Being a Villain is My True Calling

Thud thud thud!

“Didn’t I tell you to throw out the trash when it’s full?”

“Uu, uuh…”

“……”

The trash clumped together in midair and was sucked into a plastic bag Astra had pre-levitated.

“Comics and game consoles go back in their proper places! Clean up after yourself! Others won’t do it for you!”

“Heeng…”

“……”

The scattered comics on the floor floated up and slotted themselves back onto the bookshelf, while the game consoles drifted towards a charging station in the corner to recharge their batteries.

“And the blankets! I told you not washing them would breed dust mites, didn’t I!”

“I, I did wash them…”

“Then why didn’t you? And what about the clothes?!”

“Huh, huaaah…! Si, sis, my underwear!!”

As the numerous clothes on the floor rose into the air, the Instructor’s face reddened as she jumped in surprise.
Upon closer inspection, her colorfully patterned underwear was floating up as well.

“Maker!”

“Yes, Ms. Astra. I’ve already closed my eyes.”

Demonstrating that I had even created a blindfold to cover my face, Astra resumed scolding the Instructor.

“You’re a girl…! How can you be so defenseless, even indoors!”

“Bu, but… no one comes to see me except during staff training…”

“Did you forget I assigned you a mission today?”

“I’m so sorry…”

And so, Astra continued her scolding for quite a while.

“I can’t live like this!”

Swish! Wheek!

Ding- Washing in progress-

Thump, thwack! Thwumpthwump!

Even as she scolded the Instructor, Astra didn’t stop cleaning the room.

‘…What is this?’

A hikikomori daughter and her mother?
For some reason, Astra’s scolding reminded me of a mother’s nagging.

‘Of course, I never had a mother.’

But if I did, perhaps this is what it would feel like.

“…Understand? This is absolutely the last time I’m cleaning up for you!”

“Yes, yes…”

After about 10 minutes, when I removed my blindfold, the room looked completely different from before.
It was so immaculately clean that it seemed to be glowing.

“You’re quite skilled at cleaning.”

“Just this once, this once! The Instructor is so lazy, it’s frustrating!”

It doesn’t seem like just this once…
After briefly watching her turn her head away in embarrassment, I shifted the conversation to the mission.

“So, is this the Instructor?”

“…Yes, despite her appearance, she is an executive in charge of training the organization’s members.”

“Oh, hello…!!”

Upon noticing Astra’s gaze, the Instructor abruptly stood up to greet her.
However, perhaps due to sitting for too long, her legs seemed numb, causing her body to tilt as she nearly fell over.

“Geez.”

Letting out a familiar sigh, Astra used her telekinesis to catch her.

“…You certainly have a bright personality.”

Not a 90-degree bow, more like a 180-degree one…

“Ahaha… You, you must be Mr. Maker? Ni, nice to meet you…!”

“The honor is mine to meet you, Instructor.”

The Instructor giggled at my words.

“……”

After observing her, I turned my gaze towards Astra.
Astra, is this right?
You want me to go on a mission with her?

“……”

She averted her eyes, turning her head away.

On the way back after greeting the Instructor, an awkward atmosphere lingered, prompting me to speak up.

“Did you intend for me to act as the Instructor’s guardian?”

“…Guardian? She’s already twenty-three years old.”

“Then what is it?”

“…An assistant?”

“A guardian, then.”

Certainly, her clumsy demeanor seemed concerning.
As if she might make a mistake and fail the mission.

“Knowledge sharing would have been perfect for this mission.”

Knowledge sharing.
The Instructor’s ability to store all information in her mind and transfer it to others – a very simple power.

Since she has perfect memory as a passive ability, if she could just retrieve the information, she could memorize it and escape, ensuring mission success.

“Haah… While the Instructor’s ability is indeed well-suited for this mission, the mission itself is a bit difficult for her to handle alone.”

To summarize Astra’s words:
The research data we’re targeting has been converted into digital form and encrypted.

While the Instructor can decrypt it, she needs time without interruptions.
‘Moreover, we must prevent the researchers from self-destructing and deleting the data.’

“Certainly, it does seem difficult for her to handle alone.”

“Exactly? It’s not that I don’t trust the Instructor, it’s just that you’re the most suitable for dealing with variables, with your ability and all!”

‘You don’t trust the Instructor.’

