Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Most Dangerous of Good People (2)
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I preferred plain, unassuming pizzas over fancy ones loaded with all sorts of toppings.
The kind that stuck to the basics, like combination, pepperoni, or just cheese.
After all, pizza begins and ends with the trifecta of dough, tomato sauce, and cheese.
The presence of expensive, flashy toppings often undermines the very foundation of pizza.
*Though, I wouldn't say no if someone else was buying an expensive one.*
Of course, that didn't mean I hated fancy pizzas with toppings altogether.
I just had my preferences. Expensive pizzas still had their own appeal.
Whether topped with steak, chicken, seafood, or even pineapple.
As long as it wasn't some horrific concoction like chocolate pizza, I was the type to eat pretty much anything.
“It’s not my absolute favorite, so I refuse to eat it!”
I imagine there aren’t many people who would make such an extreme claim.
But even as I chewed on a slice of combination pizza, which I quite liked, I wasn’t enjoying it at all.
The reason was simple. The uninvited guest sitting across from me was staring intently in my direction!
“…”
“Hmm…”
“…”
The uninvited guest was stunningly beautiful.
So much so that she would rank among the most beautiful people I had ever seen.
Perhaps not on the level of the global idol Aisha, but just a step below.
Her skin was translucent, as if it had never seen the sun, and her hair was a mystical, natural silver.
Beneath her charismatic eyes were prominent dark circles that gave her a decadent sort of beauty.
To top it all off, she wore a rather sexy jumpsuit, unzipped enough to offer a glimpse of her underwear.
She was the kind of woman who would make any man on the street turn his head for a second look.
She possessed a powerful charm that drew people’s eyes.
*Alice's older sister, huh. This is the first time I'm seeing her in person...*
Her name was Sakuragi Lily.
Alice’s one and only older sister, a genius mechanical engineer—a so-called mechanic—who had appeared like a comet.
She was also a mage with considerable magical expertise.
Unlike Alice, who was born with mana deficiency, Lily had inherited her parents’ talents in full.
There were many brilliant engineers in this world, and many brilliant mages.
But it was rare to find someone who was both an exceptional engineer and an outstanding mage.
This was because the laws of Earth and the laws of the other world were mutually exclusive and did not mesh well.
In other words, the work she did was special, something that couldn't easily be replaced by someone else.
Thus, Lily, who was employed at a research institute, should have had no time to rest between her duties and technological development.
But right now, the entire city was in a period of rest known as Nightweek.
It seemed that even a workaholic like her had managed to get a not-so-short vacation during this time.
*Besides, based on the original story, her research should be nearing its end around now. The fusion of science and magic… Eve, was it?*
The fusion of science and magic was theoretically considered impossible.
Things like engines that ran on mana as fuel, or drones that flew around using magic.
Such hybrid technologies were said to be fundamentally impossible.
They were inherently contradictory, like hot ice or frozen flames.
There was a reason why prosthetics for metahumans had become such a hot topic in the past. In the end, that too had been a scam.
But people who challenge the impossible have always existed, regardless of time or place.
With her genius inspiration and ideas, Lily was one of those who reached into that uncharted territory. And she had results to show for it.
Anyway, that was Sakuragi Lily, a woman of incredible skill and background.
She spoke to me in a friendly voice as I uncomfortably forced down my pizza.
“Hee hee… So Yuria keeps her mask on even when she eats. Isn't that uncomfortable?”
“…”
“You have rather pretty lips. You’ve got a little sauce right here. Should I wipe it for you?”
“…!”
N-No, thank you!
I leaned back sharply against the sofa, as if fleeing from the handkerchief that was suddenly approaching me.
Having lost its target, Lily's hand cut through the air in vain.
Of course, I didn't feel particularly sorry. She was the one in the wrong for trying to touch my lips out of the blue.
Perhaps she understood that much. Without a change in expression, she quietly put the handkerchief away.
After tucking it into her pocket, Lily tapped her own lips idly.
She then spoke to me with a smile that felt more business-like than anything.
“Hee hee, is your dream to become a cat or something?”
“…”
“Don’t be so scared. This big sister… just wants to be friends with you, Yuria.”
At my clear rejection, Lily’s eyebrows drooped sadly.
But her eyes were coldly scanning me, as if appraising an object.
As I suspected, the friendly demeanor she was showing was just an act.
Come to think of it, there was no reason for her to show any goodwill toward me, someone she had just met.
