Villain: Your Heroines Were Delicious - Chapter 184 - 49

Chapter 184: Chapter 49

The morning sun filtered through the urban canopy, casting long, sharp-edged shadows across the pavement.

It was the first day of the final exams—a day usually thick with the scent of coffee and the quiet desperation of students cramming last-minute formulas.

Seijirou walked along the familiar route to Shunji Highschool, his footsteps echoing with a solitary rhythm.

Haruka and Erina had already departed earlier, driven by Haruka’s relentless internal clock, which demanded arrival precisely thirty minutes before the first bell.

Suzune had also texted him a string of apologetic emojis, explaining that her mother had practically barricaded her in the car to ensure she arrived early in class so that she can still a last minute review session.

It was a rare, almost unsettling sensation for Seijirou to be walking alone.

After all, ever since the first time he arrived into this world, his life had become a whirlwind of constant companionship.

He had grown so accustomed to the loud arguments of Renji and Sakai, the high-energy banter of Rei and Erina, the clinging of Suzune, and the playful commentary of Yukina and Emi that the silence of the street felt like an incomplete circuit.

His day felt structurally unsound without the presence of his “circle” around him, which, though peaceful, is something he finds rather boring.

“Haaa, better hurry up.”

Just as he was navigating a quiet stretch of the residential district, his senses, sharpened by years of discipline and the undercurrents of Ki, flared up.

He felt the distinct vibration of someone sprinting toward him from behind, and without a second’s hesitation or the need to look back, Seijirou shifted his weight and stepped fluidly to the side.

And instantly, a figure stumbled past him, unable to compensate for the sudden lack of a target, and fell toward the ground, catching themselves clumsily on their hands and knees.

Seijirou’s brows furrowed, his expression remaining cold and detached as he made no move to help the person up.

In his mind, a sudden approach from behind was rarely a sign of goodwill, especially if it’s someone you don’t know.

He remained cautious, his muscles coiled, wondering if the stranger was concealing a knife, a gun, or a supernatural artifact.

Just then, the person scrambled to their feet, brushing off their clothes, and Seijirou’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

Standing before him was a woman who possessed long, silken purple hair, a deep, intelligent eyes, and a face that was a near-identical match to Erina’s.

But unlike Erina, she radiated a mature, polished elegance that even a stumble couldn’t diminish.

Is she her mother? Seijirou wondered, his mind immediately cataloging the resemblance.

“Apologies, young man,” the woman said, her voice smooth and composed, betraying no embarrassment from her fall. “I was in quite a hurry and lost my footing. My name is Kurosaki Akane. Might I be so bold as to ask if this is the correct direction to Shunji Highschool?”

Kurosaki… Seijirou stared at her, his gaze piercing. If this was truly Erina’s mother, the wife of a man who had obsessively tracked Erina’s movements at that very school, there was no logical reason for her to be lost.

She should know the location of Shunji Highschool better than most people, after all, her daughter goes there.

Even if she doesn’t go out, she should at least know the direction.

So…why is she asking me? And why did she ’accidentally’ run toward me?

“You’ve got it wrong,” Seijirou replied, his voice flat as he pointed a finger in the exact opposite direction of the school. “It’s that way. About a ten-minute walk.”

It lasted for only a micro-second, a flicker that most would have missed, but Seijirou saw it: Akane’s left eyelid twitched.

It was a tell—a momentary lapse in her perfect mask.

So, she really does know where it is, Seijirou confirmed mentally. So why did she have to ask me? Is she testing me, or… Is she looking for me, and simply wanted an excuse to talk?

“I see,” Akane said, offering a gracious smile that didn’t reach her calculating eyes. “It seems the person I asked previously pointed me in the wrong direction entirely. Thank you, young man. You’ve been most helpful.”

With a polite nod, Akane turned and began walking in the false direction Seijirou had pointed out.

She moved with a practiced grace, likely realizing that he was already suspicious and trying to “correct” him or push the conversation further would only make her look even more suspicious than she already is, so she chose to play along with the lie to maintain the illusion of a lost traveler.

Seijirou watched her until she rounded a corner, his frown deepening before he turned back toward the school, increasing his pace.

He needed to find Erina.

He has a lot of things he needed to ask her.

*

*

*

Akane stopped once she was well out of Seijirou’s line of sight before she leaned against a brick wall, crossing her arms over her chest as she slipped into deep thought.

The mask of the “lost lady” vanished, replaced by the sharp, cold look of a master strategist.

’That Kageyama heir… he’s incredibly suspicious,’ she mused, her fingers tapping against her arm. ’I thought he would have let his guard down considering I’m an ’unarmed’ woman in distress, but I guess not. On that aspect, he’s more observant than Kirei. Truly worthy of being an heir of that family.’

She sighed, though there was no real frustration in it—only the thrill of a new challenge. ’Well, that particular approach should be scrapped. It’s too blunt for someone of his caliber. But, no matter. It’s time for Plan B.’

At that moment, the ring on her finger, a family heirloom she had managed to keep hidden, glowed with a faint, golden light.

And with that, a mocking, cold smile spread across her face as she looked up at the pale morning sky.

“Kirei… you truly are a fool,” she whispered. “You think that third-rate artifact given to you by that ’Mister’ you rely on could actually control someone like me? How pathetic. If I wasn’t so wary of the power lurking behind that obese monster, do you think you would have ever had the chance to capture me? How ridiculous.”

Kurosaki Akane, she was not a woman to be underestimated.

She was a fiercely intelligent and ruthlessly ambitious soul who viewed the world as a grand chessboard.

Long ago, she had been a miko of a small, rundown shrine in the countryside, but she had never been content with a life of insignificant service.

Using her intellect and a series of meticulously planned social maneuvers, she had schemed against the young, gullible Kirei, making him fall so hopelessly in love that he married her into the family, allowing her to leap up the social ladder in a single night.

And using her skills and intelligence, she had managed to resist the combined attack of those old lineages, giving the Kurosaki family some room to breath.

Unfortunately, with Kirei’s own greed and ego, she will never have the chance to hold real influence for herself.

He wanted all the power for himself, refusing to let his wife exercise any official influence, fearing her superior mind.

But unsatisfied with being in the sidelines, Akane had been forced to work from the shadows, gathering her own sphere of influence and winning over key family members in the hopes that she could one day orchestrate a bloodless coup and take over the Kurosaki empire herself.

She succeeded, and her plan had been mere weeks from completion when this so-called “Mister” appeared and ruined everything.

His supernatural interference had stripped her of her leverage and landed her in an iron cage.

She could’ve eacaped on her own, but she feared the power behind that mister, so she chose to remain silent.

She had thought that there would no longer be a chance for her to rise ul, but she hadn’t expected Kirei to be stupid enough to use the “Mister’s” earring on her.

The magical item was supposed to enslave the will, but for someone with Akane’s mental fortitude and supernatural background, it had merely provided a backdoor to the outside world.

Now that she was out, she could breathe again, and most importantly, she could plot once more.

And her first step toward rebuilding her power was the same one Kirei had failed at: securing the Kageyama Heir.

“Heh,” she chuckled, her voice like velvet. “If my daughter is too timid to do what is necessary, then I will handle it myself. I managed to make a man like Kirei my slave with nothing but my wits. What is one high school boy compared to that?”

She began to walk back toward the school, her eyes glittering with a dark, maternal ambition.

If, and even if she failed, she can just work together with her own daughter.

’After all,’ she thought, her smile widening into something truly predatory, ’is there any high school boy in existence who can truly resist the allure of an ’Oyakodon’ arrangement?’