“I’m a Top-Tier Villain, But If You Guys Insist, I Don’t Mind Becoming a Hero!” Episode 1 [Creative Award 2024 Manga Original Work Category Entry]

Synopsis
Jinrai is a young, top-tier villain who has made a name for himself across the vast galaxy at a young age. Jinrai. Clad in a jet-black powered suit, he has brought down numerous fortified space fortresses and defeated countless hardy races. The destination for the new mission assigned to this villain is the third planet of the solar system,
Earth. When he visits this planet, which was thought to be nothing more than a frontier world in the vast galaxy, the young man's strange fate begins to unfold... A bizarre, unconventional new hero is born here!

Main Story
1
“Hmm... so that’s Earth...” A large spaceship moves slowly through the dark space. A man, looking at Earth projected on the screen that covers the entire wall of the captain's cabin, mutters to himself. He skillfully operates the terminal in his hand. “...Earth, the third planet of the solar system. It is believed to have formed almost simultaneously with the birth of the solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago. Diameter: 12,756 kilometers. 70% of the surface is covered by ocean. The atmosphere consists of 77% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. It is estimated that there are approximately 8.7 million species of life forms...” Turning off the mechanical voice from the terminal, the man mutters again. “They said environmental destruction was serious... but that blueness... it doesn't look that bad...” The man operates the terminal again, and a bathtub emerges from the floor of the room. The man is already completely naked. He is not exactly muscular, but he has a well-toned physique. “Temperature, 38°C. Maintaining optimal temperature...” As the mechanical voice plays again, the man smiles with satisfaction. Although he retains a slight innocence, he has a very handsome, masculine face. As his smile suggests, he exudes a bold and fearless atmosphere. While running his hand through his black hair, which is neither too long nor too short, the man slowly immerses his body in the bathtub. Both his body and face look almost identical to the humans of Earth. “~~♪” The man nods. The water temperature seems to be just right. Earth is still projected large on the wall. “...It’s truly exceptional to bathe while gazing at the planet that will soon be mine...” The man is bathing in a way that faces Earth. “However... is this planet really worth me coming all the way out here? Even though I’ve approached this far, they haven’t sent any communications to beg for mercy, let alone shown any signs of intercepting me... Could it be that they can’t even properly set up a single surveillance satellite?” The man laughs with a sense of disbelief and shakes his head from side to side. “Isn’t this truly a

planet inhabited by frontier barbarians.

Father-in-law... Emperor, what on earth were you thinking when you sent me here... I see.” The man nods as if convinced. “It’s a gesture of consideration for me to rest my body slowly; I am truly grateful...” The man leans his back against the bathtub, looks up at the ceiling of the room, and mutters. “I might as well conquer a planet like this quickly and take advantage of His Majesty’s consideration...!” The sliding door of the room opens, and several armed soldiers stomp in. “What is it? If you have a report, use the communication system. You know that I hate nothing more than having my bath time interrupted, don’t you?” “...” “What!?” One of the soldiers raises his right hand, and the soldiers begin to fire their guns. The man immediately jumps out of the bathtub and hides behind it. “Ugh!? You!” “!?” The man lifts the bathtub, which is more than twice his size, and throws it at the soldiers. “Whoa!?” “W-what strength... even though he isn’t wearing his suit!?” “Don’t flinch!” As the bathtub breaks, hot water flows out, and smoke rises, the man grabs his black suit that had been carelessly discarded on his desk. “Don’t let him put on the suit! Shoot!” “Damn it!” The soldiers, having regained their composure from the momentary confusion, resume firing. The man rushes out of the room, naked, while holding his suit. “Chase him, chase him!” “W-what is the meaning of this! Huh!?” The man running naked through the corridor confirms that his adjutant is standing there. “Amaza! It’s a rebellion! Suppress it immediately!” “...” The one called

Amaza

, who appears to be of a different race with a face like an octopus, remains silent. “Why are you silent!?” “

Jinrai

-sama... clad in a jet-black powered suit, having brought down numerous fortified space fortresses and defeated countless hardy races... a top-tier

villain who has made a name for himself across the galaxy at a young age...” “What!? Even if you flatter me suddenly, I can only offer you a raise

!” “A-a raise...?” Amaza gulps. “Suppress the rebellion! Pointing a gun at me is the same as treason against the Emperor!” “...Unfortunately, I will be submitting a report to the Emperor in a different form.” “What!?” “That

Jinrai-sama met a glorious death after being ambushed by barbarians on a frontier planet

...” “What!? !?” The man called Jinrai looks incredulous. Then, soldiers crowd the front and back of the corridor and aim their guns. Amaza steps back and tells the soldiers. “Shoot...” “Damn it!” Jinrai slams his hand against a dirty part of the corridor wall. The wall slides to the side, and Jinrai jumps inside. Amaza is surprised. “W-what!? T-that is a spare emergency escape pod! I thought he was just running blindly, but he had it all figured out! What a cunning guy!” The wall returns to its original position. The soldiers fire at the wall. Jinrai, holed up in the pod, clicks his tongue and gathers his thoughts. (Damn! The whole ship is the enemy! I thought a mission to such a frontier was strange, but it was a setup from the beginning! It’s probably the scheme of someone who envied my position! Whose doing is it... N-no!

