Being a Villain is My True Calling

Jjeobak jjeobak jjeobak…

In a secluded terrace within the party venue, a woman donning peculiar heart-shaped earrings sipped tea at a table.

“…So why, exactly, did you arrive late with a guest this time, Clock Rabbit?”
“Heeing…the guest was too handsome, I tried my hand at seduction…”
“Haah…”

At the woman’s chilly tone, Clock Rabbit flung her arms up dramatically.

“I’ve said it repeatedly – organizations like ours must maintain strict neutrality.”
“But Your Majesty is quite seasoned as well…!”
“Just call me powerful, enough.”

“But Your Majesty is even mightier than the bosses of other villain groups! Surely a bit of playfulness is permissible?”

Regarding Clock Rabbit’s antics, the woman took a contemplative sip of her tea.

“And if I alone am powerful? What use is that if the rest of you are incompetent fools? You’ll only get yourselves gravely injured with such recklessness.”
“Iing…but I’m quite formidable myself…”

Scoffing derisively at Clock Rabbit’s claims, the woman set down her cup.

“Very well, let’s assume you’re powerful. Could you and your cohorts be adequately safeguarded by just the two of us?”
“…I merely wish to indulge in guilt-free pleasure?”
“Appointing someone like you as an executive was my mistake…”
“Hing.”

Cowed by the woman’s mocking rebuke, Clock Rabbit lowered her head contritely.

“Besides your flirtations, have you caused any other disturbances?”
“Nope, just proposing we spend the night together…requesting to be chosen as a companion…”
“That’s not mere flirtation, that’s outright sexual harassment.”

The woman snapped her fingers.

Dalgeurak.

In response, a mannequin materialized nearby.
With each subsequent snap of her fingers, the mannequin swayed listlessly.

Bbwaak!

“Kkyaak!”

Without ceremony, the mannequin struck Clock Rabbit squarely on the head.

“You brazen wench, with nothing but debauchery on your mind! Dressing you in that rabbit outfit seems to have synced your heat cycles!”
“I,I couldn’t help it! That new Eclipse executive was just too irresistibly dashing! Needlessly oozing sensuality!”

Bbwaak!!

“He is an Eclipse executive, you fool! Get a grip!!”
“I don’t care! Even you would be smitten upon witnessing his allure, Your Majesty!”

“What insolence!”

Writhing on the ground, her eyes rolling erratically, Clock Rabbit’s disturbing behavior unnerved the woman.

‘Just what sort of divine beauty could elicit such a reaction?’

Of course, Maker’s appearance alone could not account for her present derangement.
More likely, the woman’s admonishments had triggered a relapse of repressed stress manifesting in this bizarre outburst.

However, that didn’t diminish her burgeoning curiosity regarding his looks.
Having practically raised Clock Rabbit herself from childhood, their judgments of male attractiveness should closely align.

Pissyut-

Conveniently, she detected a signal from one of the mannequins she had deployed throughout the venue.

“…What troubles you now?”
“…I’ve located him through the mannequins…ah, there he is. Maker.”

Closing her eyes, the woman glimpsed a hazy silhouette of a black-coated man through the mannequin’s vision.

‘Still, an apology seems warranted…’

Upon receiving reports of Clock Rabbit’s antics at Eclipse, the woman had instructed the mannequins dispersed throughout the venue to locate him – the result now manifesting before her.

‘Relaying it through a mannequin should suffice?’

Concealing her identity was a precaution against potential threats, so revealing her face was inadvisable.
Besides, a grandiose apology was hardly necessary in this case.

She had initially planned to possess a mannequin, convey her apologies, and perhaps bestow parting gifts before his departure.

Gooooo-

Focusing her concentration, the woman attempted to inhabit the mannequin.
Shortly thereafter, the possession proved successful.

‘Right, time for that apology…’

Prepare to apologize…

‘Over here.’

Responding instinctively to the summons upon inhabiting the mannequin, the woman turned towards the voice.

Finally granted an unobstructed, high-definition view of Maker up close.
.
.
.
…Ssup.

