So You've Become a Villainess: an (Otome) Isekai Raising Project

I already made the Adventure Time joke, sue me.

[O] Bridgette and Lily


It's high noon at the Claudius estate and you are ready for adventure.

You're dressed to the nines in a light blue and white Alice dress, slathered with defensive enchantments. Justine's old sword dangles at your hip, the gems gleaming in the sunlight. Your belly is full, your spirits are high, and your galpals are at your side.

You feel like you could cut down a truck. Or a god.

Bridgette shadowboxes beside you, full of nervous energy. She's in half plate with an open-fronted skirt underneath, the matte grey iron of her armor embossed with crimson roses. She told you that the roses were in your honor; to capture your beauty and gallantry, and to show how much you've grown on her.

Her admiration of you hasn't gone unnoticed since the event with the Prince. Chiaki told you of the gossip surrounding her abrupt exit after you danced with her brother. How some think that she would make a more fitting companion for you, how the Claudius house was planting its seed not just in the Prince's heart.

What you learned from it, outside of a few Loyalists thinking you're the devil, is that this world is surprisingly okay with yuri.

"You ready for this, Big Sis?" Bridgette says, bouncing on her toes.

"Heck yeah I am," you say. "Especially since I have you beside me."

Bridgette beams. "Nothing's getting past me! I'm gonna be your shield!"

Lily peeks her head out from the shadow of a particularly majestic tree. "I'm a squishy mage, so could I get some of that shield action, too?"

Bridgette nods. "Protecting Big Sis means I protect her crew."

"Is it too bright for you, Lily?" You ask.

"Nah, I just have to commune with darkness to recharge my specials, I mean spells." She hums a tune from an old game show, makes a quick spell circle in the dirt, and nods. "And done."

You swear you hear a ding when she's done.

She heads over to you, the shadows cling to her like seaweed. They flow over her body, turning her peasant dress into a jet black witch outfit, complete with floppy hat.

Chiaki looks over to her while checking on healing potions greener than Midori cocktails. "What happened to the dress we gave you?"

"I snuggle with it every night," Lily says, "but It's far too fine for a lowly girl like me to actually wear."

"Anyone cool enough to hang out with me is cool enough to wear my stuff," you say to her. "But if it's too much, we can hook you up with something less floofy."

"Oh, I like floofy. It's just, you know..." Lily pulls at the side of her mouth, showing her cute little fangs. "Darklings don't get to have nice things."

"She has a point," Bridgette says. "We aren't on a crusade against them anymore, but it's not like the populace is accepting them with open arms."

You stomp your ruby flat-clad foot, causing your sword to rattle. "That's stupid. I accept Lily and I say she gets to have nice things."

Lily blushes towards your adamant kindness.

"As you should, Young Mistress," Chiaki says. "But we can discuss the inequality of this world later. For now, let's focus on this first adventure."

"Kaaaaay," you say.

Chiaki hands you her potion, then hands one to Bridgette and Lily. "We aren't doing anything too fancy since it's the Young Mistress's first time; just a simple Slime hunt. Stick close to each other, don't travel too deep into the forest, and don't be afraid to use your potions."

Bridgette blows a strand of hair from her face and pouts. "How bad can a couple of Slimes be?"

"Depends on if they've fed recently," Lily says. "If they're starving, they can eat gear."

Bridgette double-takes. "Really?"

"Yep," Lily says. "Corpses, too. One time, I fell asleep in a forest like this and woke up to a Slime eating my arm."

"Hardcore," Bridgette says with something like awe.

Chiaki steps in. "There won't be any corpses on my watch. We're going to be safe and have fun."

You chuckle at Chiaki. "You sound like my mom."

Chiaki gives you a serious look. "The safety of you and your entourage is paramount, Young Mistress. That is why Lady Claudius has entrusted me with it."

You give her a quick hug. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

She pats your head, then ties your hair into a slipknot ponytail. Your hair graciously accepts her touch.

She whispers to you. "Ready, Aachan?"

You grin. "I was born ready!"

She smiles back. "Let's go."

