I Possessed the Villain in a Romantic Comedy Game – Chapter 175

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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“…Hey, Matsuda.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Renka thanked me as we stepped outside. It was unusual for her to express gratitude, and there was a reason for it. There was a limit of one item per person.

I had readily agreed to Renka’s request to buy a different version of the merchandise for her “nephew,” allowing her to get an extra item. Since the merchandise was only being sold today, she must have been prepared to buy the rest secondhand, so she was probably grateful for saving money.

Of course, there were other types of merchandise besides the ones we bought, so she would still have to do some searching, but we had managed to get all the relatively popular items, which was good enough.

“Don’t mention it. Give my regards to your nephew.”

“I will. And I looked it up… you know, ‘Ms. Asagao’s Family Circumstances’? The genre is… oh, do you hate spoilers?”

“Are you about to tell me the genre?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s fine.”

“Good. It’s apparently a mind-break manga. With some netorare elements, too.”

“Really? When did you look that up?”

“Just now… when you went to the bathroom.”

So she wanted to sound out my preferences.

I’d like to see what you looked up. Let me check.

I swallowed those words and said,

“Even better. I like mind-break.”

“…You like mind-break…?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you? When we were at the hotel together.”

“Eek…!?”

Renka’s eyes darted around nervously as I brought up that memory.

“Wh-Why are you making such a big deal out of that…!?”

“I’m not making a big deal out of it… Anyway, don’t you remember?”

“Well… I don’t really remember…?”

She was just flustered now, but if she thought about it a little more, something would come to mind. The user MK on AniShare.

I gave her a decisive hint. The comment I left on her anime review. If she connected that comment with the time we bought the figure together, along with the things we did at the hotel and my admission that I liked mind-break, she would strongly suspect that I was MK.

She might even unblock me and send me a message to confirm her suspicions.

But I wouldn’t reveal myself just yet. It wasn’t the right time. I would wait until she was more interested in being trained.

“That’s too bad.”

“I-It’s not too bad at all! I’ve forgotten all about it. Everything that happened with you…”

“You don’t look like you’ve forgotten.”

“…Anyway, thanks for today. I’ll be going now.”

“Don’t you want to eat?”

“I already ate.”

“Then I’ll take you home.”

“I can go by myse…”

“Come with me.”

I cut Renka off and gestured for her to follow me. She flinched, hesitated, then followed. She was probably being obedient because she was grateful for the extra merchandise.

For the time being, I would continue to give her reasons she couldn’t refuse and slowly build up our shared memories. I would gradually peel away her layers.

It felt a little anticlimactic to just go home like this… Maybe I should ask her to have coffee in the car.

Renka was incredibly cute today. Not her face, but her behavior. The way she clutched the shopping bag containing her merchandise, staring straight ahead… anyone would agree.

I stopped at a red light and glanced at Renka, who was still frozen in place. I asked in a slightly subdued voice,

“Are you tired?”

“…Not really.”

“Do you want to grab some coffee?”

“Coffee?”

“Yes, coffee.”

“I… um…”

Renka hesitated, glancing at me, then readily agreed.

“One cup sounds good. I’ll buy you one since you helped me out today.”

This was unexpected, considering she had just insisted on going home alone. Did she want to repay me for the merchandise? Whatever the reason, it worked in my favor. I drove to a nearby coffee chain.

As soon as we entered the cafe, Renka greeted the staff and confidently customized her order.

“A green tea cream Frappuccino, but with white mocha syrup instead, extra caramel sauce, and extra powder, please.”

I was momentarily speechless by her unexpected behavior. After placing her order, she turned to me and asked,

“What about you?”

“Um… I’ll just have an iced Americano.”

“Okay.”

Renka paid for the drinks, took the buzzer, and sat down with me at a corner table. She seemed at a loss for words, but also uncomfortable with the awkward silence.

I sensed her thoughts and asked,

“Do you always order like that?”

“Like what? Oh… yeah. I always order that at this cafe.”

“You must come here often with Master.”

“Chinami doesn’t really come here. She doesn’t like it.”

“Why? Because they don’t have anything peach-related?”

