Being a Villain is My True Calling

Glancing furtively, Narin averted her gaze upon making eye contact with me.

So you were involved in this too, weren’t you?
Yet you didn’t tell me about it?

I flashed her a brilliant smile.

“Narin?”
“Wh,why are you calling me, Oppa…?”
“So what exactly is this ‘Maker Challenge’?”
Care to explain?

“…Well, you see…”
Perspiring profusely, Narin began explaining the situation’s origins.

Initially when this challenge first emerged, it was merely a simple pastime among fans.

Doesn’t this look similar to the tentacles Maker creates?

I tried recreating Oppa Maker’s tentacles!

Ability users within the fan cafe and Maker’s gallery would recreate them simply as a lark, for amusement’s sake.
The fan reactions within those constantly starved-for-content communities were quite positive.

However, only a limited few possessed the requisite abilities to actually attempt such recreations.
And while the reactions were favorable, it was ultimately just circulating within the confines of those same galleries and cafes, so the novelty was bound to fade quickly.

“Let me guess, you appended the notion of ‘recreating through diverse means’ to broaden accessibility and promoted it as a contest of sorts?”

“Ummm…”
“……”

I pinched Narin’s cheek firmly and pulled.

“Mmmbphh!! Mmbphbphh!!”
Caught off guard by my abrupt action, Narin flailed her arms bewilderedly.

“The intent was admirable, I suppose.”
“Mmmbphbphbph!!”
“The intent was admirable, but…”

Why did you go and do something so unauthorized?

Pinchpinch.

“Just what is this nonsense about villains employing tentacles as well?”

“Mmmbphh…thish too ish a bwessing… (This too is a blessing…)”
“Don’t spout such drivel.”

I released my grip on her cheek.

“Hiiingghh…”
Narin rubbed her reddened cheek with an aggrieved expression.

“How have ordinary citizens unaffiliated with the fandom reacted?”

“W,well, people seem to be just having fun with it for now…”
“And the heroes? Has the Association made any moves regarding it?”
“…There have been some murmurs about regulating the Maker Challenge, but no overt actions as of yet.”

That was a relief, at least.
I let out a sigh of reprieve.

‘This has already drawn far too much aggro.’

Ordinary citizens mimicking me was enough to raise the Association’s concerns.
But villains imitating me on top of that?

‘We’re fortunate the Association hasn’t issued a kill order or subjected me to mass lynching…’

Raising Maker’s public profile could be beneficial.
Yet in the current climate, further elevated notoriety would prove toxic.

While Eclipse boasted formidable strength, withstanding the Heroes Association’s concentrated offensive was simply infeasible.
They might even attempt negotiating my outright defection as a bargaining chip.

‘No matter my executive rank, there are lines that cannot be crossed. Even the President could be placed in jeopardy.’

Moreover, I had yet to even encounter the other executives tasked with actual combat operations.
Even with Astra and the Instructor providing cover, if those combat executives truly turned on me, I would likely be delivered straight to the Heroes Association.

“Phew…”

In the end, it was simply premature.
Not yet.

“Haah…at this rate, I might just become an A+ rank villain based on notoriety alone.”
“Oh, how sweet.”
“It seems I haven’t been scolded quite enough yet.”
“No, but seriously though!! How could anyone resist the allure of attaining A+ rank through sheer fame and infamy? It’s undeniably impressive!”

Well, for ordinary villains who could never dream of reaching A-rank, being elevated to A+ through notoriety alone would still constitute a notable achievement.
I let out an amused snort before taking a sip of coffee.

Watching me with a scrunched expression, Narin seemed rather put out.

“I’m really hurt, you know…I’ve been working so hard for your sake, Oppa, yet all I get is criticism…”

Abruptly standing, Narin strode over and dragged a chair beside me before plopping down.

“Managing the Maker gallery is already a handful, not to mention the fanclub, plus my duties within Eclipse, and all your personal requests on top of that~”

Grumbling while shooting me sidelong glances, Narin continued:

“I’m just sooo swamped and overworked~”

She then naturally leaned in, seemingly intent on clinging to me in her usual fashion.
While her advance was rather sudden, it was easily deflected.

Tap.

I gently pushed her head back, preventing her from nuzzling against me.

“Eeek-! Why did you stop me?!”
“…Isn’t it rather unbecoming for a grown woman to act so childishly?”

What had gotten into her so suddenly?
Rebuffed, Narin puffed out her cheeks petulantly, persisting in her attempts to snuggle up to me.

“I’m still a baby too, ya know! Uwaaah!”
“……”
“…Don’t I deserve some affection too? That expression really stings…”

You’re the one who prompted that reaction from me in the first place…
After a brief tussle where I refused to indulge her embrace, Narin finally relented.

“Haah…”

Stretching out her arm, Narin retrieved her unfinished drink from her original seat.

“You’ll happily cuddle Ga-yeon, but not me…”
“Ga-yeon is still just a child, is she not?”

Taking a sip, Narin then regarded me with an incredulous look after lowering her cup.

