This Villainess Shall Vow to Live Humbly and Frugally this Time Around

One: I'm Dead Again

"Rukako? Rukako, are you listening?"

"Yes, yes, I'm listening." I really wasn't. But if I actually admit that I wasn't, my ears would probably have to endure even more nagging.

"Anyway, the latest of chapter of Doki Doki Highschool-" I flinched. I should have listened to her then maybe I could have stopped her earlier. "-it's finally Kouzuki Akina's downfall! People have been tweeting like crazy since yesterday! Finally! That bitch got her just desserts! Ha! Serves her right!"

Guh... that damn metaphorical arrow bulls-eyed straight into my poor heart...

"I mean, seriously! That woman is absolutely shameless! Forcing herself on Hiro-sama even though he clearly told her he wasn't interested in her!"

Ouch... arrow number two...

"She's downright evil! Do you know all the things she did to poor Risa-chan?! Thank goodness, Hiro-sama and the others were there for her."

Fatal strike number three...

"She really got what she deserved! Waving off her money like a retard every chance she got... Now, her family's company is ruined. Maybe she'd finally learn the meaning of hard work! Damn bitch probably never got her perfect nails dirty!"

HP critical. Yuzu, please stop before you unknowingly kill me.

"... I don't really know, Yuzu-chan. You know I don't read that manga, right?"

"Then you should! I'll even let you borrow my old volumes. It's great! Risa-chan is so kawaii and hard-working, Hiro-sama is so handsome, Seiji-sama is so gentlemanly, Toshiro-sama is so dreamy and Kyou-sama is so... kyaaaa!!!"

Kami-sama, my poor eardrums.

"Really, Rukako, everything in that manga is great! Except for that Akina! Grrr! She's the most vile thing in there!"

Ya... I better go... I don't think my heart and my eardrums could endure more abuse.

"It's time for my part-time job, Yuzu-chan. I should go."

"Already? Hey, Rukako, how many part-time jobs are you doing again?"

"...Six. I got another one yesterday."

"Another one?! When do you even rest, Rukako? I know it's been hard since Hanako-san died but at this rate you'll kill yourself from overwork. Take care of yourself too. And didn't you already get a scholarship from your chosen culinary school already?"

"Yeah, I did. But I need to move into a new apartment since my school is too far. I have to pay the down payment before I could move in."

"You know I'd help you in a heartbeat, right? You don't have to push yourself too much."

"Thank you, Yuzu-chan. But I could do at least this much on my own and you and Kana-san have helped me too much already."

"And we don't mind. Rukako, we worry about you."

"I'm fine, Yuzu-chan. Really."

"Alright. But you'll tell me if it becomes too much?"

"Yes, I will. I promise. I'll see you tomorrow at graduation, Yuzu-chan."

"You better, Rukako. I need you on my photo-ops. My last day of highschool won't be complete without you."

And with that, we parted.

Yuzu was a great friend even if she was a bit of a fangirl. Okay, not a bit. A total fangirl. But it wasn't really that bad. In fact, I'd usually be fangirling alongside her too. Just not with that manga. Anything but that manga.

That manga 'Doki Doki Highschool' was a popular shoujo manga and the chronicle of my past life as the villainess Kouzuki Akina.

Yes, you heard it right. I was Kouzuki Akina. The shameless woman, the evil bully, the wasteful rich girl etcetera etcetera...

I didn't really remember being Akina in my previous life at first but when that manga debuted sometime during middle school, the memories rushed in like a tsunami inside my head.

I was Kouzuki Akina in my first life and then I was reincarnated into Hoshino Rukako in my second life.

Akina and Rukako's life were vastly different. While Akina was born with a gold spoon in her mouth, Rukako was born as a poor, fatherless, commoner.

As Rukako, all I had was my mother Hanako and my grandmother Rikako. My mother born me out of wedlock and my father never took responsibility of me. My grandfather died before I was born and so all my mother had for support during her pregnancy was grandma. We didn't have any other relatives.

We struggled as a family. My mother only finished high school so she was stuck with low paying jobs and grandma only had a small sweet shop to get her income from. It got really harder when my mother had me. They both still loved me though. Both of them did their best to raise me. It was thanks to them that I became who I am now.

Mom loved to cook and even if she wasn't a five-star chef, her cooking was absolutely delicious and even more than that, it was warm, homely and filled with love and care. Grandma's sweets were the best too. She taught me everything I know about making them. She patiently taught me everything step by step.

I loved them. I loved them both so much.

At night, all three of us would share one room and huddle on one single blanket with me in the middle. Then we'd talk. About dreams. About my dreams. About a future where we'd always be happy.

I'd be a chef with my own restaurant and I'd cook five-star meals. And sometimes I'd be world-renowned pâtissier and I'd sell the best sweets in the world. And sometimes I'd be both. But the both of them would always be there in that future and I'd be celebrating all of my successes with them. We would smile. We would laugh. We would be happy.

And then we lost grandma. It was a bad case of pneumonia and her old age only made it worse. Two years later, I lost mom too. It was another illness and her being overworked didn't really help.

And then, here I am, alone.

The future where the three of us would be happy, all out of my grasp.

I thought of dying then but I'd remember the times when all three of us together were talking about those dreams and I just couldn't do it. I wanted it so bad. The dreams. The future. I wanted to at least achieve those dreams for them both. I wanted to them to be proud of me. Even if they weren't with me anymore.

I pulled myself together. Went from part-time job to part-time job to support myself through school and then I got myself a scholarship into one of the best culinary school in the country.

One more push and I'd be the person that mom and grandma dreamed of me to become.

I took a look at my watch and checked the time. Good. I still have time.

I relaxed and took a look around. I was greeted with a cute sight. Two young elementary school students, a boy and a girl, holding hands, swaying it as they cheerfully sang an old folk song. Then they both stopped, looked left and right, and then continued to sing again as they crossed the pedestrian lane together.

The sight of it made me smile till I heard a violent screech. A truck was coming towards the children and it showed no indication of stopping.

My legs moved before I knew it.

The last thing I remember was pushing the two children out of the way and praying:

'Kami-sama, if you truly do exist, please at least let me see my family again.'