I’m a Villainess but So Popular

Editor : Aru

“The day the monster appeared?”

“Yes.”

The wind was creeping in from outside the window. Along with it, Eugene’s silver hair shook slightly. Through the hair, I could see his blue eyes.

“I thought you were…… not looking at me with sincerity.”

His voice was lower and deeper than his usual voice.

“Because I’m behind you. So I was nasty to you. Cause I thought you were ignoring me.”

“…… I never did that.”

“I know. I know. That’s why I’m apologizing right now.”

Eugene answered back, kicking his tongue.

“I thought that’s why you didn’t use your most confident flame magic on me, and I thought you didn’t treat me sincerely.”

“Huh? Is that why you’re so obsessed with flame magic?”

“You cast it to that prince, but you didn’t cast it to me.”

What’s wrong with him?

“Hey, I’m not the kind of person who thinks so complicatedly like you.”

“……yes, I think so. Anyway, that’s why I said I was sorry, so you just need to know that.”

“Can’t you just stop whining when you apologize?”

“What? Whining …… What is that?”

“No, thanks, never mind.”

When Eugene put on a suspicious look in my words, I kept my mouth shut.

“By the way, what does that have to do with the monster appearing?”

Then Eugene bit his lips for a while, then opened them in a slightly hoarse voice.

“That day, when a monster hit my back–”

I vaguely remembered Eugene’s words.

“You used flame magic right away.”

I did.

As soon as I saw the monster, instinctively, I pulled Eugene toward me, and I used flame magic to cut the way between him and the monster.

“You must have been looking at me with sincerity right back then.”

Eugene spoke calmly. At the moment I felt that his eyes, resembling a blue sapphire, seemed to sparkle and shine.

“Well, just know it’s because of that.”

Eugene turned his head to the side and talked.

So I couldn’t tell what kind of facial expression he was making now.

“If you hadn’t used magic that day, I could have died.”

His voice echoed in the quiet classroom.

Without a thorn, so his real voice came deeper.

“…I see.”

“What’s with that ‘I see’. Is that the only reaction you could have made when I talked sincerely with this much difficulty?”

Eugene grumbled, frowning.

“Uh, well, it’s kind of sudden, so….”

“Ck, whatever.”

“By the way, can I ask you a question?”

As I looked at Eugene and asked questions, he answered with a slight raise in his eyebrows.

“What is it?”

“Do you still hate me?”

“…why would you ask that?”

“Just out of curiosity.”

When I saw him saying he was sorry, I thought he might have softened up. I just asked because I was wondering if he didn’t hate me as much as before.

“You know. Do you still hate me for being a Spade who doesn’t even know my place but keeps running wildly?”

I said with a slightly mischievous smile.

“Hey, that’s……”

It was fun to tease Eugene, who blushed and shouted out unkindly loud.

“Then, no?”

I deliberately rolled up the corners of my mouth and said with a grin.

“You……”

Eugene’s face was already as red as a beet.

Well, Eugene wasn’t the type, to be honest about his feelings.

He wasn’t used to being teased.

“Oh, really, if I still hate you that much, I wouldn’t have said this. Are you satisfied? I’m sorry that I said you run around without knowing your place, man.”

“Okay, that was a great answer.”

I clapped my hands and nodded.

“Stop making fun of me.”

“Oh, what do you mean, teasing you? It’s just that I’m really impressed.”

“You really….”

To be honest, I thought it was a little fun to tease Eugene.

Wouldn’t it be fun to respond properly to the end with words that could just be skipped?

“Well, that’s it then. Just fill in the journal.”

“Oh, let’s take a break. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities to talk.”

“If you’re the class president, work as the president. Or hand over the position.”

“You’re a picky personality……”

Eventually, I clenched the quill pen, while screaming.

And for a while, silence fell in the classroom.

As always at this time every week, sitting a little apart and organizing the class journals.

“Hey.”

“……why.”

“You answer me?”

“If you’re going to say useless things, stay quiet.”

It was a great development. I can’t believe Eugene answered my call and said “Be quiet” instead of “shut up.”

“It’s not a useless thing.”

“……tell me quickly.”

Eugene replied with a tick.

“Just, it’s not a big deal–”

Was the wind blowing in the classroom always this refreshing? And like this, it feels a little warm.

“Don’t be so impatient.”

“What?”

Looking around, Eugene was looking at me with a surprised face.

“You’re already doing enough.”

For a very short time, Eugene opened his blue eyes wide and looked as if he had been beaten in the back of his head.

His eyes, which always felt cold at that time, fluttered like a blue flame.

It was the first time I faced the relaxed Eugene without a thorn.

‘Is that what you really look like?’

