Night fell over a district in London.
After Vill-V made an elephant vanish into thin air, the performance finally came to a close. Naturally, Fu Li had Irene drive Klein back to her place first.
"Klein, get home safe. Don't come out alone next time."
"Mm, I know. Thank you for everything today, Li."
"It's nothing, just a small matter."
Fu Li waved his hand, watching Klein go home before turning to face a pouting Vill-V with a sense of helplessness.
Finally, he reached out, intending to pat Vill-V's small head, but his hand met only empty air.
"Hmph!"
Vill-V lifted her chin in annoyance and turned her head away. Gone was the high-spirited flair she had on stage; in its place was the rare sight of a pouting young woman.
Under these circumstances, anyone could see that she was angry, and Fu Li was no exception.
What he couldn't understand, however, was what he had done to make this genius, who would one day be among the best in the world, act like this.
Still, he knew very well that he was the cause, so...
"Um... Vill-V, I'm sorry, okay? What happened today was really just an accident."
"Oh, how very unexpected," Vill-V replied coolly, toying with the pocket watch she had just bought. She deliberately drew out her words.
"Alright, I'm not angry anymore. It was clearly my birthday, yet you were so focused on taking care of another girl. I don't mind at all, not one little bit~"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the side.
From her perspective, any boy with a normal level of emotional intelligence would understand her current frustration.
However...
"Oh, good, as long as you're not angry. And I watched your performance seriously, it was really spectacular."
Fu Li offered some appropriate praise. He figured that someone like Vill-V, who loved performing so much, would surely be happy to accept such a compliment.
Steering the conversation toward a topic the other person enjoyed was a method of distraction.
As long as he could shift the topic to magic, Fu Li believed Vill-V would quickly forget about Klein's existence. But...
The moment he finished speaking, Vill-V's expression sank, and an awkward silence filled the car.
"Pfft..."
A stifled laugh came from the driver's seat. Irene kept one hand on the wheel while desperately covering her mouth with the other, afraid she would burst out laughing again.
No... I can't laugh... Fu Li is my benefactor, how could I...
"Pfft... ahem... apologies, Li. I didn't mean to, but... today is Miss Vill-V's birthday. It was a bit inappropriate for you to focus your attention on someone else."
Especially when it's a girl who clearly likes you.
Irene's expression was strange. Seeing her boss's awkward face in the rearview mirror, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and give him a hint.
Ah... is that how it is?
A jolt went through Fu Li's body. He had never been good at dealing with girls.
Even after dating Pardofelis for a while, they hadn't made any substantial progress. At most, they would hold hands, lean their shoulders against each other, and watch the moon while sitting on the grass.
Occasionally... a kiss or something...
The thought of Pardofelis made Fu Li's ears burn slightly, and his gaze began to wander, drifting to the buildings outside the window.
And Vill-V saw all of it.
As a Conman who understood the human heart extremely well, her own heart suddenly trembled.
Judging by Fu Li's reaction, he had clearly thought of someone, and his relationship with that person was definitely not ordinary. But how was that possible?
Although she usually acted as if she didn't care, her possessive nature had long since driven her to secretly keep an eye on Fu Li, afraid that some "fish-stealing cat" would come and seduce her Li.
But they had practically grown up together. Besides herself, the only other girl he was close to was that Anna woman, right?
No, that's not right. Vill-V suddenly recalled that Fu Li seemed to have a particular fondness for the color green, and he had clearly been abnormally enthusiastic toward that girl named Klein.
Yet, she was certain that Fu Li didn't harbor any romantic feelings for Klein.
Could it be that before they met, during the time Fu Li was wandering alone, he had formed an unspoken bond with a green-haired woman?
But who could it be? Vill-V was sure she didn't know any women with green hair.
"Damn it..."
Vill-V's expression darkened. Based on the limited information she had, she locked onto a suspect: a woman who likely had green hair.
She wasn't certain, but that didn't stop her from temporarily treating this person as a hypothetical rival.
"No, I don't care about anyone else in this world. Only Li... I will never give him up to anyone else."
Having made up her mind, Vill-V's gaze sharpened as a bold idea formed in her mind.
It was a rather malicious idea.
And she was about to put it into practice.
She took a deep breath and said in the calmest voice she could manage:
"Li, come over here for a second."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Feeling guilty, Fu Li retracted his gaze and, just as she wished, moved closer to Vill-V without any defenses up.
The car was cramped. The neon lights from outside spilled into the interior, illuminating Vill-V's delicate features and lending her a mysterious and bewitching charm.
Her body was slightly stiff, her lips pressed together, betraying a hint of nervousness.
In the next second, time seemed to freeze. Irene's pupils constricted, a tremor ran through Fu Li's body, and his eyes filled with disbelief.
In that instant, Vill-V moved like a flash. She wrapped her arms around Fu Li's neck, pulling him in. Her chest pressed against the black cat pendant as she leaned forward slightly and kissed his lips.
Fu Li's mind short-circuited for a moment. But just as he subconsciously tried to pull back, Vill-V's tongue skillfully pried his lips open and slipped inside forcefully.
At that moment, the black cat pendant on Fu Li's chest trembled slightly, as if something wanted to break free, but it ultimately returned to calm.
Neither Fu Li nor Vill-V noticed this detail.
As if she had anticipated his resistance, Vill-V held onto his neck tightly, unwilling to let go.
A moment later, their lips parted.
Fu Li and Vill-V finally separated, staring at each other in silence, breathing heavily.
Irene had fallen completely silent, as if she had turned into a robot.
Fu Li's eyes were filled with shock, while Vill-V, after that kiss, let the malicious part of her personality surface.
She looked at the incredulous Fu Li, as if awakened. She extended her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth. The nervousness in her eyes vanished, replaced by a wicked sense of delight.
She had found it. Something interesting.
"Li, I like you."
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: The debut of my favorite, the Arch-Villain!!