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

Noah blinked her eyes wide. It was because the man’s expression was disconcertingly unfamiliar. What was this situation called again?

Yes.
A mouse before a cat.

Noah felt like a live mouse just waiting to be devoured. Of course, the predator was that man over there.

She had never seen such a sly smile in her life.

“…Who did you want to kiss when you wrote that down?”

That question made her heart flutter.

‘Why is he asking such a question?’

Noah’s pupils trembled violently.

“Just… someone I know.”
“Really?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmm…”

After being watched so intently for a few minutes, a suspicion arose.

‘Could it be, he knows?’

Had he known all along? Who I was thinking about when I wrote that?

‘…Is it that obvious on my face?’

Noah had confidence in her poker face.

There was a nickname her classmates called her.
Snow Woman. Partly because of Noah’s snow-white hair, but it was a derogatory term given because she went around with an expression as cold as ice.

Her emotions were not easily read by anyone, and she didn’t want them to be. She didn’t want to be pitied by having her sadness read.

So, she was more confident than anyone in hiding her emotions. But.

“So who is it?”
“What?”
“Who is it? The person you were thinking of when you wrote it. Seems like you like them quite a bit?”

At the man’s question, Noah’s face turned unnaturally red.
To the point where one might worry she’d catch fire.

‘Like?’

Me, liking that mister?
“…Ugh…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s natural to like someone. Especially for someone your age.”

After hearing those words. And seeing that expression of complete understanding. Noah finally admitted it.

That this mister already knows everything.

From then on, she frantically searched for excuses. What should she say?

Should she snap at him as usual, calling him a pervert mister? Or should she deny it and run away? Numerous thoughts and methods flashed through her mind, but they soon became useless.

Swoosh.
Seeing the man extend his hand towards her, Noah malfunctioned completely.

‘Huh…?’

He’s extending his hand towards her. With a serious expression, without his smiling face. A thought crossed her mind.

Her list, and the very last item on it.

[Kiss like the protagonists in romance novels.]

Why did that come to mind now of all times? A scene from a comic she used to enjoy also flashed by.

The female lead slightly closing her eyes, and the male lead holding her cheek and kissing her. Like overlapping flower petals, their lips—

‘…!!!’

Could it be.
Here.
Her first kiss in life?

Maybe it was because of his unusual atmosphere, or because of her foolish fantasy.

Normally, she would have moved away.
But she didn’t want to move away now.

The heat rising from her chest was saying: maybe it’s okay with this man.

Noah, with her heart pounding, slightly closed her eyes.
Thud, thud, the sound of approaching footsteps.

She felt the man’s hand slowly rising along her hair. Like a brush extending in a smooth calligraphy stroke, she felt the man’s vivid touch extending.

And that touch finally reaches the end of her hair.

“Our Noah has grown up!”

Soon, with the man’s voice mixed with laughter, her head was patted.

“Already having someone you like.”
“…”
“Who is it? Hmm? Is it someone I know… ah, of course. I don’t know your friends.”
“…Haah.”

Well, of course. What was I expecting?
The other person is an old-fashioned pervert mister. And I’m still not sure myself. Whether I really like that mister or not.

Whether I like him as a friend.
Or really…

‘St-stop these strange thoughts!’

Noah shook her head and looked at the man.
The mister, who had returned to his usual expression, gave a lecture like the old fogey he was.

“I don’t know who you were thinking of… but… at least they’re not a strange person, right?”
“Are you saying not to think of strange people?”
“Yes, stay away from weird guys. Life gets tough.”
“…Then I’ve already failed.”

Like a carbonated drink with its lid removed, the fizz had gone out.
What was there to expect? Wasn’t he always like this?

…So clueless.

“Haah…”
“Why the sudden sigh?”
“Just… somehow I feel like a fool.”

Noah sighed and resumed doing the dishes. Moving her hands quickly, she finished the dishes.

After finishing everything, Noah organized her apron and prepared to leave.

“You’re leaving already?”

Shin Hyun looked at Noah.

“Yes. There’s nothing more to do, and I’ve eaten, so. You should get some sleep too, mister.”
“Right. I should rest a bit too.”

Maybe it’s just my feeling.
Until just now, I was so disappointed, but somehow I feel a bit regretful about leaving.

‘My mind must be really messed up. I should relieve stress by hunting monsters.’

