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

The recent Konoe family party was exhausting. It was good to see everyone whom I don't often meet during summer vacation, but dealing with Ibuki and the others, as well as other noble families, left me mentally drained. After accepting a dance from Ibuki, to maintain the balance among the declared betrothal candidates, I had to accept invitations from the other three as well. That much was expected, but an unexpected turn came with Masaki. I don't know why, but after he finished dancing with his usual partner, he asked me for a dance. I thought about turning him down, but he whispered in my ear, "This will clear one of your debts," making it impossible to refuse. I owe Masaki for matters involving Hozuki and the external students. If a dance could clear one of my debts, I had no choice but to accept. Considering the debt, rejecting the deal for just a dance wouldn't have been wise. Since dancing with Masaki, I've been inundated with dance requests, which I declined. My decision to only accept Masaki's invitation became a topic of some intrigue. Perhaps Masaki intended to stir things up, even if it meant clearing a debt to get me to dance with him in front of a large audience from the Dōjō family. The aristocratic social scene can be quite troublesome. Something as simple as accepting one invitation and declining another can cause an uproar. For example, if I accepted Ibuki's invitation but refused Enju's without reason, rumors might spread that Ibuki has a lead or that he is the definite choice. If I accepted only Masaki's invitation, excluding other usual candidates or my brother, it could lead to speculation of a special reason. Masaki likely aimed for this effect, using the opportunity to make me dance in front of the crowd even at the cost of clearing a debt. In reality, there's nothing specific connecting Masaki and me. However, dancing solely with him at the Konoe family's party, besides the usual candidates and my family, had its own impact. I don't know Masaki's ultimate goal, but dancing with me there surely yielded benefits beyond just clearing a debt. Ibuki is a simpleton who acts on impulse. Compared to him, Enju is always plotting something. Masaki seems carefree, but perhaps he, too, is scheming something. In terms of cunning, he might be a match for Enju. *Ding!* "Huh?" While lying on my bed lost in thought, my smartphone chimed. Puzzled, I checked it. "Sakuya-sama! How have you been?" "Hmm?" It's a message from Shion. I hadn't had much time to talk, but I had just seen Shion at the recent Konoe party. While the message sounds like it's been a while, something about it feels off. "I should reply…" *Ding!* "What?" "Sakuya-sama! I hope you haven't caught a summer cold?" Even before I could reply, Shion sent another message. What's this? Some kind of new harassment? *Ding!* "Again!?" "It's hot today! But be careful not to stay in a room with too much air conditioning, as it can affect your health!" This one's a bit lengthy. While the content seems normal, sending message after message without waiting for a reply seems a bit... If there were circumstances where I couldn't reply for a while, getting a backlog of messages is one thing, but this rapid succession seems ridiculous. *Ding!* "……" I've almost lost the will to respond... Is Shion going to keep bombarding me with messages until she's said everything she wants to say? They say conversation is like playing catch, but with Shion, it's like there's no catch involved. It's like she's just grabbing balls from a basket and throwing them endlessly while I'm left to catch them like a catcher. "I was thinking we could hang out during summer break. Would that be okay?" Oh...? But the message is sensible. Before, she just showed up at my house out of the blue, so I told her to "make sure to set a proper appointment before coming." Seems like she remembered. I’m not sure about the dates yet, but first, it’s polite to ask about the other person's availability. It’s nice to see Shion developing some common sense. *Ding!* "I'm right outside the Kujo family home right now. I'll come over to visit!" "Hey!" She's already at the gate! That's not what pre-arranging means! This is no different from before! *Brr, brr!* My smartphone started vibrating with a call. Probably the doorman relaying to the household, and then the household confirming with me. "Hello?" "Miss Sakuya, my apologies. Currently, Miss Hagiwara Shion is at the main gate, but our schedule doesn't show any planned visits for today. She's claiming to have arranged something with you..." "Ah... I understand. It’s not your fault. She's suddenly come to visit. She just contacted me about it." Despite the housekeeper explaining the situation, I interrupt to clarify myself. It becomes clear after hearing part of it. Shion likely mentioned she contacted me to arrange. The doorman, unaware of such a plan, checked with the house staff, who then confirmed with me. "Shall we send her back, then?" "…No, let her through." "Understood." Even before asking if I'll let her in, they suggest sending her back – I guess the staff and doormen are as exasperated with Shion's antics as I am... It leaves me feeling drained, even before seeing her. With a resignation, I head towards the entrance and find Shion approaching from the hallway. "Sakuya-sama! Good morning!" "…Good day to you, Shion." To think she'd let herself in before I even got to the entrance... As before, does Shion truly understand the behavior expected of a young lady from a noble family? And 'good morning' in the afternoon? Though Azami-chan always greets with a 'good morning' upon meeting, Shion might have picked that up from her? "I'm so glad to finally speak with you, Sakuya-sama!" "We just met at the Konoe family party recently, didn't we?" I had just seen Shion at the Konoe family party a little while ago. Calling a few days "a long time" is a stretch. "We couldn't really talk, could we, Sakuya-sama? I kept my distance out of consideration!" "Ah..." Indeed, I only exchanged greetings with Shion at the entrance and a brief chat afterwards. But honestly, I was more surprised to hear the word "consideration" come from Shion's lips. I never