I’ll Live as a Villain Obsessed Over by a Magical Girl

As humans, everyone has flaws and shortcomings. This applies to Shin Hyun, and to Noah over there as well.

Noah has… no, Magical Girl Iris also has such a flaw.

From a human perspective, it might be considered a virtue, but as a magical girl, as someone who punishes evil, it comes with a certain risk.

‘She’s too kind.’

It might be due to the influence of her father who was a hero, but Noah is just too kind.

She can’t stand injustice and must save those in danger. She doesn’t bully the weak and doesn’t touch those who bow their heads.

The problem is.

‘It’s problematic when she’s like that with villains too.’

[What? You didn’t want to do this either?]
[You had no choice because you needed to earn money for medical bills?]
[…Alright. Everyone deserves a second chance. I’ll just tie you up, so obediently-]
[Ugh…! You tricked me…!]

Even in the game, there were instances where Iris met a bad ending after being backstabbed by villains.
In most cases, Iris believed they had their circumstances and could be rehabilitated.

Kindly speaking, she’s nice; harshly speaking, she’s a pushover.

‘A world where everyone is happy. Sounds nice.’

I’d rather ask.

Does someone with a sick mother at home hang out with bad people and commit terrorism?

Most people who decide to live righteously don’t become terrorists in the first place.

In other words, villains are beings that are almost impossible to rehabilitate.
Beings with an entirely different way of thinking.

There might be a small minority, but at least such a person didn’t exist around Iris.

If left as is, the future is predictable.
The future of someone who would be taken by villains and sold off somewhere.

That place would probably be a brothel.

So, I’ll correct her thinking. At least, to be cold-hearted when subduing villains.

Shin Hyun decided to do this when.

“…Ugh…!”
“You’re weak.”
“Shut… up!”

He clearly realized that he had the upper hand against Iris.

“You think I’m weak?”
“Yes. But that’s not important.”
“…What?”
“Stand up, come at me again.”

Iris’s gaze toward the man was filled with anger.

In a back alley of the city, a straight path with no escape route. Standing face to face, we maintained silence and stillness.

He still had composure, but Iris didn’t seem to. The girl’s clothes were covered in dirt.

The girl, who silently glared at the man, looked quite battered.

Since it was blunt force rather than cutting, there was no visible bleeding, but there would be quite a few bruises here and there.
Just standing made her breathing rough and her legs trembling.

Even if she were to run away now, it wouldn’t be strange.

But the girl instead gritted her teeth and charged.

Swoosh!

As the girl’s body instantly translocated, she strikes down from above.

She thought it was an opening.
That’s a correct judgment. The front is blocked by tentacles, and the top is empty.

But.

Smack! The girl’s fist, wrapped in a magic circle, was blocked by a raised tentacle.

“Tch…!”

The girl, with wide eyes, continued her attacks consecutively. Until the tentacle that blocked her was shredded.

As the impact, boom boom, transmitted through his body, the man didn’t just stand by.

Other tentacles swing to attack the girl.
Tentacles weaving a dizzying curve through the air.

It’s just swinging, but when each strike is lethal. And when there are simply so many of them.

That alone becomes an inescapable net, tightening around the prey.

Crack!

A tentacle hits Iris’s torso.
The girl’s body twists greatly.

Smack!

A tentacle grabs Iris and throws her.
The girl’s body is planted into the ground.

Boom. Along with the sound of concrete breaking, cement dust scattered. It was around then that Shin Hyun stopped the tentacles.

The tentacles, which had been dancing to his hand movements, stop moving. With a swish, the tentacles disappear under the robe.

It would be good if the girl could stand, but she was trembling in a way he had never seen before.

Even as he approached, she could only weakly raise her body. Even that soon lost strength, and she fell to the ground.

With a thud, the sound of the girl falling to her knees was heard. It was because all strength had left the girl’s body.

A marionette with its strings cut.
The girl looked exactly like that.

“Are you alive?”

The man asked the girl as he bent down.
Blood was flowing from the girl’s forehead. The girl’s anger was spreading with her breath.

“You seem frustrated.”
“I’ll… haa… kill you…”
“That’s not something a magical girl should say.”

I tried to grate on her nerves as much as possible.

“It’s easy to handle someone like you.”
“…What?”
“Do you know why I’m doing this… the reason? Magical Girl.”
“…No.”

Iris shakes her head.
The man sits on the tentacles as if on a chair and speaks in a candid voice.

“Actually… I have an ailing mother.”
“…”
“It’s not long. Until the day her life comes to an end.”
“Don’t use difficult words, speak simply.”
“She has a terminal illness. Pancreatic cancer, they say.”

Of course, it was a lie.
In this world, as in the previous one, Shin Hyun had no parents.

He was acting out the emotions of someone whose loved one had received a terminal diagnosis, like he had seen in dramas on television.

“…It was painful. Losing someone precious. Not being able to fulfill even a parent’s last wish.”

After saying that, the man looked up at the sky.
With a long sigh.

That sight must have been quite impressive.

“…What was the wish?”

For someone who had just been in battle, her tone was excessively gentle.
Under the gaze that stared at him, the man opened his mouth.

