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

Noah, who went to the cup noodle display, began to mutter.

“Ha sh… how can it be 1,000 won…? It used to be much cheaper… the rising prices are really insane…”

It seemed she was dissatisfied with the increased price of cup noodles.

“…Should I be attacking corporations instead of monsters…?”
…Hey, that would make you a terrorist.

A beautiful magical girl who defeats monsters committing terrorism because of cup noodle prices.

To someone who doesn’t know the situation, it might just sound like a joke, or they might think she’s a bit mentally unstable.

But for me, who knew Noah’s circumstances to some extent, it wasn’t an issue I could easily overlook.

‘There were many bad endings for Na Noah, not just Iris.’

If Iris met a bad ending at the hands of enemies, Noah’s were mainly due to mental issues.
That is, cases where she headed towards bad endings on her own.

Selling her body for money and losing her magical girl qualification, or in severe cases, committing suicide.

Noah’s mental fortitude wasn’t strong, and the world served a big “fuck you” to a girl who just pretended to be strong.

“…Haah… can’t be helped.”

Noah sighed deeply and picked up a cup noodle.

“I’d like to pay for this.”

The cup noodle placed on the counter.

“That’ll be 1,000 won.”

A trifling amount for some people.
There are even people who wouldn’t bother picking up 1,000 won if they dropped it on the street.

But Noah was different.
This 1,000 won must be very precious to her.

I take the bill handed over with trembling hands and give her the change.

“…Haah.”

Noah sighed.
I felt sorry for her.

She’s risking her life to save others, yet in reality, she has to think twice about buying even a cup noodle.

As I watched Noah trudging to the table, I pondered for a moment.

‘I should take care of her mental state too.’

I didn’t want to see her hanging from a rope, so I needed to help Noah.
She already seemed precarious even before the main story began.

If the main story starts like this, her condition will obviously worsen.

‘What Noah needs right now is…’

Tap tap tap.

I drummed my fingers on the desk.
I was recalling my memories. Na Noah, not Magical Girl Iris.

What did Noah, a lonely and pitiful girl, want the most?

A word suddenly crossed my mind.
…Yes, perhaps what Noah wants most is.

‘Relationships.’

Relationships between people.

From what I could see, Na Noah was a lonely girl.

Though it wasn’t covered in detail in the game, it was clearly stated. She couldn’t receive protection from her parents, and she was ostracized at school.

Then, how many people would she have to rely on? Or at least, how many people would she have to talk to?

‘…None.’

She did establish connections with some magical girls, but that’s in the future. For now, her only companion would be her mascot Kyukyu, who’s comfortably sitting in her pocket.

Moreover, I recalled Noah’s lines from the game.

[I work so hard to save the world… but no one appreciates it. Yes, I know it can’t be helped. But still… it’s a bit bitter.]

The desire to be recognized.
The wish to be praised as Na Noah, not as Magical Girl Iris.

‘She was even said to have affection deficiency.’

I felt like I was starting to grasp the outline of what I needed to do next.

I got up from my seat and bought a triangular kimbap.
While I was at it, I also bought medicine and bandages.

I wasn’t in a great financial situation either, but if this could create an opportunity to approach her, it would be a bargain.

“Excuse me.”
“…Yes?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt your meal-”
“I’m a minor.”
“…”
“You’ve been acting weird… do you really want to go to prison?”

Noah’s eyes sharpened.
I must have looked like someone hitting on a minor.

I hurriedly denied it.

“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”

With those words, Noah tilted her head and raised her phone. As if to say she’d really report me if I said anything strange.

Feeling a crisis in my life, I didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

Bow-

“Thank you for saving me earlier.”

With a really cool, deep bow.

+++++

A man suddenly bowing.
It was bewildering.

‘What is he doing?’

Noah had seen all sorts of people while working part-time, but she’d never seen someone suddenly bow like this.

Faced with a case she’d never seen before, confusion prevailed. Even Kyukyu in her pocket seemed confused.

“Ah… um… well…”

What should I do in this situation?
While Noah was thinking that, she didn’t realize.

The initiative had already passed to the other person.

“Hello. My name is Shin Hyun.”
“Ah… yes.”
“I really want to repay you for saving me earlier.”

Repay.

Hearing that word, Noah’s gaze moved to the man’s hands. A triangular kimbap and various medicines.
His serious expression didn’t seem like a joke.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know everything.”
“Know what?”
“You’re Magical Girl Iris, right?”
“N-no, I’m not.”

Noah tried to lie.
Shin Hyun smiled at her response.

“You’re not very good at lying.”
“What?”
“Your lips were twitching.”

Confused, Noah touched her lips.
And realized she’d been caught.

This was practically admitting that she had lied.

‘How…?’