imagined that word was even in her vocabulary. So even Shion has moments of restraint... in her own way, at least. "I see... Well, then, to the drawing room..." "No! I want to visit Sakuya-sama's room!" Really... that's exactly where one should show some restraint... "Come along! Let's go to your room, Sakuya-sama!" "Wait, what!?" Before I could say anything, Shion went ahead and started exploring my home, looking for my room. Realizing that arguing would be futile, I resigned myself and led her to my room. "This is it, my room..." "Wow! So this is Sakuya-sama's room!" Shion, usually the assertive villainess type, now seemed like any ordinary girl, reminiscent of Azami-chan or Rindou. If she were always like this, everyone might accept her more readily. Alas, her usual self is characterized by sharp words and a brash attitude, coming across as the quintessential villainess. "So this is the bed where Sakuya-sama sleeps! Here I go!" "Hold on!?" As soon as Shion entered my room, she dashed across and dove onto the bed. With a whoosh, she landed and bounced slightly. "Shion! That's stepping beyond the boundaries of what a young lady of the Hagiwara family should do!" "What are you saying, Sakuya-sama? This is completely normal for middle school girls! Totally normal!" Normal... totally normal... Is it? Is this what middle school girls do? Wait... indeed, in my previous life, it was common for friends to visit and lie on the bed. Yes, it’s normal! This is normal! "Heh... Ha ha... Yes, indeed! It’s normal, isn’t it? Yes, indeed. I am quite familiar with 'normal'! I certainly know of it!" "So then, Sakuya-sama, please come over here!" "Huh!?" Shion patted the space beside her, invitingly. Was she suggesting I join her on the bed? Surely, that couldn't be allowed... "Among middle school girls, it’s normal to lie down together, right? Of course, Sakuya-sama, you knew that, didn’t you?" "--!? ...Yes, of course. Naturally, I knew it! After all, I am renowned for my deep understanding of 'normal'!" Is this okay? I feel like something might go wrong if I keep doing what Shion says. But I can't bear the thought of being perceived as an ignorant sheltered princess. I grew up in my past life as an utterly ordinary person. Ordinary of ordinary, or perhaps even the king of ordinary! Hence, I can't just back down now! "Well, then, excuse me..." I gently sit beside Shion and start to lie down. The moment I try to relax, I feel an intense gaze on me. Shion is staring. "Uh...?" "…………" "Shion...?" "…………" She silently keeps staring... As I look at her... "Eh!? Wait!? Shion...? Shion!? What happened? Shioooon!?" I turn to find Shion rolling her eyes back, convulsing uncontrollably. This type of spasming looks concerning. "Momiji! Momijiiii!" Panicking, I call for Momiji, convinced I need to do something about Shion. "Yes, I’ve been here from the start." "Whoa!?" Apparently, Momiji had been standing by the door the whole time. Her sudden response from within the room startled me, but considering her role, it's not unusual for her to have been following along. "Oh, but before that, Momiji! Shion seems unwell! We need a doctor..." "No. She's probably just overwhelmed by Sakuya-sama's scent. Even I, who encounter it daily and have built a tolerance, can't last a minute when directly exposed in your bed. A mere novice like her, upon entering the bed that Sakuya-sama uses daily, would naturally have that reaction. If we remove her from the bed and wait a while, she'll wake up eventually." "...Huh?" Overwhelmed by my scent? Huh? Huh? Does this mean... am I... do I smell? A similar incident occurred before. At that time, I convinced myself I wasn't smelly. But if Momiji's words are accurate and Shion fainted because of my scent... then I must be smelly! Even Momiji, who should be accustomed to my scent, can't withstand a minute of it. Shion, unused to it, passed out instantly upon entering my scent-infused bed. That... proves I'm emitting an overpowering odor. I knew it... I do smell. Everyone must have been kind enough to lie last time. I understand their kindness, but it's still quite a shock... "Yuzu, Yuzu! Come on in." "Y-yes!" Momiji opened the door to let Yuzu in. She entered immediately. "Yuzu, you handle that side. First, we’ll remove her from the bed. Ready, and..." "Got it!" Together, Momiji and Yuzu lifted Shion off the bed. Even during this, Shion's eyes remained rolled back, and she continued to convulse. This spasming seems genuinely concerning. "Whoa... Sakuya-sama's scent... ugh!" "Ah!" "Yuzu! Hold her steady!" "S-sorry!" Due to a final violent twitch, Yuzu's grip slipped from one of Shion's legs. Luckily, we had already lowered her, but if she had slipped from a higher position, she could have hit her head, leading to a disaster. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Shion..." Because of my scent, I inadvertently put Shion through this... Come to think of it, Ibuki also mentioned something about my scent... Was he implying I was unpleasant to be around in a confined space like the car? If so, I wish he had just said it... Seeing Shion in this state, rolling her eyes back like this, I must be emitting a stench akin to a weapon. I should avoid getting recklessly close to people... Support with Likes Reception Stopped Give Points to Support the Author! Please log in to perform an evaluation. *To write a review, please log in. ▲Back to the Top of the Page Share via X (formerly Twitter) or LINE Share on Twitter LINE +Note+ Unless stated otherwise, all works published here are purely fictional and do not relate to any real individuals or organizations. Unless specified, the copyright for the works belongs solely to the author (with some exceptions). Unauthorized reproduction beyond quoting by anyone other than the author is prohibited and can result in copyright infringement. This work has a free sharing policy. Feel free to link (introduce) it. This work is compatible with computers. It automatically detects whether you're using a smartphone or a computer and displays the appropriate page. The estimated reading time for this work is based on a reading speed of 500 characters per minute. Use this as a guideline. 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