The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 28

“Everyone, be careful not to get hurt. Especially with fire or anything sharp—safety first, okay?”

“““Okay!”””

Afternoon sunlight poured down warmly—

But instead of playing outside in the yard, the children had gathered in the kitchen.

All of them wore chef hats and aprons.

It was their way of thanking Red—for buying them new clothes, they were going to make her a snack themselves.

Of course, this was all a secret. Red had stepped out for work, so they were rushing to get it done while she was gone.

“I’m gonna bake the best bread ever!”

“No way! Cookies are better!”

“Wouldn’t something soft and fluffy be nicer?”

“Let’s make something that lasts a while!”

The debate wasn’t ending anytime soon.

It would’ve been easier to just pick something and move on. To be honest, Red would happily eat whatever they made.

Silently, I wished they’d hurry up and decide already.

“What do you think, Lily?”

“...!?”

I flinched at the sudden question aimed at me.

Wait, what? Why are they asking me?!

All eyes were on me now. The pressure was real.

It didn’t seem like not answering was an option. And saying something lazy like “whatever’s fine” clearly wouldn’t cut it either.

Left with no choice, I thought it over and raised my hand for cookies.

For someone like Red, who’s always running around nonstop, snacks that keep well would be best. Cookies can be stored and eaten over time.

To help them understand, I put effort into explaining my reasoning with gestures.

Thankfully, they seemed to get it. The kids all nodded in agreement.

“Yeah... she’s probably always on the move, so something that doesn’t spoil would be better.”

“Told you! Cookies are the best.”

“So we’re all agreed on cookies then?”

Before officially starting, they took a vote.

Everyone raised their hands for cookies.

“Alright, let’s make the tastiest cookies in the whole world!”

“““Yeeeaaah!!”””

The kids shouted with excitement, full of energy.

I raised my hand too and played along with the mood.

At this rate, we really might end up with cookies so good, someone might drop dead from joy halfway through eating them.

We were making a big batch—there’d definitely be some for me, right?

Slurp. My mouth was already watering.

But my hopes were quickly crushed.

“Waaah! I added too much flour!”

“Ugh... the dough’s all sticky and gross...”

Turns out, none of them were particularly good at baking. Mistakes piled up left and right.

And while I’m great at eating sweets, I had no idea how to make them—so I wasn’t much help.

We could’ve asked Rene, and she’d have helped us in no time, but that wasn’t an option. This was supposed to be our surprise for Red.

Ugh.

At this rate, nothing was going to get done. It was getting frustrating.

“Don’t worry... Just follow the book...”

Ba Da brought out a baking book and flipped it open.

All the messed-up dough got tossed into the trash.

Then we started again, this time carefully reading through the instructions step by step.

When we tore open a fresh bag of flour, a cloud of white powder burst out and covered everyone’s faces.

We all looked at each other and burst out laughing.

It was such a silly sight that I couldn’t help but smile, too.

Following the book, we dumped ingredients into a giant mixing bowl and started kneading.

Honestly, I liked eating more than making.

“This feels way better than the last batch.”

“Squish, squish...”

“Hehe, it’s like playing with clay. Feels kinda nice.”

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

Everyone was focused on the dough. Slowly but surely, it was coming together.

Then Rena looked at my kneading and spoke up.

“Whoa! Lily, you’ve got strong arms!”

I rolled up my sleeve and struck a pose.

My pale arm looked so soft and smooth—it probably felt like a marshmallow to the touch.

Still, the girls were impressed by how confident I looked.

Meanwhile, the boys were trembling.

What’s wrong with them all of a sudden?

“Lily’s way stronger than she looks.”

“Yeah! Remember the arm-wrestling match? She didn’t hold back at all!”

“My arm still hurts from that day...”

“She probably keeps the mask on ‘cause she looks super scary underneath!”

I gave the boys a deadpan stare.

I never went easy on them.

I crushed them outright in every match. Cold and clean victories.

Because that’s how the world works—winners win.

Honestly, I even held back a little. They’re just dramatic.

The girls laughed and teased the boys for being weak.

Even while joking around, our hands never stopped moving.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Sweat was starting to bead on everyone’s foreheads. We were breathing hard.

Kneading was tougher than it looked. But not a single kid complained.

Their faces were filled with joy.

Rena hummed a little tune while she kneaded.

The others joined in softly.

That gentle melody filled the kitchen.

The kids’ hearts seemed lighter, more excited.

And finally, thanks to all the tiny hands working together, a big ball of dough was finished.

Everyone let out a cheer. Their little eyes sparkled with pride.

Whew... That was hard work.

We all grabbed onto the giant dough blob and stretched it out. It pulled nicely, and everyone grinned like goofballs.

But we weren’t done yet.

We sliced the dough into smaller pieces and started shaping them however we liked.

The little hands got to work forming all sorts of shapes.

Circles, triangles, squares... people, animals, and some that were just plain weird.

