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

## Chapter 620: "Shion is Stronger" The cultural festival is fast approaching, and preparations must continue. On a certain day, during break time towards the end of October, Enju suddenly bursts into Classroom 2-3. "Kujo-san! Come with me for a moment!" "Huh...?" Typically composed and smirking from a step back, Enju was unusually out of breath as he spoke. But even though he suddenly said such a thing, I couldn't fathom what he meant. Without knowing the situation or reason, why should I spend my break following him? "Just come! Without you, Kujo-san, nothing can be done!" "Hey! Wait!" Even though I was chatting with my group of friends, Enju was uncharacteristically forceful, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. It would be easy to shake him off or restrain him, but something seemed off. The usual composed Enju showed no signs of scheming like the dark prince he usually is. Maybe something serious is actually happening. "Kyaaah!" "Takatsukasa-sama is holding Kujo-sama's hand!" "Oh my! Being pulled away so forcefully!" "Is this a confession?" "Kyaaah!" Some of the girls in the class seemed unusually excited about it. Apparently, the way Enju was dragging me was quite amusing to them. Yet my group friends were furrowing their brows in anger. "Takatsukasa-sama! No matter how esteemed you are, you shouldn't forcefully drag away a girl who doesn't want to go!" "That's right! First, please let go of Sakuya-chan's hand!" "When touched by a man, Sakuya-chan will be tainted!" Hmm...? My friends are trying to help me out, aren't they? There seem to be a few odd words mixed in there, but it's okay to trust that they're trying to free me from Enju, right? "I'll let go immediately if Kujo-san comes willingly! But if I let go, you'll run away, right?" "Well, um... I don't even know where you're trying to take me, so I can't answer that..." Enju seemed convinced that I would flee if he released me. Hence, he wouldn't let go. Yeah... his reasoning checks out. This isn't some sweet rendezvous or hand-holding pretense of lovers between us. He was gripping tight to prevent my escape. It felt like I was being dragged away as if captured. "Oh...? What's with the commotion...?" Then, upon entering the hallway, voices carried clearly outside as if a ruckus was going on. Upon hearing the familiar voice and snippets of conversation, I immediately tried to turn back. But my arm was firmly held, preventing any retreat. "See? You'd run, right? That's why I won't let go." "Ugh..." Enju smirked slyly. Damn... indeed, I just wanted to escape from here immediately. Why on earth would I deliberately step into a minefield? It's a problem of another class that doesn't involve us. It could be settled between Class 2-1 and the student council on their own terms. "Only Kujo-san can stop Ibuki, and didn't you make Oshikoji-kun the student council president to puppet him? We know you're also secretly manipulating Hagiwara-san." "Th...that's...not..." I couldn't counter Enju's words at all. If anyone could stop Ibuki, it would have to be at least someone from the same Gohoku family. The fact that Enju came to fetch me suggests that he has already attempted and failed to stop Ibuki himself. Hence, it’s only logical that both Enju and I from the Gohoku family cooperate to restrain Ibuki. It's not entirely incorrect to say that I helped make Masaki the student council president. It’s known that I assisted him in the election, and I can't claim there is no connection between us. As for Shion, well... we have a certain level of friendliness. While she doesn't approach as freely as my other friends at school, it's true that Shion and I have a relationship that people might perceive as manipulation. Not that I am actually manipulating her, but it wouldn't be strange for others to view it that way. And it’s a fact I can't deny. If Ibuki causes a commotion, our peers from the same Gohoku family are expected to control the situation, else we're seen as the same kind. Not cautioning him is akin to condoning his behavior, and if left unchecked, others might think we, too, are like Ibuki. That’s a path we must avoid to prevent any unfortunate endings. Denying my relationship with Masaki would imply that his declaration of becoming a student council president through diplomacy with the Gohoku Association is false. Winning this election isn't enough. He needs to produce results and win the high school election, so denying our connection wouldn't be wise. With Shion... it’s fine to deny manipulating her, but the more adamant my denial, the more it appears that I am pulling the strings behind her actions. Although not everyone would think so, a certain number of people would react this way. "Uugh..." I understand this. But why should I intervene in Class 1's problems!? Ibuki’s and Masaki’s, along with Shion’s angry voices, echoed down the hallway. Onlookers from other classes gathered by the hallway windows and doors, making it conspicuous. Amid such a crowd, why must I step in...? "Kujo-san, do your best from here on!" "Hey! Wait! I..." "..." Enju pushed me into Classroom 2-1, right into the thick of the disturbance. As I stumbled out of the crowd, I found myself standing before the three at the heart of it all. Their gazes, along with those of the bystanders, pierced into me. There was no escape now... "What is all this commotion about?" With no alternative, I masked the twitch escaping my lips with a fan, feigning calm as I addressed the three. I could hazard a guess from the snippets heard outside, but first, it was necessary to hear their sides. Shifting my gaze among the three, I allowed them a moment to speak. "Ah... well..." When my gaze met Ibuki's, he uncharacteristically averted his eyes, seemingly at a loss for words. Usually, he would be annoyingly confrontational, but today he seemed out of character. Both Enju and Ibuki were showing sides of themselves that I hadn't expected. "You came, Kujou Sakuya." Masaki said, softening his expression slightly. Despite being the student council president, someone from merely a branch family or an outsider couldn't possibly stop Konoe Ibuki. Enju may have attempted to restrain Ibuki while he was there, but since he couldn't manage it, anyone's assistance would