You unsheathe your sword and point into the forest, channeling as much DQ Yuusha as possible. "Onward, my trusty companions! Adventure awaits!"

With an enthusiastic holler from Bridgette and a snorting giggle from Lily, you head boldly into the forest. Warm sunlight filters through the canopy, cutting the cool, damp air. The ground crunches deliciously underfoot. The sweet smell of grass and mud almost makes you want to have a picnic instead of an adventure.

Chiaki silently slides up to you. "We can have a picnic after we're done."

"Get out of my head," you say playfully.

"A proper maid must be able to read their master's desires to the point of prescience," she says back, eyes smiling.

You laugh and run forward, catching up to Bridgette and Lily behind her. Bridgette's got her dukes up, itching for something to punch. Lily has her eyes wide, you can tell she's scanning for danger.

Sure enough, she's the first person to spot something; a trio of slimes in primary colors, looking like they escaped a copyright claim from the Toriyama estate.

"They haven't noticed us," Lily says. "How do you want to do this?"


[Go For It Girl! Triumph or Die Look Really Silly!]
[ ] Go Loud. Charge in like a proper baka heroine!
[ ] Go Quiet. Have Lily do her magic stuff and clean up afterward.
[ ] Go Tanky. Have Bridgette be the vanguard and attack from behind your willing shield.
[ ] Go Phone a Maid. Have Chiaki assess the situation, then go in.

A Revolutionary's New Loyalties

Tanya fussed over her latest gun design. For some reason the barrel was warping after just firing a few dozen times, when it should be able to hold up to far more. Sure, that was enough to last a few battles, but an armed insurgent was only as effective as their weapon. As she worked, her mind drifted to the golden blonde she was now in the orbit of.

Grace Claudius was ridiculous, trusting with little compunction or common sense - And yet because of it, rather than despite it, Tanya had to admit it made her a better woman than any other noblewoman she could name. Not that that was a very high bar, mind you.

Certainly no aristocrat should trust a revolutionary like herself, one motivated to overthrow the entire corrupt edifice of nobility. And yet… and yet Grace had. When they arrived at the carnival, she was so overwhelmed that she told the budding revolutionary to handle matters for her till she regained her composure. Well nothing so elegant.

"You're gonna have to do the thinky stuff until I calm down." She snorted at the recollection.

Trusting her to be her aide… it was a tremendous honor for anyone, let alone a commoner. Especially one she hardly knew, and from her perspective had every reason to expect to not have her interests at heart.

It confused Tanya then, it still did now. And yet that very offer of trust caused strange emotions to burble within her. A desire to live up to the trust Grace had given her, to protect the strange quixotic noble that was practically one of a kind. The one noble who seemed to live up to that motto of theirs, noblesse obligee.

"If every noble became sensible with a bit of head trauma, we should use more rocks," she mused. The sensible thing would be to assume that it wouldn't hold. That pre-head injury Grace's personality would reassert itself, and she'd revert back to the exploitive plutocrat template.

And yet, if anything it was the opposite… Grace's brand of crazy was seemingly contagious. She'd befriended Bridgette, despite the Royal daughter having gotten into a fight with her initially over her opposition to marrying her brother. Her ideas and fashions were even starting to circulate among other nobles that rode on her coattails.

Tanya paused at her work, running her hands down the black and gold poofy gown she wore, realizing she wasn't unaffected either. She'd initially worn the dress as a condition of her alignment with her liege lady, and because of the durability advantages she'd get. With the bullying she was getting she expected it to escalate to violence eventually.

And yet since putting it on, not only was the commoner unmolested, but some nobles were even making friendly with her. She could see the distaste in many of their eyes, but they still acted polite with her, even trying to curry her favor since for whatever reason she was now the aide-de-camp of a future Duchess, perhaps even queen if her engagement with the prince held strong. Something likely given the clear fondness between the two.

Tanya didn't just feel safe protected in Grace Claudius's gowns, but more powerful, commanding respect and influence she'd never felt before. "No, not just powerful." Elegant. Pretty.

