How to Redeem a Trashy Side Villain

Chapter 121: One Note

[Asano Ichiko]

"Young Miss, we're finally here!" one of my personal maids screamed as she leaped into the air and tried to hug me. I took a step to the side and could hear her rolling before coming up to her feet.

"How was the flight?" I asked the three in front.

"It was—"

"Long and tiring!" the shortest maid cut in. She was the one who had tried to wrap her arms around me earlier.

Joining her fellow partners, she had her hands on her hips and was trying her hardest to make me feel sad for her.

"No, it was a smooth flight," another corrected. "Young Miss got us the best flight and seats out there. Don't diminish her efforts."

"It was okay. I can't really say much since I slept through most of it," a third said.

After a pause, the last one added, "Good."

Standing before me were the four personal maids who had been attached to my shadows since childhood. They were not just my maids but they were my bodyguards and when necessary, the weapons I would send out to kill people.

They had some business I needed them to take care of in my homeland, so it wasn't until they were finished that I permitted them to follow me to Valdonia.

All of them were children of the Asano side family.

First was Hana, the one who tried to hug me.

She barely reached my shoulder, standing at around 152 cm. Her build was petite, but her muscles were compact and she could sprint up a mountain multiple times without losing breath.

The kimono she was wearing was shortened and tightly fitted with the sleeves cropped above the elbow and split at the side for better movement. The kimono was a deep charcoal grey color and was patterned with these angular red lines that looked more like claw marks than flowers.

She had black hair that was cut short and uneven on purpose. Her grin was always too wide and would sometimes get on my nerves.

She was a tomboy to the core, from her loudness, her impulsive behavior, but she was loyal to the point of recklessness, so I rarely punished her.

Strapped diagonally across her back was her weapon of choice: a collapsed naginata, its segmented shaft hidden beneath cloth wrappings. When extended, it was longer than she was tall.

"Ignore those three," Hana said. "Flight was long and tiring and boring."

"Boring?" Wasn't that the case of every flight?

"Yeah! There was no turbulence. No hijackers to beat up. Zero excitement," she shook her head as if disappointed that everything went well.

I ignored her. Standing next to her was Miyu.

She was tall. About 170 cm and she was also slender. The way she carried herself made it seem like she was floating rather than standing.

Her kimono was pale lavender, layered and flowing, with long sleeves that almost brushed against the floor; silver moons decorated the fabric.

She had long ash-brown hair that was tied loosely behind her back with a silk ribbon.

She had this giant war fan that was folded neatly and kept inside her long sleeves. The ribs of the fan were made of reinforced steel and the edges were sharp enough to cut through flesh and bones.

I had ordered and seen her disable armed men without spilling a single drop of blood on numerous occasions.

"Ignore her. She's just an idiot," Miyu said as she glared at Hana with murderous eyes.

Beside Miyu was Kaede who stood as straight as a spear at 165 cm. She had a flawless posture similar to mine, and her expression was unreadable. Her kimono was a dark forest green with gold embroidery.

She had purple hair that was pulled into a tight bun without a single strand out of place, with bangs that decorated her forehead.

At her waist was a pair of short swords, their handles wrapped in white cloth.

"Would you like me to teach her a lesson?" she asked me.

Hana glared at her but once I shook my head, she rushed up to me and hugged my arm. "I knew it! You still love me the most!"

Pressing my hand on her forehead, I pried her off.

And finally, Yukari. Last but not least.

Wearing a deep midnight blue kimono that was almost black, the fabric had these star-like patterns scattered across it. She stood around 160 cm with long hair that was grey in color. She had a delicate and fragile-looking face but her eyes were cold and distant.

Although her weapon wasn't visible, I knew better. Hidden beneath the sleeves and sash were these throwing needles as well as thread-thin wires that she would use to separate people's heads from their bodies.

Looking at the four of them, I said as I turned toward the city beyond the terminal, "Try not to draw too much attention."

Which was an impossible task to complete just based on what they were wearing.

Hana grinned, "Young Miss, your face alone draws the attention of everyone in the room. Aren't you asking us to do the impossible?"

Although I didn't turn around to see, I could tell that the other three were nodding in agreement.

"Now that you four are here," I ignored them, "we have some business to take care of."

"Already?" Hana groaned.

"Do you not want to help out?" I asked. "It's okay if you don't. You can rest while the other three do their job."

Hana went quiet for a bit before nervously responding, "Hahaha. I was just joking."

She was quick to understand that I was being sarcastic.

"What's the issue we need to take care of?" Miyu asked.

As the four of us got into the car waiting for us, I explained, "There are rumors about an artifact being sold on the black market at an upcoming auction. I need you four to acquire it. If you can't outbid them, steal it. Worst case scenario…"

I didn't need to finish my sentence for them to understand.

Why was I seeking an artifact?

It was because I felt weak. Forget losing the competition to Diana that left me stranded from having lunch with him for two weeks. When I saw how Bell put his body on the line to defeat the demon, it made me feel powerless.

I want to help him. I want to ensure that from now on, I will never have to sit by his side at the hospital ever again.

That meant I needed to get stronger.

Although I was tempted to gift this artifact to Bell once I acquired it, for the greater good, I wanted to be the one to tame the artifact.

"When's the auction?" Kaede asked.

"In a few hours."

