The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 15: To the Zoo!

One week later.

We were all riding in a car driven by Red, heading to a neighboring outskirts city for a trip.

We were going to visit a newly opened zoo.

Naturally, the kids were incredibly excited about going to the zoo.

“I wish the teacher could’ve come with us…”

Rene had stayed behind to look after the orphanage and didn’t join us.

Of course, the kids’ expressions darkened, and they hesitated to leave, but after Rene asked them to bring her back a good gift, they quickly cheered up and hopped into the car.

They looked so serious, as if they had been entrusted with an important mission, that I couldn’t help but laugh behind my mask.

The car was lively.

It wasn’t because of the upbeat music playing.

The kids were chatting excitedly.

“What kind of animals do you think they’ll have…?”

“The last place we visited had so many amazing things!”

“Hehe…”

Their faces were filled with excitement and anticipation.

They were passionately discussing what kind of place it would be, what animals they’d see, and what gifts to buy.

There was no sign of the chatter dying down.

The enthusiasm was so intense that the car seemed filled with a tangible heat.

No, it was actually hot.

Just then, a cool breeze swept through as Red turned on the air conditioning.

Phew, now I could breathe.

“Are you excited too, Lily?”

The yellow-haired girl sitting next to me, Lena, asked.

Since I still wasn’t used to that name, I responded a beat late.

After a brief pause, I nodded.

Lena beamed a bright smile.

“Me too! I’ve been to a few zoos before, but I hear this one is completely different, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

I nodded again, agreeing with her.

Then, I turned my gaze to the window and looked up at the sky.

It was perfect weather for a trip.

‘The zoo, huh…’

I had lied to Lena.

Honestly, I wasn’t as excited as the kids.

For one, the outskirts’ facilities were naturally inferior to those in the central district.

And I knew it wouldn’t be the kind of zoo I envisioned.

Instead of joy and anticipation, I felt a slight tinge of sadness.

But I didn’t let it show.

I wasn’t oblivious enough to ruin the mood.

Everyone was so excited; there was no need to dampen their spirits.

I was grateful for my mask.

‘Well, at least I’m curious about what snacks they’ll sell there.’

Listening to the lively chatter like background music, I kept my eyes on the passing scenery outside the window.

It was dull, filled with nothing but buildings of various sizes.

Searching for oddly shaped clouds was probably more entertaining.

‘Hopefully, we won’t hit traffic.’

Unfortunately, against my wishes, the car ended up stuck in traffic.

The kids grew tired of waiting and fell asleep, while I nearly broke down from boredom.

* * *

After escaping the hellish traffic jam, we finally arrived at the zoo.

“Wow!”

In front of the zoo entrance, a crowd had gathered, surprisingly large for an outskirts city facility.

If we weren’t careful, we might get separated in the chaos.

“Kids, stick close to me so you don’t get lost.”

“Yes!”

The kids’ energetic responses were reassuring.

But instead of easing my anxiety, my worries only grew.

After all, they were still kids.

No matter how early they had matured compared to children in another world, their nature remained the same.

In places like this, the moment you took your eyes off them, at least one or two would inevitably wander off.

Well, with Red and me here, it shouldn’t be a problem.

There were only seven kids, not a hundred. It wouldn’t be hard to keep track of them.

Red led the children to the line.

The queue was longer than expected, so it looked like we’d have to wait a while to get in.

The kids kept chatting, their excitement growing as the thought of entering the zoo drew closer.

It wasn’t just the kids.

Excitement and joy radiated from all around us.

Anticipation, exhilaration, happiness—they filled the air.

‘Zoos are probably rare in the outskirts.’

Whenever someone asked me a question, I responded appropriately.

I scanned the area, observing the people around us.

For outskirts residents, they were all dressed rather well.

Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be relatively well-off.

It was unlikely they had come from the mid or central districts to visit an outskirts zoo, so they must all be locals.

‘Well, every city is different. Not all outskirts residents live in poverty.’

Still, seeing so many neatly dressed people made me suspect the admission fee wasn’t cheap.

I tugged on Red’s sleeve.

“Hm?”

Red looked down at me with a small sound.

Her gaze asked what was wrong.

I gestured in the air with my fingers, drawing the symbol for money.

It was my way of asking if she had enough, and she understood.

Smiling, she patted my head.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy yourself with the kids.”

As she pulled her hand away, I placed mine on the top of my head.

The lingering warmth hadn’t yet faded.

Being patted like that felt strangely odd.

The murmurs around us shifted.

Suddenly, a commotion broke the lively atmosphere.

The cheerful buzz faded, replaced by heavy tension.

Something was happening nearby.

I turned my head toward the source of the noise.

“Do you even know who I am? If you don’t move aside right now…”

A large, ill-tempered beastman was causing a scene.

The crowd was visibly uneasy, their faces filled with fear.

The children clung tightly to Red.

I glanced at her.

She remained calm and still.

It didn’t take long to understand why.

[Beep.]

Several humanoid security robots were swiftly approaching the troublemaker.

The beastman underestimated the robots, raising his sharp claws to attack.