The method by which he discovered her identity was also questionable, but that was no longer important.
What mattered was what this man would do with the identity he had discovered.
A feeling of fear arose.
Could he be planning to use this as an excuse to blackmail her?

Shin Hyun, as if reading Noah’s mind, smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to do anything bad.”
“…I have trouble trusting people.”
“I guess so. The world is quite a mess.”

Saying that, Shin Hyun handed over the medicine and triangular kimbap to Noah.

“But there are bound to be good people somewhere in the world.”
“…”
“I’m really grateful, so please accept it.”

Kyukyu, who was observing the situation from the pocket, whispered so quietly that only Noah could hear.

“Lady Noah. It doesn’t seem to be poisoned or anything.”
“What about that man? Is there something strange about him?”
“Not at all. Far from being a monster, I can barely sense any magical power from him.”
“So he’s just an ordinary person?”
“I can’t be certain… but the possibility is high.”

Despite his strange behavior and “kyu” speak, Kyukyu was a fairly high-ranking mascot life form.

He could easily detect malice, and would quickly notice even if someone concealed their magical power.

Unless it was someone of the Demon King’s executive rank, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice.

In other words, if Kyukyu said this much, it meant the man’s words were somewhat true.

Though it was still a mystery how he discovered her identity.

“I’ll accept it.”
“Yes. Please use it to treat your wounds.”

There was a moment of silence.
It was because she couldn’t figure out how to respond.

If she were in her Iris state, she would have lightly accepted it.
But now, as Na Noah, she had never met someone like this.

Noah hurriedly picked up her half-eaten ramen and stood up.
It was because she couldn’t stand the uncomfortable situation.

“Then I’ll be going. My identity…”
“Yes, I understand. It’s a secret, right? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep it.”
“…If my identity gets revealed, I’ll come right back here.”
“Yes.”
“Because you’re the only one who knows my identity.”
“Yes.”
“Stop saying ‘yes’ and answer properly! If someone around me gets hurt because of this! I’ll come right back to get revenge on you!”
“Our convenience store always welcomes customers.”

Where does that composure come from?
Is that it? Could he possibly be a god who suddenly fell into this world?

He was so composed that it was the one making the threats who felt drained.

If she stayed with that man any longer, she’d really lose years off her life.

Noah tried to quickly escape from the convenience store.
And at that moment, she heard the man’s voice.

“I’m always cheering for you.”
“…”
“Make sure to eat well, and feel free to visit anytime.”
“…”
“Being a magical girl is tough, isn’t it? I’ll help with anything I can. Complaints, counseling. Well, I can’t fight directly, of course.”

Noah turned to look at Shin Hyun.
What appeared on his face was concern.

Having met various kinds of people and living a life where she was very conscious of others’ feelings, Noah could somewhat guess.

Ah, that concern is genuine.

How long had it been? Since she’d heard someone worry about her like that.
She should express her gratitude.

It was true that she was suspicious, but it was also true that she had received encouragement.

“Um…”
“Yes?”
“Th… tha…”
“Tha?”

When it came to actually saying it, the words wouldn’t come out easily.
Was saying thank you always this difficult?

“Uh… a… goodbye!”
“Yes, please visit aga-”
“UAAAAAA!!!”

Unable to continue her words, Noah chose to run away.
Running away might be embarrassing, but it can be helpful.

+++++

I stared at the spot where Noah had disappeared for a moment.

Still, for a first meeting, this wasn’t bad.
Her wary attitude hadn’t completely disappeared, but that was natural.

Anyone would be surprised if a stranger suddenly revealed their identity.

“Phew.”

I sat in the chair and reorganized my thoughts.

First was Noah.

It was questionable whether Noah would visit again, but she would definitely keep an eye on me for a while.
To monitor whether I truly keep the secret or not.

If I take good care of her each time, maybe she’ll open up someday. What’s the big deal about being friends?

It’s about getting along and feeling comfortable.

The second issue was Iris.

“…I’ll have to take direct action after all.”

It was a method I didn’t want to use if possible.
It sometimes appears in novels, doesn’t it? People who volunteer to be villains to nurture the protagonist.

I didn’t think I’d be doing that myself.

But if she doesn’t become accustomed to battle and doesn’t enhance her abilities in advance, it will be troublesome later.

After all, she needs to become a key figure in the fierce battle with the Demon King.

I’ll become a villain.
And directly train the magical girl.

“I have no choice.”

It was an absurd idea, but fortunately, there was a way.

I’m a transmigrator with knowledge of the game, and I know just the right person.

“Bad Ending #18.”

The terrible ending where Iris is caught by sluggish tentacles and becomes an egg sack.

Before that ending came to pass, I had to steal the abilities of the culprit.