I'm Not Your Dad, I'm a Villain - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hero Land (3)

***

After riding the carousel and various other rides, lunchtime arrived.

If it had just been the Boss and me, we might have packed lunch, but today we had special passes provided by James.

“A buffet, huh.”

As expected of the largest theme park, they had restaurants targeting the upper class.

Though the food was somewhat lighter, given it was meant to be enjoyed during leisure activities, the scale and decor were incomparable to the family restaurant we visited the previous day.

The ingredients were premium, and the dishes were prepared by top-tier chefs… We were really living it up thanks to one good connection.

“Here, let me get some food for you.”

“Thank you!”

When I handed her the plate filled with food, Nella bowed her head and dashed off to her seat.

She mentioned it was her first time at a place like this. I hope she enjoys it today, I thought, turning to the Boss.

“Boss, if there’s anything you want to eat, just let me know.”

Following Nella’s serving…

Though it was awkward prioritizing her, the reason I didn’t put the Boss first this time was that she wasn’t being proactive.

It was strange. She never skipped a meal, no matter how simple it was.

“As long as it’s edible, I don’t care.”

Even her belated answer was curt, and her gaze around was as cold as ever.

“But there must be something you prefer…”

“If I had to choose, I’d prefer the meals you prepared.”

“What?”

Her response to my concern made me exclaim reflexively.

As I questioned her, she nonchalantly explained while looking around.

“When I was in the organization, everyone provided feasts for me. But all I received were rare and expensive delicacies, not meals made specifically for me.”

“…Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Personally, I think a modest meal made for one person is better than a grand meal for an unspecified crowd.”

Ah, I see.

In other words, she valued meals made with thought for her more than just valuable food.

I could understand that.

From the perspective of an otherworldly being, an egg fry and a premium steak might seem similar.

“You don’t have to comfort me that much.”

But didn’t the chefs in the organization also cook with her in mind?

The best I could make was regular home-cooked food.

I couldn’t believe their dishes had less value than mine.

“…If you say so.”

Expressing my honest opinion, she walked away with the plate I had given her, looking a bit bitter.

Ah, damn it.

Did I step on a landmine again?

***

After enjoying an unexpected luxury and taking a light walk around the zoo to aid digestion.

The zoo.

A place to see various rare animals, surely a novel experience for the Boss who had only known human society.

“The zoo was really fun. Especially watching the bear catch the bread thrown to it…”

But a seven-year-old child would also find such experiences meaningful.

As we left the zoo area, Nella, still excited, began sharing her thoughts with the Boss.

Seeing no hesitation in conversing, it seemed she now considered the Boss a friend.

Of course, the Boss didn’t find Nella annoying and was engaging her well.

“What was the most impressive animal for you, Ms. Moa?”

“The unicorn.”

“What? Unicorn?”

“I heard that unicorns have very long horns protruding from a horse’s body…”

“…Haha. What you’re talking about is probably a giraffe, not a unicorn.”

“Hmm? Are giraffes and unicorns different beings?”

“Well, unicorns don’t exist in the first place.”

“Unicorns don’t exist?”

Nella immediately explained to the puzzled Boss.

Unicorns were creatures from fairy tales and didn’t exist in reality… Wait, isn’t she just about to enter first grade?

I believed in Santa until third grade, but here’s a girl denying the existence of unicorns.

Is this another case of growing up too fast? I felt a moment of melancholy while pondering.

“A horse with a neck over 3 meters long exists, but not a horse with a horn. Is that true?”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it strange? If you think about it, a horse with a horn seems more believable than that giraffe.”

“Uh, that’s…”

Nella looked flustered by the Boss’s question.

She pondered but couldn’t find an answer, so she looked at me for help.

“Mr. Bread, do you know why?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“So, unicorns could really exist!?”

“Just because they haven’t been seen doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If giraffes exist, there’s a good chance unicorns are out there somewhere too.”

“Oh, wow…!”

Nella’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the Boss’s words.

A horse with a 3-meter neck exists, so why not a horse with a horn?

That question was slowly reviving the lost innocence in the girl.

…But really, why don’t unicorns exist?

There are psychics and aliens, so why not unicorns?

“Ahhh!”

We reached the Extreme Zone without finding the answer.

Nella shivered at the screams from the roller coaster, filled with thrilling rides.

“It’s scary, but I want to ride it. I really want to… What should I do?”