But he was subdued with ridiculous ease.

“Let me go! I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, so…”

The security robots dragged the beastman off somewhere.

A short while later, faint screams could be heard, so soft that only I could pick them up.

When the security robots returned, the beastman was gone.

However, there were faint traces of blood on the robots.

I decided not to dwell on what might have happened.

The zoo’s security didn’t rely on robots alone.

I also noticed several discreet Problem Solvers hired to maintain order.

Of course, a place like this needed proper safety measures.

‘Especially in the outskirts, where terrorism frequently occurs, they must be extra cautious.’

With the troublemaker removed, the atmosphere gradually returned to normal.

As we waited, the line slowly moved forward.

Finally, it was our turn, and we entered the zoo without incident.

* * *

Inside, the kids skipped around the spacious plaza, their faces beaming with smiles brighter than the sunlight as they shouted in excitement.

Seeing them so happy, I couldn’t help but smile behind my mask.

The kids quickly gathered around Red.

“Sis, let’s go see the tigers first!”

“No, the penguins come first!”

“Meerkats!”

“I want to see the sheep…”

Each child had a different animal in mind, shouting their preferences with enthusiasm.

Despite their pleading, Red remained calm and clapped her hands to quiet them down.

“Settle down, everyone. We’ll see everything, so there’s no need to rush. Let’s go in order, and make sure to stick with me.”

The kids nodded vigorously in agreement.

“Lily, come on, hold my hand,” Lena said, extending her hand toward me.

I stared at her hand for a moment and found myself smiling behind my mask.

To think I was being treated like this by a child much younger than me.

Still, the best way to ensure the kids didn’t get lost was to hold hands.

I took her hand firmly.

And so, following Red, our adventure through the zoo began.

* * *

The first stop was the lion exhibit.

Behind a glass enclosure, a lion paced back and forth and let out a powerful roar at the crowd.

Reactions varied—some stared with sparkling eyes, others winced at the loud roar, while a few trembled slightly.

“The lion is so cool!”

“Wow!”

“It’s scary…”

The other visitors also marveled at the lion, exclaiming in wonder.

I, however, was more interested in the ceiling of the enclosure.

‘Just as I thought…’

There was a small mechanical device on the ceiling emitting light.

As I suspected, the lion wasn’t real but a hologram.

‘It’s hard to find real animals in the outskirts.’

The other animals were the same.

All of them were holograms.

They were created using advanced technology and looked convincing, but they were fake.

Still, the kids loved them.

It wasn’t just the kids.

Everyone visiting the zoo seemed to genuinely enjoy the experience.

‘They don’t know what’s real, so they’re satisfied with fakes,’ I thought.

But knowing what was real, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of emptiness.

It was as if a cold wind was blowing through a hollow space in my chest.

* * *

“Hey, look over there, kids. That’s a hands-on animal experience area. It says you can actually touch the animals!”

What?

I turned my head toward where Red was pointing.

Touch the animals?

Even I was a little intrigued.

“Hey, it looks like Lily is interested in that. Let’s check it out first,” Red teased.

What? Does she think I’m a child?

Annoyed by being treated like a kid, I put my hands on my hips and glared at her.

Even though my expression was hidden by my mask, I refused to let it slide.

But my protest didn’t last long.

The kids grabbed me and dragged me toward the animal interaction area.

Ahhh! Let me go, you little brats! I’ll go on my own!

* * *

When we got there, I was disappointed.

‘I was foolish to expect anything more.’

It wasn’t holograms.

But it wasn’t real animals either.

They were mechanical animals.

They looked like real animals, but they were machines.

The kids didn’t seem to care.

They approached a mechanical sheep cautiously and began petting it.

Lena waved for me to come over.

Red gave me a gentle push on my back.

With no other choice, I walked over and touched the sheep’s wool.

It was fake, but it felt soft and fluffy, almost real.

It was warm too.

The more I touched it, the better it felt.

Eventually, I buried my face in the wool.

We spent time touching and riding the various mechanical animals on the artificial grass.

Just then, a robotic guide dog approached us.

“Hello. How do you like our pasture? Are you enjoying it?”

The kids enthusiastically replied, “Yes, yes!”

The robot opened a box it was carrying and handed out items to us.

“This is cheese we made ourselves. Well, technically, it’s a synthetic food that mimics the taste of cheese, but please try it.”

The cheese was a tiny, square piece, about the size of a thumbnail.

Clearly a sample-sized portion.

I carefully lifted the bottom of my mask and popped the cheese into my mouth.

Chewing slowly, I thought, ‘It does taste like cheese.’

Looking around, I noticed the kids were amazed, their faces full of wonder.

“Do you like it? If so, please visit our Pasture Café. Our café offers not just cheese but a variety of other foods as well,” the guide dog robot said before moving on to other visitors.

Red seemed to consider something briefly before turning to the kids.

“We’ve walked around quite a bit. How about taking a break at this Pasture Café?”

The kids cheered and raised their hands excitedly.

They all followed Red’s suggestion.

Their marketing was impressive.