The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 37: I Just Took Off My Mask

No matter how good-looking someone is, people sometimes, intentionally or unintentionally, lower their appearance level.

With glasses, hairstyles, or outfits.

However, when they discard all the unnecessary tools that hide their appearance and properly dress up, their hidden true value is revealed.

The gazes of those who never paid attention before become fixated.

The reason I’m saying this is because—

Ever since I took off my mask, I’ve been sensing more presences around me, and the feeling of being watched has intensified.

Whether I’m eating, taking a short break, watering the flower beds, or especially when I come out of the bath.

Even now, I can feel an intense gaze from behind.

The presence doesn’t disappear easily. When I move, it follows me.

Letting out a small sigh, I glanced toward the gaze, and the boys hurriedly hid in surprise.

I shook my head.

Before I took off my mask, those little troublemakers used to joke around with me.

But the moment they saw my bare face, they instantly turned into boys in love.

Just a moment ago, they approached me easily, but now, they avoid me whenever I get close.

‘Seriously…’

I expected this to some extent.

But I didn’t think their attitude would change this much.

I slightly regret taking off my mask.

“Lily~ Come play with us over there.”

Lena approached me with a smile.

I nodded and followed her, holding her small hand.

At least, the distance between me and the girls hadn’t changed.

Of course, the number of times they sneak glances at my face or stare openly has increased exponentially. And when I look back, they blush.

But at least they don’t find it difficult to approach me like the boys do.

Just like usual.

Lena claps her hands while singing.

Bada acts out a pretend play with a script she wrote.

And various other things.

I join in with their childish games.

The children laugh.

Even though we’re just playing normally, their faces are filled with joy.

To be honest, I can’t enjoy playing like they do.

No matter how much my body has gotten younger and my mind follows my physical state,

That doesn’t mean my intelligence and mentality have regressed to that of a child.

Even if the level of play is a bit dull, seeing the children’s bright smiles fills my heart with warmth, making me smile unconsciously.

Yeah. That’s enough.

“Ah, Lily smiled!”

At Lena’s shout, I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.

The girls looked at me with displeased eyes, as if they didn’t like me hiding it.

“Ehh~ Why are you covering it?”

“Don’t hide it with your hands.”

“Show us….”

I shook my head.

No matter how much they begged, I wouldn’t budge.

Puffing their cheeks wouldn’t work either.

As I continued playing with the girls, I felt an intense gaze poking at my back from a slight distance away.

When I glanced over, the boys were staring at us with envious eyes.

Oh dear.

They really look pitiful.

At one point, I asked Red and Rene for help.

About the boys’ sudden change in attitude.

Of course, I knew the reason, but I pretended not to and asked them, hoping to get some useful solutions.

I still clearly remember their troubled expressions.

They knew the answer, but they struggled to explain it to a child, looking completely stumped.

The two acted like adults.

They explained the reason appropriately and comforted me, saying that it wasn’t because they disliked me, so I shouldn’t be discouraged.

I already knew that.

In the end, I didn’t hear anything particularly useful.

But I wasn’t disheartened.

Because, in truth, I could solve this without their help.

There were plenty of ways to restore my previous closeness with the boys.

In other words, if I acted wisely as an adult, this could be resolved easily.

‘But wouldn’t that be a bit boring…?’

Sometimes, I feel like that.

For example, when the kids are just so adorable.

I feel like pinching their cheeks, tickling them, or lifting them up like an airplane.

A mischievous urge bubbles up inside me.

The little devil of imagination in my mind whispers in my ear.

Telling me to play a prank.

Of course, the angel, representing my conscience, persuades me not to.

As an adult, I should listen to the angel.

But honestly, when else would I have a chance to play pranks like this?

A small part of my childhood spirit sided with the devil.

The angel collapsed in shock.

But as the devil whispered to the discouraged angel, the angel quickly got up again.

And just like that, even my conscience was corrupted.

I let out a wicked chuckle in my mind.

The devil and the angel followed my lead, grinning mischievously.

Fufufu.

Everyone was playing in the yard.

I watched quietly from a distance.

They were playing a game with a ball, and the boys were much more enthusiastic than usual.

“Isn’t that a foul?”

“It’s not a foul. It’s skill.”

“Ugh, no way. Just a week ago, you weren’t better than me. There’s no way you suddenly got this good.”

“What do you mean, no way? This is my real skill now.”

It was true that the boys’ skills had improved overall.

Whenever they scored high points, they bragged, and the girls looked annoyed at their attitude.

It wasn’t exactly a team competition.

But as with most games, competition was inevitable, and naturally, the teams were divided into boys and girls.

“My skills don’t stop here.”

Amusingly, the boys occasionally showed off tricks with the ball during the game.