When I was thinking of such a thing, he lowered his head in a hurry and uttered in a quivering voice.

“Why are you telling me that?”

“……did you think I don’t know?”

I deliberately turned my eyes away from him and answered back.

Everyone has a side that we didn’t want to show to others.

Eugene was just hiding more of it than anyone else.

His face, which was revealed like that, I didn’t want to look at.

“You’re staying up late at night and practising on your own. But You never sleep in class.”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

“So, you and I are both working hard.”

I was only a few years older than Eugene in my previous life, but I knew it.

A man who was so hard on himself may fall at the end.

I know because I’ve been there.

“…… even when I fought Cassius, it was hard. I thought I could have lost if I had bad luck.”

“…….”

“But when I fought with you, it was really hard. After the game started, the thought that I might lose didn’t leave my mind for a moment.”.”

I looked around and talked in a low voice.

“Really, I thought you were really strong.”

My voice rang out in the classroom, where no one seemed to be there.

I don’t know if that voice touched Eugene.

He might have thought it was pretentious, or he might have thought I was trying to hide the evil spirits by pretending to praise.

But neither was it.

I meant what I said.

“……you’re so weird.”

Eugene’s voice, which broke the silence, was subdued.

“What?”

“Why are you telling me that?”

“Why shouldn’t I? You tell me why.”

I spoke with a slight glance.

Then Eugene responded immediately.

“I know You hate me.”

I don’t know if his mind is just simple, no, he’s too pure.

The thoughtless person’s behaviour was interpreted in such a complicated way.

Eventually, I burst into laughter.

“What, why are you laughing!”

Eugene said angrily.

I answered him in a cheerful voice.

“Hey, I say it because you don’t know, but I don’t hate you that much.”

I thought there was a corner where he was needlessly uptight and full of anger, but actually sincere and naive.

Perhaps, if we hadn’t been under pressure at home, or if Yerine had built a good relationship with the other seven heirs from the start, wouldn’t our relationship have gotten a little better?

“Of course, there are times when I think you’re a bit of jerk-”

“That’s the same here! Don’t laugh!”

“What’s wrong with laughing?”

After such a tit-for-tat, we’ve finished organizing the journal and the sun was setting outside the window.

“Uh, done.”

“Give it to me. I’ll check it out.”

“Give you what? Speak nicely.”

“You’re the one to say.”

At his words, I leaned my lips out and leaned against the chair, but Eugene took the journal open on the desk and began to read it.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong.”

“Of course, it’s written by this body.”

“Don’t forget you almost missed the Thursday journal.”

“Ck…….”

When the check was complete, Eugene returned the journal to me.

I put my journal under the school table and said to Eugene, who was packing his things.

“Now let’s close the window and get out.”

Eugene swung his hand at my words.

The hand gesture closed the window by itself.

“Get it quickly. Get out.”

I also cast a spell to sort out the quill pen and ink on the desk and went to the doorway and followed Eugene standing out of the classroom.

“You’re going straight to the dorm, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“If you have nothing to do, why don’t you join us for a meal? I’m going to have dinner with the others.”

“Why are you so obsessed with eating together?.”

“You’re not going to eat anything if you go to the dorm anyway. Just eat while you are here.”

“No thanks.”

I turned my head and said in a drooping voice (of course, it’s acting) at him, who refused.

“It’s a beef stew today….”

“…….”

“It must be delicious…”

Then Eugene sighed and said,

“Hey, do you think the prince will leave me alone if I come with you? If you don’t intend to kill me, quit that out.”

“It’s all right. You fought Cassius and won. You can do it.”

“It’s an official battle, and you know best what he’s going to do if it’s about you?”

“……I can’t argue with you.”

As I walked along the long corridor, I had reached the exit of the main building of the Academy.

The sky, which had previously been red with the sunset, was turning blue with its red mark near the horizon.

“So you’re not coming, are you?”

I asked one last time.

“Yes.”

Eugene retorted in his usual dry voice.

“If you want to see us, you can come to the cafeteria in the middle.”

“No, never.”

“If the others hear you, they’ll be disappointed. I’ll tell them as it is.”

“Do as you please.”

Eugene’s arms were folded again, revealing the scabbard.

“Then I’m going. Goodbye.”

After waving my hand firmly to Eugene, who didn’t wave to the end, I was about to turn around and go to the restaurant.

“Hey, spades.”

Suddenly, I looked back at Eugene’s voice calling me.

“Huh?”

“Good work today.”

Under the dim sky, the silver-haired boy said in a calm voice.

When I heard that, I replied with a smile around my mouth.

“Yes, you too.”

Feeling a little more relaxed than usual, I ran towards the restaurant.

—————