Chapter 1 - Simplifying The Complicated

'Oh...Well, this is new.' I think as I wake up from on top of "my" desk in "my" school classroom. Why quotations? Because this is absolutely not my school nor my desk...In fact...where the hell am I?

I look around at the decidedly Japanese, manga-stylized classroom - no, like, literally. You could find this same classroom in just about every anime or manga you've ever seen. Hell, even the electronics are designed exactly like the anime art style! Not a single label in sight! Not 2D, but definitely not like what I am normally used to seeing.

I am sitting in a desk at the front corner of the classroom next to a window. In front of me is a small isle followed by a big wooden desk. To the right of that, a wooden podium stands in front of, I-kidd-you-not, a chalk boad.

'Huh...I didn't know schools still used those...' I internally consider, suppressing the panic I feel welling up inside me as best I could.

At the other side of the room from me is a sliding classroom door - again, like those that could be commonly seen in Japanese manga and anime. I look to the other end and, yup, there is another one in the back of the class. In between the doors are rows of desks. Some are occupied by anime-looking teenagers that are gathered up around one another in small groups, others are empty or filled with the loners of the class either reading or sleeping.

'Guess I shouldn't talk bad about loners...Looks like this "Me" is one as well.'

The window next to me is open and I feel the breeze blow through my hair. It feels nice; The breeze is cool and carries with it the hint of saltwater. I close my eyes and relax my back and head on the open window sill behind me.

I could really use a second to cool off and calm down.

Also, I am sitting far too straight and postured for my liking, but it feels unnatural for me to slouch, so I just go with it.

"He's so cool...!"

I snap my eyes open and turn my head to look at the girl who just whispered, trying to see who she was talking about.

'Is it time for me to meet the protagonist?'

Yes, I know what's going on. I don't live in Japan. It doesn't take a genius to realize I have been Isekai'd. I could bitch and moan about it, but, honestly, I don't much care. Mom and dad were dead. My older sister was a layabout who locked me in the closet to fuck guys for money growing up. I have always lived as an ugly person and was desperately poor. Oh, and I was also bullied because of it in school. There was nothing left for me in that world. My dream of going to college was dashed when my sister ran off with all my savings from part-time work for the past 4 years. My only solace was weed, booze, anime, and manga. It was a miserable life for an 18-year-old, and I was, honestly, glad to be rid of it. 

'Maybe I will have a family who cares about me this time...'

Back to the girl. I expect to see some handsome "School Prince" walk in the door, but nope. Instead, we make eye contact. She is an honest-to-God anime girl, and she was looking right at me. 

'Huh? Me?'

I am so confused that I literally point at myself, as if to question if she was talking to the right person or not. The girl instantly flushes a bright ruby red with a cute, "Eep!" and quickly burries her head into her arms on her desk to hide. A few other girls nearby laugh and I look over to them, only for their faces to turn red as well.

'What...? As the old Vine said: "I am confusion."'

I look back at the girl that is only 1 desk away from me, and who is currently peaking at me with her green eyes past her arms and red hair on the desk.

'She looks...familiar. Why does she-'

My eyes widen as a headache that feels like a train crashing into a plane with me at its center point nearly knocks me unconscious. Blood drips from my nose and I quickly grab the handkerchief in my pocket to catch it before it can stain my clothes.

'I can't let these plebeians see my noble self in a position of weakness. What is this child looking at? It is good that she blushes. One should not look at their betters with anything other....than...reverence...?'

Hol' up.

Whatever weird-ass merge just happened seems somewhat complete, and I regain control of my body.

I stare at my hands in wide-eyed shock.

'Welp. That changes things.'

To summarize what I have learned, my name is Zeneff Silverscale. Ancient, godly, evil dragon and mastermind behind all of the dark plots that revolve around this story. I am the hidden boss that they will have to fight at the very end, hiding in plain sight and keeping watch on my mortal enemy Takasone Hikaru, The Lightbringer. He, through the power of love and friendship, gains unique powers depending on which of his harem members he kisses. They are all mixes of hidden and secret societies of demi-humans, magicians, and divine beings.  Take this redhead next to me, Hagiwara Kitinara. She is the childhood friend of Hikaru-san and is secretly the princess of the Kitsune tribe that just so happens to live in this city. 

How do I know all this? Well...2 reasons. The first is because the idiot whose body I am inhabiting knew all of them, that they were a threat, and instead of killing them, he simply watched them grow. Zeneff was the "Quiet Prince" of the school. Perfect grades, good at sports, but kept to himself. He had a huge fan group of girls whom he secretly loved. Stroked his dragon pride or something. The other reason I knew all this was because I read this manga the night before I wound up here. 