“Your Majesty, have you finished possessing it?”
“……”
“? Your Majesty? Where are you going?”

After several vacant minutes, she abruptly sprang to her feet, hastily gathering her belongings before abruptly relocating.

“Where else? To offer that apology~”
“Why the sudden honorifics…no, wait, I thought you couldn’t reveal your face?!”

“Oh my~ But aren’t apologies traditionally conveyed in person, face-to-face?”

‘…This wench?’

Clock Rabbit seemed to grasp the reason behind the woman’s peculiar antics.

“You were smitten too!!”
“Hmm~ Whatever could you mean? I’m merely going to atone for a subordinate’s transgressions.”
“Stop feigning that nasal inflection!”
“This is simply how my voice sounds naturally, Rabbit~”

Regarding the woman’s unconvincing protests, Clock Rabbit sensed something awry.

“You insisted we maintain strict neutrality!!”
“I’m powerful enough to indulge!”
“What about our cohorts?!”
“I’ll pursue guilt-free pleasure!”
“You’re utterly depraved!”

Repeating Clock Rabbit’s earlier words verbatim, the woman’s imitation left Clock Rabbit confounded.

“Well then, I’ll return once I’ve matured~”
“You’re already aged enough as is…no, wait where are you going?!!”

By the time Clock Rabbit regained her senses, the woman had long since vanished from sight.

Heading towards the source of the commotion, I found clusters of individuals visibly congregating.
It seemed most attendees had been drawn by the ruckus.

‘Villains will be villains, it seems.’

Judging by how some had even brought snacks, they clearly had no intention of intervening.
In that case, I might as well indulge in some refreshments while observing as well.

Bbyobbyobbyo…

“……”

Bbyobbyobbyo…

“Over here.”
“…Yes, you called?”

I summoned a diminutive staff member scurrying about in a frazzled state.
Donning a trump card mask, they regarded me quizzically upon noticing my summons.
After a brief moment of seeming lucidity…

“…Oh shit, daaaaamn!!”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah! No,no! Not you! Just mumbling to myself! Heheh!”

The staff member’s eyes widened comically as they blurted out expletives upon laying eyes on me.
Though they swiftly apologized, an odd glint lingered as they shamelessly ogled me.

‘…Tsk. A lunatic?’

Considering my knowledge of the original Black Night and its proprietor, employing such poorly-trained staff seemed implausible.
Moreover, if they were one of ‘her’ mannequin constructs, such erratic conduct would be equally inconceivable…

“…I’ll just take a non-alcoholic cocktail, please.”
“Yessir! Right away!”

Extending my hand resignedly, I selected a fizzy, effervescent beverage from the tray proffered by the staff member.

‘Best to disregard the odd staff and focus on observing instead.’

After all, witnessing conflicts firsthand remained the prime attraction, did it not?
Beverage in hand, I ventured slightly deeper into the densely packed crowd.

Kkwung! Kkwang!

“This bastard tried to scam me?”
“You got any proof, asshole?”

From their exchange, one party seemed to have swindled the other, prompting violent retaliation – the scuffle rapidly escalating.

‘Not a single voice calling for restraint…’

“Ooh! Nice uppercut right there!”
“Back off, you dumbass! You gotta create distance at that range!”

As expected, nobody intervened.
Very well, I shall simply observe then.

Watching as their suits disintegrated into tattered rags amidst their impromptu UFC match, I casually sipped my beverage.

“Mmm.”
“……”
“Ooh.”
“……”
“Quite entertaining, I must say.”

Now what did we have here…?
A woman had materialized by my side, nonchalantly observing the brawl while nursing her own cocktail.

At first, her incessant mumbling had me assuming she was merely prone to audible self-talk.
However…

“You see, those two were practically sworn brothers. But one of them committed an act of betrayal, or so I’m told.”
“…I see.”

It seemed her mutterings had been addressing me after all.
Slightly taken aback, I indulged her statement with a curt response.

“An unfamiliar face. Where might you hail from?”