She was probably constantly calculating how much I was worth.
If she decided I was useless, or worse, a hindrance… she would likely eliminate me without a second thought.
I shouldn't let my guard down just because I recognized her from the original story.
Steeling myself, I slowly nodded, trying to show I wasn't afraid.
In response, Lily gave a faint smile, but her eyes weren't smiling at all. Frankly, it was terrifying.
Just as I felt myself being pushed back by her presence, about to be shoved over a psychological cliff—
Raven emerged from the back with a bottle of soda, his eyes narrowed at Lily.
“You… You didn't bully Yuria while I was gone for a moment getting drinks, did you?”
Surprisingly, his voice carried a considerable amount of force.
It was an aura powerful enough to make a timid person jump and start hiccuping.
For me, it felt as if a savior had descended from the heavens.
*That's right. She was bullying me!*
I stared intently at Raven’s profile, silently cheering him on as he pressured Lily.
But Lily herself simply answered Raven with eyes dripping with honey.
“Oh, Darling. Of course not. How could I ever bully such an adorable child…?”
“Hmph. You’re just annoyed because Yuria keeps destroying the spy cams you secretly hide in those little drones of yours. Isn’t that right?”
Raven’s blow was delivered as a calm statement of fact.
Lily, who had been looking at him with wide, innocent eyes as if she were wronged, was momentarily speechless, as if he’d hit a nerve.
Then, crossing her long legs and adjusting her posture, she nodded as if to say, *Correct,* and spoke.
“…Hee hee. As expected, Darling, you understand my mind better than anyone in this world. I think I’m falling for you even more. Won’t you put a ring on my finger?”
“I refuse. As I always say, you’re a failure as a marriage candidate since you can’t cook. How am I supposed to spend my life with a woman who burns fried eggs?”
“Uh, umm…”
Lily averted her gaze slightly, apparently having no comeback to Raven’s words.
After all, her personality was such that she wouldn't even touch something if it didn't interest her.
She likely had no intention of ever improving her cooking skills, which she cared nothing about.
After a moment of thought, Lily twirled the end of her hair with a finger and cautiously spoke to him.
“Darling, what if… my machine makes the food? Would that count as cooking?”
“Huh? That’s a bit of a stretch to call homemade, isn’t it? Well, I’d eat it as long as it doesn’t taste bad.”
“Th-Then! I’ll build an automaton that’s good at cooking next! I… know your tastes well, after all…”
Lily fidgeted, her demeanor completely different from when she had been silently pressuring me earlier.
Seeing the slight blush on her cheeks, I wondered if she was imagining a future with Raven.
The way she shyly glanced up at him, her lips slightly parted, was quite cute, a stark contrast to before.
It seemed a woman in love was inherently more charming just for that fact alone.
“…Tch. Interrupting me even in my imagination…”
“…?”
But that moment was fleeting.
Lily, who had been squirming and stealing glances at Raven, seemed to finally notice my presence again and clicked her tongue softly.
Then, she glared at me with slightly angry eyes, her hostility now overt instead of subtle.
*What did I do to make her look at me so scarily all of a sudden?*
Had I somehow intruded upon her fantasy? That was truly unfair.
Suddenly on the receiving end of the charismatic woman's terrifying gaze, I couldn’t help but let out a small hiccup.
The feeling of being choked made the pizza I had just put in my mouth feel like it was firmly stuck in my throat.
“Honestly… Act your age.”
“Ack! Oww… But still, I want to live with you too, Darling…”
Thankfully, Raven had witnessed the whole thing from beside me.
He gave Lily a light chop on the top of her head with the side of his hand, freeing me from the pressure of her murderous glare.
It seemed the meaning behind that look was jealousy.
As someone completely devoted to Raven, she must have been envious of me for getting to stay at the agency.
To think she would glare at someone so frighteningly over something so trivial.
I took back what I thought earlier. A woman in love was indeed a pain.
“You can just live in your own house. This kid doesn't have one. It can’t be helped.”
“…Then I’ll sell my house, too. I want to be without a home or a place to return to, so I can depend on you, Darling…”
“…?!”
“Alice would be devastated to hear you say that…”
Lily’s love was indeed intense.
I knew from the original story that she was a dangerous person who wasn't quite sane.
But seeing it up close like this, it was clear she wasn't mentally sound.
I subtly shifted my position, trying to hide myself as much as possible behind Raven.
All I could do was pray that her rage wouldn't be directed at me.