The Villain's Reincarnation – Tired of Working Hard, I'm Slacking Off! The Peacefully Oblivious Slacker Avoids Ruin! - Chapter 1

“Another peaceful day.”

Lying on my custom-made floating bed, I gazed at the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and muttered to myself.

Four years ago, I was reincarnated as the villain of a story.

My name in this life? Kaito Mitsurugi.

The eldest son of the Mitsurugi family, reputed to be the most powerful martial clan in the nation. The next head of the household. And, in the story, the stepping stone for the protagonist—a doomed villain fated for destruction.

The plot followed a classic trope. I was born with extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, magic, and the ability to be loved by spirits—three divine gifts that practically made me invincible.

To put it simply, if I took things seriously, I could become one of the strongest beings in the world.

Naturally, my family was ecstatic.

My position as the next head was secured.

People hailed me as the second coming of our clan’s legendary founder, the beginning of a new golden age. I was showered with praise, spoiled beyond belief, and lived a life of absolute luxury.

To top it all off, besides my innate talents, I even possessed clairvoyance—a special ability that allowed me to see vast distances.

Truly, I was born unmatched.

Without putting in much effort, I could obtain anything I desired. And if someone dared to stand in my way, I had the power to crush them myself.

Yes, I was born basking in the overwhelming favor of the gods.

With such an ideal start, my victory in life was practically guaranteed. My future should have been nothing but smooth sailing.

But reality is never that kind.

Sure, a great start is wonderful. But what truly matters is the finish line.

As people say, all’s well that ends well. No matter how promising the beginning, if the final outcome is a disaster, then it was all meaningless.

No matter how blessed one is, if they grow complacent, downfall is inevitable.

And just like that, I, too, became an arrogant fool and fell from grace.

Being pampered since birth had molded me into a tyrant. In the original story, the past me grew into a complete disaster. In the end, I was utterly crushed by the protagonist, my engagement was annulled, and my incredibly gifted younger twin siblings schemed against me, stripping me of my right to inherit the family.

And, of course, the rest of my fate… well, it wasn’t pretty.

It’s easy to condemn him as a fool, but honestly, I can’t bring myself to hate my past self.

Had I been raised under the same conditions, I probably would’ve ended up the same way.

That’s why I believe that the original Kaito simply became the person he was meant to be.

And so, four years ago—at the age of six—I was reincarnated into this villain’s life, right in the middle of his swift journey toward ruin.

For the first few days, my mind completely shut down from the shock. But since I had reincarnated at an early age, at least time was on my side.

After taking a few days to process everything, I naturally started thinking about my doomed fate—specifically, how I could avoid it.

I considered various options.

The most common one? Reforming my personality, staying humble, and putting in genuine effort to earn recognition so I could carve my own path to greatness.

Given my immense talent, this wasn’t a bad plan at all.

But I rejected it outright.

I had a few reasons, but the biggest one was this: not even a fraction of me found that kind of “glory” appealing.

Honor, power, prestige—those words sound nice. But thanks to my past life, I knew better.

All of it was garbage.

With power came responsibility. Social interactions became exhausting. You’d be forced to witness the worst depths of human malice.

After struggling to rise from the depths of hell in my past life, only to find nothing but misery at the top, I had despaired.

I was done with effort.

That’s why I immediately discarded the “path to greatness” route.

After everything I had been through, I simply wanted to live a quiet, modest life. And more than anything… I wanted to avoid working hard at all costs.

I wanted a life where I could laugh at trivial things and enjoy a carefree existence.

Fortunately, I possessed enough resources to indulge in such selfish desires.

However, this decision came with one crucial consideration.

I had to account for both my inevitable downfall and the effects of altering the story’s events.

Obviously, avoiding my own ruin was a priority. But at the same time, if my interference ended up destroying the world, that would be equally problematic.

Thus, I carefully devised the best possible plan to ensure the most ideal outcome.

In the end, I decided to slack off completely and transform myself from a ruthless tyrant into a peacefully oblivious slacker.

Of course, this wasn’t a half-hearted decision—I had thought it through thoroughly.

First, the effects of altering the original story.

The biggest impact of removing my original self from the equation was that the protagonist’s status would improve, simply because his designated stepping stone was gone.

…Wait, you’re asking about the protagonist’s power-up event?

No such thing exists.

My entire purpose in the original story was to be mercilessly beaten to a pulp—a pure catharsis moment for the readers.

The battle wasn’t about leveling up the protagonist; it was solely about putting my arrogant self in my place.

Honestly, that’s just cruel.

