The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 12

How did the children see me?

A small frame, similar to that of a child.

They might mistake me for a young girl or a halfling, but the problem was my appearance—I was dressed in tattered clothes, with my face completely hidden under a hood and a mask.

I was exuding an aura of pure suspicion.

From the children’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if they mistook me for a shady person.

Naturally, when faced with someone suspicious, people feel uneasy or wary—those feelings trigger an instinctual fear.

Of course, street thugs didn’t react that way when they saw me.

To them, I wasn’t a threat but an easy target—someone weak, someone they could shake down without effort.

Like predators spotting easy prey, they would have immediately set their sights on me.

But children were different.

Because children were inherently weak—well, most of them.

It was natural for them to be wary of strangers, and in some cases, even outright terrified.

Of course, there were exceptions.

‘But these kids don’t seem to be exceptions. Though... aren't they being too cautious? Ah, right, didn’t something bad happen here recently? That would explain it.’

At least I had met Rena before.

But unlike last time, my face was now completely hidden.

In the heavy silence, I needed to show them I wasn’t a threat.

But how?

I couldn’t talk.

‘Should I use my actions to prove I’m not dangerous?’

As I pondered my next move and took a step forward, the children cautiously stepped back.

I moved forward again.

The children retreated once more.

‘Their eyes are intense... Are they trying to decide whether to attack me together or run away?’

The simplest solution would be to remove my hood and mask, but I didn’t want to.

I racked my brain for another way, taking another step—

"Stop!"

Zzt!

...What was that?

For a brief moment, my body froze at Rena’s command.

It felt like my body had instinctively obeyed her words, against my will.

She didn’t seem to realize what had happened, though.

"Who are you?"

Following Rena, the other children also started asking questions.

"What’s your deal?"

"Where did you come from?"

This was bad.

"..."

As expected, my silence only made them more suspicious.

This wasn’t going well.

Then, an idea flashed through my mind.

I didn’t know if it would work, but there was no harm in trying.

I quickly pulled out my notebook and scribbled something down.

[Orphanage. Me. You. Friend. Not scary. No misunderstanding.]

I tore out the page and held it out.

This was better than suddenly approaching them and making them even more nervous.

The bravest boy among them cautiously stepped forward and snatched the paper, then huddled with the others to read it.

They tilted their heads in confusion.

They didn’t understand it at all.

In fact, it felt like I had made things worse.

Just as I was internally panicking, a quiet voice spoke up.

"Are you... the new family member that sister brought?"

Sister?

What kind of nonsense was that?

I didn’t understand at first, but then I realized—she was referring to Red.

I had come here alone, but if saying yes would ease their wariness, then...

I nodded.

The children’s eyes changed slightly.

But it wasn’t enough.

"How do we know you’re telling the truth?"

"Yeah, yeah!"

I needed proof.

That’s when one of the girls suddenly gasped and pointed at my pen.

"Oh! That’s the teacher’s pen!"

This?

It was the pen I had borrowed from Rene.

So when they said teacher, they meant her?

I held out the pen.

One of the kids quickly grabbed it and examined it with the others.

A moment later, all their suspicion vanished.

The tension that had been suffocating the air completely evaporated.

Their eyes now sparkled with curiosity.

Some of them even looked excited.

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

‘What the hell is with them? Weren’t they just scared of me a moment ago?’

The children rushed toward me at full speed.

Brimming with curiosity, they bombarded me with questions.

"What’s your name?"

"Why are you covering your face?"

"Why don’t you talk?"

Don’t touch my hood! Don’t try to take off my mask! Stop, you little brats!

Help—someone save me!

Just as I felt suffocated from being swarmed, a strange noise rang out.

Beep! Beep!

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

It sounded like an alarm.

At the sound, the children immediately froze.

Then, bright smiles spread across their faces as they all bolted toward the entrance.

I faintly heard something about "snack time."

...Whatever.

‘I’m alive...’

Lying flat on my back, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

I was exhausted, catching my breath, when a shadow loomed over me.

"Um... Are you okay?"

Rena was still there.

She offered me her hand.

I grabbed it and forced myself up.

‘I should’ve just waited inside...’

Brushing the dust off my clothes, I thought that to myself.

But what was done was done.

*

Back at the orphanage.

The room Rena led me to was filled with children gathered around a circular table.

Laughter and excited chatter echoed through the space.

Everyone was thrilled at the thought of snack time.

‘I get that feeling.’

Eating something delicious always brings happiness.

There aren’t many truly happy moments in this world.

I suddenly became curious—what kind of snacks did they serve at the orphanage?

Considering the orphanage’s budget, it was unlikely that they’d have anything like the desserts I usually ate.

The snacks I bought were expensive enough to drain my wallet in an instant.

