Page 266 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

The evening of the fateful encounter with Ricardo.

Shuen sat alone in the MISA club room, clenching her fists, deep in thought.

“Are you alright?”“Yes...?”“That was close. You almost hurt that pretty face of yours.”“Yes...”“Please watch where you're going next time.”

-Hot flush.

Shuen stomped her feet and let out a loud scream as Ricardo’s face replayed in her mind.

"Ahhh!!! This is so annoying!"

"Why didn’t I do something? I should’ve shoved him away!"

"Stupid Shuen, you idiot!"

She grumbled, frustrated with her past self for not rejecting him outright. She had accepted help from that man, whose reputation was full of bad rumors.

"Ugh...!"

She was irritated.

‘It must be him, right?’

Red hair, a fierce expression. A man with rumors claiming he eats people alive—Ricardo.

She had only heard about him in stories.

The man the MISA president cursed nonstop, someone who tormented his peers without a sense of justice, a man who seemed to be at the center of every incident at the academy.

One of the seniors in MISA had mentioned being beaten up by Ricardo in an alley, so Shuen trusted the rumors about him. Surely, he was a devil in human skin.

"He’s definitely experienced in this... That voice, so charming it could make hearts flutter. And those gestures, like he genuinely cared... He’s dangerous."

Shuen shivered, guarding her heart.

"No wonder Histania Hanna fell for him. I don’t know how she managed to break through his defenses, but one thing’s for sure—it was all part of his plan."

Without realizing it, Shuen found herself acknowledging Ricardo. She spent some time thinking about him.

Wolf-like eyes.

A sharp, fierce jawline.

A seductive voice.

This man was...

‘An incubus...!’

Shuen had a penchant for fantasy stories.

She didn’t know much about Ricardo beyond the fact that Hanna liked him and the rumors her seniors had told her. She had even missed the opportunity to see him at a banquet, as she’d been stuck in the restroom, leaving her with no direct experience of him.

Shuen shivered and nodded to herself.

"He’s definitely a devil."

Shuen didn’t want to get entangled with Ricardo.

The MISA group all hated him. Plus, Mikhail, with his upright character, also despised him, so nothing good could come from getting involved.

She had no desire to lose her life out of curiosity.

"I really am an idiot."

But...

"I don’t want to watch my friend get ruined."

Squeeze

Shuen, who didn’t have many friends, clenched her fists and vowed to save Hanna from the incubus. As MISA’s vice president, it was her duty to protect her members.

"I, Shuen, will not forget today’s humiliation."

With a firm grip on her resolve, Shuen thought more about Ricardo.

‘I need to inform the others. He’s returned.’

Three days later.

The newly opened [Convenience Store] at the academy.

Despite opening unexpectedly, the store had a remarkable level of completion. Drawing on my past experience, I manned the counter.

"Hmm... Hanna."

"Yes?"

"There aren’t any customers."

Wearing a blue uniform, Hanna was restocking the shelves. She smiled brightly in response to my tired voice.

"Isn’t that actually a good thing...?"

"Sorry?"

"Ah... no, it’s nothing."

She glanced at me and smiled shyly, mumbling, “I hope it stays this way.”

I smiled faintly at her comment and stretched.

"I should’ve brought a book if I knew it would be this slow. I thought it’d be super busy on the first day, but I didn’t expect no one to come."

"Still, we had about 30 customers. I can give you a shoulder massage if you’re tired!"

"Haha... Thank you."

Hanna approached me and muttered quietly.

"Still, it’s strange. It’s the first time one of my brother’s stores has opened with so few customers."

"Right? It’s not like people know I’m working the counter yet, so why isn’t anyone coming?"

"Ah... could it be?"

Hanna bit her lip and her expression turned cold.

"Because of those foxes?"

"Foxes?"

"Yeah, you probably don’t know, but there’s a group called MISA."

"Oh... I’m aware."

"Wait, how do you know about them...?"

Before Hanna could finish her sentence, we heard female students chatting in the hallway.

“So, I said... Oh? What’s this?”“Hey... let’s just go.”“Why? It looks like a new store. Let’s check it out.”“No, seriously, let’s go.”“Aw, come on, let’s go~”“Ugh, no! Let’s just go. They say that demon is in there.”

Hearing their conversation, I gave a bitter smile.

"Ah... looks like the rumors are already out."

Hanna rolled up her sleeves and marched toward the door.

"I’ll go drag them in."

"Haha... please don’t."

"But they just insulted you, sir!"

"It’s fine. I expected it. At least I heard it early."

Hanna clicked her tongue and returned to massaging my shoulders.

"Doesn’t it bother you?"

"What do you mean?"

"That there are weird rumors going around about you."