I have too many suspects!

!?) A hole is about to open in the pod door. At this rate, he will be riddled with bullets. (If I could wear the suit! These small fries would be...! ...W-what’s wrong!? I can’t wear the suit! Is it broken at a time like this!?) The shooting continues. Jinrai activates the pod and detaches it from the spaceship. (If I escape to the edge of the solar system, that guy’s ship should be sailing there too! I’ll regroup there and wipe out the rebels all at once! Just you wait!) Jinrai checks the monitor but tilts his head. “I-it’s too old-fashioned, I don’t know how to operate it in detail! How do I set the course!? Is it this!?” “...” “Ugh, respond to something!” “...Response detected.” The mechanical voice plays. Jinrai smiles. “Voice recognition!? A-alright! I’ll tell you the course!” “Strong energy response detected. Heading there at full speed...” “Huh!? W-what are you deciding on your own! Whoa!?” The pod suddenly starts moving at increased speed. “Cruising speed can be increased further...” “W-where are you planning to go!?” “North latitude 41 degrees, East longitude 140 degrees...” “W-what coordinates are those!?” “Earth,

Hakodate City, Hokkaido, Japan...

” “Huh!? Earth!?” In a short time from there, the pod landed on Earth. It was almost like a crash landing. Due to the impact of the fall, Jinrai was thrown out of the pod. “Ugh... w-where is this?” When Jinrai stands up and looks up, a naked woman is standing there. The woman screams. “Eek, eekkkk!? Pervert!” “Whoa!?” Jinrai is slapped hard on the cheek, loses consciousness, and collapses. “Hmm...” “Oh, you’ve woken up.” “?” “Dinner is just ready, why don’t we sit around the table?” “...” Jinrai, while remaining vigilant, slowly stands up and moves to the adjacent room. An elderly man with white hair, a thick beard, and a worn-out lab coat who looks gentle, and a girl with long black hair and glasses are sitting around a round wooden table. While watching the scene, Jinrai realizes that he is not completely naked and pinches and pulls the clothes he is wearing. “Oh, that black one is a jersey, it’s my old one though. Oh, the underwear is brand new.” “Why do I have to go buy that...” The girl mutters unhappily. Jinrai looks at the dishes lined up on the table and thinks. (They are wearing proper clothes, the food is well-cooked, and it’s served on dishes... The level of civilization and culture doesn’t seem as barbaric as I thought...) “? What’s wrong, why don’t you sit down?” “...” Jinrai sits down heavily between the two. He stares at the food. “Let’s eat, itadakimasu.” “Itadakimasu...” The two start eating. Jinrai narrows his eyes. (I thought they might have poisoned it, but it doesn’t seem so... However, they aren’t even restraining me... I don’t understand their goal...!) Jinrai’s stomach growls loudly. The man laughs. “Hahaha, is that something universal to all nations, or rather, all planets? Don’t be shy, eat up.” “Hmph...” Jinrai, imitating the two, skillfully uses chopsticks and brings the food to his mouth. (If it were poison, I have some resistance from the Jomir planet incident... Now is the time to replenish nutrients and use my head... Hmm?) “It’s delicious...” “Of course it is, I made it.” The girl puffs out her chest at Jinrai’s words. “Keep eating, I have a lot of things I want to ask you.” “Wait, Grandpa, are you really not going to turn him over to the police?” “? He hasn’t done anything wrong, has he?” “He peeked at me in the bath!” “That was like an accident, wasn’t it?” “Not like an accident, it was an accident! The house was destroyed, you know!? That’s even more reason for it to be a police matter!” Jinrai thinks while listening to their exchange. (So a police organization exists... Then why not report it? Do they intend to interrogate me personally? However, there doesn’t seem to be any poison or paralyzing drugs in the food... What do they intend to do if I go on a rampage? Furthermore, it’s strange that...) Jinrai puts his hand on his chin. (Why can I understand what these guys are saying? Regarding language, I’ve had every language drilled into me since childhood through sleep learning, but I don’t remember learning Earth’s language...) “Well, anyway, let’s eat, you too... oh, you’ve already finished, that’s fast...” “...It was quite a taste. You have good skills.” “Y-you... I don’t like that you’re looking down on me, but... thanks.” The girl bows slightly. The man, having finished his meal, asks Jinrai. “...Then, may I have a moment?” “...Is this an interrogation?” “N-no, no, it’s nothing so grand. It’s just to have a chat.” “I can exercise my right to remain silent, right?” “W-well, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.” “I see...” “First, what is your name?” “...” “Silent right away!?” The girl is surprised. The man laughs and scratches the back of his head. “Ah, it was polite to introduce myself first. I am

Daijiro Hayate

. I’m a scientist.” “A scientist...” “A mediocre third-rate one, though.” “I suppose so, I can tell that much just by looking at your clothes.” “Hey!

