Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

Lady refuses to let it end here.

She had been through tougher, deadlier things than this – like getting chased by a kidnapper, hiding in the back of the car for hours, and constantly being the receiving end of her father's death glare. Compared to those, this is nothing at all. Having that said, there is still hope.

'I won't give up! I won't!'

The ball still hasn't landed on the ground, anyway. These chubby legs of hers – for once, they shall prove her and everyone there that they're not only for show.

With a strong, powerful step, Lady kicks the dirt on the ground and dashes towards the ball. 

'This isn't enough, I need to jump!'

Right then, she felt something solid and round reach her arms. She got it – she got the ball. Based on the rules, if someone is hit, they are saved so long as their own team gets the ball while still in the air. Fortunately, her team members were able to explain that part to her earlier. 

'Even still, this is not enough…' Lady thought with resolve. 

'Rather than a tie, we need a win! I need my grand elementary school debut! I need a friend! And above all, I need to make sure that Hearty has not died in vain!'

She does not know what suddenly possessed her at that moment. Perhaps, it was the same feeling that Hartigan had when he was in beast mode – or maybe Fallon when he was in his bloodlust mode. She is supposed to pass the ball to him, but right now, she has decided to gamble on an all-or-nothing.

For using Belle as a wager and betraying Hartigan.

For mocking her.

For making her go through an embarrassing moment in front of their classmates.

"REPENT!!!"

Along with that war cry, Lady launches a surprise attack.

Not stopping her momentum, she lands on her feet and spins her body – using that thing called a centrifugal force to add strength to throw the ball. The downside is that the aim will decrease a lot. But again, this is all a gamble.

'Please, hit!'

The speed and strength earned from the spinning together with the sudden attack and the weird trajectory of the ball – it all catches Erwin off guard. It ends up hitting him on the hip before going for Kyle then falling on the ground.

And with that, Belle finally announces, "Two last members of team 'Belle's Handsome Liberators' are out. Time is already up. So, team 'The King and His Knights' is the winner!"

"Whoa!!!"

"Amazing!"

"It was a comeback!"

"So cool!!!" 

A round of cheers and applause broke out from the crowd. Yet, what just happened still has not settled in on Lady. To her, it went by like a flash of lightning.

'We... won?' she asked herself, too stunned to even realize that they did indeed win. 

'I've made the final hit?'

She was snapped back from her daze when Fallon put an arm around her shoulders out of nowhere. Lady turned to him, surprised to see him wearing a proud smile.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Lady! You're amazing!"

"H-Huh? Fallon? We've… won?"

"We did, we did! Nice job!"

He then ruffles her hair, making it a mess. Pouting, she huffs at him, "H-Hey, stop that!" 

"Lady!"

Hartigan runs toward Lady and Fallon. 

He has been in a sour mood for some time. So, she is taken aback to see a huge, bright grin on his face.

"I underestimated you! Even though you were completely useless the whole game, you did not give up until the very end!"

She is not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not. It would have been fine if he was not too blunt about her being useless – even though it was the truth.

He puts a hand on her shoulder and goes on to say, "You now have my respect, Lady."

With her teammates congratulating her, it finally registers. She's the one who managed to bring victory to them. Not the berserker Hartigan nor the athletic Fallon - it was Lady, the underdog.

'Uwahhh~ Is this my moment?'

She feels so happy. Even their classmates have gathered around her, praising her for such a show-stopping throw. It was the first time they treated her so nicely. 

'Is this what popularity feels like…?' Lady wondered.

'I think I've finally found my calling! It isn't to be a genius child! It's to be a dodgeball star!

Maybe she should start investing in this career.

While the girls are saying all sorts of compliments to her, she can't help but notice the boys looking at her with starry eyes. Even the CHEEKY Trio appears to be in awe. She thought they would be the type to be sore losers. But once again, she seemed to have misjudged. In truth, they're actually the kind who admire anyone who's stronger than them. 

It's even almost as if they've completely forgotten their quest for Belle.

"Ehehehehe~"

"You're amazing, Lady!"

"Were you hiding your skills all along?"

"You really shocked us there, Lady!"

"You, guys~!"

She may look young, but she is actually much older. She cannot blame them for admiring her a lot, though. She does deserve some recognition for her hard work.

"You're the manliest of all girls!"

'Huh?'

"That's right! I thought those legs were just fat, but they're muscles, right?!"

'Eh?'

"Even though you're a girl, you have the soul of a true man!"

'HUH?!!!'

Boys at this age actually tilt towards sports more than girls. That's why they're probably seeing Lady as one of them now – of all things, it really has to be that. The thought hit her like a sledgehammer. 

'Sure, I don't have that sexy, curvy body since I'm still a child, and these legs aren't slender at all…' she grimaced.

'But don't deny my femininity, damn it!'

It's too late, though. They now really see her as part of their comrades in arms. One of them even promises he'll get his coach dad to train her until she becomes a muscle machine.

'No way, no way, no way!'

They say talented people usually quit their calling when they're at their peak. Therefore, she shall, too, do the same – to retire from dodgeball and let this legend be buried where the sun will never shine. And then, she shall revise her previous silent vow – to not work out to have stronger arms, but for femininity boost.

'Ah, the tears are coming again-'

"Ms. Lady?"

Lady flinches at that. She then turns to find Belle approaching her. 

"Belle... I mean, Ms. Belle?"

"Ufufu~ It's fine to just call me Belle."

"Oh, then, just call me Lady too."

"Alright. I just wanted to congratulate you – and to thank you as well."

"Thank me? For what?"

Lady can't believe this. She's finally talking with Belle.

At least one good thing happened from this mess.

"Not just for winning the bet, but also for helping Hartigan out."

For a moment there, she's confused. Perhaps, she was right – they're close to each other after all. She tilts her head in puzzlement, which earns her a soft giggle from her. 

"The thing is, Hartigan and I used to always play together since we're still babies. We just don't hang out much at school, so others don't know about it. I was really glad when he defended me from his own friends, though. I thought he'd still choose them over me after all that we'd been through…" Belle explained, much to Lady's astonishment. 

"Also, in reality, I was afraid that he'd be labeled a troublemaker if he continued to stick with those three. They can be such a pain. I understand that he needs to look after them to keep them from going out of control, though. Perhaps, you thought that too, which was why you decided to join his team. Thank you so much for that." 

Belle is such a nice kid. Even though Hartigan was a brat himself, she was still concerned about him. Lady should probably try to get to know him more from now on. 

And maybe she understood her intentions because she followed her explanation with a request.

"Say, can you and Fallon get along with Hartigan from now on? I know that you two didn't start out that well. But he seems to like you, Lady. Believe me. So, I'm sure he'll be happy as well. Please?"

"Sure! Say no more!"

"Really?"

"Really!" 

Because she replied a little bit too quickly, Belle was caught off guard. This was exactly what Lady wanted, though. 

She grabs both her hands, smiling.

"Not just Hearty! If possible, I want to be friends with Belle as well!" she chirped blithely.

"E-Eh?" she stammered out, surprised once again.

Belle was silent for a moment. That made Lady nervous. 

But, to her delight and relief, she eventually squeezed her hands and gave her a smile of her own.

"Of course! I've wanted to be friends with you for a while now, you know? Since the first day, I've always thought that you're such an interesting girl. So, I really wanted to know you."

Surprisingly, the feeling is mutual all along.