Being a Villain is My True Calling

Shortly after, in front of the amusement park ticket booths.

“…In this case, would it be one child and two adults?”
“I’m not a child, I’m an adult.”
“We should consider age. Legally, you’re still a child, Ga-yeon.”
“I’m already 14 years old.”
“Then we’ll classify you as an adolescent instead of a child.”

Ga-yeon spoke with such confidence that Gahn Yi-an couldn’t help but chuckle. Chise silently observed the two bantering like old friends.

‘…Come to think of it, he never said it would just be the two of us.’

An inexplicable pang of disappointment gripped her heart. Meanwhile, she couldn’t bring herself to raise her head out of sheer embarrassment.

‘Oooh…what was I even thinking this whole time?’

It wasn’t even a date, yet she had misinterpreted it as such and agonized over whether he harbored feelings for her.

Accompanied by an unfathomable sense of letdown, mortification washed over her. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, trying to dispel that feeling.

“Ms. Tsukino?”
“Y,yes!?”
“Are you alright? Your face looks a bit flushed…”

Did I burden you by inviting you…?
Seeing Gahn Yi-an’s crestfallen expression, Chise shook her head hurriedly in response.

“No, no! I’m fine! I was just…thinking about something…”
“Are you still up for today’s activities then?”
“Yes! Of course!”

Regardless, she had ultimately accepted his invitation.
Having already assembled here, it would be discourteous to back out now.

“…Shall we head inside then?”
“Sure!”
“Okay!”

‘Since I’m already here, I might as well forget everything and have fun!’

Having swiftly dispelled her conflicted feelings, Chise beamed brightly as she accepted the ticket from the booth attendant and entered the park.

Gahn Yi-an, Chise, and Ga-yeon rode various amusement park attractions together.

“Ohh…we’re going up, up…”
“Oppa, hold my hand.”

The quintessential rollercoaster experience…

Kkyiik! Kung!

“Drive carefully now, Ms. Tsukino! Ga-yeon!”
“You’re the one who keeps bumping into us, oppa…!”
“It’s going to bruise my waist at this rate!”

…colliding and jostling each other in the bumper cars…

“Ga-yeon! Look over here!”
“Vee~”

…and the carousel renowned for capturing lovely photographs.
We spent an extended period sampling the diverse array of rides.

“Amusement parks really are fun places.”
“Yeah.”

Having decided to take a break, we laid out a mat in the outdoor garden area where dining was permitted.

“Woah…!”
“Pretty…”

Upon unpacking the lunchboxes I had prepared in advance, the two girls gasped in admiration.

‘I made some preparations yesterday specifically for today.’

“Eat up, you two. We’ll need to play some more after this.”
“Okay!!”
Nod nod.

Chise replied with an eager salute while Ga-yeon was already devouring her lunchbox, nodding enthusiastically.
Seeing them thoroughly enjoying the food, I smiled with satisfaction.

‘Shall I dig in as well?’

While not as lavishly decorated as premium store-bought lunchboxes, I had still put in reasonable effort.
Unpacking my chopsticks, I raised them toward the meal I had prepared.

“Fuaah…that was delicious.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Oh, Mr. Gahn!”

After the meal, I approached Chise resting on a bench.

“Ga-yeon? Oh, where is she?”
“She said she wanted to buy a souvenir, so she went to the gift shop for a bit.”
“Are you sure it’s okay for her to go alone??”
“It’s nearby, and Ga-yeon is good with directions.”

Not to mention we had phones, and I could instantly teleport if needed.
Taking a seat beside Chise, I gazed at the rotating amusement park rides.

“We certainly rode a lot of them.”

Perhaps feeling restless from sitting idle, Chise initiated conversation.

I nodded modestly in acknowledgment of her remark.

“It was a wise choice to purchase the pass tickets.”

No matter how casually death occurred or how frequently terrorism struck in this world, the crowds flocking to places like this seemed comparable to the original reality.

Was it simply part of their mundane routine?
In any case, it was thanks to these daredevils that the amusement park was teeming with people.

“The pass is great – we can bypass the queues and ride right away.”

Judging from the unsightly lines, we likely wouldn’t have been able to properly enjoy the rides without the passes.

Hence, I had splurged on the premium tickets granting priority access to the attractions for the entire day.

“Thank you for including me as well!”
“I was the one who invited you. This much is only natural.”

Chise expressed her gratitude, which I waved off with an amicable smile.

“Still! For you to personally prepare the meals and purchase these expensive tickets…I feel so indebted.”
“There’s no need. I’m simply doing something I’ve wanted to try for a long time.”

As I smiled at her, Chise briefly pursed her lips before meeting my gaze, a slight flush on her cheeks.

“…But why did you invite me along?”