“My mother always wanted grandchildren. Unfortunately… I wasn’t very interested in marriage. I’ve had a few girlfriends… but they all ended up breaking up with me.”

The girl listened silently.

“The reason… is simple. Because of this.”

The man raised a few wriggling tentacles.

“I love seeing people violated by tentacles too much.”
“…What?”

The girl’s pupils dilated.

“That’s…”
“Not normal, I suppose. You could call it a paraphilia.”
“So. Because of that, you couldn’t have children?”
“Yes. No one could understand.”
“…Of course. Who would want to be violated by tentacles?”

The man spoke in a desolate voice.

“Is that so… you’re the same…”
“Of course. I prefer normal people too.”
“…Haah… I thought that the great magical girl active in this area might understand this feeling.”
“Is that why you did this insane thing?”

The man nodded at the girl’s words, then soon extended his hand.

“I’ll surrender.”
“…What?”
“There’s no meaning in fighting anymore. If a magical girl like you doesn’t work, most women would reject it.”
“Can’t you just do it normally!”
“Impossible. My nature doesn’t allow it. How did I become like this… no, perhaps it’s fate.”

At his shrinking voice, the girl hurriedly comforted the man.

“Don’t give up. There might be someone like that somewhere in the world.”
“…Really?”
“…Maybe?”

A tilted head. A faint smile begins to appear on his lips. The girl slowly approaching with an encouraging expression and the man standing still.

There seems to be no hostility. Just as the girl thought this and approached the man.

“Huh?”

With an instantaneous sound, boom!

“…You just died once, girl.”

Next to the girl, large concrete fragments scattered. The man had swung a tentacle to break it.

“You…!”
“Old mother? Wish…? Kha… Khahaha!!”
“…You deceived me.”
“It’s a masterpiece. To think there are still fools who fall for such emotional manipulation!”

The girl froze on the spot, and the man laughed as if he was about to choke, mocking her. Very explicitly and severely.

The man stopped laughing at some point and stared at the girl.

“This is what villains are like, girl. Selfish and only caring about themselves. If necessary, they’ll make up any lies.”
“…You bastard.”
“It’s not difficult to kidnap a woman. However.”
The man began to walk away, step by step, disappearing into a deserted place.

With an unpleasant voice.

“I want you to ripen more. Like a well-ripened fruit, worth picking.”

The girl froze on the spot, and the man disappeared with a laugh.

Even that laughter disappeared, and only silence filled the dawn.
In the place where the laughter had disappeared, someone’s sigh began to take its place.

“Haah…”

Shin Hyun, sighing as if the world was ending, was the owner of the voice.

“…Damn it.”
‘…Are you okay?’
“I was prepared, but…”

This feels much worse than I thought.
This.

+++++

It was a bitter feeling.
Perhaps it’s because it’s unnecessarily raining.

…No, it’s not because of the rain.

Noah.
Thinking about her made me uncomfortable.

‘I wonder if she was hurt badly.’

She hadn’t shown herself all weekdays this week. Neither as Noah nor as Iris.

Was I too harsh?
What if she’s crying, hurt?
Such idle thoughts weighed heavily on my mind.

‘I guess I should go see her directly.’

If she doesn’t come, I’ll go to her.
Fortunately, I know the location of the goshiwon.

I looked at the clock hands. They were moving busily, eagerly running through time.
The closing time had already arrived. I was roughly packing my bag and preparing to leave work.

That’s when.

The bell rang.
It was the arrival of what would probably be the last customer of my shift.

“Welcome.”
“Excuse me, where’s the kimchi?”
“…Kimchi is at the far end.”

The customer, walking step by step, grabbed the kimchi. Seeming to have finished with that, they brought it to the counter to pay.

After I rang up the kimchi and handed it over.

“…Does it hurt?”

I gently stroked the girl’s head. It felt like my heart was being torn apart. Seeing the bandage wrapped around her forehead.

“Well, I’m fine.”

It was Noah.
Noah had returned to the convenience store with bandages and band-aids here and there.

“I had some things to sort out. So I didn’t leave home for a while.”
“I see… oh, by the way, have you been eating well?”
“No. I just ate ramen every day.”
“I told you you’re ruining your body. This won’t do, let’s go eat.”

With the arrival of the relieving staff, I quickly left the convenience store.
What should I feed her? Would meat be good? A meat restaurant open at dawn…

“…There wouldn’t be one.”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, I wanted to feed you meat, but there wouldn’t be a place open at dawn.”

At my words, Noah chuckled.
She proudly showed me the black bag containing the kimchi.

“What are you so excited about?”
“Look.”
“Kimchi and green onions… onions… huh? Could this be…”
“Pork. And it’s belly pork at that.”
“Why this?”
“Well…”

Noah kicked the ground unnecessarily.

“I’ll cook for you, so can I go to your house? I’ll make kimchi stew with pork for you.”

It seems Noah wants to cook for me. Honestly, I wanted to cook for her, but seeing those eager eyes, it was hard to refuse.

I nodded.

“House? Where? Should we go to your goshiwon?”

At my words, she shook her head. She blushed. She moved slightly closer to me.
Soon, looking up at me…

Noah gave an answer I couldn’t have imagined.

“No. Your house, mister.”
“…What?”