The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 36

Two weeks had passed since the incident.

Since returning safely to the orphanage, nothing had really changed.

Red and Rene treated me no differently.

Considering the destroyed lab and how many suspicious things there must’ve been, I expected at least some shift in their attitudes. But to my surprise, the way they looked at me hadn’t changed at all.

No—if anything, they’d become gentler.

All the excuses I’d prepared ended up being completely useless. They didn’t even ask me any uncomfortable questions.

Just a few simple checkups and some basic treatment for injuries. No further talk about what had happened.

Was it out of consideration for me? Or did they truly not suspect anything?

Whatever the case, it was all swept under the rug so easily that I couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy. But at the same time, I was grateful. It made things much easier for me, too.

And now?

Now, I was spending my days the same as always. Incredibly, painfully normal.

Nom, nom.

I scooped up small spoonfuls of pudding I’d been saving.

As soon as it entered my mouth, sweetness bloomed across my tongue.

Mmm. So good.

Behind the mask, my lips relaxed into a dopey smile.

I wanted to roll the pudding around in my mouth forever, but happy moments are always short-lived.

As the pudding grew smaller and smaller, I quietly mourned its eventual disappearance while watching TV.

The kids were all busy running around outside. This time slot didn’t air the shows they liked, so the TV was all mine.

And right now, the screen was buzzing with headlines.

A fixer’s shocking true identity had been revealed.

A man who claimed to stand for justice had, in secret, committed horrifying crimes.

The world was in an uproar over Isaac.

Whether it was newspapers, livestreams, or news outlets, every platform had slapped some flashy headline over the story. It was all anyone talked about.

It made sense—Isaac had always maintained a polished public image. He knew how to play to the crowd.

So for someone like that, who seemed like a decent person in this chaotic world, to be exposed as a monster—it hit hard.

People who lived off scandal and gossip were feasting on it like vultures.

And Isaac had social status, too. That made him an even tastier target.

“I just don’t understand. Why would a fixer like Isaac commit such crimes? What could he possibly have lacked to turn to something so vile?”

“Maybe he became a fixer specifically to hide his crimes from the start. We were all completely fooled by his act.”

“According to the investigation conducted by our association, Isaac has shown signs of mental instability and antisocial behavior from the beginning. He falsified records to conceal his violent tendencies. The association itself bears no responsibility, but we will implement strict measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again—”

“Hmph. I always knew he was that kind of person. Always grinning like an idiot and getting way too friendly with people—totally looked like he was hiding something.”

Some were condemning him. Others were gleefully reveling in his downfall. Some were scrambling to protect the association’s reputation.

Everyone was tearing into him like hyenas that smelled blood.

They say a tiger leaves behind its hide, and a man leaves behind his name.

To think the man who couldn’t shut up about being a hero would be remembered not for that, but as a villain. Fitting, for someone who built his reputation on lies and deception.

Even the kids were shaken by the truth about Isaac.

I still remember their expressions when they first heard the news.

“No way... Isaac was doing that kind of stuff? That’s... that’s insane.”

“He always had that smile... But it was all fake?”

“Sniff... I didn’t think he was that kind of person...”

“I’m... shocked...”

He had been pretty friendly with the kids.

The more they trusted him, the more betrayed they must’ve felt.

For the record, the kids knew nothing about the attack.

They were all asleep when it happened. Even Rena, who had stepped out into the yard for a moment, was too sleepy to remember anything clearly.

It all happened in a single night, and there was no reason to dig it back up—so neither Red nor I said a word.

I turned off the TV.

Stood up from my spot.

With the empty bowl in hand, I headed for the kitchen.

Sure, things were chaotic now with the news, but eventually, time would move on and something else would take its place.

Fixers getting exposed for their real personalities was nothing new in this world.

This whole mess? Just another small incident.

Our everyday lives hadn’t changed.

Everything still flowed the same.

But even on an ordinary day like this... something special was about to happen.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

A once-in-a-lifetime event.

Ahem.

Evening time.

After dinner.

In the room where all the kids were gathered.

Red cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention.

“Today, Lily’s made a very big decision.”

I could feel everyone’s gaze shifting toward me from behind Red.

“Shockingly... Lily is going to take off her mask.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

A heavy silence settled over the room after the bomb she’d dropped.

Then, moments later—wide, disbelieving eyes lit up.

“““WHAAAAAAT!?”””

I didn’t think it was that big a deal at first, but... then I remembered.

I’d never taken the mask off, not even once, since I arrived here months ago.

Their reaction made sense.

“Go on.”

Encouraged by Red, I stepped in front of the kids.

I took a slow breath, trying to stay calm.

I had decided to take off the mask.

At least within the orphanage.

After showing my face to Red and Rene, they brought it up. That if I was okay with it, maybe I could go without the mask just inside.

I’d thought about it a lot before making my choice.

I’d gotten a bit closer to the kids during my time here.

