Fated to Be Loved by Villains

The atmosphere was heavy.

That was how it felt to Eleanor.

It was an apt description of the standoff between the boy, the man, and the girl who got caught in the middle.

The man frantically scanned his surroundings. Calling for backup was a far safer bet than facing the monster who single-handedly carved his way here.

And he wasn’t wrong. Though the boy had eliminated many of his peers along the way, there were still plenty of them left.

Time wasn’t in the boy’s, Dowd’s favor.

But, as Eleanor knew, this guy excelled in situations like this.

“—”

Redirecting one’s gaze was an old trick, but it was effective enough to fool anyone if used correctly.

The boy’s gaze shifted slightly. As looking away at a time like this was a strange move to make, it naturally drew the man’s attention in the same direction.

In that instant, Dowd fired the pistol in his hand with lightning speed.

One shot to the shoulder. Another to the leg.

Though it wasn’t enough to give the man a fatal injury, it was enough to render him unsteady on his feet.

The man screamed and collapsed, dropping the girl he had been holding. Dowd dashed forward and caught her in his arms.

“—Phew.”

The boy let out a sigh of relief as he checked the girl for injuries.

She was unharmed, his reckless charge had paid off.

Eleanor chuckled as she observed this scene.

Seriously…

This was a familiar sight to Eleanor.

Fraud. Deception. Trickery.

These had always been Dowd’s favorite methods to overcome crises—tools he’d seemingly possessed since long before he became the man he was today.

In any case, the protagonist managed to save the heroine, and the story was on its way to a happy ending.

At least, that was how it should have gone.

But mistakes always happened when you least expected them.

“—YOU LITTLE FUCK—!”

The man, who had collapsed after being shot, roared furiously as he pulled out a ‘second’ firearm from his coat.

This left the boy completely blindsided, as he thought he had subdued the man enough by disarming him.

His eyes widened.

The man was ‘subdued’, not ‘dead’. There was no telling what desperate move he might pull.

A mistake unimaginable for the meticulous man Eleanor knew.

—No

When she gave more thought into it, it was only natural.

No one was perfect from the start. Even if the boy had learned so much, he still couldn’t do everything flawlessly.

It was just, the boy lived in an environment where the tiniest mistakes could bring forth the most merciless consequences.

The man raised his gun and aimed at the boy, and a moment after, the sound of gunpowder exploding echoed through the space.

But what followed wasn’t the boy’s blood splattering.

“—?”

An incomprehensible image flashed through the boy’s memories.

Gunshot.

Bloodstains.

A snow-white dress stained bright red.

“—”

His body reacted before his mind could process it.

He fired his pistol again, and this time, a hole blew through the man’s head. Still unable to register anything else, he caught the girl’s collapsing body.

“Why… why did you—”

He wanted to ask, why would she do such a thing. But before he could finish, the girl interrupted him, gasping between her words.

“Ah, this?”

Although her face was contorted with pain that she had never experienced before, she still managed to let out a smile.

“I figured… I needed to do at least this much to find some courage.”

“What the hell are you—”

“I have one thing to confess… No, maybe two?”

Despite her nonsensical words, the boy frantically examined her body.

“—”

His face instantly turned pale.

The shot had hit her in a fatal area. There was no hope of recovering from this.

And it was his own mistake that caused all this—

“Don’t blame yourself.”

Before he could finish the thought, the girl flicked his forehead.

“I didn’t get shot because of your mistake, okay?”

“—Stop talking.”

It was a flimsy excuse, but the boy, on the verge of tears, could only manage to let out that reply.

“—It… It’s not going to stop anyway. You can stop with that weird…pressure thing.”

“I SAID STOP TALKING!”

He pressed on the wound.

But, the bleeding still wouldn’t stop. And the more her blood gushed out, the paler her face became.

The boy’s mind was drowned in an indescribable agony.

And at that moment…

The girl’s calm voice reached him.

“They said… I don’t have many days left to live.”

“—What?”

“They said it wouldn’t be strange if I’d drop dead any day.”

The boy stared at her, momentarily forgetting the situation. She smiled faintly and continued.