Without diverting her gaze from the scuffle, she began posing questions my way.
In a jesting tone, I inquired:

“Flirtatious advances?”
“A bit? I won’t deny harboring certain…interests, prompting my inquiries.”

Well, she was certainly upfront about it.
Such overtures were hardly uncommon at soirees of this nature, I supposed.
Yet for such gestures to occur at a villainous gala…

‘This could prove rather troublesome.’

The proportion of deranged psychopaths among villains exceeded expectations.
Granted, only reputable villain organizations merited invitations to Black Night – they would hardly dispatch blatant lunatics as representatives.

Nevertheless, entangling myself with villains in such affairs could quickly become a nuisance.

‘Best to extricate myself before it escalates further.’

The brawl also seemed to be winding down, in any case.

Ppeoreok! Ppeuk! Ppeuk!

“Payback, you little shit!!”

The villain accusing the other of scamming had finally gained the upper hand, raining blows upon his prone opponent in a merciless ground-and-pound assault.

Observing the spectacle briefly, I prepared to make my departure.

“You’re not staying?”

As I moved to quietly withdraw, the woman gripped my sleeve insistently.
It seemed I would have to indulge her with some cursory remarks, at the very least.

“…No, the outcome is quite evident at this juncture.”

Once one party had decisively established dominance, the victor was a foregone conclusion.
Several other spectators seemed to share my assessment, as they too began dispersing.

“Exactly! Gouge out his eyeballs! Twist and rip them right out!”
“You imbecile! How much longer do you intend to wallow there, getting pummeled?!”

Of course, some remained adamant about prolonging the violence or demanding retaliation.
Seemingly roused by the spraying blood, the villains grew increasingly frenzied.

“…Shouldn’t someone intervene, I wonder?”
“……”

I murmured my idle observation aloud.
Yet I harbored no intention of personally interceding myself.
These were individuals entirely unconnected to me – attempting to intervene would yield no benefits.

If I could avoid entanglement and avert further complications, so much the better.

“It seems to be escalating further.”

Now even the initial spectators had descended into chaos.

“You still cheering for that loser getting his ass kicked? His head’s gonna be a fuckn’ pulp, kikiki!”
“? The fuck you just say?”

Seemingly inflamed by the unfolding brutality, the villains began snarling threateningly at each other.

“Kikikikik, yeaaaah~ Got a little too greedy rippin’ off your own men, didn’tcha? Blew all the cash they scraped together?”
“Backstabbing scuuuuum!!!!”
“Ughk, reeks of treachery…ugh, gross.”
“…You fuckers!!”

Money had evidently been wagered as well, no doubt fueling their agitation.

‘If an all-out brawl erupts, it could delay my intended schedule.’

While subduing one or two combatants would be manageable, an all-out melee would undoubtedly vex the party’s host.
Consequently, the event I sought would likely be postponed.

“Hmm…”

For a moment, I contemplated intervening…

“It would be wiser to withdraw before this escalates further.”
“Uhh…pardon?”

Better to accept a slight delay than risk potential injury.
Time was abundant, as long as the postponement didn’t stretch into decades.

‘Besides, I lack confidence in successfully restraining them all.’

Lethal force or inflicting grave injuries was one matter, but thoroughly subduing while preserving their well-being was a challenge beyond my current abilities.
Retreat seemed the prudent recourse.

Having reached my decision, I turned towards the woman beside me.
For some reason, she now regarded me with a bewildered expression.

“Regardless of your identity, it would be advisable for you to vacate the premises as well.”

Such reckless hooliganism seemed conducive to unintended injuries, so I offered a cursory word of caution before moving to depart.

“Well then, I’ll be going…”
“W,wait a moment!”

Yet the woman gripped my sleeve insistently once more.

“…You won’t leave if I resolve this?”
“Pardon…?”
“Okay, got it.”

Seemingly interpreting my confused response as affirmation.
The woman fixed her brilliantly luminous gaze upon the rapidly devolving scene.

Whiing-

A passing breeze caused her heart-shaped earrings to sway alluringly.