And I couldn’t keep relying on Red’s kindness forever.

They’d knocked on the door to my heart so many times—maybe it was time I opened it just a little in return.

At least... just for the people inside this place.

And to be honest, wearing the mask all the time was kind of a pain. If I was going to live here, I might as well be comfortable.

With slightly trembling fingers, I slowly removed the mask.

“......”

And as I looked out at the faces that didn’t stray a millimeter from what I’d expected—

I couldn’t help but let out a small, wry smile.

*

Red stepped out of the noisy room.

The kids' chatter echoed from behind, and she couldn’t help but smile. They were all thoroughly stunned by Lily’s appearance, it seemed.

She understood how they felt. Red herself had been just as shocked when she first saw Lily’s face.

To think a face like that could even exist in this world.

Like a star shining alone in the dark—it was no wonder people couldn’t look away. And it made sense now, why Lily hid her face behind a mask.

Outside, it might’ve been a problem. But inside the orphanage? She would be fine.

Red stepped out into the yard and stood in the shade.

She put a cigarette to her lips.

Lifting her head, she gazed up at the sky.

Gray clouds loomed overhead.

Her eyes were distant—deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about so seriously?”

Red lowered her head and glanced over.

A woman with long blue hair—Rene.

She walked up and stood beside her.

“Just... a bit of everything.”

“That so? Well, you’ve had a lot on your plate lately with the whole Isaac thing. Makes sense your head’s full.”

Red had gathered all the evidence of Isaac’s crimes and spread it to the public.

Naturally, the Fixers’ Association had descended into chaos.

And when the association was busy, so were the people in it.

Buried in work, overwhelmed.

And one more thing—

Even if they had grown distant, Isaac had once been a comrade.

To find out someone you once worked beside was actually a brutal monster... it wasn’t something easy to process. Logic alone couldn’t explain away a person’s feelings.

Of course, Rene could tell that wasn’t the only reason.

Maybe what weighed so heavily on Red’s mind was...

“You know, I didn’t expect Lily to actually take off the mask. I brought it up, but I didn’t think she’d really go through with it.”

Red’s brow twitched slightly.

“Same. Honestly, I was surprised too.”

“She’s really strong. To take off a mask she clearly hated wearing—it must’ve taken so much courage.”

“Lily’s always been strong.”

“That’s true. After everything she’s been through, she’s still standing. No trauma, no breakdowns—just... moving forward. That’s not normal.”

A shadow passed over Red’s face.

Rene, who knew that worried look all too well, spoke softly.

“Did Isaac say something about Lily? Is that what you’ve been thinking about?”

“Not really. Didn’t seem like he knew much about her either.”

“Really? The way he talked made it sound like he knew something...”

Rene tilted her head.

Red exhaled a long stream of smoke before speaking again.

“But I did figure out one thing for sure.”

“What is it?”

“That she’s different from the other kids.”

“You mean in a good way? Or a bad one?”

Red answered honestly, recounting what happened that day.

That in the lab, at the scene, there had been a faint trace of the Reaper’s power.

Rene looked shocked.

“What!? The Reaper?!”

“Yeah. It was faint—so faint I can’t be certain—but something similar lingered there.”

“Maybe... it was just your imagination?”

“Normally I’d think so too. But Isaac had a monster in that lab.”

They had learned about the creature through Nina’s files and from investigating themselves.

There should have been a monster in the lab.

But it was gone.

There was no way it disappeared on its own—someone had dealt with it.

And the only person inside at the time... was Lily.

In other words, the most likely explanation was that Lily had taken care of it.

“Are you saying Lily’s connected to the Reaper somehow?”

“I don’t know. I tried to ask her about what happened in there, real casual-like, but she played dumb. Could be an act, or she really doesn’t know. Maybe she’s not even aware of it herself.”

A glimmer appeared in Rene’s eyes.

She clapped her hands together.

“Now I get why the Reaper Cult is after that kid.”

“We’ll figure out the real reason once we’ve crushed the cult.”

Red exhaled smoke again, her face still heavy with concern.

Isaac, who had been targeting Lily, was gone.

But that didn’t mean it was over.

“If anything, something worse might be coming for her.”

“Do you regret it?”

“No.”

Red answered without a second of hesitation.

Isaac’s words suddenly came to mind.

He had called Lily a bug. Said she was something that shouldn’t exist in this world.

If Lily really was tied closely to the Reaper, then maybe he was right. That tiny girl could end up bringing about a catastrophe.

But—

Red dropped the burned-out cigarette and crushed it underfoot.

There’s no such thing as a life that shouldn’t have been born.

No life is guilty just for existing.

No matter what anyone said, Red would always reject that idea with everything she had.

“Well then, shall we head back in?”

“Wait! The cigarette smell’s bad for the kids, you know. Air yourself out before you come in, Red.”

Red stumbled a little at Rene’s jab.

With a dry laugh, she gave a sheepish “Got it” and turned to go.