Everyone stared curiously at their cookie shapes, then giggled and began bragging.

“Oh come on~ What even is that? Mine’s clearly the best!”

“Says the one with the ugliest cookie!”

“Please, I made the best one here.”

Then Rena poked me in the arm and grinned.

“What do you think of my cookie? Looks good, right?”

I flinched for a second when I saw the cookie Rena had made.

That... was impressive.

It had a very unique shape.

Her face full of pride, I hesitated for a moment, then gave her a thumbs-up for that unusual sense of aesthetics.

Rena giggled happily, clearly pleased with the praise.

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Honestly, the best cookie after mine belonged to Ba Da.

Ba Da must’ve had some kind of artistic flair, because the shape of the cookie was really cute. Almost too cute to eat.

Ba Da must’ve caught my gaze, because she turned her head toward me—and our eyes met.

With a curious look on her face, I subtly gave her a thumbs-up, too.

Ba ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Da let out a quiet giggle and smiled with satisfaction.

Only the final step remained.

We arranged the cookies on the oven tray, preheated to the right temperature to avoid burning them, and began baking.

As time passed, the sweet scent slowly filled the room.

Just smelling it was enough to make me smile without realizing it.

But—

Everyone’s faces were full of tension.

Whether it was a success or failure would determine the mood.

I wasn’t worried. I believed it would turn out well.

Ding~!

Time was up. We carefully opened the oven and took out our creation.

The kids’ faces lit up.

Smiles spread wide across everyone’s lips.

“Whoa~”

It was a satisfying result.

We each took a bite of the freshly baked cookies.

At first, everyone blinked in surprise—then gasps of delight burst from their mouths.

We picked the best-looking ones, packed them up nicely as a gift, and then dug into the rest ourselves.

Yum yum.

After that—

Red returned in the evening.

When the kids surprised her with the handmade cookies, Red’s eyes widened in astonishment. Then she accepted them with a warm, beaming smile.

Seeing her that happy made the kids break out in even bigger smiles.

*

Late at night.

The kids were all asleep, and I quietly slipped out to the yard.

I knelt down in front of the flowerbed, gently brushing my fingers across the petals.

It was a peaceful moment.

So different from the outside world, I sometimes forgot how bad things were out there.

Maybe that’s why I’d let myself relax a bit.

Sigh...

How long will this peace last? Will this place stay safe?

That’s when I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned my head slightly—it was Rene.

Even at night, she wasn’t wearing casual clothes.

But I didn’t bother asking why.

“What are you doing out here this late?”

At her question, I nodded toward the flowerbed.

To say, I was looking at the flowers.

Rene let out a small chuckle at that.

“Watching flowers is nice, but it’s really late. You should sleep early if you want to grow taller.”

Hmm. Pretty sure going to bed early won’t change anything about my height.

But I didn’t say that.

Instead, I just nodded as if I understood.

Then I gestured, asking where Red had gone.

Red had gotten a phone call and left sometime after dark.

“Red? She goes out like that sometimes. I know you’re worried about her, but you don’t need to be. Red is strong.”

Worried?

I knew full well how strong Red was. That wasn’t the issue.

I had asked purely out of curiosity.

Still, I nodded anyway.

“Anyway, don’t stay out here too long. You’ll catch a cold.”

With that, Rene turned and left.

She headed toward the building, but didn’t go inside.

Instead, she slipped away out of view.

I raised my head and looked in the direction she had gone.

An uninvited guest...?

Several hours had passed since Red left.

Far off in the distance, I sensed suspicious movements. Multiple presences.

Whoever they were, they were clearly observing the orphanage. The feeling was unpleasant, enough to keep me from closing my eyes.

Robbery, pillaging—attacks on residential areas weren’t unusual. Especially in outer cities, it was practically routine.

Still, I didn’t expect someone to target the orphanage Red supported...

Do they not know whose place this is?

Or are they doing it because they know? If they’re loitering with intent, maybe it’s some kind of revenge against Red?

Either way, Rene had gone to chase them off.

With her skills, she should be more than capable.

No need for me to sneak around or take care of it myself.

I enjoyed the quiet a little longer, then got up.

It’s cold. Time to head in and sleep.

But as I started walking back, I suddenly froze.

A deeply unpleasant aura.

Just one person?

Someone stepped lightly over the iron gate and into the yard.

They took a few steps... then stopped, clearly sensing my presence.

The moonlight illuminated their figure.

A skull mask—the same kind the Reaper Cult used.

But the feeling they gave off was completely different from the cultists I’d encountered so far.

It’s a decoy tactic...

I got the gist immediately.

They lured Rene out, then had someone else sneak inside.

...This is bad.

Judging by their magic output, this won’t be someone I can easily handle quietly.

If I raise my magic to fight properly, there’s a good chance someone will figure out that I’m the Reaper.

Hmm. What to do...