into Ibuki's trap. Without any fault on my part, I'll maneuver things so Ibuki, frustrated with my behavior, leads to the withdrawal of the engagement himself. Enju's knowing smirk was probably a signal that he understood all along, but it won't be that simple! I'll have the last laugh against both of you! "Master Momiji, Lady Sakuya's expressions are..." "This is usual. Yuzu, as Sakuya-sama’s attendant now, you mustn't be flustered by this. Let’s finish before their arrival." "Y-yes!" Amidst Momiji and Yuzu getting me dressed, I let out a triumphant laugh. *** "Lady Sakuya, the car from the Konoe family has arrived." "Thank you. I'm coming." Having donned my dress and all ready, I was informed that the Konoe family's car had arrived. I assumed Ibuki would show up an absurdly early time, but he arrived precisely on time. Naturally, I’d prepared in advance to handle such a scenario, but even so, this timing seemed excessively punctual. "Oh! Sakuya! That dress suits you!" "Good day, Lord Konoe." After receiving the message, I waited at the entrance until the car came to a halt and Ibuki disembarked. Despite his appearance of being considerate towards women, his compliments always hit the same note. If he were a genuinely thoughtful man, he'd vary his praise. This repetitiveness shows Ibuki’s reluctant adherence to courteous forms. "Alright! Let's go!" "Yes." Ibuki took my hand and helped me into the car. He probably didn't want to hold my hand any more than I did his, but this was a basic courtesy. Although I don't enjoy holding hands with a man, I wouldn’t refuse a basic gesture of courtesy. Plus, there's dancing, where we don’t just hold hands but end up quite close — like it or not. "Sakuya! You look stunning in that dress!" "Huh? Thank you, I suppose?" As the car set off, Ibuki repeated the same compliment. Is he suffering from some sort of memory loss? Is he like an old man who, even after finishing his meal, asks if it's dinnertime again? You just praised the dress earlier—why repeat it? "You smell nice, Sakuya. Is that perfume?" "—Eek!?" Despite the spacious limousine, Ibuki clings closely to my side. He picks up my hair and brings it to his face. He's... sniffing it! Smelling my hair! It's utterly repulsive! I want to punch him! My skin crawls with goosebumps, sending shivers down my spine. It's revolting. I want to knock him out right now! "I-I don't usually wear much perfume..." "I see. Then, this must be Sakuya's scent." "Eek!?" Now he's bringing my hair to his nose and taking a deep breath! It's disgusting! I want to swat his hand away, punch him down, and kick him to pieces! But I can't. This must be a trap laid by Ibuki. If I lose my temper and strike him, he'd certainly exaggerate it and spread rumors. Given we're inside a Konoe family vehicle, it's likely being recorded. I absolutely cannot be the one to make the first move. "L-Lord Konoe... isn't it a bit much for 'just a classmate' to behave like that with a woman before marriage?" I want to outright say, "Don't touch me! Stop smelling me!" But I can't afford to show an unladylike demeanor. Despite my gentle warning, Ibuki doesn't stop; instead, he escalates his actions. "Sakuya and I are practically already wed. What wrong is there for a husband to do this to his wife? Sakuya, look at me." "—!!! ~~~~!" Just as he finally releases my hair, his hand crawls to my neck, brushes it aside, and he grabs my chin, forcing me to turn towards him. I can't... This guy... I want to punch him. It's too revolting. If it were just his usual bratty provocations, I could've ignored it. I wasn't the kind to fall for such taunting. But this is too much. I can't take it anymore! "(Don't touch me, you little brat!)" "Huh? Ah..." I strike Ibuki's chin with the base of my palm, not just hitting it but targeting it to shake his brain. As the strike lands, his head jerks, and Ibuki rolls his eyes and collapses on the spot like a puppet with its strings cut. That was close... Had I seriously pummeled him in that moment, I might have actually killed him. This move is dangerous. Damn it, Ibuki... who filled your head with this nonsense? There could be cameras in the car recording this. However, from the footage, it shouldn't be clear that I punched