I’m Not That Villain

82 – Disappearance (2)

Teresa opened her eyes.

My head throbbed, a fractured ache. My vision swam, making it difficult to even keep my feet.

…Why…

Why did it come to this?

I rewinded the situation, reaching back to grasp the tail end of my memory.

Ah. Right.

One side of my skull had been shattered.

By whom?

…By the murderous doll from the bakery.

My brain half-destroyed, I’d wandered the streets. A wound that would have killed me outright if not for my ‘ability.’

What did I do in that state? I think… I remember constantly scavenging for trash to fulfill the ‘condition.’

Having barely met the minimum requirements, I’d managed to regenerate the missing piece of my brain and then…

Collapsed.

On top of a junkyard.

“……..”

Teresa examined her body. The same soiled clothes. But she wasn’t lying on the junkyard she last remembered.

A bed. A proper bed, at that.

And also…

The voice she heard was somehow familiar.

“If you even utter the words ‘further examination’ again, I’ll tear this whole place down, you hear?”

“No, it’s just that the patient’s condition is unusual, so we need to run some more tests…”

“That lady doctor said there was nothing wrong when she came earlier, didn’t she? Cut the crap and get out of here.”

“Ha! Nowadays, civilians act like they know more than doctors! You’ll regret it later if something goes wrong?!”

“Ah. Yes. I’ll regret it later, so get lost. What? Additional tests that take two hours? If I get them, I’ll get them from that lady doctor, so go fetch her.”

“I’m a professional!”

“Professional my ass…more like a pseudo-professional. Get lost. There’s nothing wrong with my vitals.”

“You little shit! One word from me and someone like you will be…!”

CRUNCH.

A sound like something crumpling.

“One word and what?”

“…Clea-, ahem!”

Fading footsteps. Along with that, the sound of someone entering, pulling back the curtain.

Muttering followed.

“That crazy b*stard…is he some kind of dog in heat…? Two-hour additional tests? I saw him staring from the moment I came in…there’s a limit to bullshit…”

Teresa blinked. She watched the man, oblivious to her being awake, as he sat down and tapped on his phone.

Then, a gentle bump.

He touched her hand.

“…No issues, right?”

“No. There are no issues.”

A beautiful, melodious voice whispered, as if re-examining her. Then, the man sighed.

“Just what sort of person is he that he’s lying there like that… adding insult to injury. This is a real dog’s life.”

“Master is too kind.”

“He’s not a complete stranger… well, he did give me some advice before, so I couldn’t just leave him. It’s not charity, it’s give and take.”

“Shall we think of it that way?”

“…You’ve become more playful these days, Scarlet.”

“Because I want to get closer… is that not allowed?”

“What’s not allowed? Do whatever you want.”

“Ehehe.”

Teresa stared intently at him. Only then, belatedly, did his eyes meet hers, and he jumped up as if startled.

“…You were awake?! No, if you were awake, you should have said something? Why were you just lying there with your eyes open?”

“My head hurts.”

His surprise is amusing. But even more amusing is her own situation.

Strange. Really strange. Why do they keep running into each other like this?

And on top of that…

Every time they meet, it’s mostly when she’s in trouble.

She stares intently at the nameless man. Then, suddenly, she asks.

“Are you a stalker?”

“…I’m almost tempted to ask you the same thing.”

“If not, then why do we keep bumping into each other like this?”

“Exactly. I’d like to ask the same thing. Why were you lying on top of the garbage heap?”

Teresa glanced down at her own garments.

A nun’s habit, tattered and ripped, nearing the state of rags. So far removed from its original form it could almost pass for common attire.

“There are…circumstances.”

“Well then. I won’t pry.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Curious, yes…but you don’t exactly have a ‘tell me’ face.”

“You’re perceptive.”

“I have my moments.”

Teresa chuckled, pushing herself halfway up.

“What was that talk about earlier?”

“Specifically?”

“The talk about additional tests.”

“Ah, that. It’s nothing much…The female doctor who initially examined you said you’d awaken soon, you see? But then a male doctor suddenly arrived and changed his tune, saying additional tests were needed.”

“Why?”

“Something about your condition being…off. But honestly, one has instincts, doesn’t one? Besides, that male doctor, not even your assigned physician, was hovering about during the whole examination…Even fondling your arm unnecessarily…It was quite obvious, wasn’t it? What was on his mind.”

“Hmm…”

“If I overstepped, I apologize. But hearing that you’d awaken soon, I thought it only right that you decide for yourself, once conscious.”

A fair point.

The consideration she had hoped for.

Teresa drew the blanket higher. She gazed intently at him.

“Why did you help me?”

“Pardon?”

“You could have just walked by.”

“…I owed you a debt, you see. You told me, didn’t you? That war was coming.”

“Wasn’t that wiped clean with the previous debt?”

“If you put it like that, I’m at a loss for words…”

The man rested his hand on his chin, pondering deeply.

Then he shook his head, side to side.

“Let’s just say it was an act of goodwill. Feels better that way, I think.”

“……”

“You’re short on funds, aren’t you? I’ve got some cash on me, use this. Here.”

Teresa, clutching the wad of bills, gazed at him, unblinking.

He rose from his seat.

“Take good care of yourself. I pre-paid the expenses, so if you want additional tests, just tell the hospital. First time I’ve been to a hospital in Seoul, bloody expensive, it is. Maybe because my medical insurance doesn’t cover it.”

“……”

“So, seeing as I shelled out a small fortune, get every little thing you’re entitled to before you leave. Got it?”

“What about you?”

“I should be going now. Was waiting for your condition to improve before I left, anyway.”

