Villain: Your Heroines Were Delicious - Chapter 233 - 21

Chapter 233: Chapter 21

It was only a few minutes later that Seijirou’s motorcycle roared through the quiet street near the Learning Center.

The bike skidded to a smooth halt near the curb, right in front of the bench where Touka was sitting.

Her head was lowered, her long hair shielding her face like a curtain, and her shoulders were trembling with a rhythmic, silent vibration.

Seijirou pulled off his helmet as he walked toward her, his heavy boots clicking on the pavement. “Touka, I’m here. Sorry, did I make you w—”

Seijirou didn’t even get to finish his words.

The moment Touka heard his voice—the one anchor she had in a world that had just tried to erase her—she suddenly looked up.

Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, her face pale with the lingering shock of the uncanny.

Without a word, she lunged toward him, her movements frantic as she threw her arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest, and began to sob.

It wasn’t just a quiet cry; it was a soul-shaking release of terror, her hands clenching his shirt as if she were afraid he would dissolve into ashes just like that Youkai.

Seijirou was confused at first, his hands hovering in the air, but his face immediately turned deadly serious.

And at that moment, his instincts roared as he felt the residual chill of the supernatural clinging to her skin.

He hugged her back, pulling her close and shielding her with his body.

“It’s alright, I’m here. I’ve got you,” he whispered, his voice deep and grounding. “Touka, look at me. Can you tell me what happened? Who made you cry? Tell me what happened, and I’ll handle the rest.”

Touka couldn’t answer at first. The words were trapped behind a wall of hitching breaths and fresh tears.

She just kept sobbing, her body shaking against his.

Seijirou didn’t rush her; he didn’t demand answers. He simply stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles, letting his own warmth seep through her clothes to combat the unnatural cold that had settled in her bones.

Finally, a few minutes later, the storm began to pass as she pulled back just a fraction, looking down at the damp patch on his chest. “S-Sorry, Seijirou-kun. I… I ruined your shirt.”

Seijirou shook his head, his thumb reaching out to gently wipe a tear from her cheek. “It’s just a shirt, Touka. It doesn’t matter. Now, take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Start from the beginning.”

Touka nodded, and in a broken, quiet voice, she began to explain the nightmare.

She told him about the encounter a week ago—the female classmate with the fixed smile and closed eyes who had offered to do her attendance.

She told him about how the “girl” had appeared again today, revealing itself as a phantom that didn’t just sub for people, but replaced their very existence.

“More than half the students… they’re gone, Seijirou-kun,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Erased. The professor didn’t even know that they are missing, thinking that the whole class was full, as if they haven’t disappeared. She was going to take my name, too. She said she was going to become me.”

She then told him about Maki’s intervention and the terrifying display of blue-fire beads that had reduced the monster to ash.

Seijirou furrowed his brows, his eyes darkening.

He had a strong feeling that a fragment of the Outer God was responsible for this—it had the same reality-warping “glitch” signature he had seen before.

But he pushed the thoughts of battle aside for now. He focused entirely on Touka.

She was still shaken, her hands trembling so much she had to clench them into fists. It would take time for her to feel safe again.

He took out his phone and messaged his mother, and although he knew that Hakari didn’t tolerate excuses, he needed to inform her.

[Touka had an emergency. We won’t be meeting you until later tonight. I’m taking care of it.]

Before Seijirou could even pocket his phone, his mother replied almost instantly.

It was as if she were holding the device, waiting for his move.

[Very well. There is a robotic exhibit at aXON Corp today. It is a secure location. Take her there to regain her composure. Once you are done, you two come to my penthouse. 7 PM sharp. Do not be late again.]

Seijirou simply sent an “ok” before pocketing the phone as he reached down and grabbed Touka’s hands, interlacing his fingers with hers. “Let’s go. I heard there’s a robot exhibit at aXON Corp today. Want to check it out?”

Touka’s eyes brightened for a fleeting moment, a spark of her natural passion for engineering flickering through the trauma.

If there was anyone Seijirou knew who was obsessed with high-spec technology, it was Touka.

But then, the fear returned. “Y-Your mother… she asked me to see her. W-We should go and meet her. W-We’re already late, Seijirou-kun. I don’t want her to hate me.”

Seijirou smiled, a warm, genuine expression that reached his eyes as he leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. “Don’t worry about her. I already told her we’ll meet her tonight. She’s the one who suggested the exhibit, actually. Now, no more talking about school or ghosts. Let’s go see some tech.”

With that, he pulled her toward his bike and handed her the spare helmet.

He helped her fasten the strap, his fingers lingering near her jaw for a second too long, before he climbed onto the seat and pulled her up behind him.

With that, he drove off.

*

*

*

The aXON Corp headquarters was a towering monolith of glass and chrome that seemed to pierce the very clouds of the 24th District.

Inside, the grand atrium had been transformed into a futurist’s dream.

Dozens of high-end, experimental robots were displayed on hovering pedestals—everything from sleek, bipedal assistants to complex, multi-limbed industrial drones.