Ibuki to knock him out. It would merely appear as if he suddenly passed out. More pressing, though, is finding out who put these ideas into Ibuki's head. Ibuki used to just be a brat trying to annoy me. But today's grotesque behavior is beyond anything he'd normally do. Someone must have given him such pernicious advice. Who on earth taught Ibuki to do something so abominable and frightening...? I'll discretely investigate at today's party... Even though the Konoe family parties are filled with unpleasantness, I'll have to prepare to at least protect myself — showing any vulnerability to the Mother of Konoe would mean I'd be gobbled up in an instant. While Ibuki is just an idiot, the Konoe family isn't to be underestimated. With Ibuki unconscious and nodding forward by my side, I stiffened my resolve, expecting today's party to be anything but straightforward. *** "Huh? Where am I...? What happened to me?" As we approached the Konoe family's party venue, Ibuki regained consciousness. If he'd remained unconscious, I'd have needed to find a way to wake him, but since he woke up on his own, it saved me some trouble. "We're almost at the party venue, Lord Konoe." "Ah... Right... But why am I like..." Lately, Ibuki hasn't used "ore-sama" (my lordly self) much. Perhaps because he's just woken up, his habitual phrase slipped out. Has someone been warning him to not use "ore-sama" so much in front of others? If so, it's like his "princely persona" is losing its identity... "Come now! We’re here. Won’t you escort me?" "Oh, right... Sakuya, take my hand!" I didn’t want Ibuki to remember anything unnecessary, so urging him to hurry got him to comply and step out quickly. Truly, Ibuki is a simpleton. There's no way such a person could be a lone wolf prince. In any case, I took Ibuki’s hand and stepped out of the car. Surprisingly, the Mother of Konoe, who usually busies herself with preparations until the last moment, was waiting at the entrance. "Sakuya-chan! Thank you for coming! Yamabuki's been waiting for his big sister too." "Good day, Lady Konoe... Yamabuki-chaaaan! Big sister Sakuya is hereee!" "Awuya! Akuya!" "Oh my! How clever! You recognize your big sister!" The little Yamabuki, cradled in the Mother of Konoe's arms, laughed while calling out to me. A baby's smile is truly angelic. My group of friends are angels too, but the angelic aura of a baby compared to a cute young girl is entirely different, despite both being called "angels." "Hey! Sakuya! What's going on here? How come you never show such a face to me? Are you and Yamabuki an item!?" "...Sigh. Lord Konoe, are you aware of what you're implying about an infant? Stop entertaining such creepy assumptions." What nonsense is he spouting about being involved with a baby? I've always been known as someone cool and composed since my past life. The phrase “cool, nihilistic, macho Sakuya” refers to me. I wouldn’t casually break composure even around a baby. I’m always poised and manly. "Ah! Ah! Akuya... Sakuya! Sakuya!" "—Wow! Yamabuki-chan, you're amazing! You can say big sister's name perfectly!" "Kya! Kya!" When I praised Yamabuki with a pat, he laughed more joyfully than ever. Oh, he's so adorable. Though I'm still uneasy around babies, I'll admit they're angelically cute. I might never have children, but seeing other people's adorable babies now and then is delightful. Today, I realized that anew. Support with a Like Currently unavailable Encourage the author by donating points! Please log in to rate. * Please log in to write a comment ▲ Back to Top Send via X (formerly Twitter) or LINE Send via Twitter LINE +Caution+ Unless otherwise stated, all works published here are fictional and have no connection to real people or organizations. Unless otherwise stated, the copyrights for published works belong to the author (with some exceptions). Unauthorized reproduction beyond quoting by anyone other than the author is prohibited and constitutes a copyright violation. This work is link-free. Feel free to share a link (or introduction) to it. This work is compatible with computers. It automatically detects whether you're on a smartphone or computer and displays the appropriate page. 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