Villain: Your Heroines Were Delicious - Chapter 231 - 19

Chapter 231: Chapter 19

*Ring…*

A sharp, intrusive electronic trill sliced through the heavy silence of the bedroom as Seijirou’s eyes snapped open, though his body remained heavy with the remnants of a deep, restorative sleep.

He didn’t move at first, letting the sound echo against the walls while he was lying naked atop the silk sheets, the cool morning air dancing over his skin.

Beside him, draped in a light duvet that did little to hide her porcelain curves, was Rindou.

She was equally naked and still deeply asleep, her breathing a rhythmic, peaceful huff against his shoulder.

*Ring! Ring! Ring!*

He groaned, the sound vibrating in his chest. ’Who the fuck? It’s Saturday morning for fuck’s sake.’

He reached out blindly, his hand fumbling across the mahogany nightstand until his fingers closed around the cold glass of his smartphone.

He pulled it into view, squinting against the harsh brightness of the screen, but the moment he saw the Caller ID, his eyes widened, and every lingering trace of sleepiness vanished as if doused in ice water.

He immediately swiped to answer, sitting up straight. “Mom? Good morning. Do you need something?”

The voice on the other end was clipped, efficient, and carried the weight of a natural-born leader. “Seijirou. I have an appointment with Fujiwara Touka later today. However, she informed me that she might be late since she has to attend a specialized lesson at the Learning Center. I have a busy schedule and I do not tolerate tardiness, even from her. Go and pick her up after she’s done. Ensure she arrives at the estate by noon sharp.”

With that, the call ended. No “goodbye,” no “I love you,” just the absolute finality of a directive.

“… honestly.”

Seijirou stared at the darkened phone screen for a long moment, bewildered.

He knew Touka was diligent, but for her to prioritize a learning center session over a direct summons from the Kageyama Matriarch was an insane thing to do.

Not even he, the one whom his mother love the most, doesn’t dare to be late whenever his mother summoned him.

He shook his head, sighing as he set the phone back on the nightstand.

“Your mother seems very strict,” a soft, melodic voice whispered from below him.

Seijirou looked down and noticed that Rindou had shifted; she was now lying across his lap, her long, black hair splayed across his thighs like a silken fan.

She was looking up at him with a soft, knowing smile, her eyes luminous in the early light.

Seijirou smiled wryly, his hand instinctively reaching down to stroke her hair. “She doesn’t ’seem’ strict, Rindou. She is strict. In her own words, time is the only currency that matters, and she hates people who waste it.”

“Well, I guess you’d have to leave soon, then,” Rindou said, a hint of playful disappointment touching her lips.

Seijirou nodded, his gaze lingering on her. “Yeah. If I’m late picking up Touka, I’ll be the one facing the lecture.”

Rindou didn’t let him move. Instead, she sat up with a fluid, feline grace, the duvet sliding down to her waist as she pressed her palms against his chest, gently pushing him back down onto the pillows.

Her smile widened, turning into something more intimate and predatory. “Then, let’s enjoy the remaining time we have before the world demands the King’s presence.”

Seijirou smiled, his hands reaching up to cup her face. Their faces closed to each other, the distance vanishing into the warmth of the morning.

*

*

*

At this moment, miles away in the sterile, high-pressure environment of the Learning Center, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to the warmth of Seijirou’s bedroom.

Fujiwara Touka sat at her usual seat in the third row while the professor was already deep into a complex lecture on quantum fluctuations, his voice a dry, rhythmic drone that usually commanded her absolute focus.

But for the first time in her academic life, her attention wasn’t on the chalkboard, but it was on the room itself.

The air felt thin, vibrating with a high-frequency hum that made her skin crawl.

As she scanned the classroom, a cold knot of dread tightened in her stomach. Right now, only about one-third of the class remained while the rest of the seats, seats that were always filled by the district’s most ambitious students—sat empty.

Then, her eyes landed on the girl at the very front, the one who sat perfectly still, her spine a rigid, unnatural line.

It was the same girl from the week before—the one who had offered to do her attendance.

At that exact moment, as if the girl possessed eyes in the back of her head, she slowly rotated her neck, the movement was jerky, accompanied by a faint, wet *click* of bone.

She turned nearly one hundred and eighty degrees to smile at Touka, her eyes were still squeezed shut into those terrifying, crescent-shaped slits, and the dark fluid from before had dried into a jagged, black stain on her cheek.

