I Want to Be a Bad Child

“Lady Amelia, shall I set the luggage you mentioned down here?”

“Yes, thank you, Chloe.”

That day, Amelia had just arrived at the Darcy Detached Villa. The main house was far from the Western Academy, so she had decided to live with Luke starting from the new semester.

The luggage brought from the main house was not much. A few changes of clothes and some valuables were all of it. Thanks to that, Amelia finished organizing in no time and sent Chloe away, saying there was no need for further help.

It was exactly then.

“……?”

The translucent message window that suddenly floated before her eyes left Amelia staring at it blankly before she pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Am I a little tired?”

She really was exhausted. After all, she had spent two full days in a carriage. Of course, that had given her the chance to enjoy relaxed conversations with Luke, which had been wonderful, but the physical fatigue still lingered.

“…I should rest a bit.”

Dismissing it as a hallucination, Amelia threw herself onto the bed. She waved her fingers through the air, but they only cut through empty space. Unable to make sense of it, she unconsciously repeated the phrase to herself.

“The villainess overcomes trials and finds love.”

At first she had been bewildered, but the more she chewed on the words, the more unpleasant they became.

“It can’t possibly be talking about me, right?”

That was only natural. Amelia had never once thought of herself as a villainess.

The time she had driven a maid who ignored her as a child into ruin with false rumors.

The occasional times she had manipulated the ledger to secure extra pocket money.

The times she had secretly tampered with the food of the uncle who looked down on Luke.

In her eyes, every one of those acts had been nothing more than self-defense. They were hardly grandiose enough to earn the label of villainess. So, regarding the status window as a rude busybody, the moment she tried to close her eyes for a nap—

—Knock, knock!

The sound of knocking woke Amelia.

“Amel, have you finished unpacking?”

At the familiar voice, Amelia’s mind snapped awake. She hurriedly straightened her clothes.

“Yes, all done. Why?”

“Then would you come down to the dining room?”

She had been right in the middle of wanting to rest. Her legs ached and she wanted to stay lying down. Even so, Amelia accepted without the slightest hint of reluctance. Because the request came from none other than Luke.

“All right. I’ll be right there.”

She quickly tidied her hair and left the bedroom. The sunset outside the window had already vanished. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The detached villa lay submerged in quiet darkness, and for some reason the lights in the dining room were off as well.

“…Brother?”

Amelia stepped inside the dining room and called out to Luke cautiously. At that moment—flash! Candlelight flickered to life in the darkness and illuminated the surroundings.

A splendid table held a homemade cake, and beyond it Luke and Chloe stood side by side, greeting Amelia as if they had been waiting for her.

“Happy birthday, Amel.”

“Congratulations, Lady Amelia.”

Clap, clap, clap! At the unexpected applause Amelia could only blink, her expression dazed.

“What is all this?”

Luke answered, looking a little sheepish.

“Well, we were busy with the enrollment procedures this time, so we couldn’t hold a proper birthday party for you, right? I thought it might be nice to celebrate quietly, just the three of us.”

“……”

It was a lie. The enrollment procedures were nothing but an excuse. The Darcy family still disapproved of Amelia, and when the relatives showed no interest in attending, the party had been quietly canceled.

There was no way Luke, the prospective head of the family, was unaware of the situation. Knowing everything, he had gone out of his way to arrange this gathering anyway. Amelia let out a small chuckle at that foolish, unwavering kindness.

“You really didn’t have to go this far. It’s just another ordinary day.”

“No, Amel. We should treasure every single day. Especially a day like today.”

“Honestly, Brother…”

Amelia deliberately acted gruff to hide her embarrassment, but Luke paid no attention and held out a small box.

“Here. A present.”

“A present?”

Amelia accepted it without a word.

When she lifted the lid, a white fountain pen appeared. Its solid body trimmed with gold was unmistakably a superior item.

“I prepared it because it looks like you’ll be writing a lot from now on. Is the design a bit plain?”

Amelia gently stroked the barrel and shook her head.

“Not at all. I needed one, so it’s perfect.”

What mattered to Amelia right now was not the object itself. Only who had given it, and with what feelings. Looking at Luke, she added playfully.

“Did you pick it out yourself? The design looks rather plain, I must say.”

“…Sorry my taste is lacking. I chose what I thought was nice.”

“Hehe, still, it has a dignified charm. I’ll use it well. Thank you.”

Amelia hugged the case to her chest as if it were a priceless treasure. Seeing her like that, Luke smiled, seemingly relieved. It was then that blue letters seeped into Amelia’s field of vision.

‘…It appeared again.’

A mood-ruining intruder. Amelia followed the letters with indifferent eyes. Then her gaze sharpened at one line.

‘Favorability 98?’

Oh, Brother likes me that much?

I didn’t misread it, did I?

For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an instant Amelia’s chest swelled until it felt like it would burst. The status window that had been nothing but a nuisance moments ago now looked almost admirable. But—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

‘Connection 1?’

