Ch.4646. Smooth Negotiations

“W-what… what is… um, e-eh…?”

“It’s true, you know? Hmm, explaining would take too long, so I’ll tell you when we get home. There are too many people here. We have a lot to talk about, just the two of us, don’t we?”

“No, but… th-that, no. Th-that, no…”

Elly seems to have malfunctioned.

Well, thinking about it, it’s understandable why she’s dumbfounded.

A villain living in a magical girl dormitory, taking care of magical girls.

Who would believe such a thing?

A villain working for magical girls…

And voluntarily, without any coercion…

Hmm, is it really voluntary?

It does seem voluntary, I think… at least there wasn’t any forceful attitude.

It’s obvious they’d let me go back if I wanted to, even now.

Well, of course, if they were to say something tempting, or something that weakens my resolve.

Or if Arin were to beg me not to leave, I might end up trapped.

Yes, I’ve been bound by something stronger than this collar.

The fateful connection of bad karma created another connection,

And as those chains of fate continued, they’ve come to constrict my body and my heart.

Haha… what a situation this is.

For someone like me, connections were supposed to be a luxury.

The only connections permitted to me were supposed to be ill-fated ones.

Yes, now those ill-fated connections have become a bit…

Different.

“Elly, shouldn’t you get permission first? Arin was against it earlier. Try to persuade her on your own.”

“U-uh…? Why me!”

“Otherwise, you won’t be able to come with me, you know?”

“Vine, can’t you help me?”

“No, if you’re going to live with me, you’ll be seeing magical girls all the time. Plus, you’ll have to work hard there. If you don’t get along with them, how will you be able to stay?”

“Aah… but…”

How can I make Elly get along reasonably well with these magical girls?

First, for some reason she seems to have a terrible relationship with Arin, as we just saw.

Even now, Blanc is preventing Arin from approaching to pull Elly away from my side.

And with that redhead over there…

Hmm, she doesn’t seem to have any particular thoughts.

She’s just been watching without saying anything since I woke up.

But come to think of it, it was mainly the redhead who fought with Elly.

It was the redhead who captured Elly.

After I helped Elly escape, I never sent her to the battlefield, but every time we met, she would grit her teeth saying, “I’ll definitely corrupt that rookie magical girl with my own hands!!” and pressured me to capture her…

Well, the boss’s orders took priority over capturing her.

Even after the magical girl corruption plan was scrapped, she still ordered me to capture her…

Haha…

Despite all that, well, that redhead probably doesn’t think anything of it.

More importantly, whether Elly can get along with that redhead…

“Elly, there are many magical girls you’ll have to live with besides Arin, you know? Like that redhead… the unemployed one or the crybaby…”

“Crybaby…?”

“You know, Citrus.”

“Huh? When did that change? Didn’t she retire…?”

“No, I mean, Kumyang.”

“Eh…? You changed her nickname…”

“That happened too. I’ll tell you everything later. So, you’ll have to live face-to-face with magical girls like Blanc and Arin every day. Can you handle that?”

“Ugh… I’ll try… I-if it means I can be with you, Vine…”

“More importantly, what matters is the opinion of those magical girls, right?”

“Eh…? Vine, since when have you been so… submissive to magical girls…?”

“Well, I’m employed by them now. Instead of worrying about that, think about how you’re going to persuade them.”

“Vine, it would be so much quicker if you helped…”

“You need to persuade them entirely on your own. If you rely on my help to convince them, what will you do once we’re there? Don’t you agree?”

Well, Arin over there wouldn’t refuse if I asked her.

But if I asked Arin to let Elly in as a favor to me, it would just create another conflict.

Rather than that, it might be better to settle this now.

“Arin, do you still… object to letting Elly into the house…?”

“Yes! That strange woman, and a villain at that. Pouncing on Vine unnie like that! How can I trust her! Even if Yunseul unnie has bound her with contract magic, this is a matter of human trust that comes before that!”

“Haha… You’re quite resolute. Come on, Elly. Go try to persuade her. Negotiate or something.”

“How am I supposed to negotiate with that woman! We don’t even know how dangerous she might be! I’ve heard that villains who handle magic so well are dangerous!”

Haha… This is complicated…

I should probably push Elly to talk with Arin, even if I have to do it forcefully.

Well, it might be better to at least have her talk to Arin.

Sigh, a villain mediating a conversation between another villain and magical girls.

