The Villain's Sister - Chapter 71

“What kind of person is Oscar Jackniper?”

When Johan suddenly changed the subject, Giselle looked puzzled.

“Why suddenly Oscar?”

“Hurry.”

“He’s just an ape. A lanky ape. For reference, Raphael is a blond muscle ape.”

A brother of Giselle who did not exist.

The starting point of contradiction.

When Johan gestured for more explanation, Giselle elaborated.

“He created Death Adder, and Raphael was constantly on edge around me. But Oscar taught me how to shoot.”

“He raised you strong.”

“When I fall, Raphael runs over to soothe and comfort me, but Oscar is the type who rushes me to get up quickly because it’s nothing. Thanks to that, before Raphael died, I had the courage to shoot at the Black Pistols. Because according to Oscar, it was nothing.”

The Giselle he knew was someone who got threatened, not someone who threatened others.

Yet on the first day he met her here, Giselle threatened him with a knife without hesitation.

And in the movie, Giselle fired a gun without hesitation.

Her shooting posture wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t clumsy either.

It was the posture of someone who had practiced holding a gun.

All of these differences were due to Oscar Jackniper’s influence.

Suddenly, a vast sound reverberated through the void.

Johan squinted and checked the situation, then his eyelids trembled.

‘That is…’

The world shook, and cracks formed large and small in the sky, the earth, the void, everywhere.

When Johan glared into the void, Giselle asked nervously, “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you see that?”

“There’s nothing.”

Turning to check where Johan was staring, Giselle grew frightened and scolded him.

“Why are you scaring me like that?”

If one failed to escape the dream in time, they would be engulfed in their inner world and die.

“If my guess is right, it seems you came here when you were in a coma.”

“That’s right. And when I opened my eyes, I had an ability. They say some people gain new powers after crossing the line of death, but I never thought that would be me.”

Johan’s jaw tightened. His clenched fist turned white.

He had worn a mask for her, yet he had never once truly protected Giselle.

The cracks in the world lengthened.

As gaps formed, the world split into torn fragments.

“The comic book was created over ten years ago. And Oscar Jackniper came here only a few years ago. Giselle. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

“Strange…”

As Giselle answered, her lips froze, and a strange light flickered in her eyes for a moment.

“Ah.”

A sound like a gasp escaped from between her lips.

With a look of sudden realization, Giselle stepped back from him in shock.

“Giselle?”

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she glared at him.

“Giselle, why all of a sudden—”

Slap!

Giselle knocked away Johan’s hand as he tried to grab her. Biting her lip, Giselle said in a sobbing voice, “To not remember anything… it’s really unfair.”

She glared at Johan with bitter resentment.

“I wanted to take revenge on you… But then again. If that had been possible, it wouldn’t have ended that way.”

Giselle shut her eyes tightly and drew in a deep breath until her chest swelled.

Then her body, expression, face, everything froze unnaturally as if a button had been pressed to pause a video.

Her blue eyes glazed over, and the gnats flying around froze in the air.

Rumble! Boom! Crack!

The world ripped apart noisily around her.

Through the torn dimensions, the vast universe was revealed.

The brightly shining moon, the Milky Way flowing like a river, secrets of time and space beyond human imagination.

From one side of the shattered world came several voices.

“Oscar. You and Raphael must be destined. School, prison, and now even creating an organization together. How about you two get married too? Ow! My forehead!”

“Don’t fool around. More than that, ever since we killed Sunshine, things have been going strangely. We’ll follow later, so you run first.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I won’t go anywhere without you.”

From the other side of the world came new voices.

“Maria. Was there someone called Oscar Jackniper in our town?”

“Anti-Venom? I’ve thought this before, but your naming sense is the worst. If it were me, I would’ve called it Love Peace. Use a childish name and even the police will lose the will to investigate.”

“Johan. Nice to meet you.”

The two torn worlds collided as if trying to devour each other.

Each time they clashed, fragments of blue starlight scattered.

The broken dimensions shattered into dust, sparkling like fireworks before vanishing.

Johan shook Giselle, but she showed no response.

Her body had stiffened, and even her breathing had stopped.

“Giselle! Giselle! You must wake up!”

Crash! Roar!

The worlds devoured each other.

The stronger consumed the weaker, and the world that devoured fragments was in turn consumed by another world surging in.

Then the world exploded, and the devoured world was spewed out all at once.

“My name is Giselle Rodriguez.”

In the reassembling world, Giselle’s shy voice introduced herself to someone.

The worlds continued to devour each other.

