The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 37

Even with a good face, people sometimes—deliberately or not—end up downplaying their looks.

Whether it’s with glasses, a certain hairstyle, or unfashionable clothes.

But once you remove those distractions and actually tidy yourself up, your hidden potential starts to shine through.

Suddenly, people who never gave you a second glance can’t seem to look away.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Why am I bringing this up?

Because ever since I took off my mask, I’ve been constantly aware of people hovering around me. The stares have only gotten more intense.

Whether I’m eating, resting, watering the flower bed—even more so after I step out of the bath.

Even now, I could feel that ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) heavy stare drilling into my back.

The presence refused to go away. Every time I moved, it followed.

With a soft sigh, I glanced over my shoulder—just enough to catch them in the act.

The boys flinched and ducked out of sight.

I shook my head.

Before I took off the mask, they were just noisy little troublemakers who always played pranks on me.

But the moment they saw my face, they all instantly fell head over heels.

They used to approach me so casually, but now they scattered like flies if I so much as walked toward them.

Good grief...

I expected some change.

But not this much.

Starting to regret taking off the mask, just a little.

“Lily~! Come play with us over there!”

Rena came up to me with a bright smile.

I nodded and let her tug me along by the hand.

At least things hadn’t changed with the girls.

Of course, the way they snuck glances at my face—or openly stared—had increased exponentially. And when I caught them, they’d blush and look away.

But they didn’t seem intimidated, unlike the boys.

Just like always.

Rena clapped along as she sang.

Ba Da played house with a script she’d written herself.

And so on.

I joined in on the kind of games kids liked to play.

The kids laughed.

Even though it was just ordinary, simple play, their faces were glowing with joy.

Honestly, I couldn’t enjoy it the same way they did.

Even if my body had become younger—and even if the mind tends to follow the body—

My intelligence and consciousness hadn’t actually become childlike.

So the games felt a bit dull. But seeing the kids laugh like that filled me with a strange warmth I hadn’t expected, and before I knew it, I found myself smiling too.

Yeah. That’s more than enough.

“Ah! Lily smiled!”

At Rena’s excited shout, I hurriedly covered my mouth with my hand.

The girls all gave me disapproving looks, as if upset by the gesture.

“Eeeeh~ Why’d you cover it?”

“Don’t hide it!”

“Let us see...”

I shook my head.

Even when they whined, I didn’t budge.

Puffing out their cheeks wouldn’t work on me either.

While I was playing with the girls, I started to feel that intense pressure on my back again.

A quick glance told me everything—the boys were watching from a distance, eyes brimming with envy.

Oh dear.

That’s just sad.

I did ask Red and Rene for help once.

About why the boys had suddenly started acting like that.

Of course, I already knew the reason. But I feigned total confusion, just in case I could squeeze some useful tips out of them.

I still remember the awkward looks on their faces.

They clearly knew the answer, but had no idea how to explain it to a kid.

In the end, like the adults they were, they gave me a vague explanation and tried to reassure me that it wasn’t because the boys didn’t like me.

I already knew that.

And in the end, I didn’t get anything useful out of it.

But I wasn’t discouraged.

Because honestly, I didn’t need their help to solve this anyway.

There were plenty of ways to fix the distance that had grown between me and the boys.

It’d be simple to resolve this like a mature adult.

But wouldn’t that be a little boring...?

Sometimes I get these urges.

When I see the kids being so cute, I just want to—

Pinch their cheeks, tickle them, lift them in the air and spin them around...

Those kinds of playful urges sneak up on me.

The little devil inside whispers in my ear: Do it. Go on, prank them.

Naturally, the angel of my conscience tries to talk me out of it.

As an adult, of course, I should listen to the angel.

But seriously, if not now, then when am I ever going to get a chance to mess with them like this?

That tiny scrap of childhood still buried deep in my heart quietly took the devil’s side.

The angel collapsed in shock.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The devil crept over and started whispering in the angel’s ear... and before long, even the angel got up again.

My conscience had officially been corrupted.

Grinning evilly to myself, I let out a soft giggle.

The angel and devil inside me giggled too, wearing matching mischievous smiles.

Hehehe...

*

Everyone was out playing in the yard.

I watched quietly from a distance.

They were playing a ball game, and the boys were noticeably more fired up than usual.

"That’s a foul, isn’t it?"

"It’s not a foul. It’s skill."

"Ugh, come on. You were worse than me just a week ago! It makes no sense that you suddenly got good."

"Does too make sense. I’m just showing my real skills now."

There was no denying it—overall, the boys had improved.

They strutted around with pride every time they scored, and the girls didn’t look too pleased about it.