"Oh, so you know the plot, and what happens then?" Some might think, but...

Nope.

I was crossfaded as fuck and don't remember a damn thing. Just enough to recognize the general plot and some of the faces. Also...it was bad. Like really bad. I ended up skipping whole pages of dialog because of how poorly it was written. It was the culmination of stolen plot points, cliches, overused character design, and a bland, unlikeable male lead who was the epitome of the word "Coward" and who had 'To Love Ru' levels of fall luck. To top it all off, it only had 12 chapters before it was canceled. 

I was the secret villain in a trashy rom-com harem manga. 

So, what did I want to do now that I knew? Simple: Whatever the fuck I want. I don't give two shits about the plot, story, or any of these characters. I just want to live a fun and interesting life now that I was a multi-trillionaire with a mansion full of hot anime maids. I was going to have fun and live the life I never could before - full wish-fulfillment mode.

'Okay, Zen...let's work out some damage control.'

First off, I had no interest in being a villain. Now, I know, I know, that is a cliche in and of itself, but come on! I don't want to watch this mess of a story unfold and pretend I am the mastermind. And besides, this whole world is a cliche, one or two more from me can't hurt, right? ...I just want to live in this guy's mansion, drink his wine, relax, maybe find me a hot anime beauty, and not worry about the plot or story. Sue me.

So, secondly, how do I do that? The plan came to me quickly. I guess this guy has a genius IQ, Photographic memory, perfected reflexes, and a bunch of other shit I wasn't interested in...well I was gonna play around with the magic and dragon transformation later. That was too cool to pass up... Anyway, the plan was simple and fail-proof...and relied on another cliche: Amnesia. 

Aw, yes. The good old anime and manga fallback. I was going to "lose" my memories and "accidentally" break up the whole criminal organization I lead. I mean, if it ain't broke... Now, how was I going to do this? Let me take you through the step-by-step process.

1. Ignoring Hagiwara's blushing gaze, I let a piece of paper on my desk fall to the ground.
2. Before she, or any of the others in my fan group, could jump to pick it up, I quickly stand and move to retrieve it myself.
3. I let my foot catch on the edge of my desk leg and start falling forward.
4. I use the same paper I dropped to compensate for the trip and step on it heavily with my other foot, letting gravity and friction do the rest.
5. My forward fall turns into a backward fall as both feet are sent forward following the paper that has slid on the ground.
6. Gasps and cries can be heard all around me as my fall ends with my head hitting painfully on the corner of the desk in front of mine and black takes over my vision.

Mission Accomplished.

* | * | *

I wake up laying on a hospital bed. I look around the room seeing sterile walls and tiles, but no doctors or anyone else around. Then I look down. Laying next to me on the bed, and cuddled up close to my chest, is the sleeping form of Zeneff's step-sister, Diana Redscale.

...I mean...come on, dude... I am named Silverscale and she is named Redscale...Can you start to picture the levels of stupidity this story holds?

She is 1 year younger than me, according to our Japanese IDs anyway, and is a villainess in her own right, but so far, she has not done anything to stir up trouble. Golden drill curls line her head in a rich, ojou-sama style. She is a red dragon...her name is Redscales...and yet she has blonde hair and blue eyes...did the artist literally just copy and paste shit from other manga!?!

She stirs from her sleep and yawns cutely as she stretches before me. We lock eyes and she blushes as she removes herself from the bed.

"Who are you?" I ask quickly before she has a chance to say anything else.

Her eyes widen in shock and she opens and closes her mouth several times before blushing even deeper and saying, "I am your wife~!"

'Oi. Listen here, girly...'

I cock my head to the side in mock confusion. I immediately wish I hadn't as my head starts to throb and I rub at the bandages. The fall was perfect, with no lasting damage, but it will still be a bit annoying for a few days. I don't have to worry about acting or lying as my new body has the skills to convince a random woman on the street she is my mother. Not that I will do that...probably...I never had the chance at a real, happy family...It could be fun...No! Focus. 

"You are...my wife?" I ask in clear speculation.

She nods several times confidently. "Yes, we sleep together like this all the time, so don't mind that. I was so worried about you Zeneff!"

"My name...is Zeneff..? Why...why can't I remember anything...?" I continue the charade, rubbing my head with the palm of my hand.

Diana looks at me with clear concern and her confident smile fades. She turns her head and bites her thumbnail for several seconds, thinking and muttering to herself, before sighing.

