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

‘The Street of Magical Girls,’ true to its name, has several magical girls.

Gathered under the name of justice, they oppose evil for the peace of the world.

Among them, who stands out the most? Naturally, it was the protagonist ‘Iris.’ In both good and bad ways.

Look. Just by appearing, she’s already left people dumbfounded.

Someone blurted out.

“…What is she doing?”

Dozens of people had gathered on the cracked concrete floor. Their expressions were all identical.

They all wore stunned expressions.

‘…What is she doing?’

I wasn’t much different. It was understandable. Where on earth could you find such a fool?

“That’s cowardly!”

Iris complained as she emerged from the debris.

“Attacking while I’m in the middle of my speech is against the rules!”
“Kieek… kik… stupid.”
“Who are you calling stupid? Idiot!”

It was a childish argument.
No, are these guys really here to fight?

On one side, a monster launching indiscriminate attacks.
On the other, a magical girl trying to protect the world.

Surely they should be giving off an atmosphere that’s difficult for ordinary people to approach.

“Stupid… time… wasting…”
“You called me stupid again! You liar, cheater, anemone, jellyfish, disgrace to monsters, garbage!!”

Why do they remind me of kindergarteners fighting over snacks?

Well.

‘She was always like that.’

It’s something I’ve seen a lot in the game. There’s nothing new now, but seeing it in person gives it a different feel.

Should I say she’s more foolish? Or more chaotic?

…Well, yes.

‘She’s like an old cartoon protagonist.’
An energetic, passionate fool. Isn’t that exactly what old cartoon protagonists were like?

“Kieek… enough. No time for games.”

The pinwheel monster.
Its body looks like a normal human, but it has a colorful pinwheel attached to its head.

The creature turns its head towards the nearby people. The pinwheel on its head begins to rotate slowly.

The surrounding air gradually started gathering towards it.

As the situation developed, I couldn’t just stand and watch. People screaming and scattering in all directions.

But I had no intention of running away.

‘She’ll handle it.’

It was a kind of faith.
I’ve spent quite a long time watching Iris.
I know her behavioral patterns well.

Surely, when a citizen is in danger right before her eyes.

“Hey! Don’t touch that oppa over there!!”

It was the moment Iris’s sharp cry was heard.

With a BOOM! sound, the pinwheel was lifted upwards. A storm strong enough to easily tear human skin shot up into the sky.

Iris, who had quickly approached, had thrown an uppercut.

“Oppa! What are you doing, it’s dangerous!”
“Well, I trusted you’d save me?”
“Stop saying weird things and get away! Quickly!”

It was a markedly different appearance from before.
No sign of foolishness at all, she looked like a proper guardian.
Serious when needed.
This was the gap that Iris possessed.

“As I expected.”
“…Oppa, do you really want to die by that monster?”
“Hmm? Ah. If I die, I die, what can I do?”
“You’re a strange oppa. Hmph, I won’t let that happen, you know?”

Iris’s face became serious.

“Just wait a bit. I’ll finish this quickly!”
.
.
.
.
.
.
The fierce battle ended.

“Huff… huff…”

Iris panting, sweating.
At her feet lay the battered pinwheel monster.

Everyone watched this bloody battle in silence.
The great magical girl who, despite being directly hit by the wind-generating monster, ultimately claimed victory.

There was momentary silence, then.

-Wooooah!!

Soon, cheers erupted.
It would have been natural to be proud of her achievement, but Iris, tattered and injured, waved at them.
With a face completely red from embarrassment.

“Thank you for your hard work! Go home safely!”

Iris waved until the end as people left.
After everyone had gone and only I remained, she stared at me.

“Aren’t you going home, oppa?”
“I’m on my way to work.”
“Ah… that must be tough.”
“Not as tough as you.”

After finishing my words, I shifted my gaze.
My eyes were directed towards Iris’s right hand.
Red blood was dripping from a torn wound.

“Are you okay?”
“Ah… hahaha…”
“You seemed pretty hurt earlier.”

Iris hid her right hand.
She must have been really hurt.

“Give me your hand. We need to treat it.”
“I-I’m fine! Magical girls heal quickly even when injured!”
“Really? I don’t think so…”

Even if she’s tougher and has better regeneration than ordinary people, it can’t be that good.

“Come on, let’s treat it.”
“I-I’m fine! I’m a magical girl! I’ll just heal myself!”

What does being a magical girl have to do with it?

Before I could say that, Iris flew up towards the sky.

If she says no, there’s nothing I can do.
I’m not the type to force things, so I just let it be.

Usually, I don’t try to convince someone twice.
When she said no the first time, I could have just said okay.

If all of Iris’s actions weren’t just an act.

+++++

I sat down on a chair as I entered the convenience store.
With all that chaos nearby, there wouldn’t be many customers.

