Villain: Your Heroines Were Delicious

Chapter 159: Chapter 24

As he entered the classroom, Taro practically collapsed into his hard plastic chair, his lungs still burning from the sprint.

The digital chime of the Dating Sim System resonated in his mind like the sweet sound of a slot machine, confirming the deposit of his ¥10,000 reward.

It was a small fortune for a high schooler, but it is a war chest for his future conquest.

Once he calmed down, he felt a surge of confidence, and he decided it was time to put his new “powers” to use.

He shifted his gaze toward the seat next to him, where his childhood friend Tachibana Rei was sitting.

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain and sadness when she didn’t even look up when he entered the room, instead she was engrossed in a thick textbook, her fingers tracing the lines of text with a focus that excluded the rest of the world.

[Name: Tachibana Rei]

[Role: Heroine]

[Sexual Partners: 0]

[Conquer Difficulty: SS+]

[Affection: 29 (Acquaintance)]

Taro let out a long, silent sigh of relief.

The “0” next to her sexual partners was like a soothing balm to his wounded soul.

’At least Rei hasn’t been defiled by that bastard Kageyama yet,’ he thought. ’no, why the fuck did I say yet? I will not allow Kageyama to defile my childhood friend! Ever!’

But that relief and determination was short-lived as the rest of the stats sank in.

“Twenty-nine?” he whispered, his heart sinking. “And only an Acquaintance?!”

They had grown up together! They had played in the same sandbox and walked to school for years! He had helped her and supported her when she was bullied for being a fatty in middle school!

So how could her affection be so abysmally low?

Could it be that for the system, his years of devotion were worth less than a casual friendship?

The sting of that knowledge was sharp, and he quickly looked away, his jaw tightening.

He turned his gaze toward the other “Goddess” of the classroom, the girl whose beauty was considered architectural in its perfection: Himejima Haruka.

She was also reading, her posture perfectly straight, her face a mask of porcelain indifference.

[Name: Himejima Haruka]

[Role: Heroine]

[Sexual Partners: 1 (M), 4 (F)]

[Conquer Difficulty: SSS+]

[Affection: 1 (Indifferent)]

“What… the fuck?!”

Taro’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

He had known for a while that Haruka wasn’t a virgin, after all, she never made any effort to hide her love marks and even showed it off, but the breakdown of the partners hit him like a physical blow to the stomach.

Four females?! His mind, now overclocked by his increased intelligence, began to run through permutations he didn’t want to imagine. Is she bisexual? Or was it… a threesome? A foursome?

He gripped the edges of his desk until his knuckles turned white.

For the first time, he cursed his “Intelligence +1.” Ignorance would have been a mercy compared to the vivid, high-definition scenarios his brain was now generating.

If he knew that one of those females were her own mother, what would he feel?

As if she could feel the heat of his gaze, Haruka slowly lowered her book as she turned her head, her gaze meeting his with the clinical detachment of a scientist observing a specimen.

Taro immediately felt his soul shrivel, and he couldn’t maintain eye contact for even a second as he immediately jerked his head away, staring intensely at a scratch on his desk.

Haruka watched him for a few more seconds, her expression unchanged, before returning to her reading.

Finally, Taro took a deep, shaky breath and turned his eyes to the source of all his misery: Kageyama Seijirou.

The “King” was currently slumped over his desk, fast asleep, his intimidating aura seemingly dimmed by the mundane act of napping.

[Name: Kageyama Seijirou]

[Role: Final Boss]

[Sexual Partners: 108]

[Threat Level: SSS+]

“One hundred and eight?!” Taro’s internal scream was silent but agonizing. “How can such an evil person be this popular?! While a good person like me can’t even hold hands with a girl?!”

The jealousy was a toxic sludge in his veins. Why isn’t it him?! What did this evil villain do to deserve all those girls sleeping with him!?

But then, his brain tried to rationalize it. No, he was sure his partners were just whores or sluts who sleep with anyone for a paycheck.

Yes, that has to be it. If there are good girls in that number, then he probably used his money and power to force them. After all, Taro couldn’t imagine Kageyama, with his reputation and vileness, able to get together with a good girl.

