Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 188 : An Object of Piecing Together and Reorganization

"...Exterminated? In just one night??"

Hearing such unbelievable information, Yvonne felt a buzzing in her head.

The Anubis tribe was a branch of the Pelo tribe living in the neutral dune region. Their population wasn't large, but it numbered in the thousands. According to information from traveling merchants, what happened there seemed to be a conflict with an outside tribe. Such incidents weren't uncommon among beast-people who valued strength, especially in such remote and barbaric regions.

"However... we can't say for certain now, there might still be survivors. Of course, although this might just add to your worries unnecessarily... I felt obligated to inform you of this matter."

Kukur told the two that knowing one's ancestral origins was very important for the Pelo tribe.

Wasn't it the same for humans?

"For that child to have the fortune of meeting you two is a blessing... If one day, when she grows up and decides to search for her homeland, I hope this information can guide her direction."

"...Thank you, Ms. Kukur."

This information was valuable, and Yvonne expressed sincere gratitude to Kukur.

"Oh my... it's nothing. Lady Yvonne has helped us a lot too. As a mother, I'm just doing what I should and want to do."

This Pelo tribe mother smiled contentedly.

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After a day of investigation and work, the ley line survey team had determined the general location of the ley lines. They could probably start work from tomorrow.

Just as she was organizing and summarizing documents in the temporarily set up tent, a small black furball suddenly pounced on her knee,

"Huff huff~~~~~"

The little one affectionately put her head on Yvonne's hand, rubbing with her fluffy chin. The Pelo tribe had glands near their cheeks that released their own scent. Doing this was out of affection, leaving their scent on the other person.

"Mama Yvonne..."

A soft voice gently called out to her,

"...When can we go home?"

Her tail swept uneasily on the ground, and Yvonne could only free a hand to pat her smooth ears.

In this state, could it be that she's homesick?

"We can go back after Mamas finish their work... probably in two or three days."

Ugh...

Hearing it would take so long, the little one disappointedly drooped her head,

"What's wrong? Are you tired from playing?"

"Mm~~"

Is she not adapting well to the new environment? Language shouldn't be a problem; these beast-people are naturally gifted with their own language, like having pre-selected passive skills when playing an online game.

If something happened...

Perhaps I shouldn't have brought her... Thinking of what she heard from Kukur during the day about unknown forces harming the Anubis tribe, anxious drumbeats struck in her heart, and Yvonne suddenly became very worried.

Elsa also made a similar nervous gesture.

"You weren't bullied by any bad kids, were you? Tell Mamas—we'll give those little rascals a good thrashing!!"

But the little one shook her head, so it seemed that wasn't the reason.

"Bebe... seems different from everyone else..."

Saying this, she touched her own ears, her gaze following and dropping.

"Black fur is still strange..."

The Pelo tribe in this settlement all had light-colored fur, making the contrast even more obvious.

In any evolution, black symbolizes inauspiciousness.

"That's not true!"

Elsa smiled and picked up the little one onto her lap, sitting on the ground facing her.

"You know—everyone born in this world is different. Look... Sister Maili who played with you today is brown, and Brother Senmu is gray."

When it came to comforting children, Elsa had more extensive experience.

Indeed, under her care, Bebe regained any

"Then... is Bebe the same as everyone? Can Bebe be friends with everyone?"

"Of course, doesn't everyone like you?"

"~~~~~"

The eyes that were previously downcast suddenly filled with joy and expectation.

"Oh right! I almost forgot, there's one more question~!"

"Hm?"

"That... everyone seems to have a 'father'... why doesn't Bebe have one?"

"............"

"............"

The two looked at each other.

This child... is she only asking this question now?

But it's understandable, it's been taken for granted all along, so we seem to have forgotten to tell her

Originally, we wanted to wait until she was a bit older to explain to her, but perhaps the best time to tell the truth is now.

Letting this child think that every family has two mothers as the norm in this world would be a big problem.

Since she asked, we should answer honestly.

Yvonne cleared her throat lightly,

"Bebe, ...there are many forms of love in this world."

"Forms of 'love'?"

The little one tilted her head in confusion, her eyes innocent and pure.

"Yes, the forms of 'love' are different."

However, it's somewhat difficult for her age to understand the abstract concept of 'love'.

But Yvonne didn't want to answer the child's confusion with a perfunctory "you'll understand when you grow up".

"For example... like this."

"Wow?~~"

Unable to think of how to explain 'love', she could only try to put it into action to make it tangible,

Yvonne stood up and hugged Elsa who was holding Bebe, thus embracing the little one in the middle.

"How does it feel?"

"Very, very happy..."

Although Mamas would hug her and each other normally, being hugged together like this, listening to both their heartbeats,

Sandwiched in the middle, the little one's ears twitched, and she closed her eyes comfortably,

"Being together, listening and feeling, making each other happy... this feeling is 'love'."

And love will create more love...

I wonder if she felt the 'love' I conveyed?

"Although the forms are different, this feeling is the same."

"I still don't quite understand... but I think I get it a little!"

She nodded with a little adult-like manner.

"Bebe heard that you need to 'get married' to have children... why haven't Mama Yvonne and Mama Elsa gotten married?"

Puff—

This point perfectly hit Yvonne's difficulty.

"When will Mamas get married—?"

Just as she was at a loss for words, not knowing how to answer this question, Elsa smiled and patted Bebe's head.

"Oh my... some things even adults haven't fully figured out yet."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

Her eyes rolled around, blinking as she looked up at them, then smiled brightly.

