The Worst Villain is Actually a Cute Girl

Chapter 28: Uninvited Guest in the Late Night

"Everyone, be careful not to get hurt. Especially be extra cautious with fire and sharp objects."

“““Yes!”””

Afternoon.

The warm sunlight was shining down, and the children who should have been playing in the yard...

Had all gathered in the kitchen.

Wearing kitchen hats and aprons.

As a token of appreciation for the clothes they received, the children wanted to make snacks for Red themselves.

Of course, this was a secret from Red. They planned to make them quickly while she was away for work.

"I'm going to bake the best bread."

"No! Cookies are better!"

"Wouldn't something soft and fluffy be nicer?"

"Let's make something that lasts a long time."

The children couldn't seem to narrow down their opinions.

I wished they would just pick something quickly and get started. Honestly, whatever they made, Red would enjoy it.

As I inwardly wished for a quick decision...

"Lily, what do you think would be best?"

“…!?”

I flinched at the sudden question directed at me.

Wait?! Why are you asking me?

All eyes were now on me. Their stares were heavy with expectation.

It seemed like not answering wasn't an option. But giving an indifferent response like "anything is fine" wouldn't do either.

Having no choice, I thought for a moment and then raised my hand for cookies.

For someone as constantly busy as Red, a snack that wouldn’t spoil easily would be better. And cookies could be stored and eaten over time.

To make sure the children understood, I earnestly explained my reasoning through gestures.

Judging by their expressions, it seemed my explanation got through.

"You're right... Since sis is always moving around, a snack that doesn’t go bad easily might be better."

"See? I told you cookies are the best."

"Then it's settled? Everyone agrees on cookies?"

Before officially starting, the children took a vote by raising their hands.

Everyone chose cookies.

"Alright, let’s make the most delicious cookies in the world!"

“““Ooooooh!”””

With their spirits fired up, the children were full of energy.

I also raised my hand to match the atmosphere.

At this rate, they might really create cookies so amazing that two people could eat them, and one might not make it.

Since they were making a lot, I was sure I’d get to eat some too.

Gulp. My mouth watered.

But my excitement was quickly crushed by an unexpected problem.

"Aaah! I poured in too much flour!"

"Ugh. The dough is all sticky and weird."

It seemed they weren't very experienced in baking, as mistakes kept piling up.

Even though I was good at eating, I didn’t really know how to make cookies, so I couldn’t help much.

If we asked Rene for help, we could make them easily, but that wasn’t an option. We had decided to do this by ourselves.

Ugh.

At this rate, we wouldn’t get anywhere. This was a problem.

"Don't worry... If we follow the book, we'll be fine..."

Bada brought out a baking book and opened it.

Everything that was messed up went straight into the trash.

We carefully read the instructions and started over from scratch.

When I tore open the flour bag with force, a puff of white powder burst out, covering the children’s faces in a fine dusting.

Looking at each other’s faces, we all burst into joyful laughter.

It was a rather amusing sight, so I couldn't help but smile slightly.

Following the instructions in the book, we added the ingredients into a large basin and kneaded the dough.

Honestly, I preferred eating over making things.

"This feels better than before."

"Knead, knead…."

"Hehe, it feels like playing with clay. It’s fun."

"One, two, one, two~"

Everyone was focused on kneading. The dough was gradually taking shape.

At that moment, Lena complimented my kneading skills.

"Oh! Lily, you're pretty strong."

I rolled up my sleeves and flexed my arm.

My pale skin looked really soft and smooth. It might feel squishy if pressed.

But aside from that, my confident pose drew admiration from the girls.

In contrast, the boys shivered.

Why are they acting like that all of a sudden?

"Lily is stronger than she looks."

"Yeah, she never went easy on us in arm wrestling before."

"My arm still hurts from that match."

"I'm sure she never takes off her mask because her face is super scary."

I gave the boys a pitiful look.

When it came to them, I never held back.

I completely crushed them, leaving them with nothing but defeat.

The world of competition is ruthless.

Though, to be fair, I did go easy on them.

They're just whining.

The girls jeered at the boys' weakness.

Even while having such trivial conversations, our hands never stopped working.

Beads of sweat formed on the children's foreheads. Their breathing grew heavy.

It was a physically demanding task, but no one complained.

On the contrary, their faces were full of excitement.

Lena hummed a tune while kneading.

The children followed along.

A gentle melody filled the kitchen.

Their spirits lifted, and excitement bubbled within them.

After much effort, our small hands finally shaped the dough into round forms.

Everyone gasped in awe, their eyes twinkling.

Phew, that was exhausting.

We picked up the large lump of dough and stretched it from both ends.

Seeing how well it stretched, everyone giggled in delight.

But we weren’t done yet.

After cutting the dough into smaller pieces, we each began shaping them as we pleased.

Under our tiny hands, various shapes took form.