In between, Giselle’s voice kept flowing.

“Did you wait long?”

Giselle’s sweet voice sounded undeniably happy at a glance.

No, it went beyond happiness. Her deep affection for the other person was conveyed vividly, even in this situation.

For a moment, jealousy surged. Who on earth could make her speak in such a voice…

The worlds swallowed and regurgitated each other, devouring and being devoured countless times.

As Giselle failed to regain her senses, Johan was just about to move his mana.

From the cracks of the torn world, a powerful energy surged up and bloomed into an entirely new world that swallowed the surroundings.

Confirming that energy, Johan gasped.

Giselle exhaled roughly, like someone freed from a trance.

“Huff. Haa, hah.”

“Are you all right? Just now, what on earth was that—”

“S, Sorry. Sometimes it’s like this. I’m taking medication for panic disorder….”

Panic disorder?

This was not a problem a hospital could solve.

Sensing Johan’s complicated gaze, Giselle asked with an overly bright expression, “Anyway, where were we? Ah, I talked about dating the police. Well, I liked him quite a bit, but Raphael got in the way so we broke up. Does that make sense?”

She remembered nothing. She had no idea what had just happened.

Johan stared blankly at Giselle, who was babbling on.

Crack.

The streetlamp behind Giselle cracked.

When the newly born world overlapped, the crack disappeared without a trace.

In the sky, intangible energy swirled.

Johan couldn’t mistake it. It was the same sensation of the hot esper power that had healed him in the past.

A chilling coldness settled on Johan’s shoulders.

***

Tick. Tock.

The sound of the clock filled the quiet living room.

Johan glared at the cracks in the world that appeared and disappeared beyond the window.

For a non-wizard, for such traces of dimensions to remain deep in the consciousness?

Even as a wizard, he couldn’t comprehend this situation.

It was certain that all the secrets were hidden in the dream, but he couldn’t recklessly interfere.

“Difficult.”

With a sigh, Johan pressed his eyes. As time passed, his anxiety grew more severe.

He could die, but Giselle must live. That was why he had risked everything to come here.

By the way, that voice seeping out of the cracks in the world…

“I love you.”

It was the voice he heard from a faraway place right before Giselle regained consciousness.

Even amidst his confusion at her abnormality, he had been struck breathless.

To whom had she confessed? Who was the lucky bastard who had received her confession?

Tristan Lindbergh? Yes. The likelihood was high that it was that bastard.

And…

“I wanted to take revenge on you… But then again. If that had been possible, it wouldn’t have ended that way.”

What was that sudden change he saw? 

It was as if the Giselle from the comic book had come to life.

Johan’s worries deepened.

Creak.

The doorknob turned.

“Johan, are you asleep?”

Through the door, a pale face peeked in.

When she confirmed Johan was awake, Giselle smiled brightly. Her eyes sparkled as if stars were bursting forth.

Seeing her, Johan’s heart sank again.

His chest tightened with excitement, and at the same time, he felt terrified that she might never smile like that again.

“Another nightmare?”

“I wasn’t like this lately, but suddenly it’s happening again. Anyway, can’t sleep? If you can’t sleep, play with me.”

“What?”

Only Giselle would dare to treat Raphael, who owned Death Adder, like a fool, and demand that he play with her.

Before he knew it, Giselle had settled on the sofa and was patting the seat next to her.

“Hurry up.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Well, should we chat?”

“…Ha.”

“Don’t want to? Then should we do face packs together?”

“I am not Maria.”

Giselle ignored Johan’s words.

Instead, she brought a basket from her room and forced him to sit down.

“Come quickly and play with me.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

On the table, nail polishes of different colors were laid out.

“Which color do you like?”

Johan was speechless. It was perhaps the most absurd moment he had ever experienced with Giselle.

“There are nail parts too.”

Under the living room light, the cubic parts sparkled brightly.

Johan quietly hid both hands behind his back.

“How about just chatting instead?”

“Now that I think about it, you don’t seem like a fun conversation partner. But as a boyfriend, you should at least do this much. Give me your hand.”

“…Giselle. You also have nails.”

Giselle silently spread her fingers. All ten were already fancy enough.

“Don’t resist.”

Bang! Tap, tap!

When Giselle drummed on the table, Johan trembled with shame and offered one hand.

Well, it was just a dream anyway.

It couldn’t possibly happen in reality, and Giselle wouldn’t even remember it…

Johan tried to think positively.

Though, judging by the sparkle in Giselle’s eyes as she looked at his fingers, it didn’t seem likely.