Ch.213213. What Do You Mean?

“Vine, your belly is so round.”

“Where? I want to touch it too!”

“M-me too…”

Three hands approach, all targeting my belly at once.

“…Excuse me, but this is my belly.”

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong to the three of us, right?”

“What does that even…”

“Come here quickly.”

“What are you doing in someone else’s restaurant… Ugh. Why are your hands so cold…”

“Hmm… Maybe because the blood rushed to my head earlier, my hands got cold?”

“You just ate, so your circulation should have…”

“I’m still angry. Ugh, it’s infuriating, really. How can someone like that exist? Even for a villain, that’s too much—personal punishment. Fine, I can somehow understand that. But a prison guard shouldn’t be doing that.”

“I deserved that treatment.”

“Vine.”

“Spilled water can never be gathered again. All that’s left is to clean it up and wipe it away. Please… at least let me wipe up the water I’ve spilled.”

“But just… just taking beatings from that person and being forced to submit isn’t resolving anything. It’s just them venting their anger.”

“…I think it’s fortunate if they can at least vent their anger.”

Blanc thought for a moment.

Then she grabbed my head and made me look into her eyes.

I tried to avoid her gaze by rolling my eyes around.

But every time I moved my eyes, her head followed.

“Excuse me, would you please let go?”

“I don’t want to.”

“…Why are you doing this?”

“Look at me. Is that truly the right thing? Is that truly the repentance you can offer to the victims?”

“…At least I—”

“Will it really help the victims if one person just keeps tormenting you? No matter how I think about it, that boss Baal, that guy messed up your head and made you follow Eden, forcibly correcting your way of thinking. If that’s the case, shouldn’t he bear more responsibility?”

“At least… I did it with my own hands. By my own will. If it weren’t for what happened recently… I would still think everything I did at Eden was… just a temporary sacrifice of the few for the greater good. I believed that through Eden’s advancement, we could compensate for all their suffering. I thought that with Eden, we could liberate them from all original sin and suffering.”

“So it was all your actions.”

“…Yes. It was my will.”

“And now?”

“…I think it was wrong. Simply… I actually thought that way originally too. But I believed that because we had failed, we attempted change with an imperfect Eden, and thus wronged them. I thought it was wrong because we couldn’t compensate them by returning their suffering as a greater good… but now I feel strongly that it was my fault and my responsibility. Yes… I was too confused to think clearly before. But now that I consider it.”

“I see… So, you regret it now?”

“It feels like my entire life is riddled with regret. Almost my entire existence since waking up has been a false life. Though I’m a man, memories from that time are only dimly recalled. And no matter how hard I try to remember the faces of my family from back then, it’s like something is blocking me… I can’t remember.”

Blanc’s hand holding me begins to tremble slightly.

“…It was that bad.”

“No… Well, thanks to all of you, I was able to avoid thinking about it, so I guess that was good. But these are issues I eventually had to face.”

“…I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No, it would have happened eventually. I think it’s better to get it out sooner rather than later. At least… my attempt at… hah, doing something absurd like repentance. The fact that I don’t even hope for forgiveness… well, it’s complicated…”

Blanc’s trembling intensifies, then suddenly stops.

She drops her hands to her lap.

She bows her head, deep in thought.

Then comes her single answer.

“…This won’t do. Vine. Let’s make you a magical girl.”

“I refuse.”

“You said you wanted to repent.”

“Magical girls… someone like me shouldn’t become one. At least Arin or… such pure children… though making children do it is too much. Still, it suits people with a strong sense of justice and strong will.”

“…That’s why, Vine.”

“I… was defeated, gave up, am powerless, weak-willed, evil, selfish, pleasure-seeking, and irresponsible.”

“…Irresponsible? I don’t think that’s true. Weak-willed? For someone like that… how did you endure in that place?”

“I endured to survive. I accept their anger because guilt crawls up my back and I have no choice. Their anger shouldn’t harm others because it has nowhere else to go.”

“That… couldn’t that be resolved by becoming a magical girl and helping people?”

“A villain becoming a magical girl. How ridiculous. Isn’t that something that would only happen in some girls’ animation? A new magical girl member who’s a reformed villain? Absurd. If I worked as a magical girl and didn’t get stoned, that would be lucky enough.”

“No. I think Vine is perfectly capable—”

“I refuse.”

“…Alright. Let’s talk about this later.”

“Even later… it won’t happen. Me becoming a magical girl. Unless I become your sparring partner, punching bag, and toy.”

