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

It quickly became the Saturday I had promised Shion. I initially wanted to spend only a few hours in the afternoon, but Shion insisted on stretching our time from morning until evening, and eventually, I had to relent. At the start, she talked about being with me from midnight until noon—she seemed genuinely intent on staying the entire day. Managing to reduce it just to evening was quite an achievement. After attending the morning practice session for Momiji-ryu, I prepared everything before Shion arrived. When I asked Shion what she wanted to make, she requested an amigurumi. But even if it was shaped differently, if I gave Shion an amigurumi, everyone would surely notice. So, I tried persuading her to consider something else. She said she was satisfied with the embroidered handkerchief she bought on the day of the cultural festival. She declined something like an ornamental trinket. It seemed Shion preferred something she could carry with her daily. Things she could always have with her or on her were ideal. Her choice of an embroidered handkerchief at the cultural festival was likely because it was something she could carry with her every day. Shion's decision criteria were rooted in the notion of always having the item with her. In that sense, an amigurumi keychain perfectly matched her desires. Wanting the same item as her classmates and because a keychain is something one can carry daily, Shion stubbornly insisted on the amigurumi keychain. It was then that I suggested silver clay accessories. I wanted to avoid giving her the same amigurumi as the other classmates. Even if the shape or design differed, if it got around that Shion received one as well, it wouldn't sit right with the other children. That was meant to be a keepsake for those present and participated in the event. Shion's wish was to 'always have it with her, wearing it.' An amigurumi keychain would be hard to take to personal events, especially parties. While she could keep it in her pouch, that was about it. However, accessories were different. With accessories, something like a ring could be worn to school on a necklace and potentially to parties too. Although it's considered gauche to wear homemade things to formal events, one could wear it in a place concealed by the dress. Once I explained this, Shion quickly relented and expressed a desire for a silver clay accessory. I had thought Azami-chan's innocence made her worryingly naive, but Shion was risky in a different sense. I may sound rude saying this, but Shion is simple and gullible. It sounds insulting to call her 'stupid,' but I'm not merely claiming she's a fool. It's more that she simply believes what others say. In any case, Shion is highly impressionable and easily manipulated. Though I felt Azami-chan needed protecting due to her pure-hearted nature, Shion also seems perilously vulnerable and hard to leave unsupervised. Observing her, one feels like exclaiming, 'Aaaah!' or 'Is she going to be okay?' She's worryingly entrancing. This likely explains why Koubaru Katsura and Doin Aoki took advantage of her. To ensure she never gets caught up in anything like that again, I need to keep a watchful eye on her. "Sakuya-sama, Hagiwara Shion-sama has arrived." "All right, I'm on my way." Momiji came to fetch me while I wrapped up preparations and was lost in thought. Since Shion had arrived, I went to greet her... "Ah! Good morning, Sakuya-sama!" "Shion... you..." Before I could make it to the entrance, Shion had already come up from the foyer, her form appearing down the hallway. She scampered over, waving her hand, causing me to want to admonish her—running in people's corridors is impolite, after all. "*Sigh*... Good day to you, Shion." "Yes! Good day, Sakuya-sama!" Oh? Shion stopped before me, beaming sunshine in her smile, and offered a courteous curtsy. Unlike the spirited greetings from Azami-chan that resembled something from the construction trades, Shion could at least perform an elegant greeting akin to a true lady. Yet, the sight was akin to a young girl playfully curtsying, bringing a peculiar feeling. There was an unnaturalness to it, or rather it seemed forced, like a child attempting a grown-up mannerism in play. What is this strange feeling? "Shion... it's customary to wait for the host to greet you inside. Why do you always rush ahead?" "Because I want to see you as soon as possible, Sakuya-sama!" "*Sigh*..." Her straightforward affection was delightful, and I appreciate Shion's honesty. But shouldn't we uphold basic etiquette? As the daughter of the Hagiwara family, it would be prudent to observe the minimum mannerisms so as not to inconvenience others. I won't fuss over minor lapses in etiquette or mistakes—I've made similar blunders myself, and undoubtedly will do so again. I don't view etiquette or manners as absolute, unbreakable laws. They are merely societal agreements to facilitate cordial relations. Manners are about ensuring we don't uncomfortably clash with others or provoke annoyance. In visiting someone's home, arriving late isn't just about avoiding tardiness. It's about ensuring the host isn't caught unprepared by our early arrival. I'm not insisting on rigidly adhering to rules but encourage respecting the basic principles for facilitating smoother interactions. Manners are the essence of such agreements that should be upheld. "The problem isn't just about not waiting to be greeted... why is it that you're already at the entrance before I can even greet you?" Reflecting calmly, I found it peculiar. One is usually informed in time for me to make it to the entrance by the time the guest arrives. Notifications come through gatekeepers, ensuring synchronization between alerting me for their arrival and the guest alighting from their car. Yet, Shion always seemed to beat me to it. "That's because I always tell the driver to speed up! Plus, I immediately jump out and run as soon as we arrive!" "Huh...?" What is going on? "Sakuya-sama..." "…………" As I was puzzling over the situation, Momiji whispered in my ear, revealing a shocking truth. Apparently, when the Hagiwara family's car passes through our gates, it speeds down the driveway at a pace that seems impossible within the estate. It’s reckless to the point where it