Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 45 -: 44 Preparations.

Rosalina was breathing hard. Sweat dripped down her face.

Her eyes glowed bright red, the sign she was using her Rose Petal Eyes.

The huge blue magic circle floated in front of her, spinning slowly and humming with power.

"You can stop now, babe," Julius said softly. He walked over to her with that lazy, confident smile.

Rosalina let out a long breath.

The red faded from her eyes, turning them back to normal black.

The magic circle shimmered once... then popped like a soap bubble and disappeared.

"Will it really work?" she asked, still catching her breath.

Julius shrugged, looking amused. "I think so. This is too important to mess up." He held out his hand. "Come on, let me help you up."

Rosalina reached for his hand, then stopped.

She pulled back quickly, crossed her arms, and gave him her famous arrogant little smirk.

"Hmph. I can stand by myself, thank you very much."

She pushed herself up and grabbed a towel from the nearby chair.

Julius just chuckled and leaned against the table, arms folded, watching her.

"Two months already gone," Rosalina said as she wiped her face and neck.

"Only one and a half months left until the student council election. And I haven’t even started any advertising yet! People are going to forget I’m even running!"

Julius tilted his head. "Then start now. If you suddenly win without anyone seeing you campaign... people are going to get suspicious."

"Like, ’Wait, did she cheat or something?’ You don’t want that kind of gossip."

Rosalina paused mid-wipe. She looked at him, then nodded slowly.

"You’re right. As annoying as it is... you’re right."

She tossed the towel onto the chair and walked to the door.

When she opened it, bright sunlight poured into the dim room. She turned back to Julius with one eyebrow raised.

"So, Mr. genius," she said with a teasing grin, "how exactly should I advertise? Posters? Speeches? Bribing?"

"We don’t need to go crazy with the advertising," Julius said as they walked side by side.

"Just steady and smart. Keep people noticing you little by little."

Rosalina nodded. "Yeah. No need to look desperate."

Julius stopped walking for a second. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small booklet.

"Today, Alia Ruth is giving her big speech," he said, flipping the booklet open. He scanned the page quietly.

Rosalina leaned over, trying to peek.

She bent her neck so much she almost looked like a curious cat, but Julius tilted the booklet away just enough so she couldn’t see.

"Heyyy," she whined playfully.

Julius grinned. "As your super-efficient secretary," he continued in a proud voice, "I already made your schedule perfect."

He turned the booklet toward her so she could finally see.

"Look here. I booked the main stage for tomorrow. This is the exact speech you’re going to give."

"And—" he tapped another page "—your posters are already up all over the academy. You don’t have to lift a finger."

Rosalina stared at the neat handwriting and little checkmarks.

She made a small "Hmm?" sound, like she was only a tiny bit impressed on the outside.

But inside?

Poof~!

A second Rosalina appeared right next to her right shoulder, this one had sparkly eyes, blushing cheeks, and an extra-big lovesick smile. The obsessive version.

"Kyaaa~! Babe, you’re amazing!" she squealed, floating closer to Julius.

"Is there anything you can’t do? Come here—let me give you a kiss! Mwah! Mwah! Mwaaaah~!"

She zoomed forward with puckered lips.

But the real Rosalina’s hand shot out lightning-fast. She grabbed the floating obsessive version by the collar.

Poof!

The lovesick Rosalina vanished in a puff of pink smoke.

Julius raised an eyebrow. "What happened? I felt something coming at my face."

Rosalina quickly moved her hand to his cheek instead, pretending to brush something away.

"Nothing," she said, voice a little too high. "Just... a fly. Annoying little thing."

Julius and Rosalina stepped out of the academy building.

The moment they did, they saw a huge crowd gathered on the academy grounds.

Right in the center stood a wooden stage. Someone was speaking into a magic-amplified microphone.

The voice boomed across the entire open area.

"Let’s go see what that peasant is saying," Rosalina said. She gave a cute little snort and tilted her chin up proudly.

"As you wish, my genius, beautiful, perfect lady," Julius replied with an exaggerated bow. Then he followed right behind her.

They didn’t push into the crowd.

Instead they stayed a bit farther back, close enough to hear clearly, far enough to avoid getting squished.

"For many years we were oppressed!" the girl on stage shouted.

"We aren’t peasants, we are humans! We want every right a human should have!"

Her voice cracked with passion. The crowd cheered louder.

"At last, I will finish my speech with this..." Alia Ruth raised both fists high. "We want—!"

"EQUAL RIGHTS!" the whole crowd roared back in perfect unison.

The sound hit like a wave.

Julius’s face suddenly went green.

"Ugh..." He turned to the side fast, bent over, and—puke.

He kept vomiting. Everything he ate that morning came out in sad little splashes onto the grass.

Rosalina’s eyes widened.

She quickly pulled a clean handkerchief from her sleeve and held it out to him, looking genuinely worried.

"Here. Are you alright?"

Julius rinsed his mouth with a tiny water spell, then took the handkerchief. He wiped his lips and face slowly.

"Haa..." He gasped for air. "So much cringe... I thought I was really going to die. How can someone be so cringe?"

He looked pale, like he’d seen a ghost.

"They already have all the rights they need," he muttered.

"And they still want even more? Let’s go, Rose. I don’t think I can look at her face again without vomiting."

Rosalina covered her mouth to hide a chuckle.

"Where are you going now?" she asked, clearly amused.

Julius straightened up, still a little shaky.

"Let’s get something to eat. I just puked everything out. My stomach is empty and sad."

Rosalina chuckled.

"Fine. But only because you look pitiful right now," she said, trying to sound bossy. Her cheeks were pink again.

They started walking away from the cheering crowd.

Behind them, Alia Ruth was still shouting about justice and equality.

Julius shuddered one last time.

"Never again," he whispered. "Never again."