episode_0022

What does it mean to be a warm person?

Have I really lived a life worthy of receiving Arin’s love?

No, I can clearly say no.

The blood on my hands and the screams in my ears will never disappear in my lifetime.

That kind of infamy will stick with me forever, my karma.

Will my sins hinder her?

Yes, definitely.

If someone like me, a demon, receives such affection, there’s no way you won’t be tainted as well.

People don’t change.

“Arin. Let me go now.”

The arms that hold me, the embrace, tighten around me.

“No, I like unnie.”

She, slightly taller than me, calling me unnie.

Am I a good person worthy of receiving her ‘liking’?

I am a creature of darkness.

I am a villain.

“I doubt if I deserve your love…”

“Why can’t unnie receive love?”

“I am not someone who betrays evil and stands on the side of justice, as you think.”

Taking a deep breath, I continue my story.

Hoping she understands.

“I am still a villain. Haha…”

Did her demeanor change after hearing those words?

The grip of the arms holding me loosens a bit.

Ah, revealing my truth. It’s so painful.

But it’s something I always do.

I’ve infiltrated and revealed my true identity many times.

What is this strange feeling?

This suffocating sensation in my chest.

It’s been so long that I can’t even remember what emotion this is.

Pushing away the me who feels like that.

Arin, who made me see her face, looks into my eyes and says, “Unnie, I’m still a child. I know that.”

“I am a child who doesn’t know anything. I am well aware of that.”

“Still, even someone like me…”

“One of my eyes for judging people is exceptional, I can assure you.”

“The unnie I’ve observed is not evil.”

“I trust my judgment. Unnie is not a bad person.”

After finishing her words, Arin hugs me again.

“I’m so tired. I’ll sleep a little.”

Soon, Arin falls asleep peacefully.

Ah, do magical girls see me as a doll?

But it’s not so bad.

As I enjoy Arin’s warmth for a moment,

“Arin, wake up… Vina. What…?”

The red-haired girl enters and notices us.

Hmm, it might look strange since I’m hugging her on the bed.

“I, uh… This is… Arin! Wake up! Arin!!”

“Haha… Vina… That… I see…”

“No, no, that’s not it, no!”

“Okay. I’ll think of it that way. Can you wake Arin up?”

“No, I’ll wake her up.”

Upon hearing the voice of the red-haired girl, Arin wakes up and looks at me with her two small eyes.

And suddenly, she hugs me.

“Let’s bathe together, unnie. Hehe…”

“What are you talking about, red hair? Take Arin and leave.”

I said with a hint of warning.

But the red-haired girl replied without catching on.

“Huh? I already bathed?”

“Oh, no. Arin, can you bathe alone? Come on, get up and bathe and sleep. Quickly.”

“Uh… I won’t bathe unless I can bathe with Vina unnie…”

Arin’s sudden tantrum begins.

The previously mature-looking Pyelin seems to have disappeared. Now, she’s acting like a child of her age.

“Unnie… Please…? Bathe with me… I can’t move…”

Now she’s even lying.

What happened to the strength that hugged me a while ago?

“…sigh.”

In the end, I gave in.

I carried Arin and headed towards the bathroom on the second floor.

Yes, since you said it’s so hard, you should hug the princess.

Even if I can’t use my abilities, I can at least carry Arin lightly with my own strength.

Arin, who was hugged like that, struggled and resisted by flailing around.

But soon, she stopped her futile resistance.

After all, those who are hugged cannot resist.

If you struggle too much, you’ll just end up looking more embarrassed.

Realizing that, people usually end up surrendering.

“Unni, isn’t this really embarrassing?”

“Arin, you said you don’t have the strength to move. So just quietly hug me.”

“Yes.”

Taking Arin to the bathroom, there was already a bathtub filled with water.

It seemed like someone had prepared it in advance.

Why?

Ah, is that so.

Red hair. I’ll get my revenge when I get out.

“Unni, please let me down now…”

“Oh, I have to undress you. Just a moment.”

“No, no, no! I-I can undress by myself!”

“Arin, where did the strength to move go?”

“U-um, well, that’s…”

How cute. It feels like having a well-behaved younger cousin.

Blushing, Arin, who had slightly distanced herself from me, said she would prepare by herself and wanted to take a bath first.