be a relief. "Sakuya-sama! You've come for me, haven't you?" Shion seemed misguidedly overjoyed, despite me having known nothing about her predicament. Enju had dragged me here against my will; I wasn't involved nor did I want to be. "Clarify yourselves. I asked what this uproar is about." With a snap of my fan, I asked for an explanation. Even if I could predict the situation, proceeding with personal interpretations without hearing the specifics from those involved was completely different. I needed to hear what they had to say firsthand. "I'll explain." Masaki took a step forward and began recounting the incident. This year's class presentation for the second-year Class 1 was set to be a café. There were twists and turns involved, but this detail had been forcibly settled by someone wielding undue authority—that part is now irrelevant. They had secured a special classroom for the café, and preparations were underway. However, with the festival around the corner, Ibuki reportedly made sudden additional demands. He suggested not only a café in the home economics room but also planned to conduct some sort of sales in the classroom, along with performances and plays in the auditorium and gymnasium. Of course, the festival slots and schedules for all other class activities were already determined. It was already too late to alter those plans. Normally. But Ibuki insisted on using the Konoe family's influence to push their class presentations through, even at the cost of other classes' and volunteers’ planned events. Ibuki’s motivations for this sudden ambition remained his secret. The fundamental issue was that once schedules and locations were fixed, changing them solely for Ibuki's convenience was infeasible. Masaki's stance was straightforward and irrefutably correct. While Ibuki and Masaki were at odds, Shion intruded, siding against Ibuki. While Shion may have been rational, Ibuki wasn’t one to stand down to such an accusation. This confrontation only made Ibuki more obstinate, unwilling to concede. "Ahh…" Truly, all I could muster was a deep, exasperated sigh. Konoe Ibuki... what are you doing? Even if integrating new elements into settled schedules and spots was acceptable, how did he intend to carry them out? Class allocations were limited to a mere eight million yen. The café preparations would have already exhausted most of the budget. It's unrealistic to run a sales event with the remaining funds. Plays required money for props and sets. Clearly, the class budget would be grossly overshot. Even if the financial issues were resolved, preparing the items for sale and rehearsing for performances, with the festival so near, would lead to insufficient preparation and practice. Moreover, even if all these hurdles were sorted, manpower was lacking. Endeavoring to execute even a single activity would necessitate full-class cooperation, and Class 1 was already committed to manning the café. "No matter how enthusiastic, reckless, or even thoughtless Konoe-sama's intentions are, you should realize there's nowhere near enough budget, time, or resources available for your extravagant plans. So why propose something so overambitious at such a critical juncture?" Perhaps Ibuki believed the Konoe resources and connections could shoulder it. But commissioning professionals using Konoe funds would defeat the cultural festival’s purpose, diverging from the student-centric event. Unlike the primary school’s Tanabata Festival, where professionals were permissible, class presentations at a cultural festival become meaningless if outsourced to professionals. Even Ibuki, however impractical, should understand this. "I... I want to place first in the café, the store, the play, and the performance! I want to surpass Sakuya. That’s why I said to do everything! I did nothing wrong!" "......" Ugh... this seems like it’s becoming my problem, doesn't it? Everyone’s looking at me with disdain... No, I had no hand in this! Ibuki decided all of this independently. Yet, tossing my name involved only makes it feel like I’m culpable. Ibuki, don't drag me into this! "I don’t know why you seek to dominate everything, Konoe-sama, but stop imposing your whims which inconvenience not just your class, but the entire school! If this year’s focus is the café, aim for victory there before seeking other pursuits! Failing that, you’re just a dilettante!" "Ugh!" With a swift motion, I pointed my closed fan at Ibuki, speaking firmly. It wasn’t about disdain for Ibuki but clearing any deceit that might incriminate me. If Ibuki withdrew his demands to focus on the café, this uproar might settle. "Exactly! You can’t match Sakuya-sama in even one thing, yet you flounder trying to do everything at once. Win over Sakuya-sama somewhere first, then speak, you fool!" Stop, Shion! Don’t antagonize Ibuki further! If he sulks, he becomes more troublesome. The goal is his quiet retreat. "Ugh..." "Huh?" A strange sound came from Ibuki. Masaki, Shion, and I exchanged puzzled glances before looking back at him. "Waah! I know, I get it, damn it!" With eyes brimming with tears, Ibuki cried out and fled the classroom, sprinting down the hall. "Evil has been vanquished!" Watching Ibuki depart, Shion declared triumphantly. Hey, Shion... if Ibuki becomes a handful again, you’re taking responsibility, got it? ### Bookmark and Support To use the bookmarking feature, please log in. ### Show Your Support Support by liking. Point-based support for the author is currently unavailable. To rate, please log in. - For writing comments, please log in. --- **Sharing Options** - Send via Twitter (formerly X) - Send via LINE + **Note** - Unless specified otherwise, the works published here are fiction and have no connection to real individuals or organizations. - Unless specified otherwise, the copyright for the published works belongs to the author (with few exceptions). Unauthorized use beyond quoting the author’s work is prohibited and considered a violation of copyright law. - This work is link-free. Feel free to link (share) as you like. - This work is optimized for computer use, with adaptive display for smartphones or computers. - Reading time is estimated assuming 500 characters per minute. Please use as a guideline. --- **Author's Profile** Report any typos or errors. [Return to Top of Page]