And they would sneak glances this way.

It was obvious they were trying to impress me.

It was cute, like little puppies wagging their tails.

As a reward for their tricks, I gave a small wave.

Of course, the boy blushed and smugly rubbed his nose with his finger.

The other boys, displeased, glared at him with intimidating eyes.

“Move aside, it’s my turn now.”

It was the red-haired boy, Leon’s turn.

Leon had the best physical ability in the orphanage. Almost unbelievably so for a child.

Hmm…

It wasn’t just Leon.

The kids here each had their own special traits.

Lena had word magic, and Bada could materialize writing.

Now that I think about it, back when I used to wander outside, I remember that even the kids I ran into had unique powers.

Now that I think about it, I feel like I saw on some channel that children were being discovered with special powers.

Thud!

As I was deep in thought, Leon slipped and fell flat on his butt.

“Ow, ow, ow,” he groaned.

This is my chance!

Excited by the rare opportunity to play a prank, I hurried over.

Leon flinched and stiffened when I approached.

I bent my knees to check his condition.

Because I was so close, Leon looked a little tense.

When I glanced at his face, it was red as if he had a fever.

I could almost hear his heart pounding.

No, I really could hear it.

In the end, Leon lowered his head.

Hmm.

I brought my face closer, peeking up at Leon’s face from below.

And then—

Thump.

His face filled with shock and embarrassment, and he flopped over onto his back.

Heat visibly rose from Leon’s flushed face.

I helped him sit up and brushed the dirt off his back.

That act alone drew an overwhelming amount of jealous stares toward him.

Leon looked both delighted and troubled, completely unsure of what to do.

Watching the scene,

I smirked wickedly inside and let out a chuckle.

Whenever I got the chance, I pulled pranks like this.

The kids’ reactions were so amusing that teasing them turned out to be more fun than I expected.

Originally, I only intended to mess with them a little.

But, you know, fun things are hard to stop.

Maybe I went too far with my pranks.

“Lily, you like this, right? I saved it just for you.”

“What are you talking about? Lily likes this more.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s mistaken?”

Oh no…

Maybe I overdid it.

Is this what they mean by reaping what you sow?

My past actions came back to bite me hard.

The boys, who used to be too shy to come near me, suddenly started approaching me again.

And they kept trying to impress me.

I knew exactly what they were aiming for.

But it’s impossible!

Sorry, but I don’t even have the slightest intention of accepting their feelings.

Because, first of all, mentally, I’m a guy.

Even though I’ve spent decades in a girl’s body, that fact hasn’t changed.

Dating a guy, or anything beyond that… Ugh.

Just imagining it made my stomach churn.

Of course, I made it very clear that I wasn’t interested.

Hearing my rejection, the boys slumped their shoulders and necks, looking utterly dejected.

Phew.

I thought that settled it, but the next day, they bounced back and started flirting with me again.

‘Damn it.’

Just like how a small spark can start a wildfire, pranks should be done in moderation.

It was too late for regrets now.

Maybe I should just wear the mask again.

A long-abandoned, crumbling cathedral.

No one visited anymore since people had stopped believing in the existence of gods.

Surrounded only by ruins, the place had an eerie atmosphere.

From within the cathedral, a faint light glowed.

There was someone inside.

That person was kneeling before a statue, hands clasped in prayer.

Judging by their posture, they had likely been praying for a long time, radiating a sense of reverence.

However, their attire was rather unusual for someone devoted to a god.

A black robe and a skull mask.

Moreover, the god they worshipped was far from benevolent.

The statue depicted a being clad in dark blue armor and a helmet, wearing a skull mask.

In its hands, it gripped a massive, ominous dark blue sword.

Rather than a compassionate deity who embraced the hearts of people, it looked more like a sinister god of death.

…

This person had abandoned their former god and now followed a new one—the Grim Reaper.

This was a cathedral dedicated to the Grim Reaper.

That person was a believer of the Grim Reaper Cult.

Right now, the Grim Reaper Cult was in the midst of a storm.

Fools who failed to understand the teachings of their god were harming their own kin.

More than anything, the one who had once lent them extraordinary wisdom to guide them on the right path—Isaac—had fallen.

With the compass of the Grim Reaper Cult lost, it was only natural for the organization to waver.

However.

This was not a crisis.

As the one with true wisdom had predicted—

The false wisdom that had upheld justice was struck down by the fist of the righteous.

And at last, a new beginning could emerge.

Step, step.

In the quiet cathedral, footsteps echoed.

“You’re here again, praying as always.”

A voice called out to the praying man.

The man slowly loosened his posture and stood up.

He turned around.

“Everything went exactly as I said, didn’t it?”

The one with true wisdom smiled.