Well, except for the ones from the dessert shop run by the canine-man.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t Rene say she makes the snacks herself?’

Homemade snacks...

That piqued my interest even more.

"Hey, you should sit here too."

Rena gestured for me to sit beside her.

I pointed at myself.

Me? That was the meaning behind my gesture.

This time, unlike before, Rena quickly understood and nodded.

The other children also encouraged me to sit down.

‘I could just watch from the side, though...’

I wasn’t a part of the orphanage, so joining in felt out of place.

But rejecting their invitation outright didn’t seem polite either.

Reluctantly, I sat down beside Rena.

‘As long as I don’t eat anything, it should be fine.’

Just then, the quiet blue-haired girl spoke to me.

"You... don’t have to take that off?"

I nodded.

As expected, the children immediately started asking more questions.

I tried thinking of an excuse, but it was too much effort.

Instead, I simply crossed my arms into an X-shape.

It was my firm declaration: I’m not taking it off.

Seeing how resolute I was, the children stopped prying.

They seemed to take it as She must have her reasons, and backed off.

Even so, their curiosity remained intact, and they kept throwing questions my way.

As I struggled with how to respond—

Clatter.

The door creaked open.

Rene walked in.

The children let out cheers.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Rene was carrying a large tray, covered with a silver lid.

I couldn’t see what was inside.

She set it down on the table.

I wondered what kind of snacks they were.

The anticipation made me even more curious.

But then—

‘...Huh? Why did it suddenly get so quiet?’

The once lively room fell silent.

A tense atmosphere settled over the children.

They were locked in an intense stare-off.

Even Rena, who had been smiling just moments ago, had a serious look on her face.

The shift in the air made me swallow dryly.

‘I’ve felt this before somewhere...’

Ah.

It felt like a negotiation between crime syndicates.

A battle of wits, each side maneuvering to gain the most advantage.

Never thought I’d feel that way over snack time.

"The moment you've all been waiting for! Today’s snack is... drumroll, please...!"

Rene made sound effects with her own voice as she slowly lifted the silver lid.

I found myself getting nervous along with everyone else.

And then, the snacks were revealed.

‘Oh-ho.’

Small animal-shaped buns.

Rabbits, tigers, turtles, sheep, dragons—there were a variety of them, and plenty to go around.

There were seven children in total.

‘With this many, there shouldn’t be any need to fight ov—’

Before I could finish my thought—

A blur of motion.

I barely processed what was happening before the children launched themselves forward.

Tiny hands clashed in a fierce battle, snatching and reclaiming their desired buns at lightning speed.

"Hey! That was mine!"

"First come, first served!"

"Not the tiger one! Anything but the tiger one!"

"I was about to eat that—why’d you steal it?!"

...Hiiik.

Even criminal syndicates didn’t fight like this.

I wasn’t planning on eating anything, but witnessing this war unfold made me instinctively retreat.

My survival instincts blared in alarm.

Stay alive.

Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, I dropped low and crawled toward the safest-looking corner.

‘I should be fine here...’

I huddled in my spot, trembling slightly, silently praying for the war to end soon—

Thud.

Something arced through the air and landed perfectly onto my outstretched hand.

A mouse-shaped bun.

‘...Huh?’

A chill ran down my spine.

I slowly lifted my gaze.

The children were staring.

No, they were glaring—not at me, but at the bun in my hand.

Their eyes gleamed with the hunger of predators sizing up their prey.

This was bad.

Very, very bad.

I instinctively prepared to hurl the bun as far away as possible—

But the little beasts lunged before I could react.

‘Kyaaaah! Someone save me!’

It was hell.

Absolute hell.

*

I was utterly exhausted after ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) being caught in the Snack War.

As I slumped in my seat, trying to recover, a boy pointed at me.

"Teacher, is that kid part of our family now?"

Rene’s expression became somewhat complicated.

"No, they’re just visiting to see what the orphanage is like."

The children looked surprised.

Naturally, they swarmed me.

"But you said you were our new family!"

"Did you lie to us?"

Realizing that I had been caught in a lie, the children clung to me, demanding answers.

I was already tired, and this just made me even more drained.

I needed to calm them down somehow.

Then, a good idea struck me.

I wrote on my notebook:

[Waiting for Red.]

"You’re waiting for Sister?"

I nodded.

Technically, not a lie.

Of course, they asked why.

I just kept showing them my written notes in response.

The children exchanged looks, their expressions shifting slightly.

Seeing my confusion, Rena spoke up.

"Sister comes back really late. You might have to wait a long time."

...A long time?

That was a problem.

Traveling back and forth between my base and here would be annoying.

Fine.

I made my decision.

I’d just wait.

I had nothing but time, anyway.

How long could it possibly take?

A week?

...Instead, a month passed.