❖ ❖ ❖

[Bell]

The next week of school arrived in the blink of an eye. The weekend was quite a busy time for me. Quentin had me training at his dojo, putting in overtime so that I could complete his five-step regimen as fast as possible.

My first impression of the students when I saw them was that the life in their eyes was gone.

It seems like two days of rest aren't enough for them to recover.

But in the grand scheme of things, they would be appreciative of this time in their life.

As I entered Ms. Morgan's class, I was wondering if the next plot from the novel would still be occurring. It was supposed to take place the previous week but because of how the schedule was restructured, I had no idea if it was too far gone from the original to still occur.

"Hey," I heard a voice speak to me.

I turned my head and saw Grace Hartley.

"Could you come with me for a second? I have something to discuss with you."

Ichiko glared at her, but after I gestured for her to take a seat, I followed Grace.

It seems that this event is a canon one. And just as I expected, she approached me rather than Arthurr.

Oddly enough, the relationship between Arthurr and the three harem members who sat next to him wasn't as close as it was supposed to be by this point. If anything, he was closer to me than he was with them.

Following Grace out into the hallway, the door closed shut behind us and the conversations occurring inside the classroom became this low hum.

We kept walking until we were in this area near one of the tall windows that overlooked the courtyard.

She didn't speak right away and instead, she just stared outside while looking nervous about what she was about to bring up.

She finally said after taking a deep breath, "...Sorry about calling you out here. This shouldn't take too long." Her voice was steady, but it felt practiced as if she had repeated what she was about to say over and over in front of a mirror.

Leaning against the wall, I muttered, "Alright."

Turning to face me, she created a mana bubble which got the attention of students nearby, but because it wasn't an uncommon thing, they left us alone — for the most part.

I was still a celebrity that just naturally garnered attention.

Up closer, I could see that her shoulders were tense as if she was bracing herself for a rejection of her offer before she had even asked it.

"Do you know of House Hartley?" she asked.

Pretending to be oblivious, I asked, "The Earl family?"

Grace nodded. She paused for a second as she thought about what she was going to say next.

I spoke first, "Are you perhaps…"

She nodded again, this time much faster. I made a confused face.

"You probably thought that I just happened to share a last name," she chuckled. "But no. I'm a member of their family, a direct descendant of the main bloodline. Well… a former member."

"You were removed?"

"...Yeah." She went silent for a few seconds before continuing, "There's a family event coming up. A competition. It's open only to those of Hartley blood under the age of twenty, and they are allowed to bring one non-Hartley partner who is also under twenty years old."

Both of my eyebrows had leaped out of my face.

"You're planning on participating?"

"Yes. The winner of the competition gets a reward. A wish."

"A wish?"

"One wish," she answered. "It can be anything and it will be granted directly by the family head. My grandfather."

"...Why are you telling me this? And… why do you care about the wish?"

Her lips opened to speak but they pressed together a second later. For a split second, the practiced composed nature cracked, and something raw had slipped through her mask.

"You're the first one whom I've told about being a former member of House Hartley," she said quietly. "This event… it will be the first time I'm even allowed to set foot near them again. And I need your help to win. I want that wish."

"Are you… planning on asking to be brought back into the family?"

She shook her head immediately. "No. I don't want to go back. I don't care for any of them."

"Then what?"

Hesitating for a second, she then spoke faster as if she was afraid that her nerves would cause her to fail to explain, "Although I don't want to go back, it's not the same case for my mother."

I purposely paused and gave a shocked expression.

"My mother is still obsessed with my father," Grace said, bitterness spewing from her mouth. "She's still in love with him even after he agreed to the decision of exiling the two of us, as if we meant nothing. He chose his own reputation over his own daughter and wife."

Her fingers curled into her sleeves.

"She believes, stupidly… that if I'm acknowledged again, if I return to the family and bring her with me, everything will go back to the way it was. That he'll look at her the same way again. That he'll treat me like a daughter once more."

Staying silent, I allowed her to continue to talk without interruption.

"I don't care about him," Grace said. "I don't want his approval or his stupid love. I don't even want to be a Hartley anymore." She looked up at me with sharp eyes that had this very thin layer of liquid coating them. "But… my mother does. And this is the only way I can get her to realize that she's been holding onto false hope. When she sees that father is still garbage… hopefully she can move on."

The hallway was starting to empty because class was going to start soon.

If we didn't hurry up, we would get in trouble with Ms. Morgan, who absolutely hated tardiness.

"So…" I said slowly, "that's why you need my help."

"Yes."

"You want to guarantee your chances at victory."

She nodded. "Yes. You're the strongest person I know under the age of twenty." Her gaze into my eyes didn't waver. "Someone I can trust not to throw the match away because of the influence of my family members. After all, you are an Agnus and have everything already."

The last sentence wasn't uttered in the novel. Which made sense since the original partner was Arthurr who was the exact opposite of an Agnus.

"...What do you think? Are you… I don't have much to offer but… will you…"

That unwavering gaze was now shaking. She seemed nervous about my answer.

"...I'll need a payment."

Grace's face drooped. Did she misunderstand my character?

"One Zera note."

She looked like someone had just blasted her face with a strong breeze. "...Is that all?" she slowly uttered.

"Yeah."

After a second, she chuckled and nodded. "Okay. I'll pay you."