The Tough Guy Hides the Villainess

040 – A Wolf Among the Sheep #2

040 – A Wolf Among the Sheep #2

The basement of the orphanage, which I entered following the short-haired girl, was not much different from the crumbling ground above.

Step, step, clatter-.

The debris and ruins were so abundant that I had to hold back sneezes from the dust that rose with every step.

“Not scared, huh? Usually, newcomers are all tense and scared. This place looks like it could be haunted. Some people even say they’ve seen ghosts here.”

“I’m a guy, so I’m not afraid of ghosts. It’s the people in places like this that are scarier. Mostly shady, wicked, wolf-like guys hiding around.”

In fact, I wasn’t afraid of shady and wicked guys either. Because I was always the one doing those ‘shady and wicked things.’

“What’s with the ‘guy this, girl that’? Are you a patriarchal type?”

“Aren’t you?”

“I hate it. My dad was exactly that kind of man. Drinking every day at home, yelling at my mom who was out earning money, accusing her of cheating, and hitting her─.”

Contrary to her fierce and cool image, the short-haired girl kept talking, even about things I didn’t ask. She said she and her sister used to hide in the wardrobe when her parents fought.

“So, I like kind and gentle men.”

“Then we don’t match. I’m the baddest of the bad guys. I’m the type to spank a girl rather than pat her head, so don’t fall for me. I already have someone I like.”

I’m a handsome, popular guy.

To the extent that it’s an open secret that my call sign almost became “Brad Pitt.” I was just setting up a barrier so the girl in front of me wouldn’t fall for me.

Was she upset about being rejected by me?

The short-haired girl stopped and grew like a wolf.

“Just so you know, I have eyes too. I like not just kind guys, but also smart and intelligent ones. And decisive, like a real man.”

“That’s why I said it.”

“You think you’re that kind of person? Ugh, you make me sick.”

As we chatted about trivial things, we arrived at a large hall-like place.

Seeing the various equipment under the fluorescent lights reminded me of the rehab center I used to visit. It must be a similar place.

Whoosh-.

In the center of the room, a bonfire was burning.

There were two, no, three shadows standing near it.

Were they around my age?

“Guys, I brought someone who wants to join Villainous.”

At the short-haired girl’s words, the faces of the boys and girls looking at the bonfire turned to me.

They had messy hair and clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in ages. They looked like me, if I had to say.

No wonder the short-haired girl mistook me for someone wanting to join Villainous. There was a mix of wariness and curiosity in everyone’s eyes.

They were judging if I was someone who could fit in with them.

“He looks weak.”

A very fat boy evaluated me like that.

Those who judge others should be prepared to be judged themselves.

“You look like you could burst if poked.”

“What? What did you say?”

“Wow, did you hear what she just said? What a unique character. Hey, what’s your name? How old are you? Have you had your second awakening yet?”

Another woman approached me, showing interest as she scrutinized me closely. She was a student in a school uniform. It wasn’t from a prestigious school, but rather a cheap outfit that looked like something from a cosplay.

Her appearance, with long hair styled in a hime cut, reminded me of characters from Japanese manga.

“Oh, this outfit? Guys like this kind of thing, right? Don’t they?”

She flirtatiously lifted her skirt just enough for me to see, a rather mischievous girl. At that moment, a male student who had been silently spoke up.

“So—”

He was wearing a thick padded jacket that seemed out of place for the late spring weather, and his curly hair looked fluffy like wool.

With glasses and gentle eyes, could he be the “kind, warm-hearted, intelligent yet decisive man” that the short-haired girl mentioned?

The sheep-like boy said, “I’m a Level 3 ability user, ‘Pinocchio.’ In other words, I’m an interviewer for the ‘Billioners.’ So, how about a little self-promotion? Explain why we should accept you as a colleague.”

“Why would I want to be your colleague?”

“What?”

Honestly, I had no desire to join the Billioners.

The only reason I was here was to gather information about the ‘Orphanage’ and ‘Yoo Yeo-reum.’ Ultimately, it was for Seo Ga-eul.

“First, I want to ask about the orphanage. Why are you guys here? Isn’t this someone else’s territory? Be honest. “If you stall, you all won’t be able to walk out of here.”

“What are you talking about? Are you just saying anything out of fear like that last guy? Oh, are we scaring you?”

The sailor uniform girl who had been exploring me grabbed my butt tightly.

Kids these days have no qualifications about physical contact.

I did the same and grabbed the school uniform girl’s butt hard.

Squeeeze-.

Wow, grabbing a girl’s butt is more satisfying than I thought!

“Eek! What, what the hell, you pervert! Where are you touching! Crazy psycho!”

Smack-!!!

The problem was that the school uniform girl, who had touched my butt first, slapped my cheek.

So, I returned the favor and slapped her cheek.

Slaaap!

“Eek!”

The school uniform girl collapsed to the ground.

Soon, the fat guy shouted in great anger.

“Hey, Sarah! This, this fucking b*stard! Hey! You crazy b*stard! “I’ll kill you!”

Sizzle-. The T-shirt that wrapped around his fat body tore apart due to the sudden muscle expansion. Then, the tattoos densely drawn from his arms to his chest were revealed, making me feel quite gloomy.

