I woke up to the smell of roses and money.
No, seriously. My bed? Softer than clouds. The air? Infused with some kind of ridiculous floral perfume. And my room? Imagine a European noble's mansion had a love child with an over-the-top anime villain's lair. That was my bedroom. Ornate gold trim, red velvet drapes, and a chandelier so big it probably needed its own postal code.
This was not my apartment.
[Thunk!]
I rolled over and slammed my face straight into an actual silk pillow. Not even cotton—silk. That was my first clue something was very, very wrong.
The second clue? A massive mirror across the room, where my reflection looked way too attractive to be me.
Sharp black hair, annoyingly symmetrical face, smug rich guy smirk permanently etched into my expression. And my eyes? Cold, piercing, and just the right amount of "I step on commoners for fun."
That's when it hit me.
"Oh, no. Oh, no no no."
I knew this face. I knew this room. And worst of all—I knew this world.
This was Love's Eternal Bloom, a trashy harem anime I watched in college as a joke.
And I? I was Souta Tachibana.
The rich, arrogant school villain who existed purely to make the protagonist look good.
[Knock knock.]
A crisp, polite knock echoed through the room before I could finish panicking.
"Young Master, breakfast is ready."
Oh no. The butler.
I knew what was coming. If I opened that door, I'd be greeted by Alfred—yes, his actual name was Alfred—my personal butler. He was the type of old-school servant that only existed in anime and historical fiction. Calm, unshakable, and 100% dedicated to my rich-kid nonsense.
But I was not about to play my role.
"Uhh, Alfred?" I called out, still trying to accept my reality. "Just… hypothetically. If I started acting totally different today, would that be weird?"
A short silence. Then:
"Young Master, I would never question your eccentricities."
Translation: You're rich. Do whatever you want.
Well, that was… something.
I dragged myself out of bed, opened the door, and there he was—tall, grey-haired, and dressed like he stepped out of a Victorian drama. Alfred didn't even blink at my dishevelled state.
"Your parents have already left for the day," he said, leading me down a spiralling grand staircase. "Your father is at the company. Your mother is meeting the ladies for tea. You have school shortly."
Right. School. The battlefield.
I sat down at a ridiculously long dining table, where an equally ridiculous breakfast spread awaited me. Croissants, fresh fruit, a perfect omelette, and…
Wait.
"Where's my glass of red wine?" I blurted out before thinking.
Alfred, unbothered, simply placed a full glass of wine next to my plate.
Oh my god. The anime wasn't kidding.
I, a high schooler, apparently drank red wine for breakfast.
This world was insane.