Wasn’t this your first time visiting? In a way, it could become a cherished, memorable experience. So why bring a customer along instead of a friend?

‘…Simply because I didn’t have anyone else to casually spend time with.’

While I had several close acquaintances, they were ultimately just colleagues from my workplace – not quite friends I could naturally propose such casual outings with.

However, Chise was unlikely aware of those circumstances.
What she truly wondered was probably…

‘Why her instead of ‘that woman’ from before?’

She had inadvertently witnessed that incident when I was tormenting Narin.
From her perspective, it likely seemed like I had formed some sort of relationship with Narin, which would naturally raise questions about my company for today’s outing.

‘Is he two-timing?’ she might be wondering.

“Hmm…”

I briefly contemplated before speaking, aiming to assuage her doubts.

‘Truthfully, while I did invite Chise along as an experienced guide for a more efficient outing…’

But if I outright stated that, would she take offense?
She might feel exploited and never visit the cafe again.

‘That wouldn’t do.’

Since I intended to facilitate her growth through future terror incidents, I couldn’t risk jeopardizing matters over trivial variables.

“…I’d like to become friends with you, Ms. Tsukino.”
“Eh…?”

Chise raised her tone in apparent bewilderment at my words.
Feigning embarrassment, I nodded while scratching the back of my head.

“To be honest, I don’t really have anyone I’m particularly close with.”
“Th,then that woman you were embracing before…?”
“Ah, her?”

I regarded Chise with a bright, unbothered smile, as if nothing could faze me.

“She’s an acquaintance preparing for an upcoming play.”
“A…play?”

Chise’s expression was one of utter confusion.
As if questioning her misunderstanding, I nodded matter-of-factly.

“Yes. That must have been a scene where lovers whisper sweet nothings to each other.”
“…You even recreated it directly?”
“My acquaintance insisted it was necessary for practice…”

While Chise seemed incredulous, she didn’t openly challenge my explanation.
A kindhearted man who had never visited an amusement park until now, yet maintained a perpetually bright demeanor.
Courteous enough to extend hospitality even to strangers, and willing to invest in cooking and expensive tickets solely to make new friends.

She likely wouldn’t find anything questionable about such an innocuous, if slightly naive, persona.

‘From now on, I am an oblivious simpleton.’

Straddling the line between innocence and denseness.
Akin to those romcom protagonists who receive all manner of advances from the heroines, only to respond with ‘Eh? As if someone like me could be popular?’ while remaining blissfully unaware.

Earning resigned sighs of ‘That’s just how he is’ from the love interests, yet ultimately compelling them to indulge his antics.
In other words, the perfect role for indulging in consequence-free pleasures.

“Is something the matter?”
“No…no, nothing.”

There was no point addressing his obliviousness directly.
Even if she did, such types never comprehended their own faults.

“In any case, I understand what you were trying to ask.”

Ultimately, Chise decided to drop the matter for now.

“I’m fine with being friends too.”
“Really?”

“Woah!” I swiftly clasped her hands, leaning in with an exhilarated expression – mirroring the scene she had witnessed at the cafe as closely as possible.

“Thank you!”
“…Ah, you’re too close…”

Her face flushed beet red as she gradually shrank back.
I maintained unwavering eye contact with her to the utmost extent.

‘…It doesn’t seem like she was merely wondering if I was being unfaithful after all.’

Her reddened cheeks and slightly parted lips.
The way she averted her gaze in flustered haste whenever our eyes met.

‘Could this be an exploitable opportunity as well?’

Having identified this unexpected prospect, I smiled wryly as I caressed her hand soothingly.

Some time later.

“Did you enjoy yourselves?”
“I…suppose…”

After riding a couple more attractions, we settled on a bench to eat some hot dogs.

‘By the way, when is Ga-yeon even coming back?’

Despite waiting around and going on several more rides while she was absent, there was still no sign of Ga-yeon’s return.

She did say it might take a while, but this was getting excessive, wasn’t it?

Tuttu- Tuttu-

As she didn’t answer her phone either, I was starting to worry. Discarding the finished hot dog, I rose from my seat.

“Ms. Tsukino. I’m getting concerned about Ga-yeon not being back yet, so I’ll go look for her.”
“Oh, then I’ll come along too, Mr. Gahn!”

It would be easier to search together.
Chise also disposed of her hot dog remnants and stood up.

“Sure. Let’s go look for her then. We’ll start at the souvenir shop first…”

But at that very moment, as we prepared to search for Ga-yeon:

Kwaaaaaang!!!

“Haah, this is madness.”
“Couples! Cou,couples must all be thoroughly investigated!! Why are the standards only strict for me?! You, you dumbass bastards!!, why, why am I the only one being insulted?! All, all couples!!”

A villain’s intrusion plunged the entire amusement park into pandemonium.