She said I should come in with her because she could get hurt.

I helped her wrap her long hair, and I wrapped mine too.

I learned how to manage long hair from Eli.

Thinking about how Eli used to nag me a lot at first but then got scolded for cutting my hair, I should think about Arin now, not Eli.

That way, we both bathed and enjoyed the warmth in the bathroom.

Luckily, our bodies were small, so it wasn’t too cramped for the two of us to fit in.

Originally, the bathtub at the magical girl dormitory was on the larger side.

While I was leisurely warming up my body, Arin asked me, “Unni, do you really still think you’re a villain?”

“Yes. I’ve already been tainted by evil, so aren’t I a villain?”

“Right now, you’re not doing evil deeds. But you still call yourself a villain?”

“Arin, you may not understand because you’re still young, but there are things that can’t be helped. I am ultimately a villain. That won’t change. It’s a label that will follow me forever, no matter where or what I do.”

“Unni, I always tell you. I have a good eye for people.”

“Haha… To innocent Arin, my masked appearance may seem nice.”

“Mask?”

“Both me and Blanc. It’s a mask we wear to live in society.”

“Unni, how do you interpret what I say?”

Arin looked at me and said, “Yes? I remember everything you say, but…”

“Arin, I’m sure I didn’t say that. I can see through fake kindness, all of it.”

“Haha… Yes, that’s right.”

“Do you not believe me? Ah. I’ll have to show you how I know.”

Arin leaned against the bathtub and approached me.

Slowly coming closer, she climbed onto me and nestled into my arms.

It happened so suddenly that I couldn’t react, so I ended up wrapping my arms around her.

“Arin! W-what are you d-doing…?”

“Unni, I have a slightly special ability.”

“J-just let go and explain…!”

“Unni, please focus on me. Okay?”

“U-um… Okay…”

Seeing my flustered face, Arin grabbed my face with her delicate arms to make me look at her.

“Unni, hah. Look at my face properly.”

“Y-yes…”

“I can see people’s energy, whether they are truly good or evil, what emotions they harbor.”

And so, Arin began to tell me her story.

“Lies can also be detected to some extent. As long as it’s not trying to deceive cunningly.”

“But, the aura I see from Bine unni is really pure.”

“I’ve seen villains before. I only watched the battles from behind Hye-won unni or Yoon-seul unni.”

“The aura I felt from the villains I saw and the aura I feel from Bine unni are completely opposite.”

“Truly, I feel a good aura. The Bine unni I saw is not a villain.”

And then, she kissed my cheek.

“Moreover, you know that the unni I’ve seen with my own eyes is not my enemy, right?”

“I’m lucky that I’ve never met such a good unni as an enemy, really. Hehe…”

Saying that, Arin hurriedly left for the bathroom.

Which side should be embarrassed…?

Shouldn’t I be the one more embarrassed…?

I’m sure I saw Arin being more embarrassed.

Why… am I more embarrassed…?

Really…

After erasing a bit of embarrassment like that, Arin was already asleep.

It’s a bit annoying that I made Arin embarrassed like this…

Sigh, I can’t wake her up while she’s sleeping.

Leaving Arin alone like that, when I went downstairs to the living room, there were really a lot of eyes looking at me.

“… Why are you all staring like that?”

The first thing I see is Blanc, with red hair covering her mouth and looking at me with strange eyes.

“Bine, you… no way.”

“Why are you like that?”

“No way, with Arin… no way, right?”

“What are you thinking, Blanc.”

“No way, your, your taste…”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Please explain.”

In the end, Ulbo, who escaped from the red-haired suppression, explained the truth of the matter.

“Bine, were you in that kind of relationship with Arin? Seohyun told me everything! In Arin’s room, k… k!!”

She was eventually suppressed again, but she did help in finding the culprit.

“Hey, red hair. Come over here.”

“Uh, Bine…? Why…?”

“You haven’t finished studying today, have you?”

“T-That’s right…?”

“Oh, not studying for the test… I mean studying about villains…”

“Uh…? Studying about villains…?”

“Blanc, could you please untie this leash for a moment. It’ll only take a moment.”

“Oh, no. Why suddenly, Yoon-seul? Huh? Why…?”

Your sin has been revealed.