Now that I’m the one who has to experience it firsthand, I simply cannot allow such a thing to happen.

After all, I’m the one who has to suffer!

That being said, this also meant I had no obligation to help the protagonist grow stronger.

Which, in turn, meant less work for me.

That was already a win in my book.

As for the protagonist’s status boost—sure, my defeat would have given him a little extra recognition, but aside from that, he didn’t gain anything from me.

Defeating me wouldn’t have made him the next heir to my family. In the original story, that position had always gone to my younger twin brother instead.

In other words, my sole purpose as a character was:

1. To make the protagonist look good by getting utterly humiliated.
2. To give the readers a satisfying “justice served” moment.

Since there are no readers in real life, there’s no need for me to suffer a humiliating defeat. And as for the protagonist’s recognition? It was only a minor factor. If he was truly the hero meant to save the world, he would gain fame through his own deeds, not by defeating a fallen prodigy like me.

I believe in him! More than anyone else!

…Although, I do need to make sure he still gets enough attention. Maybe I should say something like:

“That guy… he’s different. He’s probably someone who has endured the kind of grueling trials that only heroes face.”

That should shift some focus onto him while maintaining the balance of the story.

Next, avoiding my own downfall.

To escape my predestined ruin, I needed to step down from the position of heir and disappear from public life.

My original downfall stemmed from:

• My arrogant, tyrannical behavior.
• My status as the heir of a powerful noble family.
• My direct involvement with the protagonist and his allies.

So the solution was simple: remove all three factors.

I had no interest in becoming the head of the family, nor did I want to compete for power.

I had no desire to attend the academy. I had no interest in meeting the protagonist or his heroines.

Therefore, my goal was clear:

1. Step down as the heir as soon as possible.
2. Avoid the academy and any encounters with the protagonist’s group.
3. Retire to a peaceful countryside and live a quiet life.

By living in seclusion, I wouldn’t interfere with the original plot, ensuring that my actions wouldn’t cause any strange disruptions in the story.

However, to prevent any assassination attempts, I had to win over my younger siblings, the future heirs.

I started ingratiating myself with them from an early age, making sure they saw me as harmless and unworthy of elimination.

So far, things were going well.

I wasn’t being treated coldly or disrespectfully.

Clearly, my hard work was paying off.

To ensure they continued to see me as non-threatening, I fully embraced my new persona—a carefree slacker with no ambitions.

Thanks to this, I had successfully earned the title of “peacefully oblivious slacker”, the least threatening image possible.

On top of that, I made sure to act like a supportive older brother—offering helpful advice, praising their strengths, and encouraging them to pursue their interests.

“See? I’m a good older brother! Please don’t assassinate me!”

If I played my cards right, I should be safe from any future assassination plots.

Thus, while working hard to secure my peaceful retirement, I also started making preparations for my secluded life.

First and foremost—combat skills.

Even if I avoided the main storyline, this world was still dangerous.

Monsters roamed the land, bandits lurked in the shadows, and the overall security was far worse than in my previous life.

And, in the worst-case scenario, if my plans completely failed, I might still end up targeted for assassination.

In such cases, raw power was my ultimate safety net.

“Violence… Violence truly solves everything!”

Following this sacred principle, I secretly trained in combat, ensuring that I could crush most threats if necessary.

Of course, this was only a last resort.

Beyond combat, I also focused on preparing my dream retirement home—building a house, clearing the surrounding land, and making it self-sufficient.

Naturally, I did all of this without relying on my family’s resources.

If I used their money or influence, I’d be tied to them indefinitely.

And while I planned to live in seclusion, that didn’t mean I wanted zero human contact.

To ensure a comfortable life, I also started building relationships with the locals in the nearest town.

After all, even in my ideal retirement, a bit of friendly company wouldn’t hurt.

Spending time laughing over trivial things—I found myself thoroughly enjoying this ideal lifestyle.

In fact, I had grown so accustomed to it that I now made a habit of sneaking out of the mansion almost daily to mingle with the townspeople.

The peaceful, laid-back atmosphere was perfect, and on top of that, it further cemented my “harmless, slacker” image. A win-win situation.

At the same time, I steadily worked on saving up for my future retirement. Given my position as the next heir (for now) and my friendly relations with the townspeople, I was able to do light work here and there to earn a bit of money.

With that, my plan to avoid ruin and secure my dream retirement was progressing perfectly.

“Ahh, another peaceful day with beautiful weather.”

And so, as always, I indulged in my lazy slacker life, sinking into my plush bed for yet another afternoon nap.