I Will Live as a Villain the Magical Girl Is Obsessed With

15 – 6. Main Story, start

Noah blinked hard. The man’s expression was so surprised, it was unlike anything she had seen before. What do you call this situation?

Yes.

A mouse in front of a cat.

Noah felt like a mouse, waiting to be eaten. The predator was the man standing there, with his sly smile, in a manner she had never seen before.

“…Did you write that because you wanted to kiss someone?”

Her heart trembled at his question.

‘Why is he asking that question?’

Noah’s eyes were shaking rapidly.

“That…that…it’s someone I know.”

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm…”

He stared at her for a few minutes, making her wonder.

‘Could he know?’

Did he know everything from the beginning? Who I was thinking about when I wrote that?

‘…Did it show on my face?’

Noah had always been confident about her poker face.

She had a nickname amongst her half-friends.

Snow girl. It was given to her because of her snow-white hair, and her icy, cold demeanor.

She didn’t expose her emotions to anyone and she didn’t want to either. She didn’t want people to pity her.

Therefore, she was more confident about hiding her feelings than anyone else.

“So who is it?”

“Pardon?”

“Who was it? The person you were thinking about while writing. Looks like you like them quite a bit.”

Upon hearing his question, Noah’s face turned an unnatural shade of red.

It turned so red, one could worry it might catch fire.

‘Like him?’

Did I…like that man?

“…Um…”

“That’s okay. It’s only natural to have feelings for someone. Especially someone your age.”

Upon hearing these words… and seeing his understanding face… Noah finally accepted it.

She realized that the man had known everything all along.

From then on, she was busy finding excuses. What should she say?

Should she call him a perverted old man as usual? Or should she dodge and run away? Many thoughts and ideas crossed her mind but all of them ended up being useless.

Swish.

Seeing the man stretch his hand towards her, Noah froze.

‘Huh…?’

He was stretching his hand towards her. His smiling face now had a serious expression. A dreadful thought crossed her mind.

Her wishlist, especially the very last item on the list.

[Kiss like the lead character of a romance novel.]

Why did she have to think about it now? A scene from a manga she used to read often passed by in her mind.

The female lead closing her eyes gently, and the male lead touching her cheek to kiss her. Like petals overlapping, their lips-

‘…!!!’

No way!

Right here!

Am I going to have my first ever kiss of my life?

Was it because of his strange aura, or her silly imagination?

She should have gotten up and walked away under normal circumstances.

But she didn’t want to move.

The warmth bubbling within her heart was telling her it would be okay if it were with this man.”I don’t know,” Noah muttered, her heart pounding as she gently closed her eyes.

The sound of footsteps approaching.

She felt the man’s hand slowly ascend along her hair strands. Much like the strokes of well-rendered handwriting, she felt the vivid touch of his hand.

And that touch finally reached her hair ends.

“Little Noah is all grown up now!”

Soon, the man’s voice laced in laughter was accompanied by a gentle pat on her head.

“You even have a boy you like now.”

“…”

“Who is he? Huh? Is he someone I know… Ah, I guess. I wouldn’t know your friends.”

“… Ah.”

Of course, what could she expect?

The man is an old-fashioned pervert. And she didn’t really know either. Whether she liked him or not.

If she liked him as a friend.

Or if she really…

‘Stop… stop these strange thoughts!’

Noah shook her head and looked at the man.

With his usual face, the man continued his speech as usual.

“I don’t know who you’re thinking of… hmm… at least he’s not a weird person.”

“Don’t think about weird people?”

“Yeah, don’t. It makes life difficult.”

“… Then, I failed already.”

She felt a release, much like letting out the fizz in an opened bottle of sparkling water.

What were her expectations? Wasn’t he always like this?

… Oblivious.

“Ah…”

“Why the sudden sigh?”

“Just… I suddenly feel stupid.”

Noah exhaled and continued doing the dishes. She quickly finished and went to prepare herself to leave.

“Already leaving?”

Shinhyun looked at Noah.

“Yes. There’s nothing more to do, and I’ve eaten. Please get some rest, sir.”

“Okay. I should rest a bit. I am also tired.”

Was it just her feeling?

Even though she was a bit disappointed just then, somehow, she felt reluctant to leave.