At times like this, moving the body is best.

As Noah was about to open the house door with such thoughts.

“Noah.”

She heard the man calling.
He had already approached closely and extended his hand.

It was a fruit-flavored candy.

“Take it.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“It’ll help when you’re tired. Good luck today too.”
“…”
“Take care. Don’t lose to strange villain guys. I’ve specially given you a bunch of my favorite strawberry flavor.”

And then he patted her head for a long time. His smiling face showed clear signs of fatigue. Soon, he patted her shoulders, saying “cheer up,” and went back in.

“…Haah…”

Looking fixedly at the closed door, Noah thought.
She had wanted to cool her head by moving her body, but this was just impossible.

“Haaaah…”

Her mind was all pink.

To calm this down, she needed something bigger. Something that would give a bigger stimulus.

“…Right.”

Come to think of it, he was there.
Someone who could give a bigger stimulus.

“Kyukyu.”
“Kyu… it was hard hiding. Kuu… what is it?”
“From now on, for a week, we’re going on a monster hunting expedition.”
“Kyuuu!? Suddenly!?”
“Yes. I feel like this melancholic mood won’t disappear unless I beat that guy up.”

+++++

As soon as Noah left and I lay down on the bed, Kkomul-i immediately scolded me.

“Shin Hyun.”
“What.”
“You’re not playing with Miss Noah, are you?”
“…I was thinking of teasing her a bit.”
“You’re a bad man. Shin Hyun.”
“I’m closer to garbage than that.”

A bitter smile formed.

In Kkomul-i’s eyes, I probably looked like a bad guy playing with Noah. But I also have some rebuttals to make.

“…Hey, Kkomul-i.”
“Yes?”
“Earlier, Noah seemed a bit serious, didn’t she?”
“Yes. She probably wouldn’t have said anything even if you had smashed your lips against hers in that state. By the way, you noticed quite well.”
“I’m not an idiot. I can tell when I see it.”

As someone who has had a fair amount of social experience, I have a decent sense of intuition. Reading Noah’s mind wasn’t a difficult task either.

She clearly wanted a kiss.

A kiss with none other than me. I could tell from her appearance.
Who she thought of when she wrote that list.

“…Probably me.”

I felt a bit sorry. Doesn’t it mean that she was so lonely that she gave her heart to a man she’d only met a few weeks ago?

Anyway, it was really dangerous.

“Phew… if I had known it would be like that, I wouldn’t have teased her.”

If I had made a slight mistake.

‘…I almost really did it.’

I recalled Noah’s appearance from just now.

Eyes tightly closed, eyelashes trembling slightly. Flushed red cheeks. Though it’s a cliché expression, her lips were like cherries, and her skin was as white as jade.

Add to that the peculiar freshness and somewhat cute awkwardness of a girl suffering from first love fever.

Just as I was about to grab Noah’s head and kiss her, I came to my senses and covered it up with a pat.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

There are many reasons.
We still don’t know much about each other, and I don’t have confidence to take responsibility. The fact that she’s still a middle school student also played a significant role.

And above all.

“…I’m a villain.”

Someday, Noah might discover this. What would she think then?
If her first love turned out to be a villain who tried to kill her.

“She might be quite hurt.”
“But Shin Hyun is doing it for Miss Noah’s sake.”
“You never know about people’s hearts. And besides…”

I was about to say the next words but swallowed them.
Befitting a child raised under a father with a strong sense of justice, she was quite serious about justice.

That’s also why Noah had no friends. A case where she helped a child who was being bullied at school and ended up becoming a victim herself.

She helped the victim despite accepting all of that. That’s how much of a sense of justice she had.

So think about it. If, really, we became lovers. If later, she finds out that I’m a villain.

‘She would agonize greatly.’

Whether to follow her father’s justice, or to follow her love for her lover.
As someone who knows how weak Noah’s mental state is, it’s a risky future.

A somewhat kind but strange mister.
A childhood fever she once had.
That would be just right.

Nothing can be done. I don’t know how to control another person’s heart, and I don’t want to.

I’ll just have to go along with Noah’s judgment.

While thinking this, I felt Kkomul-i’s gaze. It seemed like it had something to say.

