The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 9

I had run out of desserts, so I went to restock my fridge.

I visited the dessert shop run by the canine merchant again.

After carefully stacking up the colorful desserts, I placed the tray on the counter.

I was leisurely waiting for the packaging to be finished when—

"Kid, why don’t you visit the orphanage that Red sponsors?"

The shop owner said that after finishing the packaging.

The unexpected suggestion caught me off guard, and for a moment, I froze, unsure of how to react.

An orphanage? Come to think of it, Red had made the same suggestion before.

Of course, I refused at the time and completely put it out of my mind afterward.

Why bring it up all of a sudden?

Either way, if I had to choose, my answer would be a definite "I don’t want to go."

Just as I was about to shake my head to express my refusal—

"Do you really hate the idea that much?"

The shop owner spoke first, making me flinch.

I instinctively touched my face, wondering if my hood and mask had slipped off, exposing my expression. But they were still properly in place.

How did he read my thoughts?

As I stood there in confusion, the shop owner gave me a warm smile.

"You don’t need to see a person’s face to know what they’re thinking. Emotions always leak through actions."

"...."

"Normally, I wouldn’t have brought it up since I believe in letting people decide for themselves. But that kid keeps asking about you whenever she comes here. She keeps worrying—‘Does she look healthy?’ ‘Is she doing okay?’"

Only then did I understand why the shop owner had mentioned the orphanage.

It’s natural to feel pity for a child who seems to be struggling.

And considering how filthy my clothes are, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that my life is difficult.

It’s not strange to want to extend kindness to a pitiful child.

But for someone to show such concern after meeting me only once...

It seemed a bit excessive, so I tilted my head in confusion.

"Red likes kids. That’s why she can’t just ignore someone like you."

Hmm.

Hearing the shop owner’s explanation, I felt like I understood.

And yet, I still couldn’t shake a sense of doubt.

It wasn’t just because of my general distrust of people.

Something was off. My instincts were telling me that there was more to this.

Could it be that she figured out I’m the Reaper after that fight? No, that wouldn’t make sense.

If she had really realized it, something would have happened by now.

"Just drop by and show her that you’re doing fine."

"...."

"You might even like it once you’re there."

The shop owner handed me the packaged goods along with a small device.

Pointing at the device, he added—

"She left this here for you. If you don’t know how to use it, I can show you."

I didn’t refuse.

I simply took the device and stared at it.

"Follow the directions on that, and you’ll find the orphanage. Well, the choice is yours, kid."

I nodded and walked toward the entrance.

Just as I was about to step outside—

"A child should live somewhere they can actually be a child, not in a world where death is just another part of everyday life."

The shop owner muttered to himself, his voice tinged with sadness.

Leaving behind the sweet scent of the dessert shop, I returned to my hideout.

*

I hesitated for a long time before making a decision.

There was no real reason for me to go to the orphanage.

It’s not like I had any money stored there, and I had no particular ties to the place.

Besides, it was sponsored by Red.

Getting involved with such a strong and dangerous fixer was not in my best interest.

The more time I spent around her, the higher the chance she would discover my identity. If that happened, things would get extremely troublesome.

It wasn’t a forced choice. The decision was entirely mine.

Ignoring this would be fine.

And yet, after all the effort she put into preparing this, ignoring it entirely felt too heartless.

Even if I ignored it, my life would continue as usual. But if I went, nothing major would likely change either.

I wasn’t planning to stay there. Just showing my face briefly shouldn’t cause any problems.

The moment I returned to my hideout, I stored today’s desserts in the fridge and set off immediately.

Following the map on the device, I began moving.

‘I hope it’s not too far.’

How long had I been walking?

It felt like at least three hours had passed. But without a watch, I couldn’t be sure.

Honestly, I started regretting it halfway through.

The nagging voice in my head kept telling me to turn back.

But I forced myself to ignore it, unwilling to waste the time I had already spent walking.

In the end, my efforts paid off—I was almost there.

As I got closer, the scenery gradually changed.

The streets became narrower.

The towering high-rise buildings gave way to lower structures.

The noisy city sounds faded, leaving behind a quiet atmosphere.

After weaving through a narrow alley, the device beeped, signaling that I had arrived.

I glanced at the device, then looked ahead, repeating the action a few times.

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‘This is the orphanage? This... isn’t what I expected at all.’

Since Red was sponsoring it, I imagined it would be a grand building.

Something straight out of a book—‘The chirping of birds that tugs at the heartstrings,’ ‘a warm garden,’ ‘a home filled with hope and dreams.’

But—

‘It’s just an old building.’

Well, it was still much better than where I lived.

‘But how do I get in?’

I approached the entrance, which was sealed off by an iron gate.

I grabbed the bars and shook them. They rattled.

It was just an ordinary iron gate with no special security measures.

The surrounding walls were just as plain.