“You’re already a to— No. Sigh… Well, that’s something we’ll have to see when the time comes.”

“It will absolutely never happen. If it does, I’ll call Arin my senior, form a combo with you and Arin—no, with everyone—and tour the country.”

“…Really?”

“I’m strongly telling you that will never happen.”

“Fine… That’s another bet, then.”

“Do as you please.”

“Right. Sigh… For now, about that person… we’ll discuss with the Association President and decide what to do. And yes… the victims, I suppose we should call them. Something needs to be done for them too.”

“…I’ll have to think about that separately. I’m a debtor. I can’t compensate everyone for their damages… just a few.”

“I bought all of it, didn’t I?”

“…Ah.”

“I’m the creditor. Of course… I’ll forgive that debt if you become my wife.”

“I’m a husband, though.”

“Oh… is that a marriage proposal?”

“That’s not what I— Wait. Where is this conversation going?”

“Good question.”

When I glared at Blanc in disbelief,

Blanc, as if she had expected it, touched my belly again with her cold hands.

Only when that coldness had completely disappeared were we able to leave the restaurant.

* * *

“Arin said she’ll stay longer with her mom and dad.”

“Did Arin contact you, unnie?”

“No, the Association President told me.”

“What about Hyewon?”

“She’s coming back today.”

“Ah… what time?”

“After she finishes overtime.”

“…Okay. And Seohyun?”

“She went to her family home. She’ll probably come back on her day, or both of them will.”

“Hmm…”

“And the Association President wants you and Vine to come to the Association tomorrow.”

“Well, that’s… fine. I understand…”

“Really? You’re not thinking something strange right now?”

“Unnie.”

“…Hehe.”

Yuri looks at me with a meaningful gaze.

Then, Ellie approaches from behind Yuri.

In Ellie’s hand is a pink leash.

And, like putting a bell on a cat’s neck, she quietly goes behind her.

Then quickly fastens the leash.

“W-what…? W-wait, Ellie…?”

“Uh-uh.”

“…M-mistress…”

“It’s okay, right? I saw everything earlier.”

Sensing the atmosphere turning strange, I tried to sneak upstairs to escape.

But Blanc lifted me up and sat me on her lap.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“What…?”

“Today is my day, remember? I’ll let you rest a lot tomorrow.”

“…What does that mean? You said we’re going to the Association tomorrow…?”

“That’s why we need to do everything we can’t do tomorrow, today.”

“What are you…?”

“Ellie. How about it?”

“I don’t mind.”

Ellie, now sitting on the sofa using Yuri’s head as a footrest, was casually holding Yuri’s outer clothes.

“…Blanc, stop with that look.”

“What look?”

“That predator look I saw in the bathroom earlier.”

“You know it well, huh?”

“I-I’m not prey…”

“Right. Since you don’t have a leash yet, let’s just say you’re my lover.”

“What are you saying?!”

Her arms embracing me start moving downward.

“E-Ellie is watching…?!”

“Yes. She’s been watching the whole time.”

“Y-Yuri…!”

“Yes, unnie is fine with it too. Actually, anyone can watch… except Seohyun or Arin.”

“D-depraved and lewd magical girl…!”

“That’s right.”

“L-let go of this…!”

“I don’t want to.”

In the bright morning, with the sun still high,

With breakfast fully digested,

Intense activity was about to begin.

* * *

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep—

Click- Ring!

“I’m ho— Whoa? What’s this sme— Huh…?”

“What… is going on here…? Why are Vine and unnie like that…?”

“They said the room was too hot.”

“That doesn’t seem like the case at all, Ellie. Where’s Yunseul?”

“Yunseul… upstairs for a bit.”

“…Sigh. Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes. It is.”

“But… why are you okay with this?”

“Because I’m the master.”

“…?”

“Well, if Yunseul targets me too, that might be different. But for now, I’m the one in control. Are you interested in this sort of thing? My Yuri might get lonely, so I might need someone else to raise alongside her.”

“What are you even… Hah.”

“You should get used to it. For now? You’re a woman too, right? Don’t tell me you’ve never had such thoughts about Vine?”

“…I haven’t.”

“Come on.”

“…What.”

“Really?”

“…I said I haven’t.”

“Sure, sure. You haven’t. Pfft… Ah. Help me out a bit. I’ll take Yuri upstairs, so could you put Vine in Yunseul’s room?”

“…Yunseul’s room?”

“Today is Yunseul’s day.”

“…What.”

“Yours is the day after tomorrow.”

“Hah…”

The yellow-haired magical girl began to feel a headache coming on.