“Exactly. Chinami wants peach pulp in her drinks, and they don’t have it here. So when we want to go to a cafe together, we usually go somewhere else.”

That was so Chinami. She never failed to meet my expectations.

“Then who do you come here with?”

“Sometimes I come alone, sometimes with other friends…”

“Which friends?”

“…People you don’t know.”

She glared at me, as if asking why I was being so nosy. I chuckled and pointed at the buzzer on the table as it went off.

“The buzzer’s ringing.”

“Should I go?”

Should I, the master, go get the drinks? How cheeky…

“Want to go together?”

My suggestive tone seemed to unsettle Renka. She shivered and picked up the buzzer.

“No… I’ll get them.”

She sighed dramatically and went to pick up the drinks. She returned with the tray and carefully placed it on the table.

“Thanks.”

“Sure.”

“Can I try a sip of yours?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Just one sip.”

“No. Drink yours.”

Renka flatly refused, picking up her green tea Frappuccino and turning slightly away from me, like a child protecting their precious possession. She must be getting more comfortable around me to act like that.

How cute.

I chuckled and sipped my Americano, making small talk with Renka.

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The next day, during lunch break…

Miyuki had to go to the staff room, so I left Tetsuya and headed to the clubroom to get a head start on my chores. It was better than wasting time with Tetsuya. This way, I would have more time to spend with Chinami.

Just as I was about to unlock the clubroom door,

“Matsuda?”

A familiar voice called out from behind me.

I turned around and saw Renka, frowning. Seeing her in her school uniform felt strangely refreshing after seeing her in casual clothes yesterday. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? The human heart was a mysterious thing.

I tilted my head at Renka’s unexpected appearance.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I asked you first.”

“Don’t be childish. I’m the captain.”

“Are you trying to pull rank on me?”

“That’s right. Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“I have some free time, so I thought I’d get some work done. Why are you here?”

“Me? I’m here to… work, too… and also to pay you back for the merchandise…”

So she was repaying a favor. A voluntary slave offering her services… How admirable.

“Didn’t the coffee cover the merchandise?”

“I thought it wasn’t enough… and I didn’t want you to find some fault with me…”

“What kind of fault?”

“How would I know…”

Why couldn’t she just say she wanted to help out of gratitude? She was being a typical tsundere. I chuckled.

“Did you give your nephew his present?”

“…How could I give it to him in just one day? We don’t live together.”

“Then when are you going to give it to him?”

“On the weekend, maybe…”

“So you’re going to visit him on the weekend?”

“I-I could send it by mail…”

“What if it breaks?”

Did my persistent questioning make her uncomfortable? Renka averted her gaze, her eyes darting to the side.

“The keychain won’t break, and I can wrap the standee in bubble wrap… Why do I even have to explain this to you…?”

“Because I paid for part of it.”

“That’s true, but… why do you keep…”

“Being so informal about it?”

“…You know it… Have some manners…”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Yes, it’s bad…”

“Are we still not close enough?”

“Wh-Who said we’re close…? I never said that…!”

Why was it so fun to tease Renka? Was it her reactions? It was a different kind of enjoyment than what I got from Miyuki and Chinami.

I wanted to keep teasing her, but I shouldn’t push it too far.

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

“Never mind that… So, what should I have you work on first?”

“Do you really need to tell me what to do?”

“If you came alone, you would have figured it out by yourself, but since I’m here, I should tell you what to do… You may be a manager, but you’re still quite clumsy…”

“Quite clumsy? Really? Master said I was becoming a fine manager and that she was happy with my progress…”

“…Well… she herself still has a long way to go.”

Renka probably acknowledged me as a manager in her heart. She was just using it as an excuse to interrupt Chinami and me.

“Really?”

“Really. So, what should I do? Or should I just do whatever?”

“No. Help me clean the shinai.”

“With you…?”

“Yes. Why? Are you worried I’ll do something weird?”

“Not that, but… there are other things to do, so why do you want to do this together…?”

“It’s more fun together. And time will fly by.”

I opened the door to the equipment room and beckoned Renka like I was calling a puppy. She hesitated, scratched her head, then followed me inside.

This relatively docile Renka wasn’t bad. Although I preferred her when she was being defiant and then submitting.

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