"Hahaha...J-Just kidding! G-Got you! I'm actually your step-sister...I was really worried about you, though! You collapsed in school. They called an ambulance for you and everything..."

Good girl. 

"School? Is that where we are now?" Oh man, I am hamming this up big time.

"No! We are in the hospital. They said you would be fine...but it clearly looks like that is not the case." She sighs again and gets up from the bed. "I will go call the doctor to speak with Nii-sama. I'll be right back!"

"Ah, wait!" I yell after her as she gets to the door, "What's your name?"

She smiles sadly at me before answering, "My name is- Ugh!"

She is interrupted as the door slams open and three large Japanese men in black suits rush in yelling, "Boss!"

My poor sister is pinned behind the door and looks more than a little dazed as she slides to the ground slowly. She is a dragon though, so she will probably be fine.

"Boss!" "They said you collapsed at the school!" "Was it The Lightbringer? Is he onto you already?" They ask together at nearly the same time.

"Um..." I say looking at each of them in shock, "I don't know what you are talking about...who are you guys?"

They stare at me. I stare at them. They look at each other, then they look back at me. I stare right back at them. They look at each other again. Then look at-

"Stop!" Diana yells nasally. She holds her nose and has tears in the corner of her eyes. "It looks like he has amnesia..."

"The Boss has...amnesia?" The left guy says.

"He can't run the organization with amnesia." The right guy says.

"Hey Boss, can I take over until you get your memories back?" The middle guy asks with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"No! He will-" Diana starts, but I interrupt her.

"Sure...I don't know what is going on, but if I am in charge of a business...I don't think I am fit to lead it right now...?" I finish my thought as a question as I scratch my cheek. 

"Wait-" Diana says but is interrupted again. 

*Crack* 

A loud sound emanates throughout the room and a buzz of magical energy engulfs us all.

"Done! No take-backsies! I am the leader now boys!" The middle guy yells with a pointed finger at me.

"New Boss!" The left guy says.

"All hail the new Boss!" The right guy says.

They laugh and run out of the room, bowling over Diana in the process. Poor girl. Today is clearly not her day.

She gets up once again, one hand still holding her nose and the other now rubbing her bottom. "Urg...Nii-sama...You shouldn't have done that. You just broke all the company's contracts with you...It will be hard to get them all back...Even my contract ended...I could kill you now, you know?"

I look at her with a fake sacred face, "You...you are going to kill me!?!" I yell in mock surprise and panic.

"I..." She pauses for a second standing ramrod straight, but ultimately shakes her head and sighs as she slowly approaches the bed again. "No Nii-sama, I will not kill you...I just meant I could. You hold no power over me now..."

"I-I don't understand..." I say and put the cherry on the top with some fake crocodile tears forming in my eyes.

She gasps and is hugging me in less than a second. Literally. The sound barrier breaks as she moves so fast, her feet destroy the tiles beneath her, and several pieces of hospital furniture and equipment are thrown aside. The windows don't shatter, however. They are made from strong stuff, it would seem.

I genuinely flinch at the sudden explosive energy of the woman who wraps her arms around me. 

"Shh. It's okay Nii-sama. I don't really care about any of that evil organization nonsense. I will always be here for you and protect you. Plus, now that the contract isn't binding me anymore, I can do whatever I want-" She pauses for a beat...and a feral smile starts to grow on her face. I feel a shiver run down my back at that smile, for some strange reason.

Diana rests her head on mine and whispers in a sultry tone, "Don't worry, we will be together forever, Nii-sama. Now that I am free from the contract, I can dedicate myself to you fully. We will be together forever, and ever, and always. I will never not be by your side. We will make many, many cute hatchlings together. I will make sure to satisfy all of your worldly desires and-"

"Um...What was your name?" I interrupt, realizing now that releasing all the seals the past me had set in place might not have been such a good idea after all...

"My name is Diana Redscale, but it will soon be Diana Silverscale." She says blushing and holding her cheeks as she sways side to side looking at me with a broken smile and wide, intense eyes.

Yup. Turns out it was a bad idea.

"Um...Okay...Diana-san...can you get the doctor now, please?" 

She beams at me and says, "Of course, my love. I will be right back. Don't go anywhere~!" She ends it with a cute laugh...or at least it would be if I wasn't feeling so creeped out.

Before she leaves my embrace she takes a long, deep sniff from my neck. She then spins around and walks towards the door with a sway to her hips. Diana turns to look back at me from over her shoulder just before she leaves.

