The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl-Chapter 25

The children at the orphanage wore rather shabby clothes. Most of them had visible stitching marks on their garments.

It wouldn't be strange for them to complain about wanting at least one new set of clothes, but the children didn't.

There was no sign of discomfort. It seemed they were fine with it for now.

Why am I telling you this?

“Hey, kids, let's go buy some clothes.”

Today, we all went out to buy clothes together.

Since it was difficult to find a decent clothing store nearby, we ended up driving to a place farther away in Red's car. Of course, the children were excited for the outing.

When we arrived at a store that had a pretty decent exterior, the children gasped in awe at the clothes on display inside.

Their eyes sparkled with excitement.

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The clothes were neat and varied, a stark contrast to what they'd worn before.

“Welcome!”

A cheerful, smiling Arachnid salesperson greeted us.

The children didn't seem particularly surprised by the spider body and legs.

With pure faces, they bowed politely.

Red led the children toward the children’s clothing section.

Red began browsing through the clothes. She seemed unsure of what to pick, her brow furrowing slightly as she pondered.

She stroked her chin as she thought.

Meanwhile, the children were having a lively conversation, pointing at different clothes.

“This one’s pretty...”

“I think this would suit me, don’t you?”

“No way. Not at all.”

“What!? No way!”

“If I wear that, maybe I’ll become popular!”

“Dream on. That won’t happen.”

“Ugh!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle and started looking at the clothes myself.

Thinking about it, it’s been ages since I’ve been to a store like this.

I didn’t often visit clothing stores, and before I came to the orphanage, I mostly wore ragged clothes.

“小 customer, the girls' clothes are over there.”

While I was browsing through the boys' section, the helpful salesperson kindly pointed it out.

Hmph.

At this point, I didn’t really care about gender. After all, I’d been living in this body for over ten years. That phase was long past.

But still, clothes for boys felt more comfortable.

Skirts and dresses leave me feeling bare at the bottom, so they’re a bit uncomfortable.

Reluctantly, I shuffled toward the girls' section.

“I think this would look good on you, Lily.”

“No... this one looks better...”

“I want this one!”

The girls were happily chatting, and I couldn’t really join in.

Sorry, I’m not really well-versed in this sort of thing.

“Excuse me, are you looking for something in particular?”

The Arachnid salesperson approached Red, who was deep in thought.

Red hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, deciding it was better to ask for help.

“I’m trying to pick clothes for the kids, but I have no idea what would be good. The kids’ clothes aren’t really my responsibility. My younger sibling is taking care of it.”

“Oh, I see! I’ll help you.”

With a bright smile, the Arachnid salesperson clapped her hands.

The salesperson, now full of energy, eagerly helped pick out clothes for the children, selecting pieces that suited their styles and personalities.

One by one, as the kids came out of the fitting room in their new clothes, the others gasped in amazement.

“Is that really Ba Da? You look like a completely different person!”

“So cute!”

“Wow...”

The clothes worked like wings, transforming the children completely.

Some had their mouths wide open, others had sparkling eyes, and some even blushed.

Red’s face also lit up with a satisfied smile.

Before I knew it, it was my turn.

‘...?’

But the salesperson, who had been moving quickly, suddenly stopped, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

She seemed to be unsure of what to do.

I quickly realized why.

“...That’s quite a nice mask. But would you mind taking it off while you choose the clothes?”

“Oh, that’s... I have my reasons for keeping the mask on. Is that a problem?”

“...No, it’s fine. No problem at all.”

The salesperson, though a bit awkward, smiled confidently, chest puffed out. She examined my body from top to bottom with a serious expression, then nodded as if making up her mind.

After recommending a few outfits, I took them to the fitting room.

‘...They say clothes give you wings, and that’s exactly true.’

As soon as I changed into the new clothes, I looked completely different. The details shone like polished jewels.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from my reflection in the mirror.

I swallowed nervously.

This could be dangerous. If I’m not careful, the world might end.

I made sure to put my mask back on before stepping out of the fitting room.

Naturally, the reactions were positive.

The salesperson, proud of her choices, lifted her head with a pleased smile.

“So cute! Beautiful!”

“Clap, clap...”

If I were to remove my mask here, maybe the reactions would be even better.

But I couldn’t.

For my sake—and for the sake of the world.

I changed into a few more outfits, like a doll.

Every time, the responses were positive.

“Maybe if you take off the mask, you’ll be able to pick even better clothes...”

The salesperson murmured wistfully.

Sorry, but that’s not happening.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

But it seemed the others shared the same curiosity about my mask, and the conversation shifted to that topic.

“Would you mind taking off your mask just once?”

“I think it would be better if you did.”

“Don’t you want to take it off because you’re ugly?”

“It doesn’t matter what your face looks like...”

The children had been curious about the face behind my mask for a while.

Usually, their curiosity faded quickly, but this time was different.