Hundreds of people were milling about, the air filled with the hum of servos and the excited chatter of enthusiasts.

But for Seijirou and Touka, the crowd seemed to fade into a blur.

As they walked through the exhibits, Seijirou kept his hand firmly on the small of Touka’s back, guiding her through the throng.

Every time she saw a piece of hardware that interested her—a new neural-link processor or a hydraulic stabilizer—her eyes would light up, and she would begin to explain the mechanics in a soft, rapid-fire whisper.

Seijirou himself was smart, but he didn’t understand half of what she was saying, at all, after all, he never did delve deep into this stuff.

He watched the way the color was returning to her cheeks and how her smile was starting to lose its jagged edge of fear.

“Look at this one, Seijirou-kun!” she said, pulling him toward a sleek, silver unit that was demonstrating precision laser welding. “The articulation in the wrist joint is utilizing a new non-Newtonian fluid buffer. It’s… it’s incredible!”

She was so caught up in the display that she didn’t notice how close they were standing.

Seijirou turned toward her, his shadow falling over her. The blue light from the exhibit reflected in her eyes, making her look ethereal.

“You’re incredible, Touka,” he said softly, his voice cutting through the mechanical hum of the room.

Touka froze, her explanation dying in her throat. She looked up at him, her face flushing a deep, beautiful crimson. “I… I was just talking about the robot…”

“I wasn’t,” Seijirou replied. He reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

At that moment, the ambient noise of the aXON exhibit seemed to vanish, leaving them in a private pocket of silence.

Touka’s heart skipped a beat. The fear of the Learning Center, the coldness of the Youkai, and the pressure of the Kageyama family all seemed to melt away under his gaze.

She leaned into him, her head resting against his shoulder as they watched the robots move in their perfect, synchronized dance.

“Thank you for coming to find me, Seijirou-kun,” she whispered.

“Always,” he promised, his grip on her hand tightening.

With that, she smiled brightly and continued walking around to sight see.

And as they moved deeper into the “Evolution of AI” wing, Seijirou could feel the tension finally draining out of Touka’s fingers.

She was in her element now, her brilliant mind dissecting every circuit and actuator they passed.

“Seijirou-kun, look at the haptic sensors on that model!” Touka whispered, her eyes wide as she pointed toward a medical surgical unit. “The pressure sensitivity is rated at less than 0.01 Newtons. It could perform surgery on a grape without piercing the skin. It’s a masterpiece of engineering.”

Seijirou peered at the sleek, multi-armed machine, then looked back at her. “That’s it? I think Haruka is far more efficient..”

Touka let out a tiny, involuntary snort, her hand flying to her mouth. “That’s… that’s because she’s not human, she’s an android!”

“True, but I’m gonna snitch. I’ll tell her you like to talk bad about her behind her back.” Seijirou continued, his tone mock-serious as he led her toward a small, round companion bot that was chirping at passersby.

Touka giggled, the sound light and musical, a far cry from the sobbing girl he had found on the bench. “I’m also going to tell her that you agreed with me, so we can be accomplices.”

“That thing is just as round as Sakai,” he deadpanned, pointing at the round companion bot, “Speaking of which, Sakai’s been pretty depressed lately, from what I heard.”

Touka blinked, and nodded, “Yes, Renji-kun and the others made fun about him for it. He actually lost weight due to depression.”

Seijirou laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “Wait, seriously? What could be so serious that he’d be so depressed that he actually lose weight? Did he get rejected or something?”

Touka shook her head, “I heard that there’s a news that most of his favourite B-Tubers has been…’cracked’ by a scumbag.”

Seijirou paused, his widening in disbelief, “Seriously? He got depressed over that? Why? He doesn’t even know them, nor does he have any relationship with them. Why is he acting like his girlfriend cheated on him or something?”

Touka shrugged, “I don’t know. But apparently, it’s not just Sakai-kun, almost every male fans of those B-Tubers acted like that.”

“Damn.” Seijirou took a deep breath, feeling a shred of pity towards those people.

“Emi-chan said that because of that scandal, lots of B-Tubers suffered from the backlash, with many of them being threatened by fans, ordering them to not have any relationship.”

“Is B-Tubers that serious?! What the hell, threatening people over that?!”

Touka nodded at that, “Emi-chan was also threatened, but she just ignored them, even bragging about her…’experiences’.”

Seijirou raised an eyebrow, “Emi? Why was she threatened?”

Touka blinked, looking at Seijirou in confusion, “Huh? You don’t know? Emi-chan is a B-Tuber, and a popular one at that. She has like, 800 thousand followers, and is pretty famous for being one of the best gamers of today.”

“Oh. Wow, I didn’t know that.” Seijirou felt like he needed to get to know the girls even better, this is the first time he had heard this.

“Anyway, why don’t we continue looking around?” Seijirou offered, taking her hands.

Touka smiled brightly and interlocked their fingers.

They spent the next few hours lost in the world of steel and light, a brief, romantic reprieve before they had to face the daunting presence of Hakari in the penthouse above.

For now, the King and his engineer were simply two people, finding peace in the heart of the future.