"Don't go anywhere now~! I will lock the door behind me...for your safety." The smile never leaves her face. 

I give my best fake smile, this situation is challenging even my acting skills, and she finally leaves and locks the door behind her just like she said she would.

Alone at last, I let out a huge sigh.

Okay, in hindsight, I should have looked much more deeply into of what exactly those contracts were for. I was wrong. See? I'm man enough to admit it!

But in all honesty, this is a speed bump if anything. Diana was a dragon, sure, but she was only a couple hundred years old and way, WAY weaker than me. Her saying she could kill me now is laughable at best. I am fairly sure that she is supposed to be flipped and join the protagonist's harem, so I don't really even need to worry about her crazy. It will be dumped on someone else soon enough. 

I take the few minutes of alone time I have and grab my phone. I need to do 2 things now before anything else. First, I needed to get my money sorted. To start off, I removed the organization from my bank account. I was funding the whole thing, but now that I wasn't a part of it, I was out. They would be crazy to expect me to continue footing the bill.

After doing that, I quickly set up another account at an offshore bank. Zeneff had connections, and I wasn't afraid to use them. It would take a bit of time to process, but I will slowly move all my money over to this other bank before doing the same process a couple more times. No need to leave any connections between me and this criminal organization.

Even if the hero doesn't get me, the government still might try.  

The second thing I needed was new equipment. I ordered 2 new phones, 3 new laptops, and even a high-end gaming computer - though the last was for fun and not for work. I shot a text to my head maid, Aki, telling her to expect the packages soon. I needed to see about removing any and all traces of crime from my technology and home. Anything even remotely incriminating had to go. Some of the staff knew about what I did, but wiping that part of their memories was easy enough. 

I was pleased to find out that, though I was an arrogant prick, I never abused my staff at my mansion, and they, generally, liked working for me. I did end up manipulating several of them into sleeping with me, but it was with their full consent at least. The pay was good and I didn't ask them to do all that much. This was fantastic because I needed to build a solid foundation of "Changing My Personality" due to the amnesia and they would be the first people the authorities or nosey heroes would ask. I also was relieved to remember that Diana has her own mansion and doesn't live with me. I live on my own and she actually lives with my mother, who just so happens to be the Dragon Goddess Tiamat, and my stepfather who is a strong red dragon...at least comparatively. He was weaker than both mom and me but was close enough to be in the same tier.  

We had a good relationship and, as far as I am aware, they had no idea about my evil past. I lived on my own because I was considered an adult in Dragon society and had been living alone for close to 3000 years. Don't ask how old I am...I'm old. Mom is a bit...clingy and so I tended to avoid them. I plan on fixing that now. If my new mom wanted to be clingy and pamper me, then I was all for it! As long as she didn't try to marry me off or something...

I put my phone back and returned to the same position I was in before as I heard a noise coming from the other side of the door.

"Diana...why is the door latch bent like that?" Said a males voice.

"...No idea," Diana said in a sweet and cute tone.

Right...Hospital doors don't usually lock from the outside...I sighed before composting myself in my mask of confusion.

The doorknob turned an orange color before melting away completely. I could have acted surprised, but I just pretended not to notice. I didn't want to get into a discussion of Magic. That could take all night! The door then swung open revealing a man in his late 30s with fiery orange hair and a literal fire dancing in his palm. He closed said palm and the fire went out. He had a severe, no-nonsense face and he used it to great effect as he turned to Diana beside him saying,

"I'm charging you for that."

She pouted but said nothing else.

They both moved inside the hospital room and he noticed the destroyed tiles and broken furniture

"And those." He said, his frown turning even more severe.

"Um...H-hello?" I ask, continuing the confusing act.

"Hello Mr. Silverscale, I am Dr. Hinohane. Miss Redscale here tells me you have amnesia, is that true?"

"I-I guess so? I am not really sure who I am, where I am, or how I got here. Diana told me I collapsed at school and was transported to this hospital...but I have no recollection of either of those things..."

Dr. Hinohane clicks his tongue. 

Oi! Be a professional!

"This is quite troublesome, Mr. Silverscale. Your MRI and scans all show you are perfectly fine, with just a bit of bruising. I am honestly not sure why you have amnesia, but the brain is a fickle organ. The best I can say is go home, rest, and visit us again if something hurts or if you blackout randomly."

I am pretty sure that brain injuries are supposed to be treated with much more care. He should have at least offered to let me stay overnight...But what can you expect from a phoenix? They hate dragons. I am just glad he didn't do more harm...that is probably due to my Mom's influence more than mine... 