Since it was a place for children, I expected security drones or defense systems.

Did they think the area was safe enough not to need them?

At least from what I saw, I wouldn’t call this place particularly safe.

But that wasn’t the issue right now.

‘I need to let someone know I’m here. But how?’

I couldn’t call out since I couldn’t speak.

Was there a doorbell somewhere?

I looked around, but I couldn’t find one.

Waiting for someone to come by wasn’t an option.

Should I just break the gate?

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Honestly, with just a little magic, I could snap these bars like twigs.

It was a simple and efficient solution that even I found appealing.

But—

Of course, I dismissed the idea.

I wasn’t here to fight.

There was no need to cause a commotion by acting recklessly.

‘Should I just climb over the wall? There aren’t any special security measures, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’

For a small child like me, the wall was tall.

But for someone who wasn’t an ordinary child, this kind of wall wasn’t even an obstacle.

If I just put a little strength into my legs and jumped, I could easily clear it.

Still, I dismissed the idea.

Breaking in on my own would already be a problem.

The best situation would be entering peacefully as a guest.

‘Maybe I should just shake the gate. If someone inside hears the noise, they might come out.’

Yes, that seemed like a good idea.

I grabbed the iron bars with both hands, getting ready to shake them vigorously when—

“Stop right there!”

A loud voice rang out.

The source came from above, near a large tree positioned close to the entrance.

I looked up in the direction of the voice and saw someone standing at the very top of the tree.

The sunlight made it difficult to see clearly, but the figure was definitely human.

“This is the Sunny Orphanage, a place filled with dreams, the future, and love! No villain can ever set foot here! Not as long as I, the guardian of the future, the protector of people and peace—Rene—am here! Haaap!!”

The figure leaped high into the air.

While flipping multiple times in midair, they tried to land gracefully right in front of me.

—BOOM!

Unfortunately, the landing was a spectacular failure.

Their feet slipped the moment they touched the ground, sending their face crashing straight into the dirt.

‘Oof. That must’ve hurt. That tree was pretty tall...’

I picked up a small branch from the ground and prodded the fallen person to check if they ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) were still alive.

At that, they twitched, then suddenly sprang up, performing a backflip before finally managing to land in a proper stance.

Their face was red from impact, and dust clung to their skin, making it clear that the landing had been anything but a success.

But they didn’t seem to care.

‘That pose...’

I recognized it.

I once picked up a discarded comic book from the junkyard. The pose was exactly like the one the protagonist used in that comic.

They probably thought it looked cool.

From my perspective, though, I was dying of secondhand embarrassment.

Wasn’t it humiliating for a grown adult to act like this?

Oblivious to my thoughts, they shifted their stance into a more threatening posture.

“If you don’t want to be beaten to a pulp, you’d better state your identity!”

Despite the ridiculousness, her energy was intense enough to send a shiver down my spine.

She was strong.

I silently observed the woman.

At first glance, she looked like an ordinary human.

She was an adult woman with long blue hair and a beautiful face, with no visible special features. And yet, the pressure she exuded was overwhelming.

They say you shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance.

She was definitely not someone to take lightly.

Her name was Rene, wasn’t it?

She demanded that I identify myself, but honestly, I was the one who wanted to ask—who the hell was she, and why was she acting like this toward me?

As the silence dragged on, Rene’s expression hardened.

“Why aren’t you answering? Does that mean I should take your silence as an admission of guilt? Very well, then. I won’t go easy on you. And just so you know, I don’t hold back just because my opponent is small.”

She looked ready to charge at any second.

What should I do?

This was troublesome.

She was different from the common thugs on the streets.

I couldn’t deal with her lightly, but if I used my real strength here, not only would it cause trouble for the orphanage, but it might also expose my identity as the Reaper.

This was seriously bad.

Was there a way to resolve this peacefully?

I racked my brain for a solution, but no lightbulb moment came to me.

Then, as I observed her, I noticed something odd.

‘Her outfit... looks like a kindergarten teacher’s uniform.’

Come to think of it, didn’t she just call herself the orphanage’s guardian?

That meant... she was affiliated with the orphanage.

“Prepare yourself!!”

As the situation teetered on the brink of escalation, I hurriedly pulled out the device and showed it to her.

Just as she was about to launch forward, Rene saw the device, panicked, and nearly tripped over herself trying to stop.

“That...!? Could you hand that to me for a moment?”

I passed the device to Rene.

She fiddled with it, flipping through the data.

Gradually, her expression softened.

“So you’re the child Red mentioned.”

Rene lowered her head deeply, looking apologetic.

“I’m sorry. Your outfit was suspicious, so I mistook you for someone dangerous.”

I waved my hand, signaling that it was fine.

“Red is currently away on business. Instead of waiting outside, why don’t you come in?”

Whew. I was relieved that things ended without trouble.

Now I understood why the orphanage didn’t have any security systems.