Technically, it wasn’t a team game.

But like most games, it naturally turned into a competition. Eventually, the kids had split into boys versus girls.

“My skills aren’t even at full power yet.”

Entertainingly, the boys had started pulling off tricks with the ball mid-game.

They’d glance my way afterward, clearly trying to show off.

It was like watching puppies wagging their tails. Cute.

As a reward for the show, I gave them a little wave.

Of course, the kid who got it blushed furiously and rubbed the bridge of his nose in triumph.

The other boys stared daggers at him.

“Move. It’s my turn now.”

Now it was Leon’s turn—the redhead.

Leon was easily the most athletic kid at the orphanage. Almost unnaturally so, for a child.

Well... Leon wasn’t the only one.

Each kid here had something special about them.

Rena had her voice-based magic. Ba Da could bring written words to life.

Come to think of it, even when I was still wandering outside, I remember running into a few kids with unusual abilities.

I might’ve even seen some channel talking about strange powers being discovered in kids lately...

Thud!

Lost in thought, I turned just in time to see Leon slip and fall right on his butt.

“Ow ow ow...”

He groaned.

Perfect timing!

My moment had come at last. I rushed over, excited to finally pull a prank.

Leon froze the moment I arrived.

I knelt beside him to check if he was okay.

He looked tense—probably because I was so close.

When I peeked at his face, it was flushed red, almost like he had a fever.

I could practically hear his heart pounding.

No—wait, I was hearing it.

Leon eventually lowered his head.

I leaned in even closer, as if peering curiously under his face.

And then—

Thump!

A full-blown look of shock and panic spread across his face, and he flopped over onto his back.

His cheeks practically steamed.

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

Immediately, all the boys' eyes zeroed in on him like laser beams, overflowing with jealousy.

Leon looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Watching all this unfold...

I let out a quiet, wicked giggle.

Whenever I got the chance, I’d tease them like this.

Their reactions were just too entertaining. The more I did it, the more fun it became.

Originally, I was only planning to mess with them a little.

But, well, you know how it is—fun things are hard to quit.

Maybe I went overboard, though.

"Hey Lily, I know you like this, right? I saved it for you."

"What are you talking about? Lily likes this way more."

"You're the one who's mistaken, aren’t you?"

...Okay, maybe way overboard.

Reaping what I’d sown, huh?

The boys, who’d once been too shy to come near me, suddenly started hanging around again.

Trying to get my attention. Trying to impress me.

I knew exactly what they were up to.

But—nope!

Sorry, but I had zero intention of returning those feelings.

After all, I’m mentally still a guy. Sure, I’ve spent years in a girl’s body now, but that hasn’t changed.

Dating a guy, or anything beyond that... ugh.

Even just imagining it made my stomach turn.

Naturally, I made it very clear I wasn’t interested.

The boys slumped, shoulders sagging, devastated.

Sigh.

I thought that was the end of it.

But the next day, they bounced right back and started clinging to me all over again.

Damn it.

Just like how a small spark can cause a wildfire, I should’ve known better.

Even pranks have to be done in moderation.

Too late for regrets now.

Maybe I should go back to wearing the mask...

*

A long-abandoned cathedral, left to rot.

No one came here anymore. Not since people stopped believing in gods.

The area was surrounded by crumbling buildings, the atmosphere eerie and quiet.

Faint candlelight flickered from within the cathedral.

Someone was inside.

A man knelt in front of a statue, hands clasped in prayer.

The way he held himself felt solemn—like someone who had done this countless times.

But his appearance was far from holy.

Dressed in black, with a skull mask.

And the god he worshipped was anything but benevolent.

The statue wore dark blue armor, a helmet, and a skull mask.

In its hand, it held a massive, ominous black-blue sword.

Not a god who embraced people with love—but one who brought death. A god of destruction.

...

This man had abandoned his old god.

Now, he followed a new one—the Reaper.

This place was a cathedral for Reaper worshippers.

He was a disciple of the Reaper’s faith.

Currently, the Reaper Cult was in chaos.

Fools who failed to grasp the teachings were turning on each other, harming even their own families.

And more importantly—the man who had guided them with “divine wisdom,” Isaac, had fallen.

He had been their compass.

And with his fall, the cult had begun to drift.

But—

This was not a crisis.

As foretold by true wisdom:

False knowledge had been crushed by the fist of one who upheld true justice.

And now, at last, a new beginning could unfold.

Step. Step.

Footsteps echoed in the quiet cathedral.

"You’re here again, praying as always."

A voice addressed the kneeling man.

He slowly stood and turned around.

"Everything happened just as I said it would, didn’t it?"

The one with true wisdom smiled.