Perhaps because it was too warm being held by Yvonne and Elsa, the little one fell asleep not long after.

"Let's carry her to bed..."

After tucking the child in, Yvonne was suddenly hugged from behind again.

"What's wrong?"

"I was very happy just now too~ so this is my return gift."

Actually, Yvonne hadn't thought as far ahead as Elsa. Yvonne sometimes reflected on what she had been doing in the days before meeting her.

The time she had spent was not equal to Elsa's,

Having lived two lives, she didn't seem to have made much progress.

But even if she was clumsily crawling on the ground, she had to continue moving forward with a clear conscience.

"I'm sure I was born into this world to meet Evie."

"Did you feel my love?"

Explaining what 'love' is was almost like confessing in person.

"Don't say such mushy things... I'm getting goosebumps."

Yvonne pushed her back into the bedroom separated by a curtain.

"You should go to sleep too—you consumed the most energy today doing the 'magic survey'. If you don't rest early, your body won't be able to handle it."

She, who was skilled in magic, could do many more things than Yvonne, who was just a figurehead.

If she wasn't here, many plans couldn't be carried out.

She already relied on her a lot normally, and today she was even busier than usual, both busy with observations and helping in the village.

"But Evie's part..."

"I'll finish dealing with it, it's almost done, just a moment."

"Alright then..."

After Yvonne said this, Elsa also felt a bit sleepy.

She yawned, and finally reluctantly left Yvonne's side.

"Then I'll go to sleep first?"

"Go on, go on."

In the quiet tent, there was the rustling sound of changing clothes, followed by steady breathing from behind,

Hearing such sounds finally put Yvonne at ease.

Alright,

Now it's time for adult work.

Seeing that the light from the magic crystal lamp on the stand had become somewhat dim,

Yvonne opened the top cover, put in a new magic stone, then carefully closed the lid. Trying not to make any extra noise,

Then she gently opened the unfinished documents on the table, trying not to wake the two sleeping inside.

The crystal lamp core emitted a soft glow in the darkness.

......

Finally, all of today's data calculations were completed.

The calculation level in this other world was really worrisome. Fortunately, her high school math skills hadn't been completely returned to her teachers. Combining this world's magic theory, she could derive accurate inferences through calculations.

Based on the current situation, the magic flow observed near the local ley lines was quite normal, and tomorrow's teleportation gate construction should go smoothly.

But... it's really tiring...

"Ugh—"

Stretching her arms straight in her seat, various joints in her body made cracking sounds.

Her body was getting stiffer, especially after sitting for so long today... she felt like she was turning into a rusty iron block.

Yvonne estimated the time, there were still about 4 hours to sleep before work started tomorrow morning... but she might need to find time for a nap tomorrow afternoon, otherwise she might get drowsy.

...It's cold.

Although she wanted to sleep, for some reason, every time she stayed up late past a certain point, she would subtly become insomniac.

Moreover, the weather was very cold, and there was no place to take a hot bath in this beast-people tribe. If her whole body was stiff and frozen hard in this cold weather, naturally there was no way to quickly fall asleep well.

The warmth transmitted from beside her could make her feel at ease, so it wouldn't be bad to just close her eyes and rest for a while...

So warm... she never thought she'd have a day where she could warm someone's bed.

Just as she was trying hard to find sleep, a warm hand suddenly reached out from behind, resting on her somewhat cold stomach.

"It's too late... How's the work going?"

"It's done for now... but... to be honest, I still don't have much confidence..."

Is what I'm doing really correct? Can it really bring change to this world?

"Even if Evie doesn't have confidence, I will support you."

"...I'm truly grateful for that."

She chuckled softly, they weren't really talking about anything too specific,

But just having these quiet conversations at night, and listening to her thoughts...

It felt like they had already stepped into their future life together.

Thinking of this, Yvonne couldn't help but feel a surge of passion.

To have such a person by her side supporting her, encouraging her, helping her... and sincerely staying by her side always. Being able to meet such a rare person made Yvonne extremely cherish her.

Thinking this, Yvonne held her hand.

When will I be able to put a ring on this hand?

Day and night, to find a way to alleviate this unbearably itchy feeling, choosing to cuddle together like this.

Choosing to touch each other.

This feeling had long since far exceeded the boundary of 'like', reaching 'love'—

"—I love you too."

Hearing this abrupt confession, Yvonne slowly turned towards her with slight surprise.

...This girl sometimes seems like she can read minds.

But saying it out loud is still embarrassing after all. Although somewhat shy, her gaze still fixed on Yvonne's slightly wavering eyes in the darkness, not leaving.

"So... let's always be together."

Squeezing Yvonne's fingers, she added this as if to cover up her own embarrassment.

"You're really greedy, aren't we always like this?"

Small movements and light snoring breaths came from very close by.

"Then beyond this... more... even more..."

"Mm, we will."

The flaxen hair in her arms was prickly, tickling her chest.

In this world, everyone is lonely, everyone is incomplete,

But it's precisely because we're incomplete that we can piece together like this.

They had already become addicted to seeking love from each other,

Unconsciously, it became a habit imprinted on their bodies.

In their story, there are no real 'villains' or 'evil roles',

No one starts out as a bad person, and no one starts out as a good person.

The world isn't simply black and white, but sometimes it's actually quite simple

The lonely self encountered the equally lonely her,

And then they were no longer lonely.

The slightly long night, quiet and dark. But very reassuring, because she was not alone.