I understand that feeling.

Adults tend to avoid harm, but children’s curiosity often outweighs their fear.

“Alright, I’ll ride with you this time.”

“Really!?”

“Yes, if you’re scared, you can hold my hand tightly.”

Sure, roller coasters are harder to photograph than drop rides.

Since it’s come to this, supporting them might not be a bad idea. With that thought, I boarded the roller coaster with the two girls.

“Alright, let’s get started!”

We sat in three empty seats at the very front.

I sat in the middle, holding the hands of the two girls on either side.

“Don’t let go.”

“I won’t.”

“Seriously, don’t let go!”

“I said I won’t.”

Nella gripped my hand so tightly that I worried about my bones.

Though she wanted to ride, maybe she was pushing herself too hard. But her determination seemed endearing, making me smile.

– Squeeze.

That smile didn’t last long as the girl on my other side also gripped my hand tightly.

Turning my head, I saw the red-haired girl holding my hand with both hands.

“Sorry. It reminded me of old times.”

A shadow over her usually stern and mature expression.

It was the first time I had seen such a look since serving her.

Could she be afraid?

The boss of an evil organization, afraid of a roller coaster?

“Ahhhh!”

As the roller coaster plunged, screams erupted.

Nella closed her eyes and clung to me, and others likely reacted similarly.

But my gaze remained fixed on the Boss.

Her detached gaze seemed to look beyond the void of the sky, not at me.

There was no hint of the fear I had suspected.

Of course. For someone who had traversed the cosmos, a vertical drop was child’s play.

But…

A small hand was gripping mine tightly.

– Ahhhh!

Maybe she was afraid of something from the past, not the present.

But I couldn’t understand what that was.

All I could do was hold her hand in return, without shaking it off.

So, in that way, we continued to enjoy the amusement park until dusk.

“I’ll be right back, I need to go to the bathroom!”

“Can you go alone?”

“Yes!”

Nella’s cheerful voice echoed as she dashed to the restroom.

Initially gloomy, she now displayed the innocence typical of her age.

I was relieved she seemed to have enjoyed herself. Feeling I had fulfilled James’s request satisfactorily, I noticed the Boss smiling faintly as she watched Nella leave.

“Is that how young girls usually are?”

“Pretty much.”

Curious, playful, and full of energy.

Even as a villain, I had been like that, so I tended to separate children from heroes.

They didn’t know anything yet, and they hadn’t been hurt.

“Spending time with children must be quite challenging for heroes too.”

The Boss chuckled, her gaze shifting to a theater across the park.

A performance by heroes was in full swing.

Five colorful spandex-clad figures and masked, suit-wearing men…

“The number one in the Sentai world is our Super Rangers!”

“No, it’s our Masked Rider! We let you take first place last time, but don’t think it’ll happen again!”

Super Rangers and Masked Rider.

Debating which of these traditional hero teams was the best was a common topic among many kids.

It’s known as a VS play.

From a villain’s perspective, I wished both would just disappear… But they wouldn’t have a deathmatch in a performance.

“Ugh, we can’t handle this villain alone.”

“We have no choice. An emergency alliance it is!”

“Oh! Just this once, we’ll team up with you!”

“Bring it on, Quantum Dinosaur villain!”

“Roooar~”

An actor in a dinosaur costume faced the combined attack of Masked Rider and Super Rangers.

Falling to the ground and getting kicked by over ten people, cheers erupted from the audience.

“That’s unfair, Super Rangers!”

“Using numbers, Masked Rider, I thought you were better than that!”

“Go, Quantum Dinosaur!”

“Quantum Dinosaur, win!”

“Isn’t Quantum Dinosaur a villain? Why are they cheering for him?”

“He’s a dinosaur, who cares!”

…Alright.

A fantastical dinosaur is more appealing than real heroes.

“Boss.”

Even while watching the amusing scene, I couldn’t shake the memory of the face I had seen earlier.

The uncharacteristically dark expression the Boss had when we rode the roller coaster.

“Earlier, on the roller coaster…”

“It was an unimaginably long time.”

“…What?”

“The time from when I was born in that distant galaxy until I fell to this land.”

As if she anticipated my question.

The Boss’s gaze had shifted to the table.

Then she asked.

“Bread.”

Calling my name.

“Do you know why this land underwent a great upheaval, and why people gained Gifts?”

End of Chapter