The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 13: Just an Ordinary Routine

A month had passed.

Time had gone by so quickly.

‘How did I end up staying here for a whole month?’

I hadn’t planned to stay this long.

Initially, I had no intention of lingering here even for a short while.

If Red didn’t show up within a week, I was planning to head back to the base.

But when a week passed and there was no sign of her, I prepared to leave.

– Are you leaving?

– Stay with us.

– Who knows, our sister might come soon.

The kids clung to my clothes and looked at me with very sad eyes.

I could have heartlessly shaken them off and gone on my way, but suddenly, I recalled the cold, lonely air that lingered in the base.

The thought of being alone there again made my feet feel heavy.

Why?

An unfamiliar emotion rose within me.

At first, I didn’t know what it was, and I frowned beneath my mask.

Eventually, I realized what the emotion was, but I didn’t want to admit it.

More than that, I couldn’t understand why such feelings had suddenly surfaced.

I had been living just fine there all along.

Every morning, I’d sift through the trash heaps, looking for usable items, or take a walk around the streets.

If I ran out of snacks, I’d go out to buy some, and if I encountered anyone annoying or some thugs causing trouble in the Dessert Shop, I’d make a note to deal with them later in my Grim Reaper form.

At night, I’d quietly go to sleep at the base.

It was a routine I was used to.

Even during the times I stirred up chaos in the underworld, it hadn’t bothered me.

But why was it that leaving this place made me feel this way?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand.

On the other hand, this place was never quiet.

The kids would seize every opportunity to peek under my mask and hood.

Every snack time, a war would break out, making things noisy and chaotic.

They loved going outside to play and always dragged me along.

They even made me study things I’d never touched before.

It was all really bothersome, annoying, and left no room to rest.

For someone like me, who was used to spending so much time alone, it was a completely unfamiliar lifestyle.

Normally, people would want to escape from such an environment as soon as possible.

Strangely, my feet wouldn’t budge, and in the end, I used excuses like “I have spare time” or “It’s because of the kids” to stay longer.

And that’s how a month went by.

‘I never intended for things to turn out like this….’

Some days, I’d take a nap while listening to Lena sing.

Other times, I’d shred paper into small pieces, collect them, and scatter them over Lena to decorate her little stage.

– Hey…! How could you sleep while I’m singing my heart out?

– Did you prepare this? Wow~ Thank you so much!

Some days, I’d learn to write from Bada, a shy little girl with blue hair, much younger than me.

– You got it wrong again….

– You’re good at reading, but… you keep messing up the writing part.

On other days, when the heating broke, we’d huddle together under a blanket to stay warm at night.

– This way, it’s not cold.

– Look, see? Hoo-hoo-hoo… How’s that? It’s a star shape.

Snack time was always a battlefield.

– That’s mine!

– How dare you eat what I was about to eat? Unforgivable!

It was a series of mundane, ordinary days, and at times, I found it silly and noisy.

But surprisingly, I found myself living comfortably in this foolish little place.

…It was truly astonishing.

“Wow!! You’re really good at drawing!”

Ah!?

I had been caught doodling in my sketchbook out of boredom.

I hurriedly closed the sketchbook and hid it.

But once a kid got a glimpse, they wouldn’t give up.

On top of that, other kids who overheard the commotion gathered around me.

One by one, they began pestering me to show them my drawings.

‘They’ll never give up, will they? Fine, I surrender.’

I raised the white flag and showed them the picture I was working on.

The kids’ eyes sparkled with wonder, and they gasped in awe.

They showered me with praise.

“Wow~ It’s so pretty.”

“How can you draw so well?”

Even though my drawing wasn’t that impressive, their constant praise made my face flush.

Honestly, it wasn’t that great of a drawing.

I just had a little bit of skill, enough to produce a somewhat decent result.

“It’s beautiful….”

The picture I had drawn was simple.

A forest by the sea.

A land that rippled like waves.

In the middle of the forest was a small boat, and in it sat a silver-haired girl.

She rowed under the pouring sunlight—a plain and ordinary drawing.

“Teacher, look at this. She drew it! Isn’t it good?”

Ah!

One of the kids snatched my sketchbook and showed it to Rene.

Rene quietly admired the drawing.

Feeling like I was being judged, I unknowingly tensed up.

Gulp.

“……Yes, it’s well-drawn.”

She spoke words of praise, but her eyes looked somehow sad.

Why? Was it that bad?

No matter what, I thought it was at least better than the kids’ level.

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed.

Ugh.

Anyway, that’s how I spent yet another uneventful, ordinary day.

*

In the evening.

“Why don’t you take off your hood and mask?”

It was finally my turn to bathe, and Rene brought it up.

Of course, I shook my head.