Circles, triangles, squares, human and animal figures, even some odd shapes.

We marveled at our own creations, then laughed and proudly showed them off.

"Come on~ What even is that? Mine is obviously the best."

"What are you talking about? Yours is the ugliest one here."

"I'm the one who made the best shape, don't you think?"

At that moment, Lena nudged my arm.

"What do you think of my cookie? I did a good job, right?"

I flinched when I saw the shape Lena had made.

This was… surprising.

It had a rather unique form.

She looked so proud of herself.

After a brief moment of contemplation, I gave her a thumbs-up, acknowledging her distinct artistic sense.

Lena beamed with joy at my praise.

Honestly, the second-best cookie after mine was Bada’s.

Bada seemed to have a natural artistic sense, as her cookies were quite cute. Almost too cute to eat.

Noticing my gaze, Bada turned her head toward me, and our eyes met.

She looked at me with a curious expression, so I secretly gave her a thumbs-up.

Bada grinned happily.

Now, only the final step remained.

We placed the cookies on the oven tray, set the right temperature so they wouldn’t burn, and began baking.

As time passed, a sweet aroma gradually filled the air.

Just smelling it made me smile without realizing it.

But.

Everyone's faces were filled with tension.

Success or failure would determine the atmosphere.

I wasn’t worried. I was certain they would turn out well.

Ding~!

Time was up. Carefully, we took out the finished cookies.

The children's faces lit up.

Smiles spread wide across everyone's lips.

"Wow~"

The results were satisfying.

Everyone tasted the freshly baked cookies.

After blinking in surprise, exclamations of delight burst from their mouths.

After selecting the best ones, we carefully packaged them as a gift.

Only after that did we happily eat the remaining cookies ourselves.

Munch munch.

Later that evening.

Red returned home.

She was startled, her eyes widening at the cookie gift the children had made, but she accepted them with a pleased smile.

Seeing Red’s delighted reaction, the children beamed with joy.

Late at night.

All the children were fast asleep, and I secretly slipped out into the yard.

Kneeling in front of the flower bed, I gently stroked the petals with my fingers.

It was a peaceful moment.

So different from the outside world that I sometimes forgot what it was like out there.

Maybe that’s why I had let my guard down a little.

Sigh….

How long will this peace last? Will this place remain safe?

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

I turned my head slightly and saw that it was Rene.

Even though it was nighttime, she wasn’t wearing casual clothes.

I didn’t bother asking why she was still dressed like that.

"What are you doing out here at this hour?"

At Rene’s question, I gestured toward the flower bed.

She smiled softly, understanding that I had been looking at the flowers.

"Admiring them is fine, but it’s late. You need to sleep early if you want to grow taller."

Hmm. Even if I sleep early, my height won’t change.

But I didn’t say that out loud.

Instead, I simply nodded as if I understood.

Then, using hand gestures, I asked where Red had gone.

Red had received a phone call and left late at night.

"Red? She often goes out like that. I know you’re worried about her, but you don’t need to be. Red is strong."

Worried?

I knew well enough how skilled Red was, so I wasn’t worried.

I had asked purely out of curiosity.

Still, I nodded in response to her words.

"Anyway, don’t stay outside too long. You’ll catch a cold."

After saying that, Rene left.

She headed back toward the building but didn’t go inside.

Instead, she slipped outside, avoiding my gaze.

I lifted my head in the direction Rene had gone.

‘An uninvited guest…?’

It had been a few hours since Red left.

I sensed suspicious presences a bit farther away. More than one.

They seemed to be watching the orphanage.

The unsettling feeling kept me from closing my eyes comfortably.

Robberies, looting—attacks on human settlements weren’t uncommon.

Especially in the outer cities, where such things were an everyday occurrence.

But I didn’t expect anyone to target the orphanage that Red supported.

Did they not know where this was?

Or were they targeting it on purpose?

If it was intentional, was it revenge against Red?

Whatever the case, Rene had moved to drive out the intruders.

With her skills, it should be more than enough.

There was no need for me to sneak around and take care of things myself.

I enjoyed the quiet a little longer before standing up.

‘It’s cold. I should head inside and sleep.’

Just as I was about to walk inside, I froze.

Another presence.

A particularly unpleasant one.

Just one person?

A figure gracefully leaped over the iron gate and landed in the yard.

After a few steps, the intruder noticed my presence and stopped.

The moonlight illuminated them, revealing their identity.

A skull mask—just like the ones used by the Grim Reaper Cult.

But the aura they gave off was entirely different from the cultists I had encountered before.

‘A diversion….’

I understood immediately.

They had lured Rene outside while another infiltrated from within.

A simple yet effective strategy.

…This is a problem.

Judging by their magical power, they weren’t an easy opponent to deal with quickly.

If I used too much magic, I could defeat them, but that risked revealing my identity as the Grim Reaper.

Hmm. What should I do?