Perhaps because I had shown a new side of myself, their curiosity was piqued again, and they looked at me with eager eyes.

Just once.

It was truly awkward.

I grabbed my mask tightly with both hands to make sure it wouldn’t fall off, shaking my head repeatedly.

“Alright, that’s enough, everyone. Lily’s feeling uncomfortable.”

Thankfully, Red stepped in and stopped them.

Once Red intervened, the children had no choice but to give up.

They all bowed their heads in disappointment.

Looking at the children’s disappointed faces, Red spoke.

“Even if it’s not today, there might come a day when Lily takes off her mask herself. So, let’s wait until then, alright?”

“““Okay.”””

Phew.

I was glad they listened to her.

As I wiped my forehead in relief, I made eye contact with Red.

Her red eyes carried a hint of sadness.

It seemed that, deep down, she also wanted to see me take off my mask.

As Red had said, maybe one day I’ll remove it on my own. But for now, at least, I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) won’t.

I’ll keep the mask on as long as I can.

For now, I’ll indulge Red a little longer.

*

Late at night.

Under the quiet night sky, a car sped down a road lined with dark, abandoned buildings.

The driver was a young woman.

Her name was Nina.

She was a trusted fixer, a junior to Isaac, who had worked with him for a long time on various fixer jobs. Tonight, she was heading toward the orphanage Isaac once ran.

‘...Why did she say that?’

Red had said something strange to Nina, suggesting they go to the orphanage together to investigate.

Her words implied that Isaac might be involved in something suspicious.

If that were true, everything about Red’s behavior would make sense.

But Nina trusted Isaac.

What kind of person was Isaac? What kind of fixer was he?

He was someone who mourned the death of his comrades, a person swayed by emotions. He was a rare individual in this world with genuine goodwill, a person who tried to uphold justice.

Because of his good nature, he established the orphanage, took in orphaned children, and cared for them.

‘Isaac would never do something like that.’

Nina respected him deeply and admired him. She had worked with him for a long time, sharing both joys and hardships. During that time, she never once sensed anything suspicious about him.

She was sure of it.

But...

‘She wouldn’t have said that if she didn’t have some reason.’

Red’s words couldn’t be completely dismissed.

After all, Nina knew Red’s skills and character very well.

So, the conclusion was clear.

‘She must have heard some strange information and is misunderstanding something.’

The streetlights, which had been few and far between, disappeared from view, leaving only the car’s headlights to illuminate the dark road.

After driving for a while, the car finally reached its destination.

A place that seemed completely devoid of any signs of life.

Nina stepped out of the car and looked at the abandoned building.

‘I never thought I’d come back here...’

Since the children went missing, the building had been left to rot.

She hadn’t come here once after that.

Nina took out her phone, looked at it for a moment, and then put it back in her pocket.

She was supposed to have come with someone else, but she ended up coming alone.

This wasn’t about destroying evidence or anything like that. She simply wanted to look around by herself.

Nina walked toward the building.

It had been abandoned for so long that the floor and walls were covered in rot and mold.

The musty smell made her wave her hand in front of her face.

The moonlight coming through the broken windows was too faint to light the dark interior.

Nina turned on the flashlight she had brought and began to carefully survey the inside.

The more she looked around, the more memories from the past came flooding back.

The memories overlapped with the present.

But those scenes quickly scattered, and all that was left was emptiness.

‘Sigh, why did all this happen...’

The children who had stayed here were all bright, hopeful kids.

It was unimaginable that disaster had struck them.

Nina felt a heavy sadness in her chest.

It was truly heartbreaking.

Nina continued walking, moving from room to room, searching through furniture and belongings. But nothing suspicious was found.

‘There’s nothing strange here.’

With no sign of the things she had feared, Nina began to consider leaving. But just as she turned her gaze, something caught her attention near the fireplace.

Her eyes narrowed.

There were traces of someone near the fireplace.

This was an abandoned building with no sign of life for a long time. How could this be?

Nina cautiously approached the fireplace. Frowning at the musty smell, she ran her hand along the floor and then pushed herself inside, examining it more closely.

There was nothing unusual.

But then something caught her eye—one of the bricks was a different color.

‘Why is this brick a different color?’

She pressed it, and it sank in slightly. With a noise, the fireplace moved, sending dust falling everywhere.

Nina quickly stepped back, and when she looked forward again, the fireplace had disappeared, revealing a passageway leading inside.

The passage seemed to stretch on for quite a distance.

“What is this...?”

Her wide eyes trembled with shock.

Her mind was in turmoil.

She hadn’t known about this mechanism.

Why was there a hidden passage in the orphanage?

Nina swallowed hard.

A sense of unease crept into her heart.

She pressed her forehead, letting out a deep sigh. When she lowered her hand, she had regained some composure.

With renewed resolve, Nina stepped into the passageway.

In her heart, she hoped her suspicions were wrong.