“What?”
“But wasn’t Shin Hyun trying to seduce Miss Noah?”
“I didn’t intend to.”
“Ah~ does a person like that just randomly pat someone’s head?”
“That was just because she was like a sister…”
“That’s how it all starts. A girl who’s like a sister becomes a girlfriend, and a girlfriend becomes a wife, you know?”

No, no.

“That’s going too far.”
“We’ll see. How it turns out.”
“How will it turn out?”
“Who knows. Someday, Miss Noah might pounce on you first.”

Oh come on. Surely Noah wouldn’t.

“…Surely not.”
“Shin Hyun said it yourself.”
“What?”
“That you never know about people’s hearts.”

“Uh… uh…” my voice came out. Surely not. That such a future would exist.

“…I don’t know. The me of that time will figure it out.”
“Are you running away?”
“You should get some sleep too. We have to go villain hunting again early tomorrow morning.”
“…Tsk.”
“Don’t click your tongue. It looks like a bad habit.”
“Miss Noah was right.”
“About what now?”
“Good night. Old fogey Shin Hyun.”

…These rascals.

I held back the urge to say something and closed my eyes.
Really, I don’t understand the minds of young people these days.

+++++

Reporter Jang Hyun sighed.

“Hah… where the hell is he hiding…”

He was wandering the dark back alleys at dawn when everyone was asleep, looking for a story.

What he was looking for was.

“Kraken… the name is lame, but it’s certain. The one said to be ravaging this area. If I could just find him…”

A villain called by the name Kraken. The one said to be completely demolishing the villains in this area lately.

People always crave new stimulation. A villain who smashes other villains. Isn’t it quite cool, like an anti-hero from a comic?

Surely, if he could just capture it, it would be a hit.
With such thoughts, Jang Hyun carefully wandered the back alleys.

A smile bloomed on his face a little later.

“…You’re coming at me again after a week?”
“That’s right! I’ve powered up tremendously over the past week!”
“Just a week, a mere fleeting moment for mortals like us.”
“Your speech is so cringeworthy! Whatever, just come at me quickly! I need to beat you up and clear my head.”
“…”
“Revenge is the best!”

Jang Hyun continuously pressed the camera shutter while also taking notes.

This is a big hit.

‘A villain that’s rising lately… and over there is the newly emerged magical girl Iris!’

After bickering for a while, the two soon initiated combat.
Tentacles being swung and fists counter-attacking.

A brilliant exchange of blows, advancing and retreating, decorated the dawn sky.

‘Amazing…’

Monopolization is a structure that inevitably becomes boring. A picture where one person takes everything gets tiring.

But when two people form a rivalry and gain popularity. When, like Messi and Ronaldo, people argue about who’s better and add fuel to the fire.

People naturally gather there.
Humans are more interested in a fire in someone else’s house than a small campfire, after all.

“…The title of this article will be…”

[New Villain Kraken! Confronts Magical Girl Iris! Who on Earth Are They?]

“This is going to blow up!”

It was the beginning of a rivalry that would heat up the world.

+++++

“Ugh, I’m dying…”

I laid my tired body on the bench. It was killing me.
Dawn is too harsh for a twenty-two-year-old mister.

‘Haaaah…’
‘You’re almost dead?’
‘Shin Hyun is the same…’
‘True…’

I stretched out on the bench and conversed with Kkomul-i.

‘It’s already been a year since we started this.’
‘But the results are definite, right?’
‘Yes. The problem is that it feels like I’m going to die.’

I turned on my phone and accessed a website.
The headline of the most clicked article read:

[S-class Villain Kraken Clashes with Iris Again. Battle Continues Despite Police Response.]

S-class villain. That part particularly caught my attention.

‘Got the S-class in a year. Isn’t that a promotion for a convenience store worker? Though you’re still a convenience store worker.’
‘Is this good?’
‘It’s good. After all, I achieved it while minimizing civilian damage.’

At most, it would be dawn noise. Though quite clean for a villain, I became an S-class because I did a lot of rampaging at will.

Time really flew by.
Leaning my tired body on the bench, I recall the times that have passed.

Especially the times spent with Noah.
Looking back, it was a year that was quite enjoyable and also tough.

Spring.

“Noah, are you starting school again from now?”
“Yes… I’m dying of fatigue…”
“Hey! Buck up! I’ll give you Bacchus, drink it and cheer up.”
“Bacchus…? Ugh… my stomach…”
“…Did you fall for it?”
“No, those bastards… why are they spreading such spam…?”
“How would I know. Anyway… cheer up.”
“Ugh… I hope it’s erased from my memory soon…”
“Bacc-”
“Aaahhh! Stop! The world… the world is too scary…!”