“Come on now, Oppa. If she attended school, wouldn’t she be middle school age?”
“Middle schoolers are still very much children.”
“But they’re old enough to know better, aren’t they?”
“Her mental age is that of a child.”

As Ga-yeon’s conduct clearly demonstrated, there was an unmistakable youthful innocence to her demeanor compared to her peers.
Likely a consequence of her disrupted upbringing and lack of comprehensive education from an early age.

“She’ll mature in the blink of an eye though? Two more years and she’ll be in high school. Five years and she’ll be an adult.”
“For now, she remains a child regardless.”
“Then treat me like a child too! Uwaaah!”
“A high schooler?”
“Since Ga-yeon and I aren’t that far apart in age, I’m a baby too!”

Just what was with this desperate need for affection…?
Truthfully, I could indulge her clinginess if requested, but her earnest pleading sparked a sense of mischief within me instead.

“You’re a high schooler now, so you should conduct yourself more maturely.”
“So mean.”

Seemingly vexed by my refusal to embrace her, Narin puffed out her cheeks once more petulantly.
Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, her eyes sparkled as she flashed a coy smile.

“Or could it be, unlike an actual baby like Ga-yeon, the thought of holding me fills you with certain…stirrings? Primal, carnal urges just bubbling beneath the surface?”

Covering her mouth demurely, Narin let out a girlish giggle.
Rising with her empty cup in hand, she shook her head mirthfully.

“Well~ If that’s the case, I can hardly be blamed for sending your heart aflutter with temptation, now can I?”

“Is that so?”

I regarded her self-assured demeanor with an amused snort.
This was only stoking my impish impulses further.

Plop!

“…Just who would be the one flustered by an embrace, I wonder?”

Grabbing Narin’s wrist, I pulled her off balance.
Then, swiftly securing her waist, I deposited her squarely onto my lap.

“……”
“Well? Care to elaborate?”

As I drew her waist flush against me, Narin let out an involuntary gasp.
Meeting her widening eyes, I observed her increasingly ragged breathing and thunderous heartbeat.

“Ah,ah…th,that’s…”

Her reddening complexion and stuttering attempts to formulate a response betrayed her flustered state.
I gently pressed my finger against her parted lips.

“Hieeck!”

She tensed up momentarily in surprise, but made no attempt to withdraw from my touch, seeming not to find the abruptly altered atmosphere entirely unpleasant.

“So who is the one feeling ‘certain stirrings’, hmm?”
“…Uu,uuu.”
“You’re the one whose face is flushed crimson, Narin.”
“Oppa…”

Caressing her lips sensuously with my thumb, I stroked her burning cheek with my free hand.

“Although, I can certainly appreciate the confidence.”

Objectively speaking, Narin was a beauty.
Her excessive self-assurance likely stemmed from that reality.

“But when directly confronted, this is your reaction…”

Well, there was an endearing innocence to her coyness that I found rather charming.
Like a precocious child feigning worldliness.

“!!”

Chuckling softly, I drew Narin even closer, our faces mere inches apart as if poised for a kiss.

“O,Oppa…?”
Her complexion deepened further as her body tensed rigidly.

‘Time for some premium fan service.’

Gently caressing the nape of her neck with one hand, I slowly closed the diminishing distance between us.

Inch by inch, our faces neared.
Until my visage alone filled her eyes.
Our mingling breaths caressed flushed skin.

Before long, scarcely a finger’s breadth separated our faces, if even that narrow a gap.
And as that final sliver of space began contracting, the bell chimed.

Jingle-!

“Mr. Owner! I’m he…!!”
“Ah.”
“…Eh?”

Talk about extraordinarily lousy timing for a customer to arrive…

“”……””

An awkward silence permeated the cafe atmosphere.

Narin, her senses short-circuiting from the disruption, and Chise, her train of thought similarly derailed by the intimacy she had inadvertently stumbled upon.

And me, suddenly rather sheepish amidst this charged scenario.

‘Umm…’

“…Welcome, Tsukino?”

“Oh,ohh…y,yes…”

I greeted the dumbstruck Chise politely as she lingered by the entrance.

“I despise you, good sir.”

Night had fallen once more.
Observing Uchi grumbling indignantly from behind his mask, I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Yet I even provided a caretaker for your ‘injured comrade’, did I not?”

“Comrade, you say?! That was a mere pawn’s sacrifice!”

“You required nursing after your injuries, and I happened to have someone in need of close supervision as well. Entrusting you both to each other’s company was simply killing two birds with one stone.”

It absolutely wasn’t because I had no desire to look after that drug dealer myself.

“So then, have you acquired any additional information beyond what the drug dealer divulged yesterday?”

In any case, we didn’t gather here just to engage in idle chatter, did we?
Do you have any new intel to share?

“…Hmph. As a matter of fact, I have gleaned a few more morsels.”

Taking a measured breath, Uchi regarded me with uncharacteristic solemnity, a marked shift from his earlier petulance.

“It would seem those peddling this drug are not merely doing so for profit, but rather conducting some manner of experimentation.”
“And their testing grounds happen to be these very slums.”