could easily cause an accident with any household members or gardeners walking about. And when the car reaches the front entrance, Shion opens the car door herself from the inside. Typically, a well-bred young lady would have a family servant who shares the car with her, or someone at the destination, open the door. But Shion practically bursts out of the car as soon as it arrives, sometimes even opening the door slightly before the car has come to a complete stop. I should probably warn her about the danger of this behavior. Once she's out, Shion immediately starts running, ignoring my welcoming staff, and bolts straight into the house. This explains why she's always made it to the entrance before I could come out to greet her. "Shion… it seems there are plenty of etiquette lessons you need before we start with the silver clay practice." "Huh? What are you going to teach me?" Don’t give me that sparkling-eyed look. Fundamentally, you’re getting quite a bit wrong here. As I led Shion inside, I lectured her about manners and such, but I doubt these small hints will change Shion’s unconventional ways… --- Having Shion here, we promptly began crafting the silver clay project. As Shion was a complete novice, a beginner’s kit that included everything was suitable for her. Since I was making something to gift to Shion, I prepared my own tools. "What?! We're not doing this in your room, Sakuya-sama?!" "We'll be using water and silver clay, along with drying and firing. It’s better suited to another area." If it were just me, working in my room would’ve been fine, but with Shion, I had a feeling she'd spill water or clay everywhere. I wasn’t sure how adept Shion was at these tasks, but given how Azami-chan fared, I had my suspicions Shion might end up similarly. "Then once we're done, let’s go to your room, Sakuya-sama!" "Uh… let’s focus on making the silver clay accessories first." Last time Shion visited my room, she passed out, so normally, she would be reluctant to go there again, right? I can't quite grasp why she's so eager to visit my room. "Shion, let’s start with the basic ring as per the instructions. I'll make one myself as a demonstration while creating one for you to exchange." "Okay!" Azami-chan was also enthusiastic enough when responding… While not asking for Renka-level skill, I hope Shion does take to this task properly... --- "Sakuya-sama! I did it!" "Shion… you…" I was astonished when I saw the ring Shion had made. It was clearly a ring. Even though it hadn’t been dried yet, the silver clay rolled to the desired thickness was indeed shaped into a proper ring. With Azami-chan, you could clearly see where the ends met, but Shion had smoothly finished it. Shion… she’s a child of potential! "You’ve done an excellent job! It's wonderful!" "Uh… all I did was follow the instructions, and you showed me how to do each step, Sakuya-sama, right? Anyone would be able to do this with that much guidance, wouldn't they?" Shion! Please don’t inadvertently criticize Azami-chan! You might not know, and you probably don't mean it that way, but it all sticks like arrows to Azami-chan! "In any case, let’s dry it now. After that, we’ll file it to shape, bake it, and then polish it to finish." "Yes!" Given our progress, we should be able to start baking the pieces before noon. Shion's skill and seriousness came as a pleasant surprise. Unlike when teaching Azami-chan, I suspect Shion won’t abandon the activity midway or produce something half-hearted. Things are looking to go more smoothly than I anticipated. --- By the afternoon, we had reached the firing stage. Although it was past noon, we decided to finish up polishing to complete the project. Despite the simple and basic design, Shion managed to produce something respectable on her first try. “All done!” “Well done!” Though she didn’t attempt anything particularly complex, her first endeavor was remarkably accomplished. Perhaps Shion has a knack for this kind of thing. “Of course! After all, these are for us to exchange and keep for each other, right? That’s why I put my heart into making them!” “Sh-Shion…” I was taken aback by Shion’s words. I had underestimated her. Shion is genuinely considerate and a good-hearted individual. She crafted it sincerely, considering it was something I would keep, which is why it turned out so well on her first attempt. It's easy to say things like this are expected, that anyone should naturally do it. But how many can genuinely work this hard for someone else? "Now let’s eat, Sakuya-sama! Afterward, let’s play in your room!" Shion, what a wonderful child you are! How can you be so purely kind-hearted! “Ahaha… Alright, shall we clean ourselves up lightly before lunch?” “Eh?! Are we taking a bath together, Sakuya-sama?!” “Huh? No, that’s not what I meant.” “…Eh?” “Hmm?” For a moment, Shion and I were completely out of sync… The silver clay powder was all over our bodies and hands, and though we wore aprons to prevent dirt, more thorough washing and changing would be necessary before considering a meal. “Remember, Shion, I advised you to bring clothes for changing in case you got dirty during the activity, right? Did you forget?” “I did bring clean clothes! But… aren’t we bathing together, Sakuya-sama?” Um, why would that mean we'd bathe together? If Shion wanted to clean up, she was welcome to use the bath, but there was no particular reason for us to enter together, right? Support with a Like Support is temporarily closed. Show your support by contributing points to the author! Please log in to rate. *Note: You must be logged in to write a comment. ▲Return to top of page Share via X (formerly Twitter) or LINE Share on Twitter LINE +Attention+ Unless otherwise stated, all works published are purely fictional and have no connection to real people or organizations. Unless otherwise noted, the copyright of the published works belongs to the author (except for some works). Unauthorized reproduction beyond quoting by anyone other than the author is prohibited, and doing so will constitute a violation of copyright laws. This work is link-free. Feel free to link (introduce) it. This work is compatible with PCs. It automatically detects if you are using a smartphone or PC and displays the appropriate page. 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