He turned, as if truly intending to leave.

Teresa grasped the hem of his coat.

“Is that truly all?”

“…Pardon? What more do you expect me to do here?”

“What is it you desire from me?”

The man’s brow furrowed.

“I told you, nothing.”

“…Even though I am this pretty?”

“Where does this confidence even come from?”

“You saw that male doctor earlier, didn’t you? Even defiled, even this grimy, he wanted to force himself on me.”

“I saw him… So?”

“And you? Didn’t you say before? That you harbored the same kind of impure thoughts about me.”

Teresa asked, genuinely curious.

The difference between this man and the men she’d known until now.

“Did you not wish to violate me? The instant you found me.”

“…What in the world are you babbling about now?”

“I am asking out of sincere curiosity.”

“Who in their right mind would do such a thing to a patient? That’s no better than a scoundrel.”

“I have experienced it countless times. Hands creeping, slithering, in vulnerable moments. Even defiled as I was, men were bewitched by my beauty, attempting to carry out their schemes. My foster father, too. Even the adults who swore to protect me. They were all the same.”

“……”

“Why did you not touch me? Why do you not demand a price? Why is that?”

“…I swear, the things I’m hearing…”

The man sighed, a drawn-out exhale.

He settled back into his seat.

“Listen, I’m quite busy, you know?”

“Yes.”

“Truly busy. Incredibly so. I have a mountain of things to do, and lately, a string of incidents have piled up, enough to give me a splitting headache. I almost can’t fathom why I’m even having this conversation… but since you’re so insistent, I’ll tell you.”

“Yes.”

“Lust? Of course, I have it. Lust is just another natural emotion, isn’t it? Impossible not to have it. But isn’t it supposed to be mutual? And besides, humans are supposed to control their urges, right? If they can’t, they’re no better than beasts, are they?”

“…….”

“And furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, you… I can see you’re pretty…”

The man flicked his hand away.

“Forgive me, but I’m someone who looks more at inner qualities.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I have no interest. In sleeping with you. What’s the point of mixing bodies without feeling? I, at least, find it utterly pointless. More than that, I despise it. This casual act, done solely for momentary pleasure. I loathe those b*stards who leave it at that, panting and slobbering with desire and never taking responsibility.”

“…….”

“Besides… seriously? How could one feel lust in that state? You were practically limp, like someone already dead. To even contemplate taking advantage then… that would make someone truly… the scum of the earth, wouldn’t it? I don’t know what past you have, or how you see men… and it’s your business, so I don’t much care. I also don’t want to talk to you like you’re different than the men you met, However…”

The man sighed again.

“Don’t think you owe me anything. There’s nothing I want from you, truly. I just happened to notice you, and I couldn’t quite leave you lying there. That’s all it was. But if it truly weighs on you, then rescue me when I’m passed out in a landfill. Though… I doubt that day will ever come.”

“…….”

“Anyway, that’s the end of it. Understood?”

What a foolish story.

“That’s a truly idiotic proposal.”

Teresa couldn’t contain herself and burst into laughter. She shook with mirth for a good while, then waved the wad of bills he’d given her.

“You really mean I can keep this?”

“Yes. I gave it to you to use. But in exchange, if you find me in a junkyard later, you give it back to me in kind. I have a feeling if I’m dumped in a junkyard, I’ll be just as broke.”

“I will. So that means I can use this money however I like?”

“Use it as you please. Judging by your state, I’d say buying clothes and getting some food would be the best use.”

“…Hmph…”

Teresa conjured the blank slate of her schedule in her mind.

Lily Bennetwater.

Lost. The killer doll from the bakery had also escaped, and in less than pristine condition at that. And the one who had helped her and disappeared with her was Renata Lyudmila, the one she had been chasing.

She would undoubtedly have vanished. Considering her opponent was that mercenary, the pursuit would be rather difficult.

The mission was a failure, as it were.

Now that she knew she was being tracked, the chase would be pointless. She was a veteran among veterans, after all.

Once she eliminated Renata from the equation, there was absolutely no angle to pursue the traces of the Black Mirror. The only link had completely disappeared, so it was, perhaps, to be expected.

Starting over from the beginning wouldn’t be so bad, perhaps. But no matter what she chose, it was clear she wouldn’t make it in time.

Her master was escaping from prison and making her way here.

Bringing her followers, preparing to establish herself in Seoul.

Even if she started again now, her master would arrive in Seoul sooner. And when she did…

She would die.

Even as one of her closest confidantes, she was not one to forgive failure.

From the moment Renata Lyudmila slipped through his fingers, he was, in essence, a man marked for death. Alive, but not truly living, so the story goes.

But even that, he found, was cause for joy. To perish by the hand of the God he revered, wasn’t that the most glorious death a believer could ask for?

Whatever the case, time stretched before him, empty. And with no pressing tasks to fill his remaining moments…

“I’ve decided where to put them to use.”

“Ah. Yes. Spend them as you see fit, and I’ll take my leave then…”

“Let’s eat together.”

“Pardon?”

“Together. Let’s. Eat.”

Teresa offered a saccharine smile.

“I have nowhere else to be, so you’re responsible for me, having picked me up like this.”

“…Why would I be?”

“I was already curious, but I’ve become even more so. Besides, I don’t exactly have any plans right now… so I’ll do it.”

“Do what?”

“Be your stalker.”

She tapped his fingertips, a fleeting touch.

Just because she felt like it.

“It sounds… entertaining. Exceedingly so. Don’t even think about running. You’re the first man to ever pique my interest. You *will* take responsibility, won’t you?”