I was drenched in sweat from mopping, so I decided to take a shower in my private bathroom before talking to Kyoko.

Yes, my room even had its own shower.

I didn’t even need to leave my room, let alone the mansion.

I thoroughly washed my hair and body, not wanting to be perceived as smelly.

This shampoo seemed expensive.

And it smelled nice…

A floral scent, the kind that women tended to prefer… but whatever!

I rinsed off, dried myself thoroughly, and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Ahh, that’s refreshing!”

A post-workout shower was the best! The feeling of invigoration was addictive.

Reito was living a privileged life.

Wealthy, a luxurious mansion, plenty of maids, delicious food. His personal maid, Kyoko, was beautiful, capable, and at his beck and call…

“I guess the original Reito became spoiled because of this pampered environment.”

It was understandable that someone would become arrogant when everything was so convenient.

But that didn't excuse him for being inconsiderate and causing trouble!

If I did that, I’d become a hated villain like the original Reito…

But Reito seemed to be treated with excessive care.

Just then, yesterday’s events flashed through my mind.

I’d met Reito’s mother for the first time.

She had long black hair and wore a suit, giving off the impression of a high-powered businesswoman. But she didn’t seem stiff or formal. She seemed approachable… and she was incredibly beautiful!

Reito’s mother usually traveled all over the country for work, but…

She’d apparently adjusted her schedule and rushed back as soon as Kyoko told her that I—Reito—had woken up.

“I’m so glad Rei-kun is awake!”

The moment she entered the room and saw me, she burst into tears.

I was being treated surprisingly well for a villain. Well, I was her only son, so it made sense that she cared about me.

“Sniff… hic… Rei-kun…”

She showed no signs of stopping.

Worried, I called out, “Mother…?”

“R-Rei-kun called me Mother?!”

She seemed even more surprised than before… and cried even harder.

Oh, Reito.

You didn’t sexually harass your mother… but…

Did you treat your only family member coldly?

And you showed no gratitude towards the mother who worked so hard to provide you with such a luxurious life?!

You were the worst.

Ah, that’s why you were the villain.

Kyoko calmed her down and explained the situation. Oh, and I asked her to keep my mopping and training a secret for now.

She seemed shocked that my memory was hazy… or rather, that I had amnesia… but…

“Phew… Well, I’ll work even harder for Rei-kun’s sake!”

By the end, she seemed to have reached a sense of resolve. It was good that she’d cheered up.

Throughout the whole ordeal, I’d noticed how overprotective she was of Reito.

A knock at the door brought my thoughts back to the present.

It must be Kyoko.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me, Young Master.”

Kyoko entered the room after bowing.

She was as polite and composed as ever.

I had something to tell her. So, I decided to get straight to the point.

“Kyoko, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“I want to go outside.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Oh, thank yo—Huh?”

That wasn’t the answer I’d expected.

…Should I try again?

“Ahem… Kyoko, I want to go outside.”

“Yes, I heard you, Young Master. And it’s not possible.”

“…Huh?”

I stared at her, but her expression remained unchanged.

Then, she continued.

“Let me repeat. You are not allowed to go outside.”

“I heard you! But why not?!”

Unlike the original Reito, I hadn’t harassed anyone or acted obnoxiously for the past week.

I’d started training to raise my favorability, but… I’d only done normal, everyday things, just like in my past life.

I hadn’t done anything weird. I hadn’t stepped on any landmines.

According to the villain reincarnation stories I’d read, I should be getting reactions like,

“Young Master, you’ve changed!”

My favorability should be steadily increasing… and everything I did should be going smoothly…

Huh?

Hadn't I just been flatly rejected?

“It’s dangerous for you to go outside in your current state, Young Master.”

“D-Dangerous?! Is… is my life in danger?”

“…In the worst-case scenario, yes.”

“What?!”

How could going outside be life-threatening?!

This wasn’t a fantasy world with swords, magic, and dragons. This was a modern rom-com setting.

Life-threatening events shouldn’t be a thing…

As I was reeling in confusion, a thought struck me.

I’d assumed I was only a villain to Kyoko and the other maids…

But what if there were people outside who hated me too?

That would explain the danger to my life…

Just how hated of a villain was I?!

(Kyoko’s POV)

Lately… the young master had been acting strangely.

It was no longer just a matter of hazy memory.

Suddenly mopping the floors, working out in the training room… while I had my thoughts about those things…

He seemed to lack any sense of danger.

In this world, men were scarce and precious, so… many women made aggressive advances.

They were desperate to secure a male for themselves.

The news and social media were full of stories about such extreme behavior.

Essentially, sexual harassment targeting men.

On the other hand… women weren’t immune to the allure of the few remaining men.

Personally, I disliked men, so I tried not to think about it.

It was unthinkable now, but if a man acted proactively or dressed revealingly… many women would become flustered and unable to look them in the eye.

And that… was starting to happen in this mansion.

For example, in the maids’ break room:

“Ahh… Young Master has been so… nice lately.”

“He was so spoiled and awful a year ago.”

“Hey, hey, listen to this. The other day, I saw Young Master in the training room… his T-shirt was see-through with sweat, and it was so hot!!”

“No way!”

“I’m so jealous you got to see that!”

Even the normally diligent maids were reacting like this.

The maids here had all passed Mika-san's and her colleagues’ rigorous screening process. They were supposed to be able to interact with men calmly and maintain their composure, but…

“Do you think he’d let me touch him, just a little…?”

“Idiot! That’s sexual harassment!”

“Besides, everyone thinks we women are all aggressive predators, and men are terrified of us. It would be awful if we traumatized him.”

“But Young Master doesn’t seem scared of us maids anymore.”

These women… were now blushing and fantasizing about the young master.

He was oblivious to the recent giddiness of the maids around him.

No, it was better that he remained oblivious.

And this oblivious young master…

“Kyoko, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“I want to go outside.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Oh, thank yo—Huh?”

…He wanted to go outside.

That was out of the question.

I’d responded reflexively, before I’d even consciously considered it.

“Ahem… Kyoko, I want to go outside.”

“Yes, I heard you, Young Master. And it’s not possible.”

“…Huh?”

No matter how many times he asked, the answer was no.

If the current young master, so lacking in awareness and so unguarded, were to go outside… I didn’t know what the women out there might do.

“It’s dangerous for you to go outside in your current state, Young Master.”

“D-Dangerous?! Is… is my life in danger?”

“…In the worst-case scenario… yes.”

“What?!”

Yes, in the worst-case scenario… he might be assaulted.

Simply being male carried that risk.

However, the person in front of me was undoubtedly the young master.

If I refused him outright… he might revert to his former spoiled behavior.

In fact, the incident where he’d slipped on the stairs and hit his head had been caused by his own capriciousness.

He frowned, staring at me intently.

He really wanted to go outside.

Before, he’d refused to leave the mansion, claiming, “I hate it when women stare at me!”…

But if the current young master wanted to go outside…

“You want to go outside, Young Master?”

“Yes, I do.”

“You want to see the outside world?”

“Y-Yes.”

His goal was to go outside and see the outside world.

Then…

The next day.

“Well then, Young Master, let’s go outside. Are you ready to depart?”

“Ah, yes. Let’s go…”

And so, I went outside with Kyoko.

Was I glad she’d allowed it?

Well, yes, she had allowed it, and I had said I wanted to go outside… but…

“I didn’t expect to be traveling by car.”

“Really? I believe this is standard procedure.”

“I-Is it…?”

Was traveling by car standard for rich people?

And this was a luxury car, too.

But I could still see the outside world from the car window… so, traveling by car was fine for today.

Now then, I wondered what the outside world was like.