‘Must be going crazy. Let’s hunt monsters to relieve some stress.’

The best way in such times was to move the body.

As Noah was about to open the door to leave.

“Noah.”

She heard the man call her.

He had moved closer and was holding out his hand.

It was a fruit-flavored candy.

“Take it.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

“It will help when you’re struggling. Cheer up today.”

“…”

“Take care. Don’t lose to some weird villain. It’s filled with strawberry flavor which I like especially.”

Then he continued to pat her head for a moment. His tired smile faded away, and giving her shoulder a light tap, he went back inside.

“Ah…”

The door closed, and Noah could only stare at it.

She had wanted to move to cool down her warm head, but that seemed impossible now.

“Ahhhhh…”

The world inside her head was dyed a pink hue now.

Something of a greater magnitude was needed to cool it down. Something to provide a greater stimulation.

“…Yes.”

She recalls there was someone.

Someone who could provide a bigger stimulation.

“Ggwegwe.”

“Gwe… It was tough hiding. Gwee… Why so?”

“Starting from today for one week, we’ll be on a monster hunting expedition.”

“Gwee!? All of a sudden!?”

“Yes. If I don’t smash that guy, this melancholic feeling won’t go away.”

+++++

Right after Noah left and laid herself down on the bed, a message from Ggomul arrived.

“Mr. Shinhyun.”

“What?”

“You’re not playing with Ms. Noah, are you?”

“…I was thinking of having some fun.”

“You’re a bad man, Mr. Shinhyun.”

“I am more like garbage than bad.”

He gave a bitter smile.

Ggomul must have seen him as a bad guy playing with Noah. But he wanted to retort a bit.

“…Hey, Ggomul.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t Noah seem slightly sincere just now?”

“Yes. She would have said nothing even if you had kissed her then. More than that, I’m surprised you noticed.”

“I am not an idiot. I would notice something like that.”

He had substantial social life experience.As someone with experience, I have a decent sense of judgement. It wasn’t hard to read Noah’s feelings.

She clearly wanted a kiss.

A kiss, with no one else but me. I knew it by looking at her.

When she wrote that list, I became aware of who she was thinking about.

“…It’s probably me.”

I felt a bit sorry for her. Was she so lonely that she was giving herself to a man she only knew for a few weeks?

Anyway, it was really dangerous.

“Phew… If I had known it was like that, I wouldn’t have teased her.”

Even the slightest mistake could have led to:

‘…Actually doing it.’

I thought back on Noah’s image just now.

Eyes tightly closed, tremulous eyebrows. Red cheeks flushed with excitement. Though her face was plain, her lips were like cherries, and her skin was as white as ivory.

Combined with the naivety and slight clumsiness typical of a young girl experiencing her first love.

In the instant I was about to grab Noah’s head to kiss her, I gathered my senses and smoothed it out with a stroke.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

There are many reasons.

We don’t know each other well yet, and I’m not ready to be responsible for her. The fact that she was currently a middle school student certainly played a big factor.

But above all.

“…I’m a villain.”

At any time, Noah might discover the truth. What would she think then?

What if her first love was actually a villain who sought to kill her?

“It could potentially be quite devastating.”

“But Shinhyun, you did it for Noah’s sake.”

“People’s feelings are unpredictable. Besides…”

I swallowed the words which almost left my mouth.

Just like her righteous father, Noah earnestly believes in justice.

This is also the reason why Noah didn’t have any friends. She ended up becoming a victim herself when she tried to help someone who was being bullied at school.

Despite everything, she still helped the victim. That’s how much Noah cherishes justice.

So think about it. Let’s assume we did become a couple. If Noah learned that I was a villain one day.

‘She might ponder fiercely on it.’

Will she follow her father’s justice or her love for me?

Knowing how fragile Noah’s mental state is, it’s a risky future for me.

Shinhyun, who is seemingly kind, albeit strange.

Suffering once from the feverish passion of her childhood.

This amount of distance is just fine.

It cannot be helped. I don’t know how to manipulate someone’s emotions, and I don’t want to.

I’ll just go along with Noah’s decision.

Just as I was thinking this, I felt the gaze of a little one. He seemed to have something to say.

“Why?”

“But didn’t you say you were trying to charm Noah?”

