“I… I misspoke. It just seemed like you liked him…”
“Do you fuckers fall for everyone just because they’re kind and cute and pretty? Huh? You fall for someone just because they smiled a bit pitifully? Just because the kid chirps around like a baby sparrow, shows behavior completely different from ordinary humans, and is a hero too good for this shitty, disgusting world—you think I’d like him for those reasons alone?”
Evil shouted furiously. The President unconsciously looked for his bodyguard’s position.
In truth, the President didn’t think Evil had any affection for Cheche at all, but had asked to change the atmosphere. He hadn’t expected such a violent reaction.
“If you have a brain, think before you speak. Why would a perfect person like me like some refugee from a trash country?”
“I… see. I apologize. Though refugees are indeed somewhat difficult to deal with.”
“Are you crazy? Really. How dare you say refugee. How would you feel if I said to you, ‘For an Armal person’?”
How would he feel?
He’d just think Evil was barking.
Just like now.
“Your attitude toward that person seemed very different, which is why I misspoke.”
“Hmph, different my ass. It’s just that when I see that refugee bastard looking pitiful, my solar plexus tightens up painfully, so I’m rough with him. Here, near my heart trembles too, and sometimes it beats like crazy. I should get a health checkup when he gets his.”
But you’re an SSS Motion Aura User.
Everyone shouted inwardly.
“Anyway, I just feel rage surging up, want to hit him sometimes, sometimes he’s fucking cute and I want to bite his cheeks and feed him delicious things, lay him down on top of me and let him sleep deeply—but I don’t particularly like him. Rather, it’s the opposite, right? I’m a person who’s perfect in every way, and I even allowed him to send Aura Users to Tar, which he’s so obsessed with. He might be the one who likes me.”
“I understand…”
The President understood.
This was a public confession.
Of intent to murder.
Considering the evil deeds Evil had committed over his twenty years of life, he didn’t seem like someone who could feel the emotion of love, so the Armal people interpreted those statements not as unaware first love but as unaware murderous intent.
They even arbitrarily interpreted Evil’s comment about Cheche being “fucking cute” as “He’d be cute enough to look at as a corpse.” Even if he openly confessed to liking Cheche, they would have understood it as “I’d like him quiet as a corpse.”
Regardless of the content, among the people whose body hair stood on end and froze just from Evil Devil raising his voice, James alone smiled contentedly.
James had thought like the Armal people until recently. He’d thought the reason Evil treated Cheche uncharacteristically was curiosity. Curiosity toward a fragile doll whose string would snap with a flick of a finger, and that he’d play with it until that curiosity was satisfied, then discard it.
Until now, James had been caught up in preconceptions and prejudice just like the Armal people here. That Evil Devil could never like a living person.
You could tell just by watching how excited he got and rambled on at such a short question about whether they had mutual affection.
Once you discard the prejudice, it becomes all too clear.
When you remove the tinted glasses, he’s just an ordinary kid who doesn’t know what to do with his first love. Of course, hitting someone and choking them because he’s having trouble controlling his emotions isn’t behavior a normal kid would commit, but to James, who couldn’t let go of his rose-colored glasses regarding Evil, it looked like the cute tantrum of a twenty-one-year-old.
Thinking this way, his fear of Evil lessened by about 0.0001 nanometers. James smiled brightly.
“Hey, why are you smiling?”
Evil pointed it out immediately. James immediately straightened his face.
“I wasn’t smiling. My jaw muscles aren’t listening to me. You know how drool sometimes falls too. Must be from getting older.”
“Quit your job quickly before you get dementia and annoy people.”
“Yes, of course… By the way, Cheche-ssi certainly seems to talk more and has brightened up compared to before. He must be very grateful for the good deed you performed yesterday, Director.”
Evil raised one eyebrow.
“I know. He’s chattering away pretty well now.”
“Yes, it seems he’s opened his heart to you, Director.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Evil lowered his eyes while looking toward where Cheche had gone.
‘That’s not it.’
No words followed, but it was an atmosphere where it was difficult to ask what it was then.
Evil closed his mouth as if he didn’t want to say more. The Armal side didn’t miss this opportunity and changed the subject. They started talking about tourist attractions including Yuchuri Beach where Evil had spent his weekend, and James and the attendants joined in the conversation.
Evil’s attention was entirely focused on Cheche.
Even after ending his call, Cheche dawdled and didn’t return. Even that point was quite cunning.
James said Cheche seemed to have opened his heart to Evil, but from Evil’s perspective, it was the opposite.
‘I opened my heart, and Cheche felt it.’
Just thinking about that already arrogant bastard becoming more arrogant made him sigh, yet somehow his chest tickled. Until now, while waiting for Cheche, he’d deliberately erased the smile that kept forming and frowned, but now Evil smiled refreshingly.
Despite the situation being clearly full of troublesome matters, Cheche’s presence made him look forward to today.
***
As soon as Evil arrived in Alcity, he had to do an interview about the limits of Aura abilities at a press conference set up at the airport. While he was being interviewed, Cheche returned to the mansion first.
Cheche, who had washed up in his private bathroom and was organizing the contents of the cross bag Evil had rummaged through, heard someone knock on the door.
“Are you there?”
“Yes, please come in.”
Hips appeared with a very haggard complexion. He asked Cheche if the bath salts were satisfactory, if the room temperature was appropriate, and if he happened to be hungry right now.
“Hungry?”
“Whether you feel empty. Whether you feel hunger.”
“I’ll eat together when the Director comes.”
“Yes.”
Hips smiled contentedly, seemingly satisfied with Cheche’s answer.
“Did the Director happen to give you any indication of how to handle the beastmeat? The existing freezers can’t handle it all, so if you want to consume it at the mansion, I’ll order additional freezers.”
“I haven’t heard anything specifically. I’ll call and ask.”
“Ah, no. You mustn’t call now. He’s said to be in quite a displeased state.”
When Cheche was about to take out his phone but stopped and looked puzzled, Hips explained further.
“After the press conference ended, he was summoned by Chairman Jenis. Since all the family elders have gathered, he’ll certainly be in a bad mood.”
“Who is Chairman Jenis?”
“…Evil-nim’s mother…”
Hips frowned as if wondering how he could not know such a thing, then soon his eyes flashed sharply.
“Do you happen to know Evil-nim’s father’s name?”
“I don’t.”
“It’s Chairman Tarida Endem. Please remember.”
“Yes.”
“Your eldest uncle’s name?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s Pitap. The younger uncle is Tamrandi. The eldest aunt is Reda, the younger aunt is Miaxi, the first nephew is Mikael, the second nephew is Enjis, the younger grandfather is Andimion, the great-aunt is Elinda, the aunt-in-law is Elizabeth…”
Hips recited the entire genealogy of the Endem family at high speed. Because it was such a large-scale family, by the time he finished reciting everything, he was even short of breath. Still, he was proud that he had smoothly delivered it without any stuttering.
“You’ve memorized it all, right?”
“No.”
“…”
“I can’t memorize such things immediately. I apologize.”
“This won’t do. I’ll print it out for you. You should naturally memorize at least this much.”
“Why?”
“…”
“Why should I remember it?”
Cheche added in a toneless voice.
“The Director doesn’t know my family’s names.”
“…”
Did he even have family?
It was a question too rude to have at this moment, but he couldn’t help but wonder.