What kind of story is this? It’s truly bewildering.

“Arin, let’s at least have a conversation. Who knows, some good conditions might come out of it.”

Honestly, having Elly by my side would be a huge help to me. At the very least, I’d have one more person to rely on.

And there are many benefits to having Elly around.

Well, my current work isn’t difficult, but having Elly, who’s better at housework than I am, would be helpful.

Besides peace of mind and physical comfort… having Elly around would be nice.

Even thinking of other reasons, that’s still the case.

“Sigh… I’ll talk just because of Vine unnie. But I’ll make my decision after hearing everything.”

“Yes. Please talk comfortably. Come on, Elly. Go face each other and talk.”

“Ugh…”

To think I’m mediating…

Elly approached Arin and began to speak.

Of course, no one here failed to notice how Arin’s magical power fluctuated greatly as Elly approached her.

“Vine, is this really okay…?”

Blanc, who had quietly approached me, asked.

“Yes. It will work out. Want to bet on this too?”

“No, when you speak with such confidence, it’s obvious I’d lose.”

“Ha, then why did you make that other bet?”

“Oh, that? Because it was obvious I’d win that one.”

“What are you even saying? Let’s just watch.”

Blanc sat by my bedside and began to observe the two.

Yes, they seemed to be having a staring contest, looking at each other without speaking.

“Hey, you. Your name is Elise?”

“Yes, Elise of Eden. Vine’s one and only soulmate. You’re Arin, right?”

“Yes. Please explain why I should accept you.”

“You like Vine, don’t you?”

Huh?

What did she just say…?

Me, what? N-no way… but…

While my thoughts were still jumbled, their conversation continued.

“Yes. I like her. She’s an unnie I truly care about. That’s why I can’t have someone untrustworthy like you around her.”

“Who do you think has spent more time by Vine’s side? You or me?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Don’t you think I know better what Vine likes?”

“Is that so…?”

“So, let’s make a deal. I’ll provide information about Vine, and in return, you let me stay with her.”

“Hmm… things that Vine unnie likes…”

“All of Vine’s weaknesses too.”

“Elly!! What are you saying?!”

Wait, while I was momentarily out of it, what were they talking about? And what’s this about revealing my weaknesses?

“No. That’s information I could find out on my own even without you. That’s not adequate compensation for our negotiation.”

“Hmm… th-then… the cosplay photos of Vine I secretly took…!”

“What?”

“Hey! Elly! You said you wouldn’t take those!”

Wait a minute, what are you selling just to live with me!

“Vine, you’ll forgive me, right?”

“Of course not! Arin, please don’t accept that offer!”

Despite my anguished cry, Arin seemed interested.

“Arin…? Hello…?”

“Um, Elise. Do you have anything else besides that?”

“Yes, on my computer at headquarters, besides the cosplay photos, there are also photos from when we went out to battle, and when she was sleeping, I secretly—mmph!!”

Elly’s outrageous behavior was enough to make me get out of bed,

And enough reason for me to pounce on her.

“Arin, would you mind looking away for a moment? I need to have a slightly deeper ‘conversation’ with an old friend.”

Yes, Arin seemed to sense something was off and fled from Elly into Blanc’s arms.

“Seriously. I told you not to do that. You.”

The magical power overflowing from my body, the returning vitality.

With the feeling of blocked circulation flowing again, I recalled my strong anger and the ‘bad things’ I was about to do to Elly.

“Elly, you were bad. I told you not to do that, didn’t I?”

Whether it was from seeing my expression or sensing an atmosphere she’d never seen before, Elly was trembling.

Well, all of this is Elly’s fault anyway.

“V-Vine…? S-spare me…! Vine, it hurts, don’t move, okay? I was wrong. Let’s pretend it never happened! Please, okay?”

“Elly, have you said your final words?”

Me sitting on top of Elly, yes.

Come to think of it, Elly was also a superhuman.

Even if I’m a bit rough, it will only hurt her, not injure her.

“V-Vine… Please! We’re seeing each other after so long, and you’re doing this? Hmm?”

BANG—

Oops, a mistake.

Intending to hit Elly, I hit the floor instead.

Hmm, the floor is slightly dented in the shape of my fist…

The association head probably won’t say anything about it.

Elly seems a bit surprised seeing my fist embedded in the ground.

You know you can take this hit without flinching.

Prepare yourself, Elly.

Here I come.