“So whether I die now from this, or a bit later from…my illness…it doesn’t really matter, does it? You can stop.”

“—”

“Well, now that things are like this, I can finally say it. I don’t know if I could have said it before I died, but…facing death really gives you courage, hehe.”

The girl coughed before continuing.

“Hey.”

With a sly smile, she pulled his head down.

Their foreheads touched.

“Go out with me.”

The boy’s face contorted horribly.

It looked like he was crying, or maybe laughing.

“What the hell are you saying—”

“It’s my lifelong wish.”

“Fine, fine, whatever you want—”

“So, we’re dating now? Starting today, we’re a couple, right?”

“Yes, sure, so just stop—!”

“Alright, let’s break up then.”

Seeing the boy’s dumbfounded face, she giggled again.

“Save that part for when you meet someone you can truly love, okay?

“Also, you know…”

With a sigh, the girl wrapped her arms tightly around the boy.

“Before I die… I really wanted to try it. Dating…that is.”

Her voice was laced with a pained groan.

“But you know, I wondered if saying something like this would be a burden on you. If my first and only relationship would leave you with a tragic memory. I thought about dying without saying a word. But in the end, I couldn’t help myself.”

“—You.”

“I…want you to be happy. Even when I’m gone, please meet someone good, have children with her, build a family…”

The girl who gave a beast a human life continued speaking.

“Please…live like a human. That’s all I ask.”

“…”

“Bring…happiness to those around…you.”

Ordinary.

Just a simple, ordinary life.

“—”

Cherish what she had given him.

The girl’s breathing slowed and the light in her eyes faded.

And then…

A terrifying silence descended.

“…”

Time passed.

And passed.

The boy’s mouth opened.

“—”

But no sound came out.

Then the pain came.

An agonizing, harrowing pain.

Just the act of breathing felt like he was swallowing fire through his lungs and throat. It felt like his chest was being wrung dry mid-exhale.

“—”

The memory became blurred.

Like static on a screen, the following scenes were jumbled together. It was clear that he wasn’t in his right mind back then.

But even in that state…

The ‘experience’ that was burned into his mind was something Eleanor could clearly feel.

—A cruelty born from a mistake.

Calculating every variable with almost paranoid meticulousness.

He obsessed over the safety of those around him because of the pain of loss.

And never letting anyone into the deepest part of himself, for fear of facing that pain again.

By shutting everyone out, he could ensure he’d never suffer this kind of agony again.

No one became the way they were without reason, and he was no exception.

This fragmented memory buried deep within his mind was the foundation for nearly all of Dowd Campbell’s behavior today.

The ‘core’ of who he was stemmed from this experience.

In other words…

This time…

The situation Dowd Campbell was in right now…

…Might be more dangerous than he realizes.

Could be far more serious than he thought.

She had seen everything she needed.

It was time to leave.

—But, wait a minute.

Eleanor suddenly pondered, resting her chin on her hand.

I swear I’ve seen that girl somewhere before…

The girl at the root of Dowd’s memories…

She had definitely seen that face before.

…Somewhere close to me—

With that lingering thought…

Eleanor’s consciousness was abruptly pulled back to the ‘outside’.

●

“—Huh?! W-Woah!”

As Eleanor suddenly bolted upright, Professor Astrid let out a startled cry.

It was a very natural reaction, given she had done that without any warning.

“W-What’s wrong?”

As Astrid stammered, Eleanor, now standing, quickly responded.

“I have a question for you, Professor.”

“…What is it?”

“This ability to see into someone’s ‘memories’, can Professor Mobius do it too?”

“…I don’t know for sure, but…”

Despite the sudden question, Astrid managed to let out a reply.

Perhaps because she could see the seriousness in Eleanor’s demeanor.

“He should be able to do it, to some degree… Like, he’s probably able to analyse the nature of someone’s trauma to some extent…?”

“Then, could you tell me where exactly Dowd and that man are currently facing each other?”

“W-Wait, what are you planning to do?”

At Astrid’s question, Eleanor let out a sigh before replying.

“I’m going to save my husband, of course.”

Her tone sounded like she was saying something obvious.

That was the clearest answer someone could ever /genesisforsaken