“How many drawings did you put on your body? Even if you’re a runaway teenager, couldn’t you afford a sketchbook?”

“Ahhh!”

Thud, thud, thud-. A heavy body was charging towards me.

Bored from waiting, I too ran towards the pig.

“Eh─!?”

By the time he reacted, it was already too late.

My knee was precisely smashing between his thighs.

Crack-.

“Hiiiiiiii!”

It was a very beautiful soprano tone.

If he hadn’t been a thug, he might have done well in vocal music.

“Speedrunner who kicks without hesitation. I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere. Are you perhaps Han Nam-jin? The third-year student who got caught by Yeomra Yeom-hoon and thrown in. “The one who was in the newspaper.”

The curly-haired man with glasses, “Pinocchio,” finally recognized me.

Did celebrities feel this way when people recognized them on the street? Honestly, the fact that someone recognized me sent a shiver down my spine.

“I’m a bit famous, right? Then I guess I know how you’ll end up. You’re not a combat-type ability user, are you? That ‘Yeomra’ got beaten by me, so what do you think will happen to you?”

“Good observation. I absolutely hate fighting. Maria, can you hold this guy off for me? After all, you brought him here.”

Startled-. The short-haired girl trembled at the man’s words.

But it was only for a moment.

“Oppa, run away, I’ll hold him off here.”

The short-haired girl glared at me, frowning like a demon, and charged at me.

Just as I was about to dodge that attack, the curly-haired guy had disappeared somewhere.

“Can’t fight, but quick to run away, huh?”

“Yaaah!”

I punched the short-haired girl, who kept bothering me. The short-haired girl, hit by me, opened her eyes wide in surprise as if she was greatly taken aback.

「Name: Kim Mari

Status: 《Confused and Afraid》 – She was greatly surprised as she didn’t think I would hit her seriously. She is currently afraid of you.”

Looks like she didn’t expect to get hit by me?

I am a philanthropist who abhors discrimination.

It means I like to beat people equally, whether they are women or men, children or the elderly.

“You thought you were wolves hiding among the sheep, didn’t you? You thought you were something special, calling yourselves ‘New Types’ and all that. But you were wrong.”

# # #

The fat man, the short-haired woman, and the school uniform girl were all the first awakeners.

They had no concept.

To me, who possessed the concept of “Leap,” suitable for combat, they were no match.

Once the situation was under control, I decided to question the short-haired woman instead of the unconscious fat man and the school uniform girl.

“Hey, Kim Mari. Answer what I asked earlier. Why are you guys in this orphanage? Just because it’s a good place to hide?”

“This, this orphanage is our home. It’s where we lived. We all came from this orphanage. After it closed, we scattered, but eventually, we gathered here again─.”

She answered more readily than I expected.

She must have known that resisting would only increase their suffering.

“You all came from this orphanage? Then you must know why it closed down?”

“I know. Actually, this orphanage was more like a laboratory than an orphanage. They experimented on turning children into awakeners…, and then ‘that incident’ happened, and it was shut down.”

“That incident?”

“Monsters….”

Kim Mari, the short-haired woman, seemed about to say something but then became terribly frightened.

What could have happened with the monsters?

Her breathing became rough, and her hands and feet trembled as if she was having a mental breakdown due to trauma.

I waited for her symptoms to subside.

Then, after calming her breathing, Kim Mari spoke to me as if making a proposal.

“I honestly don’t want to recall what happened back then. But I’ll tell you. On one condition. You, as a third-year at Yeongsa High, must know about Geum Taeseong, right?”

“I do.”

“He’s a terrible criminal. It’s unfair that he’s pretending to be innocent and attending school. Because of him, my sister’s life was completely ruined.”

Kim Mari clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.

“Tell him to return this and that I will never forgive him. And this is my contact information, so give it to Geum Taeseong.”

With a clink, the short-haired woman took out a small cross necklace from her pocket and handed it to me.

It was a simple request. If she had said something like “Kill Geum Taeseong,” it would have been troublesome for me in many ways.

When I took the cross necklace and put it in my pocket, the short-haired woman began to speak again.

“… The monster we were raising at the orphanage went berserk and many people got hurt and died. That’s why the orphanage was shut down. We all scattered.”

A monster went berserk at the orphanage, injuring and killing people? If such an incident had occurred, the world would have been in an uproar, but this was the first time I had heard of it.

“The older kids reported it to the police and the newspapers, but it was all covered up. No one listened to us. Through legitimate means… ”

I felt like I understood why these kids had joined the group called “Villainous.” If they couldn’t resolve it through legitimate means, they would use illegitimate ones to make their grievances known.

I had no desire to morally lecture them about their methods and actions.

I, too, was someone who would use any means necessary to achieve my goals.

“Then let me ask you one more thing. Do you know Yoo Yeoreum?”

“Yeoreum unnie?”

Bingo. That’s the answer.

“You know Yeoreum unnie? Then if you meet her, tell her this. It’s not her fault, so she shouldn’t worry too much.”

The short-haired girl, Kim Mari, told me the story of the monster at the orphanage with Yoo Yeoreum.