"Oh..um...okay." I respond unsurely, "Should I just...call a cab or something...? I don't know where I live, can you give me an address?"

"Don't worry lov *Ahem* Nii-sama! I talked with mama and I am bringing you home with me until you improve or get your memories back! I will be sure to take care of you lots...and lots..." She starts off fine, minus a small slip of the tongue, but by the end, that creepy smile is back and she is practically panting and drooling. 

Fuck.

"Whatever. Pay your bill as you leave." The doctor says and turns to exit the room. Hey, dickhead! I am gonna leave you a bad review!  

"O-Okay..." I say with genuine nervousness. I may be stronger than her, but I still am bad at dealing with girls - especially clingy girls. I had zero experience with them in my past life, besides girl bullies, and this guy is a loner. 

She walks up and puts my clothes onto the bed smiling and waiting expectantly.

"Oh..right! I will go change." I say, grabbing the clothes and moving towards the bathroom.

"I don't mind." She stops me.

"Ah...isn't it improper for a guy to change in front of a girl?"

She laughs and though it sounds pretty, there are darker notes mixed in, "Nii-sama, I will be seeing that and a whole lot more real soon, it's totally okay."

"Um...I don't feel comfortable with it..." I try, feeling my options escaping me and starting to move towards the bathroom. 

She grabs my arm forcefully, but after seeing my, again quite genuine, scared look, she just smiles and lets me go. "Okay, Nii-sama. We have literally forever. No need to rush."

"Right..." I say breathlessly and rush into the bathroom. I make sure to lock the door behind me. 

Shit. Fuck. Shit fuck! This is gonna be a bit tougher than I thought. At least she will get off my back soon enough. The first chance I get, she is all yours Hikaru-san. I change out of my hospital gown and quickly put back on my school uniform. I look up at the mirror and stop in my tracks...no wonder the girls blushed...I am fucking blushing. This dude is beyond pretty boy status.

I had silvery hair down to my pale chin hanging in that messy style that takes hours and tons of products to do...only it was natural for me, I guess, as I didn't feel any products in my hair. I was slender, yet rippling with tight muscles. I lifted my shirt again and gasped at my abs. I had abs! Like, a lot of them! This is an 8-pack, isn't it? Then it hit me...the most important thing... I didn't look while I was changing and I felt my cheeks burning as I took a deep breath and pulled forward my pants. Fuck...Dragon indeed. I let my pants return to their original shape and looked up at myself again in the mirror. The last thing, and possibly the most striking thing, was my blood-red eyes. Just looking at them gave me a bad boy - will ruin your innocence - vibe.

Great. I am a fucking edgelord dragon. Seriously? Silver hair, pale skin, red eyes? Am I an albino dragon?

I heard some heavy breathing to my side and jumped as I looked at the door. Still closed and locked. Okay...no big deal, I guess.

"N-Nii-sama, are you almost done?" The voice of Diana comes from outside the door.

"Yes, I am just finishing up Diana," I answer, taking a deep breath and blowing it out my nose. I got this. No problem. I was an immortal and unstoppable dragon. I can handle the affection of a 17-year-old girl....well, a several hundred centuries-year-old dragon pretending to be a 17-year-old girl.

I open the door and am greeted by the blushing face of Diana standing a few feet from the door covering her cheeks with her hands and swaying left and right again. She...she didn't see, right? I mean, I know I have x-ray vision type magic, but I doubt she does too. My memories don't seem to have much information on her magic capabilities. Oh well...

"Thanks, for waiting. I think I am ready, I just need to grab my pho..." I trail off looking at the slimy mess that is my phone on the bedside table. I look at the phone, look at Diana, then back at my phone.

"D-Diana...why is my phone all...w-wet?" I ask, trying to keep the panic down.

"Huh...that is weird. I am not sure, I have been here the whole time." She blatantly lies to me. We both know what happened here...but no...I guess that the amnesia version of me doesn't...fuck. I pick my phone up by an edge and clean it off on the bed sheets before pocketing it. I have to rearrange my face to make sure nothing appears to be wrong.

I turn, using all of this body's acting skills, and face my step-sister. I nearly jump out of my skin as I realize she had walked up right behind me.

"S-Shall we go?" I ask, my voice cracking a bit.

"Yes. It's time to go home. Momma and daddy are worried about you and I can't wait to nurse you back to full health." She says, her pupils dilated and the creepy smile back in place.

I...I am gonna be fine, right?