Even I, who knows the original version of her, started to lose faith after briefly witnessing her demeanor. Astra, who has lived with her for years, must have felt it even more.

“Well, I understand. I was already aware that I was brought in as a precautionary measure.”

“Th, that’s right? It’s just so the mission goes smoothly!”

“Yes, I understand. Though it’s a bit unfortunate to be forcibly assigned this mission.”

“……”

Why, it’s true, isn’t it?
Even so, doesn’t mentioning the mandatory mission make your conscience prick a little?

I don’t mind the mission itself, but when you think about it, you assigned me to essentially babysit someone, didn’t you?

Not to mention, you introduced her as a fellow executive but don’t even trust her.

‘This is practically fraud.’

Of course, I’m not angry or anything.
It’s just that I feel like I can exploit this to extract something from Astra.

‘If she really is the original Instructor, dealing with the villain organization, at best B+ rank, or any dispatched heroes would be child’s play.’

Her clumsiness is concerning, but I should be able to manage if I look after her…
I can’t pass up the opportunity to restore the President (= get promoted and live safely), just because of an incompetent teammate.

As I smiled at her, she seemed to understand my implication and lowered her head, seemingly pricked by guilt.

“Ah… come to think of it, wasn’t it stated that mandatory missions don’t come with any rewards?”

“……”

“Well, as someone who has received favors from Eclipse and with the responsibilities of an executive, I must naturally accept any orders from you, Ms. Astra.”

“……”

“I’m sure your intention was to increase the chances of mission success.”

The more I smiled and spoke, the more Astra’s emerald eyes trembled intensely.

Ah~ My heart aches~

‘Perhaps offering a reward would soothe this wounded heart~’

As she came to an abrupt stop and observed me for a moment…

“Haah… what do you want?”

Rather than acting strangely, she let out a deep sigh and demanded an answer from me.

“It’s nothing major. I was just thinking of slowly building my own team.”

“…You want to form your own squad?”

“Exactly. I can’t keep borrowing other executives’ squads whenever I need to be active.”

While I know many strong individuals from the original story’s knowledge, I can’t just take them as I please.

As long as their identities haven’t been verified, they’re fair game.
But if I were to bring in villains from opposing factions or independent operatives without proper permission, I couldn’t complain about being treated as a spy.

“Where would you recruit organization members from? They already belong to their respective divisions.”

“I’ll pick up some raw gems from outside.”

Astra rested her chin on her hand in contemplation.
After a brief moment…

“…Would you take responsibility if any of them turn out to be spies?”

A warning that there would be serious consequences if I brought in any spies, no matter where from.
It was her way of granting permission.

Upon hearing her words, a smile formed on my face.

“That goes without saying.”

Just one month into my life as a villain executive, I had been officially permitted to form my own team.

The next day.

Before carrying out the operation, the Instructor and I gathered in Astra’s office to receive the mission briefing.

“Um, by the way, are our outfits okay…?”

“Outfits?”

In response to Astra’s questioning tone, the Instructor silently lowered her head, looking at her own attire.

Overall, her form-fitting outfit seemed to prioritize speed, with metal armor covering her shoulders, arms, and legs.
Combined with her exposed cleavage, her ensemble left little to the imagination, quite provocative.

Perhaps conscious of my presence, she briefly glanced my way and tried to cover her chest as much as possible.

“Ah, anyway, our goal is to, to steal information… so wouldn’t it be better to be less conspicuous… or so I thought…”

“While our main goal is the research data, there’s something more important.”

“Wh, what is it…?”

“The complete elimination of everyone privy to information about the research.”

I nodded at her words.

‘We must monopolize the information.’

If other villains or heroes were to obtain this information and succeed in developing and mass-producing a treatment, even if the President regained her prime power, it could become troublesome.

In the worst case, they might destroy each other before the final boss even appears.

Therefore, whether we find the information or not, the researchers are fundamentally targets for elimination.

“So there’s no need for stealth, really.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Since the enemy also has forces, it’s better to be prepared for combat at any time.”

“Yes…!”

The Instructor nodded at my words.
With a determined expression, she answered confidently and smiled in satisfaction.

“Then, let me explain the operation.”

Astra used her ability to hand us the documents.

“I’ll only explain once, so listen carefully.”

With a serious expression, Astra signaled the start of the mission.