Grandpa is top-tier!

” The girl slams both hands on the table in anger. Daijiro calms her down. “Well, well, this is my granddaughter,

Mai Hayate
. She’s a second-year high school student.” “Hmph...” “W-what...” Jinrai looks at Mai again and mutters. “You’re quite a beauty.” “What!? Y-you won’t get anything even if you flatter me!” “That’s not my intention. I’m speaking from the heart.” Jinrai tells her without looking away from Mai. She has distinct features. Her strong-willed gaze left an impression on Jinrai. “Hahaha, although it’s me, her grandfather, saying it, I agree. I’m glad she didn’t take after me or my son. According to what I hear, she’s quite popular at school too.” “G-Grandpa! T-that’s enough talk about that now!” “Indeed... then, would you tell me your name?” Jinrai stands up slowly and shouts. “Clad in a jet-black powered suit, having brought down numerous fortified space fortresses and defeated countless hardy races, Captain of the 13th Fleet Special Independent Unit of the Doitar Empire, the ‘Top-Tier Villain’, Jinrai is who I am!
” ““...”” “W-what, what is that lukewarm reaction!?” “You’re about the same age as me, right? Can’t you graduate from that kind of thing? We’re at the age where everyone is thinking about their future path, you know?” “What... you, don’t tell me you don’t believe me!?” “Even if a guy in a jersey says he’s a special unit captain of some empire...” “T-this is something you guys made me wear!” “Well, well, calm down, Jinrai-kun. I believe you. So sit down.” “H-hmph, unlike your granddaughter, you’re somewhat wise, as expected of an old man.” “Don’t call me an old man!” “An old man is an old man, isn’t he!” “Well, I’ve taken the liberty of analyzing the pod you arrived in...” “Analyzing? Can you do that?” “To some extent, yes... I can tell you came from space just by looking at that pod.” “...” “What, why are you suddenly silent?” “...For example, can you repair it?” “Repair... then can I analyze it in more detail?” “I don’t mind, do as you please.” “Thank you! Man, touching unknown technology is the greatest joy for a scientist!” Jinrai smiles faintly at Daijiro’s answer. (The universe is vast, but scientists are the same everywhere... I’ll make the most of him.) “Once that’s decided, I’m going to the lab!” “W-wait, Grandpa! What are you going to do with this guy!?” “Mai, lend me your ear...” Daijiro whispers to Mai. “...!? No way, really!?” “It’s just a guess for now, but leave that part to me.” “W-wait... it can’t be helped.” “?” “U-um, Jinrai, was it?” “Y-you’re calling me by my name without honorifics!? Me, whose name is known across the galaxy...!” “Yeah, yeah, that’s enough of that. Let’s go for a walk after dinner.” Jinrai and Mai go outside the house. Jinrai is suspicious. (If they let me out, what do they intend to do if I run away...?) “You’re in trouble if that pod? doesn’t get fixed, right? So you shouldn’t be running away.” “What!? Y-you, are you a race that can read minds!?” “I can tell what you’re thinking, more or less.” “Hmm...” “Well, I’d be happy if you just ran away quickly... I don’t want any more trouble.” Mai sits on a strange box in the garden and mutters with a sigh. “Trouble?” “There’s a lot of stuff...” Jinrai looks at the house again. A large sign catches his eye. “
NSP Research Institute”? It doesn’t look like a research facility at all...” “We don’t have the money to prepare new land... that’s why it’s a home-cum-laboratory.” Jinrai laughs through his nose at Mai’s answer. “Hmph, so it’s not much of a research project.” “That’s not true!” Mai stands up and shouts. Jinrai is bewildered. “W-what...” “The research Grandpa is doing is important enough to sway the future of this Earth!” “I really can’t believe that...!?” Suddenly, an explosion echoes. Jinrai senses a presence, and when he looks in that direction, people clad in flashy rainbow-colored tights jump into the garden. “They’re here!” “W-what are these guys!?” “They’re combatants of the evil secret society
Repole that aims to conquer the world! They always come to the garden and rampage as they please, targeting NSP! It’s an everyday occurrence!” “Secret societies come to your garden on a daily basis!?

” Jinrai is surprised.

Episode 2↓

Episode 3↓