Summer.

“…I feel like I’m going to die.”
“Mister, are you okay?”
“Hot… it’s so hot I feel like I’m going to dry up… it’s hot even when I’m just sitting still…”
“…Let’s eat cold noodles. I’ll make them for you.”
“…Noah, you’re the best…”
“D-don’t cling to me! It’s already hot enough!”
“Uhehe…”
“This mister… he got heatstroke and got even weirder!”

Fall.

“Noah.”
“Yes?”
“Have you gained weight lately?”
“…!?”
“They say it’s the season of high sky and fat horses. But you’re not a horse, right? Why do you look like you’ve gained weight?”
“…This is all. Because of you, mister! Every day… feeding me lots of delicious things!”
“What if your transformation outfit doesn’t fit?”
“Aaahhh! I’m going on a diet!”

Winter.

“…Mister… hello…”
“Noah, you’re he- Are you sick?”
“Yes…”
“Let me see… hmm… your fever is quite high.”
“Ah… mister…! Why are you putting your hand on someone else’s forehead…!”
“It’s natural if I want to check your temperature.”
“B-but still…”
“Patting your head is okay but this isn’t?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Oh, you kid. Wait here. I’ll get you some medicine and honey water.”
“…Thank you.”
“Want to make a snowman together when you get better?”
“…Suddenly? …Well, it would be fun.”
“So get better quickly. Don’t make me worry by being sick.”
“…Yes.”

And spring again.

“Mister!”

I heard a voice calling me from afar.
Turning my head, there was a white-haired girl, smiling brightly.

“Why are you sitting there?”

It was Noah.
Noah, who had become a high school student as time passed, was going to a new school in a new uniform.

“To see you.”
“Really?”
“…Just kidding.”
“Tch, I knew it.”

Noah giggling. Her expression is quite bright.
It’s probably for a reason other than going to a new school.

“Mister, have you seen this?”

Noah turned on her phone and pointed to an article.
The headline of the article read:

[Magical Girl Iris Joins Hero Association. Expresses Aspirations as a Newcomer]

“Oh, you’ve joined?”
“Yes. Thanks to this, I don’t have to worry about dad’s medical expenses.”
“That’s good.”
“Hehe, right?”

She said that while staring at me.
She seemed to be expecting something.

“Mister.”
“Yes?”
“Where’s my pat pat? I did well, didn’t I, you should praise me.”
“…Uh… yeah.”

As I extended my hand and patted her head, she showed a pleased expression. Until last year, she had shown signs of embarrassment.

Now she doesn’t even try to hide it?
Maybe if I scratch under her chin, she’ll start purring?

As I was contemplating whether to try, I soon withdrew the thought.
It was because I was afraid of how Noah would react if I went that far.

This much is the Maginot Line.
…Right? It should be…?

After staying like that for a while, she realized she was on her way to school. And also realized that at this rate, she would be late.

“Tsk, I want to stay longer.”
“No-Noah, you need to go to school quickly. Otherwise, you’ll be marked.”
“Alright. I’ll visit the convenience store in the evening. Let’s go eat something delicious.”
“I’ll be working then?”
“Oh, I’ll talk to the owner.”
“When did you get close to the owner?”
“A while back.”

She waved her hand and headed to school.
Her form now looked quite mature.

Over the past year, Noah had grown a lot. Both physically and mentally, she showed quite a stable appearance.

‘Plan 1 can be considered successful.’

During the relaxed time before the main storyline began, Noah grew wonderfully.

But I know.
That the true main storyline begins today, the day of the entrance ceremony.

“Sigh…”
‘Are we going home now? I’m sleepy…’
“No, I’m going to Noah’s school.”
‘Why there?’
“It’s the entrance ceremony.”

Kkomul-i expressed doubt at my words.
It wasn’t incomprehensible. The entrance ceremony is just an entrance ceremony. It’s not a special event, and there’s no need to attend it.

But if this is the world inside the game, that’s a different story.

“Kkomul-i, do you know?”
‘Know what?’
“That it’s a rule that entrance ceremonies always turn into a mess.”

It was time for the main storyline to begin.