“I didn’t explain well. What I mean is, wearing a hood and mask all day must be uncomfortable, so why not switch to something like a mask instead?”

A mask instead?

Honestly, even I had been feeling stifled wearing the hood and mask all the time.

If I wore a mask, my hair would be exposed, but something as minor as that didn’t matter.

What was important was whether my face was covered or not.

I nodded.

“Really? That’s a relief. Come on, follow me. I’ve prepared quite a bit.”

I followed Rene into the room. She placed the masks on the table one by one.

The masks were displayed in a row.

“Alright, pick one you like. Or, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one. You can switch them out daily if you want.”

That was true.

Still, I needed to choose the mask I would wear after bathing.

I began to examine the masks one by one.

There were various designs, from animal masks to ones with strange shapes.

‘The simplest choice would probably be one of the animal masks….’

I was about to choose one of the animal masks when a particular mask caught my eye.

I picked up a skull-shaped mask.

“What?! Really?”

Even though she was the one who prepared them, Rene seemed genuinely surprised that I’d choose this mask out of all the others.

I nodded.

The reason I chose the skull mask was that, somehow, I felt it suited me.

After all, I did have the nickname “The Grim Reaper.”

Since I liked it, Rene didn’t stop me.

Holding the skull mask, I headed to the bathroom.

Some of the kids would bathe together, but I always showered alone.

That’s because I didn’t want anyone to see my face.

Naturally, I was always last in line for the bath.

Swoosh.

The sensation of warm water cascading over my body was simply the best.

‘I could do this forever….’

After thoroughly washing myself, I finished up quickly and stepped out.

I dried the water off my body with a towel, put on my underclothes and outfit, and stood in front of the mirror on the wall.

The reflection in the mirror showed me.

Or more precisely, it showed a beautiful girl.

Her face was exceptionally refined—so much so that it was hard to put into words.

But her blue eyes were emotionless, and her tightly shut lips added a layer of loneliness to her face.

She looked just like a doll.

A rare and precious doll, one of a kind in this world.

And people would do anything to possess such a doll.

They always had.

So, the doll must be hidden from the world.

I covered my face with the skull mask.

‘Even if my hair is visible, that much is fine.’

I stepped out of the room and could hear the children chattering inside.

As soon as I opened the door and walked in, silence fell.

They all looked surprised.

Well, I had taken off my hood and mask, after all.

Just as people instinctively want to touch something fascinating, the children gathered around me.

“Your hair is pure white. It looks like snow. Do you think it’ll melt if I touch it?”

‘It won’t melt.’

“Sniff, sniff. It smells sweet.”

‘That’s just the soap scent.’

“Can I taste it?”

‘Of course not.’

As I silently retorted to their comments, a wave of regret hit me.

The attention was overwhelming, and my head started spinning.

I made sure the mask stayed securely on.

Amid the chaos, I heard fast-approaching footsteps from outside.

It was Rene.

“Kids, Red said she’ll be here soon.”

What?

For a moment, the room went completely silent.

The kids froze.

Then, three seconds later, they erupted into cheers, bouncing up and down in excitement.

The room was filled with excitement and anticipation.

“Teacher, is that true?”

“Wow! Big sis is coming!”

Everyone was thrilled about Red’s arrival.

Meanwhile, I felt a bit tense.

Shiver.

*

Red arrived past midnight.

Of course, the kids had tried their best to stay awake waiting for her, but in the end, sleep overtook them.

They kept nodding off until they eventually fell asleep.

And me?

Naturally, I stayed up.

I was used to going to bed late anyway.

The reason was obvious—I wanted to see Red.

Late at night, the person entering the front door was indeed Red.

Whether it was due to a mission or something else, her face showed clear signs of exhaustion.

Additionally, she was carrying two large bundles in her hands, presumably gifts for the kids.

Anyway, her fiery red ribbon, fierce gaze, sharp teeth, and the black coat she was wearing that day—

Her distinctive appearance made her unforgettable.

‘And after fighting her once like that, how could I possibly forget? Just thinking about that day makes me shudder.’

Rene went to greet Red.

“Welcome back, Red.”

“Are the kids asleep?”

“Yes, they waited for you, but they were too tired and fell asleep.”

“Don’t wake them.”

“Oh, right. Now that you mention it….”

Step, step.

I revealed myself in front of Red.

Since she knew I was awake, Rene didn’t seem particularly surprised.

Red, on the other hand, looked a little startled to see me, then turned to Rene.

“Who’s this kid?”

“Oh, this is the one you mentioned before, Red.”

Red furrowed her brows in thought.

Then, as if she remembered, her eyes widened.

“What…?!”

I hesitated, unsure whether to wave or bow, and ended up raising my hand in a greeting.