One point out of a hundred. What was this?

The number so blatantly revealing a lack made Amelia’s eyebrows twitch. It was a figure she could not possibly ignore. Mulling over the message, she comforted herself.

‘…The lower the better, surely.’

Escaping reality was sometimes good for one’s mental health. The wise Amelia pushed aside the ominous feeling and decided to immerse herself in the sweet present for now.

“Amel, shall we eat the cake?”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

Amelia looked up at the brother she cherished more than anyone else in the world and smiled with pure happiness. The long-awaited life together with Luke at the detached villa. Somehow, she had a feeling that wonderful things would happen this year.

The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming—it’s a perfect day to dream of love! Let’s attend the entrance ceremony brimming with excitement!

‘This thing isn’t disappearing…’

The troublesome status window kept appearing after that.

While washing her face, during meals, even while attending the entrance ceremony—it disturbed Amelia’s peace no matter the time or place. Any ordinary young lady would have already burst into tears and run straight to the church.

But Amelia possessed a cool-headed and realistic personality. Once she realized the status window was a mirror reflecting truth rather than illusion, she began to seriously ponder its usefulness.

‘Maybe it can even teach me how to win Brother’s heart?’

With her strong initiative, she began conducting her own experiments.

She recorded how the numbers changed according to actions—conversations, gifts, even trivial complaints—and eventually grasped the rough rules.

First—Favorability.

This seemed to represent the basic affection Luke felt toward her. Most words and actions barely affected it, and the value never dropped below 95, as if it were fixed in place.

The trust they had built over more than ten years was now quantified. Thanks to that, Amelia could once again feel just how much Luke cherished her.

Second—the problematic Connection.

This was the chief culprit making Amelia uncomfortable. Unlike favorability, connection hardly moved at all. Even carefully prepared favors and kindness met with silence.

Instead, it only reacted sparingly when she performed actions that skirted the line between siblings—linking arms, biting a finger, that sort of thing. For example, just like this morning—

“Brother, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Thank you, Amel.”

The moment she handed him coffee filled with ‘affection’ and Luke took a sip without the slightest suspicion—

Even if the other party remained unaware, it seemed the connection would rise if the act carried a nuance close to that of lovers. With a proud expression like a student who had solved the problem correctly, Amelia asked Luke.

“How does it taste?”

“Hm? It’s delicious.”

“Hehe, is it really?”

Her pure white lips curved into a graceful arc. Guilt and ecstasy tangled together, stirring deep inside her chest. The number on the screen remained cold, yet Amelia’s conviction only grew stronger.

“Then I’ll make it for you again next time.”

It might not be an honorable method. But there was definitely a way to become closer to Luke. If so, the path Amelia should take was simple and clear.

“Time has already flown by. Let’s head out, Amel.”

“Okay.”

As Luke stepped through the door, Amelia unhesitatingly wrapped her arms around his and clung to him. Luke glanced at her with startled eyes.

“Amel, that’s a little close…”

“Why? This much is fine, isn’t it?”

The greedy Amelia intended to dye Luke entirely as her own. Like a cat marking its owner with its scent, like ink soaking into white paper—slowly, yet impossible to erase.

‘This is what makes life worth living.’

For that reason, Amelia poured constant effort into her goal every single day. While pretending to be a saint as usual, she hovered by Luke’s side. If there was even the slightest chance the system would react, she never let it slip by.

“Brother, you have something on your mouth.”

“Ah, thank you, Amel…”

“Brother, does this dress suit me?”

“…Isn’t it a little too revealing?”

“Ah, I left my umbrella behind today…”

“Really? Then shall we share mine?”

.

.

.

Just how many little comedies had she staged?

Time flowed on and the seasons changed. The end of winter drew near. Her already long hair now cascaded well past her waist. Amelia looked at the status window and let out a low groan.

‘Isn’t this too slow?’

The journey to raise connection involved far more trial and error than expected. It was because Luke was so stubbornly upright. After nearly a year of effort, only raising it by twelve points was completely outside her calculations.

‘Brother really is rather rigid…’

Even as she grumbled, Amelia did not lose hope.

At any rate, connection was on the rise, and lately—perhaps it was only her imagination—she had begun to feel that Luke was becoming conscious of her.

So there was no need to rush. She simply had to close ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the distance naturally. As long as she didn’t give up. Amelia comforted herself while dreaming of a future with Luke.

But that was, in the end, a miscalculation.

“Amel, it might be a little early, but I wanted to introduce her to you first.”

A few days before the academy graduation ceremony, Luke called Amelia aside and confessed with a truly serious expression.

“This is the person who will become my fiancée.”

“……”

Beside Luke stood a lovely woman.

Witnessing the scene, Amelia vaguely realized something. That the time given to her was finite. That the world of the women’s romance simulation game Witches’ Sabbath was not so easily conquered.