Chapter 18: The Villainess Fulfills her Role

Ever since then, Esther has been entirely devoted to Tristan.

I had a hard time getting him to wait before proposing to her. If he simply gave Esther everything she wanted right away, things would just end up like they did last time. The longer it took, the more passionate and committed she would get.

We were all already in our third year, and graduation was closing in. If possible, I’d like to drag it out a little longer and have them get engaged soon after graduation. That way, Esther’s sole future path would be to marry Tristan, with all other options already lost to her.

Until then, I can keep her in check by pretending to get closer with Tristan and faking sorrow whenever she and Tristan did the same. The point was to make Esther feel comfortable yet impatient, and get her invested in the relationship by way of jealousy.

And sure enough, Esther fell deeper and deeper into it before finally reaching the point where she could openly go out with Tristan again.

“I’m sorry, Ilse~… I know how you feel, but I just can’t help it~! I-I just can’t get Tristan out of my head~! I know it’s wrong, but I don’t know what to do~. I can’t stop loving him~!”

Tristan gently embraced the shoulders of the sobbing Esther. Then, wearing an apologetic look on his face, he continued after Esther, who seemed to be at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry, Ilse. I couldn’t repay you for breaking your heart for my sake. But I’ve found my destiny—You can’t look past True Love. I know it’s painful, but could you please give us your blessing?!”

No, putting Esther aside, how the hell did you manage to fall under the impression that I was in love with you again? Did the toffee in your head start to rot?

“Oh, sure. Have at it.”

“fuu.”

In response to my cold reply to the two enthusiastic performers, Joshua leaked some air through his lips. He seemed amused by the disparity in enthusiasm. 

Esther and Tristan could both be described as the protagonists of a tragedy. But looking at them from the side, they were just an unfaithful asshole and a bitch who couldn’t feel any satisfaction unless it was stolen from someone else.

With graduation just around the corner, I finally gave Tristan the go-ahead to confess, and then this happened. Seems like he got carried away in Esther’s euphoria and self-satisfaction and could no longer distinguish between reality and delusion. I almost feel sorry for the man.

In a sense, it was amazing that my disgust at this farce managed to prevail over my joy at everything moving according to plan. 

“Was that everything you needed to say? Can I go now?”

“Eh? A-ah…”

“No, no, Ilse~, there’s no need to act so tough~. Let’s go, Tristan. I’d feel sorry for Ilse if we were to keep her any longer. I’m sure she’d like to be alone to mourn her loss~.”

“Is that so, Ilse? You really did like me…”

I started walking away without waiting to hear the end of their obnoxious lines. Joshua followed with a grin.

“That was fun. That’s what you’d call a budget theater, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’s suitable as a student graduation project.”

Graduation, huh? I suddenly felt deeply moved. It’s been almost two years since I got involved with Esther, about six months after entering high school. I did my best, didn’t I?

Being near these guys was more of a pain in the ass than I feel like describing. 

But those days are over now. Well, if they get married, they’ll still be around for a few more years after graduation. But since their downfall is essentially guaranteed, I should be able to keep a peaceful state of mind.

It turns out that being a Villainess really is pretty fun. If I keep working hard, I’ll be able to fulfill my role in the game. Esther and Tristan would be safely married, and the story will conclude with a happy ending. 

I did it, oh game creator.

Of course, I’m not planning on getting thrown out to the streets, and I place no guarantee about the heroine and male lead’s future past the last scene, but for now, I’m following the script of regular route in the game.

There were a lot more twists and turns than in the game, but I think I managed to put everything back on track well enough.

I looked up at the sky, feeling vaguely content with everything I’ve accomplished. 

It was large, clear and blue, and I stretched my arms wide, feeling refreshed.

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Notes:

1. The ending for this chapter reminded me of the last cut of Perfect Blue for various reasons, some more obvious than others.
2. This chapter was very short, probably the shortest so far, but all chapters from now till the last will be significantly longer, extras included.
3. As promised, I’ll be going offline for a few days to go stare at space rocks. When I get back I’ll upload a chapter for both this series and a new one I picked. I hope everyone will enjoy that series too at the time.

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