The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 22

The warm sunlight and gentle breeze flowed through the open window.

I was sitting comfortably in a chair, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, when someone opened the door and walked in.

It was an elderly man with white hair and round glasses.

His face, marked by wrinkles, looked very gentle, but his eyes were sharp and somewhat cold.

I already knew he wasn’t a bad person, but I didn’t let my guard down.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Was it boring since it was the last one?"

His voice was soft, unlike his appearance.

I shook my head slightly in response to his question.

Noticing that I was nervous, the old man gave a gentle smile and took a seat across from me.

"There’s no need to be nervous. It’s not dangerous or painful at all. Just think of it as talking to a friend."

It was a special day at the orphanage, he explained.

Every few months, a professional counselor would visit the orphanage to check on the children’s mental health.

This time, however, they had called him much earlier than usual due to several incidents.

"As I said before, let me introduce myself again. I’m Dr. Hoffman. It’s a pleasure, Lily."

Hoffman stood up from his chair and extended his wrinkled hand toward me.

I hesitated for a moment before accepting his hand for a handshake.

He sat back down with a light smile.

"Just relax, like the other kids."

Can I really relax?

This was my first time having a counseling session.

The reason I was so nervous wasn’t because of the process itself but because I just didn’t like it.

They were experts in reading people’s minds, so I was worried they’d figure out my secrets through whatever tests or techniques they used.

I didn’t want to participate, but there was no way out.

Well, since I had no choice, I’d just go along with it and answer the questions as best as I could.

Psychological tests were simple enough. As long as I picked the right answers, I’d easily avoid any negative judgment.

"Do you like candy?"

Huh?

I internally scoffed at his approach.

Was he trying to lower my guard with candy? How amateurish.

This wouldn’t work. My mind wouldn’t waver so easily, and the lock on my heart was firmly shut.

"How about this? I hear this is a popular candy among kids these days."

Click.

I could almost hear the sound of the lock on my heart unlocking.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the lollipop Hoffman had taken out.

The beautiful color. The shape.

If my memory served me correctly, this was the candy that was sold in limited quantities every day.

I had given up on it long ago because it was impossible to get in this city.

"Here, take it. It’s yours."

...Hmm.

It would be rude to refuse a gift he was offering.

I carefully took the candy, making sure to bow my head in thanks.

Hehe.

I’d savor it later.

"You’d rather finish this quickly and play with your friends, right? Do you need another explanation before we begin?"

I nodded.

I had already heard the explanation earlier, so it was fine. The sooner this was over, the better.

Hoffman smiled and turned his head toward the window. I followed his gaze as we both looked outside.

"Isn’t the weather just lovely today?"

Nod.

"Have you been comfortable here? Is there anything bothering you?"

Shake.

"How are the other kids? Are you getting along well?"

Nod.

"Before you came to the orphanage, did you ever think about going back to your old life?"

Shake.

The conversation continued in this typical manner for quite a while.

Since negative answers could lead to troublesome results later on, I made sure to give positive responses, regardless of my actual thoughts.

Once the final question was asked, Hoffman took a few sheets of paper from his bag and placed them in front of me.

At a glance, they were just typical psychological tests.

"Please answer honestly, but don’t overthink it. Just read the questions and answer the first thing that comes to mind."

I took the pen and began to fill out the forms.

There were no essay questions.

Just ticking boxes, so it didn’t take long.

The sound of the wind, the rustling curtains, and the noise of children playing outside filtered into the room faintly.

The sound of my pen moving mixed with these, but soon the room fell silent.

I set the pen down and handed the test papers back to Hoffman.

"Now, for the next part..."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Hoffman put the papers in his bag and took out a few new sheets of blank paper.

I had a feeling I knew what was coming.

He had explained it earlier, and sure enough, it was just as I expected.

He asked me to draw the house I wanted to live in or whatever I wanted to draw. I did as he asked and drew with a light heart.

‘This part is normal.’

Up until now, it had been very similar to the psychological tests from my past life.

But this world was one where both science and magic were highly developed.

As if to indicate that it wasn’t over yet, Hoffman made a call to someone. A short time later, the door opened, and an assistant entered, dragging in a large machine.

The assistant connected wires from the machine to various parts of my head and body.

I stared at the machine curiously, and Hoffman spoke.

"It’s okay. There’s no need to be scared. This machine is just to take a more detailed look at your condition."

Once everything was set up, the assistant fiddled with the machine.

Hoffman spoke to me again, and the conversation followed a similar track as before.

However, interestingly, every time I moved my head in response to Hoffman’s question, the machine beeped.

I glanced at the square screen on the machine, which showed lines rising and falling repeatedly.

And various colors—red, green, blue—flashed on the screen.

I wasn’t sure what it was, but it seemed to be used to assess my mental state.

The conversation didn’t last long this time.

It ended much more quickly than before.

As the assistant had done earlier, he took the machine and left the room.

"Thanks for following along. Now, please lie down on the bed over there."

Finally, it seemed like we were nearing the end.

It wasn’t too difficult, but it was starting to wear me out.

I did as I was told and lay down on the bed.

Hoffman pulled a chair over and placed it next to the bed.

"Now, just stay relaxed like that."

