Reincarnated as a Villainess That Goes Too Far.

A loud, aggressive thumping rattled the bedroom door. "Hina! Wake up! You're going to be late for the office!" her mother yelled from the hallway. Inside the room, Hina snapped her eyes open, bolting upright in bed. "What?! Mom?!" She glanced frantically at the watch on her wrist. The time made her heart drop. A cold sweat prickled on her skin as she shot to her feet, hands fumbling and trembling. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts. "No, no, no, no! Not again!" She rushed around her room, throwing on her office clothes in a chaotic blur. Sprinting down the stairs, she burst into the kitchen where her mother was standing by the counter. "Hina, sit down and eat your food!" her mother commanded. Hina snatched a piece of bread from the plate, shoving it directly into her mouth. "No, Mom! I don't have time!" Mumbling through the bread, she rushed toward the front door. But just as she gripped the handle, she stopped dead in her tracks. Ah... I forgot my manga! She whirled around, flew back up the stairs, and scooped her favorite volume off the desk chair. When she sprinted back down to the entrance, her mother was staring at her with an eyebrow raised. "Oh? I thought you left," her mother noted. "I just forgot my manga," Hina gasped, catching her breath. Her mother sighed, shaking her head. "What? You're bringing that to the office, too?" "Bye, Mom!" Hina yelled, ignoring the comment as she burst out the door and sprinted down the street. Hina practically threw herself through the office doors, panting heavily. But her relief vanished the moment she saw who was standing directly in front of her desk. Her boss glared down at her, his arms folded tightly. "Miss Aizawa. This is the third day in a row that you have been late." Hina immediately lowered her head, staring at her shoes. "I am so sorry, Boss..." The boss let out an irritated huff. "Okay. Just go back to your work." "Thank you," she whispered. She walked over to her cubicle, placing her bag onto the desk. But when she looked down at her workspace, her brow furrowed. The massive stack of documents she had prepared was completely gone. She turned to her colleagues at the adjacent desks. "Excuse me... I put my finished reports right here last night. Where are they?" One of her coworkers smugly waved a stack of papers in the air. "Oh, these? We took them." Hina's eyes widened. "But... I worked all night long to make those! Those are mine! Please give them back to me!" The coworkers immediately burst into cruel, mocking laughter. "They were yours, but now they're ours," one of them sneered, tossing the papers onto their own desk. "Wow, isn't she just so incredibly dumb? What a dumb girl. Ahahaha!" They kept laughing at her, their whispers echoing in the quiet room. Hina's chest tightened. She bit her lip, completely ignoring their taunts as she sat down and forced herself to start typing new data. A single, quiet tear escaped her eye, tracing down her cheek. Why am I like this? she whispered to herself. Why can't I just stand up for myself? When the afternoon arrived, the rest of the office left for their lunch break, laughing and chatting together. But because her stolen reports had to be completely remade, Hina stayed glued to her chair. The mountain of work was so overwhelming that she didn't even get to take a single bite. Hours bled into hours, and night quickly fell. One by one, the lights in the building clicked off as the employees went home. Soon, the entire office was completely dark and empty, save for the single glowing monitor at Hina's desk. She stayed behind, typing away through the exhaustion. By the time she finally finished the last report, midnight had already passed. Hina let out a massive yawn, stretching her aching arms high above her head. She packed her things into her bag, turned off her computer, and walked out into the cool night air. On her way home, she stopped by a small 24-hour diner. She quickly ate a hot bowl of ramen, the warm broth finally bringing some life back into her tired body. Once she finished, she stepped back onto the quiet streets. As she walked, she pulled her manga volume out from her bag, flipping it open to her favorite page. A soft, genuine smile broke across her face as she stared at the illustration of the powerful, elegant antagonist. She looked up at the vast, starry sky, a sigh escaping her lips. "If I could be a villainess... nobody would ever dare to do things like that to me. I would be the absolute strongest... just like her." She pointed dramatically at the page, staring at the drawn villainess who took nonsense from absolutely no one. Hina looked back up at the moon, her voice full of longing. "I wish... I wish I could be a villainess that goes too far." Right after the words left her mouth, she stepped off the curb to cross the intersection. Suddenly, a pair of blinding high beams illuminated the dark street. The deafening roar of a horn echoed through the night as a massive truck rounded the corner at full speed. Hina didn't even have time to scream. CRASH! The violent impact threw her body across the asphalt. She collapsed onto the hard road, a dark pool of crimson quickly spreading across the pavement. Her breathing went shallow, and her vision blurred into complete darkness. Am I... am I going to die? she whispered in her mind, terror gripping her fading consciousness. No... no, wait... Slowly, her heavy eyelids closed, and the world went completely silent. [Chapter Ended] To Be Continued.