I chuckled softly and shook my head.

"They’re not false rumors. So, what’s there to be upset about?"

"I know they’re all lies! They’re just making things up to suit themselves..."

"No, Hanna. You may not know this, but I was truly a bad person back in my academy days."

"Another lie."

"Haha..."

I laughed, relaxing under her hands. Even though the store wasn’t performing well, this daily routine didn’t seem so bad.

"Thank you, Hanna."

"No problem."

‘Still, MISA, huh...’

In the novel, they were a pretty entertaining group.

They occasionally did something ridiculous that made everyone laugh, and they banded together when Mikhail was in trouble, making them a fairly decent club.

‘But experiencing them firsthand... they’re kind of annoying.’

I shook my head, letting out a dry laugh.

"Looks like the opening boost is a lost cause."

I had hoped to attract a lot of customers early on /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ to squash the rumors, but it seemed I’d have to abandon that idea now that the bad gossip had spread.

"Hmm..."

Ding dong dang.

"It’s time for you to head to class."

"It’s okay. My professor won’t mind if I skip one class."

"I’d feel bad."

"Ugh... Do I have to?"

"Yes, you do."

I gently sent Hanna off, her eyes full of puppy-like reluctance. Once she left, I walked over to the shelves and began restocking from the storage room. At least we had a few customers earlier.

"Toothpaste goes here."

"Cosmetics go here."

"Beverages here."

I stared at the items that hadn’t sold at all and let out a sigh.

"None of the triangle kimbap sold."

I had expected the triangle kimbap to be the best-seller, but it was still sitting there, untouched. I had thought it would be a convenient snack with both portability and taste, but it seemed my expectations were misplaced.

"You can’t expect to win on the first try."

There was no need to rush. I still had plenty of time.

Once I finished restocking, I sat down, staring blankly at the time passing. I briefly considered bringing the lady here to help with the counter, but since this was the academy, I couldn’t.

“Excuse me... this one’s past its expiration date.”“Ah! Then just pick something else!”“There’s no other kimbap at the same price.”“Argh! Just take anything!”

‘...’

Even outside of the academy, having the lady man the counter didn’t seem like a good idea.

With nothing much to do, I passed the time by sighing.

Ding.

When the doorbell rang, I brightened up, smiling to greet the new customer.

"Welcome to SU Convenience Store."

"Ah..."

"Huh?"

Looking at the customer who entered, I awkwardly smiled.

‘I didn’t expect this.’

I knew him, and he knew me. A familiar face.

I gave him an uneasy smile as he stared at me with wide eyes.

"It’s been a while, Mikhail."

Mikhail stared at me with trembling eyes and spoke.

"Why are you here...?"

"Ah..."

I showed him the name tag pinned to my chest with a small smile. Yes, this was how things had turned out.

"I’ll be working here for a while."

"Working...?"

Mikhail looked around the store and asked.

"What is this place?"

"Ah... this is..."

Listening to my explanation, Mikhail nodded but avoided making eye contact. He still seemed uncomfortable around me, and he wandered around the store, unable to stand still.

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

I stood beside him, placing my hand on the shelf of chocolates and snacks. Smiling warmly at Mikhail, who stood there frozen, I spoke.

"..."

"Mikhail?"

"Uh... huh?"

"This one’s pretty good. It’s a snack from Forest Friends, a bit bitter but also sweet. It helps with concentration when studying."

"Candy...?"

"Yes, we also have jelly. Would you like to try it? I can give you some for free."

"For free?"

"Yes."

I smiled brightly at the bewildered Mikhail. Who could turn down something free, after all?

Plus, it could serve to keep MISA in check.

Mikhail hesitated but finally accepted the candy, looking at me with uneasy eyes.

"Why...?"

"Just because I want to. Midterms are coming up soon, right? You’ll need some sugar. Think of it as a bribe. Oh, and if you could promote the store, that’d be great too."

"..."

"Or... do you not want it because I’m offering it? I could send someone else to your dorm if you prefer—just let me know the room number."

"No...! It’s fine. I’ll take it."

Mikhail stood there for a while, staring at the candy in his hand. I couldn’t tell if he disliked the taste of mandrake or if he was just unsure, but his awkward reaction made me chuckle.

"Feel free to stop by anytime. I’ll sneak you some extra when the boss isn’t looking."

"Uh... thanks."

"And please, do promote the store."

I shook Mikhail’s hand, sincerely asking for his help. As uncomfortable as I felt around him, I needed his influence to counter MISA.

I held his hand firmly, conveying my complicated emotions.

An hour passed.

Ding.

"Welcome... huh?"

"Oh ho ho..."

A familiar figure with purple drill hair entered the store.