I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree - Chapter 67

Litte realized that her sharp words had not only failed to deter Olivia but had instead allowed her to skillfully shift the conversation back to Orson. Litte couldn’t help but silently curse herself for being foolish.

She glanced worriedly at Orson.

At that moment, Orson sighed, looking at Litte with a mix of exasperation and affection.

This little one… Of all the questions to ask, why bring up something like this?

Even though I don’t plan on making her your sister-in-law, you didn’t have to say it out loud and put me in such a tough spot. How am I supposed to answer that?

After some thought, Orson said, “I don’t plan to think about such things until after I graduate.”

Hearing this, Litte breathed a sigh of relief, while Olivia silently sighed as well.

“Sigh, as expected, Orson is as cold-hearted as ever…”

Although Litte’s attempt at a “supportive assist” hadn’t scored, Olivia’s impression of Litte improved slightly.

It seems Litte actually wants me to be with Orson. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked such a question.

“Alright, let’s get back on topic,” Orson said, tapping the table.

With that, the three of them moved on to more casual conversation.

—

Lianca had not been doing well lately.

She had poured her heart and soul into every class, determined to surpass Orson—even if it was just in one subject.

However, the feedback from her teachers was always the same:

“You’re still a little behind Orson.”

“You’re doing great, but you’re still not quite at Orson’s level.”

“You’re very much like your sister, but catching up to Orson may require more than just effort.”

These words replayed in Lianca’s mind day after day, to the point where they seemed to have become her inner demons.

In response, Lianca decided to spend her time in the library, studying to improve herself.

But the moment she entered the library, she discovered that the navigation books there had been compiled by none other than Orson years ago.

Driven by the intent to nitpick, she read the entire navigation book cover to cover. In the end, she couldn’t find a single flaw in it.

For her alchemy class, she was determined to excel.

Back at home, she had already studied various books on alchemy. After arriving at the academy, she had read through all of Orson’s achievements in the subject.

Orson had created a high-grade healing potion during his first alchemy class. Lianca’s goal was to create a potion even more advanced than his. If she could achieve that, it would mean she had surpassed him.

At least, as long as she could beat him in one subject, it would prove she had the potential to surpass him in everything else.

She proudly submitted her potion to the instructor.

The instructor collected potions from all the students and began evaluating them one by one.

In the end, the instructor gave Lianca’s healing potion a score of 90.

But Orson’s healing potion had been awarded a perfect score!

Lianca was, of course, dissatisfied. After class, she approached the instructor privately.

“Professor, I want to know what was wrong with my potion. Why couldn’t it earn a perfect score?”

“Oh, that,” the instructor said, scratching his temple. “In my opinion, 90 is as good as a perfect score.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s an old saying: ‘All medicine has some poison.’ Most alchemical potions come with side effects. For example, healing potions, when overused, can cause resistance to build up, requiring more potions to achieve the same effect. Some strong healing potions can even lead to dependency.”

“So? Isn’t that just a given? Is that why I couldn’t get a perfect score?” Lianca asked, her confusion evident.

“That’s how it usually is,” the instructor said, adjusting his glasses. “But last year, when I analyzed the healing potion submitted by Orson, I discovered something remarkable. Although its efficacy wasn’t significantly better than commercially available potions, it had no side effects.”

“No dependency, no resistance buildup.”

“How is that possible…” Lianca muttered in disbelief.

“I thought it was impossible too, but Orson proved me wrong.”

“Ever since then, I’ve capped my scores at 90. So don’t take it too hard,” the instructor said, patting Lianca on the shoulder reassuringly. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading off.”

“Ah, okay…” Lianca nodded.

Afterward, she went to the rooftop of the main lecture hall.

She wasn’t there to jump, but simply to clear her head.

It’s said that once you’ve seen the view from the summit, it’s hard to come back down. To Lianca, Orson was like an insurmountable mountain, standing in her way.

No matter how many times she tried to reach the peak, reality kept cruelly reminding her that it was out of reach.

Leaning against the railing, she let the wind brush against her cheeks.

Am I not working hard enough?

Lianca wondered to herself.

It’s said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

Could it be that Orson is this incredible because of all the effort he puts in behind the scenes?

Fine. Starting today, I’ll cut my sleep from eight hours to four.

With the extra four hours, I’ll focus on one area where I have the best chance of surpassing Orson. As long as I persist, I’ll eventually surpass him!

Surely… I can surpass Orson… right?

Even she began to doubt herself.

Back at home, she had been naive and arrogant, thinking the only person better than her was her sister Olivia. She hadn’t taken Orson seriously at all.

She believed her talent was on par with Orson’s, and all she lacked was time to hone it.

But is that really true?

Perfect scores in every subject, even in alchemy—where the instructor changed the grading system just because of him. Since Orson, no one had ever achieved a perfect score in alchemy again.

Is this kind of genius someone I can surpass with mere effort?

Lianca couldn’t help but sit down and cry, her face buried in her hands.

The pressure was too much.

Trying to catch up to a monster like Orson was just too much.

After five minutes, Lianca stood up, wiped her tears, and straightened her clothes. She then descended from the rooftop.

Instead of lamenting her fate, she decided to take things one step at a time. For now, she would set her goal to catching up to Orson rather than surpassing him. That might be more achievable.

—

Meanwhile, back at Orson’s dormitory, Olivia had spent two hours chatting with Orson and Litte. Eventually, she decided it was time to leave.

“I’ll walk Senior Olivia out,” Litte offered before Orson could get up.

“Alright.” Orson nodded. He was more than happy to avoid being alone with Olivia.

Every time she teased him, she would quickly retreat, playing an emotional “hit-and-run” game with Orson to see who would crack first.

It had gotten to the point where Orson was wary of being alone with her.

At the door, Litte opened it for Olivia and walked with her as they left together.