I woke up… to an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Hmm… Where…?”

Rubbing my slightly throbbing head, a sense of unease washing over me, I sat up in bed.

The next thing that entered my vision… was a space resembling a luxury hotel suite.

Spacious. Incredibly spacious.

As my gaze wandered, I took in the various pieces of furniture—chairs, a desk, a sofa, bookshelves—all in shades of white, all looking incredibly expensive.

And then there was the bed I'd been sleeping in. A four-poster king-size bed with at least four pillows.

…Was my room always like this?

No, it wasn't.

…Something was wrong.

My room was about the size of a small walk-in closet. Bookshelves and clothes hung haphazardly on hangers lined the walls, while a discarded backpack and read manga littered the floor—a typical student's room.

So how did I wake up in this luxurious room…?

And, more importantly…

“…Where am I?”

A bewildered voice escaped my lips.

Despite my eyes being wide open, my mind was a jumble of confusion.

As I slowly surveyed my surroundings again, I noticed a group of women dressed in black and white maid uniforms.

And not just one or two.

“Young Master has awakened…!”

“Oh, thank goodness. Now…”

“But Young Master seems… different, doesn't he?”

“Could he be… angry?”

The dozen or so maids lined up against the wall began murmuring amongst themselves as soon as they saw me.

Huh? What? What?

They seemed worried, yet also… afraid of me?

A sharp clap cut through the air.

“—Everyone, quiet. Young Master, have you awakened?”

A crisp, clear voice, commanding yet somehow ethereal, echoed through the room.

The maids immediately fell silent, and the woman who spoke approached me.

She had lustrous, long silver hair and sharp, clear blue eyes. Taller than most women, with long, slender limbs, yet with curves in all the right places.

A beautiful woman with a dignified expression and elegant demeanor.

And this beautiful woman… was calling me “Young Master.”

…Why?

“Um… Young Master?”

I asked tentatively. The beautiful woman tilted her head, a slightly troubled expression on her face, before quickly composing herself.

“We, the maids, are here to attend to you, Hazumi Reito-sama.”

She replied succinctly.

But her answer only deepened my confusion.

“Hazumi… Reito?”

Who was that?

I didn't have such a cool name.

Moreover, my family wasn't wealthy enough to afford maids.

I was an ordinary high school student, born to a salaryman father and a homemaker mother.

So… what was going on?

“Young Master, what is the matter? Are you feeling unwell?”

Unwell? More like completely bewildered.

I didn't know how to answer, so I just stammered.

This had to be some kind of prank, right? Maybe there was a camera hidden in one of the maids' skirts? Could I just lift their skirts and check?

“…Young Master.”

The beautiful woman fixed me with a serious gaze.

“Do you remember my name?”

“Name…?”

Remember? I'd never met this woman before in my life.

But being honest might make things awkward.

After a moment of hesitation, I blurted out a lie.

“Y-You’re so beautiful…so… Reiko-san, or something?”

“!”

The beautiful woman’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Reito-sama just called me beautiful…”

“…No way.”

“For Reito-sama to say such a thing…”

I felt the maids surrounding us stir.

Huh? What was with that reaction?!

Was it because such a line didn't suit a plain-looking guy like me?

Should I just apologize profusely right now?

As I floundered, the beautiful woman cleared her throat and regained her composure.

“Beautiful… you say. Thank you. However, my name is Kyoko.”

Oh, I was wrong. Close, though.

“It seems… the aftereffects of the accident are still lingering.”

Kyoko murmured in a grave tone.

A-Accident?! I didn't remember getting hit by a truck!

I was just utterly confused by the current situation…

“I… I want to be alone!”

Unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, I blurted out.

The woman and the surrounding maids bowed in unison. “As you wish,” they chorused before filing out of the room.

Wow… impressive.

“Then, Young Master, please call for us if you need anything.”

Kyoko gave a final, respectful bow before exiting.

The door clicked shut, leaving me in silence.

“Th-That was surprising…”

Waking up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by cute maids… What kind of scenario was this?

I took a deep breath and then… My feet carried me towards a large full-length mirror.

Seeing my reflection… I was even more shocked.

“Wh-Who is this?!”

It definitely wasn't the face I remembered.

Staring back at me was a slender young man with sleek, center-parted black hair and sharp eyes. He had handsome features, but the faint dark circles under his eyes and his naturally sullen expression made him look a little intimidating.

And then… it hit me.

“This must be that villain reincarnation thing!”

The luxurious room, the cute yet seemingly fearful maids, my appearance…

It all pointed to one thing: villain reincarnation!

Villain reincarnation.

A common trope in novels and manga where, instead of being reborn as the protagonist…

…you become the antagonist—the hated, the target of everyone’s ire, the one destined to be defeated and humiliated—a walking, talking collection of doom flags.

In other words, the only thing awaiting a reincarnated villain was a tragic end—

“Then I will break every single doom flag!”

I clenched my fists, a determined sniffle escaping my nose.

But as I calmed down a little, a nagging question surfaced.

“Wait a minute… What’s the scenario in this world? What kind of villain am I? Who’s the heroine? And where’s the protagonist?”

I couldn't avoid the doom flags if I didn't know what they were.

Normally, I should have remembered the name of the villain I'd been reborn as and the world's setting along with my past life memories, but…

I couldn't remember anything. Why?

“Well, whatever. I’ll remember eventually.”

I had a lot to think about, but I couldn't do it in my current state.

I needed to calm down first.

“Alright… time for a second nap!”

I flopped back onto the plush bed.

Sleep solves everything!

And with that, I drifted off to sleep.

However… this young man was laboring under a grave misconception.

This wasn't an RPG or a game world.

He wasn't a reincarnated villain.

There were no doom flags to break.

In fact, his very existence was the flag.

Because this was…

“—Quickly, call the doctor. Something must not happen to the Hazumi heir… no, to such a precious male.”

Kyoko instructed the maids after leaving the room.

Her tone was calm, but her words conveyed a sense of urgency…

This was a world where the male-to-female ratio was skewed, where men were a rarity—a world of reversed chastity.