The gowns were gorgeous, and sinfully comfortable. Wearing them, Tanya was miles more feminine, rather than a rail thin slip of a girl, the frills and fluff concealed her little developed figure. The attendant corset she wore helped lift her chest, while the full skirt gave the impression of some hips. Even the high heels Grace had included helped, shifting her posture to push her chest and rear out.

"How long has it been since I've worn something else?" She wondered. During classes, in her quarters. Even here in her own lab Tanya was wearing the gowns Grace had gifted her. "She's infected me too," Tanya groused. For she didn't just not mind wearing the gowns, she preferred them. The thought of going back to her itchy and scratchy clothes an unpleasant one.

Nor was that the only sign of changes she'd gone through. Her long luscious locks of hair for one, the hair conditioning formula Grace had negligently handed off to her, gave her silky luxurious hair that was the envy of her classmates. Sales of small samples proved a huge windfall of funds for her tinkering. It seemed what passed for allowances of young noblewoman still amounted to tremendous sums. Tanya had taken to using herself as a walking advertisement, letting her hair grow out.

Not perhaps to Grace's silly lengths, her hair wasn't sentient, but easily longer than she was tall, so she kept it in an eyecatching braid that fell to her ankles. Tanya took some pride in having hair nicer than other noblewomen, and was happy to charge them an arm and a leg to have what she did.

Tanya finally finished disassembling the gun barrel, finding out the issue was something in the casting process, some parts of it heating and cooling at different rates weakening the barrel.

The most incredible part of it was, Tanya thought Grace might actually carry through with changes. The idiot genius was so headstrong that she'd act without thinking of the consequences, like the way she confronted those three bullies at the Carnival. If she was Queen…if she was queen, the once diehard revolutionary had hope an aristocrat would change things for the better.

That even if she lost her way… she might listen to Tanya's advice and help right her. 'Look at me, believing in humanity's better nature. Hers at least.'

Well, if she was living out a fantasy, Tanya decided she might as well enjoy it. Certainly, with the opposition the Claudius had garnered, she'd get plenty of opportunities to plot the downfall of some nobles.

Speaking of fantasies, Tanya accepted she felt a surge of delight in wearing such poofy dresses, dressing up in outfits a younger her dreamed of wearing, fantasizing about being a secret princess. The way part of her squirmed seeing Grace's newest gown, frillier and foofier than ever. Wanting to wear it herself. Running her hands down the gown, Tanya felt the temptation overwhelm her and she shifted to the wardrobe she kept in her lab. She couldn't match the expert frills woven into it, yet, but fluffing out her gown with more petticoats was certainly doable. Likely rivaling Grace's gowns wouldn't be an issue, the musclehead shoved her maid into a gown, and would likely feel happy about Tanya's efforts. Unknowingly, that thought caused a small smile to cross her lips.

Lights out, guerrilla story post! Wake this thread up!


A part of you, deeper and more primordial than the council of Yous, wants to go full baka. Run in and start cracking skulls in an explosion of glorious violence. Your hand grips, white knuckle, onto the hilt of your newly granted sword.

But then you get a rush of brains to your luxuriously-coiffed head.

You have Bridgette. A friend and blood sister willing and eager to be your shield. One who, under her brassy bluster and edgy attire, feels useless and stymied. One who has a lot of frustration to work out.

One who could probably use the punching bag these Slimes provide more than you do.

"Hey Buri?" You whisper to Bridgette.

"Can't I get a cooler nickname than that?" She asks you.

"When I come up with one," you reply. "Wanna be my shield so we can bumrush these Slimes?"

"Shit yeah I would!" She slams her gauntlets together and lets loose a battle woop, drawing the Slimes' formless eyes upon her now charging form.

"Welp," Lily says, melding into the shadows. "Guess we're not doing stealthy. Pls don't let them geek me."

You give her a quick nod, a firm pat on the shoulder, and your cheeky monkey smile, before running off behind Bridgette.

She's gotten faster than you remember, but you weren't the Golden-Eyed Orion for nothing. You catch up to her in a bakers dozen strides close enough to hear her giddy chuckling behind the same peek-a-boo stance she first used against you.