Touka immediately looked away, her heart hammering against her ribs with such force it felt like a trapped bird.

She felt a cold sweat break out across her forehead before she stared at the empty seat beside her—the one usually occupied by her friend Maki—and couldn’t help but curse her luck.

’Of all the times Maki chose not to attend, why now?!’ It wasn’t truly strange for Maki to skip, and in fact, it can even be said to be perfectly normal.

When Touka asked before, Maki would always say that she has to go meet a client.

Touka had already gotten used to this, but now, the timing felt like a death sentence!

For the first time in her life, Touka didn’t want to learn as she simply prayed for the lecture to end.

She wanted the sun to hit the floor at a different angle.

She wanted to scream!

And just like that, while she sat in a state of paralyzed terror, two hours crawled by.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the session, the sound wasn’t a relief, but that of a harsh, metallic tolling that seemed to vibrate through the floorboards.

Touka began packing her things with frantic, trembling hands, her only goal being the exit.

But as she stood, she noticed a horrifying sight. The remaining students weren’t rushing for the door, instead, they were gathering around the girl in the front row.

They moved with a slow, hypnotic rhythm, their faces blank, their voices a synchronized, low-frequency murmur as they begged her to sign the logbook for them.

Touka didn’t try to linger and she slung her bag over her shoulder and practically bolted for the hallway.

As she stepped out into the corridor, she saw their professor walking away toward the faculty wing, his leather satchel swinging at his side.

“Professor!” Touka called out, her voice cracking with desperation.

The professor paused and turned around before he offered her a tired, scholarly smile. “Yes? Is there something you didn’t understand about the fluctuations, Miss Fujiwara? You looked a bit distracted today.”

Touka shook her head, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “Professor… why is almost everyone absent today? Did the office receive notice? Is there a flu going around?”

She doesn’t believe that the professor doesn’t know about the attendance thing, but if he didn’t say anything, then it should be that the students had a valid excuse or something

But, contrary to her beliefs, the professor looked genuinely confused, his brow furrowing as he adjusted his glasses. “Hm? Miss Fujiwara, I think you are confused. Perhaps you’re tired? Every single student was present in the classroom today, with the exception of Miss Hiratsuka. It was a full house, as always.”

“Wha—?” Touka’s eyes widened before. “But… the seats… they were empty…”

“Nonsense,” the professor chuckled dryly. “If that is all, then I’ll be taking my leave. I have a long commute. Good day, Miss Fujiwara.”

With that, the professor turned and walked away, his footsteps sounding oddly muffled on the linoleum.

Touka tried to reach out her hands, but didn’t have the courage to move, so she can only wither it.

However, at that very moment, a dark, eerie presence materialized behind her, so close she could feel a cold, damp breath against the nape of her neck.

It smelled like wet earth and old, copper-scented blood, but Touka didn’t even dare turn around as she stood frozen, her shadow stretching long and jagged toward the exit.

“Fujiwara-san…” the voice hissed. it was the girl from the front row, but now, the sound of her voice was like dry leaves skipping across a gravestone. “Have you decided to let me do your attendance next week? Everyone else already did, you know. They’ve all given me their names. They’re so much happier now.”

Touka began to tremble, her knees knocking together. “T-That… I… I don’t have any money to pay you today. I forgot my wallet.”

“It’s alright,” the presence whispered, and Touka felt a long, impossibly thin finger trail down her spine. “For the first time, I won’t even charge you. We’re friends, after all. And friends should help each other avoid… complications.”

“S-Sorry,” Touka sobbed, her vision blurring with tears. “I… I like attending the lectures. I want to be here.”

“Come on, don’t be shy,” the voice crooned, moving closer until the girl’s head was resting on Touka’s shoulder.

Touka could see the girl’s reflection in the trophy case glass across the hall—or rather, the lack of one.

There was only a shimmering, dark void where the girl should be. “I can do your attendance for you. I can take away all your stress. All your worries about Aunt Hakari.”

The finger reached around, the jagged, black nail grazing Touka’s chin, forcing her to look at the glass.

“I can even… become you. I can go to our family cafe. I can kiss your Seijirou-kun. I can live your life better than you ever could. Just give me your name, Touka… give it to me, and you can sleep in the dark forever.”.

The girl’s jaw began to distend, the skin of her neck tearing with a sickening *rip* as her mouth opened wide—wider than any human face should allow—revealing a throat that was just an endless, black pit of screaming shadows.

“Fujiwara Touka… sign the book… sign it with your blood…”