In other words, today is almost like a free day.

‘Sweet…’

I wanted to fully enjoy this time, but it seemed difficult.
Because of the unusual girl I just met.

I recalled my encounter with Iris.

‘She was cool.’

Iris was definitely cool.

Not just her beautiful appearance, but her determination as a magical girl, and her fighting spirit that didn’t spare her body.
When she blocked attacks aimed at citizens with her whole body, I unconsciously clenched my fist.

It was like seeing the ideal of a cartoon magical girl brought to life.

A cheerful and friendly appearance before battle.
A cool, serious appearance when entering battle.

‘Is this what they call gap moe?’

I understood.
Why she’s gaining popularity these days.

But I know better. As someone who’s been transmigrated, I can’t help but know better.

Iris’s true personality and appearance.
And.

‘She’s a good actor. How come no one notices?’

That everything she’s doing is just an act.

[I’m scared! I’m really scared! But… I’ll do it. I’ll definitely act like a cool and friendly magical girl.]

That was Iris’s line from within the game.

In other words, she feels fear but pretends not to.
She’s putting on a bright act.
I don’t know the reason why. It never came up in the game.
Would I have known if I’d proceeded with the happy ending route?
‘Damn it, of all times to be transmigrated right before that.’

Anyway, she was originally quite a timid person.
She’s hiding herself through acting.

Surely her wounds must have been very painful too. Yet she forces herself to act cheerful.
“Phew…”

I replayed the scene in my head.
That’s an act. Each and every one of those actions is an act.

Looking at it from that perspective, Iris’s appearance from earlier seemed different.

‘I can easily defeat someone like you!’

I recalled Iris’s eyes as she declared that.
Her eyes were trembling.

‘Hmph! It doesn’t hurt at all!’

Iris sneering as her clothes and skin were torn by the cutting wind. I recalled her legs.

Her legs were slowly and subtly trembling.

‘I won! You evil villain!’

I recalled Iris’s smile as she smiled despite being in tatters.

Thinking about it now.

‘She was just forcibly pulling up her lips to smile.’

While her eyes looked like they were about to cry at any moment.

“…Ah.”
Sighs kept coming out.

I should have dragged her here by force.
I should have given her medicine or fed her something.

I felt uncomfortable.
Not just because the fate of this world was uncertain, but because it felt like everything was being left to a young girl.

She must be scared.

‘Let’s see… with the main story starting in a year, her age now is…’

…Sixteen.

A sixteen-year-old is fighting life-threatening battles against monsters threatening the world.

With magical girl powers she’s not yet fully accustomed to.

More vicious ones will appear in the future.
To the point where the wind-generating pinwheel will look like a child’s toy in comparison.

“…What should I do now.”

Just as I was about to start lamenting, worrying, and pondering about the future.

-Ding.

I heard the convenience store door open.
Concerns aside, I still had to work. I need to earn money.

I got up from my chair to greet the customer.
The customer greeted me first.

“…Hello.”

It was a small girl.
Her somewhat gloomy voice sounded familiar.

“Welco-”

Huh?

My eyes met the girl’s purple eyes, and I froze on the spot.

‘…We’re meeting here?’

How should I put it? At this point, it’s almost like God is pushing me to help her.
Maybe that’s why I was transmigrated in the first place.

That is… if God really exists.

“What? Is there something on my face?”
“Ah, no. Not at all. Welcome, customer.”

I don’t know about God, but it seems ghosts might exist.

The girl had band-aids all over her face and a bandage wrapped around her right hand.

Her pale white skin and hair made me wonder if she might be a ghost.

I carefully looked at the girl’s bandage.
She seemed to notice my gaze and raised her right hand.

“…Are you looking because of the bandage?”
“What? No, no. Just-”
“Ha. I just wrapped it because it looks cool, so don’t butt in unnecessarily.”
“…”
“What? Do you pity me?”
“…I apologize.”

I slightly bowed my head in apology. Only then did the girl let out a “hmph” sound and went to buy something.

I mulled over the girl’s words again.

The reason for the bandage was just because it looked cool.

‘Yeah, how nice would that be.’

It would be better if that bandage was just a bad taste in fashion during puberty. But it probably wasn’t.

Beneath that bandage, wounds surely lie dormant. I can be certain. Those wounds are probably the ones finely torn by the cutting wind.

And the shape of those wounds would be identical to the ones sustained by Magical Girl Iris.

It was only natural.
The girl’s name flashed through my mind.

‘Na Noah.’

Noah, who’s over there, transforms into Iris.

And Noah, Iris’s pre-transformation form, is.

“Why do you keep staring at me?!”
“I’m sorry!”
“Really… I might just report you to the police…”

Quite wary.
Yes, to make a comparison.

She was like a fierce stray cat.

…Well, it is my fault for staring at a middle school girl.