There's a twinge of sympathetic energies between the two of you, your blood pact thrumming in time with both your hearts. On shared impulse, you draw your sword as she slams into the crowd of Slimes. One by one, she pops them up and you rend them into travel-sized pieces. She makes a game of it, juggling them high into the air with hits that would crush bone if they had any. Bits of Slime slide slickly off your enchanted hair and dress as the two of you work in tandem.

The two of you turn to view your handiwork. You step beside Bridgette with a flourish, sword out, her covering your side as a readied shield would. The candied carcasses of your foes glitter in the noonday sun.

"Man, that wasn't even a warm-up," Bridgette says airily. "Good thing Slimes can regenerate."

You're struck dumb by flashes of the combat mechanics of Fall From Grace. Slimes made great grinding fodder because they weren't very dangerous, but they came back like zombies unless you pounded them into paste or hit them with Water magic. And since they came back, you could train skills all you wanted!

"Hey Buri, wanna see me do some really cool stuff?"

"Cooler than you already are?" She asks. "And stop calling me Buri. Say I'm your noble shield or something."

"How about my No-Buri Shield?"

She turns to you, face scrunched in cringing consternation. "Anything but that."

<Artsy> "Hmmm, guess we've hit a creative block with nicknames..."


"Anyway, what's this cool stuff you wanna do?" Bridgette asks.

You let your grip on your sword loosen in the way Camille taught you. "Oh, you'll see. Watch my back, okay?"

She nods and hunkers back into her peek-a-boo stance as the Slimes reform themselves. "Gotcha."

The Slimes, noting you as their slayer, turn their vacant expressions to you before rocketing forth with un-Slime-like velocity.

Your cheeky monkey smile turns into the fierce, fanged grin of competition. With a woop of your own, you spring off of Bridgette's ready gauntlets into an arc of death, slicing through the Slimes as they pass under you. Technicolor goop splatters against Bridgette's guard as you land in a crouch facing her.

The Slimes reform, you cut them down. They reform again. You skewer them, then flick your wrist, popping them open against your blade with the ease of unhooking a bra. They try to encircle you, you slice them apart with the mechanical precision of a weedwhacker.

You can feel Camille's subtle guidance on your hands, your feet, your arms and hips. The drilling of proper posture giving you a killer's poise. The muscle memory of your former Kendo and this new art go hand in glove. The free expression of your talent, your dominance spreads your foes across the canvas of this grassy forest knoll.

For the first time since you've been here, your muscles sing.

Once you feel you've shown off enough, you sheathe your sword and smile at Bridgette. The both of you are streaked with Slime stuff; Bridgette on her gear, you on your dimpled cheeks and button nose. The two of you look like kids who got into your art teacher's paints.

"That cool enough for ya?" You say, hand on your hip.

Bridgette stares at you in abject awe. "...'Sblood, girl, what was that technique?"

You giggle. "Cool stuff, like I said!"

"Can you teach it to me?"

"I am but a student," you say to her, stroking an imaginary beard. "But I can see if my teacher's willing to take on another disciple." You turn back to the shade where Lily is hiding. "But first, let's regroup and have that pic-"

Your words are cut short by the cool, slimy sensation of Slime stuff sliding off you. Rivulets of gunk ooze into the grass, coating the ground with little jelly gems. You see the stuff flow off of Bridgette too, she squirms and yelps as it flows inside and down her outfit.

You fear the slime will puppet her, but something far weirder happens. The rivulets turn into rivers, as much more Slime stuff than you felt you cut through starts to coalesce. First in a puddle, then a pool, then a pillar, before forming into something you knew quite well.

A humanoid mecha. Gigantor in gelatin, towering over the two of you.

A panopticon of blank eyes and doofy smiles all focus on you and Bridgette.

You don't remember this being a part of Fall From Grace or Our Bloody Valentine. Something like this wouldn't slip your mind, no matter how booze-addled.


[> GRACE COMMAND]
[ ] FIGHT
[ ] Tag-team it with Bridgette
[ ] Rejoin Lily and Chiaki
[ ] Run like hell