I Picked up a Corrupted Heroine (The Secret Boss), and When I Spoiled Her, She Became Uncontrollably Affectionate With Me - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Who Will the Holy Maiden of the Moon Hunt?

“Don’t move. Or else… I’ll kill you.”

The girl gently presses a knife against my neck.

The terrifyingly cold touch makes me feel the presence of death.

“Wha…!? W-wait! It’s a misunderstanding! I was just trying to help you!”

“…Is that true?”

Her eyes look suspicious. She’s ready to slit my throat any second.

“I-it’s true!”

“Then where were you planning to take me?”

“To the church. I thought I’d get your curse lifted, and maybe they could take you in at the orphanage.”

Her red eyes stare at me without blinking. It feels like she can see right through everything.

“…You don’t seem to be lying.”

After what feels like forever of silence… the girl puts away the knife she had against my neck.

“Phew… I thought I was gonna die…”

That wariness, those quick knife skills… this girl is no ordinary kid. What kind of brutal life has she been through…?

“…But if you’re planning to take me to the church, I’ll have to fight back.”

Suddenly the girl looks down and mumbles.

“Why…?”

“…That place brings up bad memories for me. I don’t want to talk about the details…”

“Oh… I see.”

I don’t hear any lies in her words. If I tried to force her to go, she looks like she’d bolt and run.

“Then how about you come to my place for tonight?”

“…Huh?”

“I mean, you don’t have anywhere to sleep, right…?”

When I say that, her eyes go wide.

“I… I just tried to kill you, you know…? You’re really going to let someone like that into your house…? Are you okay in the head?”

“Really…? You only tried to kill me because you thought I was a kidnapper, right? Then it’s not a big deal.”

“…I see.”

The girl looks down and thinks for a while, then…

“…Okay, I’ll take you up on that and stay at your house.”

“Of course. Let’s go.”

I take the girl’s hand and head toward my house.

—

“This is… your house? …Isn’t it kinda big?”

There’s a house that’s a bit larger than a normal one. It’s two stories and big enough for four people to live comfortably.

“Back then I used to share it with someone else. Now it’s just me, so it’s a little too much space.”

I shrug a bit and show the girl inside.

“Hmm… it’s pretty clean in here too.”

“Yeah. Anyway, just sit wherever. You must be hungry… oh, actually, maybe a bath first?”

I look at her clothes. They’re really dirty, with black soot-like stuff all over her body.

“Th… there’s a bath!? Those are supposed to be only in noble houses…!”

“Ah… well, I just really like baths.”

“Really…? Then… I’ll take you up on that!”

The girl smiles with clear happiness, her mouth corners turning up.

“…You like baths that much?”

While the girl is in the bath, I think about her.

She seems like she’s had a bath before. So… maybe she used to be a noble?

A fallen noble’s daughter or something…

“…Nah, no way! She’s not the main heroine of this game.”

The RPG game: Erebos Fantasia. Its main heroine Alicia has a fallen noble past.

Right then, for some reason, Alicia’s face overlaps with the girl’s.

“…Now that I think about it, the area around her eyes and her face shape… they’re a bit like Alicia’s.”

Alicia shouldn’t have a little sister. So… the same person?

“…No way. Her hair color and eye color are different… and above all, her age is way off.”

Alicia is seventeen right now. This girl looks ten at most.

She’s clearly someone else.

“Alright… time to make some food.”

I stand up thinking that.

“Um… excuse me…”

A voice suddenly comes from the bathroom. I turn around and see the girl with a towel wrapped around her body.

“!!?”

Everything that shouldn’t be seen is covered. Steam rising from her body, faintly pink cheeks, wet hair… the whole vibe is strangely seductive.

I quickly look away and pinch my own cheek.

Phew… that was close. I almost woke up some weird interests…

“Um… why are you pinching your cheek?”

“Eh? Oh, I just felt like it?”

“I… I see… Um, do you have any spare clothes? If not, it’s okay…”

“I do, I have some! Wait in the changing room!”

“…? Okay…”

I desperately search the house for women’s clothes and hand them to her.

“Thank you. They’re a bit big… but this helps a lot.”

After cleaning up and changing into nice clothes, the girl looks completely different. Her skin is back to its natural white, and her black hair that reaches her shoulders is smooth like silk.

She’s so pretty that I wonder why she doesn’t show up in the main game.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Oh, uh, nothing.”

“…? Okay.”

The girl tilts her head, looking curious. Every little move she makes is cute. Wait, this isn’t the time to be staring.

“Um… how about we eat? You must be hungry, right?”

“…Is it really okay? To eat your food too…?”

She makes a face that mixes guilt and wariness.

“Of course. Though it’ll be something simple.”

I take out pasta noodles and quickly start cooking. I can feel the girl watching me the whole time, but whatever.

About ten minutes later, I set the finished food on the table.

“Let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

We sit across from each other at the table and start on the pasta. Yeah, it’s simple but tastes good.

Seeing that, the girl cautiously takes a bite too.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Really? Good.”

She stays quiet but eats the pasta with real energy. She probably hasn’t eaten anything for a while…

“Wh-what? Why are you staring…?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s nothing.”

She gives me a suspicious look and goes back to eating.

We both finish our meal…

“Thank you. It was really good.”

“Hehe, I’m glad.”

Maybe this helped her relax her guard a little.

I give the girl a gentle look.

“You can stay here as long as you want.”

“Thank you. But… it still feels wrong.”

“No, no, it’s fine. The house is so big, one extra person won’t make it cramped. Plus… having someone around helps me forget how lonely it gets.”

“…R-really? Then… I’ll be in your care for a while…”

“Yeah, looking forward to it. By the way, can I ask your name?”

“I’m Ali… no, my name is Ria.”

“Hmm, Ria… Got it. I’m Asta. Nice to meet you.”

I hold out my hand to the girl — Ria. After a moment of hesitation, she takes it.

“Nice to meet you…”

Ria’s hand is so small and frail it makes me worry. But… why?

The moment I shake her hand, I feel something pitch-black.

…What is this? It’s the most horrible presence I’ve ever felt.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Anyway, it’s getting late. How about we get some sleep?”

“…Okay.”

I clean up the dishes and show Ria to the bedroom. Of course, we’d have separate rooms. I’ll sleep in another one.

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

After that, I do the stuff I need to do and fall asleep.

“Um… excuse me.”

A little later, Ria shows up in my room holding a pillow with an uneasy look on her face.

“I’m sorry… When I’m alone, my trauma comes back and I can’t sleep. Can I sleep with you?”

“…”

Together… with her, huh.

Is this okay in all the ways that matter?

…No… she’s just a little kid. It should be fine.

“Sure. Come on over.”

“Thank you. Then…”

Ria climbs into the bed and lies down right next to me. I turn my back to her as much as possible so I don’t think about it.

But that just makes my hearing sharper, and I can’t help noticing her breathing and the rustle of her clothes.

Looks like… I won’t be sleeping for a while.

I sigh inside my head.

—

It’s three in the morning. Everyone in town is asleep, and everything is quiet.

Ria opens her eyes with a mechanical click.

“…He’s finally asleep.”

She looks at Asta sleeping peacefully beside her and reaches into her clothes.

What she pulls out is a sharp knife.

“…I’m sorry.”

Ria doesn’t hold any grudge against Asta. She actually feels grateful for how kind he was.

But…

“I’ve decided to destroy the world. And… I don’t want to be betrayed anymore.”

Ria makes a bitter face and presses the knife against Asta’s neck.