Hoffman took out a small device from his bag and placed it on the bedside table. He fiddled with the device before standing next to the bed, his hands clasped together as he muttered something in a strange language.

A soft light began to emanate from under his feet.

After the light faded, Hoffman sat down in the chair.

He remained still, but I could tell he was doing something.

I closed my eyes, not falling asleep.

I knew he might try to remove my mask while I was asleep.

A silence settled in the room.

‘I’ve heard there’s magic that can read people’s minds. Could this be that kind of magic?’

If it was really mind-reading magic, what would happen?

Would Hoffman figure out that I’m Sashin?

I started to worry about what would happen when this session ended.

If it really was mind-reading magic, what choice would I have to make?

As I tried to sort my thoughts in the darkness, a loud sound suddenly broke the silence.

I opened my eyes and turned my head.

The chair Hoffman had been sitting in had fallen over, and the elderly man’s face looked pale. He looked like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.

His lips trembled slightly, and his cloudy eyes had lost focus.

It seemed like he had realized I was watching him, as he quickly adjusted his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead before giving me a forced smile.

At first, I thought it was because he’d realized I was Sashin, and he had been frightened, but looking closer, that wasn’t it.

The emotions in Hoffman’s eyes were not fear or shock, but pity and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ sorrow.

His gaze was filled with an inexplicable sadness that left me confused, but the session was over.

It left a bad feeling in the air.

*

The counseling session with the children of the orphanage had ended.

The children went outside, leaving Red and Hoffman alone in the room.

Red stood by the second-floor window, looking down at the children playing.

One of the kids noticed her gaze, smiled brightly, and waved.

Red raised her hand in return, waving back.

She smiled softly as she watched them for a moment before turning her body and opening her mouth.

"So, how did it go? Are the children alright?"

"They're fine. They're all strong. Despite everything they've been through, there hasn't been any significant change. Perhaps they’ve grown so used to it that they quickly overcome it."

Hoffman took a sip from his teacup.

Red wore a lonely smile.

"And Lily? How is she?"

"..."

Hoffman’s hand stopped for a brief moment, and Red didn’t miss it.

"Hoffman? Could it be that the results were bad?"

A silence followed.

A small feeling of unease began to bloom in Red’s heart.

After a pause, Hoffman finally spoke.

"No. Both the first and second tests came out normal. But..."

Red’s expression slightly furrowed.

Hoffman didn’t hesitate to continue.

"...She’s quite good at drawing."

Hoffman suddenly brought up a different subject.

Red tilted her head slightly but responded.

"Yes, she’s quite good. If she had been born in a more peaceful time, she might have dreamed of becoming a painter."

"What did you think when you saw her drawings?"

Red thought back to the pictures Lily had drawn so far.

The child’s skill was outstanding, and there was a sense of uniqueness in her art.

Lily was able to capture various landscapes she had in her mind onto paper, and the other children often spoke of her drawings, calling them beautiful.

Red agreed with that assessment.

But at the same time, she felt something else.

"They looked lonely."

A ruined city.

A fantastical landscape that might appear in a dream.

A snow-covered city.

A submerged city.

Every drawing depicted a city that had been destroyed, and none of them escaped that melancholy, wistful atmosphere.

"Yeah. The other drawings were similar. Art can reflect a person’s emotions, after all."

Red understood what Hoffman was trying to say.

People exposed to such a horrific environment for a long time would have their hearts scarred. And those who create art in such an environment often produce works with a dark atmosphere.

The same had been true for the other children when they first arrived at the orphanage.

Perhaps Lily was going through something similar.

But judging from Hoffman’s expression, Red could tell there was more to it.

"Stop beating around the bush and speak directly."

Hoffman quietly set his teacup down.

"I’ve looked into Lily’s mind."

Hoffman let out a long sigh.

"It was horrific. The other children were all bad, but none were like her. I’ve never seen anything so dark before."

Hoffman went on to explain what he had seen in Lily’s mental world.

Mountains of bodies stacked everywhere.

Rivers of blood flowing from the bodies.

A sky, pitch black with no light.

Screams echoing from the darkness.

Hoffman added that while he might have been able to uncover Lily’s past by delving deeper, he didn’t dare to do so for fear of being consumed by the darkness.

A shadow fell across Red’s face.

She fell into a deep silence, seemingly lost in thought.

What kind of past had Lily gone through for her heart to be so dark?

Red’s chest ached.

After a moment, her tightly pressed lips parted.

"...Is that so?"

"If you’re planning to take responsibility for her, you should keep a close watch. She seems fine on the surface, but inside, she’s completely broken and in a terrible state."

"It’s a heavy responsibility."

"You chose this path yourself."

"That’s true."

Red muttered to herself quietly.

All the children she had brought to the orphanage carried deep emotional scars. Taking care of them was far heavier than she had initially realized.

That’s why some people jokingly say Red’s just asking for trouble by taking them in.

But Red didn’t regret it. She had chosen this path with full knowledge of what it entailed.

She believed that, like the other children, Lily would get better in time.

Ding-ding~.

An alarm went off from Red’s pocket, and she took out her phone, opened it, and frowned.

It was a message from Isaac.

It was about the promise they made at the zoo.

The scheduled time had come.