“I didn’t have such intentions.”

“Ah~ Do people not do such things regularly?”

“I only did it because she seemed like a little sister…”

“Normally, it starts that way. A girl like a little sister becomes a girlfriend, and then a wife.”

No, no, no.

“That’s way too much.”

“Let’s wait and see how it turns out.”

“What will?”

“You never know, Noah might make the first move someday.”

Hey, Noah herself…

“…I don’t…

”Didn’t you say it?”

“What did I say?”

“That you don’t know what’s in a person’s heart.”

“Uh…Uh…” I stuttered. For such a future to exist.

“…I don’t know. I’ll let my future self figure that out.”

“Are you avoiding it?”

“You should sleep now. We have to go villain hunting at dawn tomorrow.”

“…Tch.”

“Don’t click your tongue. It sets a bad habit.”

“It seems Noah is right.”

“What again?”

“Good night, grumpy Shinhyun.”

…These kids.

I held back the words I wanted to say and closed my eyes.

I really cannot understand the minds of these youngsters these days.

++++

Reporter Jang-hyun sighed.

“Oh God… Where on earth could they be hiding…”

He was at a loss, searching for his news material. At dawn, when everyone was asleep, in a dark back alley.

What he was looking for was.

“The Kraken…”Her name is strange, but certain. She’s the one who’s been roaming around here. If we can find her…”

She was a villain known as Krakon. These days, she’s been destroying all the other villains around here.

People always want new stimuli. A villain who is smashing other villains. It’s cool, like an anti-hero from a comic.

It’s clear. If we could get her, it’ll be a hit.

With that in mind, Janghyun cautiously wandered the back alley.

The smile on his face came a little later.

“…Are you picking another fight after just a week?”

“Absolutely! I’ve powered up massively in just a week!”

“A mere week, just a momentary passing of time to us mortal souls.”

“Your speak is so cringe-worthy, seriously! Enough, bring it on! Let’s see you squirm.”

“…”

“Revenge is the best!”

Janghyun held down the camera shutter and took notes.

This is amazing.

‘The currently rising villain…and that over there is Iris, the magical girl who recently emerged!’

After a long argument, they began to fight.

Tentacles whirling around and fists blocking them.

Their glamorous tit-for-tat battle colored the early morning sky.

‘Awesome…’

Monopolies always tend to get boring. After all, one person consuming everything can get tiresome.

But when two people became rivals and gained popularity. Like Messi and Ronaldo, people argue about who is better and fuel the fire.

People naturally gather at such places.

After all, people are more interested in a fire in someone else’s house than a small bonfire of their own.

“…The title of this article will be…”

[New Villain Kraken! Clashes with Magical Girl Iris! Who are they?]

“This is going to be a hit!”

It was the beginning of the rivalry that would heat up the world.

+++++

“Oh, I feel like dying…”

I laid my tired body on a bench. It was exhausting.

At the age of twenty-two, the early morning is far too harsh.

‘Haaa…’

‘Are you dying?’

‘Shin Hyun is the same, isn’t he?’

‘Well, yes…’

I had a conversation with my kneaded self, sprawled out on the bench.

‘It’s been a year since I started doing this.’

‘But the results are definite, right?’

‘That’s right. The problem is I’m dying.’

I turned on my cell phone and connected to the website.

The article with the most clicks, the headline read:

[S-Class Villain Kraken Once Again Collides with Iris. Despite the Police’s Intervention, The Battle Continues.]

‘S-Class villain. That’s the very part that caught my eye.

‘It took a year to reach S-Class. Part-timer has made it big, hasn’t she? Although she’s still part-time.’

‘Is this a good thing?’

‘It’s excellent. As long as we’re reducing collateral damage.’

It’s only a slight nuisance, at worst. Although she’s pretty clean for a villain, her habit of setting up anywhere lead her to become S-Class unexpectedly.

Time really flew by.

Lying on the bench, exhausted, I reflect on the past.

Especially times spent with Noah.

Looking back, it has been a joyous, yet tough, year.

Spring.

“Noah, are you going back to school from now on?”

“Yes…I’m so tired…”

“Okay! Cheer up! I’ll give you a Bacchus drink.”

“Bacchus…? Ugh…my stomach…”

“…Pranking you, aren’t they?”