Yet, something else bothered him. Why was the “Final Boss” labeled with a lower threat level than “Minor Villain” Hana-sensei?

The system had called her “Immeasurable”, ranked EX, while Kageyama was merely at SSS+.

Was the system broken? Or was the smiling woman currently standing at outside of the room a monster beyond his comprehension?

His thoughts were cut off when the school bell chimed, startling Taro for a moment.

Just then, Miyamura Hana stepped into the room, her energy as bubbly and bright as a morning cartoon.

“Good morning, everyone!” she chirped.

The class rose as one, a chorus of “Good morning, Sensei!” echoing through the room.

Only Seijirou remained stationary, his rhythmic breathing the only sound from his desk.

Hana didn’t even acknowledge the disrespect, or rather, she doesn’t believe that Seijirou was being disrespectful, in her mind, he was surely incredibly tired.

So she just smiled and nodded at her “dear little students.”

“Alright, everyone, please take your seats,” she said, her hands clasped together. “As you know, exams are nearing. But this time, things are a little different. With the arrival of the new Vice Principal, the structure of this exam has changed quite a bit.”

The room went quiet. Any change to the status quo was usually bad news for their GPAs.

Even Hana couldn’t understand why her good old friend decided to change things this time.

Was it to catch those anomalies? Despite being the weakest of the three of them, that woman always like to be mysterious, not telling her and Retsu of her plans.

“You see,” Hana continued, her eyes twinkling, “the Vice Principal wants the class to learn the value of teamwork. Because of that, the passing criteria have been shifted. Now, the passing score for any subject is exactly half of the class’s average score for that subject. So, for those of you who struggle with your grades, don’t worry! As long as the class average isn’t too high, you’ll pass with ease. However, those who achieve the highest average score in the school will receive a special reward.”

The room began to buzz with whispered conversations as the pressure was suddenly off.

If everyone did poorly, everyone would pass. It was a loophole of massive proportions… Is the school this generous?

No, the highest average also gets to have a reward. So either they control their scores to allow everyone to pass, or they ignore the rest and aim for a higher average scores.

Truly a test of teamwork.

Suddenly, a hand went up.

It was Haruka.

Hana beamed at her. “Yes, Haruka-chan? Do you have a question?”

Haruka stood up, her voice as flat and emotionless as a computer readout. “Sensei, I have a query regarding the mathematics of this new system. What if the entire class coordinates to score exactly zero in all subjects? That would make our average score zero. Half of zero is zero. Therefore, a score of zero would technically be a passing grade. Is that a possible outcome?”

The classroom went dead silent.

Then, a wave of excitement surged through the students.

The “lazy” faction of the class looked like they had just found a golden ticket. Doesn’t this mean that they don’t need to study, and don’t need to stress themselves?

Just hand over a collective blank paper and they can all pass? Is this a dream!?

Hana’s cheek twitched, a bead of sweat formed at her temple. “Well… strictly speaking, according to the Vice Principal’s wording… it is possible.”

A cheer almost broke out, but Hana quickly held up her hands, her expression turning piteous, her eyes welling up with tears. “But please! I beg of you, don’t do that! If the class I teach scores a collective zero across the board, the Department of Education will nail me to the school’s pillar of shame! I’ll be used as a negative example for the rest of my career! I won’t have the face to show myself in this district ever again!”

The sight of their beloved, bubbly teacher on the verge of a breakdown was enough to quell the “Zero Plan.”

Haruka gave a curt nod, seemingly satisfied with the answer, and sat back down without another word.

Hana took a few deep, rattling breaths to calm her heart as she scanned the room, her smile returning, though it looked a bit more fragile than before. “Any… any more questions?”

Silence.

“Then, please open your textbooks to page 84,” Hana sighed in relief. “Let’s begin our review of the modern era…”

Taro stared at his book, but his mind was elsewhere.

He looked at the board, deep in thought.

A class average exam? A sinister thought formed. If he used his “Intelligence” stat to dominate the exams, he could drive the average up, effectively “killing” his rivals who were relying on a low average to pass.

As for teamwork or whatever…he doesn’t care about that at all.

If he gets to push those who humiliated him into the abyss and cause them to fail… What’s more greater joy than that!?