“Why are those idiots spreading stuff like that with spam…?”

“Who knows. Anyway…cheer up.”

“Ugggh… I wish all of this would just fade away from my memory…”

“Ba-“

“Ah! Stop! The world… the world is too scary…”

Summer.

“…I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Mister, are you okay?”

“I’m melting… It’s too hot… Hot even when I’m just sitting still…”

“…Let’s have some cold noodles. I’ll make them for you.”

“…Noah, you’re the best…”

“Stop.… Stop clinging! You’re making me feel hot!”

“Ugh…”

“This mister… he’s getting weird from the heat!”Autumn.

“Noah.”

“Yes?”

“Do you seem to have gained some weight recently?”

“…!?”

“It’s known as the season of high sky and fat horse. The sky is high and horses are gaining weight. But you’re not a horse, right? Why do you seem to have gained weight?”

“…This is all… because of you, sir! Every single day… By making me eat so much delicious food!”

“And what if your transformation outfit doesn’t fit?”

“Ah! I’m going to go on a diet!”

Winter.

“…Hello, sir…”

“Noah, you came… Do you have a cold?”

“Yes…”

“Let me see… Hmm, your fever is quite high.”

“Ah… sir…! Why are you touching my forehead…!”

“It’s natural to check the temperature.”

“Well… still…”

“Do I get to pat your head but not do this?”

“That… is…”

“Alright child, wait here. I will prepare some medicine and honey water for you.”

“…Thank you.”

“Do you want to build a snowman together once you recover?”

“…Suddenly? …Well, it might be fun.”

“So, recover soon. Don’t worry about getting ill.”

“…Yes.”

And then it’s spring again.

“Mister!”

I heard a voice calling me from afar.

When I looked over, there was one white-haired girl smiling brightly.

“Why are you just standing there?”

It was Noah.

Noah, who had grown up to be a high school student, was going to a new school in a new uniform.

“I came to see you.”

“Really?”

“…Just kidding.”

“Aw, I knew you were.”

Noah was laughing. She looked quite cheerful.

Anyway, it seemed there was another reason for her, aside from going to a new school.

“Mister, have you seen this?”

What Noah pointed out on her cell phone was a news article.

The headline of the article read:

[Magic Girl Iris Joins the Hero Association. Expresses her Ambitions as a Novice]

“Oh, did you make it?”

“Yes. Thanks to that, I won’t have to worry about father’s medical expenses.”

“That’s great.”

“hehehe, right?”

As she said that, she kept staring at me.

I could tell she was expecting something.

“Mister.”

“Huh?”

“Can you praise me? I did well, so you should compliment me.”

“…Oh…yeah.”

I reached out and patted her head. She looked delighted, unlike last year when she felt shy.

Does she have no intention to hide it anymore?

Would she purr if I tickled her chin?

I considered trying it for a moment, but soon abandoned the idea.

I was afraid of how Noah might react if I went that far.

That’s my limit.

…Is that correct? It should be…?

She stood there like that for a while, then suddenly realized she was supposed to be going to school. And that if she kept this up, she’d be late.

“Darn, I want to stay longer.”

“No… Noah, you should head to school now. Otherwise, you’ll be late.”

“Understood. I’ll go to the convenience store this evening. Let’s eat something delicious.”

“But I’ll be at work by then?”

“Well, I can tell the boss.”

“When did you become friends with the boss?”

“That was a long time ago.”

As she said that, she waved her hand and headed towards school.

She seemed much more mature now.

In the past year, Noah has grown significantly, physically and mentally.

‘Plan 1 can be considered a success.’

She has grown wonderfully in her time before the main story begins.

But I know.

The real main story starts today, on her entrance ceremony.

“Phew…”

“Should we go home now? I’m sleepy…”

“No, let’s go to the school Noah attends.”

“Why there?”

“Because it’s their entrance ceremony today.”

Upon hearing my words, she expressed confusion.

I don’t blame her. An entrance ceremony is just an entrance ceremony. It’s not a special event, and there’s no need to attend.

But things change when it’s about a game world.

“Did you know?”

“What is it?”

“It’s at the entrance ceremony where things traditionally go awry.”

The time for the main story to start was slowly approaching.